A social work field education placement in sexual wellness: proposed key competencies

This paper reports on core competencies needed by social work students to work in sexual health settings (e.g. physical/reproductive aspects) and/or sexuality wellness, broader aspects inclusive of emotional, mental, relational, sexual justice, pleasure, and overall satisfaction. Whilst social work sexuality-focused placements provide opportunities for students to become familiar with sexuality issues, we argue that, prior to placement, students should be prepared with a sexuality-informed practice lens. The mixed methods study draws from data collected from participants working in 41 Australian sexual health agencies. Descriptive analysis of surveys and inductive analysis of the focus groups resulted in three overarching themes: (1) sexuality is part of holistic social work practice; (2) generalized social work education should increase student sexuality knowledge, skills, and comfort or confidence; and (3) core competencies required for social workers in sexual health settings. Finally, implications are presented.