How do you solve a problem like Maria? Family complexity and institutional complications in UK social work

Walsh, Julie; White, Sue; Morris, Kate; Doherty, Paula

doi:10.1080/13691457.2018.1461068

Cited by 14 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…We argue that, as previous research shows, social work decision making can be influenced and limited by a range of factors including: time and workload pressures; a pervasive culture of risk aversion; formulaic assessment processes; and far reaching austerity measures resulting in the retrenchment of state services (Gambrill, 2008; Wastell et al ., 2010; Saltiel, 2013; Featherstone et al ., 2014). In a neo-liberal, individualised context, social workers can, thereby, rely on a family's statutory entitlement to services as a way to manage assessment within these restrictions (Walsh et al ., 2018). Here, however, entitlement is given limited, or no, consideration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…preventative family support services within communities are significantly reduced and the government now sees its role as focusing any professional activity on problem groups to reduce what it sees as unnecessary public expense (Walsh et al, 2018). In this context, service provision for all family members, including fathers, and migrant families, is much reduced.…”

Section: The Practice Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crash, wide-ranging austerity measures have been introduced in England, resulting in diminished public service provision for families and reductions in state benefits (Bywaters et al ., 2017). Consequently, since the election of a Coalition Government in 2010 and, more recently, a Conservative Government in 2015, there has been a shift in policy focus; preventative family support services within communities are significantly reduced and the government now sees its role as focusing any professional activity on problem groups to reduce what it sees as unnecessary public expense (Walsh et al ., 2018). In this context, service provision for all family members, including fathers, and migrant families, is much reduced.…”

Section: The Practice Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Walking the Walk: Changing Familial Forms, Government Policy and Everyday Social Work Practice in England

Walsh¹,

Mason²

2018

Social Policy and Society

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Although contemporary sociological thought reports a diversification of family forms in society, ‘the family’ continues to influence national and international political agendas. Social workers, as ‘street level bureaucrats’, are social agents that both work with citizens and implement policies made by senior officials. Despite this, the extent to which conceptual and policy developments in family diversity manifest in family-based social work practice remains under explored. This article brings together the findings of two comparative studies, and explores the transfer of conceptual understandings of family, and policy, in England, through two examples: gendered caring expectations and culturally located familial norms. Significantly, we show that, when prompted, social workers recognise family complexity and diversity, but myriad constraints complicate the application of these understandings, and related policies. Bringing together literature from sociology, social policy and social work, this article, thereby, offers a unique lens and highlights a lag between conceptual developments, policy and implementation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Practice Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Practice Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Walking the Walk: Changing Familial Forms, Government Policy and Everyday Social Work Practice in England

Walsh¹,

Mason²

2018

Social Policy and Society

Self Cite

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“…Hantrais, 2004 ) and inviting debate surrounding who is in need of, and who provides, support in contexts of family complexity ( Morris et al, 2008 ). The ways in which teachers, community representatives, social and health workers understand ideas and implementations of family impact on the ways in which they deliver support in ‘normal’ circumstances ( Walsh, White, Morris, & Doherty, 2019 ), and our conceptual framework suggests that this is even more important in a pandemic context. Digitally-mediated lives, reference to the importance of both face-to-face and what we term the policy and practice of “digitally-mediated safeguarding” (see Reflecting on the Framework below).…”

Section: Proposing a Novel Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child safety, protection, and safeguarding in the time of COVID-19 in Great Britain: Proposing a conceptual framework

Levine

Morton

O’Reilly

2020

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Background Great Britain has the highest coronavirus death rate in Europe. While the pandemic clearly poses a risk to the lives and wellbeing of vulnerable groups, necessary public health measures taken to delay or limit the spread of the virus have led to distinctive challenges for prevention, family support, court processes, placement and alternative care. The pandemic has also come about at a time when statutory changes to partnerships have led to a reduction in the importance of educational professional representation in the new formulation in England and Wales. Objectives In this discussion paper, we propose a novel and pragmatic conceptual framework during this challenging time. Participants We consulted with 8 education professionals and 4 field-based student social workers. Setting Bodies responsible for safeguarding have been working quickly to develop new approaches to fulfilling their responsibilities, for example through online home visits and case conferences. However, some communities have been highlighted as experiencing particular challenges because of the pandemic and its impacts. Protection of vulnerable children is increasingly dependent on individualised - and often pathologising - practice with a lack of emphasis on the importance of the social. Holistic consideration of the child is side-lined. Results Our framework comprises two phases: pandemic and aspirational. Conclusion The framework illuminates the importance of interconnected sectors and multi-agency working, the need for resilient and adaptable support systems, and the need to promote the importance of children’s rights and voices to be heard above the noise of the pandemic.

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“…Complexity and the uncertain and ambiguous nature of social work have been examined in services ranging from work with suicidal clients (Mishna et al, 2002) and child abuse (cf. Devaney and Spratt, 2009;Jenkins et al, 2017) to family-based social work more generally (Walsh et al, 2018). In recent years, complexity theory has been used to explicate the intricacies of social work practice (Payne, 2008;Adams et al, 2009;Ewijk, 2018), its management and organisation (Lawler and Bilson, 2010) as well as offering a new approach to the evaluation of social services (Israel and Wolf-Branigin, 2011) and understanding client perspectives of organisational complexity (cf.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Needs to Relationships to Organisations: Transactional Complexity in Social Work in the Swedish Social Services

Khoo

Nygren

Gümüscü

2019

The British Journal of Social Work

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This article explores how Swedish social workers in different sectors of the social services understand complexity in relation to the needs found in 'family' and in social work practice. This study is based on interviews with sixty social workers in five service sectors: child welfare, elderly care, disability care, substance abuse and social assistance. The social workers' reports of understanding and dealing with families with complex needs reveal distinctions between deeply rooted and broadly based needs. Complex family needs are transformed into complex cases based on family composition, relationships between clients and social workers and organisational context. Complexity theory, and in particular the term transactional complexity, is applied to describe the interactive relationship in and between complex needs, relational complexity and organisational complexity. The boundaries between these three domains are not distinct, and the interconnectivity and complexities occurring in and between them contribute to the production of much of the 'wickedness' that exists in social work practice. Social workers may gain from this knowledge in order to unravel the often intangible complexity that commonly appears in social work with families.

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How do you solve a problem like Maria? Family complexity and institutional complications in UK social work

Cited by 14 publications

References 17 publications

Walking the Walk: Changing Familial Forms, Government Policy and Everyday Social Work Practice in England

Walking the Walk: Changing Familial Forms, Government Policy and Everyday Social Work Practice in England

Child safety, protection, and safeguarding in the time of COVID-19 in Great Britain: Proposing a conceptual framework

From Needs to Relationships to Organisations: Transactional Complexity in Social Work in the Swedish Social Services

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