Chapter One: Concept and definition of social work and field practicum

o Concept and definition of social work

o Field practicum: Concept and definition
o Forms of field practicum
o Goals and objectives of field practicum
o

Importance of field practicum in social work

o Effectiveness of field practicum

o Field practicum in Bangladesh: scope and limitation

Concept of Social Work

The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and
the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human
behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their
environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.
Social work in its various forms addresses the multiple, complex transactions between people
and their environments. Its mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich
their lives, and prevent dysfunction. Professional social work is focused on problem solving and
change. As such, social workers are change agents in society and in the lives of the individuals,
families and communities they serve. Social work is an interrelated system of values, theory and
practice.
Social work, an interdisciplinary field, includes theories from economics, education, sociology,
medicine, philosophy, politics, psychology, and as well as anti-oppressive and anti-racist
discourse. In this regard renowned scholar of social work W.A. Friedlander mentioned,
Social work is a professional service based upon scientific knowledge and skills in human
relations, which assists individuals, alone or in a group to obtain social and personal
satisfaction and independence.
Social work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge derived
from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its
context. It recognizes the complexity of interactions between human beings and their
environment, and the capacity of people both to be affected by and to alter the multiple
influences upon them including bio-psychosocial factors. The social work profession draws on
theories of human development and behavior and social systems to analyze complex situations
and to facilitate individual, organizational, social and cultural changes.

Social work practice is created within a political, social, cultural and economic matrix that
shapes the assumptions of practice, the problems that practice must deal with and the preferred
outcomes of practice. Over time, the base forces that create practice and create the context for
practice, change.
Field Practicum:
Field education has played a significant role in the professional development of social workers
since the beginning of the last century. Although the apprenticeship model of training continues
to play a significant role, variations on this theme have been explored and continue to be
developed in response to political, academic, and economic challenges. Technological advances
will enable programs to expand field education into communities, both nationally and
internationally. In addition, changes in educational policy and accreditation guidelines have the
potential to revitalize the role of field education and increase research efforts devoted to this
important component of professional education.
Field practicum is an educationally sponsored attachment of social work students to an
institution, agency or a section of community, in which they are helped to extend their
knowledge and understanding and experience the impact of human need. R.R Singh
A widely used definition of field practicum is one by Hamilton and Else (1983) who view it as,
a consciously planned set of experiences occurring in a practice setting designed to move
students from their initial level of understanding, skills and attitudes to levels associated with
autonomous social work practice.
Field work is the study of people and of their culture in their nature habitat. Field work came to
mean learning as far as possible way to speak, see and act as a member of its culture and the
same time, as a trained social scientist from a different culture.
Forms of field practicum
There are two forms of field work in social work education. Such asBlock Field Work: The block field work is compulsory and is intended to give student the
student an opportunity to work as a full time trainee in a selected organization in the field of
specialization so as to learn the day to day role and tasks of a full time social worker. The second
year field work will culminate in block field work for a continuous period of six weeks during
the months.
Concurrent Field Work: Each student will be guided and supervised in her field work by a

faculty member who will also assess the progress of the through weekly individual field
instruction sessions. Field work seminars will also be conducted on a regular basis. In the second
year the students will be placed according to their field of specialization. Throughout the two
years the student will be engaged in field work for two days in a week.

Goals and objectives of field practicum

The primary goal of field practicum is for students to experience the real world of social work
practice by working in a variety of social service settings with a diverse range of people.
Students begin to work with theory, apply methods and models and experiment with the skills
they have learned in the classroom. Learning is achieved by working alongside experienced and
knowledgeable social workers in a wide variety of social service settings. Learning therefore
takes place at various levels, that is, intellectually, emotionally and practically.
The objectives of field practicum can be summarized as follows:
To develop a holistic view of social work and social welfare in the community, with special
emphasis on the agency's role in human services.
To understand the agency as an organization, its structure, functions, activities and sources of
funding.
To appreciate and make a commitment to the basic humanistic values and principles of social
work practice in a secular democratic society.
To build up an understanding of the application of the methods of social work practice in the
field.
To develop practicing skills appropriate to each phase of the problem-solving process and apply
them in direct service.
To grow an understanding of the problems and opportunities in working with diverse
populations.
To develop the self awareness necessary to assess ones own values, attitudes, feelings,
strengths, limitations, and interests and performance.

Importance of field practicum in social work

Field education gives students the valuable opportunity to identify competencies, perspectives,
and values that are useful in all social work settings, to see how practitioners develop under
supervision, to imagine themselves in this particular area of practice with these specific groups,
and to determine if social work itself is a good fit for their interests and abilities. (Cochrane &
Hanley, 1999).Kaseke (1986:55) also observes that field practicum is an instrument of
socialization since it prepares the student for a future role as a social work practitioner. He
further asserts that, a meaningful fieldwork placement is one that enhances the students
understanding of the social work profession and the nature of the problems the profession
addresses itself to.
Importance of field practicum in social work can be summarized as follows:

It helps students learn how to think critically, analytically and evaluate, all which are
basic to the teaching of the problem solving process.

It helps take an effective communication with field instructor, agency staff, outside
agencies.
It provides an opportunity for students to enhance their capacity to engage effectively in
civil society or public sector.
It facilitates students acquire, and reflect upon practice, knowledge and skills.
It lends a hand to students to develop practice skills applying classroom theory to real life
situations.
It makes possible for students to determine which approaches work in practice and how
they must be adopted to specific situations.
It helps students learn to use supervision and consultation appropriately.
It helps develop a professional identity.
It helps understand the effect of the organizational context on professional practice while
developing skills in agency based social work.
It helps understand the reciprocal relationship between human behaviour and social
environments.
It helps increase the ability to manage time effectively and efficiently

Field Practice Effectiveness

Field education is systemically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated on the basis of
criteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of program objectives. Jenkins and
Sheafor wrote, "Social work education has been unable or unwilling to submit the field
instruction process to disciplined evaluation and, therefore, it has not generated an adequate
literature to become an appropriately creditable part of higher education" (1982, p. 3-4).
Although between 20 and 30% of the professional social work curriculum is typically devoted to
field education at the BSW and MSW level, the research base is thin. Alfred Kadushin noted that
between 1981 and 1989 only 45 of the 13,000 articles cited in Social Work Abstracts addressed
field education (Schneck, Grossman, & Glassman, 1991); and while updating this study, Lager
and Robbins (2004) found that of the almost 14,000 articles cited between 1995 and 2004, only
118 were field-related, and even fewer were research-based. All programs provide field
instructor orientations to introduce field faculty to the various roles and responsibilities of the
parties involved in the field education endeavor. Class and field curricula are distributed, former
field instructors and students share their practice wisdom, and requirements and forms are
reviewed. Ongoing relations with field instructors are carried out by program field liaisons using
personal contacts, websites, e-mail correspondence, and mailings. Currently, field instructor
assessment of student performance and field effectiveness remains questionable and will require
a significant research emphasis going forward (Regehr, Bogo, Regehr, & Power, 2007).

Field practicum in Bangladesh: scope and limitation

Field practicum has become an inseparable part of the social work curriculum in Bangladesh.
Although social work is yet to get its professional recognition in Bangladesh, the practice of
social work is noticeable in both government and non government agencies.
Scope of Field practicum in Bangladesh
o

Development sector

Child welfare

Women development/welfare

Community services

Hospital social service

Psychiatric service

Education program

Voluntary setting

Correctional service etc.

Limitation of Field practicum in Bangladesh

As social work hasnt got its professional identity, students have to fight against many odds.
During field practicum students cannot perform to the fullest due to many limitations. Some of
these limitations are:

Lack of proper knowledge about social work and field practicum

Limited number of professional social work agency
Lack of professional supervisor
Inconsistency of communication and coordination between client and social service program
Difference between agency goals and institutional goals of field practicum
Lack of proper supervision
Placement problem during field practicum
No scope for concurrent field practicum

To overcome these limitations necessary steps should be taken. Such as

Professional recognition of social work

Provision for training
Establishment of separate social laboratory
Specific working hour
Formulation of universal guideline for field practicum

Arrangement of joint supervisory conference

Provision of allowance for students etc.