The Bachelor of Social Work Programme

The overall programme objectives of The Bachelor of Social Work Programme are described in Executive Order No. 536 (28. June 2002) from The Danish Ministry of Education, Section 1:

"The aim of the social work programme is to qualify the student professionally and personally to practice social work independently and in cross-disciplinary cooperation upon completion of the programme.

In accordance with the general development in society, and in the fields of social work and science, the programme must qualify the students to carry out theoretical and practical social work and counselling. The Social Work Programme must enable the students to identify, describe, analyse, evaluate and act according to different living conditions and social problems at an individual level, at group level and in relation to organisations and society as a whole. The students must acquire knowledge about and insight into the situations of the target groups and environments enabling them to make changes and act as social workers both in a public and a private context."

"Students must be qualified to:

1. practice and coordinate social work and plan social interventions as well as providing guidance and counselling and implement preventive measures,
2. obtain critical and analytic competence with a view to identifying, describing and evaluating social problems in their entity and choosing relevant methods and measures in relation to the actual situation,
3. transfer theories and methods into practical measures and create changes in cooperation with the users and other involved parties,
4. establish professional relations with users and be able to enter into dialogue with users and to see the users' resources and support them in utilising their resources,
5. participate in organisational processes with a view to influencing and changing the framework and conditions and to act and negotiate in relation to conflicting requirements and expectations,
6.  carry out regulatory functions and make decisions while taking into account legal requirements, the actual situation of the users and the practice of the public administration and to be able to act according to the decisions made,
7.  develop social work on the basis of documentation and evaluation, implement quality control and to follow, apply and participate in research within the field of social work."

The Practice Placement

The practice placement takes place in the fourth semester of The Social Work Programme. During the semester the student spends 80 full workdays (24 ECTS) in a statutory or voluntary agency within the field of social work.

Throughout the semester and concurrently with her/his work in the placement agency, the student works with a study package and a written assignment (an agency description) which is given and assessed by the school.

The practice placement is a study activity and therefore unpaid. The student should be allowed to participate in study activities planned by the school.

Aims

During the practice placement, the student must work to transfer theoretical knowledge into social work practice in an agency in the field of social work in order to develop professional social work competencies.

The practice placement must be organised in such a way that the student will work in a progression from holding an observing role to a participatory role and finally to a reflective and independent role so that the student will gain experience with independent social work under the guidance and supervision of an placement supervisor.

The student must try out and reflect upon core competencies within the work area of the placement agency e.g. counselling, guidance, coordination, analysis, negotiation, development, communication and exercise of authority. Furthermore, the student must assess her/his professional and personal qualifications for working as a social worker.

Learning Objectives / Assessment Criteria

Within the work area of the placement agency the student must achieve knowledge, skills and competencies as follows:

The Main Elements of the Semester

The semester consists of two learning components.

Firstly. the actual practice placement during which the placement student spend 80 workdays (24 ECTS) at an agency within the field of social work. The 80 days are arranged in agreement with the placement agency stretched over an app. five months period starting in the beginning of February (spring semester) or the beginning of September (autumn semester).

Secondly, study days (6 ECTS) aiming at enabling the student to make a reflected coupling between theoretical input and practical experiences with social work. 

Elements leading towards the assessment of the placement:

·        Placement learning agreement

·        Midway review

·         Evaluation of the practice placement period

·         Final assessment of the practice placement

Study days include:

·         Study days (7 days spread over the placement period) for the placement student's preparation of e.g. learning agreement and midway review, the student's work with the study package or other types of relevant theory, collection of data for the agency description. These days are planned and agreed upon by the placement supervisor and the student in the learning agreement.

·        Agency description (4,5 days) upon completion of the practice placement

The Format of the Practice Placement

The practice placement takes place individually in a placement agency under close professional follow-up and supervision by an appointed placement supervisor.

The practice placement must be organised in such a way that the student will work in a progression from holding an observing role to a participatory role and finally to a reflective and independent role so that the student will gain experience with actual social work under the guidance and supervision of the placement supervisor.

At any time during the placement the student and the placement supervisor can contact the school representative if questions, doubts or difficulties should arise or if he or she has further suggestions regarding the placement.

In the planning of the practice placement attention should be given to the student's professional and personal learning objectives as described in the Placement Learning Agreement.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Placement Agency

·         draws up a placement agreement together with the school. The agreement must be approved by the school.

·         is responsible for ensuring that the student is given work tasks during the course of the practice placement that considers the objectives of the practice placement.

·         the management of the placement agency is overall responsible for the course of the placement and for the appointment of a placement supervisor. The appointed placement supervisor must be a professional, qualified staff member with experience with work carried out by social workers.

The Placement Supervisor

·         in cooperation with the student, produces an individual placement learning agreement, outlining the objectives and the assessment criteria of the practice placement.

·         participates in the midway review and final assessment of the placement.

·         makes sure that the student has access to professional social worker guidance and supervision.

·         is responsible for registering the student’s absence (students are required to attend not less than 80 % of the required time).

·         contacts the school's representative in the event of problems during the placement.

The School Representative

The school representative must be a qualified social worker appointed by The Department of Social Work, Aarhus. The school representative contributes with guidance of the student and the placement supervisor as arranged. S/he

·         provides information about the regulatory framework of the practice placement to the placement supervisor.

·         approves the individual placement learning agreement.

·         is responsible for ensuring that the midway review is carried out in co-operation with the placement supervisor and the student.

·         is in charge of the final assessment of the practice placement, in conjunction with the placement supervisor.

 If the student has professional difficulties, the placement supervisor will be able to ask the school representative for special assistance with regard to supplementing, adjusting or changing the placement agreement in order to support the student’s professional learning and theoretical development.

An agreement can be entered into whereby special support to the student is offered during the remainder of the practice placement.

The Student

·         in cooperation with the placement supervisor, produces an individual placement learning agreement, outlining the objectives and the assessment criteria of the practice placement.

·         participates in the midway review of the practice placement based on her/his placement learning agreement.

·         submits an agency description (an analysis the social work of the placement agency).

·         is obliged to follow the rules of the placement agency, including compulsory attendance, professional confidentiality etc.  Professional confidentiality continues after the completion of the placement.

·         must contact the school representative if any problems arise in the course of the placement.

Placement Learning Agreement

Within the first three weeks of the practice placement the student and the placement supervisor must produce a learning agreement.

The placement learning agreement must include a description of the planned course of the practice placement based on the objectives of the placement and the assessment criteria.

To the extent that this is possible, the student's own professional and personal learning objectives must be taken into consideration. The placement learning agreement must be approved by the school representative.

Midway Review

Halfway through the placement period the student, the placement supervisor and the school representative conduct a midway review. The midway review is an evaluation based on the professional and personal learning objectives as described in the student's learning agreement. In case of long-distance participation by the school representative, the review is made over the telephone.

Evaluation of the Practice Placement Period

Prior to the final assessment the entire practice placement is evaluated in a discussion between the student and the placement supervisor according to agreement with the school representative.

If the student, the placement supervisor or the school representative has any doubts about the approval of the practice placement, the school representative will participate in the evaluation.

Final Assessment

The school representative and the placement supervisor make a final assessment of the practice placement.

The final assessment is based on the placement learning agreement, the midway review and the joint evaluation of the placement made by the student and the placement supervisor.

If the placement is not approved, the student should be given a short justification in writing.

Agency Description

The student submits a written assignment based on a specific user interaction experienced by the student during her/his practice placement.

Although the placement supervisor is in no way responsible for the agency description, s/he may read the written assignment in order to ensure that data are sufficiently anonymized.

Assessment criteria for the agency description:

Based on the chosen user interaction/issue the student must

Approval/Rejection of the Agency Description

The assignment is submitted to the school representative for assessment. The assignment will be designated approved/not approved.

 Study Package

During the placement semester the student works with a study package with a view to strengthening a reflected coupling of theory and practical social work during the practice placement. The study package supports the student work with the objectives of the placement, an emphasis upon international aspects and the interaction between the practice placement and the concluding work with the agency description.

Draft timetable

The dates above are approximate. The specific dates are given in The Practice Placement Handbook for the specific semester.

Excerpts from the Practice Placement Handbook

Absence

A practice placement cannot be approved if the student has been absent more than 15 % of the entire placement (=12 days).

The school can allow an extension of the placement if absence of more than 15 % is due to sickness or another impediment comparable with sickness and if the placement agency accepts the extension.

The Start of a New Practice Placement

A student can start no more than two practice placements.  However, under special circumstances the school can allow a student to begin a third practice placement.

The student can be allowed to change to another placement agency within the first three weeks of the placement period if circumstances exist which make a change of agency appropriate. Such a change is not considered to be the start of a new practice placement.

If the first practice placement is not passed at assessment or if the placement is terminated because of difficulties or disagreement, the school must make sure that the student's next placement agency is made aware of this.

Treatment of Disagreement in the Course of the Practice Placement

If disagreements arise between the student and the placement agency, the responsible placement supervisor and/or the school representative must make sure that the problem is discussed with the student with view to a resolution.

If agreement cannot be reached or if the student cannot accept the result, then the case is reported to the management of the placement agency and to the management of the school.  The report should include the placement supervisor’s and the school representative's evaluations of whether the problem can be solved in such a way that the practice placement can be continued in the agency.

Subsequently the school will contact the management of the placement agency and the student in order to decide whether the practice placement should be continued.

In Case of Disagreement about the Final Assessment

If the placement supervisor and the school representative cannot reach an agreement about the final assessment, the school must contact an external assessor from The Corps of External Assessors for a renewed assessment.

The renewed assessment is based on the placement learning agreement, the midway review and the course of the placement. The school representative and the external assessor will decide whether the placement can be approved or not – following the procedure of oral exams.

The placement has to be approved before the student can continue on 5^th semester.