Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
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Ecosystems of Educational Disadvantage: Supporting Children and Young People receiving Child Protection and Welfare Services in Ireland
No full textTheoretically-informed focused commentary on the literature in this paper, considers the position of children and young people, as embedded within socio-ecological systems. The specific focus is on the educational disadvantage of children and young people susceptible to involvement from child protection and welfare services in the Republic of Ireland. To inform this, the utility of socio-ecological theory is emphasised, and from here, a Personal–Cultural–Structural (PCS) analysis is applied, to achieve an ecologically sensitive anti-discriminatory framework. Following a qualitative thematic review of literature, discussion addresses the question of what practitioners can do to promote the educational welfare of children and young people. The article is timely and necessary as existing evidence indicates that factors associated with educational disadvantage also increase susceptibility for involvement with child protection and welfare services. Yet, despite the compounded disadvantage this implies, little is understood about how these factors interact in practice. Overall, better understanding of educational underachievement is required, in the context of its negative and pervasive long-term effects, including decreased well-being, poorer health, and unemployment
USING CONTRACTS IN GROUPWORK
Get PDFAlthough regularly mentioned in the groupwork literature, contracts, as a working concept, have rarely been elaborated or explored. Yet, as research into the effectiveness of social work demonstrates, contracts form part of an identifiable, successful approach to work, which has user involvement as a central theme. This paper outlines the basics of this approach and then examines the special features of group- work as they affect the process of using contracts. The paper concludes with suggestions regarding the framework and content for working agreements with service users which are seen as morally binding on the participants.Publisher’s note: We are now putting all back issues of Groupwork on line. Articles in this issue have been scanned to pdf files as viable original typesetting files no longer exist. Though they may not look it, these files are to some extent searchable. This issue was published nearly 30 years ago. We have stated author professional details as received at time of publication
DESIGNING CANCER GROUPS FOR MAXIMUM EFFECTIVENESS
Get PDFThis article attempts to shed light on some of the problems involved in developing optimum service groups for cancer patients and offers ideas concerning the design, content, leadership and membership of these groups. The article begins with a literature review of current research on issues faced by cancer patients and how these have been handled in support groups and therapy groups across the country. Following this, suggestions are offered to assist those involved in planning for these groups to deal with some of the potential difficulties encountered by many of these groups. Interest in this project grew out of the author’s personal experience with cancer and from the experience of being first a participant, and later a leader, in groups for cancer patients.Publisher’s note: We are now putting all back issues of Groupwork on line. Articles in this issue have been scanned to pdf files as viable original typesetting files no longer exist. Though they may not look it, these files are to some extent searchable. This issue was published nearly 30 years ago. We have stated author professional details as received at time of publication
1970-2020: A fifty year history the personal social services and social work in England and across the United Kingdom
Get PDF2020 is the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of a unified profession of social work across the United Kingdom and of the creation of integrated personal social services in each of the four UK countries. This paper reflects on the genesis of these changes, tracks developments over the past fifty years, and comments on the current state of social work and the personal social services in England and throughout the UK
Review of Developing Your Communication Skills in Social Work by Paula Beesley, Melanie Watts and Mary Harrison
No full textSpeaking Truth to Power: Mental Health Service Users’ Experiences of Participation in their Diagnosis and Treatment
Get PDFIn a qualitative study, long-term mental health service users shared their views on the concept of ‘participation’ as shaped by their personal histories of contact with mental health services in Ireland. Adopting a narrative methodology, the study participants were asked to draw on their experiences with mental health services to illustrate their general views on participation by service users in mental health care contexts.In this study, the research participants recounted positive experiences of participation in which their expressed views regarding their symptoms and treatment needs were incorporated into the service responses they received. The data revealed that service users perceived open and inclusive communication by service providers as an important factor in optimising their ability to participate in help-seeking, diagnosis and treatment plans. However, the study also illuminated the chilling effect on participation when service users’ views were not heeded or acknowledged by service providers. The findings highlight how the failure to include service users’ insights can negatively encroach on service user participation. The service user narratives collected in this study exposed the often uneasy juxtaposition of the service user’s personally held ‘truth’ regarding their lived experience of mental distress versus the powerful system of expert diagnosis and treatment. This article focuses on reporting selective findings from the study regarding participation in the contexts of help-seeking, diagnosis and treatment decisions
‘They’re trying to teach them what I can teach them at home, and them not a Traveller!’: Introducing Irish Traveller identity into the curriculum
Get PDFThis paper documents research that investigated Irish Traveller women’s experiences of education within the context of a rapidly changing society. The paper discusses the methodological approaches chosen by the researcher in order to support research with hard-to-reach populations (Sydor, 2013). The findings detail the complexities surrounding the introduction of Traveller identities into the curriculum. The paper concludes with a discussion of need for a change in practice and understanding which values collaboration between Traveller communities and educational environments thereby benefitting Irish Traveller women who are the key actors in Traveller children accessing education and thereby improving educational outcomes and subsequent life chances
Attitudes and beliefs of parents of children with disabilities in Uganda
No full textBackground. Little is known about the experience of carers of children with disabilities in Uganda, where child disability constitutes 31.4% of all disabilities. This study examined the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of parents/ main carers of children with disabilities, and the challenges they face, in order to optimize rehabilitation strategies for the child and their family. Methods. Qualitative data were collected from ten semi - structured interviews with eight main carers children receiving rehabilitation in rural Uganda. Results. Three main themes were identified: (1) experiences, (2) beliefs, and (3) attitudes of the parents/ main carers. Carers experienced emotional stress and many life changes as the burden of care fell primarily on them. A lack of knowledge and information about disability amongst carers, resulted in alternative beliefs about treatment. Social stigma towards disability remains an issue within Ugandan society. Conclusions. Family centered rehabilitation should be incorporated into rehabilitation programmes to decrease burden of care upon the main carer. Health care practitioners are in a strong position to educate families about causation, diagnosis, and prognosis of a child’s condition, but such services should be improved through community education about disability and facilitated with the development of parental support groups
