Search results

The article seeks to analyse the potential contribution of social work to integration debates. Social work has tended to be seen as marginal to these discussions despite the potential of social work expertise and leadership to help forge effective approaches to joined-up care. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how social work is well positioned to help lead and support practice focused change across social care and health. It also seeks to show how professional leadership can be a powerful vehicle for changing professional and organisational cultures.

The paper draws on practice and research evidence to demonstrate the proposition that social work can make a powerful contribution to debates about integration.

Three things could help build the cultural capital that is a pre-requisite to building integrated and joined-up approaches. First, the author needs to invest in developing the role of social workers and GPs working together as local professional and practice leaders. Second, there is a real risk that in any discussion about professional leadership and partnership, the author eclipses the singularly critical importance of engaging and involving users and carers in non tokenistic ways. Finally, the author needs to utilise better social work’s skills and knowledge in managing risk, building resilience and promoting social inclusion.

Further evaluation and research is needed about the potential for GPs and social workers to develop joined-up approaches to care for and support older and disabled people.

Social workers need to be provided with the tools, support and space in which to develop their practice leadership role, including but not exclusively with GPs.

This paper does not purport to offer any specifically originally research but rather some reflections on how social work expertise might better contribute to integration debates.

The purpose of this paper is to expose and dispel some outdated dilemmas and straw men that have drawn attention away from debates of substance in social work. The paper presents what Frontline believes to be the substantive dilemmas facing the social work profession, as it looks into the future.

The paper draws on the insights and experiences of the past four years during which Frontline has been innovating in the field of social work education and leadership development.

Building a better social work system requires addressing several important questions, namely, whether social work; first, is a practical or intellectual task; second, is a generic or specialist profession; third, focuses on social or therapeutic change; fourth, requires bureaucrats or change agents; and fifth, involves measuring inspections or measuring outcomes.

The paper sets out the key dilemmas facing the social work profession, which must be debated and addressed in order to build a better social work system.

The purpose of this research is to provide an overview of the management skills and competencies required by a director of social work as they perform their multiple roles and functions in order to effectively manage a medical social work team to better serve the needs of patients through the new hospital‐based case management model.

This is a conceptual paper that reviews the literature on managerial roles, management functions, and skills and competencies of directors of social work. Management frameworks that are applicable under the case management model are discussed. Interviews with five directors of social work and their perceptions are described.

Managing a department that is going through continuous changes is often difficult.

This paper has practical implications for general health care managers and specifically, directors of social work, to develop skills and gain competencies to be successful in today's evolving health care environment. This research also has practical implications for social workers to gain insight into productive and effective ways to collaborate with members of an interdisciplinary team.

This paper is original and of value to those working in social work and in the health care field to develop their skills and competencies as they perform new roles and functions in the complex health care environment.

Information technology is a facilitator in knowledge diffusion by enabling individuals to communicate directly in personal exchange. This includes interactive communications through newsgroups and discussion groups. Two discussion groups were analysed, the Social Work Discussion Group SOCWORK, and ABUSE‐L, a professional forum for child abuse issues. Three types of communication were identified: information transfer, requests for information and discussion of issues. The discussion of issues was the main type of communication in both discussion groups, followed by the request for information and then information transfer. Communications in the discussion groups were dominated by a small number of people. Policy issues were the main topic of discussion in both groups. The control of information technology by academics appears to limit the participation of social work practitioners in determining the agenda of the discussion group or the contents of the communications. Social worker practitioners have not increased their access to information even though the technology to make it accessible exists.

This paper aims to provide an analysis of the mental health social work role, its contribution to social inclusion, and its ability to translate this into practice.

The paper considers national policy, research and theory to consider the nature of social work and the mental health system.

While social work is ideally placed to challenge the biomedical model and promote social inclusion, organisational and other failings would appear to seriously undermine its ability to do so.

The paper considers some important issues facing social work and mental health, and raises points for thought and discussion.

The purpose of this paper is to explore an Australian social worker's experiences of beginning work in the field of neurodisability in the voluntary sector in the UK.

This paper documents the social worker's experiences of the differences in practice between Australia and the UK; between working in the statutory and voluntary sector in the UK; and between different fields of social work. It also documents the social worker's initial thoughts about working in the field of acquired brain injury (ABI).

Through this journey, the social worker reflects upon their own development as a practitioner.

The social worker identifies points which may help other social work professionals who are new to this complex area of practice.

This paper provides an insight into a social worker's experience of working in different settings and in different countries. It also illustrates how for this social worker, varied experiences cannot always prepare you for working in ABI.

This paper aims to make the case for early action approaches with migrant families, introducing a set of principles for practice, mapped against the Professional Capabilities Framework for social work and the Social Work England professional standards.

The paper first explores the context of social work with migrant families, outlining the challenges and gaps in our conceptual understanding of this work. The paper then introduces a conceptual model of work with migrant families which draws on the literature from social work and allied professions, and informed by social work values and ethics.

Current social work practice with migrant children has been criticised as defensive, procedural and lacking a coherent conceptual basis, particularly for those who are subject to the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) rule. This field of social work practice would benefit from an evidence-informed model of practice, anchored in human rights approaches and focused on early action. Eight principles, drawn from existing good practice in other social work and social care contexts, are outlined as the basis for a new model of practice in social work with migrant families.

The NRPF rule is a provision in the immigration rules that prevents people who are subject to immigration control from claiming most social security benefits in the UK. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in research about the NRPF rule and its negative impact on children. However, there is currently no evaluated model of social work practice for children and families with NRPF.

The purpose of this paper is to comment on social work and safeguarding adults, current challenges and expectations. In particular, as the Chief Social Worker for Adults, to acknowledge the positive impact of the “Making Safeguarding Personal” (MSP) programme.

The paper discusses the specific contribution of social workers to safeguarding adults.

The author identifies the connection between the core knowledge and skills requirements for social workers to the MSP approach to practice.

The author comments on how MSP projects have contributed to develop the evidence base for social work in adult social care.

The paper summarises expectations for of social workers in adult safeguarding work.

A person-centred, outcome-based approach to safeguarding adults can benefit people who have are at risk of or experience harm or abuse.

Views of the Chief Social Worker for Adults.

This paper sets out to explore the relationship between gender, New Public Management (NPM), citizenship and professional and user group identities and relationships within child care social work practice.

The paper utilises findings from a major comparative survey undertaken in Denmark and the UK as part of Doctoral research. In addition the paper draws upon more recent empirical research carried out by the author in Sweden.

Paradigms imported from the private sector have led to the adoption of NPM, fiscal austerity and the reorganisation of childcare social work throughout Europe. This paper illustrates the connectivities between NPM, gender, citizenship and the contested terrains within which professional and user group relationships and identities are being forged. The paper offers a unique insight into the operationalisation of NPM and gender within childcare professional social work practice in different European settings.

The paper's findings may be used to contribute to existing theoretical and empirical knowledge within the field of professional childcare social work and practice.

The paper offers a unique insight into the operationalisation of gender equality as a normative ideal premised on the development of organisational and legal settings which embrace an awareness of the duality of public and private spheres and the impact of different European welfare settings on the articulations of notions of gender and citizenship, which in turn operationalise processes of inclusion and exclusion of women as citizens, workers and parents.

Widespread effects are reported on UK economic productivity through poorly managed depressive illness in the workplace. Starting in 1999, the authors have investigated the onset, treatment and recovery from depression as experienced personally by members of the caring professions, using first‐hand accounts to generate a composite picture of ‘what works for me’ in managing depression, and in particular ‘what works’ in maintaining or returning to employment in health and social care. This paper reports findings from a survey of 500 social workers. Negative perceptions of previous help from professional sources (such as general practitioner, psychiatrist or psychotherapist) were related specifically to three persisting, negative effects at work: lack of concentration, low confidence, and irritability (with tiredness). These occupational effects were strongly associated with each other. In relation to occupational health, inadequate treatment of depression may allow these negative effects on performance to persist. The findings are discussed in relation to conceptual frameworks about well‐being taken from ‘positive psychology’ that suggest future approaches to both prevention and rehabilitation of these occupational problems.