Empirical Support and Considerations for Social Work Supervision of Students in Alternative Placement Models

Field education is a core component of the Australian entry-level professional social work qualification and has long been recognized globally as offering students significant personal and professional growth and learning. However, in Australia, as in other western countries, social work courses are under pressure to find sufficient placements for increasing numbers of social work students, many of whom bring their own complexities and learning needs. Field education programs have been responding by using a range of alternative supervision models to replace the traditional one-on-one approach but there has been little attention to their impact on the learning experiences for social work students. This paper firstly describes the major field education supervision models and their effectiveness in enhancing the student experience. It then considers the literature which discusses the various factors that contribute to quality learning in field education and developing students' professional identity. Finally, this evidence base is used to draw implications for supervisors and social work field educators in ensuring that quality and professional standards are maintained in a changing organizational, economic and political context.