The Emergence of Ethical Opportunities for Social Workers who Teach Social Work Students

Social work educators in England continue to respond to new Government initiatives. One recent development created ‘teaching partnerships’; these encourage stronger links to emerge between social services and universities. In this paper I present research findings, which identify the benefits of inviting practising social workers to teach social work students in the classroom at Goldsmiths, University of London. Unanticipated ethical opportunities emerge for practitioners who participate in the classroom, if ethics are located within a human flourishing framework (e.g. Aristotle, Nussbaum). I conclude by speculating on how service users might ultimately benefit from the creation of teaching partnerships.