The Social Work Role in Assisted Conception

¹ Eric Blyth, The University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK. Summary The provision of assisted conception has become a major industryin most industrialized countries, buttressed by powerful professionaland commercial interests. Assisted conception has significantimplications not only for those directly involved or affected,but also for wider society. The paper summarizes the contributionsocial work has made to the debate and to service development,especially in the UK. The author argues that the ethical valuesunderpinning social work, and the Knowledge and skills possessedby social workers, provide both an opportunity and a mandatefor social workers to influence the development of assistedconception services, in particular to ensure that the humanimplications of providing children for people who are involuntarilychildless are not subordinated to the pursuit of technical efficacy.     

Risk, Advanced Liberalism and Child Welfare: The Need to Rediscover Uncertainty and Ambiguity

Correspondence to Professor Nigel Parton, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH. Summary The purpose of this paper is to analyse and reflect upon thecurrent state of child welfare policy and practice and how thishas changed over recent times. In the process it aims to makea contribution to the current debates on ‘the refocusingof children's services’. A central part of the argumentis that new strategies have emerged which do not have as theircentral focus either meeting the needs of children or respondingto child abuse, but the assessment and management of risk. Inselecting such a focus, such developments are in danger of overlookinga central characteristic of policy and practice in terms ofthe pervasiveness of uncertainty and ambiguity. Not only dothese characteristics need to be reorganized, but they needto be built on in order to take our thinking and practices forward.     

Taking Fathers Seriously

Correspondence to Brid Featherstone, NSPCC Reader in Applied Childhood Studies, Centre for Applied Childhood Studies, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK. Summary This article explores contemporary developments in men's livesin relation to fathering. It explores ‘changing’family structures and the attendant consequences for the livesand identities of fathers. It identifies key initiatives thathave been developed by the post-1997 Labour administration inrelation to fathers and explores the thinking behind such initiatives,as well as more general initiatives in relation to supportingfamilies. It identifies an important theme promoted by the administration—fathersare actual or potential resources for their children. It thengoes on to look at how fathers appear to be constructed withinchild protection social work where notions of threat appearmore dominant as a theme in relation to men generally. The articlegoes on to explore the possibilities within the current climatefor practices in relation to fathers that are more attuned tothe complexities of their lives.     

Realist Evaluation for Practice

Correspondence to Mansoor A. F. Kazi, Director, Centre for Evaluation Studies, School of Human and Health Sciences, Harold Wilson Building, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK. E-mail: m.a.f.kazi{at}hud.ac.uk Summary This paper outlines the new, emerging realist paradigm in evaluationresearch, and applies it to social work practice. This paradigmhas the potential for a ‘white box’ evaluation thatnot only systematically tracks outcomes, but also the mechanismsthat produce the outcomes, the contexts in which these mechanismsare triggered, and the content of the interventions (or thegenerative mechanisms introduced by a programme). Two examplesare provided, both studies with an extensive use of single-subjectdesigns by practitioners within a realist paradigm. This articleis based on the author's invited keynote address at the OhioState University's Thirteenth National Symposium on DoctoralResearch in Social Work, 6 April 2001.     

Partnership between the probation service and voluntary sector organizations

Summary This paper considers the development of inter-agency partnershipsbetween the probation service and voluntary sector organizationsin the early 1990s in England and Wales and reports the resultsof research by the author and their implications for youth justicearrangements outlined in the recent 1998 Crime and DisorderAct. The article outlines the development of probation partnershipsand the impact of changes to probation services, voluntary organizationsand service users which include: a shift towards purchaser-providerand contract-based arrangements; voluntary organizations takingon a role to work with involuntary clients; and the introductionof a discourse on partnerships which marginalizes small, informalvoluntary groups. These findings are then considered in relationto the Crime and Disorder Partnerships for crime preventionwhich form a crucial part of the 1988 Criminal Justice Act.The Crime and Disorder Partnerships have less emphasis on amanagerialist agenda but offer no extra resources and this articlesuggests that they may therefore not result in significant benefitsfor agencies working with young offenders.     

Compulsory Persuasion: A Problem for Correctional Social Work

Summary Social work risks being misused as a technique for controllingundesirable behaviour, regardless of clients' expectations orchoices. This approach to social work involves certain underlyingassumptions about human nature which raise considerable ethicaland practical difficulties. Recent trends in the probation andafter care service are considered, together with some researchstudies of the effectiveness of social work in reducing offendingbehaviour. From these it is argued that social work servicesfor offenders are more likely to be effective when the emphasisis on helping with perceived problems and difficulties ratherthan on crime prevention.     

The Cumbrian Reparation Scheme

Correspondence to David Smith, Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Social Administration, University of Lancaster, Fylde College, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA1 4YF Summary This paper discusses an experimental ‘reparation’scheme run by the probation service in Cumbria. A general contextis provided by an analysis of some varieties of mediation andreparation, and the scheme is then placed within its local organizationalcontext, which meant that it drew its work from juvenile liaisonpanels established by the police. The paper argues that thepanels suffered from the lack of a clear commitment to diversionfrom prosecution on the part of the police, and that the reparationscheme was used as part of the probation service's effort toincrease the use of cautions. The practice of reparation andthe experiences victims and offenders had of it are then reviewed.Offenders generally viewed the scheme more positively than victims,but some victims were glad of the opportunity to be involvedin something which might be helpful to young offenders. In conclusion,it is argued that despite the contradictions which were evidentin the practice of reparation in this setting, there may stillbe scope for innovative work by social work agencies in relationto victims of crime.     

Rethinking Professional Practice: The contributions of Social Constructionism and the Feminist 'Ethics of Care'

Correspondence to Professor Nigel Parton, Centre for Applied Childhood Studies, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield HD1 3DH, UK. E-mail: n.parton{at}hud.ac.uk Summary Drawing upon social constructionist and postmodern perspectives,together with recent feminist debates about ‘the ethicsof care’, this paper reflects upon the productive waysin which contemporary social work can be thought about, organizedand practised professionally. It argues that an emphasis on:process; plurality of both knowledge and voice; possibility;and the relational quality of knowledge are key elements intaking these issues forward. In contrast to the traditions ofabstract and instrumental reasoning where the pursuit of knowledgeis intertwined with the pursuit of control, the importance ofsensory knowledge, symbolized by the unity of hand, head andheart is underlined.     

A Danger to Themselves and to Others

Summary Some account is given of a small group of offender/patientsdefined as dangerous or potentially dangerous. Reasons are putforward in an attempt to explain an apparent reluctance to workwith such clients and the unease that often occurs when so doing.It is suggested that an approach may be required to such offender/patientswhich differs in some respects from more traditional modes oftreatment. Emphasis is placed upon the need for careful observationof material facts and events in the lives of such clients inaddition to the careful observation of the manifestations offeelings and attitudes which may give premonition of dangerousor potentially dangerous behaviour     

The Act of Understanding

Summary Attention is drawn to experience that much social work has beenundertaken on a base of common sense, personal intuition andfeelings that the client's situation has been 'understood'.Medical, sociological and psychological sources for theory whichhave given status to objectivity and implicitly deterministicways of thinking are criticized as sometimes contrary to usefulunderstanding and not supportive to constructive change. Itis claimed that a goal of social work theory should be to disciplinethe 'understanding' which exists in the practice and it is suggestedthat this might be based upon the investigation of the meaningwhich people give to the world in which they live and to theirself within that world. This phenomenologkal approach placessubjectivity and the role of the self-concept at the focus ofattention. As a working philosophy it incorporates the formativeinfluences of past experiences whilst also asserting the primacyof the person who may impose a new significance upon both thosepast events and his immediate situation. It is claimed thatsuch an approach might be the source of a discipline which couldrelate more intimately than hitherto the theory and good practiceof all concerned with social welfare and social change.     

Prison Welfare and Voluntary After Care

Summary Some findings of a survey into the experiences of men releasedfrom prison are reported, where they relate to their use ofprison welfare and after care services. These are discussedin the context of issues such as through-care, rate of take-up,and the factors which may be influential in determining whethera man makes use of after care on release from prison. It isproposed that for more isolated men the probation service shouldadopt a ‘reaching-out’ strategy.     

The Mentally Handicapped and Their Professional Helpers

Summary This article discusses visits paid to fifty-three families witha severely mentally handicapped adult living at home, most ofwhom were also quite severely disabled physically. Varying reactionsto the services offered by general practitioners and mentalwelfare officers are described and those factors influencingthe generally poor opinion of mental welfare officers' servicesare discussed. The importance of the daily routine of the familiesis emphasized and the difficulty of the mental welfare servicein providing services or practical assistance which helps withthe daily routine. Finally it is suggested that the social servicesshould see a greater part of their work as helping and enablingthe community to do better, and with less strain, the caringit does already and that this means that the planning of servicesneeds to start from the locality in which the handicapped personlives     

Learning Lessons from the Past or Re-Visiting Old Mistakes: Social Work and Community Development in Northern Ireland

Correspondence to Dr Deirdre Heenan, School of Policy Studies, University of Ulster, Magee Campus, Londonderry BT48 7JL, UK. E-mail: DA.Heenan{at}ulster.ac.uk Summary In recent years there has been a re-emphasis on community developmentapproaches in health and social work in Northern Ireland. Underpinningthese approaches is the belief that local communities can beorganized to address health and social needs and to work withgovernment agencies, voluntary bodies and local authoritiesin delivering services and local solutions to problems. Thesemethods of working challenge the traditional social work focuson individual and family casework interventions. Governmentin Northern Ireland has stressed that community developmentshould no longer simply be an afterthought in key aspects ofHealth and Social Services, but should instead be at the coreof their work. It is now officially recognized that communitydevelopment has the potential to make a significant impact ona broad spectrum of policies and programmes, which are deliveredthrough agencies in both the statutory and voluntary sectors.This commitment to community development has been outlined ina number of key documents and reports. This paper assesses therelationship between social work and community development inNorthern Ireland. The first section looks briefly at the historyof community development and social work and then sets out thecontext in which this move towards the promotion of a communitysocial work approach is occurring. Against this backdrop, acase study of a Family Support Team, which provides a rangeof services in a community setting, is used to illustrate howthe strategy has already been adopted and the lessons of thisexperience are explored and discussed. It is concluded thatwhile this approach has a lot to offer it is not without itsdifficulties. Far from being a new philosophy, community developmentis being reinvented and reapplied. It is therefore crucial thatold mistakes are not revisited and old prejudices rekindled.It is hoped that this article will provide a useful contributionto the current important and necessary debate.     

The Beckford Report: A Critical Appraisal

Correspondence to Nigel Parton, Department of Behavioural Sciences, The Polytechnic, Queensgate Huddersfield HDI 3DH. Summary This paper provides a critical analysis of the Beckford Reportand its implications for social work and the personal socialservices. Four interrelated themes are explored: the relationshipbetween social work practice, statutory responsibilities andthe law; the attitudes of social workers towards children andfamilies; the social work skills required; and the assumptionsthat are made about child abuse and the role of social workers.This is then related to recent research findings in the areaof policies and decision making in child care. It concludesby arguing that the report is in great danger of misdirectingour attentions from the major issues concerned with social workwith children at risk.     

A Role for a Support Person for Child Witnesses in Criminal Proceedings

Correspondence to John Williams, Department of Law, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, Hugh Owen Building, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Dyfed SY23 3DY Summary The 1989 Children Act greatly extends and enhances the roleof the guardian ad litem (GAL) as the officer appointed by thecourt to safeguard and protect the welfare of the child in civilchild protection proceedings. But how do children fare whenthey are involved as witnesses in criminal proceedings? Sincethe latter part of the 1980s it has been recognized that theirimmatunty requires a more sensitive and caring approach thanthat adopted for adults in the criminal courts. As a resulta number of innovative procedures intended to alleviate stressin child witnesses have been introduced. But one outstandingissue of major importance, that of providing support for childrenbefore and during an appearance in a criminal court, needs tobe addressed urgently: the GAL is only available to childrenin civil proceedings. Drawing on the experience of the UnitedStates, where Victim Assistants are used to provide help andsupport for child victims and witnesses, and where the appointmentof GALs for child victims in criminal proceedings is gainingincreasing acceptance, the authors argue that the American exampleoffers much that may usefully be adopted in tailoring the Britishsystem to the special needs of child witnesses. A number ofmodels for the role of the Support Person for child witnessesin the British system are put forward for consideration.     

Children and young people with a hidden disability: an examination of the social work role

Summary There has been little research attention paid to the natureand extent of social work intervention with children and youngpeople with invisible impairments. The recent study describedhere found that children and young people with a hidden andstigmatizing impairment received a social work service whichwas at a minimal level. The children and young people were affectedby physically induced incontinence, and described how they facedan environment which created particular tensions. Their parentsconcurred with this overall picture and reported unmet needs.Recommendations are made about social services input, but itis recognized that the level of social services interventionavailable to these families may, in part, be a reflection ofa low priority assigned to disabled children generally. It isargued that, although such an assignment is a common picturein recent research about social services provision to disabledchildren, a change in priorities is needed which recognizesthe importance of coherent support to disabled children as ameans of improving their environment and thereby reducing families'stress levels and the likelihood of abuse or rejection.     

Seeking Help for Marital Problems: A Conceptual Approach

Summary When, why and how people become clients are important areasfor research which have implications for services and practitioners.How these issues are conceptualised determines the findingsand conclusions of researchers. This paper contrasts two distinctconceptual emphases to be found in the literature on help-seeking:on the one hand, clients as constructing their own fates and,on the other, the critical incidents and contextual factorswhich precipitate help-seeking action. The author concludesthat a satisfactory theoretical approach to help-seeking needsto integrate both emphases.     

Environmental issues affecting elder abuse victims in their reception of community based services

This study examined the dominant factors that predict the utilization of services by 129 identified elder abuse victims who reside in the community. Utilizing the Andersen Model, services accepted or rejected were analyzed from individual, family and environmental perspectives. Results indicated that service utilization is related to three "need" factors: (1) Victim has cognitive and ADL impairments, (2) Victim has poor health status (self rated), and (3) The abuser is financially dependent on the victim and is also the primary caregiver of the victim. "Enabling" factor (1) Victim lives alone. "Predisposing" factors (1) Abuser is substance abuser and (2) Abuser is female. A great proportion of the elder abuse victims in this study accepted services from an agency that provided a single entry point into the service system and had highly trained personnel utilizing a case management approach.     

Theory and Practice in Long Term Social Work: a Case-Study of Practice with Social Services Department Clients

Summary This study is based on empirical research into the practiceof 14 social services department social workers with 42 of theirlong term clients. The findings suggest that, contrary to expectation,this type of social work practice is not characterised by aproblem solving approach, but rather by a concern for the containmentof problems and the maintenance of stability. This leads toa restricted form of social work practice which is not linkedto any particular method of intervention. Reasons for this theory-practicehiatus are suggested along with a discussion of the issues surroundingtraining for long term social work of this kind in the future.     

Cost and Stakeholder Views: A combined approach to evaluating services

Correspondence to Jackie Powell, Department of Social Work Studies, University of Southampton, Highfield, Southampton SO9 5NH Summary This paper focuses on the decision-making process at a strategiclevel in the context of implementing a ‘community care’policy for older people with mental health problems. It is basedon the findings of an evaluative study of the implementationof one district health authority's strategy for the decentralizationof its mental health services for older people. The study wasan attempt to develop an evaluative approach which acknowledgedthe importance of cost, but also the need to include the viewsof the several ‘interested parties’, not least thosewho used the service. The reconciliation of what might be seenas the conflicting interests of the wider public for a carefulutilization of resources with the individual's needs for anaccessible and responsive service represents a major challengefor planners, managers and practitioners within the public sector.This paper argues the need for dialogue as the basis for partnershipbetween those with a primarily financial focus to their workand those more intimately concerned with individual needs.