Helen Masson

Measuring the quality of peer-reviewed publications in social work: Impact factors - liberation or liability?

Systems for measuring the quality of publications in peer-reviewed academic journals have achieved importance in the ‘audit culture’ to which academia worldwide has become increasingly subjected. In the United Kingdom this debate has focused on government proposals to give greater emphasis to bibliometrics (counts of journal articles and their citations) as a measurement of research quality, in respect of publications in the emergent Research Excellence Framework (REF) which is set to replace the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). This approach impacts on social work educators who are the main producers of papers published in peer-reviewed academic journals. It affects their publishing behaviour by pressurising them to publish their work in journals that are regarded as being prestigious, for which ‘high impact factor’ journals as determined by Thomson Reuters—a private commercial information management enterprise with headquarters in the United States—has become a proxy for quality. In this paper the authors describe and critique the Thomson Reuters system as it applies to social work and propose an alternate fair, inclusive and transparent system for assessing the quality of publications based on peer evaluation and incorporating an ethical approach consistent with the disciplines professional values.

Exploring consensus in practice with youth who are sexually abusive: findings from a Delphi study of practitioner views in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

This article presents the findings of a study exploring current levels of consensus among practitioners in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) about good practice in relation to youth who are sexually abusive. A three-stage Delphi procedure was used to survey the views of 78 practitioners, experienced in this field, on a range of matters relating to preferred responses to this population. The exercise indicated high levels of agreement that youth who are sexually abusive should be seen as a group clinically distinct from adult sex offenders and that all of their developmental needs, and their problematic behavior, should be targeted in intervention. A strong level of consensus was found among respondents about the goals and content of ideal practice with this user group, although there was less consensus about the theoretical models that should underpin practice.

A decade on from the NCH Report (1992): Adolescent sexual aggression policy, practice and service delivery across the UK and Republic of Ireland

This article outlines the findings of a two-year research project1 into policy, practice and service delivery across the UK and Republic of Ireland in respect of children and young people who have sexually abused others. The authors compare the emerging findings from their current research against the key recommendations arising from The Report of the Committee of Enquiry into Children and Young People who Sexually Abuse Other Children (NCH, 1992) which constituted, at that time, the most significant previous attempt to summarise the state of the field in the UK. The findings suggest that the adolescent sexual aggression field has progressed considerably in the decade since the publication of the earlier report, although uncertainties about some aspects of policy and service provision remain. 1This article is based on a keynote presentation given by the authors at the NOTA Annual International Conference 2003, Edinburgh, Scotland

Issues in relation to children and young people who sexually abuse other children: A survey of practitioners' views

Abstract In the context of the findings and recommendations of the NCH Committee of Enquiry Report into Children and Young People who Sexually Abuse other Children (1992) a questionnaire survey of practitioners conducted during the autumn and winter of 1995196 is described. 101 professionals from a number of disciplines, drawn from English Area Child Protection Areas (ACPCs) responded to the questionnaire which sought factual information about the respondents and elicited their views on various aspects, including their levels of satisfaction with policies and procedures in their areas, their access to post-qualifying training opportunities and issues of concern to them. The findings of the survey are presented and it is argued that agency responses to sexual abuse by children and young people remain very variable. Whilst acknowledging the existence of political and other constraints on policy and practice developments currently, suggestions and recommendations for change are offered.

Young People who have Sexually Abused: What do they (and their parents) want from Professionals?

This article presents the findings of a small scale qualitative study of user perspectives in the adolescent sexual aggression field. Twenty four service users who had received intervention from nine different specialist providers completed a structured questionnaire about their experiences of professional involvement. Both young people who had sexually abused and parents identified the kinds of professional intervention which they found useful, as well as practices that they experienced as unhelpful. Young people and their families alike were found to value supportive interventions which gave them an opportunity to gain insight into the nature of sexual abuse as well to address their own feelings about their problems.

Children and adolescents who sexually abuse other children: Responses to an emerging problem

Abstract Although there is a developing knowledge base and considerable research into many aspects of child abuse and child protection work, it has only recently been recognized that some children and adolescents sexually abuse other children. This article, which aims to provide an overview of the area for practitioners, explores various issues related to the identification, management and treatment of young sexual abusers and its development into a social problem. Research into official and expert guidance on how to respond to young sexual abusers will be identified together with an initial analysis of how far area child protection committees in England and the London boroughs may be addressing the problem. A key theme highlighted will be the debate about child protection versus youth justice responses in relation to young sexual abusers

Teaching values: An experience of the diploma in social work

In this article we offer a review of a 4-week module on Core Values, which took place at the start of a new Diploma of Social Work (DipSW) programme. The experience may be of interest to other programme providers because it tackled an aspect of the DipSW which is innovatory in its emphasis on combining values with competencies; and because of its siting as a full-time and intensive module at the beginning of the programme.

Training for competence in child protection work

This paper outlines the authors views on how training for competence in child protection work should be developed. It is also suggested that the ideas are of relevance for training in most areas of social work practice. In summary it is argued that much greater attention should be paid to teamwork skills and the development of strategies to further multidsciplinary work. The normal emotional reactions of professionals should be addressed and harnessed and, in training, resistances to looking at oneself and ones feelings need to be identified if students are to be engaged in such work. It is also suggested that investigating allegations of abuse is a specialist area of practice which needs to be taught as such. The author expresses some concern about how far the kind of experiential small group and individual training needed to pursue these ideas can be incorporated into CQSW courses, given the resource constraints now placed upon them.

The silent volcano: Groupwork with mothers of sexually abused children

Abstract In this article the authors point out that the needs of mothers of children who have been sexually abused are often neglected. The reasons for this are discussed and it is argued that, following the crisis of disclosure, both for the womens emotional survival and growth and so that they can provide appropriate parenting for their children, thereby possibly reducing the long term need to be ‘in care’, these women need the therapeutic opportunity to deal with their feelings about what has happened and to adjust to the major change that has taken place in their lives. Groupwork, when complemented by other treatment opportunities, seems a particularly relevant approach. A detailed discussion of working in such a group is available elsewhere (Hildebrand and Forbes, 1987). However, key issues which underlie the planning and running of a group for mothers of sexually abused children are less clearly documented. In this article, the authors discuss these issues, based on their own experience of running ...

Making use of historical case material: the problems of looking back and the implications for service development in relation to research and evaluation activities

Abstract This methodological paper details the process of embarking on a follow-up study of young people with sexual behaviour problems who were known to services in the 1990s and who are now young adults in their 20s or early 30s. In the context of the importance of such follow-up work, the overall aim and objectives of the funded research project are specified and the challenges presented in setting up research partnerships with service sites, including the negotiation of access and ethical approval, are the subject of overview and reflection. The practicalities of beginning the fieldwork which comprised an initial analysis of historical case material held in the research sites are then detailed and the solutions to the problems encountered are explained. The paper concludes by identifying the kinds of questions services and researchers need to consider when wanting to engender or enhance a research culture which is facilitative of this kind of outcome research. These relate to the resources necessary to support a research culture, the requirements of data protection and ethical approval processes, obtaining service user consent to participate in future research, secure but accessible storage of records, staff development and researchers’ obligations to minimise disruption to already hard-pressed services.