Using the expertise of knowing and the expertise of not-knowing to support processes of empowerment in social work practice

Abstract

This article reports some of the outcomes of a two-year action research and development project in the field of social work for the prevention of homelessness. The project was funded by the European Union's EQUAL programme and was carried out in Austria from 2005–2007. The starting point for the project was whether the solution-focused approach of de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg could be used for the description and development of social work. The role of the authors was to train social workers in the solution-focused approach. Insoo Kim Berg was involved in the training process and held live interviews with clients during the project. Video recordings served as a basis for analysing interventions together with the social workers involved, in order to help them learn from the social worker–client interactions. Another part of the project consisted of post-session interviews with clients and social workers, and their analysis. In the course of the project the authors developed a model of communication which distinguishes between different kinds of expertise in social work practice. Another outcome of the project was a handbook, written by the social workers themselves, for the application of the solution-focused approach in their agency. This handbook aroused interest among external experts.