Social Work Task Research Articles

Black Minority Ethnic Students Navigating their Way from Access Courses to Social Work Programmes: Key Considerations for the Selection of Students

This paper explores the experiences of predominantly black minority ethnic students navigating their way from further education access courses to BA Social Work programmes. It discusses tensions associated with balancing academic and professional entry requirements for social work education with principles of social justice enshrined in policy initiatives to widen participation to higher education and to the professions for those from less privileged social backgrounds. Drawing upon findings from the author‟s doctoral study, she argues that entry to social work education is not without problem for some black minority ethnic students. Building upon recommendations from a recent Social Work Task Force report, she calls for abolition of the UCAS tariff system to facilitate admission criteria giving equal weighting to academic skills, life course experiences and related softer skills denoting personal suitability for social work.

Reflections on the impact of theChildren Act1989: child care policy, the knowledge base and the evolving role of social work

The Children Act 1989 sought to be evidence based in that its development reflected a growing body of research in the field of child care. This article explores the dynamic relationship between research, policy and practice in child welfare in the UK over the subsequent 21 years. It looks at the implications for the workforce and professional expertise, with a particular focus on social work. Initially, the implementation of the Act was closely associated with social services but provision has become more integrated and multidisciplinary. This has led to a far‐reaching debate about the roles and tasks of social work and its efficacy in safeguarding and promoting children's welfare. Social work can make a broad contribution to child welfare but to realise this both the role of social work and the knowledge base on which it is based must not be defined in a narrow or prescriptive way.

Re-examining Social Work Roles and Tasks with Foster Care

In order to promote developmental outcomes with children and young people and to nurture their positive health and well-being in foster care, social workers and case managers are required to direct professional attention toward both the child or young person and her/his daily living environment(s)—at home, at school, and in the local neighborhoods in which they live. When viewed from an ecological perspective, foster care environments are represented conceptually as a nested cluster of settings ranging from immediate life spaces and networks of relationships in a foster home, at school, and in a neighborhood, to organizational contexts holding a statutory duty of care for children and young people assigned looked after status, along with national policies and statutes which frame foster-care environments. This article explores how social-work roles and tasks with children and young people in foster care change as Social Workers transition from case management roles within state, provincial, or local authority departments to become Supervising Social Workers, or Team Managers of Foster Carers, or Directors of foster care services.

The ‘most twisted and unaccountable force in the state’? Newspaper accounts of social work in the Republic of Ireland in troubled times

• Summary: This article investigates how newspapers in the Republic of Ireland are delivering ‘social work news’ during a period of professional flux and evolving economic crisis. • Findings: Many citizens in the Republic are currently experiencing serious economic hardship partly related to the global recession. It is important to understand the shape which the crisis is taking and to try to ascertain how this is impacting on social work. The article refers to an unpublished study of newspaper coverage of social work between January 2006 and January 2008. In this context, in the second part of discussion, particular attention will be devoted to the interventions of The Irish Times columnist, John Waters. Also, to accounts of ‘high profile cases’, particularly those appearing to highlight the urgent need to establish a national emergency or ‘out-of-hours’ social work service. Here, the work of the social affairs correspondent, Carl O’Brien, will be discussed. • Applications: Social workers and social work academics need to strive to understand, and politically situate, newspaper accounts of social work and related forms of activity. Moreover, social workers should seek to intervene and shape newspaper accounts of their work. The article suggests that a recent report produced in England may aid social workers deliberations and actions in this respect ( Social Work Task Force, 2009 ).

Personal Reflections of Social Work Education in the Context of the Social Work Task Force

Following the death of ‘Baby P’, the UK Government set up a Social Work Task Force that reported in 2009. This made 15 recommendations, including five relating to the initial training of social workers at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). This article considers the gap that exists between those HEIs and Local Authority employers from the perspective of someone who has spent 25 years working as a Local Authority social worker and manager, but who has recently moved to head up a social work department in an English university. Consideration is given to the provision of placements and that it is difficult to ‘fail’ social work students, particularly their practice learning components. Reference to experiential learning is discussed as being helpful to provide a theoretical connection to practice. The call is made for much closer partnership working between HEIs and Local Authority employers to start to bridge the gap.

The Use of Discretion in a 'Cinderella' Service: Data Protection and Access to Child-Care Files for Post-Care Adults

This paper focuses on policy implementation and, in particular, the workings of ‘street-level bureaucracy’ in a small, marginalised area of welfare provision, namely post-care adults seeking access to their care records. The work arises from research mapping UK service provision in this area, via questionnaires and interviews with key actors in local authorities and voluntary organisations. The study was prompted by widespread but largely anecdotal evidence that practices and service provision for those seeking to access their care records varied enormously. While post-care adults may seek access to records for reasons similar to those of adopted adults (curiosity, information on birth family, medical information, care histories and experiences, search and reunion), there is a lack of comparable legal framework and service provision, with reliance instead on the 1998 Data Protection Act (DPA). The intersection of data protection and (child) welfare gives rise to a number of important tensions that are explored, such as those surrounding ‘ownership’ of files and their content, between rights to information and (paternalistic) welfare considerations, and whether the handling of requests should constitute an administrative or a social work task. Finally, we consider the findings, their wider contexts and implications for legal reform and policy change.

Social Work in England at a Watershed--As Always: From the Seebohm Report to the Social Work Task Force

Social Work in England at a Watershed--As Always: From the Seebohm Report to the Social Work Task Force

Professional Decision Making in Social Work Practice, Brian Taylor, Exeter, Learning Matters, 2010, pp. 185, ISBN 9781844453597 (pbk), 20.00

This book might be termed a framework of knowledge ‘relevant to judgement and decision making in social work with all client groups’ (p. 1). The text takes a practical approach and is aimed at post-qualifying social work practitioners undertaking further study. As might be expected by a book that describes itself as text pitched at that level, it presupposes knowledge of the roles and tasks of social work and an understanding of the connections between the chapter topics. It seeks to be a supportive resource in what is, of course, a difficult and complex arena. Drawing briefly on wider decision-making theory, including Janis and Mann's (1977) discussion of conflict theory and procrastination as relief from deciding, a range of issues are covered. These include roles and concepts, consent and human rights, collaborative and contested decision making, predicting harm and taking risks. As the author states, it is an overview of a ‘vast and exciting topic’ (p. 6).

Self-direction, place and community — re-discovering the emotional depths: a conversation with social workers in a London borough

Self-Directed Support claims that it makes the social work task ‘more personal’ in its engagement with people's real needs and wants. This paper explores this claim through the record of a piece of group work with 11 social work practitioners in a London borough. A brief description of the roots of Self-Directed Support, the Independent Living movement, provides the context for the subsequent examination of themes arising from the group discussion, and the implications of the participants' experiences for practice, the profession and employing organisations. We find that despite system and resource issues, Self-Directed Support has enabled people to do ‘real social work’, re-connecting with values and practice which were obscured by care management. It requires letting go of power and control, without abandoning engagement: and it is essential that the change is underpinned by learning from and working with staff who work directly with people seeking support.

Social work and global health inequalities: practice and policy developments

Tackling inequalities in health is an essential social work task. Every day, social workers grapple with the impacts on people's lives of the social inequalities that shape their health chances and experiences. This book examines the relationship between social work and health inequalities in the context of globalisation. Based on the practice expertise and research of social workers from developing and developed countries worldwide and using specific examples, this book: demonstrates the relevance of health inequalities to social work practice and policy across the life course; analyses the barriers to good health that result from global social, economic, environmental and political trends; develops core ideas on how social workers can act to combat the negative effects of globalisation by applying a health inequalities lens. Social Work and Global Health Inequalities is a unique snapshot of a new global social work that is responsive to local conditions and circumstances but seeks partners in the international struggle for equity, rights and social justice. This groundbreaking collection is essential reading for social work students, academics and researchers, and for policy makers, managers and social workers.

Unconscious Aspects of Statutory Mental Health Social Work: Emotional Labour and the Approved Mental Health Professional

In November 2008 the statutory role of the Approved Social Worker (ASW) in the UK came to an end, and a new role Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) was created. This paper is based on qualitative data gathered from Approved Social Workers (ASWs) in relation to the roles, tasks and skills they felt were required in order to perform statutory mental health duties. Existing ASWs were interviewed immediately prior to the transition from ASW to AMHP in order to capture the point of change and try and understand the complexities of their existing statutory role and how they related emotionally to the tasks of mental health social work. Emergent data indicated that both containment and emotional labour were key unspoken or unconscious components of the work and likely to be required of the new professional group of AMHPs as well.

Publication Practices in Social Work

Publication practices in social work have long been regarded as problematic by social work scholars. Three recent critiques--The Miami on Publication Processes in Social (Schilling et al., 2005); The San Antonio Response to the Miami Statement (Holden et al., 2008); and Journal Publication Practices in Social Work, a report by the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Presidential Task Force on Publications (PTFP) (2008)--have systematically explored and codified these complaints. Half of the 14 members of the group that produced the Miami (convened by Robert Schilling, PhD) and the six members of the San Antonio group (cochaired by Judith C. Baer, PhD, Gary Holden, PhD, and Bruce A. Thyer, PhD) also served on the 22-member SSWR PTFP (cochaired by Jeffrey M. Jenson, PhD and Anne E. Fortune, PhD). Although the three reports have much in common, this editorial focuses on PTFP recommendations for improving publication practices, because the PTFP report is the most comprehensive assessment of these issues and was published with the SSWR imprimatur. Readers should consult the Miami and the San Antonio Response for a number of interesting recommendations that were not incorporated in the final PTFP report. Published only recently, it is too soon to know in what ways and to what extent the recommendations embodied in the Miami Statement, the San Antonio Response, and the PTFP report will materially affect publication practices in social work. It is worrisome, however, that to date these important documents seem to have engendered little in the way of formal or informal reaction from social work scholars, publication houses, and other key stakeholders in the social work research dissemination enterprise. As a potential stimulant to future discussions, I offer my initial reactions to the PTFP proposals here. USEFUL RECOMMENDATIONS Most of the PTFP recommendations seem valid and useful: Journal editors should have primary responsibility for manuscript reviewer assignments; reviewers should possess the requisite expertise to provide insightful reviews of manuscripts in specific topical or methodological areas; processes and criteria used to guide selection of journal editors should be transparent; electronic submission and processing of social work research manuscripts should be normative; and journal editors should possess scholarly expertise and experience consistent with their editorial duties. POTENTIALLY USEFUL RECOMMENDATIONS (IF MODIFIED) Several of the PTFP recommendations are appealing but not fully articulated. For example, it is clearly desirable that assessing the length of time that is required to assign, review, and publish manuscripts in centralized and decentralized publishing models ... be collected and compared (p. 18) and that data assessing impact scores, journal submission and acceptance rates, and time to publication for social work ... be collected annually by an independent group of editors, scholars, and publishers as a way to help authors evaluate a journal's impact. (p. 22) However, these recommendations would more likely be acted on if the report specified who might fund the efforts, collect and analyze such data, and serve on an independent monitoring group of the type mentioned. It would also be especially useful if the report anticipated potential barriers to the completion of these activities, including those related to costs and political issues. Similarly, although most readers would likely agree that and directors in departments and schools of social work should provide leadership in efforts aimed at finding ways to reward faculty members who serve as editors or manuscript reviewers for scholarly journals (p. 22), this recommendation would be more useful if specific supports were delineated that deans might provide to faculty members serving social work and if potential constraints on the provision of such supports were identified. …

Are We Listening to Children? An Examination of the Child's Voice in Social Work Reports to the Court following Parental Separation Disputes

This paper examines the findings from a recent study investigating how children's interests and their rights are safeguarded through the representation of social workers in reports prepared for Court following parental separation disputes. A small-scale research study describes the views of family and childcare social workers on how children's wishes and feelings are reflected in Court-directed assessments in a large Health and Social Services Trust in Northern Ireland. The research employs a multi-data collection methodology involving the use of a focus group, postal questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The data were thematically analysed in relation to representing the voice of the child, and examined both the social work task and the role of training as a form of support for social workers in this demanding area of work. The findings demonstrate that social workers do seek and represent the views of the child within Article 4 reports, but identify factors that impinge on the accuracy of representing children's views and promoting their rights. These factors relate to Trust and Court priorities, lack of therapeutic intervention for children, variation in social work practice, lack of training for social work staff in this area and, consequently, the need to increase confidence and support for social work staff undertaking this work. As a result of these findings, suggestions are proposed for informing practice and improving service delivery in this key area of family and childcare social work practice.

COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL WORK FROM AN ATTACHMENT PERSPECTIVE

This paper explores communication within social work from an attachment perspective. The capacity to communicate openly and confidently is a crucial aspect of the social work task. Two particular theories are explored and described: firstly, the sequence between the infant and the primary caregiver of attunement, rupture and repair. It is argued that this pattern is present in all relationships and that the negative aspects of it can become re‐evoked within the social work task, both in relation to clients and fellow professionals. Secondly, the concept of reflective function is explored which has particular relevance to social work. The paper explores the practice implications of these two ideas. Various suggestions are made as to how training courses can enable social workers to improve their communication skills.

CONTAINING THE CONTAINER: AN EXPLORATION OF THE CONTAINING ROLE OF MANAGEMENT IN A SOCIAL WORK CONTEXT

This paper seeks to explore the role of containment within the relationship between a social work manager and the staff that she manages. The focus of the paper is on social work in a therapeutic setting. However, the impact of changes within the overall structure of the social work task is also explored. The need for containing management and containment of managers is seen as essential to provide responsive and effective work with service users.

Suggestions to Improve Social Work Journal Editorial and Peer-Review Processes: The San Antonio Response to the Miami Statement

Interest in and concern about scholarly communications through social work journals seem to have increased recently. One indicator of this concern was the publication of the Miami statement. A Society for Social Work and Research Presidential Task Force was created to continue work on these issues. This article discusses the work of one subcommittee of that task force. This subcommittee developed a set of suggestions pertaining to the processes of submitting social work manuscripts to journals and to the system of editorial review and processing. The authors view these suggestions as expanding on the Miami statement.

Emotional Intelligence, Emotion and Social Work: Context, Characteristics, Complications and Contribution

Tony Morrison is an independent trainer and consultant working with a background in children's services. He works with social services, health and other agencies both in the UK and overseas on issues including staff supervision; inter-agency collaboration; change management; and team development. He has a special interest in attachment theory and has been involved in work to develop services to young people who sexually abuse. He is a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Human and Health Sciences at Huddersfield University and is an external examiner for the MSc in Advanced Social Work at Queens and Ulster Universities in Northern Ireland. He has published widely in the fields of supervision, staff development and inter-agency Summary Emotional intelligence (EI) has become one of the new management 'buzz' terms. It is suggested that this is the missing ingredient that separates average from top manage- ment or performance. However, despite its potential relevance for social work practice, there has been little investigation and few reports about its application in social work settings. This paper seeks to stimulate debate about the role of EI in social work prac- tice by considering its development, definitions and problematics. Whilst the empirical evidence supporting the existence of a separate and measurable EI is ambiguous and emergent, the role of emotion in the organization of human behaviour is more firmly established. The paper examines the role of EI and emotion in relation to five core social work tasks: engagement of users; assessment and observation; decision making; collaboration and co-operation; dealing with stress. The paper situates itself in the rap- idly changing context of social work: the merger of social services departments with larger more powerful bureaucracies; the movement towards integrated service deliv- ery; and the new social work degree. It is argued that social work needs to identify its claims to professional competence at a time of such change, one of which is the ability to use relationships to address users' needs. This requires the capacity to handle both one's own and others' emotions effectively.

Inter‐ethnic conflict: a role for social work in sub‐Saharan Africa

African social work educators have consistently argued that conventional social work tasks and practice fail to address the critical socio‐economic needs of communities living in the sub‐Saharan region. This paper identifies inter‐ethnic conflict in Africa as both cause and symptom of the inequitable distribution of natural resources and public goods between ethnic groups in conditions of pressing material need. Reporting on results from a survey of social work students at the University of Ghana which explored their own experiences of inter‐ethnic conflict, this article considers alternative strategies for training in anti‐discriminatory practice. Training approaches developed in the United States of America and the United Kingdom are critically examined and the problems of their direct applicability in an African context discussed. In conclusion the need for a distinctively African approach to conflict management and anti‐discriminatory training is advanced.

Mirroring Meaning Making

This article illustrates the use of students’ personal narratives and ‘thick description’ in reflecting on field and research experiences in a social work programme. Narrative as an educational tool enabled the authors to collaborate with students, field supervisors and each other in building reflexive links between past, present and future actions. In telling and retelling stories of lived experience around the tasks of social work, all players were able to come together and dialogue at deepening levels of understanding. The complexities involved in taking effective action were brought to the fore by the use of ‘thick description’ in students’ narratives of an identified learning moment. In the history of social work, stories abound of the struggles involved in consciously learning by doing. Our project allowed for such stories, written by students, to be used in facilitating the development of critical reflexivity as an integral part of becoming a practitioner. Subsequently, with student permission, some of these narratives were used in field educators’ workshops. This exercise has made for a weaving of theory, practice and reflection from the perspectives of students, academics and field educators to the shared ends of improving practice.

Outcomes of Social Work Education

This article describes the development and testing of the Social Work Self-Efficacy Scale, which assesses social workers’ confidence regarding a broad range of social work tasks. Pre-post data from two cohorts of social work students are presented showing significant positive change in MSW students’ self-efficacy, suggesting a new approach to outcomes assessment in social work education.