Child protection and cultural awareness: Simulation-based learning

Abstract

Social work educators have long struggled with the challenge of finding appropriate strategies for fostering cultural awareness among their students. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how a computer-based simulation, SimChild, can be used in teaching about child protection to enhance cultural awareness among students and expand their insight into how personal biases can affect professional practice. In SimChild, individual students can assume the role of social worker and then collectively discuss the patterns emerging after their individual assessments have been aggregated. This study, based primarily on focus group data, reflects testing conducted at three Swedish universities.

Computer-Based Simulations in Social Work Education: A Scoping Review

“…In just under a third (5) of the studies, the design for the computer-based simulations was that students should act as a professional social worker. For instance, to make a formal decision or give a fictional client advice or recommendation (Egonsdotter et al, 2020; Levine & Adams, 2013; Putney et al, 2021; Washburn et al, 2020; Wilson et al, 2013). For human-based simulations Kourgiantakis et al (2020) describes that about half of the simulations had such design.…”

“…An approach that differs from other studies regarding feedback and reflection can also be seen in a couple of the included studies. Egonsdotter et al (2020) state that aggregated data in the form of diagrams is used as a basis for joint reflection on the results of the simulation. Otters and Hollander (2018) state that the computer-based simulation generates data used to produce genograms (a family tree).…”

“…In these studies, simulations are reported that are not directly linked to skills but rather aim to create environments or situations that are more difficult to imitate, both in a classroom situation or in field education. Primarily, this variant of computer-based simulations creates the opportunity for students to make a personal and group reflection based on a common basis of experience around different situations such as, for example, to visit a concentration camp (Reinsmith-Jones et al, 2015) or conduct a childcare investigation (Egonsdotter et al, 2020).…”

“…Procedural-Competence. In most studies, the computer simulation is based on the client being or the situation relating to an adult; however, in four studies, the simulation refers to children/young people (Casey & Powell, 2021;Egonsdotter et al, 2020;Hitchcock et al, 2019;Putney et al, 2021). In 11 studies, it is stated that some specific skill is practiced, and in several, different skills are combined.…”

“…In another three studies, simulations are described where the aim is to practice skills in other types of client conversations, problem-solving therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, or to solve ethical dilemmas (Phillips et al, 2018), crisis intervention and suicide prevention (Seabury, 2005) as well as assessment of the client's mental health (Washburn et al, 2020). In the study by Egonsdotter et al (2020), students are tasked with assessing whether a child is at risk of harm. The student's choices in the simulation are used for reflection on whether the child's ethnicity may have influenced the assessment.…”