What is Valid Knowledge for Social Workers?

Abstract

Social workers in some European countries claim that what they learn during their studies is not applicable to what they are expected to do when they start working. What is useful knowledge for social workers in the field might be different from what is considered valid for academics who rarely see clients. In some countries, academics might not have practised social work, or only at the beginning of their careers. Thus, they might not be familiar with the context in which social work is practised, and it therefor becomes difficult if not impossible, to teach how to do social work in a convincing way. The result might be that the students are taught about who and what instead of how.