Professor Allister Butler North West University ASASWEI (Cape Town) 26-28 September 2010

1. Social Work Student Selection and Recruitment: Context, Challenges, Drivers and Strategic Recommendations Professor Allister Butler North West University ASASWEI (Cape Town) 26-28 September 2010

2. Overview • Context • Literature • Dpt of Social Development • Challenges • Internal and External Drivers • Selection and Recruitment Strategies • Conclusion

3. CONTEXT • Social Work as a Scarce Skill • Commitment re: training and producing more graduate social workers • Dpt of Social Development – Government based bursaries for Social Work students • Link to SACSSP 27 Exit Outcomes/5 Categories • Resulted in significant and exponential increase in students accessing social work education and training at HEI’s nationwide • What has the impact been on HEI’s?

4. Literature • Sunday Times (1 August 2010). “Varsities raise the bar for first year students.” • “The high failure rate among first year students has prompted several institutions to tighten their admission requirements next year.” (pg 1) • Nicci Earle (2008). Social Work in Social Change: The profession and education of social workers in South Africa (part of HSRC “Professions and Professional Education”) • National Standardised SW degree • Demographic changes – white female to black female • Graduation trends are negative • Losses due to immigration

5. Literature • Jean Benjamin • “South Africa requires 16 000 social workers over the next 3 years in an effort to ensure services are provided to those most in need. However, Universities are only producing approximately 300 social workers per year.”

6. Dpt of Social Development • What does the Dpt of Social Development say re: Government sponsored social work student bursaries? • “As part of the Retention Strategy and Initiative to address Critical and Scarce Skills in the Sector, the Dpt of Social Development offers student[s] who want to pursue a career in Social Work a bursary in the field.” • “To apply for a bursary an incumbent needs to first apply to the Institution of Higher Learning i.e. University....” • Upon examination no reference is made to minimum standards/criteria re: selection (except for a matriculation certificate)

7. Dpt of Social Development • Therefore the responsibility falls upon each HEI to set their own selection criteria and admissions standards • Do HEI’s and the Dpt of Social Development have the same established selection criteria? • Are these entrance criteria of a sufficiently high academic standard? • In order to maintain and improve our professional status as social workers should we increase (or at least standardise) our entrance criteria? • Is this possible? Is it appropriate?

8. Challenges • The need to have robust and rigorous selection criteria • Safeguard the impact on the Professionalisation of Social Work • Quantity of student numbers VERSUS quality of social work education and training • Create a BALANCE between: • Redressing historical factors • Widening participation • Access to tertiary education • Promoting academic AND social work standards

9. Challenges • Impact on Practice Education and the Practice Community. Can they absorb all these social work students under their supervision – in spite of their own caseloads and other supervisory responsibilities? • Is there a potential of compromising the quality of practice education? • What about massive class sizes – is this effective/appropriate. Does it compromise basic teaching and learning principles/adult learning? • How do you conduct skills based lab work with 150 students e.g. group work skills and models of intervention • Will ALL these students find social work posts once they graduate?

10. Internal and External Drivers/Pressures • Universities are driven by market driven principles and income generation strategies • Therefore our Faculties “enjoy” the guaranteed pay cheques from our social work students • It supports their annual financial planning as they are able to predict the number of social work students enrolling in each academic year (based on bursaries) • What happens if social work dpt’s said “we are only going to select and enrol the top/most qualified candidates?” • Do internal and external drivers/pressures have an impact on our selection and recruitment strategies?

11. Internal and External Drivers/Pressures • Will this have an impact on HR/staffing levels? • Is there a possibility we may allow students to progress from one academic year to the next (in spite of poor academic performance) due to the “fear” that non-progression a student may lose their bursary • Can we achieve rigorous academic outcomes with such large classes – in excess of 130 - 160 in some cases. • Does this compromise the critical importance of practice and skills based teaching and learning?

12. Selection and Recruitment Strategy • We must commit to service user involvement and consultation re: student selection • Proposed selection protocol (6 tier approach) • Prospective students submit a letter of intent/motivation: “Why have a I chosen to study social work?” • On site Written test. The goal is not to test social work knowledge – but rather to assess potential for academic writing • On site Group exercise. To assess the ability to articulate an opinion, debate and explore a topic, present and follow and argument, critical thinking skills etc • Based on 1,2,3 (above) the social work academic dpt shortlists candidates • Formal interviews are conducted with shortlisted candidates • Final decision making using clearly defined and established selection criteria

13. Selection and Recruitment Strategy • Further curriculum development: Develop and Deliver an Academic Support/Skills Development programme (in the first semester of their first year) • This is an intensive programme of learning in addressing limitations in selected social work students academic skills. This module does not have to be credit ranked. • The question remains: What occurs if a first student fails this Academic Development module? Can they progress into the second semester of year 1 (or into Year 2 the following year?)

14. Conclusion • BASW is not only an academic degree but more importantly it is a professional degree leading to registration with the SACSSP • Can we find a BALANCE between widening participation and access selection criteria AND maintaining academic and social work standards in our training • YES – if we place more emphasis on nationwide standardised selection criteria and admissions standards and protocols