Dr Darren Hill

This panel will address the issue of (politics of) historiography in social work research. This is not only relevant foreach explicitly historical research, but will also have an impact on social work theories, methodological approaches, and perspectives of professional politics and practices. It is especially relevant for each idea of radical and critical social work in theory and praxis, because here it comes to the question of allowed and suppressed memories of social work, especially considering the experiences of those who had or have to suffer from marginalization and exclusion, from oppression and punishment, from stigmatization and ’normalization’ – from each form of treatment that includes violent practises, be it in material or immaterial, or symbolical ways. Moreover, doing historical research, writing, telling about or educating by certain historical narratives is not only a powerful praxis but can also have a violent (e.g. silencing, and thus vulnerating) impact. The single papers look into the histories of Early social work as developed and brought forward by women’s movements in different countries around the turn to the 20th century, while showing also its inherent colonial traces and racist facets; Processes of social transformations in the 1970ies and 1980ies reconstructed by interviews with actors of change in residential childcare in Switzerland; Socialist and post-socialist periods in the memories of Slovenian social workers. Radical and politically informed social work from the early 20th century in the UK, revealing other strands of social work traditions that could help to reframe the social work of today.

Street triage practitioners, consisting of mental health social workers and nurses, act as a conduit between service users and emergency services and have a significant amount of discretion in determining the care and treatment pathways for individuals experiencing mental health crises. However, this is set on a backdrop of neoliberal reforms which have resulted in an increased focus on risk management, accountability, responsibilisation, and managing scarce resources. Based on ethnographic research undertaken in a street triage setting in England, this paper examines the role of street triage practitioners as ‘street level bureaucrats’ and explores the impact of neoliberal mental health reforms on street level practice and how these shape and constrain the use of discretion in a street triage context. Revisiting the relevance of Lipsky through a neoliberal lens, the research paper identifies how street triage practitioners use their discretion to navigate practice dilemmas in a contemporary mental health landscape.

This textbook offers the perfect introduction to the complex world of social work theory, giving a concise and engaging overview of how practice is influenced by each theoretical approach described. The book begins by outlining the origins and historical context of social work, which allows the reader to see show how theoretical fashions have changed and adapted to certain times, and concludes with advice on the best way forward for the modern-day social worker. Packed with thought-provoking discussions surrounding the topic, students will be encouraged to question the theories portrayed – a skill crucial to being a truly effective social work practitioner. The new edition features additional learning aids, including chapter summaries, case studies, and reflective questions, to help readers consolidate their learning. There is also a companion website which features discussions of key theories and case studies linked to each chapter. Written by one of social work's most highly regarded commentators, this is a must-have companion for students and practitioners looking to gain an overall view of social work theory.

In the UK we have one of the highest death rates from opiate overdose, and we remain one of the highest consumers of illicit psychoactive substances within Europe. Given this context, within Leeds our drug services, local government and health services, are asking what is to be done about drug related deaths? One of the more controversial interventions explored has been the use of Safer Injecting Facilities, or safe spaces to consume illicit drugs that are monitored and supervised by professional drug workers and health professionals. Whilst there is an established evidence base for Safer Injecting Facilities (SIF) globally, the topic remains sensitive as it navigates a complex web and maze of moral, social and economic concerns within busy urban life. Within this discussion paper we will explore the experiences and desires of injecting drug users in Leeds and ask them if they would like, or would use, Safer Injecting Facilities.

Decades of neoliberalism have resulted in the depoliticization of social work, in its place we have witnessed the rise of neo-liberal forms of governance and a practice focused on assessing risk and interventions focused on behaviour modification and adjustment (Lavalette, 2019). This shift mirrors the political economy of governance and contemporary neo liberal practices, which simultaneously reduce state intervention and transfer responsibility for social support from the state to the individual (Bauman, 2009). In contrast to these individualising narratives, this paper will highlight contemporary social work research, which focuses on innovative practices sustaining and nourishing the core values of community based social support and social inclusion. The paper will make the case for a more politically informed social work practice, one which is based on practical solidarity, social support, kindness, and compassion. In opposition to a system which isolates individuals and internalises complex social problems; we propose that the application of solidarity, combined with social support, kindness and compassion delivers a practice that promotes social inclusion. If we are to seriously challenge economic and social inequality, social work should seek to provide a practice from the bottom up based on solidarity rather than risk management and safeguarding. It is from this perspective that we will present evidence from ethnographic research drawing upon community social work practice within children’s and adults services to highlight the importance of social solidarity and provide an insight into different ways of working.

This paper will explore the position that the role of mental health social work in the UK has two competing narratives; that of maintaining ‘social order’ and the promotion of ‘social justice’. These two competing, and sometimes complimentary discourses, have been the core of a dialogical, ethical, and professional discourse within mental health social work since its inception. To understand how the professional identity, role and institution of mental health social work has developed, this paper will trace a social and political economy of mental health social work practice in England, in doing so, will explore the impact of deinstitutionalisation on mental health social work practice, and will seek to ask, and answer the question: are we merely replicating institutional care in the community? This paper has been developed, in part through the undertaking of a case study method, based on original ethnographic research, undertaken by a mental health social worker and Approved Mental Health Professional. The research within this paper will critically examine the role of contemporary mental health assessments, exploring the legal, ethical, moral and professional implications of street based mental health triage assessments. The discussion within this paper will look at the move within mental health social work practice from institutional care to community care. This paper will make the argument that the social justice narrative of de-institutionalisation has become a contradictory experience in the UK; with mental health services often replicating some of the more oppressive ‘social control’ aspects of institutional care within a community context. The discussion and analysis will highlight that this process of liberation from the asylum may have become a new form of ‘confinement’ in a ‘community’ context; with street-based triage assessments acting as a conduit for community-based confinement.

This paper will explore the ‘tensions’ that have developed within ‘austerity’ driven UK social work services. It is the premise of this paper that ‘austerity’ is a false narrative, and what we are observing is a continuation of economic, political and social neoliberalism that has shaped public social service provision in the UK since the late 1970s. To locate the contemporary ‘austerity’ driven neo liberal discourse this paper will explore the overarching historical, political and economic themes that have shaped social work service development within the UK. The discussion within this paper has been developed from an ethnographic research process - that draws upon twelve months of embedded participant observation within a local government children’s social work team. The paper will explore the position that good social work practice has been developed in an austerity framework, from re-imagining the social intervention of ‘relationship’ based practice. Within the discussion, we will propose that good relationship based practice can be ‘radical’ as it seeks to engage and develop a meaningful social work intervention. The paper will put forward the critical perspective that social work practice; with direct reference to relationship-based practice; can be experienced, and critiqued through the macro social, political and economic forces that shape our lived experience. It is our position that you can ground ‘macro’ global forces and explore them from a ‘micro’ or local social work practice perspective - to develop a critical narrative that is pragmatic and responsive to radical change. The discussion within the paper will position that a global economic narrative advanced by neo-liberal practices has resulted in the reduction, retrenchment and repression of state welfare and public social services. This reconfiguration of welfare and social services has created a situation where social work practice has become reduced to a ‘relationship based’ or individual helping model of supported ‘self-care’. Within the discussion, we will explore the possibility and tension for operating in a radical manner in a restrictive economic-practice context. The analysis within the paper will highlight that relationship-based practice can promote radical social work through a grounded intervention that places emphasis on the direct time spent with service users, the provision of personal support, and the development of enhanced social relationships.

Key Features: 800 signed articles, authored by prominent scholars, are arranged A-to-Z and published in a choice of electronic or print formats Although arranged A-to-Z, a Reader's Guide in the front matter groups articles by thematic areas ...

Key Features: 800 signed articles, authored by prominent scholars, are arranged A-to-Z and published in a choice of electronic or print formats Although arranged A-to-Z, a Reader's Guide in the front matter groups articles by thematic areas ...

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the services provided by one “Cluster” service offering early help to families in need of support in a deprived area of Leeds. The city of Leeds is divided into 23 “Clusters” or groups of schools and key partners based in small geographical areas, who have pooled funding to provide holistic early help services to children and families. Clusters are staffed by multi-agency teams of professionals and the Cluster Collaborative model operates under the Council’s “Right Conversations, Right People, Right Time” strategy for the delivery of early help services (Leeds City Council, 2020). This project has developed an understanding of how the services provided by the Cluster being studied (henceforth referred to as “the Cluster”) were being implemented in practice, contributing to knowledge as to “what works” in the delivery of Cluster services from both families who had received help and the staff involved in supporting them. The evaluation sought to explore the mechanisms for change, contextual factors and potential unintended consequences associated with receipt of Cluster support and ran from September 2021 to December 2022.

Keeping children and young people safe from harm and making predictions about risk is a challenging endeavour. Often it requires practitioners to form judgements based on incomplete and unknowable outcomes, it is fraught with levels of uncertainty. In England Practitioners from across a range of professional disciplines, including child protection social workers, police and health colleagues share responsibility for safeguarding and are required to work together to uphold this function. To operationalise this, many have adopted an interdisciplinary model of practice, called multi-agency safeguarding hubs (MASH). This study uses ethnographic, mixed-method approaches to examine one case study site. The site is a MASH interdisciplinary team housed in a local authority office in Northern England. Direct observations of practice took place over a period of three months in 2019 and 11 practitioners were interviewed to gather data to inform this study. Emergent themes identified that the contemporary MASH model is process-driven and directed by external contextual factors of auditing and control. This process seeks to enforce risk elimination by imposing time pressures on decision-makers, who must work at pace to keep up. To manage high volumes of data practitioners employed vertical decision-making as a form of accountability. The pace of practice produces emotional strain, with a fear of getting things wrong weighing heavy on professionals. Decision-making in this setting although directed by process, took place in action via informal and formal reflective sensemaking. Practitioners relied on each other and collegiate sensemaking was an important facet of professional judgement in this working environment. This study contributes to the knowledge base of decision-making in child protection settings and offers practice and policymakers important insights on the optimum working environment.

This paper develops the theoretical position proposed by Zygmunt Bauman (2009), that one of the greatest contemporary ‘social evils’ or injustices we face in society, is the total marketization and individualisation of our lived experience. Bauman (2009) along with Harvey (2005) argues that the last forty years of social, political, and economic reform under the zeitgeist of neoliberalism have transferred the burden of care from the state to the individual. This paper will explore the position that the dominant neoliberal culture within social work, in the form of ‘new managerialism’ has reconstituted social work institutionally as one where interventions now focus on minimum statutory interventions emphasising; risk management, resource allocation, audit culture, and the promotion of self-care through a case work methodology. The discussion will analyse these macro social, political and economic discourses using an ethnographic approach based upon Michael Burawoy’s Global Ethnographic (GE) methodology (Burawoy et al, 2010). Despite the current landscape the research highlights the importance of the personal reframed as the political, and the nuanced ways in which acts of defiance and resistance against the prevailing orthodoxies have been adopted by social workers on the front line.

This conceptual paper aims to introduce and explore the practice of social streetwork. Streetwork is located as a historical professional discourse that has contemporary relevance fora rapidly changing and globalised world. Streetwork as a practice discourse occurs across a range of community based helping professions including social work, youth work and community work. The social work profession is increasingly becoming clinical and situated within statutory organisations placing a greater emphasis on outcome based targets, rather than building relationships; and as a result of austerity, traditional youth workers are becoming invisible, often moving into statutory education settings and complex needs welfare agencies. This paper will argue that for the broad helping professions to remain relevant we must engage with vulnerable and complex populations where we find them: at a street level - promoting a direct practice of social justice at a micro level. Within this discussion, we will define and explore a streetwork approach by examining the methodologies and objectives of street work practice. We will argue that by keeping to its origins of using informal and non-formal education as its primary tools, street work as an intervention works to combat poverty, social exclusion and discrimination. The paper articulates a foundation for practice based on the promotion of low threshold interventions with complex and hard to reach social populations. One of the key themes we will explore is how to locate streetwork practice as a form of social support, accompaniment and as a tool for promoting social inclusion and social democracy.

Bill Penson and Darren Hill ask whether the bestiary might offer an alternative account of madness and distress to psychiatric and psychological models.

There are few topics that generate as much controversy and evoke such heated dissent than illicit drug use. In grounding the dynamic and the emotive global context, we are going to explore illicit drugs in the UK; to do this the chapter will be broken down into thematic headings, and the reader will be introduced to topics that will explore the social, political, and economic cost of drug misuse in the UK. In writing this chapter, we are taking a critical theoretical position against the individualisation of complex social problems; too often we place the burden of social crises, poverty, and inequality on the shoulders of individuals; it is often a burden to great to bear. The context of drug misuse is framed within this individual discourse globally and locally within the UK; the medical, psychological, and social response overwhelmingly converges on individual responsibility and adjustment; accordingly, our discussion aims to temper that and present a more balanced perspective. We will also look at the response to drug misuse in the UK through policy and legislation, critically examining the shift from harm reduction intervention to promoting recovery. Within the discussion, we will also use the terms drug misuse, drug use, illicit drugs, and psychoactive substances interchangeably. This is a deliberate provocation and intervention on our behalf, and one that hopefully will make you question the shifting reality and perception of drugs and drug misuse; keeping this fluid and contested nature of drug misuse in mind, we would like to introduce you to the next discussion heading

The purpose of this paper is to explore the thoughts and feelings of safer injecting rooms with people who inject drugs (PWID). This was to gain an insight into their understanding of what this service offers and whether they would be likely to use one should one be available. The paper only ever intended to make this a small-scale piece of research that focussed on the local need of PWID’s, however this work was made more challenging by the outbreak of Covid-19 and access to PWID became incredibly risky. It is recognised by the author that the sample is very small, but the ideology behind the work was to ensure that PWID were included in any initial discussions proposing any safer injecting facility that may be considered for the local area. Two PWID’s were interviewed, along with two Harm reduction/needle exchange workers and two other support workers. The PWID were chosen at random during the times the researcher was able to attend the needle exchange. It was the Needle exchange staff who were able to ask people to participate and options were given to decline. The same approach was given to the staff based at the site, offers were made to interview staff and volunteers made themselves available. Many more staff were willing to participate but the idea was to gain insight from those who inject drugs themselves.

This article reports findings of a research project aimed to evaluate the experiences of British social work students in communication skills development. The collaborative experiential learning model across eight weeks consisted of teaching followed by role-play practice, which was undertaken in groupwork within a university teaching space and on Teams. The students provided peer feedback which was supplemented with feedback from teaching staff, a person with lived experience or a qualified social worker and it was videoed, all enabling reflection on practice by the students between sessions. The data was collected from n = 35 first year students and apprentices on a social work degree participating in a qualitative survey to gather views on the collaborative experiential learning model used in the module. The research findings identified the themes of engagement with learning, collaborative experiential learning, and factors that impacted learning. Research participants identified multiple and often unexpected skills, which included the development of peer relationships, reflective skills, communication skills, planning skills, knowledge, confidence, groupwork skills and ability to give and receive feedback to enhance future service provision. This was enabled by a positive working group, formed by a supportive role for each other, a non-judgemental attitude, and participation and engagement.

Connect together is an innovative Social Prescribing service for children and young people providing support through one-to-one sessions, group work and engagement with services that improve health and wellbeing. The service was externally evaluated by Leeds Beckett University.

In the UK it is estimated that a third of patients in mental health services have a substance use problem, and that half of patients in drug and alcohol services have a mental health problem. Part of Palgrave's Foundations of Mental Health series, this book explores the intertwined issues of substance use and mental health as a social phenomenon and offers a critical, informative guide to understanding dual diagnosis. Written by authors with extensive experience within mental health and drug treatment services, Working with Dual Diagnosis explores areas that are key to understanding the relationship between the two, including: * models for understanding substance use, mental health and the correlation of complex social and psychological factors; * treatment processes for working with individuals, groups and families and within a community setting; * the historical social, political, economic and legislative context of mental health and substance use; * practice implications for dual diagnosis, including how practitioners can work with and promote better treatment, after care and support for those experiencing dual diagnosis issues. Enriched with reflective exercises, case studies and key points, this book will inform all work related to dual diagnosis populations within health, social and criminal justice service, and is an essential text for social work, nursing, occupational therapy and probation students.

There is an uncomfortable duality, which sits at the heart of British social work practice, as Leung (2012, p. 348) suggests social work is ‘baffled’ by a basic dissonance in its intention to help people accommodate to the status quo, whilst challenging the status quo by attempting to bring about social change. In this chapter we will take a long view of the profession, examining the historical dislocations of attempting a professional accommodation to this seemingly contradictory position. In writing this chapter we must collectively acknowledge that it is written from a Critical Theory Position and draws heavily upon Post Structural, Marxist and Radical Social Work Theory; we make no apologies for this. The history we explore within this chapter is not chronological, it is thematic and based upon discourse analysis and identified themes that intersect with power relationships and social class. We are making the case that social work is part of a vast system that perpetuates systemic violence and that we contribute to a system of “benevolent violence”, in which we offer a complex system of care and control, that has mitigated and supported the rupture of indigenous people from the common land in both the UK and abroad.

Within this article we highlight that social work is both a political as well as a professional practice. Despite years of technical specialisation and a policy context that has focused social work on risk management and resource allocation, there remains a deep commitment to care, compassion, and solidarity within contemporary social work practice. The article and its analysis make the case for a more politically informed social work practice, one that is based on solidarity; in opposition to a system that isolates individuals and internalises complex social problems. We posit that the application of solidarity within social work delivers a practice that promotes social inclusion and is based on the provision of practical social support. It is from this perspective that we will present evidence from ethnographic research, drawn from community social work practice, to highlight the importance of social solidarity and provide an insight into different ways of working.

Executive Summary A better community home care system is possible. The Community Wellbeing Pilot (CWBP) has provided a radical and innovative system of home care to service users and carers. The CWBP marks a radical change to the current model of care delivery: time and task. This model has created a system that places emphasis on organisational need, process and managing risks, it lacks adequate flexibility to meet the needs of service users and carers. The model introduced by the CWBP offers new methods based on principles of a co-produced person-centred care, which is flexible and adaptable. The CWBP was delivered in partnership with two externally commissioned Care Agencies (CA) across two geographical areas of the city. This new approach to care was delivered using a multi-disciplinary approach and working collaboratively with a range of health and social care professions. A core component of CWBP was a commitment by professionals to actively encourage community support networks. This report provides an evidence base to illustrate not only was better care possible, it was delivered during a challenging and complex global pandemic. The significant challenges resulting from this difficult period were met by health and social care workers with professionalism, diligence, and commitment to the service users. Evaluation Findings The CWBP evaluation has highlighted the following key outcomes: • Improved outcomes for service users and carers • Increased job satisfaction for Home Care Workers leading to improved recruitment and retention. • Improved efficiencies and savings • The sustainability of the project • The transferability of the project

This thesis considered what contributes to students’ development of knowledge and skills in social work student supervision. This is a protected time for students to explore their experiential learning from their practice within placement. Nevertheless, this is undertaken in a private space, so has rarely been subject to scrutiny.  The uniqueness of this study is founded in two core differences. This is one of the first research studies to include both supervision participants’ perspectives and one of the first that observed social work student supervision, giving it a unique data perspective that enriched the significance of the findings.  The methodology for this thesis was firmly rooted in a Narrative Inquiry, which enabled the use of a range of data collection methods. Eight social work student supervisions were observed and audio-recorded, and each supervision participant (practice educator and student) interviewed immediately afterwards to develop a significant data corpus.  A thematic analysis approach identified two themes: diligence and collaboration. It was identified that where supervision participants had a diligent approach, which included being committed and organised, it enabled collaborative social work student supervision, which reduced the inherent power differential and enabled the development of students’ social work knowledge and skills. Implications are discussed that include both the importance of students understanding supervision as a site of the development of their knowledge and skills, and the development of positive social conditions in which both participants feel confident to contribute openly and honestly to develop students’ knowledge and skills.  Finally, a model of development of knowledge and skills in social work student supervision was developed that incorporated the core themes of practice educator and student diligence and collaboration.

Background  Due to an ageing population, and the increasing prevalence of older adults living with comorbidities, a growing proportion of people are living with dementia and comorbid cancer (DCC) in nursing homes (NH). People with DCC are diagnosed at a later stage, receive less treatment, and have poorer survival. Very few studies, and none in the United Kingdom, have examined the care and support needs of people with DCC living in nursing homes (NH).  Aims  The aims of this thesis are: (1) what are the care and support needs of people with DCC living in NHs; (2) what are the barriers and facilitators to high-quality, person-centred care (PCC) for this resident group?; and (3) what are the target areas and outcomes for a future intervention to support and improve PCC for this group. Methods  Across five NHs I conducted: (1) interviews with 14 staff members and healthcare professionals, and 5 family caregivers; and (2) ethnographic observations (a) following the care experiences of 7 residents with DCC (approx. 90-hours over 10-months), and (b) broader NH observations (approx. 170-hours over 10-months). This research draws on aspects of the Cumulative Complexity Model (CCM) with an in-depth exploration of the Burden of Treatment (BOT) and Illness (BOI) placed on family caregivers, NH staff and residents with DCC.  Results  Four main themes were identified: (1) Complexity of decision-making– a collaboration of views from a resident’s care triad was crucial to determine the most appropriate care outcome for a resident; (2) Obstacles to accessing oncology services– generally, gaining an early cancer diagnosis is deemed both desirable and best practice in terms of its management. For most residents with severe dementia, physical and well-being factors showed receiving a diagnosis or treatment was not the most appropriate care route for this population; (3) Balancing delivery of dementia and cancer care – due to staffs’ incomplete knowledge about a resident’s cancer and how to manage this, their condition was often overlooked in care documentation and practice. Thus, a resident’s cancer was overshadowed by their dementia; (4) Consequences of dementia-orientated care for residents with cancer – if dementia-related care needs were prioritised, there was a higher risk of cancer symptoms being overlooked, inefficiently managed, or misattributed to a resident’s dementia.  Conclusion  Care and support inequalities are an identified risk for people with DCC in NHs for whom attending hospital to gain a formal cancer diagnosis is not feasible or in their best interests. This includes the risk of diagnostic overshadowing and heightened cancer-related symptoms that could lead to an emergency presentation. Recommendations for practice have included establishing ceilings of care with a resident’s care triad, outlining the logistics of accessing oncology services at the point of referral for residents that require hospital support, implementing areas in care plans to include a suspected diagnosis of cancer and related needs, utilise pain assessment tools to support cancer pain management, establish communication pathways with specialist palliative care teams and identify gaps in knowledge for nursing home staff to provide appropriate symptom management.