Pride and shame in the creation of child and family social work

2019 ◽  
pp. 49-76
Author(s):  
Matthew Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Social Policing ◽  
Conflicting Messages

This chapter considers the role of pride and shame in creating, maintaining and disrupting practices that have resulted in child and family social work. As people sought to develop ways of addressing social issues related to children and families, different discourses on children, families and social issues provided competing and conflicting messages about what was praiseworthy and shameful behaviour. Different representations of social work practice can, therefore, be seen to have been constructed within these competing discourses. This chapter outlines these representations as social administration, social policing, activism, therapy and practical help, demonstrating how pride and shame were central components in how these practices were institutionalised. This chapter then analyses how a discourse of neoliberalism has sought to change the boundaries for praiseworthy and shameful behaviour to reconfigure professional practice.

Pride and Shame in Child and Family Social Work

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Institutional Processes ◽  
Leadership Management ◽  
New Framework

This book reports on the first study into the role of pride and shame in social work practice. The concepts of pride, shame, guilt, humiliation, and embarrassment are outlined and analysed, providing a new framework for understanding and researching these emotions in professional practice. It is argued that these emotions are inherently part of practice, influencing what social workers do and how they do it. Such emotions are considered in the context of wider institutional processes that construct ideal forms of practice, which are then used to evaluate social workers’ actions and praise, shame, or humiliate them accordingly. The threat of shame, and promise of praise, influence most social workers to enact or conform to the standard, thereby regulating their practice. These emotions can, therefore, be considered to be strategically used as a mechanism of control by constructing contextually specific boundaries for shameful and praiseworthy behaviour that are policed within the organisation. While some social workers feel proud to act in such a manner in some contexts, often resulting in a difficult experience for the parents, many social workers feel constrained, believing they are no longer doing social work. Indeed, some social workers feel ashamed or guilty of what they are doing and seek to resist these attempts at control through acts of compromising, concealing, and influencing. This book provides a new theory for pride and shame in organisations and specifically outlines a theory for the role pride and shame play in leadership, management, and individual social work practice.

scholarly journals Pruned, policed and privatised: the knowledge base for children and families social work in England and Wales in 2019

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Tunstill
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Conservative Government ◽  
Social Work Policy

The focus of this chapter is on the knowledge base for social work practice with children and families and its relationship to current social work policy development in England and Wales for the foreseeable future. It is argued that over the last ten years, the nature of the knowledge base for children and family social work, including the way it is generated, accessed and applied, has been increasingly subject to politically initiated change. This article argues that over the previous ten years of ‘austerity’, knowledge for social work has been purposely, and increasingly, ‘weaponised’ as a component of the same political system which introduced and now sustains neo-liberalism and austerity.  Deliberate decisions have been taken by government in order to initiate- through a variety of inter-linked and mutually reinforcing strategies- the reframing and repackaging of the role of knowledge in social work practice with children and families. Following a review of current approaches to understanding social work knowledge, the article identifies five key inter-linked projects , which have been established by the Conservative government . It argues that these are intended to deliver a far-reaching political colonisation of the existing knowledge base for social work, which should be resisted by all social work stakeholders.

scholarly journals Language is never neutral: a critical analysis of the language surrounding adoption in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Clapton
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Critical Scrutiny ◽  
The Uk

In the light of increased attention to the role of social work in UK adoption practices, this article takes a ‘turn to language’ and examines the neglected field of the words and phrases commonly used in the adoption process. It subjects these to a critical scrutiny and suggests that the vocabulary employed contains inaccuracies, euphemisms, misnomers and aspirational promises and carries implications that limit options and determine outcomes. The article provides other examples from social work practice with children and families and concludes that a critical approach to a profession’s everyday language use can uncover how power is exercised.

Poverty, Inequality and Social Work

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Cummins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Sociological Analysis ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Domino Effect ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Asylum Seekers And Refugees

This book offers a critical, sociological analysis of the domino effect of neoliberalism and austerity politics on the role of social work and wider welfare provision. It argues that social work should move away from the resultant emphasis on risk management and bureaucracy and return to a focus on relational and community approaches as the cornerstone of practice. Applying theoretical frameworks to practice, including those of Pierre Bourdieu and the recent work of Loïc Wacquant, the book examines the development of neoliberal ideas and their impact on social welfare. It explores the implications of this across a range of areas of social work practice, including work with children and families, working with asylum seekers and refugees and mental health social work.

scholarly journals Emotional intelligence as a part of critical reflection in social work practice and research

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110247
Author(s):  
Mari D Herland
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Emotional Aspects

Social workers often experience higher levels of burnout compared with other healthcare professionals. The capacity to manage one’s own emotional reactions efficiently, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of social workers. This article highlights the complexity of emotions in social work research and practice by exploring the perspective of emotional intelligence. The article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s. The analysis contains an exploration of the researcher position that illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects that took place within this interview process. Three overall themes emerged – first: Recognising emotional complexity; second: Reflecting on emotional themes; and third: Exploring my own prejudices and preconceptions. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need to understand emotions as a central part of critical reflection and reflexivity. The argument is that emotions have the potential to expand awareness of one’s own preconceptions, related to normative societal views. This form of analytical awareness entails identifying and paying attention to one’s own, sometimes embodied, emotional triggers.

scholarly journals Opportunities to “Make Macro Matter” through the Grand Challenges for Social Work

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942097248
Author(s):  
Samantha Teixeira ◽  
Astraea Augsberger ◽  
Katie Richards-Schuster ◽  
Linda Sprague Martinez ◽  
Kerri Evans
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Grand Challenges ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
Societal Challenges ◽  
The Social ◽  
Macro Social Work ◽  
Instrumental Role

The Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative, led by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW), aims to organize the social work profession around 12 entrenched societal challenges. Addressing the root causes of the Grand Challenges will take a coordinated effort across all of social work practice, but given their scale, macro social work will be essential. We use Santiago and colleagues’ Frameworks for Advancing Macro Practice to showcase how macro practices have contributed to local progress on two Grand Challenges. We offer recommendations and a call for the profession to invest in and heed the instrumental role of macro social work practice to address the Grand Challenges.

scholarly journals Social work with offenders

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 173-190
Author(s):  
Terry Bamford
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Monitoring And Surveillance ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Preparatory Work

It is often assumed that child care legislation is a response to scandals and inquiries from the 1948 Children Act to the Children Act 2004. This chapter looks in detail at the preparatory work preceding legislation and demonstrates that the impact of scandals has been greater on securing parliamentary time than it has in shaping legislation. The impact has been greatest on social work practice. Attention and activity have been skewed away from direct work to provide assistance and help towards risk assessment and risk management. There has been a consequent emphasis on the monitoring and surveillance of families and individuals. This shift is true in mental health as well as child care. It is timely to consider whether this shift in practice has made children and families safer.

Meeting the Placement Needs of Jewish Children

2000 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Golda Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Anti Semitism ◽  
Jewish Children

There is little published literature on the placement needs of Jewish children in Britain. Golda Smith seeks to redress the balance, beginning with a brief historical summary of the experiences of Jews in Britain, including the roots of anti-Semitism. The article goes on to discuss the diversity within Jewishness, the importance of religion in children's understanding of their identity, the role of family customs and the implications of such issues for social work practice. Smith concludes with a call for all placement workers to have access to training and information about the placement needs of this neglected group.

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