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Social Work and Policing: Co-Education in Social Work and Policing - Intervention and Prevention in Urban Space

Funder: European CommissionProject code: 2018-1-AT01-KA202-039327
Funded under: ERASMUS+ | Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices | Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training Funder Contribution: 200,616 EUR

Social Work and Policing: Co-Education in Social Work and Policing - Intervention and Prevention in Urban Space

Description

"There has been an increasing demand for multi-agency policies in urban governance to resolve issues of public order and social wellbeing. In particular, the regulation of social order in public space has increasingly become a shared responsibility for authorities and welfare institutions, as multi-agency approaches are believed to be more effective and supportive to marginalised people. Stakeholders are urged to work together in a model of security and safety governance, despite their different ideologies. The starting point for this project was seen in social practice, as vulnerable people such as substance users and homeless persons are ""clients"" of both professions – police officers and social workers. Vulnerable people are sometimes considered a problem of social disorder and at the same time they are in need of help in terms of social and medical care. However, the two professions show fundamental differences in responsibilities, organisational structures, professional cultures, and in their work methods. Therefore, they may be sending ambiguous and incoherent signals to vulnerable persons in public spaces with severe consequences for their wellbeing. The project team of practitioners and researchers in social work and policing developed a special training to provide a forum for exchange on various functions and responsibilities for the benefit of vulnerable persons in society. A 5-day training for approximately 15 to 20 participants from both professions – social work and police - has been developed. This training curriculum is structured in three modules: In Module 1 professional cultures, organisational structures, professional concepts and practicalities of partnership programmes between police and social work organisations are discussed. A clear understanding of basic work ethics shall contribute to reduce prejudices and build trust between members of the different professions. Module 2 is dedicated to a more specific field at the interface between social work and policing: the use of psycho-active substances among young people in the nightlife. Here, the SWaPOL training focuses on two ways of interpretation of the same problem: Perceived as a problem of health (addiction) social workers apply methods of harm reduction; conceived as a criminal offence (drug dealing) the police argue they must enforce the law. Without a process of communication and collaboration, this leads to controversial policies and a game of cat-and-mouse. Module 3 is dedicated to the problem of homelessness, which is a multifaceted and complex social problem, and it concerns several fields of social policy beyond housing. As homelessness more often becomes a problem of public (dis-)order, it is not only a matter of lifestyle of the homeless person, but rather a problem between three parties: the homeless people, the general public who raise complaints about social disorder, and the police who have to settle the dispute. And that makes it a case for community policing and calls for joining forces with institutions of social work and welfare.The SWaPOL training schedule has been explicated in a Handbook for Trainers, published in 4 different languages (English, German, Portuguese and Dutch). The handbook presents the modules in more detail and will help future consortia to structure future trainings around keynote themes and learning activities. Practical exercises for educational practice follow recent high school didactics of ""constructive alignment"" and ""student-centred learning"". Exercises have been carefully selected for a classroom situation when social workers and police officers meet. Excursions and field trips to public places and to social service facilities for substance users and homeless people are conceived. Spending quality time together was conceived one of the major factors to a successful collaboration between actors of very different professional cultures. This could and should not be replaced by online teaching and distance learning.Partners in the SWaPOL project have disseminated their findings widely in international conferences and in so-called national multiplier events, which attracted various practitioners from federal and local police, city councils and social work associations. Although these meetings could only be held as online conferences, they had a significant impact on local governance. In all partner countries the SWaPOL model curriculum will be implemented in future training activities on a local level. A permanent integration of SWaPOL trainings will show positive long-term effects on the way social workers and police officers interact and collaborate in joint prevention projects."

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