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Relationships and reciprocity; where next for strengths-based social work in adult social care?
No full textStrengths-based social work is a deceptively simple approach that is conflated with community strengths-based models, causing confusion for local authority commissioning processes as well as for practice. This has led to the reductionist question ‘what are your strengths’ now being seen as an acceptable basis for assessment. It may be that in our determination to avoid a deficit approach, we are ignoring the realities of living with care and support needs. But it may also be that in the face of overwhelming need, a simplistic approach to assessment serves the unconscious need to contain anxiety for social workers and wider system. This article uses a local authority case study to explore the meaning of strengths approach for social work. An approach of Relationships and Reciprocity is proposed to build upon the affirming principles of strengths and contributions whilst recognising the centrality of the relationship in forming authentic collaboration and containment
When I grow up: Conversations with adults in search of adulthood
No full textThese are the questions that journalist Moya Sarner sets out to answer as she begins training as a psychotherapist. But as she delves further into her own mind and others’, she soon realises that growing up is far from the linear process we imagine it to be. So begins a journey of discovery into what growing up really involves, and how we do it again and again throughout our lives.
From early adulthood through to old age, When I Grow Up examines each life stage, interrogating the traditional markers of adulthood and finding new ones. Through conversations with grown-ups from all walks of life, and through her own experiences and training, Sarner probes deep into our psyches to discover how we grow and develop, and what we need to thrive throughout our lives
An exploration of excluded young people’s experience of permanent exclusion using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA)
Get PDFIn spite of changes in the law and approaches aimed at reducing school exclusion,
the level of Permanent Exclusion from schools within the United Kingdom (UK)
remains high. The short-term and long-term consequences for both the individual and
society, including reduced life chances and wider social exclusion, are well
documented. As a result, school exclusion continues to be an on-going priority for
the government and professionals working within education.
Conducted in an inner London borough, this thesis is set within the national and local
context of concern regarding school exclusion. Aiming to develop a better
understanding of the experiences of young people who have been permanently
excluded from school, this thesis addresses a gap in the literature base. The lived
experiences of Permanent Exclusion were explored from the viewpoint of excluded
young people attending a pupil referral unit (PRU).
Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology, semistructured interviews were conducted and analysed. The resulting themes that
emerged from the data analysis are presented and overarching findings are
discussed in relation to previous literature and psychological theory. Key themes
relating to basic psychological needs were identified and the findings were explored
alongside self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Implications of the findings
for Educational Psychologists (EPs), school staff and other professionals working
with this group of young people are discussed in relation to applying self determination theory more holistically in schools. Recommendations or future
research are also presented
Applying a cultural historical activity theory approach to explore the tensions within and between the roles of educational psychologists and primary mental health workers when supporting mental health needs in schools
Get PDFWith the recent increase of Mental Health (MH) needs in Children and Young People (CYP) and budget cuts, exacerbated by the pandemic, there is a need to optimise support in schools. This research aims to look at how Educational Psychologists (EPs) and Primary Mental Health Workers (PMHWs) can operate in a Local Authority (LA) to best utilise resources to provide optimal support for CYP’s MH needs in schools. This research adopted a Third-Generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) framework to collect and analyse data from 6 EPs and 5 PMHWs practising in the same LA. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews to gain their views on their roles, each other’s roles and the supports and constraints in their everyday practice. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify themes which were then mapped onto each of the nodes on the CHAT framework. This highlighted similarities and contradictions within and between the different professionals. EPs and PMHWs both aimed to support wellbeing in their practice, with EPs also supporting adults MH and PMHWs providing intervention for CYP MH diagnoses directly. Both EPs and PMHWs reported that they were constrained by educational pressures, time, and money. EPs reported that that they carried out short-term systemic, preventative work in schools whereas PMHWs tend to have longer direct therapeutic involvement with CYP. PMHWs had a greater understanding of the EP role compared to EPs of the PMHW role. These tensions within the different systems can be applied to develop future practice. This will ultimately then provide more effective support for CYP’s MH needs. This has further implications for the EP role in supporting MH needs in schools, as well as working with other professionals. Future directions for research are also provided
The school apperception story procedure: Educational Psychologists’ experiences of using a novel measure to elicit pupil views
Get PDFThe School Apperception Story Procedure (SASP) is a measure originally created for use in counselling psychology. However, its underlying theoretical bases (Personal Construct Psychology, Narrative Approaches and Projective Techniques) and focus on school situations are all features that facilitate the elicitation of pupil views in the current literature. Thus, this research aimed to investigate the utility of the SASP in Educational Psychology practice, due to Educational Psychologists (EPs) having a statutory duty to include the views of pupils in their assessments. A team of Local Authority EPs were trained to use the SASP, and four of these agreed to be interviewed about their experiences using the SASP 9 months later. EPs and Trainee EPs were also invited to complete an anonymous online questionnaire regarding their experiences of the SASP (n=14). Interviews produced qualitative data that were systematically analysed by thematic analysis, and questionnaires were analysed using basic descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations in SPSS. The questionnaires indicated that the SASP had been successfully used with children and young people (CYP) across various age ranges (4-18, with the most successful uses in the age bracket of 10-12) and with CYP with a variety of presenting needs (the most reported need of CYP was ‘emotional and mental health needs’). However, EPs reported some barriers and constraints to using the SASP including difficulties with CYP with ASD and also writing reports based on SASP findings. Interview data expanded on the questionnaires, including exploration of CYP views, the role of the EP, specific elements of the SASP and perceived suitability of the SASP. The SASP was revealed to be a useful tool for EPs to elicit the views of CYP and, when faced with specific needs of CYP, that it was flexible enough to be adapted. Therefore, it is argued that it should be a more widely dispersed tool among EPs and taught to Trainee EPs as part of their training
Who are we now? Who's asking? What is the question? Fitting in or standing out? We have a choice, or do we?
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An evaluation of a newly established psychoanalytically informed Under-fives Service in four children’s centres
Get PDFA new community CAHMS Under-fives Service was commissioned by the local
NHS commissioning group CCG to address unmet mental health provision for
children under five, their families and allied professionals in health and social
care. The research did not commission the service. Under-fives clinicians are
co-located one day a week in each of the four children’s centres, attending
universal stay and play sessions, consultations with parents and staff and
deliver clinical intervention, parent–infant psychotherapy.
The study investigates the experiences of children’s centre practitioners who
have worked alongside under-fives clinicians or made use of the consultations
The views of six children’s centre practitioners, from four centres, were
gathered using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Thematic
Analysis. Four core themes emerged: presence in the children’s centres; a
different way of thinking; learning and development; and organisational
challenges.
The findings suggest the co-location of the Under-fives Service has generated
a working alliance and broken-down barriers of engagement. The findings
identify the informality of the service: clinicians being visible, approachable and
working alongside the children’s centre practitioners in the universal group
settings is key to the successful integration of the Under-fives Service. The
findings further indicate informal reflective discussions, as opposed to a more
formal work discussion model, with opportunities to reflect and share
observations broke down professional defences. Clinicians skills were also identified: observations, reflective thinking and specialist knowledge contained
practitioners’ anxieties and developed a joint focus on emotional
communications. Practitioners are more thoughtful to the meanings of a child’s
behaviour, and are more likely to focus on children’s emotional wellbeing and
on the parent–child relationship than on parents’ difficulties and developmental
issues that keep the child at the centre.
The findings also indicate practitioners have developed a deeper understanding
of the importance of the quality of the early parent–child relationship in the
development of a child. Practitioners are more confident in identifying infant
mental health/parent–infant difficulties and feel more skilled to intervene. They
feel more knowledgeable about CAMHS and better supported and are more
likely to refer a child to CAMHS if needed. They feel CAMHS is a more
accessible and less stigmatising service.
The practitioners identified a lack of resources as the primary limitation of the
Under-fives Service, and a need for training in infant mental health for all staff
in the children’s centres. They suggest this model of working could be
introduced to all children’s centres to support staff in delivering child-focused
practice
On not being 'passed over'
Get PDFThis conversation started in the context of Passover, a festival about Jewish identity, cultural narratives and continuity by passing on those mess'ages forward. It is a story ('data with soul') (Brown, 2020) about the transformation from slavery to freedom and the birth of a nation. The festival incorporates words, food and rituals as forms of re-membering. This conversation aims to pass on how sharing cultural narratives in the context of training enriched the experience of the training group as a whole