Recent evidence suggests that 80% of social workers find it hard to practice effectively and 53% fear lack of support could have tragic consequences for service users (BASW, 2012:07). The aim of this review was to determine the implications of practitioners perceptions and experiences of their agency, “…the capacity to have an impact on what’s going on around (them) (Payne, 2005:230),” on statutory practice. The objectives consisted of the successful identification, analysis and synthesis of frontline practitioner’s perceptions and experiences of their agency in statutory practice with children and families.
The author used electronic search methods utilising sources such as IRISS, Oxford Journals, Web of Science, Google Scholar and SocINDEX. This review has been written using the narrative literature review framework with systematic data collection and recording methods. The influence of social constructionist thought has also been acknowledged
The review looks at wider structure and agency debate and its relevance for contemporary social work practice with children and families and how it shapes practitioners perceptions of this. A brief history of the main theoretical perspectives within this debate is also explored.
The author focused on five main studies which recorded social work practitioner’s perceptions and experiences on their own degree of agency in statutory practice. The author found that practice wisdom, defined as “…the accumulation of information, assumptions, ideologies and judgment that have been particularly useful in fulfilling the expectations of the job” (Barker 1999 cited in Collins et al 2011:4) has a significant effect on the construction of practitioner’s sense of practice reality in relation to their degree of agency.
The author concludes that there is a substantial erosion of agency due to low levels of practice wisdom in contemporary statutory child and families’ social work practice. Practice wisdom is a pertinent component of successful structural navigation, the ability to work creativity as a skilled organisational practitioner.
CONTENTS
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Setting the scene
1.2 Reasons and rationale
1.3 Aims and objectives
Chapter 2 Literature review
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Structure and agency
2.3 Importance to contemporary social work practice
2.4 The Munro Review of Child Protection
2.5 Professional Capabilities Framework & Standards of Proficiency
2.6 Overview of literature review
Chapter 3 Methodology
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Methodological considerations
3.3 Data collection
3.4 Literature Search
3.5 Search inclusion and exclusion criteria
3.6 Research methodological issues
3.7 Theoretical framework
3.8 Ethical considerations
Chapter 4 Findings
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Findings GHSW
4.3 Findings GHSW
4.4 Findings GHSW
4.5 Findings GHSW
4.6 Findings GHSW
4.7 Overview of findings
Chapter 5 Analysis and sythesis
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Discussion of findings
5.3 Limitations of research
Chapter 6 Conclusion and recommendations
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Conclusion
6.2.1 Work completed
6.2.2 Data management
6.2.3 Data collection tools
6.2.4 Research findings
6.2.5 Areas of learning
6.3 Recommendations
Bibliography͙͙͙
List of Appendices
Appendix 1: Literature search - Planning stage
Appendix 2: Electronic search results
Appendix 3: Summary of extracted sources
Appendix 4: Meta-summary of sources uses
Appendix 5: Agency, PCF and the SoPs
Appendix 6: Final checklist table
-
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X. -
Upload your own papers! Earn money and win an iPhone X.