Communication skills in child protection: how do social workers talk to parents?

Communication skills are fundamental to social work practice, yet there is little research on the skills that workers have or how they use them. This study analyses 24 taped interviews between social workers and an actor playing a parent (a ‘simulated client’). Two child protection scenarios with different levels of seriousness were used. On average, social workers asked many closed questions and often raised concerns. They used few reflections and rarely identified positives. In all but one interview, social workers were rated as achieving clarity over issues of concern; however, they tended to demonstrate low levels of empathy. The responses of the simulated client were rated for resistance and information disclosure. The factor that most strongly influenced simulated client responses was empathy. Empathic social workers created less resistance and increased the amount of information disclosed by clients. This was not associated with failure to identify and discuss concerns. Empathy, therefore, appears to be central to good social work communication in child protection situations. Given the comparatively low level of empathy expressed by most participants, development of skills in maintaining empathic communication while raising child protection concerns appears a priority. Practical, theoretical and training implications are discussed.     

Open Records: The Client's Right to Partnership

Summary Many Social Services Departments have opened their files totheir clients or intend to do so. This reflects the incomingtide of concern about citizens' rights and client participation,but what effect might the opening of records have on the practiceof social work? The paper summarizes the findings of a small scale study inwhich a team of social workers opened their case recording toa selected number of clients. The workers’ and clients‘views of this process are described, along with the implicationsfor practice. The study suggests that a focus on shared recordingcan begin to alter the kind of work done by the social worker,helping to promote a partnership between the worker and theclient. Finally, the paper argues that a policy of client access enforcedonly as a right is prone to sabotage or a fall into disuse.A seven point training programme is outlined in order to helpsocial workers use Open Records as an opportunity to promotea partnership in their work with clients.     

价值中立在社会工作实务中的运用

在社会工作中,价值中立是指社会工作者有阶段性地保持价值中立的立场,以客观的态度对待案主的问题和行为,并对案主的价值观不加以评价。在社会工作实务中,保持价值中立对于社会工作者有效地协助案主分析解决问题显得十分重要。如何在实务中保持价值中立,对于社会工作者来说则显得比较困难。结合实习的经验及思考,笔者从个案工作和小组工作两个方面的实例阐述自己对于如何做到价值中立的认识。个案工作不同阶段、小组工作中不同角色要做到价值中立不同的表现是本文的讨论重点。     

Applying Evidence-Based Practice in Group Work at an Alternative High School

Social workers often are reluctant to use evidence-based practice in group work. Part of this reluctance is because of the perceived rigidity of the process and its emphasis on research. However, social workers can rely on the four cornerstones of evidence-based practice—research, clinical experience, personal views, and client’s perspective—to provide an evidence-based group intervention. In this article, the authors illustrate how social workers used the four cornerstones at one alternative high school to provide an evidence-based group intervention. These cornerstones were used from the beginning of the process, which started with choosing the type of intervention, through the end of the process, which concluded with assessing the intervention. In this article, the authors show that it is possible for social workers to provide an evidence-based group intervention, while remaining flexible, thereby contributing to social workers’ knowledge of how to use evidence-based practice with groups.     

An Interview: Constructing Reality

Summary This paper is concerned with the relevance of interactionistperspectives in sociology to social work practice. Crucial tothese perspectives are the ‘meanings’ that peoplegive to situations and the ways they interpret actions. Basically,they are grounded on the assumption that there is no such thingas a single social reality. There are many different constructionswhich depend on the identities of the different people involvedand on the context in which they occur. The paper is based ontape recorded excerpts from an interview between a client, MrsSmith, and a social worker, from a discussion about some aspectsof that interview between the social worker and the writer,and from a discussion about the case between the team leaderand the writer. This material suggests different interpretationsof the situation, information gained in the discussion withthe social worker providing new ideas about the original interview.The views of the different people involved indicate that itis helpful to take into account the organizational context ofthe interviews. It is also suggested that conceiving of interviewsas ways of constructing reality has implications for the studyof social work practice.     

Mental Retardation Practice Inventory

The mentally retarded are probably social work's most neglected client population. This article presents the results of a research and training project out of which developed (1) an analysis of the values and practice skills necessary for effective practice with the mentally retarded, (2) an instrument to assess the extent to which a social worker possesses these, and (3) a training program to teach social workers these values and skills.     

SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS IN THE GENERIC BASE OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

Social work with groups in generic practice requires more integration of group process theory and group work methodology in relation to two questions: What is important for all social workers to know about groups and group work and when is the group the most appropriate method-of-choice in generic practice? Important premises and knowledge for this practice are the relationship of the individual to the group; the small group as a microcostic social system; and especially, the stages of group development. This knowledge base and the understanding of the "curative factors" or "change mechanisms" in groups is suggestive of the selective use of groups for providing services in generic social work practice.     

The Fieldwork Team Response: An Investigation into the Relationship between Client Categories, Referred Problems and Outcome

Correspondence to Peter C. Burke, Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Social Policy and Professional Studies, The University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX. Summary This paper concerns a study of the outcome achieved followingfieldwork responses to referred client problems within particularclient categories. The evidence from the study demonstratesthat while referred client problems initiate the social workresponse, administratively assigned client groups were a betterdeterminant of outcome. It is shown that the category of a caseis more directly related to outcome than is the problem referred.If social work is to be predominantly based on client categorizationthen polarization will result, represented by an increasinglyprofessional child care practice and a more basic servicingrole for the worker with elderly and handicapped people. Thispresents dangers for the organization of teams, the allocationof resources, and the training of social workers. Taking accountof client problems as part of caseload management should reducethis effect.     

助人关系量表简介

助人关系量表是社会工作实务中用于评估助人关系强度的量表。它有助于社会工作者和案主检验他们对助人关系的认知。该量表由工作者版本和案主版本组成,信效度高。它既是一个测量工具,又可促进助人关系,适合于各种助人情境。     

The story of the PPO queen: the development and acceptance of a spoiled identity in child protection social work

The efficacy of child protection social work is regularly being questioned in the media as vociferous critics deride the profession for the apparent failings of its practitioners. This paper aims to examine the impact this hostility can have on practice and the relationship practitioners develop with their organization and subsequently the families they work with. By using autoethnography, a personal experience I encountered whilst working as a statutory social worker for an Emergency Duty Team will be explored in detail in order to analyse how discursive regimes can endorse and encourage particular ways of thinking and doing for social workers. I also intend to demonstrate that when workers operate in a risk averse environment, oppressive practices can develop subconsciously. These not only affect professionals’ values and assumptions but also fortify distance between the social worker and the client. If social work is to facilitate positive change in the current climate of uncertainty, then it is hoped that this story may enable both practitioners, and their critics, to recognize that being open to different forms of knowledge could lead to better outcomes for all involved.     

Patterns of practice: An exploratory factor analysis of child and family social worker skills

There is relatively little research on the communication skills that social workers use in direct practice with families. This study explores patterns of practice skill found in child and family social work home visits. The study analysed 127 practice interactions in family homes, coding for seven dimensions of worker skill using a coding framework drawn from motivational interviewing. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to establish patterns of skill within the data and to group key dimensions of skill. The findings make two contributions. First, three fundamental dimensions of good practice emerged, which we characterize as care and engagement, good authority, and support for behaviour change. Second, in exploring the relationship between “care” and “control” elements of social work, skilled social workers were able to combine good authority and empathic engagement, whereas those who were less skilled in use of authority were also less good at engagement. This contributes to debates about care and control in social work. The usefulness of these dimensions for conceptualizing practice in child and family social work is discussed and directions for further research are suggested.     

Use of Groups in School Social Work: Group Work and Group Processes

ABSTRACT

A survey of 54 school social workers indicated that they use group work extensively in their practice to address a number of student issues. Cognitive-behavioral theories were most commonly used to guide these groups. Workers rarely identified the use of small group theory as a conceptual framework. Groups were less frequent at the secondary level, and sessions were longer. Family change groups were more common at the elementary level. The method of funding the social work position had no effect on kinds or numbers of groups school social workers facilitated. Respondents did not identify use of small group theory as a conceptual framework, but they addressed group dynamics and group developmental stages. They used activities extensively and adapted published curriculum to meet member needs.     

The effect of characteristics of human service workers on subsequent morale and turnover

The authors examine the relationship of sociopsychological characteristics of human services workers to their subsequent morale and continuance on the job. Eighty-two intensive case managers (half of them social workers) who had caseloads of clients with severe mental disorders were invited to participate in a four-wave panel study. Explored are the relationships between 16 predictors (general background, prior work experience and training, and social psychological variables) and worker outcomes (beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and turnover). The major finding was that better personal well-being at the time of hiring was the most consistent and significant predictor of lower burnout, higher job satisfaction, and generally higher worker morale at later points in time. Those from higher social class backgrounds and those with lower starting salaries were more likely to leave the job. Those workers with more experience had a tendency to perceive greater client improvement.     

剖析高级社会工作师专科设置与实训效益——以台湾“专科社会工作师”改革经验借鉴

随着社会进步,各行各业分工日趋细致,大陆社会工作界该如何走向"教学─考试─训练─进用"的行业规范。本文尝试以人群服务业视角来看待社会工作职业资格制度未来发展,从当前社会问题的现况来界定医疗社会工作、司法社会工作、学校社会工作、社区社会工作等四大类别社会工作服务范围与工作内容,再深入探讨社会工作行业如何进一步与政府部门、事业单位进行系统性连结,以跨中央地方、行业协会的现有资源来支撑社会工作专业分类的理论依据。同时,另外提出现阶段由官方主导社会工作师考试所存在的问题,同步对照台湾"立法部门"近年对"专科社会工作师法"借鉴欧美专科医师制度的成因进行分析,期盼未来在大陆制定高级社会工作师职业水平考试实施办法时,是否严格执行各实习单位的实践年资纳入考证环节,再藉由成立专科社会工作学会来主导高级专科社会工作师,走向服务专科化、服务全面化的专业技术行业之列。     

Who Owns the Group? The Role of Worker Control in the Development of a Group: A Qualitative Research Study of Practice

This paper presents an application of the qualitative research methodology of ethnographic content analysis as a means to discover the salient features and nature of a social work group. Observational data from process recordings of a thirty-week group of mothers at a child guidance center are systematically analyzed. This paper addresses a number of issues: (1) the need to explore and further articulate the role of worker vis-à-vis the dynamic of mutual aid in social work groups, particularly in regard to the concept of exercising 'control;' (2) the applicability of qualitative research methodology as a means of conceptualizing aspects of group work practice, thus contributing to our theory base and knowledge and tools for practice; and (3) the wealth of data for such research lying available in the written recordings of every group practitioner, and the natural logic that the development of theory in social work with groups comes most aptly from the practice domain.     

Identifying and assessing cases of child neglect: learning from the Irish experience

Although child neglect is arguably the most prevalent form of maltreatment in the western world, studies of social work practice in cases of child neglect are limited. This paper seeks to add to the body of knowledge by describing a small‐scale study completed in the Republic of Ireland of social work assessments in cases of child neglect. The findings are based primarily on an analysis of case files, but reference is also made to practitioners’ and managers’ responses to a postal questionnaire and focus groups. The study findings highlight that social workers interpret the assessment task and process in different ways. Variations in the interpretation of the task appear to be influenced by workload pressures, resources and local systems, with teams focusing either on immediate safeguarding issues or on both safeguarding and the longer‐term welfare of the child. Individual variations amongst workers irrespective of team were more apparent in the way practitioners approached the assessment task. For example, practice varied regarding which professionals and family members were contacted as part of the assessment, the type of communication workers had with children and carers, and the use the social workers made of information on case files. The paper concludes with a discussion of the role of the team in determining the focus of assessments and the subjective factors which impact on the way the individual social worker works with children, families and other professionals.     

Challenges in Rural Social Work Practice: When Support Groups Contain Your Neighbors,Church Members,and the PTA

Rural social work occurs in unique practice environments with challenges and rare opportunities. Strong social ties, commonly found in rural communities and often missing in urban areas, can serve as sources of resilience for group members facing adverse life circumstances. Therapeutic formal and informal support groups, bolstered by this support and led by social workers in rural communities, can face numerous challenges due to locale, lack of transportation, and potential worker burnout. This article highlights ethical considerations rooted in a theme of rural group work while providing helpful hints based on the IASWG Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups.     

The client as learner and the clinician as teacher: Working with an educational lens

This article highlights the social worker's role as educator and how that role relates to clinical practice. The educational component of practice is not grounded in a substantial theoretical, research, or practice literature, and yet teaching is a nascent role for most clinicians. For the most part, the educational aspects of clinical practice have languished, at least from a theoretical perspective, in the shadow of therapy. In this paper we advocate for developing and articulating the clinician/teacher role in order to support effective use of the learning relationship as a dynamic and necessary means for assisting clients in managing life transitions, developmental challenges, and adversity. We propose the use of an educational lens derived from the fields of education, developmental psychology, and cognitive science, to provide perspective from which the client is viewed as learner, and the client‐work relationship is seen as an educational transaction. We highlight the transformative power of educational transactions that we think are as significant as primary caregiving, and also provide a working definition of education as it is used in clinical teaching‐learning relationships. And finally, we elaborate on the range of purposes education may serve in social work practice.     

A Comparative Study of the Management of Cases of Deliberate Self-Harm in a District General Hospital

Correspondence to Michael Bateson, Senior Psychiatric Social Worker, Lancaster Moor Hospital, Lancaster, Lanes. Summary A controlled study was undertaken of two services assessingand managing cases of deliberate self-harm admitted to a casualtydepartment. The first service featured psychiatrists only andthe second included psychiatric social workers as well as psychiatrists. A combination of standardized instruments, a structured questionnaire,a twelve month diary and medical and social work files wereused to collect information. Demographic factors, repetitionrates, types of help offered, client satisfaction, social circumstancesand general health were investigated. Few significant differences were found to have existed betweenthe client populations of the two services at initial assessment.Also, there were no apparent differences in factors interveningbetween initial assessment and follow-up. However, the analysisof outcome measures indicates that clients benefited substantiallyfrom the addition of a psychiatric social worker in the followingareas: help offered, client satisfaction, social circumstancesand general health. These results are discussed.