ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the significance of both informal and formal levels of support offered by placement personnel and the workplace as crucial to student success and positive socialisation into the profession. Professional socialisation is often reported as the internalisation of a set of values congruent with the culture of the profession. The placement organisation and context has a significant role to play in supporting and developing a social work student's professional identity. The students and supervisors were located in a range of placement settings, from working with adults and children within local authorities to voluntary agency practice settings. The importance of the students' placement supervisor was a prominent feature of the interviews. In terms of socialisation, the interaction a student has with other professionals is pivotal; it is clear that professional identity develops when students have the opportunity to explain their role, values and theoretical perspectives to other professionals such as health professionals.
