Field Instruction in Social Work Education: The Indian Experience

231 Pages·2019·1.413 MB·English

by  Roshni Nair, Srilatha Juvva, Vimla V. Nadkarni

FIELD INSTRUCTION IN SOCIAL
WORK EDUCATION
A comprehensive guide to social work praxis, this book provides a clear conceptual
understanding of fieldwork supervision in India. It elaborates on the dynamic
components of fieldwork instruction – the methodologies and effective strategies,
the supervisor–student–agency triad, challenges and the future.
The volume underlines the importance of student mentoring and the imperative
need to develop creative and competent strategies to make fieldwork education
more responsive and effective. It also emphasises the need for the inclusion of
social justice-oriented perspectives and approaches in fieldwork training in India.
Instructive and anecdotal, the chapters in this volume reflect on the challenges
which students and supervisors face on a regular basis in different environments
while dealing with critical circumstances. The focus of the book is to delineate
strategies and approaches which promote skill building and the ability in students
to understand sociocultural contexts of the field and engage with them effectively.
This volume will be an essential resource for social work educators, field
practitioners and students of social work, law, public policy, sociology and social
entrepreneurship.
Roshni Nair is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Criminology and Justice,
School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai.
Srilatha Juvva is Professor at the Centre for Disability Studies and Action, School
of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai.
Vimla V. Nadkarni is a former president of the International Association of
Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the retired Dean and Professor of the School
of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Deonar, Mumbai.

FIELD INSTRUCTION
IN SOCIAL WORK
EDUCATION
The Indian Experience
Edited by Roshni Nair, Srilatha Juvva
and Vimla V. Nadkarni
First published 2020
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 selection and editorial matter, Roshni Nair, Srilatha Juvva and
Vimla V. Nadkarni; individual chapters, the contributors
The right of Roshni Nair, Srilatha Juvva and Vimla V. Nadkarni to be
identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for
their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77
and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Nair, Roshni, editor. | Juvva, Srilatha, editor. |
Nadkarni, V imla V ., editor.
Title: Field instruction in social work education : a guide to research in
India / edited by Roshni Nair, Srilatha Juvva, And Vimla V Nadkarni.
Description: First Edition. | New York : Routledge, 2019. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019033856 |
Subjects: LCSH: Social service—India. | Social workers—Training of—India.
Classification: LCC HV393 .F54 2019 | DDC 361.3071/55—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019033856
ISBN: 978-0-8153-8387-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-42456-5 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-81032-0 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by Apex CoVantage, LLC
CONTENTS
List of figures vii
List of tables viii
List of contributors ix
Foreword by Armaity S. Desai x
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction: changing nature of fieldwork 1
Vimla V. Nadkarni, Srilatha Juvva and Roshni Nair
1 Facilitating learning of social work values through
student supervision 9
Lata Narayan
2 Fieldwork and contemporary realities: convergence
and complexities 29
Nagmani Rao
3 Coordinating fieldwork: challenges and learning 49
Pamela Singla
4 Fieldwork supervision: from vigilantism to nurturance 68
Neelam Sukhramani
vi Contents
5 The conscious use of theory in social work practice:
illustrations from fieldwork 87
Sandra Joseph
6 Recording and documentation in fieldwork 105
Mohua Nigudkar
7 Supervision using conferences in social work practicum 127
Kalyani Talvelkar
8 Concurrent fieldwork training and supervision in social
work: challenges and solutions in the context of
Barak Valley, Assam 153
Kaivalya T. Desai
9 The adaptive supervisor 179
Helen Joseph
Conclusion: issues for the future of field instruction
in social work education 196
Srilatha Juvva, Vimla V. Nadkarni and Roshni Nair
Index 211
FIGURES
1.1 Core values of the Samagratā framework 11
3.1 Stakeholders in the fieldwork department 50
5.1 Input, transformation and output in the systems framework 96
5.2 Mapping the four basic systems 97
5.3 Mapping the four systems in the larger eco-system 98
5.4 Integrating theory and practice mapping an ‘Empowerment-
Based Eco-Systems Model’ in the ‘Mahalir Thittam’ project 99
6.1 Multiple contexts and factors that impinge upon fieldwork 110
6.2 Purpose of fieldwork recording 122
7.1 Components of fieldwork planning 137
7.2 Models/theories that guide group supervision and group
conference 143
9.1 Facilitation matrix 187
10.1 The BSD praxis framework for field instruction 208
TABLES
2.1 Specialisation-based field assignments 37
3.1 A proposed pattern for fieldwork 65
8.1 Expected semester-wise learning outcomes at graduate level 156
8.2 Expected year-wise learning outcomes at post graduate level 157
8.3 Ethnic composition of communities 160
8.4 BSW 1st semester: contents for paper on fieldwork 171
8.5 Framework for concurrent fieldwork reports 174
8.6 Criteria for internal assessment of concurrent fieldwork placements 175
CONTRIBUTORS
Kaivalya T. Desai is an assistant professor at the Department of Social Work, Assam
University, Silchar, Assam.
Helen Joseph is a retired professor; she taught at the College of Social Work, Nir-
mala Niketan, University of Mumbai, Mumbai.
Sandra Joseph is an associate professor, Former Head of Social Work, and currently
the IQAC Co-coordinator at the Stella Maris College (Autonomous), Chennai.
Lata Narayan is a retired professor; she taught at the Centre for Lifelong Learning,
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Mohua Nigudkar is an assistant professor at the Centre for Equity and Justice for
Children and Families, School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences,
Mumbai.
Nagmani Rao is a retired associate professor; she taught at the Karve Institute of
Social Service, Pune.
Pamela Singla, is a professor at the Department of Social Work, University of
Delhi.
Neelam Sukhramani is an associate professor at the Department of Social Work,
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Kalyani Talvelkar is an assistant professor at the College of Social Work, Nirmala
Niketan, Mumbai.