Exploring tentative lives

Much social work practice with adolescents involved in activities known to be risky, such as experimentation with substances or petty crime, seems to have been influenced by the conventional input-output model which assumes an unreflected relationship between the present manifestation of risk and adverse future outcomes. This model relies on an uncertain scientific basis and does not really allow for the adolescents’ own reflexivity. This article aims at contributing to the shaping of more reflexive concepts for social work in this area, and is based on material derived from a focus group made up of 17 adolescents from Central Norway, aged 16-18 years old. The major foci of analysis were: i) how the adolescents positioned themselves with regard to conflicting notions of respectability, ii) which constructions of meaning might be attached to this positioning and iii) how the positioning might inform social work practice.

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Gender, Parenting and Practices in Child Welfare Social Work? A Comparative Study from England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden

The British Journal of Social Work ◽

10.1093/bjsw/bcaa085 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karina Nygren ◽

Julie C Walsh ◽

Ingunn T Ellingsen ◽

Alastair Christie

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Child Welfare ◽

Focus Group ◽

Social Workers ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Family Policy ◽

Work Practice ◽

Social Work Practice ◽

Structural Barriers ◽

The Uk

Abstract This article explores ways in which gender equality, family policy and child welfare social work intersect in four countries: England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden. Over time, conditions for gender equality in parenting have improved, partly due to family policy developments removing structural barriers. These changes, however, vary between countries; Sweden and Norway are considered more progressive as compared with the UK and Ireland. Here, we draw on focus group data collected from child welfare social workers in England, Ireland, Norway and Sweden to compare these different contextual changes and how these are reflected in related social work practice decisions. The focus group discussions were based on a vignette, and thematic analysis was applied. Overall, welfare social workers are aware of the need to support gender equality in parenting, there is a heavy focus on mothers in child welfare practice decisions, and fathers are largely absent. Uniquely, we show that this is influenced by both a strong child-centred perspective, and a gendered risk perspective, in which fathers are seen to pose more risk to the children than mothers.

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The (Dys)Functionality of Girls’ and Young Women’s Violence

Affilia ◽

10.1177/0886109917712585 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 543-556 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Linda Arnell

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Focus Group ◽

Work Practice ◽

Social Work Practice ◽

Youth Work ◽

Interpretative Repertoires ◽

Violent Acts ◽

Group Sessions

This article explores how professionals talk about girls’ and young women’s use of violence; more specifically, how violence is constructed and conceptualized and its effects on social work practice. The data analyzed consist of focus group sessions with 11 professionals within social and youth work. The findings revealed that violence is conceptualized through interpretative repertoires as social functionality, psychological functionality, or dysfunctionality, which affect the professionals’ conceptualizations of violence and social work practice. Accordingly, a multifaceted understanding of violence is needed, otherwise girls’ and young women’s violent acts risk being diminished and made into an individual problem to solved.

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The Canadian Jewish Community Serving Newcomers

Refuge ◽

10.25071/1920-7336.21939 ◽

1997 ◽

pp. 24-30

Author(s):

John Morris

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Focus Group ◽

Jewish Community ◽

Work Practice ◽

Social Work Practice ◽

Board Members ◽

Jewish Immigrant ◽

Governmental Agency ◽

Group Meetings

The Jewish Community is the oldest non-governmental agency serving newcomers in Canada. Its emphasis has been on employing professional, secular social work practice. This paper reports on conversations held with the Jewish Immigrant Aid Society (JIAS) staff, board members, clients and sponsors. Focus group meetings were held with clients and sponsors in nine Canadian cities from Ottawa to Vancouver. Highlighted are the conclusions that sponsors and clients have arrived at regarding services the Jewish community offers.

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