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Title of Study
Has AYE Mentoring impacted on student to
social worker transition, for social workers
that graduated early during the Covid-19
pandemic?
Abstract
Context
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the early cessation of practice learning
opportunities (PLOs) for social work students in Northern Ireland, and an
expedited graduation to enable them to join the workforce. This experience of
transition from student to social worker is unparalleled, with social workers
joining the frontline of work amidst the global crisis. In response to this, the five
Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland mobilised to implement a
formal Assessed Year in Employment (AYE) Mentoring Programme in order to
provide an increased level of support to our newly qualified social workers as
they embarked on their AYE. In the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, AYE
social workers were matched with a mentor from the Learning and Development
Team, who provided fortnightly professional supervision for a period of three to
six months. This study provides insight to the perspectives, experiences and
insights of the AYE social workers that graduated during COVID-19 pandemic
and availed of the AYE mentoring programme.
Methodology and Methods
The paper reports on a small scale service evaluation of the AYE Mentoring
Programme in this Health and Social Care Trust. The study embodied a
qualitative approach whereby focus groups were facilitated with eleven AYE
social workers (each social worker attended one group) via the 'zoom' online
platform due to ongoing restrictions in relation to face-to-face meetings. The
focus groups followed a semi-structured interview schedule which was piloted
with an AYE social worker who was not part of the evaluation. A thematic
approach to analysis was applied to the data and computer assisted technology
(NVivo) was used in the course of analysis.
Findings
Five main themes were identified:
1) Early cessation of the Practice Learning Opportunity.
The ending to PLO was abrupt, and without forewarning. This resulted in missed
learning opportunities and milestones, which had a detrimental impact on the
social workers' confidence in commencing their careers. The early cessation of
PLO also affected participants' ability to facilitate adequate endings with service
users and carers.
2) Commencing AYE amidst a global pandemic.
The participants joined the Trust as professionals during a time of constant
change and flux, whereby working guidelines were rapidly changing in the face
of public health guidelines. Participants experienced challenges such as a lack
of peer support due to staff shortages.
3) Emotional Impact