Sixteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Educational and social problems experienced by children and their families are increasingly complex (Beaumont, Lavoie and Couture, 2011) and require the participation of several professionals, including teachers and social workers. It is in response to those needs related to professional practice that professional co-development groups were implemented in the initial training of teaching Special Education and of Social Work. These groups provide a space and time for discussions where the sharing of knowledge and experiences encourage questions, promote collaboration and bring together different point of view among various partners in order to explore innovative and efficient avenues of intervention with children facing difficulties and their families (Payette, 2001). The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how this mechanism can support interdisciplinary collaboration. For three months, students intervened with children and their families and, with focus groups, their visions on interdisciplinary collaboration and professional co-development groups were collected and qualitatively analyzed (Nvivo). The results of this research highlight various contributions of professional co-development groups, particularly related to efficiency, sense of belonging, strengthening of the professional identity and assistance skills.