Manualisation in child and family social work: a comparative study of Norway and Wales

Abstract

The article examines the use of manuals in child and family social work in Wales and Norway and considers their application in the structuring context of New Public Management and evidence-based practice. It is based on findings from a comparative survey-based instrument distributed to social workers. The problem statement is: what are social workers’ attitudes to and experiences of manuals in professional practice? The key research foci are: ‘How often do you use manuals?’; ‘Why do you use manuals?’; and ‘To what degree do you think manuals are useful to ensure the quality of the work you perform?’ Both workforces use manuals, though more so in Norway than in Wales. This is related to the fact that there is direct and stronger pressure from governmental agencies in Norway than in Wales for provider organisations and workers to deploy manuals. The uptake of manuals in Wales appears to be prompted more by worker self-selection and/or imitation of their usage in cognate practice settings. Norwegian workers to a larger extent than those in Wales think that using manuals enhances the quality of work. We discuss possible conceptual, institutional and practitioner-based reasons for the varied relationship between manuals and their application and highlight under-researched areas.