Memories of witnesses : the developments of social work education in Malta from the providers' and recipients' perspectives

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to document the developments of Social Work education in Malta. The significance of this qualitative study is to contribute to the lack of documentation with regards to social work education. With the aid of this research not only will the development of Social Work education be documented for the first time ever but it will also document how the providers and the recipients experienced such developments. As a result, Social Work students and also practitioners will better understand and appreciate the history of education within the profession and the profession itself. While drawing up the design of this research, the researcher kept in mind the research question:How did Social Work Education in Malta develop? The views of Social Work education providers and recipients of such services. The researcher used Oral History and followed the steps to conduct such study as proposed by Martin (1995). She broke down the research topic into eight open-ended questions since these enable the respondent to elaborate on the topic hence, providing the researcher with more information about the research topic. The researcher interviewed eleven key people in the social work profession who received their education in Malta. Moreover, individuals who provided the training for the profession together with some recipients of such education during different years viii were interviewed. Moreover, representatives of the Maltese Association of Social Workers (MASW) and the current chairperson of the Social Work Profession Board were also interviewed. Furthermore, it was also important to interview people who still have contact or are knowledgeable about the current social work training. After transcribing the interviews, the researcher made use of thematic ana Most of the interviewees recognised the importance of Professor Boswell's and the three foreign lecturers' participation with regards to the inception of social work education in Malta. Moreover, it is interesting to note that social work was always offered at a University level and through the University of Malta. Furthermore, there were troubled times and Social Work had to be delivered at the Seminary instead of the University of Malta. Nevertheless, social work education responded to societal needs and grew alongside the development of social services. In addition, during this study it was pointed out that the transition of different social work courses took place gradually but was always of a professional level even in the absence of a legal framework. Lastly, throughout this study the determination and work of social work academics was emphasised and it is with the aid of these pioneers' work that social work education is how we know it today.