Placement problems beset student training

More than a third of social work students are experiencing placements they regard as irrelevant to social work and a similar amount are unable to secure a statutory position, according to a BASW – The College of Social Work poll that reveals widespread concerns about the quality of on-the-job training.

Four in ten respondents to the online survey of student experiences said they were disappointed by their placements, and many cited supervision as a chief failing. Over a quarter of students didn’t have a social worker as a practice teacher and almost a quarter said their practice teacher had no time to supervise them anyway.

A huge majority, 89%, said that placements need to be better regulated and monitored.

Responding to the findings BASW/CoSW England manager Ruth Cartwright described them as “depressing”.

She said: “These findings aren’t a surprise when you look at the problems in the profession – social work teams are so understaffed and stretched. But some of the findings are inexcusable – would student nurses be allowed to be supervised by people other than medical staff? Social workers go in to their working lives having already been let down by the system and once again it is the communities that need good social workers that are ultimately affected.”

Ms Cartwright said BASW – The College of Social Work will be looking closely at this issue in the coming months and urged universities and employers to work harder together to make placements “a quality experience”.

The survey of 280 social work student respondents to an online survey during February found that 31% did not secure a placement in a statutory social work setting in either of their placements, a major concern for many trainee social workers, according to Ms Cartwright, as many worry that they will have difficulties securing employment without this experience.

The general availability of any placement is also an issue it seems, with over 50% of students reporting limited work experience placement opportunities and 32% saying their university didn’t offer enough placements for all students.