Gary Spolander1, Annie PullenSansfacon, Marion Brown, Blanche Pretorius, Lambert Engelbrecht

1
Gary Spolander1, Annie Pullen-Sansfacon, Marion
Brown, Blanche Pretorius, Lambert Engelbrecht
JSWEC 2009 1Coventry University, England 2
Université de Montréal, Canada 3 Dalhousie
University, Canada 4 Nelson Mandella
Metropolitain University, South Africa 5
Stellenbosh University, South Africa
2

• Result of Applied Research Fellowship Grant
• Formal collaboration between 4 universities
• Coventry University, England
• Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia, Canada
• Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, RSA
• Stellenbosch University, RSA
• Université de Montréal, Canada
• Work undertaken through desktop analysis,
  institutional visits and meetings in three
  countries.
• Work undertaken between January and May 2009

3

• Overall shortage of qualified children's SW
  across UK (Coughlan, in Hill, 2007)
• Recruitment of overseas trained workers
• Since 1999 over 10,000 foreign trained SW have
  been given letters of verification to work in
  (Welbourne, Harrison and Ford, 2007)
• 2001-2 over 25 of social worker recruits were
  trained abroad (Batty, 2003)
• Are workers are fully prepared to work on global
  basis?
• RSA and Canada make up around 1/3 of all migrant
  social workers to England (GSCC 2009)

4

• Comparative analysis of documents based on
  qualitative content analysis

5

• Comparison of documents qualitative content
  analysis undertaken information already in
  public sphere (Neuman, 2007)
• All 3 countries published standards
  requirements
• Qualitative content analysis subjective
  interpretation of the content of text data
  through systematic classification process of
  coding identifying themes/ patterns (Hsieh and
  Shannon, 2005)

6

• Canadian Association of Social Work Education
  Standard for Accreditation (CASWE 2008)
• Canadian Association of Social Work Social Work
  Code of Ethics (CASW 1994)
• Canadian Association of Social Work Education
  Educational Policy Statement (CASWE 2007)
• Requirement for the Social Work Degree
  (Department of Health 2002)
• Quality Assurance Agency Benchmark for Social
  Work (QAA 2002)
• National Occupational Standards (TOPPS UK
  Partnership 2002)
• General Social Care Council Code of Practice for
  Social Care Workers (GSCC 2002)
• South African Council for Social Services
  Profession (SACSSP) Bachelor of Social Work BSW
  NSQ Level 7 2005
• Section 17 Social services Profession Act 1978
• South Africa Qualification Authority National
  Qualification Framework Level 7
• SACSSP Code of Ethics

7

• Failing to develop a complete understanding of
  context, thus failing to understand key
  categories (Hsieh and Shannon, 2005)
• Limited number of studies on migration of social
  workers often dont examine education models
  and curriculum
• Daley (2003) compares social work practice in
  different countries but comparative analysis of
  social work requirements across countries is
  scarce
• Canadian system Provincial differences

8

• Following categories developed
• Systems of Accountability
• Admission to Programmes
• Practice Learning  
• Suitability  
• Curriculum  
• Codes of Practice  
• Relationship to professional body  (registration
  of students) 

9

• RSA
• Legacy of apartheid, history of inequality
  human rights violations
• Bill of Rights
• Social Development approach directs welfare
  policy focus poorest of the poor, social and
  economic development
• State and Industrial Social Work
• England
• Embraced models of New Public Management
  (Christensen Laegreid, 2007)
• Market solutions seen as key in improving
  delivering affordable services, interlined with
  ideas of professionals disabling those that they
  service (Illich et al, 1997)
• Risk Assessment and Case Management
• Canada
• Positive international assessment
• Conservative ideology shaping social work
• Mixture of individual, family and community
  intervention

10

• All three countries have regulatory bodies with
  whom registration is mandatory for practice
• Qualification
• RSA Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) (4 years)
• Canada either BSW or Master of SW
• England either BSW or Masters
• All require theoretical (academic) and practice
  education

11

• Academic standards vary
• Minimum generally established by regulators, but
  Universities have discretion to set academic
  levels higher than
• Police Checks Done, but not in RSA
• Grading across three countries varies
• UK 40
• Canada and RSA 50

12

• England 1500 hours (200 assessed days x 7.5
  hours)
• RSA 1000 - 1500 hours (but varies by programme)
  currently being reviewed
• Canada 700 hours at UG level 450 hours at
  graduate level
• England requires 2 distinct placements (1 in
  statutory session)
• Canada RSA sufficient opportunity to observe
  practice

13

• Commonly all have agency and university
  appointees
• Faculty role
• Communicate university standards expectations
• Ensure academic regulations in respect of failure
  or professional unsuitability
• England National Occupational Standards
• RSA Exit Level Outcomes (Fundamental, core and
  elective components)
• Canada course outcomes individualised
  learning agreement

14

• Definitions and criteria vary in each country
• Common candidates must demonstrate appropriate
  knowledge and skills for profession
• Adherence to Codes of Ethics in England RSA
• Canada University requirement for established
  policies and procedures judged against national
  code of ethics

15

• Broadly 4 categories of theoretical (substantive
  areas of practice) input
• Policy and legislation
• Intervention
• Inequality and social inclusion
• Management, administration and supervision
• Research
• Area for further research to identify and detail
  what is shared (common) and what is country
  specific

16

• Many countries have formal code covering
  profession (Banks, 2006)
• England criminal check before start of study,
  register and maintain registration with GSCC
• RSA public oath to uphold SACSSP Code of Ethics
  and maintain registration from 2nd year
• Canada professional accreditation decided at
  provincial level some variation
• All three countries Social Worker is
  protected title
• Prosecution for failure to abide (by Code of
  Ethics)

17

• On-going migration of professionals validity of
  understanding equivalent levels of qualification
  education important
• But there are challenges
• Unique systems of categorisation
• Distinct terminology
• Antecedent events, which lead to national
  priorities
• Tension modernisms pull towards standard
  structures (applicable across time and space) vs.
  postmodernisms prioritising of local contexts
  cultures

18

• Social work education is balanced between a
  commitment to social justice recognition that
  requirements expressions of this social justice
  differ across people communities
• Implications for international definition of
  social work for the global nature of the
  profession
• Ongoing discussion debate is required to
  understand the universal needs and requirements
  for the profession, whilst recognising contextual
  demands differ