Developing social work practice through engaging practitioners in action research

Abstract

This article describes a particular approach -a methodology -for examining the ways in which social workers conceptualize children and childhood and the significance of this for developing social work practice. The research described was carried out in Iceland working directly with Icelandic social work practitioners. The methodology adopted used an action research approach, in which young people, who had interacted with social services, were engaged as research consultants. The article evaluates such an approach, paying particular attention to the approach as a method of generating new knowledge, and its usefulness for the development of social work practice.

“Grown-ups Never Understand Anything by Themselves …”

“…It took a participatory approach to involving practitioners who were viewed as active participants drawing upon their substantial experience, insight and skill to produce relevant accounts of their practice in interviews and to develop their practice through change intervention (Fook 2002;Holstein and Gubrium 2004). (For more detail see Kristinsdóttir 2011 andFern 2012a).…”

“…Permission to conduct the research was obtained from the Icelandic Data Protection Authority and the research was consistent with the law and guidance on ethical practice of research in Iceland and internationally (Icelandic Data Protection Agency 2008). The permission was based on detailed information on how ethical issues of informed consent, confidentiality and so forth, would be managed (for more information refer to Kristinsdóttir 2011 andFern 2012a). The action research approach was situated in the social constructionist research tradition and, on the continuum of research traditions, exemplified a participatory and empowering approach (Hart and Bond 1995;Lincoln 2001).…”

“…Subsequently, the data analysis was informed by further work with the consultancy group and with practitioners. The young people's views and the findings from the first interviews were discussed with the practitioners in reflective workshops (Fern 2012a).…”

“…All the written communication with the group was in Icelandic. Secondly, the conceptualisations of children and childhood of 15 practitioners (13 social work/social pedagogy trained and two trained as psychologists) and how this affected their practice were ascertained through interviews and group discussions facilitated by the British author (Fern 2012a). The psychologists were included in the research because, as is commonplace in Iceland, they worked closely with social workers in the same teams, often undertaking work that GROWN-UPS NEVER UNDERSTAND ANYTHING BY THEMSELVES 7 was consistent in focus and method with social work practice.…”

Een zoektocht naar de identiteit van het sociaalwerkonderzoek: een reflectie over de kenmerken van een academische discipline

“…De samenwerking tussen de onderzoeker en de sociaal werk praktijk is hierbij zeer intensief. Een interessant voorbeeld vinden we in Fern (2012). In dit werk wordt een kritisch-realistisch onderzoeksdesign gebruikt om sociaal werkers in IJsland responsiever te laten zijn voor de specifieke noden en verwachtingen van kinderen in het gezin.…”