James Blewett

Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People's Services

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Social Work Practice Learning in Schools: Lessons for Practice

Social work education In England has undergone major reform in the past five years but social work practice remains under review. Part of the reform has been the extension of the number of days in practice learning for social work students. Traditionally social work students have undertaken the practice element of their training in social work agencies. The expansion of days in placement has been accompanied by a diversification of practice settings. This article presents data from an evaluation of an initiative in London whereby social work students undertook placements in primary and secondary schools. The evaluation was informed by questionnaire surveys of five groups of respondents: students, their on-site and off-site practice supervisors, social work academics and other stakeholders of social work education in the area. Interviews with six participants explored some of the survey findings in greater depth. The evaluation findings draw attention to the need for careful preparation for placements in schools of students and of school based staff in the light of the possible continued demand for such placements.

The Challenge of Building the Knowledge Base in Changing Contexts of Care

This article examines the role of research dissemination in the development of the knowledge base that underpins the integration of care. It does so from the perspective of the university‐based social care research dissemination network Making Research Count (MRC). The author, who is the Research Director for MRC in London, looks at the experience of this project in the context of the surprisingly limited evidence on the effectiveness of different models of research dissemination.

Coming Back to Social Work: A Pilot National Programme for Social Workers Returning to Practice

There is long-standing concern in England about the high turnover of social workers and loss of professional expertise and experience. One remedial initiative is to offer opportunities for those who have taken time out of professional practice to return to social work. This article sets social work return to practice initiatives in the context of returning to other professions. This article reports on the distinctive features and benefits of a Return to Social Work initiative that was funded by the Department of Health, Department for Education, the Local Government Association and Jobs Go Public. The programme was launched as a pilot in September 2016 with 20 participants. The article describes the model adopted by the pilot national programme and reports reflections upon it from the team that delivered the programme and comments made by participants that were collected at the end of the programme. It concludes that the cost-effectiveness of such programmes can only be established if data are collected on the longer-term outcomes of such investment and by establishing agreement on what should be the metrics for assessing any such programme as a success.

Making the most of children centre management data: a researcher-practitioner partnership approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a collaboration between independent researchers and an English local authority to develop a framework for understanding and measuring outcomes in children centres. Design/methodology/approach – The project was based on developing a system for collecting quantitative and qualitative data that would reflect the multi-dimensional services delivered by children centres. This was called the Early Intervention Performance Outcomes Framework. It utilised the concept of interim outcomes and in so doing the aim was to create a system that would provide evidence for the difference these services could make to children and their families’ lives. It was also important for the system to enhance and not detract from service capacity in a period of austerity. Findings – The paper reports on the project when it had generated its first year of data. The paper describes the overall success of the project, the on-going challenges it faces and provides some examples of how i...

Winter, K Building Relationships and Communicating with Young Children: A Practical Guide for Social Workers. Routledge. Abingdon, 2010. 166 pp. ISBN: 978-0-415-56268-3. £19.99

Social work in the UK is currently in the midst of a major period of reform. Following the death of the young child Peter Connelly in London in 2009, the twin drivers of Professor Eileen Munro’s Review of Child Protection and the programme of the Social Work Reform Board have led to a series of changes for the profession that have been broadly promoted and supported by Government. These changes involve the regulation and training of the workforce but at a more fundamental level have sought to create a profound shift in the culture in which children’s social work services are delivered. The aim of the reforms is to create a less technocratic, risk averse system in which a more authoritative model of social work practice is promoted. In such a culture social workers should be given both permission and the opportunity to exercise their professional discretion and judgment to a much greater degree on a day to day basis. In relation to those using social work services the overall aim of the reforms is to create a far more child-focused system. Eileen Munro’s critique of the current system is that the imperative for social workers has been procedural compliance rather than focusing on building relationships with and understanding the needs of children and their families. ‘Doing things right’ drives practice rather than ‘doing the right thing’. All too often, Munro argues, the ‘voices’ of children are neither heard nor understood. Relationship social work practice therefore should translate in child care social work into a priority being placed on social workers being given the time, skills and resources to undertake direct work with children and to develop a deeper understanding of the process and outcomes of such work. The direction of the reforms has been widely welcomed by social workers but the progress toward achieving the changes the programme of reform has been perceived as frustratingly slow. Partly this can be put down to the very difficult budgetary environment in which the reforms are being delivered. However, Karen Winter argues that creating a more child-centred system requires more than greater resources and in particular social workers being given more time. Important as these organisational factors are, Winter argues that there are also individual factors in that social workers often lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to undertake such work. In this ambitious and engaging book, Winter argues that if we are to improve practice we need to have a better understanding of the relationship between organisational and individual barriers to social workers building better and fundamentally more helpful relationships with the children with whom they work.