Professional formation and proficiency in child protection social work. Forming or performing - managing complexity or dealing with perplexity?
Richard Martin
Sheffield Hallam University
Richard is a registered and qualified Social Worker with 8 years of practice experience primarily within Child Protection. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Sheffield Hallam University, teaching on the BA and Masters in Social Work programmes, the Applied Nursing and Social Work programme and the PGDip in Advanced Practice in Family Placement and Looked After Children. He undertakes a lead role in child and family law, children and families practice, looked after children, research methods in social work and social work Dissertation. He became the Course Leader and Assessment Officer for the Masters in Social Work in 2015. Richard has taken the lead researcher role in an evaluation of a Sheffield based project working with vulnerable young women and been involved in inter-disciplinary research into early career professional resilience. He has recently had a paper published on the development and delivery of an undergraduate children and families module and is currently researching the progress and experience of newly qualified social workers in their careers in children and families social work.
Abstract
ObjectiveTo explore the process of professional formation in childprotection social workers. The study is concerned with the contribution oflearned formal knowledge to the developing practitioner's own practice and... [ view full abstract ]
Objective
To explore the process of professional formation in childprotection social workers. The study is concerned with the contribution oflearned formal knowledge to the developing practitioner's own practice and theirperceived effectiveness in their role of safeguarding and promoting the welfareof children.
Method
Curriculum requirements for pre-registration social workeducation are reviewed as well as post qualifying professional development andaccreditation frameworks currently being implemented in England. Narrativeinterviews with newly qualified and established practitioners providesubjective experiences of personal and professional development within socialwork careers. Analysis compares personal narratives with more formalexpectations of performance and developing proficiency.
Results
Preliminary findings indicate that adaptation to practicecontexts and the ability to complete work within timescales is important toboth practitioners and to child welfare departments. This suggests that instrumentalabilities are valued over critical engagement and the application oftheoretical models. It is recognised that breadth of experience informsprofessional judgments and decisions. However new practitioners are given toomuch responsibility, too soon, and do not have the opportunity to develop confidenceand competence in a wider range of social work activities associated with identification,prevention, support and recovery.
Conclusions
The results indicate that for newly qualified social workers,adaptation to a narrow, process driven model in child protection is an importantdriver and this can be associated with an over simplification of thecomplexities of responding to the effects of child abuse and neglect. Thisindicates that effectiveness in identification, prevention, support andrecovery requires coaching and encouragement from practice supervisors topromote critical reflection and the more explicit reference to the sources of knowledgethat have informed their practice.
Authors
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Richard Martin
(Sheffield Hallam University)
Topic Area
Training Professionals and Education of children and families
Session
Oral 18 » Session1-Training Professionals (11:00 - Tuesday, 3rd October, Europe 1 Room)
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