Professional judgement is viewed as a crucial yet complex aspect of social work practice. Significant factors in judgement are understood to include individual psychological and emotional processes, interpersonal communication and the relationship between social work as a profession and society. Each contributory factor must be described and understood clearly in its own right and there is also a need to describe and understand the ways in which these different elements interact as parts of a complex system. We propose an ecological model of judgement that facilitates consideration of the complex non-linear interactions between multiple components forming a system or 'ecology' of judgement. Originating in the concepts of ecological rationality and systems thinking this paper proposes the ecology of judgement as a clear and logical model which practitioners and organisations can use to support and promote critical reflexive judgement in practice.
Children's participation in decision making of all kinds is of increasing interest across the world as more and more countries seek to comply with Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The participation rights of children who are in the care of the state are of particular concern. Recent research in England suggests that Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) can play a crucial role in ensuring that looked after and accommodated children are able to participate in care planning and review processes. This paper outlines the findings of the first Scottish study to investigate the role of Reviewing Officers in encouraging children's participation in reviews. Surveys were collected from social workers, Reviewing Officers and young people after 69 review meetings as part of an action research study. Follow‐up qualitative interviews were then completed with 10 young people and a focus group held with the five participating Reviewing Officers. The findings suggest that participation in looked after reviews can best be understood as a cyclical and relational process and that taking part in action research may enhance participation practices. While the role of the Reviewing Officer was found to be important, the findings suggest that everyone involved in the care and support of the young person needs to encourage participation processes that are individualized.
Risk assessment has become a key area of focus for child protection practice in recent years. Recent research has begun to identify how risk assessment practices and discourses in social work are gendered, particularly in relation to parenting and offending. There has been less attention paid to how gender impacts upon risk assessment practice with young people who present risks to themselves and/or others. This article begins to address this gap by exploring some of the findings from a recent study of secure accommodation decision‐making in Scotland. The article examines how risk assessment practices on the part of social workers and senior decision makers were influenced by gender discourses. The findings highlight the complexities of taking account of gender within the risk assessment process and the article concludes by making some suggestions for practice. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner MessagesWhen considering a young person for possible placement in secure accommodation, practitioners should ensure that: They undertake a collaborative, holistic, person‐centred risk assessment. This risk assessment must consider how the risks that the young person faces are gendered, without stereotyping. This risk assessment should consider the social and structural factors that have created these risks for young men and women and interventions should also target these wider issues.
The process of gaining research access in the social sciences is becoming increasingly difficult. Changes in legislation and an increasingly managerialist and risk-averse approach to service provision have contributed to organizations adopting a protectionist stance when it comes to granting research access. The student researcher’s experience of negotiating this research access landscape has been neglected. This article explores the findings from three case studies of gaining research access to social service organizations for the purpose of undertaking PhD research. It outlines the reflexive approach which was adopted, through peer support and discussion groups, in order to develop the ideas presented. The article utilizes emerging evidence, policy and identity theory to contextualize and develop understanding around the difficulties experienced in these three case studies. In particular the article highlights how issues of identity impact on the research access process. The article suggests strategies for gaining research access which could be adopted by student researchers, supervisors and universities. The article also recommends that issues to do with research governance and research access be considered in plans aimed at developing social work research capacity.
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