How the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Prepares One for Working in a Residential Youth Care Setting: A Thematic Analysis of Youth workers’ Experiences in the Netherlands

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the experiences of social work practitioners’, on how a social work bachelor’s degree program prepares them for working in residential youth care settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore experiences of social workers. The interviews were thematically analyzed and three themes were identified: theoretical knowledge, practical skills and work setting. Participants reported that the theoretical knowledge they gained during their education was very valuable, but that the relevance of this knowledge depended on the specific work setting. Participants further wished they had received more practical training during their education, especially regarding dealing with severe problem behavior like aggression. Concerning the work setting, participants often felt insufficiently informed on and ill-prepared for understaffing, high turnover rates, the extensive list of tasks, and irregular working hours. Finally, findings imply a need to enrich the curriculum using role-playing and addressing gaps between education and the specific work setting by offering continued education after graduation in a flexible and modular way. Adjustments to the BSW curriculum may help social workers to be better prepared for the demanding workplace and thereby contributes to better outcomes of residential youth care.