childprotectionsimulations_cropThis week, our MSW IV-E students who are currently in their advanced field placements in county child protection and child welfare units, participated in child protection simulations at the University of Minnesota’s Simulation Center / Interprofessional Education & Resource Center on the East Bank campus. Students engaged in two different child protection scenarios, one involving a front end child protection investigation situation and one involving a child protection on-going case management situation. Students needed to draw upon their child welfare social work knowledge and skill to engage in the scenarios. They had the opportunity to do a brief self-assessment directly after the experiences, as well as to debrief and receive feedback from the simulated clients. Students will also have access to the videos of their experiences and be able reflect more on their skill and knowledge strengths as well as areas for growth and future professional development.  Here are some comments from students who participated this week…

“While I was nervous in the beginning, the simulation made me more confident in my ability to interview in child protection. “

“When it was reported that we would be participating in child protection simulation, I was not sure what to expect. Even after watching the orientation video, I still did not feel completely prepared. This for me was the best part of the simulation because it gives the students the ability to act on skills and training as well as instincts rather than formal preparation. This exercise challenged students on how they would respond in a client interaction environment. Although I had anxiety going in, this subsided after the first case simulation experience was completed. This was not a graded assignment but rather an assessment to gain information on how we would perform in different environments and how we would adapt to surprises since this is usually the case when we are working in the field.  Overall, I am thankful for this experience!”

“The CP Simulations was a supportive and fun environment in order to assess the skills that I have and the skills that I have to work on. I’d recommend continuing these simulations going forth, as they are very helpful to the learning process.”

We look forward to continuing this training opportunity with future cohorts of MSW IV-E cohorts!