SimChild, Child Protection, and Computer-based Simulation in Social Work Education
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Hälsohögskolan i Jönköping AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 3 991 654 |
| Project duration | September 2014 - November 2017 |
| Status | Completed |
Purpose and goal
Decisions in child protection cases can have far-reaching consequences for children och families and it is essential for social work schools to make future social workers aware of how biases can affect professional assessments and decisions. The purpose of the project was to develop a computer-based simulation to enhance awareness of the effect of hidden norms. In SimChild, the student can assume the role of social worker in a child protection case. The students are tasked with analyzing a case with the purpose to give them insights into how their own biases can affect practice.
Expected results and effects
Studies conducted at social work schools in Sweden demonstrates that using SimChild gave participants opportunities to develop their powers of critical reflection when they discovered how their own biases affect assessments and decisions. SimChild can be used in teaching about child protection but also in other areas of professional assessment and decision making.
Planned approach and implementation
Computer-based simulations have been common in higher education in recent years, but these changes have thus far not affected social work education. SimChild is the first attempt to create a microworld of professional assessments and decision making for educational purposes. Different aspects of the development of the educational innovation have been tested at schools of social work in Sweden and among professional social workers. Sim Child is a flexible platform that can be used in areas where professionals are confronted with contradictory and incomplete information.