Steven Keen

‘Baptism of Fire’: The First Year in the Life of a Newly Qualified Social Worker

This paper describes research commissioned by Skills for Care South West to identify and track the learning and development needs of newly qualified social workers through their first year of employment. The perceptions of 22 newly qualified social workers based in statutory settings are reported concerning the effectiveness of the social work degree (England), their induction and probationary periods and their progress towards post-qualifying social work education as part of their continuing professional development. The perspectives of line managers, people who use services and carers are also discussed. Findings from the research suggest that the social work degree has been well received by most newly qualified social workers and highlights the perceived importance of a statutory placement for social work degree students. Key social work practice skills that require further development are identified and a rationale is presented for greater investment in the induction and probationary periods of newly qualified social workers.

Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion in Type 1 diabetes: patient experiences of ‘living with a machine’

Diabet. Med. 27, 1201–1204 (2010)

Evaluating the Impact of Post‐Qualifying Social Work Education

Post‐qualifying awards in social work are well established within the continuing professional development agenda for qualified social workers in the UK. The evaluation of education and training should be an integral part of this agenda because it is important to ensure that programmes continue to meet standards of delivery, are successful in meeting their aims and objectives and are making an impact on practice. However, there is a limited amount of published work on the evaluation of post‐qualifying social work education, with studies often focusing on programme delivery rather than on their impact on practice. This paper explores evaluative work within the current post‐qualifying social work framework and discusses the results of an evaluation of the Vulnerable Adults and Community Care Practice programme, a specialist post‐qualifying social work education programme run by a UK university, as an example of an evaluation of the impact on practice. The results indicate positive evidence of impact on practice and demonstrate examples of how the programme has had a direct effect on individuals, teams, organisations and on people who use services.

Post-Qualifying Awards in Social Work (Part 1): Necessary evil or panacea?

Thousands of childcare social workers based in England and Wales need to complete the Post‐Qualifying Childcare Award by 2006 if they wish to continue practising. Before commencing the Post‐Qualifying Childcare Award, potential candidates must complete the Post‐Qualifying Social Work Part 1 Award. Published research on Post‐Qualifying Awards in Social Work (PQSW) is scarce. Whilst Brown et al. (2001, Making a Difference: A Guide to Running Personal Social Services Training Functions, NATOPSS, Birmingham) consider the issues of running social service training functions, this paper focuses on the completion and management of Bournemouth Universitys generic Part 1 programme using data from 44 interviews. The main purpose of the Part 1 programme is to enable and encourage students to critically reflect on their career and practice. Barriers to and facilitators of programme completion and those factors influencing portfolio deferral are also examined. Those in charge of running the programme recognise the need for further programme development work with line and training managers, integration of PQSW within human resource strategies and the clarity and timing of programme information. Further evidence is required before PQSW may be classed as a remedy for social works ills. However, the programme is seen as a useful tool for candidates to demonstrate that they have improved their knowledge and skills since the point of qualification. It has also provided a method for identifying social workers who have difficulty in maintaining their professional development and who then require further training opportunities before they can be considered as appropriately skilled to undertake complex social work.

Child mortality and poverty in three world regions (the West, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa) 1988–2010: Evidence of relative intra-regional neglect?:

Aims: Poverty kills children. This study assesses the relationship between poverty and child mortality rates (CMRs) in 71 societies from three world regions to determine whether some countries, relative to their region, neglect their children. Methods: Spearman rank order correlations were calculated to determine any association between the CMR and poverty data, including income inequality and gross national income. A current CMR one standard deviation (SD) above or below the regional average and a percentage change between 1988 and 2010 were used as the measures to assess the progress of nations. Results: There were positive significant correlations between higher CMRs and relative poverty measures in all three regions. In Western countries, the current CMRs in the USA, New Zealand and Canada were 1 SD below the Western mean. The narrowest income inequalities, apart from Japan, were seen in the Scandinavian nations alongside low CMRs. In Asia, the current CMRs in Pakistan, Myanmar and India were the highest in their region and were 1 SD below the regional mean. Alongside South Korea, these nations had the lowest percentage reductions in CMRs. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the current CMRs in Somalia, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola were the highest in their region and were 1 SD below the regional mean. Conclusions: Those concerned with the pursuit of social justice need to alert their societies to the corrosive impact of poverty on child mortality. Progress in reducing CMRs provides an indication of how well nations are meeting the needs of their children. Further country-specific research is required to explain regional differences.

Health and well-being of Nepalese migrant workers abroad

Purpose Although South Asia is a growing supplier of migrant labour, there is a paucity of research on the health and well-being of male Nepalese migrant workers. The purpose of this paper is to assess the health and mental well-being of Nepalese construction and factory workers employed in Malaysia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach A structured questionnaire administered, in and around Nepal’s international airport, to 403 migrants who had worked for over six months in their host countries. Logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with self-reported health status and mental health symptoms. Findings Over 13 per cent reported poor or very poor health and nearly a quarter reported mental health issues. Whilst age and exercise were significantly associated with health status, poor work environments and perceived health risks were associated with both mental health issues and health status. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to males only and those working in the factories and the construction industry. To improve migrant health and mental well-being, Nepalese and host governments should consider mandatory health insurance and a range of pre-departure and arrival education around general literacy, mental health assessments and workplace health and safety. Originality/value There have been no known studies on the health and well-being of Nepalese migrant construction and factory workers in the Middle East and Malaysia. The strong association between self-reported poor health and perceived work environment is an important issue that policy makers in Nepal and destination countries should address.

Evaluating the impact of the IPOP (Improving Personal and Organisational Performance) programme: An introductory leadership and management development module for social work managers

A host of recent UK social work publications have highlighted the critical importance of leadership and management development for social work managers. The lack of specialist leadership and management development is evidenced by the General Social Care Council’s figures on the uptake of post-qualifying leadership and management programmes. There is a limited amount of published research on the impact of this type of professional learning as most studies focus on programme delivery rather than on their impact on practice. Hence, this paper will report on an evaluation of the practice related impact of an introductory leadership and management programme, using data from pre-and post-programme questionnaires (n=75), follow up telephone interviews at 3-months (n=24) and an initial analysis of submitted assignments (n=32). Those data are drawn from consenting social work managers across 5 widespread local authorities in England. The programme, Improving Personal and Organisational Performance, is taught over 4-days in two, 2-day blocks and focuses on three areas of development: self-leadership, communication and resilience as a leader. A third-party testimony process, alongside assignment submission, ensures the involvement of, and validation from, the employer. The findings of the evaluation indicate positive, statistically significant evidence of initial programme impact on managers and longitudinal examples of actual programme impact on managers, their teams, organisations and services. The implications of these findings will be considered in relation to the new Professional Capabilities Framework.

‘They’ve got it!: Social work students’ understanding of service user and carer perspectives.

This paper considers some of the complexities of involving people who use social work services in qualifying education and some of the positive aspects of doing so. The paper reviews growing involvement and the importance of training courses and support for those who get involved drawing on evaluations.

Practice education: Where next?

Summary: The future of practice education in social work in England is under discussion. An integral part of this relates to those considered qualified and appropriate to assess student social workers and the qualification framework necessary to ensure their supply. A draft Practice Educator Framework for England was published in October 2009. Fifteen partnerships of employers and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) were invited to deliver pilot Practice Educator programmes to test out the draft framework. This paper reports the formative and final evaluations from these pilot sites and lays the foundation for considerations of the future development of practice education in England. The evaluation and the pilot were commissioned by Skills for Care and funded by the Social Work Development Partnership. In total, 321 candidates had been or were in the process of being recruited to these pilot sites; whilst 24 candidates withdrew from or deferred their studies. The findings from the evaluation indicated that the vast majority of pilot sites had accredited their programmes academically, many at Master’s degree level. Candidate feedback was predominantly positive; however, about one in eight candidates disagreed that their programme had provided them with sufficient mentoring support. A third of pilot sites have realised they do not have the numbers of stage 2 Practice Educators that qualifying placements may require. Strong partnerships between employers and HEIs and targeted funding will be needed to ensure that future programmes meet workforce development needs.

Comparing GDP Health and Military Expenditure, Poverty and Child Mortality of 71 Countries from Different Regions

Child mortality rates (CMR) indicate how a nation meets the needs of its children, so rela‐ tive to their region, do some countries ‘neglect’ their children? Using William Penn (1693) statement ‘Its a reproach to religion and government to suffer so much poverty and excess’ to judge nations CMR from three world regions within the context of poverty, health and military gross domestic product (GDP) expenditure data. West (n = 21): USA, New Zealand and Canada are a reproach—Sweden, Japan Finland and Norway are commended. Asia (n = 17]: Pakistan, Myanmar and India are a reproach. Singapore and Thailand commended. Sub‐Saharan Africa (n = 33): Relative to their region, Madagascar and Namibia are commended. Twelve countries failed the United Nations (UN) target, including the relatively rich Nigeria and South Africa. Poverty and higher CMR are linked in all three regions. Relative poverty and military expenditures correlated in the West but not in the other regions. In the pursuit of social justice, societies need to be alerted to the extent of the impact of poverty on child mortality even though some countries will find this challenging.