Search

People with learning disabilities are living longer. Older people with learning disabilities should be included in policies and plans that are for all older people. National plans and policies for older people often do not say anything about older people with learning disabilities, and it is hard to know whether older people with learning disabilities are benefiting. People who plan services locally often do not have good information on older people with learning disabilities. Using the Equalities Act 2010 could help people who plan services and write policy to think about older people with learning disabilities but this is not happening at the moment. People who work with older people with learning disabilities should be aware of policy for all older people, so that older people with learning disabilities do not miss out. This paper seeks to explore the opportunities and challenges generated by current policy, guidance and legislation in England relating to older people, in terms of the practical implications for older people with learning disabilities. Using the broad themes housing, employment, social inclusion and isolation, care and support, and promoting better health and well-being, this paper discusses potential practical opportunities and concerns for older people with learning disabilities arising from policy and legislation such as current initiatives regarding integration, personalisation and the dementia policy. Consideration is given to the implications of changing policy and practice for both current and future generations of people with a learning disability as they reach older age. This discussion paper concludes that whilst there is potential for older people with a learning disability to benefit from policy and practice aimed at improving the lives of older people generally, the tendency for policy to be targeted at specific groups without adequately considering the diversity of those groups often leaves those with a learning disability at the margins of being able to make the most of changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the findings of a thematic narrative review of peer‐reviewed articles exploring innovation in UK independent homecare services published between January 2009–August 2021. Our analysis of 15 papers reveals four broad innovation types: personalised funding, operational models, workforce development and assistive technology. We conclude that research focused on innovation in independent homecare offers important insights into the positive and negative outcomes of different types of innovation for providers, care workers and people receiving care. There are, however, also areas which are neglected and need further elaboration, including more robust evidence of outcomes and clearer articulation of innovation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The first purpose of this paper is to update the core data set of self-neglect safeguarding adult reviews (SAR) and accompanying thematic analysis. A second purpose is to rebalance the narrative about adult safeguarding and self-neglect by highlighting two case studies where the practice was informed by SAR and the evidence-base of best practice. Design/methodology/approach: Further published reviews are added to the core data set, drawn from the websites of Safeguarding Adults Boards (SAB). Thematic analysis is updated using the four domains used previously. Two case studies are presented, using the four domains of direct practice, team around the person, organisational support and governance, to demonstrate that positive outcomes can be achieved when practice and support for practitioners align with the evidence-base. Findings: Familiar findings emerge from the thematic analysis and reinforce the evidence-base of good practice with individuals who self-neglect and for policies and procedures with which to support those practitioners working with such cases. The case studies are illustrative examples of what can be achieved and signpost SABs and SAR authors to question what enables and what obstructs best practice. Research limitations/implications: A national database of reviews completed by SABs has been established (https://nationalnetwork.org.uk) with the expectation that, in time, this will become a comprehensive resource. It is possible, however, that this data set is incomplete. Drawing together the findings from the reviews nonetheless builds on what is known about the components of effective practice, and effective policy and organisational arrangements for practice. Although individual reviews might comment on good practice alongside shortfalls, no published SARs have been found that were commissioned specifically to learn lessons from what had worked out well. More emphasis could be given to what might be learned from such cases. Practical implications: Answering the question "why" remains a significant challenge for SAR not only where concerns about how agencies worked together prompted review but also where positive outcomes have been achieved. The findings confirm the relevance of the evidence-base for effective practice, but SARs are limited in their analysis of what enables and what obstructs the components of best practice. Greater explicit use of case studies with positive outcomes might enable learning about what enables positive system change. Originality/value: The paper extends the thematic analysis of available reviews that focus on work with adults who self-neglect, further reinforcing the evidence base for practice. The paper presents two case studies where practice and the context within which practitioners were working closely aligned to the evidence-base for best practice. The paper suggests that SABs and SAR authors should focus explicitly on what enables and what obstructs the realisation of best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article talks about the aim of the "Journal of Social Work Practice" of providing a focus on therapeutic social work at a time of ongoing policy change in Great Britain. The authors anticipate that the increased frequency of the journal will advance the psychodynamic and relationship-based practice and provide an active forum for related scholarship and research. The authors contend that theirs is a specialized journal and its viability depends on the rate and quality of appropriate submissions of research papers, which continue to increase. The authors also wish to stimulate dialogue between different therapeutic approaches and the academic and clinical traditions that inform them while maintaining the balance in favor of the psychodynamic and cognate orientations. Papers that address some of the key current themes in social welfare are introduced.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to update the core data set of self-neglect safeguarding adult reviews (SARs) and accompanying thematic analysis. It also explores whether lessons are being learned from the findings and recommendations of an increasing number of reviews on self-neglect cases. Design/methodology/approach: Further published reviews are added to the core data set, mainly drawn from the websites of safeguarding adults boards (SABs). Thematic analysis is updated using the domains used previously. The domains and the thematic analysis are grounded in the evidence-based model of good practice, reported in this journal previously. Findings: Familiar findings emerge from the thematic analysis and reinforce the evidence-base of good practice with individuals who self-neglect and for policies and procedures with which to support those practitioners working with such cases. Multiple exclusion homelessness and alcohol misuse are prominent. Some SABs are having to return to further cases of self-neglect to review, inviting scrutiny of what is (not) being learned from earlier findings and recommendations. Research limitations/implications: The national database of reviews commissioned by SABs remains incomplete. The Care Act 2014 does not require publication of reports but only a summary of findings and recommendations in SAB annual reports. National Health Service Digital annual data sets do not enable the identification of reviews by types of abuse and neglect. However, the first national analysis of SARs has found self-neglect to be the most prominent type of abuse and/or neglect reviewed. Drawing together the findings builds on what is known about the components of effective practice, and effective policy and organisational arrangements for practice. Practical implications: Answering the question "why" remains a significant challenge for SARs. The findings confirm the relevance of the evidence-base for effective practice but SARs are limited in their analysis of what enables and what obstructs the components of best practice. Greater explicit use of research and other published SARs might assist with answering the "why" question. Greater scrutiny is needed of the impact of the national legal, policy and financial context within which adult safeguarding is situated. Originality/value: The paper extends the thematic analysis of available reviews that focus on study with adults who self-neglect, further reinforcing the evidence base for practice. Propositions are explored, concerned with whether learning is being maximised from the process of case review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While social policy falls predominantly under national rather than European Union (EU) jurisdiction, there are nonetheless multiple ways in which social policy and social outcomes in EU member states have been affected by EU membership. This paper draws on existing evidence and analysis to review the consequences for UK social policy of the decision to leave the EU. We focus predominantly on the implications of the British government's pledge to 'take back control' of money, borders and laws. Our conclusion is that Brexit is likely to have negative effects on the quality of public services and, for some groups in particular, social rights, and that these effects are likely to be greater the more distant are the future trading and wider relationships between the UK and the EU27. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social impact bonds are payment by results contracts that leverage private social investment to cover the up-front expenditure associated with welfare services. The introduction of private principles and actors through outcome-based commissioning has received a great deal of attention in social policy research. However, there has been much less attention given to the introduction of private capital and its relation to more established forms of quasi-marketisation. This paper examines what effect private social investment has on outcome-based commissioning and whether the alternative forms of performance measurement and management, that social impact bonds bring to bear on service operations, demonstrate the capacity to engender: innovation in service delivery; improved social outcomes; future cost savings; and additionality. This paper draws on an in-depth study of four social impact bonds in the UK context, as the welfare regime at the vanguard of this policy development. The findings suggest that the introduction of private capital in outcome-based commissioning has had a number of unique and unintended effects on service providers, operations and outcomes. The paper concludes by considering whether social impact bonds represent a risk or an opportunity for public service reform both in the UK and further afield. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The 'war on terror' signalled a new type of warfare--one that accorded with the features of what Surkov argues is non-linear war (Pomerantsev, 2014). Traditional war that takes place in a particular geographical location, with an identifiable enemy, is no more. Instead, warfare is a more fluid phenomenon. The paper argues that Surkov's concept can be usefully applied to current developments in social work practice in the UK. We trace the origins of key anti-terrorist policy developments in the UK (PREVENT and CHANNEL) from the war on terror and argue that such policies have serious implications for social work. We argue that there is an increasing securitisation approach in addressing modern social problems. We describe these as reflecting conflationary rhetorical logic, notably the linking of Troubled Families programmes with 'terror'. The paper concludes that social workers need to first recognise tactics at play in the state of non-linear war, second become critically aware of conflationary rhetorical turns in political discourse, third actively resist securitised discourses and lastly reject discriminatory notions of so-called dangerous people and communities. In other words, we should actively reengage with and promote social work values and social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose Professional partnerships between housing and health are not impossible, but they take time, commitment and dedicated strategic leadership. The language and culture of the two sectors are sometimes complex and do not always match. There can be issues understanding each other's motivation, ethics and terminology which can cause a barrier when working together. The purpose of this paper is to share the journey of how Wakefield District Housing (WDH) is working with the care and health sector to create sustainable partnerships that benefit both parties, getting to a stage where they could successfully integrate with healthcare providers in the Wakefield district.Design/methodology/approach The paper offers the reader an overview of how WDH's membership of the Wakefield Health and Wellbeing Board enabled improved partnership working with NHS and other members, including the establishment of a Housing, Health and Social Care Partnership, the employment of dedicated senior staff, co-located multi-disciplinary teams and joint design of new services.Findings WDH has demonstrated that the organisation understands the challenges facing NHS colleagues, has acknowledged the complexities of the system that their partners work in and looked for solutions alongside them. The opportunities within partnership working are boundless and, if successful, the outcomes for tenants and the wider Wakefield population could be in excess of those envisaged in planning the project. Partnerships will almost inevitably encounter challenges along the way but if all partners keep their own and shared visions in mind, further success is within reach and all parties will get there faster by not going alone.Practical implications The paper offers useful guidance and ideas for other housing organisations aiming to improve their contribution to local integrated healthcare.Originality/value This paper provides an original perspective from inside the programme, offering practical, comprehensive and deliverable initiatives to improve health outcomes for local communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of Social Discount Rate (SDR) choice on intergenerational equity issues caused by Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs) projects. Indeed, more PPPs mean more debt being accumulated for future generations leading to a fiscal deficit crisis. The paper draws on how the SDR level taken today distributes societies on the Social Welfare Function (SWF). This is done by answering two sub-questions: (i) What is the risk of PPPs' debts being off-balance sheet? (ii) How do public policies, based on the envisaged SDR, position society within different ethical perspectives? The answers are obtained from a discussion of the different SDRs (applied in the UK for examples) according to the merits of the pertinent ethical theories, namely libertarian, egalitarian, utilitarian and Rawlsian. We find that public policymakers can manipulate the SDR to make PPPs looking like a better option than the traditional financing form. However, this antagonises the Value for Money principle. We also point out that public policy is not harmonised with ethical theories. We find that at present (in the UK), the SDR is somewhere between weighted utilitarian and Rawlsian societies in the trade-off curve. Alas, our study finds no evidence that the (UK) government is using a sophisticated system to keep pace with the accumulated off-balance sheet debts. Thus, the exact prediction of the final state is hardly made because of the uncertainty factor. We conclude that our study hopefully provides a good analytical framework for policymakers in order to draw on the merits of ethical theories before initiating public policies like PPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to explore the operationalizing of a philosophy of humanization of hostel care and the challenge to such development presented by the proposed adoption of the "housing first" approach ("Chez Soi D'Abord") in Paris. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper is a translation of the transcript of an address given by the author to a symposium of psycho-analytic therapists working with the homelessness resettlement services in their quarter of Paris. It is a narrative of service development, described in some practical detail, with philosophical and psycho-analytic depths. Findings -- A philosophy of care and social education is replacing the philosophy of surveillance that had characterized earlier development of hostels. Psycho-analytic concepts, based on the writings of Lacan, help to understand the importance of addressing the profound psycho-social dislocation of individuals subject to the implicit violence of their situation. Originality/value -- This is the first known paper in print and in English to describe the development of a psychologically informed environment in homelessness resettlement in France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Appropriate housing for the growing population of older adults is becoming an international concern. The purpose of this paper is to report on a review of UK and international literature carried out as part of a project exploring the commissioning and delivery of social care in housing with care settings. The paper also considers housing with care in the context of UK policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach -- The peer literature review process used a range of academic databases as well as government and third sector web sites, drawing on relevant material in English published from 1990 to 2012. Findings -- Findings are presented within three main themes: how care and support is provided; the role of the built environment; and the benefits for resident well-being. The review found a paucity of literature focusing specifically on care and support in housing with care settings, particularly in terms of how social care is delivered, but the evidence base suggests that housing with care is in a strong position to deliver on most if not all UK government aspirations. Practical implications -- Despite a growing literature both in the UK and internationally exploring the characteristics and benefits of housing with care for older people, substantial gaps remain in the research evidence. Originality/value -- This paper presents an up to date review of the housing with care literature in the context of current UK policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – There are major pressures on social care funding for people with learning disabilities. It is unsustainable to continue working in the same way. The need to promote independence and prevent the need for social care for people with a learning disability is urgent. The purpose of this paper is to highlight key issues, stimulate debate and strengthen the evidence base. Design/methodology/approach – The paper takes evidence from research, literature reviews, statistics and policy debates. It illustrates key points with case studies. The argument for change has been developed in discussion with key stakeholders including the chief executive of a leading self-advocacy organisation. Findings – Demand is increasing whilst funding is reducing. Policy, practice and evidence on prevention of the need for social care for people with a learning disability are underdeveloped. Nevertheless, there are many examples of good practice, and of emerging opportunities for local partnerships to work together to build a new approach. Research limitations/implications – Research on the benefits and costs of prevention of social care for people with a learning disability is underdeveloped. There is a need to extend the evidence base on the range of interventions and their effectiveness. Originality/value – The paper argues for a step change in culture, practice and the focus of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – With the UK Conservative-Liberal Democrat Government reaching its mid-term point, this paper examines its austerity measures and public expenditure reductions in family support and children's services, and its revisions of family support, family intervention, child poverty, child well-being and children's services reform policies in contrast to the former Labour governments. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is informed by policy analysis and research reviews. Findings – The analysis focuses on three dimensions of policy change: first, reductions in income support for children and families and central government funding for children's services; second, refocusing child poverty, child well-being and family policies around the Conservative's "Broken Britain" campaign and the Liberal Democrats targeted social mobility initiatives; and finally, broader children's services reforms. The paper recognises some progressive developments but charts the social welfare implications of reduced welfare entitlements for families and the pressures on support services for families from children's services reforms. Originality/value – The paper combines reflections on the aims, achievements and limitations of Labour reforms to family support and children's services with a broader analysis of welfare state retrenchment and restructuring under the Coalition. It places current changes in family support and children's services within the context of the ideological influences on the Coalition's social policies and the primacy of its austerity programme and welfare state reform agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This TACTYC funded research highlights the role that Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) play in supporting families within areas of extreme social deprivation in the UK. Data collected through survey and interview demonstrated the positive impact that these schools have upon disadvantaged children and their families, providing a breadth and depth of ongoing care, against a backdrop of ongoing fiscal cuts and uncertainty. Often this provision was in lieu of the reported minimisation of other social services support for struggling families. We argue in this paper that the loss of these state institutions could be highly detrimental to the families that they currently support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos de Trabajo Social is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper reviews public discourses and research on the safeguarding of other people's children by adults at the neighbourhood level. There is much empirical evidence pointing to the existence of thriving informal communities of support and informal childcare for parents across the social classes. There appears to be less empirical evidence related to intervening with children and young people who may be at risk. Nonetheless, the limited evidence suggests that many neighbours, acquaintances and strangers do intervene, or say that they would. The paper concludes by considering the potential negative consequences of promoting the notion that safeguarding children is 'everybody's business'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of xenoracism to social work in order to increase practitioners' awareness of the ever-shifting parameters of exclusionary discourses and to provide social work with a more in-depth understanding of current social policy for asylum seekers. It argues that social work continues to rely on outdated views and old-fashioned definitions of racism yet exclusionary discourses have since moved on. The paper posits that if concerns about social work's complicity in oppressive and racist practices are to be fully addressed, a more critical perspective that is underpinned by an understanding of how asylum seekers as a social group are constructed is needed. This paper uses discourse analysis to deconstruct the ways asylum seekers are constructed in governmental and parliamentary discourses. The aim is to illuminate how the construction of asylum seekers is underpinned by xenoracism and how social workers are not immune to these discourses. Given the (xeno)racist manner in which asylum seekers are constructed, the paper illuminates and underscores the inherent ethical dilemmas for social work. It concludes by discussing the implications of these issues for social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Undocumented migrants often experience how their spatial vulnerability continues across their life trajectories through different forms of displacements in the form of forced migration, being at risk of deportation and being victims of gentrification or policies that make it difficult to find a stable housing situation. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in Sweden and the UK, the paper shows how weak the position of undocumented migrants is on the housing market through recently established policies in the UK which criminalizes the letting of housing to undocumented migrants and the practice of sharing address information between the social services and the border police in Sweden. This intervention argues that these policies that construct spatial vulnerabilities locally are connected to national and transnational policies of displacement globally and suggest that "displaceability", the potential of being displaced, is a strategy for governing vulnerable groups at every scale where governing takes place. Consequently, this intervention suggests that displaceability can help us capture the universal, interconnected experience of spatial vulnerability shared by many differently positioned groups in the world who are susceptible to forced mobility or removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the Founder's lecture of the same title presented at the BASPCAN Congress, 'New Directions in Child Protection and Well-being', in April 2015 in Edinburgh. In a very schematic way, it attempts to critically review changes in child protection policies in the UK since the first BASPCAN Congress in 1991. It argues that while there are similarities, there are also important differences. The nature of the problems to be addressed has become both broader and more complex and this is reflected in developments in policy and practice. At the same time, the challenges for child protection have become increasingly politicised such that the narrative of professional and system failure has become more dominant and pervasive. This has the effect of deflecting political and policy attention from the size and nature of the social problems to be addressed. The paper concludes by considering the most recent developments and their possible impact including the statutory Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse chaired by Justice Lowell Goddard. Key Practitioner Messages The changing political contexts are significant for the way in which practice is and can be carried out., In many ways, developments over the last 24 years can be seen as a story of growing social awareness and progress rather than one of 'blame and failure'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – In discussing some of the issues arising from the paper by Sue Davies and colleagues, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of the concept of a Resource Allocation System (RAS). Design/methodology/approach – Critical analysis based on review of literature and personal experience. Findings – The role and purpose of the RAS has changed over time and is unlikely to remain stable. Practical implications – Local authorities may consider whether their RAS will be fit for purpose in the future. Social implications – Social innovations are often unstable and may have unexpected consequences; especially when other factors beyond their original design intentions begin to influence their use. Originality/value – The author of a social innovation reflects on the failure of that innovation to achieve its original purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilising Abbott's work on professions and disciplines we trace the broad development of Social Policy in UK universities over the past 50 years. As with all subjects, Social Policy is enmeshed in continuous boundary protection, and at the same time may seek to extend jurisdiction by laying claim to areas and activities undertaken by others. We draw on a range of sources to inform our analysis including: overviews of contributions to Journal of Social Policy; reviews of selected available UK Social Policy Association documents such as newsletters; reviews of research quality (Research Assessment Exercise/Research Excellence Framework) submissions; and student numbers data. In conclusion we consider whether reassessment of some of the jurisdictional battles of the past 50 years might provide routes forward for the subject to flourish in the current environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current agenda for change in the public sector challenges organisations to operate differently. Alongside managing severe cutbacks in investment, the UK social work sector faces a period of unprecedented change aimed at raising standards and improving practice whilst demonstrating value for money. Resulting in such a significant reform agenda and set within a climate of austerity, the UK government can be heard to call upon 'innovation' as the solution to achieving 'more for less' during such testing times. Whilst there is a body of literature examining the process of managing innovation, there remains an absence of knowledge relating to the tail end of the process concerned with moving from piloting to achieving sustainability. Drawing upon case examples of innovation in practice, this paper is unique in applying this literature to a social work setting. It sets out what is meant by innovation, what we know about diffusion and managing innovation, and presents a new framework that can be applied to assist with improving the process of replication in order to support sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the issue salience of social welfare for disabled people in electoral politics with reference to party manifestos in Westminster and regional elections in the UK. Innovative aspects include mixed methods analysis of multi-tier elections on a cross-cutting issue. The findings reveal an initial post-war clinical-medical approach to welfare and the subsequent emergence of a policy discourse of rights, legal protection and equality as part of growing electoral competition over policy aimed at disabled people. It is argued that the formative role played by party manifestos needs to be incorporated into contemporary study of the politics of disability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to examine the governance of activation in relation to the decentralization and centralization of activation for social assistance recipients in Sweden, The Netherlands and the UK. Design/methodology/approach – This paper outlines broad trends in the governance of activation policies in Europe, focusing on processes of decentralization and centralization in Sweden (characterized by a context of shifting national and local level governance of policies, cultivated within a strong tradition of active labour market policies); The Netherlands (where there has been a deliberate shift in governance towards the local level); and the UK (typified by highly centralized decision making in policy design but local variation in delivery). Findings – The comparison identified different paths of decentralization and examines how these processes interact and overlap with modes of centralization/coordination of policies. Finally, the paper demonstrates the interface between the modes of decentralization and centralization. Originality/value – The investigation of vertical changes in the governance of activation in three country case studies provides an original in-depth analysis of types and paths of decentralization and centralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates surrounding the ostensibly ‘transformative’ potential of personalisation for social work services, and service users, have variously illustrated the risks and opportunities this presents, although the implications for criminal justice social work services have received comparatively limited attention. By extending the concept of ‘service user’ to include not only offenders, but wider stakeholders (victims and communities), this paper considers the practical application of theories of personalisation and co-production by reviewing proposed and extant strategies for maximising stakeholder involvement in criminal justice services. It is argued that, in progressing beyond the more individualistic interpretations of this somewhat controversial reform agenda—in prioritising not only the individual, their rights, strengths and subjective identities, but locating the individual in situ, in the concrete realities and textures of their lives and communities—the strength of the personalisation agenda rests in its potential to develop and strengthen the collective organisation of service users, service providers and communities in a co-productive endeavour. It is argued that both this reading and the principles underpinning it resonate more widely with the empirical and theoretical literature on just and effective penal practices and, in so doing, this paper exposes the complexities that lie behind the apparent simplicity of this argument. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The scope of protection from harm and abuse is rapidly expanding, and practice frameworks have tended to transfer and adapt child protection procedures for the protection of other groups. However there has been little in-depth analysis of the theoretical perspectives that underlie interventions within particular fields and almost nothing across areas such as significant harm to children, elder abuse and domestic violence. Scant attention has been paid to different time periods and national contexts. This paper, which draws on material presented and discussed during an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) seminar series, adopts a lifespan approach to understanding harm and abuse and explores how this can reveal insights for a more generic understanding and practice in protection services. The paper provides varying social constructions and varying recognition of concepts of harm and abuse, not least by ‘victims’, who frequently reject that role. Examining responses to harm and abuse suggests that formal systems tend to assume clear ‘victims’ and ‘perpetrators’ and that service categories can be unhelpful as they may not reflect experiences or address the wider contexts in which these are embedded. The lifespan approach provides a means for comparing and contrasting issues raised within specific areas of need and service delivery. It is an orientation which raises new questions about understanding harm and abuse and helpful insights which have implications for both policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The introduction of policies to transform adult social care, combined with scrutiny of social workers' roles and functions, has created considerable uncertainty about the future of social work with adults. This paper explores the implications of these policy changes, arguing that a number of dilemmas for practitioners—the balance between a preventative focus and tight budgets, autonomy and protection, safeguarding and capacity—will exist in the changed policy framework. In addition, it suggests that the various core functions of social work—assessment, advocacy and brokerage, safeguarding and capacity—also contain elements of conflict and incompatibility. As a result, the future of social work in this policy area runs a strong risk of becoming both fragmented and isolated. This could be reflected in the education requirements for social workers where, both historically and as a result of recent bitter experiences, the key priorities clearly relate to child protection rather than adult social care. To counter this, the paper suggests a number of core areas of practice that are common across social work, and that therefore continue to argue for the maintenance of a generic qualification. In addition, it specifies particular aspects of practice with adults that should continue to be highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kent was one of the first social services departments to develop a specific adult protection policy in 1987. This paper charts the development of policy and references key landmarks on this journey from the perspective of the policy manager's role. Opportunities are also taken to identify the key learning from this experience and the main challenges for the newly emerging safeguarding agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents findings of a study examining state-voluntary sector inter-organizational relationships, and the capacity of third-sector organizations to exercise autonomy over employment matters in this relationship. The aim is to provide insights into an under-researched area of the inter-organizational literature, especially in relation to its employment implications. In doing so, it reveals how, as with broader studies of inter-organizational relations, state-voluntary sector relations are not homogenous and therefore lead to differing implications for employment. In particular, three Types of voluntary organization emerge, employing, with varying degrees of success, various strategies to protect the terms and conditions of their employees in the face of cost-cutting pressures from funding bodies. As industrialized countries increasingly turn to the third sector for the provision of social services, it argues that even for the strongest of these organizations, there are long-term risks for staff morale and therefore quality of care provided by the sector if organizations fail to manage these external pressures from funders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper aims to explore the issues for middle-level social work managers arising from the development of the new public management, with its emphasis on the intensification of work, the measurement of performance in service delivery, and cost efficiencies. This is commonly thought to have affected those working in human services such as social work adversely. This paper explores the nature of these consequences, from the point of view of those centrally placed in its implementation. Design/methodology/approach - The methodology adopted in this paper is designed to acknowledge and explore the perceptions of middle-level social work managers as they contribute to the social construction of the new public management. This is accomplished through in-depth interviews with a sample of their number in Sweden and England. Findings - The findings reveal that social work managers are not only comfortable dealing with budgets but also enjoy the autonomy this affords them in their relationship with their subordinates. The findings also reveal that they appreciate the benefits of the more generalised knowledges of management, used in their work with junior colleagues, who they attempted to lead rather than manage and who they respected as colleagues. This has further implications: the possibility of new career opportunities for these predominantly women managers. Originality/value - The managers in social work see the knowledges gained from their position as managers as transferable to other areas of the public and private sectors, thereby opening up new career opportunities. They were also found to enjoy dealing with budget issues, contrary to earlier studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, interest is developing in the challenges of developing evidence-based guidelines for social work practice. The paper reports on the process of establishing the UK's first joint health and social care evidence-based practice guideline, which is in dementia care. The paper addresses the methodological and procedural challenges of reviewing, meta-analysing and synthesizing knowledge for health and social care given the contrasting histories of the two sectors in relation to the emergence of evidence-based practice, Dementia care is a complex domain within which social and clinical perspectives intersect, reinforcing the desirability of producing 'joined up' health and social care practice guidelines that are relevant to integrated services. It is suggested that the exemplar of producing a joint health and social care guideline for dementia may be a model for future development of practice guidelines. Some of the main recommendations are presented to illustrate the character of the joint guideline, lessons are drawn for future guideline development, and implications for policy and practice implementation are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, research was undertaken to examine social workers' confidence, understanding and awareness of child sexual abuse (CSA) as it was suggested that a decline in numbers of reported incidents might be due to a decline in levels of understanding and awareness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five first-line, middle and senior managers and two chairs of local safeguarding boards across six local authorities in England. Focus groups were conducted with fifty-four social workers. Key themes revealed a complex array of issues, ranging from the diverse forms of CSA and exploitation that social workers are required to address, the variable support and training available, and the inter-disciplinary nature of much of the work. Although social workers undertake this important work with a strong sense of commitment and concern for children, they face a number of challenges. Paradoxically, whilst their work on these cases is the source of intense scrutiny, the training, support and supervision, and role clarity required to undertake this work well are often overlooked. The aim of this paper is to discuss the research findings and to identify implications for social work practice, training, multi-agency work and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a climate of austerity, timescales and targets, this paper probes whether parents matter sufficiently within the current child protection system in England. Evidence suggests that achieving partnership working in the context of child protection has become increasingly illusive, particularly when parents are notified that the local authority is considering compulsory intervention to remove their children under the Children Act 1989. Recent changes to legislation, policy and practice ushered in with the aim of achieving earlier decisions within the time frame for the child are laudable, but there are consequences for both children and their parents. The aspirations of the Public Law Outline (2008) are well rehearsed, but the changes being introduced with the recent reform of the family justice system, alongside particular constructions of parenting, may be failing to recognize the potential of many parents, if offered appropriate support, to care safely for their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the discourse of the leadership of professional and public policy responses to the scandals of the care and treatment at the private Winterbourne View and NHS Calderstones Hospitals which demonstrates the lost learning from earlier attempts to provide humane care for the enduring numbers of people contained in similar settings. Design/methodology/approach - An analysis of the use of general management and managerialism through commissioning, rather than a focus on pro-active self-leadership within professional practice or through collaborative, collegiate or distributed leadership has arguably been responsible for the lack of progress. Findings - The emphasis on direction and action by government ministers, quangos, and managers across the NHS and local government has ignored and stifled the potential for initiative and selfleadership by professionals. This is notable for social work, aggravated by the absence of an engaged professional body for social workers. Originality/value - This case study addresses the limitations of leadership approaches which focus on policy direction, general management, managerialist and commissioning approaches to the reform and delivery, contrasted with the potential of professionals self-leadership by practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitudinal costly evaluations will always be important in order to understand the factors that impact on child, family and community well-being over the long and medium term. However, in a policy era that accords major importance to the achievement of outcomes, e.g. payment by results, 'outcome theology' can pose threats to service access and professional morale in family support. It is essential therefore, to ascertain the short-term outcomes of services in order to capture the trajectory of progress by families under stress. This paper critiques the concept of 'the outcome'. It traces the development of this trend in policy and describes an alternative but complementary approach, which is based on capturing interim outcomes in family support services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A range of professionals and services are often involved in supporting parents with mental health needs where there are child protection concerns. However, they do not always meet the needs of this population who tend to experience inadequate support and mistrust of services. This review aimed to synthesize parent and practitioner experiences of support for parents with both mental health needs and children's social services involvement. We performed electronic searches of the following databases: PsycINFO, CINAHL, HMIC, MEDLINE, Embase, Social Policy and Practice, Social Services Abstracts, Social Science Citation Index, OpenGrey, Social Care Online, and ProQuest. Following searching and screening, 41 studies were identified including 359 parents and 1370 practitioners. We worked with a Lived Experience Advisory Group to develop the following themes: (1) a downward spiral of service intervention; (2) working with parents, not against them; (3) support wanted versus support provided; and (4) constrained by service rigidity. We found that families were often parenting amidst trauma and adversity. However, service involvement could trigger a "downward spiral" of stressful processes over which parents felt they lacked control. Instead of improving their situations, support sometimes added to families' difficulties, worsening parents' mental health and making them feel marginalised, criticised, and retraumatised. There were, however, also examples of positive practice, where practitioners and parents developed trusting, open, and mutually respectful relationships. Practitioners often felt that they were limited in their ability to offer collaborative, holistic care because services were fragmented, underfunded, crisis driven, and inflexible. Difficulties mentioned most often by parents, such as financial issues, tended not to be a focus of available interventions. We conclude that the key issues identified must be targeted to improve support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Parenting programmes are widely used in the UK, promoted in policy documents as a cost-effective way for children's services to address behaviour problems and thereby the longer-term costs associated with conduct disorders, particularly antisocial behaviour and criminality. To explore whether these programmes are a cost-effective component of family intervention, this paper examines evidence from cost-effectiveness studies based on randomized controlled trials, modelling studies estimating longer-term costs and outcomes, and studies estimating costs of UK parenting programmes, including evidence from routine practice. Findings indicate that parenting programmes have the potential to be cost-saving in the long term; however, gaps in the evidence include: lack of follow-up of families who drop out of programmes, absence of control groups in longer-term follow-ups, and little information about costs and effects of programmes in routine practice. The size of savings resulting from implementation of effective parenting programmes will depend on the extent to which families likely to be most costly to society attend and experience lasting benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Over the last 12 years there have been substantial developments in UK law and policy relevant to mental health social work practice. The previous legal frameworks across the jurisdictions were very similar but the new laws have developed in different ways and provide greater opportunities for comparison. Across all the jurisdictions policy developments, especially in the areas of recovery and risk assessment, have influenced the way that mental health social workers practice. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory study used case study vignettes with 28 respondents to examine how these major legal and policy developments impact on social work practice. Findings – There were variations in how levels of risk are defined and often a lack of clarity about how this informs decisions. There was a consensus that recovery is important but difficulties in understanding how this might apply in crises. Predictably, differences in legal and policy contexts meant that there were a variety of perspectives on how mental health social workers applied the laws in their jurisdictions. Research limitations/implications – The limited focus on research informed practice and the lack of transparency in decision making across areas of risk assessment and intervention, use of recovery approaches and the use of mental health laws suggest the need for a more evidence-based approach to training, education and practice. Originality/value – There is very limited previous research on practitioner experiences of the complexities involved in implementing mental health law. This paper provides some insights into the issues involved and for the need for more detailed examination of the decision-making processes involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are inherent tensions between government policy on adult social care work in England and the practice of that care work. This paper locates these tensions within the masculine model of professionalization contained in English adult social care policy and its interpretation by a largely female workforce. We situate our analysis within critical realism, exploring street - level bureaucracy in manager and care worker policy interpretations. We argue that their exercise of agency draws substantially upon gender structures. Managers espouse policy while reproducing gender to construct care work as low in skill and status. Care workers, whose views are often neglected, transform gender to resist this positioning of their work. Our contribution is to question policy's effectiveness given its disregard of gender and its consequent disconnect from those practising adult social care. In so doing, we also advance understanding of street - level bureaucracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-devolution settlement in 1999 created the environment for major national policy and legislative reform across all dimensions of Scottish life. This paper seeks to understand better the place of child and family-oriented social work in post-devolution Scotland. Scottish social work policy in general and children's services policy in particular are analysed to consider where policy makers appear to locate social work resources. An alternative reading of these post-devolution policies suggests that a policy ‘effect’ is being produced that appears to lock social work out of early intervention and prevention. Ambiguities and hidden elements reveal an identity for social work in policy that primarily aligns it with control functions where balancing care and control and the use of involuntary measures is to the fore—the ‘hard cases’. This analysis points to the importance of social work taking a critical distance to policy formation and what it may mean for its identity and contribution to meeting the needs of the most vulnerable children growing up in Scotland today. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Contemporary reforms of social work assessment practice and policy, best evidenced by the 2001 introduction of The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, principally aimed at ensuring consistent and safer outcomes for children and their families, has resulted in a state of practice paralysis resulting in an over-zealous emphasis on assessment at the expense of intervention work. This paper argues that a sociological consideration to what is happening, through considering historical and contextual influences, and bringing a classical Marxist treatment of Alienation offers fruitful possibilities with both manifest and latent benefits for social work. Importantly, sociological analyses of social work structural shifts and policy initiatives reveal both manifest and latent outcomes, where the rewards planned may not always be those experienced by practitioners or families. While broadly supportive of the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, this paper notes caution in any wholesale acceptance. Reforms designed to underpin a more inclusive assessment approach have paradoxically narrowed the range and flexibility of practise possibilities for social workers, their managers and the agencies within which they work. Suggestions to tackle this are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is strong government support in the UK for the development and implementation of evidence-based or knowledge-informed practice in social work. At the same time, despite many national and local initiatives to support evidence use, there is still uncertainty and disagreement about how best to enable organisations and practitioners to achieve this goal. This paper argues that policy and practice initiatives to promote the effective use of evidence and knowledge for practice must be based on an understanding of how social workers understand and use knowledge in their day to day practice. It reports on a small-scale research study in Scotland which uses a 'critical best practice' approach to take an in-depth look at how six social workers make use of research, inquiry and other forms of knowledge evidence in relation to an example of their practice. The research found that the social workers drew on a wide range of knowledge in active, critical and reflective ways that were embedded within the particular context of their practices and their own experiences and beliefs. The findings highlight a range of personal and organisational capabilities which may support best practice in using knowledge to inform social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper considers what is distinctive about social policy and services in Wales and the context of social work practice. There is brief consideration of the social and economic character of the country, the challenge to social services and social work practice of a national minority language, and the relevance to social work of collective identities (national, local, and ethnic). An overview of relevant aspects of social policy in Wales since the establishment of democratic devolution in 1999 reveals that, although there are some distinctive aspects of social work in Wales, there is also a great deal of continuity with other parts of the UK, and England in particular, and that the potential for distinctiveness is just beginning to be realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, the fostering and adoption of children by lesbians and gay men in the United Kingdom has gained considerable acceptance in legislation and policy This paper traces these changes, particularly those occurring during the New Labour period of `liberal equality'. Despite this progress, as evidenced by the backlash from some leaders of the religious and political right, it is argued that prejudice continues. Within this context of new opportunities, but continued prejudice, this paper identifies two important areas for adoptive parents,foster carers and social work practitioners: firstly, the challenges that might confront gay and lesbian young people and secondly, the process by which gay and lesbian people are assessed as potential carers by fostering and adoption agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

UK government policies over the lust decade or more have focussed on giving older people more voice in the design, delivery and assessment of services. Mirroring these trends, there has been a shift towards increased involvement of older people in the research process. Drawing on three research studies, this paper examines the contribution of social work to an inter-disciplinary research agenda designed to promote increased involvement of older people in issues of service quality in primarily health settings. Challenges and opportunities are discussed. Each of the studies illustrates the importance of promoting research practice congruent with social work's commitment to partnership and empowering forms of practice. This, it is argued, requires the challenging of ageist assumptions, the use of a range of research methods and the valuing of different forms of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people leaving out of home care are arguably one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society. Compared to most young people, they face particular difficulties in accessing educational, employment, housing and other developmental and transitional opportunities. Care leavers have been found to experience significant health, social and educational deficits including homelessness, involvement in juvenile crime and prostitution, mental and physical health problems, poor educational and employment outcomes, inadequate social support systems and early parenthood. These poor outcomes reflect a number of factors including ongoing emotional trauma resulting from experiences of abuse and neglect prior to care, inadequate support while in care, accelerated transitions to adulthood and lack of guaranteed ongoing financial and other assistance to help facilitate this transition. Young people leaving care do not currently receive the ongoing support that a good parent would be expected to provide for their children. Using relevant literature from the USA, UK and Australia, this paper examines the factors that contribute to these poor outcomes and potential policy and practice reforms that may lead to better outcomes for care leavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]