Reflections on Gender, Knowledge and Values in Social Work

Scourfield, Jonathan

doi:10.1093/bjsw/32.1.1

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Hall 1997;Scott 1998;White & Stancombe 2003) has used ethnography very successfully to examine professional judgement in social work settings. Ethnography has also been highly influential in areas such as recognizing and understanding the importance and nature of gendered practices in social work (Scourfield 2002) and the impact of performance management on decision-making and responses to error (Broadhurst et al 2010). Ethnographic approaches continue to be used effectively in relation to social work judgement (e.g.…”

Section: Bac K G R O U N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sense‐making in a social work office: an ethnographic study of safeguarding judgements

Helm

2013

Child & Family Social Work

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A B S T R AC TSocial workers are routinely required to make finely balanced judgements on matters defined by subjectivity and uncertainty. Often, these judgements have to be made on the basis of information which is incomplete, inconclusive and contested. The way in which social workers make sense of such information is a crucial component of effective assessment and intervention. This ethnographic study of judgements in a social work office describes some of the practices which practitioners employed in making sense of information about children and young people's needs. The findings suggest that initial statements in dialogue may potentially act as signposts for preceding intuitive sense-making. Observations offer insights into the way in which individuals construct professional responsibility. The study also suggests that sense-making is not necessarily an individual activity but can be an activity which is shared between people and across teams. The findings indicate the importance of emotional intelligence and intersubjectivity in social work judgements.

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Section: Bac K G R O U N Dmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sense‐making in a social work office: an ethnographic study of safeguarding judgements

Helm

2013

Child & Family Social Work

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“…The gender analysis of the Gellideg estate in Merthyr Tydfil (in the South Wales valleys) that was recently initiated by women residents and supported by Oxfam Cymru shows a highly traditional gender contract, with men still believing in the importance of heavy manual labour, despite the lack of such jobs in the area, and women very largely responsible for child care (Buhaenko, 2003). In discussions of gender, social workers are often wary of any generalising, in case this becomes 'stereotyping' (Scourfield, 2002). Whilst this is a healthy caution, social workers should also accept that generalising about gender relations can be good sociological practice-an awareness of the social context of the lives of service users.…”

Section: Localising Gender In Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Placing Gender in Social Work: The Local and National Dimensions of Gender Relations

Scourfield¹

2006

Social Work Education

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“…Indeed, what sets social work apart from other caring professions is the location of individuals in their social context (Scourfield, 2002). Social work practice is often value laden, and it is important for practitioners not to lose sight of their own values and personal self in practice.…”

Section: Post-qualifying Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of factors may encourage or discourage the process of reflection, including management or organisational support (Gorman, 2000), frameworks for encouraging students to explore areas of practice outside their comfort zone (Burton, 2000), and tensions in social work knowledge, ethics and values (Scourfield, 2002).…”

Section: Post-qualifying Social Work Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tensions may exist between understanding the structural inequalities affecting the lives of social work clients and an individual's right to dignity, choice, confidentiality and protection (Jordan, 1991). Research has highlighted the importance of 'knowledge in action' when working with these tensions, as social workers attempt to provide an individualised service, while considering the impact of social inequality (Scourfield, 2002).…”

Section: The Context Of Social Work Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

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Researching reflective practice: an example from post-qualifying social work education⊃[1]⊃

Brown

Fenge

Young

2005

Research in Post-Compulsory Education

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Recent concern over the standard of social work practice, as evidenced by inquiries into child abuse cases, have led to something of a crisis in trust in the profession. As a result, there is now an emphasis on increasing practitioners' competency to practice in complex situations. Critical reflection is seen as key to achieving this increase in competence, and is stressed in both professional guidance and educational policy. National standards for continuing professional development encapsulated in post-qualifying social work awards formalise the processes of reflection on practice and learning through reflection. While most literature concentrates on reflection within the context of educational courses, the research presented in this article describes the extent to which practitioners use reflective and critical thinking skills in everyday practice. Analysis of qualitative interviews reveal that practitioners value the opportunity that post-qualifying awards provide to step back and reflect in-depth on a piece of practice, but that there is neither the time or often the support, to transfer these skills to everyday practice. Reflection emerges as an important tool for learning, but given the complex context of social work practice, it is important that it continues outside of formal education programmes. Barriers and enablers of this process are discussed.

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Reflections on Gender, Knowledge and Values in Social Work

Cited by 18 publications

References 32 publications

Sense‐making in a social work office: an ethnographic study of safeguarding judgements

Sense‐making in a social work office: an ethnographic study of safeguarding judgements

Placing Gender in Social Work: The Local and National Dimensions of Gender Relations

Researching reflective practice: an example from post-qualifying social work education⊃[1]⊃

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