In Chapter 4, we first examined some social workers’ motivations for embarking on a social work career; then, via an example from 1990s’ England, we also looked at how social work education is ‘constructed’ from the point of view of some of those controlling or implementing educational policy in the social work field. We noted the growing influences on social work in the 1990s of health policy, of interprofessional and multi-agency approaches, and of attempts to extend the influence of users of services and carers, in tandem with evolving political policies. Underpinning all of this discussion are the continuing issues of power and control (who decides what and how people learn and practise).

In this chapter, I want to return to the experiences of those becoming socialised into social work, and of the educators who participate in this socialising. In my recent interviews with social workers across Europe, I found that about half of them (like me) had had some involvement with social work education or training, in addition to engaging in social work practice, and that for experienced workers, this focus on education and/or training was especially significant during the latter part of their careers.

As well as teaching social work students in English higher education for several years, I also had some involvement with exploring the experiences of those who were students, fellow educators and social work practitioners during various research projects. Therefore, this chapter will draw upon some of this material, as well as on my more recent key informant interviews.

Here is a final-year undergraduate social work student in England connecting up the nature of their course and their experiences of learning with their overall understanding of social work: