Beginning at the beginning in social work education: a case for incorporating arts-based approaches to working with war-affected children and their families

Claudia Mitchell ,Warren Linds,Myriam Denov,Miranda D’Amico &Brenda Cleary 

ABSTRACT

Building on the growing body of work that recognizes the value of participatory arts-based methods such as drawing, collage, Photovoice, and drama in work with war-affected children and young people and their families, this article asks the question, “How can the findings from practice based interventions become central to the work of preparing social workers who are at the beginning of their professional programs?” As the article highlights, there has been only limited attention in the literature on what these methods might mean for social work education, particularly in relation to family practice and especially in working with war-affected children. What could arts-based family practice with this population look like? The article maps out a framework that draws together two bodies of literature, the literature on the arts in social work education, and literature on the arts and war-affected children and their families. Central to this framework is a set of five pedagogical practices that align well with arts-based methodologies: reflexivity, situating one’s self, observation, ethical practice, and taking action. The article concludes that though arts-based methods as central to the social work curricula are not a panacea, “learning by doing” is a promising practice for those starting out in the profession.