Experiencing Social Work

Mark Doel, PhD, MA (Oxon), CQSW is Research Professor of Social Work at Sheffield Hallam University. He is a registered social worker and was in practice for almost twenty years, including two separate years living and working in the US. His research focuses on groupwork, social work practice and practice education and he has an international reputation in these fields. Professor Doel is widely published. His fifteenth book, Social Work Placements: a traveller′s guide (Routledge) introduces readers to Socialworkland, a travel guide approach to practice learning. Other recent books include: Educating Professionals: practice learning in health and social care (Ashgate, with Shardlow) which explores how students learn their practice in nine different professions, using a virtual local community to bring the professions together; Experiencing Social Work: learning from service users (Sage, with Best) which tells the stories of service users who have had positive experiences of social work and reflects on what we can learn from this; Using Groupwork (Routledge) and The Task-Centred Book (Routledge, with Marsh). He is co-editor of the journal Groupwork and founding co-editor of the journal, Social Policy and Social Work in Transition, published in Republic of Georgia. Mark directs a 3-year, EU-funded project to develop social work education and research in the republic of Georgia and the Ukraine and he is a consultant with UNICEF and EveryChild. He leads training workshops in practice education and groupwork.

• Introductionf003 "I have to be frank, when I volunteered my story I was sceptical about what difference telling it could make. But now I am convinced.Learning from Humerah"When people see me they think ′physical disability′, but actually it′s my mental health" Learning from Mandy"She gave space for me to talk about my situation from my point of view" Learning from Mrs Corbett"At one point she took over marvellously, but It′s OK because I feel in charge" Learning from Nina"Even in really bad rain she′d come here to do the forms" Learning from Leone"You wouldn′t have thought it was a children′s home - it had a lounge, it had a dining room, the plates weren′t green"Learning from Julia"I′d heard ′The-Day-We-Picked-You-Up-From-The-Social-Workers′ story, but never anything about ′The-Night-That-I-Was-Born′ Learning from John"I instantly felt as though I was being listened to and that I had a chance of being seen as normal"Learning from Self-advocates"Social workers are very much needed - desperately" Learning from Families: Parents Talking, Children Drawing"I thought social workers took children away, but they listen ... I don′t think I would have got through the last two years without them′Learning from Positive Experiences: Key themes"Then two years ago my social worker changes... my relationship has changes beyond belief"From positive practices to a positive serviceNina muses that it is a matter of luck as to who [which social worker] you get.

`Experiencing Social Work provides a refreshing change in the expanse of social work education texts. Its focus on learning from people who had received a good service from social workers drew out many of the foundation blocks of practice that can so easily be minimised in favour of ′deeper academic theories′. In short, it reminded me of my own passion for practice and the privilege it is to be part of the social work profession’ - Kay Wall, Lecturer in Social Work