Mel Hughes

In recent years there has been a significant shift within social work practice towards recognising the expertise of people with a lived experience. As a result service user involvement is now embedded into curricula. Throughout this textbook, service users and carers detail their experiences of interventions including being detained under the Mental Health Act, having a child removed to a place of safety and having a carer’s assessment. In meeting professional standards such as the Professional Capabilities Framework, students and social workers are required to take into account service user perspectives, and to collaborate with them to achieve positive outcomes. Chapters end with advice to social workers directly from contributors, providing invaluable perspectives on different intervention situations. There is specific focus on statutory social work throughout, as well as an exploration of broader implications of interventions, the underpinning legislation, policies and research.

The portfolio is an essential part of the summative assessment within qualifying social work programmes. All students are required to complete a practice portfolio to provide evidence of their learning in practice. This essential book demonstrates how students can use the portfolio to demonstrate their learning in terms of developing core knowledge, values and skills. Topics covered include:What a portfolio is, and how to make best use of it in your learning journeyHow to evidence your capability using the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social WorkersHow to reflect on your own learning needs and learning styleHow to work with your practice educator in terms of practice learning and portfolio developmentHow to evidence the use of theory in your portfolioHow to evidence meaningful service user and carer involvement within your placement and portfolioHow to use your portfolio as a basis for future CPD learning, including the need to develop Personal Development Plans and the role of AYSEWritten by a team of experts from Bournemouth University, each chapter uses a range of reflective activities, practice educator comments, and student testimony to illustrate the discussion.