Tools
Tools
Ruch, Gillian (2013) ‘Helping children is a human process’: researching the challenges social workers face in communicating with children. British Journal of Social Work, 44 (8). pp. 2145-2162. ISSN 0045-3102
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Research studies and inquiry reports in the UK have consistently highlighted children's wishes for social workers to demonstrate honesty, reliability and continuity in their relationships with them. Despite this awareness, social workers continue to struggle to exhibit these qualities. The literature on social workers' communication with children portrays it as a complex, partial and fragmented aspect of practice, with a lack of research that directly explores how social workers communicate with children. This paper reports on a ‘practice near’ research project, informed by psycho-dynamic, systemic and ecological approaches to social work practice in general and to communication in particular. The project involved social workers participating in reflective case discussions that explored their experiences of working with children and identified the obstacles to and opportunities for child-centred communication. The findings highlight how practitioners' commitment to child-centred practice was constrained by contextual factors relating to the physical, relational and emotional dimensions of practice. The paper concludes with key recommendations to enhance child-centred responses to the unpredictable and uncomfortable realities of practice. These recommendations make an important contribution to dialogues across national settings about child-centred approaches in contexts where home-based working is a central feature of practice.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Child-care social work, communication, relationships, psycho-social |
| Schools and Departments: | School of Education and Social Work > Social Work and Social Care |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV0040 Social service. Social work. Charity organization and practice Including social case work, private and public relief, institutional care, rural social work, work relief |
| Depositing User: | Michael Davy |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jun 2013 10:23 |
| Last Modified: | 23 Feb 2015 08:53 |
| URI: | http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/45241 |