Recently I have been required to undertake an additional training or an aptitude test in order to register as a Qualified Social Worker in the UK. At first I thought that the additional training would be the best option for me but after looking for work placement, volunteering and/or shadowing opportunities without success I have finally decided to take the test (which is professionally rather than academically focused).
Although I am still waiting for the General Social Care Council (GSCC) to give me advice on preparation materials for the test , I have come across a series of different websites providing access to online case studies for social work practice that I would like to point out.
At the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCiE) website, you can find a “Good Practice Framework” section where you can search for or add an example of good practice.
Another website that has developed an online information tool is the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) with the creation of The Learning Exchange Project which is a digital library of a wide range of resources for social services and social work education and training. Before starting to use the Open Search browser it is worth to have a look at the video introduction, download the Getting Started guide, and view the screencasts on Searching and More Features. You can also access directly to the available online case studies by entering the words “case studies” in the Open Search browser.
Community Care Inform is yet another online information source for professionals working with children, young people and their families that among other materials contains case studies and expert articles. It is essential to subscribe if you want to access its information, nonetheless it is possible to view an online demo at how Community Care Inform works and/or to request a free trial if you are a student or a social care practitioner working with children and families.
Statistics are a great source of information, the collection of data promotes insight and awareness into every aspects of our society. Social work is no different, to effectively resolve social conflicts it is seldom necessary to analyse and interpret statistics.
Recently, with the advent of the internet lots of data has become available in many aspects related to social work (e.g. poverty, health, education, etc). It is up to us to make a good use of this information and put it to practice.
I have searched for the most reliable sources of national and international statistics and came across several pages which clearly illustrates the world we live today.
- The United Nations Statistics Division is one of the highest authorities of the global statistical system. At the site you can find straightforward access to all branches of United Nations Statistics Division, from economic to social and demographic statistics.
- Although part of the above UNdata is by itself a different resource, here you can find an index of all national statistics agencies, compiling information worldwide. I found this website really exceptional, it has a google like format where you can search on all UN databases as well.
- At the UK National Statistics page, you can find exactly that, a very well designed tool for all the UK statistics.
- The WHOSIS or World Health Organization Statistical Information System is yet another great resource, this time focusing on health, it has an interactive feel where you can select all of the aspects of the data you would like to access, from country to time line.
- Gapminder.org, supported by UN Millennium Development Goals is by far the most interactive experience you´ll ever encounter, this Swedish website tries to bring the entertainment into the statistics world, providing very exciting graphics on some of the most important data on worldwide policy, health, education, etc.
In recent years Social Work related content has grown significantly on the Internet, making itself available to the avid seeker as never before. As part of this phenomena, podcasting jumped into the scene and revolutionised the way in which educational resources are delivered.
I’ve always been fascinated about podcasting and collected a fair share of podcasts on different subjects, although being a social worker I’m biased towards my field and have found a good amount of free on-line Social Work podcasts that I would like to compile.
- First on my list is The Open University Podcast, this is a first-class source with a range of podcasts and video podcasts on 29 different sub topics under the Health and Social Care category from Challenging ideas in mental health to Social Care: Past and Present.
- The Social Work Podcast is one of the most recognisable podcasts on social work, it covers many subjects, from practice to research, education to policy, etc. It is incredibly up-to-date and counts with great interviews from field experts.
- Another good source for podcasting is the University of Coventry Podcast site, and mainly its two social work related categories: Health and Life Sciences and Sociology and Social Issues.
- Ivory Towers is the Community Care ’s Podcast and its focused on British Social Care news.
- The Psychjourney Podcasts are a great reference for Psychiatry and Psychology, it covers Mental Health issues through various audio interviews.
- The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services Podcast delivers a series of seminars held at the Glasgow School of Social Work mainly oriented towards research.
- The next on my list is the University at Buffalo School of Social Work “Living Proof ” Series, an excellent podcast whose aim is to bring together research and practice.
- Last but not least is the UNICEF Podcast that you can follow through Odeo.com, it keeps track of children’s health, education and protection issues.
These are some of my favourite podcasts on the web, for those of you that aren’t comfortable with podcasting I would suggest to download a free version of iTunes, so you can subscribe to podcasts.
To the most daunted, you can check out this video on Podcasting in Plain English, which is very easy to follow.
The Internet Social Worker is an on-line tutorial hosted by the Intute website, this tool is a great resource to help social work students and professionals into the realms of internet social work content.
The page grants great insight into research skills and provides the means to access a range of knowledge and resources, specifically targeting social work and social welfare. The site is very clear and well structured, offering a tour to what is to be expected, easy to reach information and interactivity.
Students interested in academic coursework research can find a wide gamut of educational materials, e-learning, legislation and several on-line publications related to social work.
Overall, the Intute Internet Social Worker web page is worthy of a bookmark at any social worker web browser.
Tomorrow starts a two-day event at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. If you are looking for a job or volunteering within the not-for-profit sector, the forum3 will be a great opportunity for you to meet employers and a wide range of seminars focused on job search.
There will be many organizations present, from Community/Volunteering to Disability and Social Care like: Cancer Research UK, Action for Blind People, Salvation Army, etc.
The doors will be open from 10 o’clock, giving start to 1000’s of jobs and volunteering roles, 70 free seminars and over 100 exhibitors.
At the forum3 website you can register for a free ticket, if you are looking for a job you can also sign up for a job-seeker account, and for a virtual network community for professionals in the not-for-profit sector. On the other hand, if you are looking to recruit, you can also sign up for a free organizational profile when you create an Employer’s account.
