Reflective practice and learning from mistakes in social work student placement

Sicora, Alessandro

doi:10.1080/02615479.2018.1508567

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Students are learning and reflections upon mistakes are integral to this (Siccora, 2019). In serious situations where mistakes cause concerns about FtP, any disciplinary action is weighed alongside a student's capability to learn and develop subsequently (HEA, 2014).…”

Section: Fitness To Practise Processes and Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexuality and religion: from the court of appeal to the social work classroom

Mason

Cocker

Hafford‐Letchfield

2020

Social Work Education

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This paper critically reviews the case of (R (Ngole) v University of Sheffield [2019]), which concerned a social work student whose professional training was terminated following expression of his religious views about homosexuality on a public social media platform. The student sought a judicial review of this decision on human rights grounds. The High Court dismissed the student's challenge but the Court of Appeal overturned this decision to dismiss on the grounds of proportionality and referred the student back to the University to determine further action. This case is discussed in the context of the complicated positions taken up during the process leading to this legal Judgment, as they have implications for curriculum and pedagogical strategies, fitness to practice processes and the experience of LGBTQ+ students. The discussion considers how, in light of this Judgment, social work educators can continue to address sexuality as a social justice issue. Critical and queer perspectives can support transformative learning where binary thinking about sexuality and religion is challenged and students can appreciate the impact of their values on others. Recommendations are made for addressing disparities in how sexuality, sexual and gender diversity are addressed in professional education.

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Section: Fitness To Practise Processes and Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexuality and religion: from the court of appeal to the social work classroom

Mason

Cocker

Hafford‐Letchfield

2020

Social Work Education

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“…14-15) According to Reamer (2008, p. 67), social work agencies should minimize the likelihood of future error and conduct comprehensive risk management audits whose primary purpose is to provide workers with a mechanism to 'identify pertinent risks in their practice settings', 'review and assess the adequacy of their current practices', 'design a practical strategy to modify current practices as needed' and 'monitor the implementation of this quality assurance strategy'. More extensively, self-evaluation of social work practice through reflection on professional mistakes is an effective strategy to enhance professional skills (Sicora, 2010b(Sicora, , 2017. Mistakes and risks are intimately connected to the decision-making process in any field of social work (Taylor, 2013), and the significant incident learning process may lead to better practice in child protection (Ince & Griffiths, 2011;Munro, 1996) and adult protection (Braye et al, 2015;Clawson & Kitson, 2013;Flynn et al, 2011;Parry, 2014;Preston-Shoot, 2014).…”

Section: Literature Review On Errors and Mistakes In Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this regard, the process of finding and remedying mistakes is vital in order to strengthen practitioners' capacity for decision-making and reflective thinking. Furthermore, social workers are responsible for minimizing the harm caused by their professional mistakes, learning how to avoid similar situations in the future and, when possible, turning them into opportunities for new discoveries and more effective interventions (Sicora, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy: The impact of culture, organization and education

Sicora

Lü

Lei

2020

Journal of Social Work

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Summary This article reports the results of an exploratory comparative study that investigated errors made by social work practitioners. Two groups of social workers, one in Italy and one in Mainland China, answered questions about the causes and effects of mistakes, professional errors and reactions to errors committed by their colleagues, and the influence of intuition on the decision-making process that generates mistakes and errors of professional judgement. Findings The most salient differences between the Italian and Chinese respondents related to their willingness to talk about their mistakes and their confidence in the training received. A longer social work tradition in Italy helps practitioners in that country to feel stronger and to engage in a reflective learning process rather than defensive actions. As members of a new and not yet fully recognized profession, social workers in Mainland China are more likely to blame external circumstances for negative outcomes. Both groups shared the same positive consideration of intuition and the risk of losing service users’ trust. Applications The purpose of the article is to foster better understanding of errors and mistakes in social work, as well as more open discussion and reflection on social work practice and how to prevent negative outcomes.

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“…In most cases, these decisions are not made under any rigor or very strict procedure (Spratt et al, 2015) but are burdened with errors resulting from different biases (Taylor, 2017). It can also be pointed out that many of these decisions belong to an intuitive process rather than a reflective decision-making process (Sicora, 2017).…”

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confidence: 99%

Social Work Paradigms and Their Effect on Decision Making About Out-of-Home Placement

Przeperski

2021

Research on Social Work Practice

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Purpose: This research aimed to understand the views of social workers on factors influencing decision making toward child placement and any possible differences in perception of these factors among social workers with experience in placement decision making and those without it. Methods: The Q sort methodology was used to analyze the opinions of 64 social workers by presenting them 54 statements on single sheets and asked to rank them on a grid. Results: Analysis showed five distinct paradigms: family-centered; veiled shared concept; child-centered; paternalistic; and professional evidence-based, which influence the entire process and outcomes of the decision making process. Both groups (those with experience in decisions towards placement and those without such experience) believed in family centeredness. Workers without prior experience of deciding to place children, regarded highly the role of workers in the decision-making process. They highlighted the need for data to guide decisions and the responsibility of workers to protect the child's welfare. Workers with prior experience focused mostly on generalized concepts and highlighted a detachment of the social worker from the decisions made. They attributed responsibility for decisions to the wider environment. Conclusion: Reflecting on the paradigms within which decisions concerning child welfare are made is essential to improving on the decision-making processes and has implications for both research and practice.

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Reflective practice and learning from mistakes in social work student placement

Cited by 24 publications

References 16 publications

Sexuality and religion: from the court of appeal to the social work classroom

Sexuality and religion: from the court of appeal to the social work classroom

Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy: The impact of culture, organization and education

Social Work Paradigms and Their Effect on Decision Making About Out-of-Home Placement

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