Mapping blended learning in social work practice education to national standards - a Hybrid Placement Model Teaching and Learning Resource

Abstract

In Ireland as elsewhere, the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing public health restrictions, gave rise to an unprecedented crisis in health and social care service provision, leading to cessation of student social work placements in March 2020.   The Hybrid Placement Model Teaching and Learning Resource was developed to ensure that quality practice-based placements could resume and continue to be viable during subsequent phases of the Covid-19 pandemic.  Combining four elements of onsite practice, off-site practice, online practice, and reflective practice the model provided a ‘road map’ that supported both practice teachers and students as they navigated placements within this context. Through provision of a user-friendly diagram and detailed practical examples of blended learning opportunities mapped to each of the eighty-three national standards of proficiency, the resource enabled practice teachers and students to visualise a range of practice learning opportunities that could be undertaken as part of a blended placement and provided assurance that blended learning met regulatory requirements.

In this article the authors discuss the context and rationale for the model and describe its four integrated components. The usefulness of the model in supporting optimal learning on hybrid placements is addressed and its potential post Covid-19 restrictions is considered.