BASPCAN, 14 April, 2015 Symposium Researching Child Protection Close Up w Harry Ferguson Karen Winter et al Juliet Koprowska et al Charlotte Whittaker et al
1. BASPCAN, 14 April, 2015 Symposium Researching Child
Protection Close Upw Harry Ferguson Karen Winter et al Juliet
Koprowska et al Charlotte Whittaker et al
2. (No) Research into face to face CP practice Curious absence
of research observations Participant observation studies in SW
offices (Helm, 2014; Broadhurst, et al, 2010; Dingwall et al, 1983;
Pithouse, 1998; Scourfield, 2003) Important findings re
bureaucracy, decision-making, language, gender But need to get
right up close to practice Interactions, relational dynamics,
helping.
3. Using ethnographic & mobile methods to understand
encounters between social workers, children & families Harry
Ferguson Professor of Social Work University of Nottingham
[email protected] Twitter: @harr_ferguson BASPCAN, 14
April, 2015
4. 2008: began research observations of practice encounters
Developed participant observation / shadowing method, ethics
procedure 2012-13: ESRC study
5. Research questions How do social workers perform child
protection face to face? Do they see children alone? If yes, where?
If not, why? How do SWs, children & parents relate? What is the
lived experience of the work? What enables & constrains good
practice?
6. Researching practice, close up Mobile methods: Shadowed
practitioners in the car, street, home visits, schools Interviewed
on way there about their approach, plan Observed &
audio-recorded encounter with children, parents, carers Interviewed
SWs in car straight after Only done with consent.
7. Sample 2 L/As Short & long-term social work teams
Shadowed 24 social workers on 87 practice encounters 71 home visits
9 interviews with children in schools 7 office interviews.
8. Access & consent SWs asked selected parents if would
consent to researcher accompanying them Some refused But all who
permitted initial visit consented to researcher staying 70/71
parents on home visits gave consent to audio-recording.
9. Driving interviews Im planning in my own head and thinking:
right, where do I start, what do I say; will the children be there,
wont they, you know
10. Walking interviews ((Dog barking)) SW: I do hate visiting
families with dogs. Its my biggest bugbear. Why does everybody whos
got a dog think that people like them? HF: Yeah. ((Dog barking))
SW: Oh. HF: I think this is the back door. SW: Yeah. ((Dogs barking
loudly)) Can we go round! ((More barking))
11. Inside the home / the world of practice Or: What happens
after this?
12. The complexity of practice Impact of house, dogs,
strangers, smells, flux, atmospheres (hostile, warm, depressed )
Deep emotional, sensory experience Multiple tasks Creating order to
achieve goals highly skilled activity.
13. How SW & CP are done: Do SWs see children on their own?
Parents only present 9 Children seen on their own in the home: 15
Children not seen alone 47 71 Common reason not seen alone, under
5.
14. Being mobile within the home Researcher needs to accompany
workers into families most intimate spaces Or will miss key aspects
of practice 39 of the 71 home visits inspected bedrooms & some
kitchens 9/15 visits saw children alone in bedrooms Consent as a
process, not a single event.
15. Talk SW: And do you ever worry when mum drinks? 10 yr old:
[Pause] About 20% I worry. SW: Oh okay. And whats that 20% then?
What makes you worried? 10 yr old: Well, she can be like OTT like
Analysis of talk, questioning styles, empathy, use of authority
(Hall, et al 2014 ).
16. Body / actions Jenny sat on the single bed. She leaned
towards the children with an open stance, making eye contact and
responding to them in an animated manner. The 10 yr old boy leaned
back against the bed, while his six-year-old sister stayed 3 feet
further away and leaned back against the wall. Jenny adjusted her
language and style to make it appropriate for the younger child.
She also paid attention to the childrens things DVDs, toys and
incorporated them in a playful way into her communication.
17. Intimate Practice Identification of patterns in how close
practitioners get to children Use of touch eg to bring comfort,
check on childrens well-being Capacity to play Personal capacities,
use of self.
18. Observational methods Crucial evidence of what SWs do
Actions, talk, impact of contexts (home) AND dont do, and why - the
irrational Reflexivity: feelings, atmospheres, the senses as data
(Pink, 2009) Ethically important moments (Guillemin & Gillam,
2004) inevitable.
19. Cannot be resolved in advance Avoid anticipating rejection
by ethics committees (Dingwall, 2008) Trust researchers to be
ethical Not just about serving academics needs Unearthing SUs
experiences of services, bad & good (Ashencaen Crabtree,
2012).