Field education coordination as a critical component of anti-oppressive practice, social justice and equity in social work education

This topic reflects on practice that responds to contemporary social justice issues experienced by social work students in field education systems and processes. The basis of this presentation is a practice reflection.<br/>The success of field education, commonly known as the signature pedagogy in social work education, is strengthened by experienced social work practitioners working as educators, informed by the ideals espoused in the AASW Code of Ethics and AASW Practice Standards. <br/>At CSU the social work field education team balance integrity to the <br/>profession, tertiary education standards and principles of social work practice to <br/>support students’ capacity to participate in quality field education learning experiences. As social work educators we strive to provide quality learning experiences, informed by the principles of anti-oppressive practice, social justice, access and equity, universal design for learning, and student well-being. <br/>Responsive field education coordination is pivotal in the provision of <br/>field education, which is tailored, individualised, flexible, reflexive and supports <br/>students to meet their educational goals. At CSU field education coordination applies a combination of student centred approaches, underpinned by a pedagogy of kindness and compassion, acknowledging this time of increased economic pressures and complexities of students’ lives.