Between 2001 and 2003, 14 assessed placements were provided for social work students through students creating a ‘virtual’ agency offering a service to refugees and asylum seekers. Drawing on research in progress regarding a unique project in South West England, this paper explores an inclusive model that creates a context for students to integrate theory and practice at the cutting edge of professional practice. The START project is a service to refugees and asylum seekers, a group that experience acute social exclusion and media-induced hostility, provided for two years entirely by students as part of their professional course requirements. Holistic, needs-led assessment, cultural sensitivity and advocacy by students allow families and unaccompanied minors to access otherwise inaccessible resources. In the current context of changing arrangements for practice assessment, emphasis on multi-disciplinary learning and service user involvement, this offers an alternative to the ‘apprenticeship’ model for students in developing a secure professional identity. Student learning is framed as contribution rather than burden in the organisational and employment arena and service-user outcomes have been dramatic. The focus of this paper is on the educational impact from the perspectives of students and practice teachers and an alternative model of practice learning. © 2007, The Board of Social Work Education.

Innovation Refugees Practice Learning Social work

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