Gillian Miles

THE CONTRIBUTION OF OBSERVATION TRAINING TO PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOCIAL WORK

This paper first describes a range of uses of observational training and the learning to which it can give rise. It goes on to describe in detail a specific project that was undertaken by the authors with a selected group of social work trainers. The range of observations undertaken by the participants is described and their own comments provide first‐hand evaluations of the experience. Observation is seen by the authors as one of the most important foundation skills in social work practice. They conclude by sketching out the possible place of such training in the social work career continuum in the UK.

The experience of teaching and learning in social work. The teaching of young child observation: A historical overview

This paper describes the setting up in 1989 of the Tavistock/CCETSW course in young child observation for social work tutors and practice teachers, against the background of the immense pressures on social workers, particularly in the field of child protection. The paper summarises the potential learning from young child observation, and its contribution within social work training. It outlines the issues which faced the social work trainers as they went on to introduce and teach observation on their courses, and draws on an evaluative study in which the members of the course participated, giving their views on the value of observation training.

A Study of a Support Service for the Current Carers of Sexually Abused Girls

Intervention in support of the current carers is seen as an important part of a treatment package for sexually abused girls. This article, one element of a comparative treatment trial, describes the characteristics and backgrounds of the current carers, the nature of the help provided to them and their responses to the help. One of the main aims of involving and supporting carers was to try to ensure regular attendance of the girls in the therapy and this was largely achieved. Although there were no simple relationships between help for the carers and treatment outcome for the girls, a strong association was found between a positive attitude by the birth mothers toward the treatment and improvement in the girls. The possible reasons for this are discussed together with practice and research considerations when planning dual interventions to attend to the needs of the girls and their carers.

Developing healthy mental health professionals: what can we learn from trainees?

Abstract There is considerable interest in the recruitment, training and retention of workers in the field of mental health, as evidence shows significant problems in the retention of highly qualified professionals in this field. Large numbers leave, some leaving the professions for other careers as a result of burnout, caused in part by the emotional burden of work in stressful and emotionally charged environments. We propose a training approach in which students are encouraged to reflect on their own emotional responses to such stressful and upsetting situations. We argue that this approach, in allowing them to be more at ease with themselves, would make them both more available to the emotional experiences of their patients, and in turn enhance their own resilience and capacity to survive stressful situations. We took for our study a cohort of trainees from The Tavistock Clinic in London, a major training institution providing post-graduate mental health courses based in psychoanalytic and systemic theory. We aimed to investigate what the students reported to be the key components in these trainings to enhance their capacity to manage in their demanding and highly stressful work environments, alongside ordinary human experience. The trainees were from a range of backgrounds and included doctors, psychologists, social workers and teachers. The courses had in common the following elements: small work discussion groups providing an opportunity to reflect on their work in practice, lectures on background theory, tutorials, and small seminar groups to which they brought ongoing observations of young children in ordinary settings. Some also had the opportunity to undertake supervised clinical work in the Clinic. We used a detailed qualitative questionnaire to elicit the trainees’ expectations and experience of the trainings. In addition, all participants completed the 30-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and some took part in the Adult Attachment Interview, later rated for Reflective Function.

Young child observation: An initiative in social work training

Abstract This paper describes a particular kind of observation training, and goes on to describe an initiative in social work training to give trainers the skills to teach young child observation: this initiative was taken by CCETSW and the Tavistock Clinic in London. I will describe the philosophy behind the training, the observation method, and the training for the social work trainers, with particular reference to the initiative taken by CCETSW Northern Ireland. I will outline developments in observation training on social work courses across England and Wales since the setting up of this course for social work trainers, and the importance of this initiative for Northern Ireland. Readers will already be aware of the articles about the experience of observation in the last issue of this Journal by Anne McKeown, Maureen Devlin, Veronica Baird, Mary McColgan and Carrie Simpson, who were all members of the Northern Ireland trainers group.

The use of observation in court & assessment work

Abstract Over the last decade, across the UK, there has been a change in Legislation in relation to children. The Children Act 1989 came into effect in 1991 in England & Wales. The Children (Scotland) Act followed and the Children Order in Northern Ireland. These are consolidating pieces of legislation bringing together previous Acts in relation to children, but they also introduced a profound shift in societys view of children. The best interests of the child was to be taken as paramount, parents were seen as responsible, rather than having rights, and the whole child was to be considered. Hence, a change in the way children were to be seen and their needs assessed. Children were seen as having physical, emotional and educational needs (Part 1 (1) Children Act 1989) and harm was defined as ill-treatment or impairment of health or development. Development meant physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development and health meant physical or mental health (Children Act 1989 Part IV(9)). T...