British Journal of Social Work - recent issues

Editorial

Lymbery, M. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:00 PDT

The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare

White, S., Hall, C., Peckover, S. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:00 PDT

The Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral. The CAF is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate ‘early intervention’, reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of ‘a common language’ amongst child welfare professionals. This paper presents findings from a study, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council's e-Society Programme. Our purpose in is not primarily evaluative, rather we illustrate the impacts of CAF as a technology on the everyday professional practices in child welfare. We analyse the descriptive, stylistic and interpretive demands it places on practitioners in child welfare and argue that practitioners make strategic and moral decisions about whether and when to complete a CAF and how to do so. These are based on assessments of their accountabilities, their level of child welfare competence and their domain-specific knowledge, moral judgements and the institutional contexts in which these are played out.

Abuse of Children in West Africa: Implications for Social Work Education and Practice

Sossou, M.-A., Yogtiba, J. A. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:00 PDT

This article discusses the pernicious problem of several abuses of children and the lack of professional social work programmes to address the problem in three West African countries of Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. Despite inaccurate statistical data, available public information reveals an alarming ascendancy of the problem in the region. Abuse and neglect of children in the sub-region has become a very serious issue of violation of human rights, social justice and violence against children, which demands a call for action on behalf of the children. The article outlined the various incidents of child sexual abuse, child trafficking, child marriage, Trokosi and neglect of disabled children in the sub-region. Poverty and traditional cultural practices have been discussed as the main causes of this phenomenon. The implications for social work education, policy, research and practice have been discussed in addition to a call for enforcement of legislations and mass education of citizens in the sub-region.

Recent Policy Initiatives in Early Childhood and the Challenges for the Social Work Profession

Winter, K. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:00 PDT

The Labour Government in the UK has announced, as part of its launch of The Children's Plan, that it ‘wants to make this country the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up’ in. This latest Plan is further evidence of the surge of interest that there has been in children (and, in particular, early childhood) over the last ten years in the UK and indeed elsewhere. Many of the recent policy and practice initiatives have implications for social workers working with young children. Yet, social work as a profession, in comparison with education, has remained relatively silent on these initiatives and it is hard to find any critical analysis of these developments in terms of either their underlying discourses or their implications for social workers. This article sets out to address these gaps by providing a critical analysis of: what types of knowledge regarding the early years have gained political currency; why and how this is the case; and what the implications are for the role and practices of social workers. The article proposes that discourses of ‘need’ and ‘provision’ mask more powerful discourses of economics, social control and risk avoidance, and it concludes by advocating more critically reflexive social work practice with young children and their families.

Family Intervention Projects: A Site of Social Work Practice

Parr, S. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:00 PDT

Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) provide intensive support to ‘problem families’ and are a core element of the Government's Respect Action Plan (2006). Drawing on recent research findings from an independent evaluation of the FIP ‘Signpost’, this paper aims to offer a new insight into our understanding of FIPs. The paper draws attention to two key points. First, the organizational context within which Signpost has emerged is one dominated by a social work ethos. It is suggest that the FIP has been implemented in a way which has provided social work professionals with an opportunity to engage in the kind of creative practice that proceduralization, bureaucracy and managerialism have made impossible to achieve in mainstream social work arenas. Following on from this, the paper emphasizes the limitations of evaluating anti-social behaviour policy effects without due consideration of the local policy and practice context within which policies are embedded. The paper is not intended to discount important critical reflections on FIPs, but seeks to illustrate the gaps that can open up between political rhetoric and policy effect, demonstrating why we should not be too quick to foreclose the possibilities afforded to vulnerable families by this type of intervention.

Communication, Recognition and Social Work: Aligning the Ethical Theories of Habermas and Honneth

Houston, S. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

The modern world is replete with ethical challenges of Orwellian proportions. The violation of human rights and misrecognition of identities are two of the most pressing examples. In this paper, the ethical theories of Habermas and Honneth are aligned as a way of addressing these specific challenges within social work. It is suggested that these theories are complementary, mutually rectifying and concordant at the meta-ethical level of analysis. The alignment is also justified, pragmatically, through the construction of three hypothetical vignettes demonstrating different kinds of practice dilemmas. The need for egalitarian communication and the imperative to recognize human identity in all its dimensions subsequently emerge as the two foundation stones for ethical deliberation in social work.

Training for Change: Early Days of Individual Budgets and the Implications for Social Work and Care Management Practice: A Qualitative Study of the Views of Trainers

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Individual Budgets are central to the implementation of English government policy goals in social care. Like other consumer-directed or self-directed support programmes operating in parts of the developed world, they are envisaged as a way of increasing individuals' choice and control over social care resources provided by the public sector. While the opportunities they provide for people using services have been identified prospectively in the English context and reflect positive outcomes internationally, little attention in England has been paid to the potential impact on the redesign of social workers' and others' current roles and practice and the training that might be necessary. This article draws on the Department of Health-commissioned evaluation of the thirteen pilot Individual Budget schemes, which aims to evaluate outcomes and identify the contexts and mechanisms of those outcomes. The article focuses on a sub-set of the study that comprised an exploration of early training activities for social workers/care managers and wider stakeholders around the introduction of Individual Budgets. It is based on interviews with representatives from all thirteen pilot local authorities. What happens to social work in adult social services departments in England may be determined in part by these pilots; however, the article also highlights the role of those responsible for training in managing the demands upon social workers/care managers, in responding to their concerns and aspirations, and their possible responsibilities for training people using services in their new consumer roles.

Social Workers in Community Care Practice: Ideologies and Interactions with Older People

Sullivan, M. P. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Since the inception of the NHS and Community Care in 1990, there has been a proliferation of studies examining its implementation at the front line. Considerable attention has been aimed at understanding how it is that social work practitioners, charged with the responsibility to implement community care recommendations for older people, are doing so in a challenging care environment. How a practitioner's ideological frame of reference may impact on his/her practice interactions remains relatively unanswered. However, the course by which professional ideology matures and then directs practice would appear to both complex and multifaceted. The outcome is one that may render the professional both powerful and political, and one that may leave the older care recipient both vulnerable and stigmatized. This paper explores community care practice with older people, emphasizing the ideological underpinnings in practice and their influence on practice interactions. Social work practitioners working on older people's teams in two contrasting communities in England were interviewed to discuss their assessment and care management interactions with older people. Using grounded theory and Goffman's theoretical constructs within frame analysis, a conceptual model for practice emerged, reinforcing that practitioners' understandings of social events, anchored in government and professional discourse and individual perceptions about older people, enabled them to organize and influence the interaction to lead to a professionally determined outcome. The routine work of assessment and care management became very powerful in absence of strategic intention by the practitioner. A move to more strategic behaviour occurred when practice dilemmas required practitioners to intervene, informed by their professionally based values juxtaposed against those supported within official discourse. The findings provide an insight into how social work practitioners manage to deliver community care in a complex environment. The outcomes also reinforce the need for practitioners to develop an understanding of how they construct their social realities, as this may impact on the experience of community care for older people.

Accountable and Countable: Information Management Systems and the Bureaucratization of Social Work

Burton, J., van den Broek, D. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

A key feature of new public management is the tendency to equate quality and accountability with documentation (Tsui and Cheung, 2004). Human service organizations increasingly rely on computer databases to compile and record client information and to demonstrate outcomes for quality assurance and accountability purposes. This has resulted in substantial changes in work practices, processes and relationships for social workers. This paper draws on interview data from social workers in several Australian agencies to examine professional interactions with, and response to, changes in their work after the introduction of new technologies. It particularly focuses on the shift of accountabilities from professional values and identities to organizational and bureaucratic accountabilities. The paper recognizes that while social workers have always been subject to organizational accountabilities, due to the changes in social service delivery and limited practitioner input into the implementation of new technologies, tensions between professional and bureaucratic accountabilities have intensified.

Speaking from the Margins: A Critical Reflection on the 'Spiritual-but-not-Religious' Discourse in Social Work

Wong, Y.-L. R., Vinsky, J. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

This paper attempts to make visible the invisible Euro-Christian ethnocentrism and individualism in the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse in social work. A critical analysis of the current literature on spirituality and social work, intertwined with the authors' personal narratives of spirituality and religion, calls into question the subject positions of social work authors who argue for differentiating spirituality from religion. We ask: From whose vantage point is the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse produced? What gets legitimized and who gets excluded from this particular construction of spirituality? This paper deconstructs the power relations of race, ethnicity, and sexuality in the discourse of spirituality in social work. It destabilizes the assumption of spirituality as non-sectarian and inclusive. Contrary to many social work authors and educators' best intention of inclusivity, we contend that the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse in social work may have inadvertently reproduced the process of colonial othering and further marginalization of racialized ethnic groups who are more often represented as ‘religious’.

Effectiveness of Welfare Organizations: The Contribution of Leadership Styles, Staff Cohesion, and Worker Empowerment

Boehm, A., Yoels, N. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Numerous recent studies reveal the contribution of leadership and leadership style, in particular, to effectiveness in different organizations (Sosik et al., 1998; Ogbnna and Harris, 2000; Hoyt and Blascovich, 2003; Hullinger, 2003; Berson and Avolio, 2004), including the field of welfare organizations (Gummer, 1995; Arches, 1997; Fisher, 2005; Mary, 2005). These publications suggest a preference for the transformational, compared with the transactional, leadership style. However, the studies reviewed do not examine the contribution of organizational leadership compared with other aspects of organizational life. Using the previous studies as its point of departure, the present research examines the contribution of the leadership styles of the directors in welfare departments to the effectiveness of the social workers in these organizations. However, it also undertakes another task, by comparing the contribution of leadership style to effectiveness with that of staff cohesion and social worker empowerment. Thus, the findings and discussion presented in this paper compare the respective contributions of three central levels of the organization to effectiveness—the administrative level (director's leadership styles), the staff level (staff cohesion), and the individual level of the social worker (worker empowerment). The research examines this issue in a public welfare department in Israel.

Use of Residential Care in Europe for Children Aged Under Three: Some Lessons from Neurobiology

Bilson, A. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

This critical commentary reviews the research into the use of residential care for children aged under three years and looks at some of the explanations that can be found for this in neurobiology. There continue to be high numbers and rates of these vulnerable children in institutions not only in the former Soviet states, but also in Western Europe. The new research provides strong evidence on the negative consequences for these children, particularly for those who remain in institutional care beyond the age of six months. Explanations from neurobiology sit well beside understandings drawn from attachment theory and start to show the mechanisms for this and also the ability of the brain to compensate.

Social Work with Adults with Disabilities: An International Perspective

Zavirsek, D. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

A Textbook of Social Work, Brian Sheldon and Geraldine Macdonald, London, Routledge, 2009, pp. xvii + 429, ISBN 978-0-415-34721-1 (pbk), {pound}20.99

Doel, M. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Children, Families and Social Exclusion: New Approaches to Prevention, Kate Morris, Marian Barnes and Paul Mason, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2009, pp. iv + 161, ISBN 978 1 86134 965 1 (pbk), {pound}21.99

Jack, G. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Effective Practice in Health, Social Care and Criminal Justice: A Partnership Approach, 2nd edn, Ros Carnwell and Julian Buchanan (eds), Maidenhead, Open University Press, 2009, pp. xvi + 342, ISBN 978 0 335 22911 6 9 (pbk), {pound}24.99

Popple, K. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Black Issues in Social Work and Social Care, Mekada Graham, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2007, pp. xi + 195, ISBN 978 1 86134 845 6, {pound}18.99

Christie, A. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:01 PDT

Assessment in Social Work, 3rd edn, Judith Milner and Patrick O'Byrne, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. ix+278, ISBN 9780230218628 (pbk), {pound}19.99

Holland, S. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:02 PDT

The Pink Guide to Adoption for Lesbians and Gay Men, Nicola Hill, London, BAAF, 2009, pp. viii + 221, ISBN 978 1 905664 68 9 (pbk), {pound}12.95

McDermott, J. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:02 PDT

Social Work and Migration: Immigrant and Refugee Settlement and Integration, Kathleen Valtonen, Aldershot, Ashgate, pp. 218, ISBN 978-0-7546-7194-7 (hb), {pound}55.00

Soroya, B. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:02 PDT

Mental Health Still Matters, 2nd edn, Jill Reynolds, Rosemary Muston, Tom Heller, Jonathan Leach, Mick McCormick, Jan Wallcraft and Mark Walsh (eds), Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. xiv + 386, ISBN 978 0 230 57729 9 (pbk), {pound}23.99

Sapey, B. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:02 PDT

Permanence in Foster Care: A Study of Care Planning and Practice in England and Wales, Gillian Schofield and Emma Ward with Andrea Warman, John Simmonds and Jane Butler, London, British Association for Fostering and Adoption, 2008, pp. 189, ISBN 978 1 905664 57 3 (pbk), {pound}12.95 * Achieving Permanence in Foster Care (Good Practice Guide), Gillian Schofield and Mary Beek, London, British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF), 2008, pp. 105, ISBN 978 1 905664 58 0 (pbk), {pound}9.95

Hothersall, S. J. — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:02 PDT

Books Received

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:58:02 PDT

Editorial

Kemshall, H. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Befriending Excluded Families in Tower Hamlets: The Emotional Labour of Family Support Workers in Cases of Child Protection and Family Support

Gray, B. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

This paper describes the befriending of severely excluded families, particularly Bangladeshi and Somali families, in Tower Hamlets, East London by Family Support Workers (FSWs). Tower Hamlets is one of the most deprived boroughs in the UK. The study is derived from an evaluation of the Family Welfare Association's (FWA's) Tower Hamlets Family Support Services (FSSs) conducted by South Bank University. A key finding is that engaging the emotions of families enables high-quality and effective support in the family home. FSWs win trust and elicit narratives from families, particularly from mothers and children. The narratives of families are a rich source of informing better practice. In line with government objectives, the participatory work of FSWs helps to balance understanding on family support, health and child protection. The early identification of child protection issues is particularly important in mitigating their worst effects. FSWs gain trust and early disclosure on child protection cases. This prevents child-care problems from deteriorating into child protection issues. FSWs also act as informal advocates and help to balance social service assessments with the views of families. FSWs take a proactive, non-stigmatizing, non-intrusive approach to families. FSWs are sensitive and responsive to the emotions, ethnicity, gender and specific needs of families.

What Are Child-Care Social Workers Doing in Relation to Infant Mental Health? An Exploration of Professional Ideologies and Practice Preferences within an Inter-Agency Context

Ross, J. W., Hooper, L., Stenhouse, E., Sheaff, R. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Infancy is a crucial time for interventions to reduce later developmental difficulties. In England, recent policy has required children's service delivery to be redesigned to attend to infant mental health across all four tiers of NHS provision through inter-agency networks of child-care professionals. The policy identifies child-care social workers as primary care professionals, able to recognize early infant mental health problems, promote mental health and prevent deterioration. Our paper explores whether, as a profession, English child-care social workers are well prepared in terms of their knowledge, ideological beliefs and professional acculturation to implement such changes to their practice. Empirical information is provided from a funded, independent evaluation of the implementation of the NSF policy at a local level. Data from professional focus group interviews describe and compare the differing professional ideologies and professional practice preferences within the infant mental health network of an English NHS Primary Care Trust in an urban local authority. The findings identified obstacles that were personal–ideological, cultural and structural in nature. Progress towards achieving the NSF policy standards appeared slight.

Life after Caring: The Post-Caring Experiences of Former Carers

Larkin, M. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

This qualitative study was informed by grounded theory and data were gathered primarily through semi-structured in-depth interviews with thirty-seven theoretically sampled former carers. They were all white British, lived in the East Midlands and were predominately over sixty (68 per cent) and female (70 per cent). With the exception of one, all had cared for a close relative, 65 per cent having cared for a partner/spouse. Most of their dependants were older adults and each case the cessation of caring had coincided with the death of the dependant. The findings showed that post-caring life for the interviewees had an identifiable trajectory with three phases—the ‘post-caring void’, ‘closing down "the caring time"‘and ‘constructing life post-caring’. Each of these phases involved a distinct set of experiences. In addition, the study established that 70 per cent of those in the sample had cared more than once. Thus, two new concepts—'the post-caring trajectory' and the ‘serial carer’—were developed to reflect these findings. Suggestions are made about ways in which policy, practice and further research can be developed in order to ensure there is effective provision for those who have ceased caring.

'Yesterday's Men': The Inspectors of the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, 1888-1968

Clapton, G. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

This paper presents findings from an in-depth study of the archives of the Royal Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Its particular focus is the work of the Society's Inspectors. The Inspectors' guiding principles, beliefs and motivations are brought out from a variety of archived sources including case records, Society Annual Reports and Minutes, memoranda and memoirs. The period of study covers the origins of the Society in the late 1880s until 1968, when the passing of the Social Work (Scotland) Act gave local authorities greater powers and responsibilities to promote child welfare; this legislation signalled the beginning of the end of the RSSPCC's dominance in the field of the prevention of child cruelty. The paper provides a rich eighty-year-long picture of a group of men—and women—who belonged to the first child welfare agency to intervene systematically in the homes and lives of families. The Inspectors' practices were both punitive and materially helpful. This study of the Inspectors and their attitudes to fathers, mothers and beliefs about what was best for children seeks to place their work and outlooks within a history of modern social work and suggests that the Inspectors and their work can be seen as part of the DNA of social work.

Community Anti-Poverty Strategies: A Conceptual Framework for a Critical Discussion

Strier, R. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Although communities are a recurring theme in poverty research and an essential component in anti-poverty strategies, the conceptualization of the link between communities and anti-poverty strategies has not been adequately addressed. The article argues that this inadequacy reflects the complexity of the construct. The difficulty in elaborating a more adequate conceptualization of the link between the ‘community’ concept and the ‘anti-poverty strategy’ construct derives from the discursive nature of the concepts of ‘poverty’ and ‘community’. The discursive nature of the term ‘community’ is mirrored in the ways in which the term is subject to multiple definitions, framed according different representations, affected by changing discourse, and interpreted by competing professional traditions of community practice. In addition to this complexity, the discursive character of the ‘poverty’ concept, which is manifested in the lack of consensus surrounding the goals of anti-poverty strategies and the contentious ideological nature of poverty theories, make the task of reaching a common conceptualization of ‘community anti-poverty strategy’ extremely difficult. The present article is based on a discourse analysis perspective and presents five analytical categories for a critical discussion of the concept. Moreover, it offers some practical recommendations that can guide social workers in developing strategies that better reflect the plights, desires and aspirations of communities living in poverty.

Language Politics, Linguistic Capital and Bilingual Practitioners in Social Work

Harrison, G. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Social workers have explored the role of language in communication, identity formation, meaning making and representation. However, they have rarely examined the political ramifications of what language is in use when discussing these roles, or how language operates as a form of differentially valued cultural capital that is an influential determinant of life chances. This article draws on an exploratory study carried out with eighteen bilingual practitioners residing in Australia who reflect on how language politics infiltrates their personal and professional identities. Although many informants viewed bilinguality as an asset for practice, they were equally aware of the influential position of English in both local and global contexts, its powers of exclusion, and its role in shaping social work knowledge. The article concludes that greater recognition needs to be given to these ‘language politics’ in social work, especially in terms of recognizing how inequitable relations are maintained through the privileging of certain language practices and processes of linguistic othering.

What's in a Name: 'Client', 'Patient', 'Customer', 'Consumer', 'Expert by Experience', 'Service User'--What's Next?

McLaughlin, H. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

This article challenges the terms we use to describe the relationship between those who assess and commission services and those who are the recipient of those services. In particular, the article identifies the different terms that have been used in British social work, including ‘client’, ‘customer’, ‘consumer’, ‘service user’ and ‘expert by experience’, highlighting their assumptive worlds and the relationships the terms suggest and signify. Service user (the most popular term at present) is highlighted and critically analysed and found to be increasingly problematic and unable to describe the complexities of the service–recipient relationship. Alternative terms are discussed and found wanting, whilst a possible way forward is suggested to avoid the negative connotations of any one particular term.

Working Girls: Abuse or Choice in Street-Level Sex Work? A Study of Homeless Women in Nottingham

Harding, R., Hamilton, P. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

This paper uses fifteen indices of abuse and a definition of ‘coercion’ as ‘constraint, restraint, compulsion; the application of force to control the action of a voluntary agent’ (OED Online, 2006) to explore how homeless women understand their choice to sex work. Twenty-six homeless women were interviewed, nine of whom had sex worked. A structured, qualitative questionnaire was used in a case study design from which information was gathered about the relationship between a woman's experience of abuse and coercion and her decision to sex work. By exploring the motivations given by women as to why they sex worked, it is argued that homeless women's decisions are, in part, a consequence of systemic familial abuse and coercion from abusive partners. However, in responding to the complex needs of such women, it is also suggested that ‘abuse’ and ‘coercion’ should not routinely equate to ‘victimhood’. Consequently, our findings challenge the homogeneous approach to ‘victimization’ as demonstrated within the government's Prostitution Strategy (Home Office, 2006a). Subsequent recommendations are made for social work practice in the context of the Strategy when working with abused and coerced homeless women who choose to sex work.

But Is It Social Work? Some Reflections on Mistaken Identities

Hugman, R. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Throughout its history, social work has been marked by disputes about its identity, especially in the ‘global North’. The question of where boundaries, if any, should be drawn around the profession is one that apparently has not been resolved. In particular, should the focus of social work be on ‘micro’ or ‘macro’ issues and what problems are at stake in such debates? As professional social work continues to develop in many countries, these questions continue to be posed and to be contested. This paper reviews the core issues of such debates, noting that they are important because they show the inevitably contested nature of social work and arguing for a breadth of vision in discussions about this. It suggests that by considering a common thread but, at the same time, recognizing diversity, the profession will be able to maintain and further develop a coherent broad identity. In particular, it is suggested that countries of the ‘global North’, where modern social work first began to professionalize, can gain by considering development of different ‘authentic’ forms of social work in the ‘global South’.

Growth in the Shadow of War: The Case of Social Workers and Nurses Working in a Shared War Reality

Lev-Wiesel, R., Goldblatt, H., Eisikovits, Z., Admi, H. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

This study aimed to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms and vicarious traumatization (VT) versus post-traumatic growth (PTG) among Israeli practitioners who shared war-related reality with their clients during the Second Lebanon–Israel war (2006). In addition, the contribution of potency (one's personal resource) and the role of peri-traumatic dissociation (the emotional detachment activated during or immediately after a traumatic event) were examined. Two months after the war, a convenience sample of 204 practitioners (seventy-six nurses and 128 social workers), all residents and employees in the Haifa area, were administered a self-report questionnaire. Findings showed that nurses had higher post-traumatic growth (PTG) compared with social workers. Personal resource (potency) was found to contribute to the reduction of vicarious traumatization (VT), whereas peri-traumatic dissociation was found to contribute to both PTG and VT in the group of social workers.

The Social World of Older People: Understanding Loneliness and Social Isolation in Later Life, Christina Victor, Sasha Scambler and John Bond, Maidenhead, Open University Press/McGraw Hill Education, 2009, pp. ix + 262, ISBN 978-0-335-21521-8 (pbk), {pound}22.99

Pugh, S. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Costs and Consequences of Placing Children in Care, Harriet Ward, Lisa Holmes and Jean Soper, London, Jessica Kingsley, 2008, pp. 288, ISBN 978 1 84310 273 1 (hb),{pound}39.99

Cocker, C. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Rethinking Residential Child Care: Positive Perspectives, Mark Smith, Bristol, The Policy Press, 2009, pp. v +199, ISBN 9781861349088 (pbk), {pound}22.99

Crimmens, D. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Social Work and Mental Health, John Archambeault, Exeter, Learning Matters, 2009, pp. iii + 179, ISBN 9781844451470 (pbk), {pound}22.00

Edmondson, D. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

Understanding Social Security, 2nd edn, Jane Millar (ed.), Bristol, The Policy Press, 2009, pp. xxii + 322, ISBN 978 1 84742 1 869 (pbk), {pound}21.99

Grover, C. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:51 PDT

The Child Placement Handbook: Research, Policy and Practice, Gillian Schofield and John Simmonds (eds), London, British Association of Adoption and Fostering, 2009, pp. x + 480, ISBN 978 1 905664 46 7 (pbk), {pound}24.95

Hill, A. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:52 PDT

Personality Disorder: The Definitive Reader, Gwen Adshead and Caroline Jacob (eds), London, Jessica Kingsley, 2009, pp. 278, ISBN 978-1-84310-640-1 (pbk), {pound}22.99

Warrener, J. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:52 PDT

Mundane Heterosexualities: From Theory to Practices, Jenny Hockey, Angela Meah and Victoria Robinson, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, pp. 206, ISBN 9781403997456 (hb), {pound}50.00

Trotter, J. — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:52 PDT

Books Received

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:57:52 PDT

Editorial

Blyth, E., Masson, H. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Negotiating Foster-Families: Identification and Desire

Riggs, D. W., Delfabbro, P. H., Augoustinos, M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Foster care systems across Australia are widely recognised as being ‘in crisis’. Problems of both supply (a lack of appropriate placements for children) and demand (increasing numbers of child protection notifications) are central to this crisis. Addressing these problems requires an approach to social work practice that encourages greater support for existing foster carers, and that in so doing, helps to attract new carers to the system. One of the ways in which this may be achieved is through an emphasis on foster care as a form of family based care that holds the potential to meet the needs not only of children, but of adults seeking to engage in familial relationships with children. Drawing upon a psychoanalytically-informed approach to social work, this paper presents and analyses data from a national research project examining existing Australian foster carers' experiences of care provision. The results demonstrate that despite considerable adversity (which often takes the shape of foster families not being recognised as such), foster carers continue to form unique, supportive families with children. Implications are drawn from this for a social work practice that acknowledges diversity in family forms and which validates the identifications and desires that circulate within foster families.

Working in Human Services: How Do Experiences and Working Conditions in Child Welfare Social Work Compare?

Tham, P., Meagher, G. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Child welfare agencies in many rich countries are having difficulty recruiting and retaining social workers. However, these problems are not unique to child welfare: retention problems have also been widely reported in both mental and general health facilities. In this paper, we compare the perceptions of work and working conditions held by child welfare social workers with the perceptions held by other professional human service workers in the public sector in Sweden. Do the social workers' experiences of their tasks or organizational conditions differ from the other groups, and, if so, how? Are workforce problems particularly acute in child welfare, or do social workers in this field share more or less common problems with other human service professionals? We found that although social workers in general, and child welfare social workers in particular, made positive assessments of some dimensions of their working lives, social work was unusually demanding among human service professions on several measures of workload, complexity of tasks and quality of management. The strains of the job that social workers expressed call upon employers to promote working conditions that offer more support, and to recognize and value social workers for their work.

Management, Leadership and Resources in Children's Homes: What Influences Outcomes in Residential Child-Care Settings?

Hicks, L., Gibbs, I., Weatherly, H., Byford, S. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

This article provides an overview of research, originally funded by the Department of Health, about the internal management and use of resources in residential child care. It explores ways in which children's homes are managed and leadership is established and the relationship of these to their use of resources and the outcomes for young people in their care. The paper examines variations in the functioning of a sample of 45 non-specialist children's homes drawn from local authority and independent sectors in England. Utilising both qualitative and quantitative analyses including an economics component, the functional relationships of structures, processes, resources and service user outcomes are investigated. The results of multi-level modelling analysis, used to draw together the different strands of the research, are discussed. Main findings indicate that the influence which the process of providing care has on the kind of outcomes experienced by young people is of paramount importance. The paper relates findings to areas for development in practice and its management, specifically in terms of training and policy arenas.

Exploring the Impact of Parental Drug/Alcohol Problems on Children and Parents in a Midlands County in 2005/06

Fraser, C., McIntyre, A., Manby, M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

This paper reports on a small-scale research project which used semi-structured interviews and a ‘Draw and Write’ technique to explore the views of parents/carers and children and young people about the impact of parental substance use and implications for services. It was found that most adult participants recognized their need for help and had obtained treatment for their drug/alcohol use. They were often ambivalent or self-critical about their abilities as parents and had tried to combine their substance use with ensuring that the basic needs of their children had been met. Access to methadone prescriptions had helped stabilize the lives of those who had previously been heroin users, and parents' wishes to look after their children properly, or to resume their care, were a powerful motivator for them to stop using drugs/alcohol. The children in the study, who displayed considerable resilience, were aware of the emotional turmoil caused by their parents' substance use and they saw social workers as important people in their lives. It was also found that families in the study either needed substantial help from their extended family, or from social services (now Children's Social Care), or both. The implications of the study for professionals supporting substance-using families are highlighted.

Questioning Habermasian Social Work: A Note on Some Alternative Theoretical Resources

Garrett, P. M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

It has been maintained that the social theory of Jurgen Habermas may assist social workers, and others, involved in child protection and related forms of endeavour. Whilst welcoming Hayes and Houston's willingness to utilize social theory, it is argued that Habermas' work is also problematic because of an unsatisfactory approach to issues connected to power differentials. In this context, it will be suggested that there is a need to be wary about the emphasis which Habermas places on the possibilities for unconstrained dialogue. Moreover, the work of a number of other European writers may help to illuminate key factors which Habermas neglects and also provide alternative theoretical resources for social workers and those working in associated fields.

Expertise and Experience: People with Experiences of Using Services and Carers' Views of the Mental Capacity Act 2005

Manthorpe, J., Rapaport, J., Stanley, N. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

The views of people with experiences of using services and the views of their carers about the 2005 Mental Capacity Act (England and Wales) are reported in this article. Interviews with ten people about the detail of the Act prior to its implementation revealed that they welcomed the principles of the Act, and were able to relate these to aspects of their experiences. The Act's framework for planning around care and treatment and for making advance decisions was seen as offering greater choice and empowerment. Comments were made about the need for the Act to be publicized by professionals, for practitioners to provide specific information and for people with experiences of using services and carers to be included in training and monitoring. The data also revealed some concerns about implementation processes, about missed opportunities for legislative reform and the difficulty of balancing risks and safeguards. Such issues are likely to be highly relevant to social work practice; social workers are alerted to the expertise existing among many people with experiences of using services and carers and to the variations in opinion and knowledge likely to be found among people using services and carers.

The Effect of Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment on Assessments under the 1983 Mental Health Act: An Increased Workload for Approved Social Workers?

Furminger, E., Webber, M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

There is an extensive body of research into trends in use of the 1983 Mental Health Act (MHA) and Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT) teams, but only one study has examined the relationship between the two. The introduction of these teams led to the belief that use of the MHA would decrease as more people with mental health problems were treated in their own environment when in crisis and at risk of admission to hospital. However, in one county authority in south-east England, the numbers of MHA assessments continued to rise after the introduction of a CRHT team. To investigate this pattern, we examined a random sample of MHA assessments conducted in the catchment area of the CRHT team both in and out of office hours from two time periods—one before and one after the introduction of the CRHT team. The presence of the team was associated with a significant increase in the use of section 2 MHA, although the use of section 3 MHA decreased. To explore these findings, we held focus groups to obtain the views of mental health professionals on the reasons for the continued rise and how their views influenced decisions. We found that the role of the Approved Social Worker (ASW) was poorly understood in the new CRHT team and that communication between it and the ASWs was disjointed. Integration of ASWs into predominantly medical CRHT teams will assist joint decision making about use of the MHA and may help to reduce unnecessary compulsory hospital admissions.

Individual Budgets: Lessons from Early Users' Experiences

Rabiee, P., Moran, N., Glendinning, C. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Within the context of modernization, there has been a trend towards ‘cash-for-care’ schemes designed to bring choice and control closer to the service user. In England, Individual Budgets (IBs) are being piloted, with the aim of promoting personalized support for disabled people and other users of social care services. This paper reports on the experiences and outcomes of early IB users two to three months after first being offered an IB. The users included adults with physical/sensory impairments, learning difficulties, mental health problems and older people. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine service users and five proxies. The findings suggest that IBs have the potential to be innovative and life-enhancing. However, achieving this potential in practice depends on a range of other factors, including changes in the routine practices and organizational culture of adult social care services and ensuring users have access to appropriate documentation and support. Any conclusions drawn from the experiences of these early IB users must be treated with caution. The findings nevertheless indicate some of the issues that will need to be addressed as IBs are implemented more widely to replace conventional forms of adult social care provision.

Choosing Language: Social Service Framing and Social Justice

Vojak, C. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Traditional social service language is embedded in an ideological framework that views individuals as the primary source of their predicaments and the solution to their problems, ignoring racism, poverty and other structural inequities. Stigmatizing language serves to maintain those inequities and reduce the collective sense of responsibility to address them. Social service providers who care about social justice, but do not understand the relationship between language and the larger social vision they want to help create, may unwittingly undermine their own project by reinforcing the language of hegemony.

Men Who Were Sexually Abused in Childhood and Subsequent Suicidal Ideation: Community Comparison, Explanations and Practice Implications

O'Leary, P., Gould, N. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

In the Western world, men are particularly vulnerable to suicide, so it is important to undertake research that helps explain the manifestation of suicidality. This is one of the few studies to date that have researched men who were sexually abused in childhood and their presentation of suicidal ideation, much of the previous research with this focus having been restricted to women. The study draws on a clinical sample of 147 Australian men who were sexually abused in childhood, of whom thirty-nine also gave open-ended interviews, and comparisons are made with a community sample of 1,231 men. It was found that the sexually abused men were up to ten times more likely to report suicidal ideation than the controls. To understand risk factors for suicidal ideation, a predictive regression model was constructed, the most important variables in this model being self-blame, isolation and physical injuries sustained from the abuse. These variables are further explored and illuminated from the qualitative data. Key implications of the study for social work practice include the need for screening and assessment of men in clinical populations as well as in other vulnerable populations. Limitations of the study and future areas of inquiry are also outlined.

A Good Childhood: Searching for Values in a Competitive Age, Richard Layard and Judy Dunn, London, Penguin Books, 2009, pp. xiii + 240, ISBN 978-0-141-03943-5, {pound}9.99

Axford, N. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Critical Issues in Social Work with Older People, Mo Ray, Miriam Bernard and Judith Phillips, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. xv + 187, ISBN 978 1 4039 91256 (pbk), {pound}18.99

Young, C. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Effective Child Protection, 2nd edn, Eileen Munro, London, Sage, 2008, pp. xvi + 176, ISBN 9 781412 946957 (pbk), {pound}19.99 * Post-Qualifying Child Care Social Work: Developing Reflective Practice, Gillian Ruch (ed.), London, Sage, 2009, pp. vii + 169, ISBN 9 781412 928267 (pbk), {pound}19.99

Bernard, C. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Faiths, Public Policy and Civil Society: Problems, Policies, Controversies in Faith-Based Public Action, Adam Dinham, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, pp. xvi + 232, ISBN 13: 978-0-230-57330-7 (hbk), {pound}52.00

Gilligan, P. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Mental Health Law in England and Wales: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals, Paul Barber, Robert Brown and Debbie Martin, Exeter, Learning Matters, 2009, pp. xii + 390, ISBN 978144451951 (pbk), {pound}29.00

Golightley, M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements and Youth Justice, Kerry Baker and Alex Sutherland (eds), Bristol, The Policy Press, 2009, pp. vi + 145, ISBN 978 1 84742 215 6 (pbk), {pound}14.99

Horn, R., Paylor, I. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Early Psychosocial Interventions in Dementia: Evidence Based Practice, Esme Moniz-Cook and Jill Manthorpe (eds), London, Jessica Kingsley, 2009, pp. 234, ISBN 978 1 84310 683 8 (pbk), {pound}19.99

Ray, M. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Families of Adults with Autism, Jane Johnson and Anne Van Rensselaer (eds), London, Jessica Kingsley, 2008, pp. 191, ISBN-978-1-84310-885-6 (pbk), {pound}13.99

Dillenburger, K. — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Books Received

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT