Suzy Braye

Emerging from out of the shadows? Service user and carer involvement in systematic reviews

The systematic review methodology literature refers to the importance of involving stakeholders, including service users and carers, in the research. However, compared with other aspects of the methodology, this aspect of conducting systematic reviews is under-developed and the practice of involvement appears highly variable. This article draws on the experience of working with service users and carers in one systematic review to review the barriers to participation and the components of effective involvement. It suggests that quality standards can be identified for service user and carer involvement in systematic reviews, which will benefit policy and practice development.

Practising social work law

Acknowledgements Table of Legal Rules Abbreviations Tables of Cases Preface to the Third Edition Towards Practising Social Work Law Social Work Law: Critical Perspectives Beyond Dilemmas to Decisions Adult Services, Mental Well-being and Criminal Justice Children, Young People and Their Families Frameworks for Decision-Making and Accoutability Frameworks for Partnership Working Making Sense of Practice References

Learning lessons about self-neglect? An analysis of serious case reviews

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from research into 40 serious case reviews (SCRs) involving adults who self-neglect. Design/methodology/approach – The study comprised analysis of 40 SCRs where self-neglect featured. The reviews were found through detailed searching of Local Safeguarding Adult Board (LSAB) web sites and through contacts with Board managers and independent chairs. A four layer analysis is presented of the characteristics of each case and SCR, of the recommendations and of the emerging themes. Learning for service improvement is presented thematically, focusing on the adult and their immediate context, the team around the adult, the organisations around the team and the Local Safeguarding Board around the organisations. Findings – There is no one typical presentation of self-neglect; cases vary in terms of age, household composition, lack of self-care, lack of care of ones environment and/or refusal to engage. Recommendations foreground LSABs, adult social care and unspecified agencies, and focus on staff support, procedures and the components of best practice and effective SCRs. Reports emphasise the importance of a person-centred approach, within the context of ongoing assessment of mental capacity and risk, with agencies sharing information and working closely together, supported by management and supervision, and practising within detailed procedural guidance. Research limitations/implications – There is no national database of SCRs commissioned by LSABs and currently there is no requirement to publish the outcomes of such inquiries. It may be that there are further SCRs, or other forms of inquiry, that have been commissioned by Boards but not publicised. This limits the learning that has been available for service improvement. Practical implications – The paper identifies practice, management and organisational issues that should be considered when working with adults who self-neglect. These cases are often complex and stressful for those involved. The thematic analysis adds to the evidence-base of how best to approach engagement with adults who self-neglect and to engage the multi-agency network in assessing and managing risk and mental capacity. Originality/value – The paper offers the first formal evaluation of SCRs that focus on adults who self-neglect. The analysis of the findings and the recommendations from the investigations into the 40 cases adds to the evidence-base for effective practice with adults who self-neglect.

Learning social work law: an enquiry-based approach to developing knowledge and skills

This paper, written jointly by tutors and students, discusses an enquiry-based approach to learning and assessing law as part of social work qualifying training in England. It is argued that social work law is an area of learning particularly suited to an approach in which enquiry and analysis skills are promoted through practical problem solving. The paper considers the theoretical rationale for this approach and identifies how this conceptual frame informs the learning and assessment structure. It identifies how students present evidence for assessment of their skill and knowledge development, through both written and verbal submission, and considers the learning outcomes achieved. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the approach as an example of knowledge and skill development through problem solving and reflection.

Paid, Professionalised and Proceduralised: Can Legal and Policy Frameworks for Child Advocacy Give Voice to Children and Young People?

Significant developments have taken place over recent years in the legal and policy framework for childrens participation in decision‐making and the role of advocacy within this context. Whilst there is much here to be welcomed, there are also emerging concerns about the nature and direction of advocacy for children and young people in public care. This paper draws on evidence from an empirical study of childrens participation in statutory reviews—one of the key arenas for decision‐making relating to looked after children—in order to consider critical themes identifiable within the developing field of child advocacy.

Accountability, administrative law and social work practice: Redressing or reinforcing the power imbalance?

Abstract Accountability in social care services involves a complex web of obligations to different stakeholders whose demands are not necessarily compatible. This article locates administrative law...

Empowerment and partnership in mental health: Towards a different relationship

Abstract Empowerment (the process of service users taking control of their own lives) and partnership (the process of working with people on an equal footing in the pursuit of agreed goals) have become accepted principles in social work practice and have received legislative endorsement as the foundation stones of quality relationships between users and providers of community care services. However, these key principles have been interpreted differently by the stakeholders in these services, such that practising empowerment and partnership is neither simple nor straightforward. This article suggests that, for their potential to be realised, the principles of partnership and empowerment must be located within a conceptual framework which integrates the following elements: firstly, an understanding of power, inequality and oppression, and why these concepts are relevant to professional practice; secondly, personal and organisational commitments to challenging and changing oppressive practices which maintain...

Balancing powers: university researchers thinking critically about participatory research with young fathers:

The Talking Dads Project brought together young fathers, an NGO and university researchers to explore the experiences of young fathers in a UK seaside city. Young fathers took a lead role in developing the content of, and conducting, interviews with peer participants. Drawing on an analytical framework derived from participatory research literature, this article provides an analysis of five critical processes that created intense debate and became sites for negotiation of the delicate balance of powers between participants. These included young fathers’ initial engagement, the translation of their research ideas into research tools, research ethics such as confidentiality and duty of care, the academic researchers’ role in making adjustments to facilitate comprehensive, in-depth data collection, and the differential impact of the research on the lives of all involved. The learning emerging from this evaluation of the research process contributes to the understanding of the challenges of participatory research and the value of flexibility in responding to challenges and constraints.

Law in Social Work Education: Reviewing the Evidence on Teaching, Learning and Assessment

This paper presents the findings from a systemic review of knowledge relating to current practice in the teaching, learning and assessment of law in social work education. The research comprised an internationally conducted systematic review of the literature, together with a survey of current education practice in the four countries of the UK. Two consultation events sought the views of a range of stakeholders, including the perspectives of service users and carers. Set in the context of debates about the relationship between law and social work practice, this paper identifies the common themes emerging from the review and offers an analysis of key findings, together with priorities for future directions in education practice.

Partners in community care? Rethinking the relationship between the law and social work practice

Abstract The relationship between law and social work practice is complex and confusing. Attempts to define it have identified stereotypical assumptions and divergent purposes. Recent community care legislation, however, in speaking the language of partnership and empowerment, has resonated with the current concerns of professional social work and thus has opened the way for further exploration. This article takes as a starting point two of the major challenges facing professionals working with adults vulnerable through age, disability, or illness, and demonstrates how the relevant social welfare law helps or hinders professional endeavour. The first challenge lies in determining who controls the provision and quality of services–the needs of people, their rights or resource availability. The second challenge lies in determining who makes which decisions about peoples lives–the individual or the state–and by reference to what values. This analysis provides a framework for clarifying the relationship betw...