Eighteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

An interprofessional and interdisciplinary learning as teaching pedagogy and program design provides quality professional training and education to social workers and helping professionals in Hong Kong. Division of Continuing Professional Education at the Department of Social Work, the Chinese University of Hong Kong acknowledges the complexity and complication of human condition that requires the inter-professional intervention and inter-sectoral collaboration. A series of training programmes is developed to offer interdisciplinary teaching and learning to the social workers and helping professionals who work with young children and their families in pre-primary and primary institutions in Hong Kong. An interdisciplinary teaching team with physician, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, lawyer, social worker, and university teaching professionals is formed at the programme. It not only co-creates a constructive-ecological framework in working with young children and families, but it also enhances the inter-sectoral collaboration in child protection, provision, and participation. It strengthens a team approach in achieving the best interest of children in multi-disciplinary settings. Mixed strategies including the training evaluation, students’ consultation and interdisciplinary teaching team meetings are utilized to (1) evaluate the interdisciplinary teaching and learning of the training programme, (2) understand the learning experience of the participants, and (3) explore the teaching experience of the interdisciplinary team members. The results show that interdisciplinary training could enhance the participants’ cross-disciplines knowledge and skillsets. The learning experience of the participants is constructive with recognition of professional identity and appreciation of self as team member. Interdisciplinary teaching supports professional exchange amongst different disciplines in an education platform.