Social work field education programs globally are struggling to meet the demands of providing placements and need to consider innovative placement models to meet professional accreditation requirements, and delivering quality field education opportunities for social work students. This paper reports on the qualitative responses of a national survey of Australian social work field education programs, exploring current challenges, innovative responses, recommendations for the Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards [ASWEAS] review, hopes for the future, as well as capacity to undertake research.The findings suggest that field education programs use incremental innovation in field education, including collaboration, partnerships and new ways of responding to the changing student body. It is suggested that structural change and resources are needed for innovation to be more than incremental. Implication Statement• Social work field education as a distinct pedagogy needs to be supported through evidence based research in order to respond to current pressures • Collaboration in field education practice and research is valuable, but may be challenged by program competition • Structural innovation and accepting diversity in models could offer opportunities for social work education

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Attracting more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the social work profession is an important strategy in responding to Indigenous disadvantage. The literature suggests that the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, knowledge, and skills in social work is impeded by racism and white privilege. This article reports on a research project that aimed to explore the field education experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social work students. Interviews were conducted with 11 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and graduates and their narratives were analysed through a collaborative process. Findings reveal experiences of subtle and overt racism as every day features of their placements. The findings highlight the need to address racism, the value of cultural mentors, and the necessity to increase the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academic staff in social work education.

Social work as a profession, social work practitioners and organisations, as well as social work educators are under strain due to global, economic, social and political changes and workplace pressures. Field education is recognised as pivotal in preparing social work students for professional practice. As social work practitioners, organisations and social work educators are exposed to external and internal pressures, social work practice learning with off-site supervision is becoming more prevalent. This paper reports on research that explored the experiences of key stakeholders in social work practice learning with external or, in other words, off-site supervision. This paper explores the experiences of university liaison persons who provided supported field education arrangements with off-site supervision. A range of themes have emerged, including reflections about bringing the university to the placement experience, creating student centred placement opportunities, the complexity of connecting the various players, and the extra support and resources needed to support placements with off-site supervision. Findings suggest that quality learning experiences are about more than modes of supervision, that placements with off-site supervision increase the workload of liaison persons and that clear models and structures need to be developed to support emerging 2 field education models.

Across Australia and internationally, growing numbers of grandparents are becoming primary carers for grandchildren, both within and outside of formal state care arrangements. Underlying factors include family breakdown, family circumstances where parents are unable to care for their children, or where there are child safety concerns. Some grandparents report a pattern of initially providing care for grandchildren but then experiencing reduced or lost contact that sometimes is not restored, in turn impacting ongoing relationships with grandchildren. A prevailing concern is the disproportional numbers of Aboriginal children in state care in all Australian states. Reported here are findings from a recent partnership research project focused on optimizing grandparent contact and ongoing relationships with grandchildren after child safety concerns. Qualitative in‐depth interviews and focus groups were conducted with 77 participants. Findings revealed grandparents yearned to maintain a significant role in grandchildren's lives after child safety issues emerged, however, they often felt powerless, unsupported, and sidelined from decision‐making in the best interests of their grandchildren. Participants made strong recommendations for more inclusive processes.

AcknowledgementWe would like to thank Professor Ross Bailie for undertaking an external review of the systematic review protocol and providing valuable feedback. This review was supported by a seed funding from Centre for Research Excellence in Integrated Quality Improvement (CRE- ResultsA search of social science electronic databases identified eight peer-reviewed studies, including six quantitative studies, one mixed methods study and one qualitative study. DiscussionThe review highlighted that many studies on this topic lack specific validating data but there is evidence that CQI models have some potential to improve processes for working with children and families by promoting implementation fidelity. 4Continuous quality improvement processes in child protection: A systematic literature review