All social work students must undertake Practice Placements in the second and final years of their programme and the placement is a crucial area of assessment for passing the degree course.
This book will help to develop student's critical thinking, analytic and reflective skills as they progress through their two placements. It will help them build a successful practice portfolio and understand exactly how they fit into the myriad of other professionals and services that make up day to day reality of practice. Crucially, this book will also feature a chapter on developing these skills into the workplace. Uniquely, it argues that becoming a competent and thriving social worker is dependent on success in the placement.

Sue Jones holds academic and professional qualifications in social work, teaching and sign language. She uses her 33 years of teaching experience in the UK and Eastern Europe, her research activities in critical thinking and her contact with practice social work agencies to inform her understanding of student critical thinking abilities. She currently teaches and tutors on social work courses at BA and MA levels at Manchester Metropolitan University and contributes to continual professional development collaborative projects with Lithuanian Universities in special education, management and economics. She is the English editor for a Lithuanian scientific journal and has received a Gold Award in recognition of long service collaboration with Siauliai University, Lithuania.

Preparation for your social work placement
Understanding your placement through an organisational journey
Embedding critical placement learning
Preparing for and using supervision
Completing your portfolio
Moving on - NQSW, ASYE and all that...