Irine Mano

Irine is interested in diversity issues and working with difference, practice education and placements in social work and black women in leadership positions.

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Background

With a Master of Science in Practice Education, Irine areas of interest include working to support social work students navigate successfully their placements. As a Black African woman, she holds a keen interest in working with minority groups to ensure their voice is heard and fight against marginalisation.

Irine’s interest in diversity issues increased when she decided to enrol on a social work course, so that she could advocate for equality and social justice. As a student social worker, Irine then became a founder member of a support group for black African students on the course, called Padare.

Irine has since been employed by ARU as a Lecturer in Social Work: Placement Lead and also successfully assumed the Padare Co-ordinator role. She has continued to work towards student attainment and progression with a specific focus in practice learning.

Spoken Languages

• English
• Shona

Research interests

• Social work practice education
• What motivates Black practitioners to become practice educators?
• Working with diversity and difference (the other) in social work practice
• Black women in leadership positions

Irine's research interests emanate from her experiences as a Black African female practitioner and academic working in the United Kingdom. She holds a passion for empowering and enabling others to reach their potential.

Teaching

Irine brings teaching experience from her role as Lecturer - Placement Lead at University of Northampton where she was Module Leader for Skills for Practice in Social Work. She also taught on Psychology, Global Communities and Managing the professional Task which all linked to preparing social work students for professional readiness. She held responsibility for quality assurance of placements, undertaking the matching process for social work student placements, preparing students and practice educators to achieve successful placements, managing placement breakdowns and facilitated fitness to practice issues. This links in to her role as Practice Learning Tutor at Anglia Ruskin University.

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) Social Work - University of Northampton
• MSc in Practice Education - University of Northampton

Memberships, editorial boards

• Member – British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
• Member – Social Work England (SWE)