ABSTRACT
Social work is complex and requires a combination of intellectual, emotional and interpersonal abilities. This chapter looks at how social work is establishing itself as its own discipline, with a growing body of research and doctoral studies. The education of social workers relies on a careful balance of academic and professional training; in many countries, half of the learning is based in class settings (the academy) and half in practice settings (the agency). Teaching and learning partnerships between colleges, social work agencies and experts by experience are central to the organisation of social work education. The ways in which social work practice is taught and learned have been radically transformed by the development of the notion of a practice curriculum to integrate what is learned in class with what is learned during practical placements. This chapter considers how lifelong professional learning is important to maintain the quality of social work practice and to sustain practitioners’ motivation to stay in the profession.
