Foundations

   J U L I A   W H E E L E R

After completing a CQSW in social work and a sociology degree in 1992 I have undertaken a number of jobs, mostly within children and families social work from London to Devon. I have lived in Devon for the past 20 years where I have continued to work with a focus on children and families, but I have also developed my career in working with social work students as a placement supervisor and practice educator. I have been in my current post as a social work lecturer at Plymouth University for the last six years, where I have maintained a focus on placements. I’m currently completing an Education Doctorate where I am interested in how social work students develop their professional identity.

I chose Foundations because …

… Buildings and how they are constructed and remain standing over long periods of time has always fascinated me. I am also interested in the people that reside and come and go through these buildings with their individual histories. For me, social work itself is the solid foundations of a building in terms of values, key skills, knowledge and so on. What constantly changes is the people within the profession, governments, legislation, policies, procedures, practices, and interventions. Despite the constant changes around the profession, social work foundations essentially remain the same, but the passion and the life of the profession is contained within the individual social workers above and the service users and carers they work with, in the ever changing building such as re-decorations, renovations and even extensions!

This perception that social work foundations remain stable and constant whatever is happening in the world is something that keeps me motivated within my own individual social work career and is poignant at the moment for me with the dynamic nature of social work education and practice.