Professional Ideologies and Preferences in Social Work: A British Study in Global Perspective

This paper comes at a time when the social work profession inthe UK is redefining its professional ideology and working practicesin the face of key government initiatives for social work educationand the regulation of practice. It seeks to contextualize and,thereby, inform these deliberations by providing a cross-nationalperspective. Indeed, the search for international perspectivesthat might advise or validate national perspectives on socialwork has become increasingly important (Midgley, 2001). Thepaper uses data from a global study (Weiss et al., forthcoming)that identifies and compares the attitudes of graduating socialworkers at the point of qualification in ten countries representinga diverse range of social, economic and cultural contexts (n= 781). Through a comparison of commonalities and differencesof professional ideologies and practice preferences across samples,the paper distinguishes particular characteristics of the socialwork profession in the UK. Whilst a claim cannot be made tobe representative, the findings present a set of empiricallybased contentions that provide information about what socialworkers are being trained for and what they prefer to do. Findingsreveal a mix of psycho-social orientation, whereby a welfareagenda was preferred—one that co-existed with the espousalof elements of a statutory social work role in terms of ideology,level of practice, choice of technologies, age and populationgroupings and practice strategies. Whilst such a mix appearedcontradictory in conceptual terms, the students appeared toreconcile the dilemma through the espousal of a particular valueposition. A key finding for policy makers and educators, however,concerns the fact that while the UK students felt willing towork through social problems in individual situations, theywere unhappy about the extent to which they were able to utilizetheir therapeutic skills in statutory social work settings.Their preference would be to work in the independent sector.     

Reflection as Dialogue

Much attention has been given to the use of reflection in socialwork practice and education. The literature shows that reflectivedialogue can take place individually or in small groups. Inthis paper, the concept of dialogue is examined further at theinternal and external levels by referring to the works of Bakhtinand other related scholars. Two other concepts, phronesis byAristotle and kairos by Isocrates, are used to provide furtherinsights into understanding such processes. The relevance ofinternal and external dialogue to social work practice and educationis discussed. The integrated use of internal and external dialoguefacilitates a shift among different perspectives and bringsinto awareness the multiple voices of different parties. Sucha broadened view can limit the misuse of professional authorityand enable the social worker to give fuller expression to coresocial values such as respect, justice and equality.     

Towards a Theory of Social Work Expertise

Correspondence to Prof. Jan Fook, School of Social Inquiry, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia Summary This paper begins by summarizing the results of a qualitativeexploratory study of thirty experienced social workers whichwas undertaken in order to identify some characteristics ofsocial work expertise. Some of the features identified includea confidence with professional identity and an ability to dealwith complexities. Participants were also able quickly to prioritizerelevant factors and were aware of constraints and resources,but made conscious use of formal theory only minimally. Thefull results of this study are reported elsewhere (Fook et al.,in press). The main purpose of this paper is to explore theimplications of these results in developing a theory of socialwork expertise. The issues examined include the debates aroundthe relationship between theory and practice in social work,the generic versus the specialist nature of social work, therelevance of existing theories of expertise to social work,and the affirmation of artistic elements of social work practice.     

At the Edge of the Frame: Beyond Science and Art in Social Work

Correspondence to Dean Emilia E. Martinez-B raw ley. School of Social Work, Arizona State University, PO Box 871802, Tempe, Arizona 85287–1802, USA. Summary The central argument in this article is that social work hasalways been a practice at the fringes. The phrase is used inits best sense and in at least two meanings: (1) that socialwork has been at the edges of the mainstream of scientific discourse,not because of any intrinsic deficiency in the profession butbecause of the nature of the practice; (2) that, in the postmodernsense, social work has been a collage where science, art, rationalityand intuition, systematic and asystematic knowledge meet. Inthis latter sense, this article proposes, social work can representa very desirable convergence of paradigms that needs to be acknowledgedand celebrated. Perhaps the most significant contribution ofpostmodernism is that it accommodates this possibility.     

Is Gender Inequality in Social Work Management Relevant to Social Work Students?

Correspondence to Ms C. Taylor, Research Fellow, Social Work Research Centre, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA. Summary This paper reports on a study carried out in 1991 based on questionnaireswhich asked 169 female and male social work students about theiraspirations and expectations in respect of promotion in theirfuture career. Underlying the study is a concern about the unequalrepresentation of male and female workers at management levelsin social services in the UK, there being at present a predominanceof male managers. The phenomenon is not regarded as unique tosocial services, but as part of the pattern of gender inequalityin the workforce as a whole. The view that women contribute to the phenomenon by a fundamentallack of interest in, or unwillingness to apply for, promotionwill be challenged. It will be argued that the differences inthe aspirations and expectations of male and female employees,which previous research studies have reported, may be an effectof the experience of the organization rather than a cause ofthe scarcity of female employees in promoted posts. The paper will focus on some of the findings, including students'aspirations and expectations, their opinions about the unequalrepresentation of men and women in social work management, theimplications of this for their own career and whether they considerthis issue is, or should be, a significant component of socialwork training.     

Notes on Theory and Practice in Social Work: a Comparative View

Please address reprint requests to Robert van Krieken, Department of Social Work, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia. Summary There are still a number of problems surrounding the relationshipbetween theories of social work practice and that practice itself.This paper examines the factors underlying those problems andemphasises their roots in the failure to examine the diversityof social work theories and practices. We refer to one attemptto resolve the problems—the distinction between ‘practicetheory’ and ‘theory of practice’—pointout some difficulties with it and suggest an alternative, three-folddistinction within theorising: between (a) materialist socialtheory, (b) strategic practice theory and (c) working concepts. As an example of how those distinctions can be used, we thenbriefly discuss the work of Oskar Negt and its introductioninto the Dutch welfare context, as it was the issues raisedby that which stimulated the ideas in this paper. We concludeby arguing that only this kind of perspective on theorisingcan produce ideas which are of real use to progressive socialwork practitioners.     

Looking Back: The View from Here

This article considers key developments in social work in thelast decade. From the vantage point of Australia, British socialwork (and the British Journal of Social Work) is seen in a particularperspective. However, some international comparisons are possible.Thus, the article focuses on two apparently contradictory developments:the ‘search for uncertainty’ in post-structuraltheory and the ‘search for certainty’ in evidence-basedpractice. It concludes that both, in different ways, describesocial work in the early twenty-first century.     

Allocating Blame in Social Work

Correspondence to Geraldine Macdonald, Applied Social Studies, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, Egham Hill, Surrey TW20 OEX. Summary This article takes issue with those who assume that the responsibilityfor bad outcomes in social work, such as child deaths, is appropriatelylaid at the feet of individual workers. It examines the philosophicalorigins of such arguments, some recent applications within socialwork literature and their appropriateness to the realities ofsocial work practice. The author argues that a morality of socialwork must recognize the social and organizational context inwhich it occurs.     

A Case for Social Work Evaluation of Social Work Education

Correspondence to Imogen Taylor, Research Fellow, Department of Social Work, University of Bristol, 8 Woodland Road, Bristol BS8 1TN Summary This paper discusses the importance of evaluation of socialwork education by social work researchers, particularly giventhe increasing demands from different interest groups for socialwork courses to demonstrate effectiveness. It is noted that educational researchers are dominating thefield of educational evaluation, yet it is crucial for the survivalof social work that social work education be evaluated by socialwork researchers. Both the tools and the outcome of such evaluationwill shape the future of social work education and social workitself. Recognizing that cross fertilization of ideas between disciplinesis essential, a model for social work evaluation is proposedwhich is derived from models developed by other disciplinesand integrated with social work practice theory. The resultingresearch model draws a number of parallels between researchand practice, bringing together two groups which are often distantand distinct. The model also brings researcher and user closertogether. The model is analysed in light of its applicationto the evaluation of Enquiry and Action Learning, an innovativeapproach to social work education implemented by the Departmentof Social Work, University of Bristol. Central government funding must be available to ensure systematicand rigorous evaluation of social work education rather thanthe piecemeal research possible so far.     

Service Users and Practitioners Reunited: The Key Component for Social Work Reform

Correspondence to Professor Peter Beresford, Centre for Citizen Participation, Brunel University, Osterley Campus, Borough Road, Osterley, Middlesex, TW7 5DU, UK. E-mail: peter.beresford{at}brunel.ac.uk or Suzy Croft, Senior Social Worker, St John's Hospice, 60 Grove End Road, London, NW8 9NH, UK. E-mail: suzy.croft{at}hje.org.uk Summary This article explores the pressures towards both regulatoryand liberatory social work. It identifies a range of factorsoperating to push social work in each direction. It discussesthe key significance for more liberatory social work of theroles and engagement of social work practitioners and serviceusers. Highlighting four key characteristics in the currentpolitical and policy context of social work: ambiguity, uncertainty,complexity and contradiction, it argues that social work isunlikely to develop a more emancipatory role, unless socialwork practitioners gain more support to play a central rolein its construction and develop much closer links and allianceswith service users and their organizations and movements.     

Social Policy for Social Work: A Teaching Agenda

Though social justice is a central goal of the social work profession,the actual involvement of social workers in social change isvery limited. Moreover, training in social policy and policypractice in schools of social work is minimal. As such, practitionerslack the tools needed to analyse existing social problems andpolicies and to enable them to intervene in the policy processin order to better serve the needs of service users. This articleseeks to further social policy teaching within social work educationby engaging in a survey of the existing literature on the subjectand by offering a detailed programme for integrating this subjectinto the social work training system. The literature surveythat serves as a basis for this programme includes a reviewof studies on the dilemmas linked to social policy teaching,on the goals and content of social policy courses in socialwork and on preferred teaching methods in this field.     

From Values of Rights in Social Work: Some Issues in Practice Development and Research

Prof. E. Sainsbury. Dept. of Sociological Studies. University of Sheffield. Sheffield S10 2TN. Summary The following is a discussion paper prepared for a researchteam engaged in a project funded by the Joseph Rowntree MemorialTrust. The problems it sought to address concerned how the teamcould derive a clear statement of clients rights from broadformulations of professional values, and the extent to whichresearch can measure the realization of these rights in socialwork practice. It was found in the research that the practical wisdom (commonsense) of social workers is frequently assumed to be based onprofessionally agreed values, and that—in the pressuresof daily work —values are seldom articulated in ways whichchallenge the procedures and solutions dictated by common sense.Thus, an initial purpose in preparing the paper was to commenton ways in which matters concerned with values become obscuredin practice, and to find ways of linking together values. rightsand practice more strongly. In offering this paper for widerpublication. the research team hopes that it will stimulatecomments which will assist their thinking.     

Liberty and Respect in Child Protection

Correspondence to Sally Holland, Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences, Glamorgan Building, King Edward VII Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3WT, Wales, UK. E-mail: HollandS1{at} cf.ac.uk Summary The paper begins by introducing Isaiah Berlin's concepts ofpositive and negative liberty and the application of these conceptsto child protection. There is discussion of some recent debateson the social and political context of state social work andchild protection in particular. The authors then consider, inturn, the experience of children, parents and social workersin the child protection system. There is also a considerationof partnership and rights. The conclusion is that opportunitiesfor statutory child protection to be liberating are limited,but that there is more potential than the most pessimistic accountsmight allow. Rather than libertarian child protection, socialworkers can aim for child protection practice that is respectful.The paper concludes with some principles for respectful practice,based on the ideas of Richard Sennett. Most importantly, Sennett'sideas recognize the importance of relationships in social welfareand acknowledge the context of inequality within which socialwork takes place.     

The Relevance of the Structural Approach to Group Work with Immigrant and Refugee Women

ABSTRACT

This article applies a structural approach to social work with immigrants and refugees. Specifically, the use of structural principles and procedures is illustrated in work with an Hispanic Women's Support Group.     

Immigrant Adjustment: A Note on Kovacs and Cropley's Model

While the model of immigrant adaptation used by Kovacs and Cropley improves on earlier models by allowing for a state of alienation, it is still restricted by not being able to describe cases of high integration. This can be done by employing a multi-dimensional model which allows, at least in some instances, for assimilation and alienation to occur independently of each other. An important implication of such an approach is that immigrants may adopt host group characteristics without rejecting their ethnicity.     

Some Dominant Perspectives in the Literature Relating to Multi-Racial Social Work

Summary This article represents an attempt to provide an overall frameworkfor the understanding of the social work literature relatingto racial minorities. It traces the main currents of socialwork thought from the earliest contributions of the late 1960sto the more recent work of the early 1980s. Four main themesare identified in the literature, which are referred to as theanthropological approach, liberal pluralism, cultural pluralismand the structuralist position. The conclusion attempts to tentativelydraw out the relationships between the literature, social workpractice and ultimate race relations goals.     

Social Work, Merit and Ethnic Diversity

This paper concentrates on the issues of merit and diversityin social work. The principal focus is ethnic diversity, usedas an example to illustrate a wider point about diversity. Itis clear that ethnic diversity in particular has become a majorpolitical objective across the public sector as part of the‘community cohesion’ initiative. Several benefitshave been identified and linked to the achievement of ethnicdiversity in the workforce; many of these have appeared in socialwork debate. The argument here is that while diversity has transformativepotential, it must be located within a more radical agenda ifit is to be successful. As a profession with a radical threadto its pedigree, social work is well placed to take this agendaforward.     

Social Work for Social Fitness

Summary Social work has lost the perspective of social relationshipsas ends in themselves, and has become predominantly an impersonal,individualistic technology. Several interpersonal dimensionsare outlined to help fill this social value vacuum, and it issuggested that these can be held together by the concept ofsocial fitness. This is defined as the mutual development ofthe individual and his total network to a fullness of identitywhich is an end in itself and does not depend on the achievementof any other objectives. The kind of power produced by thisfitness is distinguished from power of the impersonal kind,and its meaning for social workers is discussed in relationto material need. Finally, the future development of socialwork is considered briefly in terms of promoting social fitnessthrough work with various kinds of social networks.     

The Effort Involved in Finding Employment for White-Collar Offenders

Summary Ex-offenders are notoriously difficult to place into employment.However, the efforts needed to help such clients find work varyenormously and an important question to consider is whetherit is more appropriate to help a larger number of clients bylimiting the amount of placing effort for each client or tocontinue to try to assist those who prove much more difficultplacing propositions. The present study indicates some of thepotential dangers in concentrating upon short-term aid and thefindings have relevant implications for other areas of socialwork where there is a need to ration efforts made on behalfof clients. The present paper also stresses that the difficultiesof while-collar es-offenders finding work have not been fullyrecognized by other comtnentators.