Judgements of Solomon: anxieties and defences of social workers involved in care proceedings

Abstract

A B S T R AC TEvidence from focus group discussions with social workers in child care and child protection was collected for a research project exploring decision-making in care proceedings and seeking a better understanding of the causes of delay in the process. Here this material is used to examine social workers' feelings about their work and to explore the anxieties they expressed. Isabel Menzies's work on containing anxiety in institutions is used to provide a conceptual framework for thinking about the ways in which individuals' unconscious defences against anxiety may affect the structure, policies and practices of the organization in which they work. It is suggested that this dimension needs to be taken into account in understanding difficulties which arise in putting policy into practice.

Quand la réadaptation blesse ? Éducateurs victimes de violence

“…Taylor, Beckett et McKeigue (2008) soulignent que l'agressivité des clients augmente le niveau d'anxiété vécu par les intervenants, augmentant ainsi leur taux d'absentéisme. Ces absences provoquent une instabilité du personnel, celle-ci étant reconnue comme une cause de la hausse des agressions commises à l'endroit des intervenants (Arnetz & Arnetz, 2001).…”

Specialist Communication Skills for Social Workers

“…Taylor found that social workers operated less hierarchically than nurses and projected their feelings across the organisation, criticising colleagues for carelessness and non-acceptance of responsibility, but fearing the level of their own expertise. The psychologically defensive response by some workers to this professional anxiety and responsibility was a routinised adherence to structures and procedures, to split the anxiety-provoking situation of the relationship with the service user, and to promote ritualistic task performance (Buckley, 2000;Taylor, 2008). Equally, it points to the defensive response of social work organisations rather than just individual practitioners (Wilson et al, 2011).…”

“…Professional social workers are not excluded from this, whether students or experienced educators. Rather, research has shown that when faced with the emotionally charged situations of risk, complexity and uncertainty, some social workers have been found to operate psychological defences to project their feelings across the organisation, criticising colleagues for carelessness and non-acceptance of responsibility, but fearing the level of their own expertise (Taylor, 2008).…”

“…For example, in Rustin's (2005) analysis of how it was that professionals would not see what was happening to privately fostered Victoria Climbie, she states that they erected various psychological defences to prevent personally witnessing and experiencing acute mental pain. Taylor (2008) similarly describes how social workers' feelings of vulnerability and anxiety about complex, emotionally challenging situations can create psychological defensive behaviours. She uses the classic study by Menzies (1960) of health organisations to identify how psychological defences of splitting and projection seem culturally required to manage professional anxiety.…”

An Examination of the Factors That Facilitate and Hinder the Care Planning Process for Very Young Children in Scotland

“…The results suggest that a number of factors contribute to these, in particular the individual experience of the worker, related practice anxiety, a lack of confidence and a lack of coordination between adult and children's services (Reder and Duncan, 1999;Beckett and McKeigue, 2003;Sellick et al, 2004;Taylor et al, 2008). Another key factor is the predominant view that the preferable course of action is that the baby should be returned to the birth parents (Ward et al, 2006).…”