What can co-design contribute to Social Work with groups?

Groupwork ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Pelta ◽  
Antonio López Peláez
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Group Design ◽  
Self Help ◽  
Basic Features ◽  
Communication Dynamics

In this article, we present the basic features of co-design methodology and its application to group dynamics with the aim of broadening the theoretical debate in the field of social work with groups. In both self-help and goal-oriented groups, the group design and communication dynamics that emerge from within it are key elements to ensure their correct functioning and effectiveness. To this end, we propose ten recommendations for implementing co-design that could be useful in direct social work practice.

scholarly journals Fineman and vulnerability

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-88
Author(s):  
Ian Cummins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Legal Philosopher

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to argue that the work of the American feminist political and legal philosopher, Martha Fineman can be the basis for a shift away from the proceduralism and managerialism that has come to dominate social work practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper’s work is based on the application of Fineman’s work to social welfare settings. Findings Fineman’s work calls for a radical rethinking of our notions of autonomy and vulnerability. Originality/value This paper applies Fineman’s work to this field.

scholarly journals Social workers’ power of entry in adult safeguarding concerns: debates over autonomy, privacy and protection

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 312-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Stevens ◽  
Stephen Martineau ◽  
Jill Manthorpe ◽  
Caroline Norrie
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore debates about the powers social workers may need to undertake safeguarding enquiries where access to the adult is denied. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes as a starting point a scoping review of the literature undertaken as part of a study exploring social work responses to situations where they are prevented from speaking to an adult at risk by a third party. Findings A power of entry might be one solution to situations where social workers are prevented from accessing an adult at risk. The paper focuses on the Scottish approach to legal powers in adult safeguarding, established by the Adult Support and Protection Act (Scotland) 2007 and draws out messages for adult safeguarding in England and elsewhere. The literature review identified that debates over the Scottish approach are underpinned by differing conceptualisations of vulnerability, autonomy and privacy, and the paper relates these conceptualisations to different theoretical stances. Social implications The paper concludes that the literature suggests that a more socially mediated rather than an essentialist understanding of the concepts of vulnerability, autonomy and privacy allows for more nuanced approaches to social work practice in respect of using powers of entry and intervention with adults at risk who have capacity to make decisions. Originality/value This paper provides a novel perspective on debates over how to overcome challenges to accessing adults at risk in adult safeguarding through an exploration of understandings of vulnerability, privacy and autonomy.

Supporting practice: reflections on a career in children’s social work

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 122-126
Author(s):  
Clare Chamberlain ◽  
Michael Little
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Future ◽  
Work Model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on development in children’s social work over 35 years from the perspective of someone who has worked in the field as a practitioner and director. Design/methodology/approach Interview. Findings The paper provides insights into implementing the Reclaiming Social Work model and how systems can better support social work practice with children and families. Originality/value The paper offers a unique perspective on developments in the field and implications for the future of children’s social work.

Spanish for Social Workers: Preparing Students for Multicultural Social Work Practice

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lane Smith ◽  
Catherine A. Hawkins ◽  
Lane Games
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Cultural Sensitivity ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Language Immersion ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Work Education

Cultural awareness is important in the field of social work. However, it is inadequate for problem-solving with non-English speaking clients. It is necessary to couple cultural sensitivity with useful language skills for effective social work practice. Unfortunately, social work educators have largely neglected the task of preparing students for practice with populations whose language they do not already speak. This task can be incorporated into social work education. The authors describe an innovative language instruction and cultural sensitivity program designed for BSW students. Incorporating elements of intensive language immersion with non-traditional content, screening, and attention to group dynamics, this approach enriches the social work curriculum and prepares students for practice with Spanish-speaking clients.

Turning the ship around: reflections on changing a nation’s social work practice system in the interests of children and families

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 197-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Trowler
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Political Environment ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work System ◽  
The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect on progress and lessons in improving the social work system in England in the interests of children and families. Design/methodology/approach Based on an interview with the author by Michael Little (one of the Guest Editors of this edition). Findings Social work is best placed to lead the child protection system given its ability to manage risks in a challenging social and political environment. However, there is a need to address common concerns about the system, for instance to give social workers more autonomy, and to improve the quality in the workforce, especially at the senior level. The best authorities are practice focused, led by practitioners who are part of a stable team, and do well at a systems level. Originality/value Offers the perspective of the Chief Social Worker for Children in England on the process of reforming the social work system for children and families.

scholarly journals “Bring yourself to work”: rewriting the feeling rules in “personalized” social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-338
Author(s):  
Emilie Morwenna Whitaker
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Labour ◽  
Emotional Display ◽  
Feeling Rules

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how feeling rules are constructed, experienced and contested within personalised social work practice. It considers how organisations seek to shape practitioners towards certain forms of emotional display in increasingly market-oriented conditions. It contributes to our understanding of the place of “backstage” emotional labour in seeking to shape and direct social work practice. Design/methodology/approach A single immersive ethnographic case study of an English social work department was undertaken over a period of six months. Findings This paper reveals embedded tensions that emerge when practitioners are caught between traditional bureaucratic function, the incursions of the market and feeling rules of relatability, commitment and creativity. Originality/value This paper contributes to the scant literature on frontline experiences of personalisation in children’s services and the importance of “backstage” emotional labour for shaping and directing social work practice. Importantly, it considers the complexity of emotional labour within an organisational context, which is neither fully marketised, nor fully welfarised, a position many welfare organisations now find themselves in.

scholarly journals Making professional decisions account-able

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ida Schrøder
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Organizational Boundaries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Ethnography ◽  
Organizational Work

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze how accounts of costs and accounts of needs are shaped, connected and made durable in the day-to-day practices of welfare professionals. Design/methodology/approach Throughout a year, the author traced the work of connecting costs and needs across and beyond the organizational boundaries of the accounting and child protection departments in a Danish local government. Over the course of the study, accountants realized that the budget was overspent and this, accordingly, gave insights into what was done to make accounts more durable. Findings This paper shows that multiple accountabilities are made possible through the ongoing and practical work of shaping, connecting and making accounts durable. This fragile process fails when connections between separate aspects of organizational work are not made visible. Research limitations/implications This paper attempts to convey the potentials of a symmetrical approach for organizational ethnography. In this way, it does not, for instance, address prevailing budget limits or regimes of cost control. Originality/value Insights into how accounts are shaped into meeting multiple and diverging demands for accountability are rare in both the fields of management accounting as a practice and research on social work practice.

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