Sarah Wilkins

I am currently involved in exploring the development and experience of group supervision and the concept of professional resilience and confidence in Social Work training, through developing a group supervision model for Social Work practice placements. Plus, I am working as part of a muti discplinary team undertaking research with Brighton and Hove County Council with young men experiencing challenges that are traditionally described as 'hard to reach'.

I am a registered Social Worker and qualified Practice Educator with over 20 years’ social work experience in front-line child protection practice, adoption work, working with young people leaving care and most recently with Brighton and Hove Fostering Service as a Practice Manager.

I joined the School of Applied Social Science as a Practice Educator and Visiting Lecturer in 2010 and became a full-time lecturer within SASS in 2016. Previously I worked part time with the School of Education as a Senior Lecturer with colleagues from Youth Work and Early Years sector.

I currently co-ordinate the Preparation for Practice module on the BSc course and MSc Practice Learning modules. I teach across the MSc and BSc courses focusing on reflective skills and application to practice.

I take a lead role in developing the practice learning opportunities across the Social Work courses, working closely with colleagues from Sussex University, local authorities and the private and voluntary sector.

How I like to teach:

I am passionate about social work and the importance of learning from each other and the people we work with. I am interested in the notion of a ‘community of practice’ and how learning and experience can come together. This process can appear straight forward, however to achieve a level of ‘deeper learning’ we need to be open to new experiences and a willingness to make mistakes. Critical reflection and exploration of knowledge and activity is key.

‘In a nutshell: Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly’. (Wenger circa 2007)

My approach to teaching aims to provide students with space to consider problem solving and reflection as central processes. This is often through tutorial groups and group learning activities, but also via group supervision in practice. I am keen to engage students with real Social Work practice scenarios and explore skill development in preparation for practice and beyond.

I am currently involved in exploring the development and experience of group supervision and the concept of professional resilience and confidence in practice through developing a group supervision model for practice placements.