Emotion in responses to the child with ‘additional needs’

The work that is done with children and young people by the practitioners of health, education or social care forms part of their experience of growing up, and can have a profound impact on their future outcomes. Children may find themselves ‘impotent at the hands of powerful others’, particularly where their behaviour causes concern. This paper reports on a key theme from the author's doctoral research, demonstrating the ways that the emotion‐laden interactions between practitioners in multi‐agency children's services, children and parents, affected the diagnosis, treatment, communication and outcomes for children's well‐being, as defined within Every Child Matters. Exploring the emotion within interactions permits a different perspective on ‘need’, and finally, the paper argues for a more careful and emotionally reflective practice from those who work with children.     

Living up to the standards we set: A critical account of the development of anti-racist standards

In this paper we reflect on the work in progress to maintain an active focus on the impact of racism in society, its implications for social work practice, and the development of anti-racist strategies within the whole spectrum of anti-oppressive practice in social work education. We look at some of the ways in which this is being tackled in social work training programmes nationally, and share some of the dilemmas and difficulties encountered in the South West, as well as the achievements so far. We wish to invite debate through a discussion of the processes, principles and context of four years' work to set minimum standards for anti-racist practice. Our aim is to move forward from identifying the problem [S. Collins, P. Gutridge, A. James, E. Lynn & C. Williams (2000) Social Work Education, 19(1), pp. 29-43] to implementing positive change in both content and method of integrating anti-racist strategies in social work and assessing student practice. At all stages of the development work care has been taken to avoid the separation of racism from other forms of oppression and to acknowledge the ways it reconstitutes the experience of service users from minority and majority ethnic groups [F. Williams (1989) Social Policy: A Critical Introduction (Cambridge, Polity)]. It is in this context that agreed standards for anti-racism within anti-oppressive practice are being articulated and adopted or considered by DipSW and Post Qualifying programmes within the Far South West of England. Local DipSW programme personnel in the region have worked consistently to achieve a positive, inclusive and dynamic approach to integrate anti-racist practice in social work education programmes. The authors write from the perspective of being White. We are members of a Forum for Anti-Racist Practice Development and are involved in the development work in different ways. This paper is our perspective of the work for which many individuals and institutions are responsible. We do not represent all those involved, and seek to celebrate rather than claim credit for the work.