Archives

10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 1, Relationships Matter

By Richard Devine (31.08.2020), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council Originally I had intended to write a blog with 10 pithy lessons from my experience of being a social worker since I qualified in 2010. What I have done instead is write 10 lengthy (ish) lessons, each amounting to the equivalent of […]

The problem with resilience

By Lys Eden (14.08.20) Preface by Richard Devine: This is a guest blog by Lys Clark, care experienced social work student. I found this to be a thoroughly captivating and thought provoking piece, in which the concept of resilience is explored. Lys lucidly and incisively articulates concern with the term. She persuasively argues that it […]

Book review of The Ecology of Human Development (1979) by Urie Bronfenbrenner

Subtitle; Picking Sides: Psychology versus Sociology in Social Work By Richard Devine, Social Worker and Author of Messy Social Work: Learning from Frontline Practice with Children and Families and co-host of the Messy Social Work Podcast (31.07.20) Introduction: A challenge in social work is being taught both sociology and psychology. There can often be a tension between these […]

Critical cause of concern and critical cause of change

By Richard Devine (17.07.20), Social Worker and Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES). Introduction: Too much support?  Frequently, I am overwhelmed by the variety and severity of problems that a parent or family is experiencing. Drug and/or alcohol use, domestic abuse, poor mental health alongside dire housing conditions, financial difficulties, and children with a […]

Drugs, death and my decision to become a Social Worker

By Richard Devine, Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council (03.07.20) This was the perspective of my dad at one point during my childhood. He died when I was 16 years old after he spent most of my adolescence using drugs and alcohol or in rehabilitation treatment centres. Whilst in rehab my dad […]

“She prioritises her own needs above her child’s”

By Richard Devine, Social Worker and Author of Messy Social Work: Learning from Frontline Practice with Children and Families and co-host of the Messy Social Work Podcast I am cautious in analysing the meaning of words, statements, and phrases in children’s social work. Language is fundamental in shaping and defining our own experiences as well as the experience […]

A Reflection on a long career in Social Work

Preface by Richard Devine: This is a guest blog by Ruth Martin, a recently retired (mostly!) Social Worker from Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES). She wrote a reflective piece on the changes in social work since she qualified in 1977, an impressive 42 years ago.  She very kindly agreed to share it. I […]

Book Review; Erving Goffman’s Presentation of Self in Everyday Life

By Richard Devine (22.05.2020) Introduction  Erving Goffman’s 1956 book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life is considered one of the most important sociological texts of the twentieth century. His work is often a staple part of the social work curriculum. Goffman invokes language and imagery derived from theatre. This functions as an effective analogy […]

Why we don’t talk to children?

A guest blog from Andy Black, a Social Worker in the Child in Care Team at Bath and North East Somerset Council (08.05.20). Introduction: I wanted to write this blog as the question of why we don’t talk to children is something that has consistently arisen within my own practice. After almost two years working […]

A summary on the ‘WHY’ of writing a chronology

The most important part of writing a chronology is understanding WHY we complete them. Often in Social Work, the ‘HOW’ is underpinned by the ‘WHY.  There are many reasons to complete a chronology but here are five of the main reasons:  To understand Children Social Care involvement with the family or child thus far. You […]