10 Joint workshops with students and service users in social work education: experiences from Esslingen, Germany
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Thomas Heidenreich
Abstract
Service-user involvement in social work education has gained widespread attention in various countries in Europe and worldwide (Chiapparini, 2016). Although the term ‘service-user involvement’ suggests a common approach, it encompasses a number of different approaches with varying aims and scope. One important distinction is the view of service-user involvement as taking place either from an empowerment perspective or from an educational perspective (Laging and Heidenreich, 2019): from an empowerment perspective, the main aim of service-user involvement is to mobilise and empower service users by including them in as many domains as possible (for example, curriculum development, seminars or administration). From an educational perspective, the emphasis of service-user involvement in social work education is on the students’ perspective, especially on skills development. In this chapter, we will focus on the latter perspective.
In the German context, social work as an academic discipline has developed relatively late (Kruse, 2004; Hamburger et al, 2015). Thus, academic knowledge plays a major role in the study courses. However, conducting social work is a complex task that requires skills from a variety of domains. The German ‘Qualification Framework for Social Work’ (QFSW, Qualifikationsrahmen Soziale Arbeit), edited by the Social Work Faculty Council, defines a number of these skills: besides more academic content, ‘professional general abilities’, ‘attitudes in social work’ and ‘personal characteristics and attitudes’ (see Bartosch et al, 2008) play a major role. The development of these skills could be impacted by service-user involvement: due to its experiential nature, it lends itself to the development of important interpersonal skills that are highly relevant for social work.
Abstract
Service-user involvement in social work education has gained widespread attention in various countries in Europe and worldwide (Chiapparini, 2016). Although the term ‘service-user involvement’ suggests a common approach, it encompasses a number of different approaches with varying aims and scope. One important distinction is the view of service-user involvement as taking place either from an empowerment perspective or from an educational perspective (Laging and Heidenreich, 2019): from an empowerment perspective, the main aim of service-user involvement is to mobilise and empower service users by including them in as many domains as possible (for example, curriculum development, seminars or administration). From an educational perspective, the emphasis of service-user involvement in social work education is on the students’ perspective, especially on skills development. In this chapter, we will focus on the latter perspective.
In the German context, social work as an academic discipline has developed relatively late (Kruse, 2004; Hamburger et al, 2015). Thus, academic knowledge plays a major role in the study courses. However, conducting social work is a complex task that requires skills from a variety of domains. The German ‘Qualification Framework for Social Work’ (QFSW, Qualifikationsrahmen Soziale Arbeit), edited by the Social Work Faculty Council, defines a number of these skills: besides more academic content, ‘professional general abilities’, ‘attitudes in social work’ and ‘personal characteristics and attitudes’ (see Bartosch et al, 2008) play a major role. The development of these skills could be impacted by service-user involvement: due to its experiential nature, it lends itself to the development of important interpersonal skills that are highly relevant for social work.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables ix
- Notes on contributors x
- Acknowledgements xix
- Introduction 1
-
Collaborative models in social work education
- The gap-mending concept: theory and practice 11
- Mending gaps in social work education in the UK 23
- Service users as tandem partners in social work education 35
- Service users as supervisors in social work education: mending the gap of power relations 49
- Involving students with mental health experience in social work education 61
- The Living Library in social work education 73
- Creating a platform together for the voice of the service user: inspiration for organising an event together with service users 85
- Reflections on inspiring conversations in social work education: the voices of Scottish experts by experience and Italian students 97
- Joint workshops with students and service users in social work education: experiences from Esslingen, Germany 109
- Service users, students and staff: co-producing creative educational activities on a social work programme in the UK 117
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Collaborative models in research and policy
- The co-researcher role in the tension between recognition, co-option and tokenism 133
- Community of development: a model for inclusive learning, research and innovation 145
- Dialogue, skills and trust: some lessons learned from co-writing with service users 158
- Participatory pathways in social policymaking: between rhetoric and reality 170
- Experiential knowledge as a driver of change 183
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Reflective chapters
- Experiences matter equally 199
- Ethical issues in the meaningful involvement of service users as co-researchers 209
- Involving service users in social work education and research: is this structural social work? 224
- Index 238
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables ix
- Notes on contributors x
- Acknowledgements xix
- Introduction 1
-
Collaborative models in social work education
- The gap-mending concept: theory and practice 11
- Mending gaps in social work education in the UK 23
- Service users as tandem partners in social work education 35
- Service users as supervisors in social work education: mending the gap of power relations 49
- Involving students with mental health experience in social work education 61
- The Living Library in social work education 73
- Creating a platform together for the voice of the service user: inspiration for organising an event together with service users 85
- Reflections on inspiring conversations in social work education: the voices of Scottish experts by experience and Italian students 97
- Joint workshops with students and service users in social work education: experiences from Esslingen, Germany 109
- Service users, students and staff: co-producing creative educational activities on a social work programme in the UK 117
-
Collaborative models in research and policy
- The co-researcher role in the tension between recognition, co-option and tokenism 133
- Community of development: a model for inclusive learning, research and innovation 145
- Dialogue, skills and trust: some lessons learned from co-writing with service users 158
- Participatory pathways in social policymaking: between rhetoric and reality 170
- Experiential knowledge as a driver of change 183
-
Reflective chapters
- Experiences matter equally 199
- Ethical issues in the meaningful involvement of service users as co-researchers 209
- Involving service users in social work education and research: is this structural social work? 224
- Index 238
