scholarly journals The Power of One: Why auto-ethnography, solo service-user voice and reflective case study analysis are useful strategies for researching family-centred social work practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Gibbs
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Service User ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Auto Ethnography

Family-centred social work practitioners often reflect upon and talk about their everyday work with families, but they rarely write about it, other than in case notes or for formal reports. If social work practitioners were to adopt a range of easy-to-use research strategies that focus on either one service-user, or one family case, or one practitioner experience, then they may be empowered to write and publish more about their work. This may then lead to a series of practitioner pieces aimed at improving knowledge and methods in family-centred social work practice. This article explores three ‘One Voice strategies’: those of auto-ethnography, solo service-user voice and reflective case study analysis, and their usefulness to researching family-centred social work practice. It argues that using such strategies are valid in everyday social work and that practitioners can make a difference to our knowledge of effectiveness in practice by telling us about just one story – the power of one!

Beyond the Code of Ethics, Part II: Dual Relationships Revisited

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Freud ◽  
Stefan Krug
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Dual Relationships ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

The authors, both social work educators, serve on an ethics call line committee that provides insights on how the provisions of the (United States) National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (NASW, 1996) interface with the ethical dilemmas encountered by the social work community. In this paper, the authors highlight aspects of social work practice that they consider ethical, yet not easily accommodated by the provisions of the current Code. They also question the 1996 introduction of the concept of dual relationships into the Code and suggest that the Code adopt the less ambiguous term of boundary violations. Also recognized by the authors is the need for clear boundaries for the protection of clients against temptations that might arise in a fiduciary relationship, and for the legal protection of social workers. But, the authors argue, social work practitioners in certain settings, with particular populations, and in certain roles, inevitably face multiple relationships as an integral aspect of their work. The authors conclude that social work's adoption of the psychoanalytic constrains of anonymity, neutrality, and abstinence has detoured the profession from its original double focus on individuals and their society.

Social Work and Youth Justice in a Global Context

2014 ◽  
pp. 149-165
Author(s):  
Bill Whyte
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Youth Justice ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
International Obligations

Social work in youth justice is directed by international standards based on an implied socio-educative paradigm that conflicts with the dominant criminal justice paradigm in operation in most jurisdictions. This creates global challenges in establishing “child-centred” policy and practice for dealing with young people under the age of 18 years in conflict with the law. Social work practitioners, directed by international imperatives and professional ethics, operate between shifting and often conflicting paradigms. It is essential they are familiar with international obligations and operate as “culture carriers” providing an ongoing challenge to systems of youth justice. This chapter examines these issues and, in the absence of consensus or of a shared paradigm for social work practice across jurisdictions, considers what a socio-educative paradigm for practice might look like.

scholarly journals Attaining Theoretical Coherence Within Relationship-Based Practice in Child and Family Social Work: The Systemic Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1219-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Coulter ◽  
Stanley Houston ◽  
Suzanne Mooney ◽  
John Devaney ◽  
Gavin Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Systemic Theory ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
Fidelity Model

Abstract Social work practice has an essential, yet ambiguous, relationship with theory. This state of affairs is currently evident in the range of contemporary relationship-based practice (RBP) models being applied within Child and Family Social Work. This article argues that there is an urgent need for a theoretically coherent conceptualisation of these models to enable social work practitioners to embrace their common precepts and so enable more effective interventions. In contrast to attempts to show the distinctiveness of current models for reasons of fidelity, model identity and marketing, this unifying approach advocates for recognition of the commonality and complementarity of contemporary RBP models. The article argues that systemic theory which applies a social constructionist orientation can provide this coherence, helping social workers develop their practice in an informed way. In making this case, the emergent evidence base is noted and recommendations are made about how greater convergence and complementarity can be promoted. This article contributes to the debate about how practice and policy should be guided by theoretical ideas of coherence, alongside more utilitarian ideas advocating the importance of evidence and effectiveness.

scholarly journals Child Protection With Muslim Communities: Considerations For Non-Muslim-Based Orthodoxies/Paradigms in Child Welfare and Social Work

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1201-1218
Author(s):  
Patrick O’Leary ◽  
Mohamad Abdalla ◽  
Aisha Hutchinson ◽  
Jason Squire ◽  
Amy Young
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Legal Contexts ◽  
Muslim Communities

Abstract The care and protection of children are a concern that crosses ethnic, religious and national boundaries. How communities act on these concerns are informed by cultural and religious understandings of childhood and protection. Islam has specific teachings that relate to the care and guardianship of children and are interpreted in diverse ways across the Muslim world. Islamic teachings on child-care mostly overlap with Western understandings of child protection, but there can be some contested positions. This creates complexities for social workers intervening in Muslim communities where the basis of their intervention is primarily informed by a non-Muslim paradigm or occurs in secular legal contexts. The purpose of this article is to address at a broad level the issue of how overarching concepts of child protection and Islam influence social work practice with Muslim communities. It addresses a gap in practical applications of the synergy of Islamic thinking with core social work practice in the field of child protection. For effective practice, it is argued that social work practitioners need to consider common ground in Islamic thinking on child protection rather than rely on Western frameworks. This requires further research to build evidence-based practice with Muslim families.

scholarly journals Social Innovation and Social Work: A Case Study of the Early Intervention Support Service

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Winter ◽  
Laura Neeson ◽  
Daryl Sweet ◽  
Aimee Smith ◽  
Sharon Millen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Social Innovation ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Support Service ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Child And Family Services ◽  
Set Up

Abstract In a national and international context where there is a concern about the effectiveness of social care services for children and families to address chronic, enduring social problems and where there are finite resources available, the concept of social innovation in social work policy and practice to address need in new ways is receiving increased attention. Whilst an attractive term, social innovation in child and family services is not without its challenges in terms of conceptualisation, operationalisation, implementation and evidencing impact. This article reports on the development and evaluation of the Early Intervention Support Service (EISS), a newly designed family support service in Northern Ireland set up as part of a government-supported innovation and transformation programme that aims to deliver a voluntary, targeted, flexible and time-limited service to families experiencing emergent problems. Using the EISS as a case study, the challenges, benefits in terms of addressing policy imperatives and future direction of social innovation in social work practice are reflected upon.

The End of Life Within Social Work Literature: A Conceptual Review

2019 ◽  
pp. 003022281983565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret M. Holland ◽  
Stephanie Grace Prost
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Death Process ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Treatment Responsiveness

The current conceptual review sought to identify and describe how the end of life was conceptualized and operationalized in top-ranking, peer-reviewed social work journals considering the highly individualized and multidimensional experience of dying put forth by modern scholars and social work practitioners. An iterative content analysis of included articles ( N = 103) revealed six themes within reported definitions and four themes within eligibility criteria. Definitions ( n = 66) related to treatment responsiveness, the death process, dying, prognosis, admission to specific services, and old age. Eligibility criteria ( n = 18) related to proxy assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, and functional ability assessments. Over one-third of included articles did not define what was meant by the end of life (36%; n = 37) and the majority did not include eligibility criteria (83%; n = 85). In conclusion, the complex lived experience of dying was not manifest within included articles raising important implications for research (e.g., measurement, meta-analysis) and social work practice (viz. service eligibility).

Guidelines for Responding to Clients Spontaneously Presenting Their Poetry in Therapy

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rich Furman ◽  
Kathryn Collins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Practice Guidelines ◽  
Work Values ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Intervention Strategies ◽  
Poetry Therapy ◽  
Social Work Values

Poetry therapy has become a valuable adjunctive tool in social work practice, as well as an important discipline in its own right. What has not been previously presented in the literature are intervention strategies designed for when clients spontaneously present their poems in treatment without prompting from the clinician. This article provides just such practice guidelines for clinicians, especially clinicians who do not normally use poetry in therapy. First, the article explores the uses of poetry in social work practice. Second, it presents general guidelines for how to handle the introduction of poetry by clients through the lens of essential social work values and principles. Third, a case study is presented to amplify these guidelines.

Post COVID-19 youth work: A contribution to the Swedish social pedagogical debate

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-120
Author(s):  
Irena Dychawy Rosner
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Youth Work ◽  
Pedagogical Expertise ◽  
Youth Education ◽  
Social Pedagogy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

The coronavirus pandemic affects the whole world. This situation is a very challenging time for all humanity and social services no less. The present article explores how care and different forms of support can or should be offered to young people in the post-COVID-19 youth work. The objective of this paper is to reflect on how social work practitioners can adapt their daily clinical practice by focusing their interventions on the social pedagogical dimensions of social work. The article presents a generalised discussion of practice logics in social work and social pedagogy. Because of the meanings derived from knowledge on the importance of relationships between the helper and the help receiver, social practices in the post-COVID-19 world need to consider social pedagogical expertise in social work practice and the development of preventive assistance for young populations. This effort has been prepared as a part of the project “Social Professionals for Youth Education in the context of European Solidarity".

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