Knowledge Transfer with narration.

1. Theme 2: Transfer of knowledges
to fields of practice
Stephanie Ethier, Annie Pullen-Sansfacon,
Marion Brown & Kate Matheson
Knowledge Exchange Forum
November 2014
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2. OVERVIEW
 The transferability of social work
 Study findings:
• 8 themes regarding the transfer of
knowledge to practice
 Questions for discussion
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3. Knowledge Transfer: A Tension
• There are Global Standards published jointly by the
International Federation of Social Work and International
Association of Schools of Social Work.
– Purpose is to establish a foundation of internationally transferable
knowledges, principles, and ethics
• In the practice domain, there is general international
consensus around key issues and the roles and tasks of social
work
…however…
• Documents (ideals?) cannot ensure uniformity of practice and
education across the world, and
• Social work practice is greatly influenced by the local context
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4. Research Results
• Transfer of knowledge:
– an essential element in the process of professional
adaptation
– on a continuum from:
less easily transferred---------to--------more easily transferred
– participants varied widely in their experiences of
transferability of knowledge
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5. Presentation of results
• 8 themes emerged on the question of transfer of
knowledge:
1. Principles and values of social work
2. Theoretical knowledge
3. Clinical skills
4. Professional experience
5. Language
6. Social issues
7. Practice context
8. Socio-political context
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6. Principles and values of social work
Universality of values:
The participants noted a similarity between social
work values in Canada and in their country of origin.
I think they are very similar to what is here, it’s
all about the client rights, the patient, the
dignity, every human being’s unique, every
person has unique needs, the respect,
confidentiality. (Czech Republic)
A person suffering is still a person who is suffering
and needs to be listened to actively . And active
listening I learned in France. (France)
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7. Principles and values of social work
An exception: Confidentiality
I know that confidentiality is a huge, huge issue
here and it is really, really respected.… We
definitely learn that everything we do is
confidential but in my country it wasn’t always
respected and signing consent forms and signing
release forms it wasn’t really, really the practice
everywhere. So this is what I really had to
acknowledge that things are different here.
(Romania)
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8. Principles and values of social work
Another sort of exception: the ability to put values aside when
the practice context is not conducive to accommodation.
My religious values, I cannot talk about them at all. We can
be easily judged. Because I am Catholic and I am a
practicing believer. When we talk about the weekend, on
Monday morning, it’s like, I can’t say, ‘oh, I went to Mass’.
(Lebanon)
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9. Principles and values of social work
Stability of values across the migration process
My values stayed the same, they didn’t change. …I’m
not a social worker for nothing. My values haven’t
changed, my values of listening, respect, equality,
they don’t change, it’s the foundation. In France or
elsewhere. (France)
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10. Principles and values of social work
Challenges to values in the Canadian context
I don’t understand how we reached the point where
health services take so long to access. Because for
me, it’s really important. That’s what has shocked
me, truly. For me, health, education, those aren’t
commodities. (France)
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11. Theoretical knowledge
Theoretical knowledge is seen as transferable
although curricula vary from one country to
another. This example speaks to theory into
practice:
The fact that I come from anywhere doesn’t
necessarily impact on the relationship. It has to do
with it being client-focused. So, that, I think means
that’s why it’s transferable (England)
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12. Clinical skills
A significant transferable element:
The [clinical skills] I gained in France helps me all the time.
My professional demeanor, the way I approach an
interview, the way I conduct interviews, my way of
reflecting and analysing situations, it’s the same as it was
in France, there’s no difference in my process. (France)
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13. Professional Experiences
Professional experiences have significant transferability from one
practice context to another.
The fact that I already worked with a clientele in Romania that
was similar, we call them gypsies. I found that helped me
here, like the practical skills, those skills helped me transition
during that time. (Romania)
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14. Professional Experiences
A diversity of experiences facilitate the transfer
of knowledge:
[my work in various fields of practice] meant that I
was able to work well with clients who had
immigrated, or abused women, or with persons
with HIV. I had experience in many areas, in my
profession this meant that I was … willing to work
with a new group of clients, I was completely
unafraid. (Spain)
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15. Professional Experiences
The capacity to transfer knowledge may be related to social work
experience prior to immigration: those who seem to have more
difficulty in transferring knowledge were those who had little or
no experience of working in the country of origin.
I haven’t really brought anything from the UK to my practice
here, sad to say, I haven’t. I don’t really feel that I had the
experience in the UK to be able to. (England)
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16. Language
• A factor which brings specific challenge to
transferability of knowledge, skills and approaches.
• In Québec, the necessity of bilingualism can be a
surprise for internationally educated social workers.
• There are different challenges depending on
language of origin.
• However, as social work is largely a talking profession
language proficiency is a key point in adaptation
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17. …the main thing is the language, and that’s something I
wasn’t confident in, I didn’t trust myself, I couldn’t do it
language-wise and I still don’t trust myself too much,
because you know you are trying to … my job is 90%
talking to people, clients and patients and families and
although now I’m already in, I’m thinking in English
language, but still like, I know I could, even now I could
express myself much better in Czech language than in
English, so they’re actually, the words are missing, still a
struggle so, but I must say the transition itself it wasn’t
too scary or it wasn’t such a big deal. It was more the
language thing. (Czech Republic)
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18. Social Issues
Even in popular consciousness, there is a sense of
universality of social issues:
There are things in common. I mean, a divorcee, a
single mother, who loses employment, who has
difficulty with her children, who has a health
problem. There are the same problems here as there
are in France. (France)
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19. Social Issues
Social issues and specific practices are influenced by
the cultural context of the country of origin:
Working with blended families, working with families
with shared custody, this work doesn’t exist in
Lebanon. (Lebanon)
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20. Practice Context
• Laws
• Rules and procedures
• Social norms
• Ways of working together
You have your expertise and your way of doing
things, but it is a system that is already in place and
you have to adapt, so you have to learn about the
system and get your head around it. That’s a huge
challenge, it’s difficult. (Spain)
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21. Practice context
• The role of social workers varies from one country to
another.
I never was a case manager before I was in Canada.
That term doesn’t exist in France, we are social
workers in France, we are not secretaries, cooks,
dentists, nurses to take people to appointments.
(France)
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22. Socio-political context
The socio-political context has a significant
influence on the practice of social work:
Yes, the system is truly different here, it’s a socialist
system and everyone has the same services, the
same rights. That’s really different from what I am
used to, like when I worked in the schools with
someone, those families are truly in poverty. But
here when I work with someone at school, maybe
they’re somebody who has a lot of money. (USA)
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23. This person makes a clear distinction between
knowledge transfer and context of practice:
Knowledge can be transferred. Environments are
different in the sense that here there are a lot more
economic resources, assistance available for families, for
clients. In Colombia we have to work or we are helpless.
But if it remains that it is the human touch that makes
the person much beyond the resources. In Colombia all
we can do is just accompany the person and it feels
better; here we accompany the person and give
resources. But there we had no resources for the most
part; we had just accompaniment, just listening. There
isn’t much we can give them economically or materially.
(Colombia)
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24. 24
We leave you with the question:
To what extent is social work transferable?
Values
Ethics
Knowledges
Approaches
Practices
Contexts