Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Richard Devine (18.12.2020), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council. Introduction:  On 07th October 2020, we held a debate at Bath and North East Somerset Council between Brid Featherstone and Donald Forrester. This debate was inspired by an article each of them wrote for the COVID2020 online magazine. Very briefly, Forrester advocatedContinue reading “Forrester versus Featherstone: A debate Part 3”

By Richard Devine (16.12.2020), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council. Introduction:  On 07th October 2020, we held a debate at Bath and North East Somerset Council between Brid Featherstone and Donald Forrester. This debate was inspired by an article each of them wrote for the COVID2020 online magazine. Very briefly, Forrester advocatedContinue reading “Forrester versus Featherstone: A debate Part 2”

By Richard Devine (14.12.2020), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council Introduction:  On 07th October 2020, we held a debate at Bath and North East Somerset Council between Brid Featherstone and Donald Forrester. This debate was inspired by an article each of them wrote for the COVID2020 online magazine. Very briefly, Forrester advocatedContinue reading “Forrester Versus Featherstone: A debate Part 1”

By Richard Devine (02.10.20), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Preface: This is a review of ‘Social Media and Social Work: Implications and opportunities for practice’ edited by Claudia Megele and Peter Buzzi (2020).  Introduction:  ‘The fast evolving social and technological landscapes have transformed society and the understanding of ‘social’ and are rapidlyContinue reading “Social Media and Social Work”

By Richard Devine (11.09.20) Lesson 10: Asking for Help It turns out that I don’t have 10 lessons. I only have 9! A couple of days ago I realised that I wasn’t going to have a 10th lesson. I remembered, however, that I could do what I have always done when I am ‘stuck’ orContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 years on the Frontline: 10, Asking for help”

By Richard Devine (10.09.2020), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council. In this blog, I will share some of the mini-lessons that I have picked up over the years. It is a random list of ideas and thoughts that didn’t fit into any of the other lessons. So here it is:  Confidence overContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 years on the Frontline: 9, Small Wins”

By Richard Devine (09.09.2020) Lesson 8: Some parents need long term support Introduction:  This is the most recent lesson I have learned. If I would have read this blog during the first few years of being a social worker, I would have dismissed the idea as fanciful, unrealistic, and probably proposed by someone disconnected fromContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 years on the Frontline: 8, Some parents need long term support”

By Richard Devine (08.09.2020), Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset Council Lesson 7. Effective social work depends upon effective time management Introduction: Poor impulse control; easily activated fear system motivating avoidance of difficult tasks; and the inability to organize and structure my time according to a set of priorities are all issues thatContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 7, Effective social work depends on effective time management”

By Richard Devine (07.09.2020), 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 ofContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 years on the Frontline: 6, Attachment and Trauma”

By Richard Devine (04.09.2020), 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 ofContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 5, The complexity of domestic abuse”

By Richard Devine (03.09.2020), 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 ofContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 4, Parenting courses don’t work (!?)”

By Richard Devine (01.09.2020), 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 ofContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 2, ‘Yesterday’s Children’ are ‘todays mothers and fathers’”

By Richard Devine (02.09.2020), 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 ofContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 3, Decision Making and Removing Children”

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 ofContinue reading “10 Lessons from 10 Years on the Frontline: 1, Relationships Matter”

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 itContinue reading “The problem with resilience”

Subtitle; Picking Sides: Psychology versus Sociology in Social Work By Richard Devine, Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset (31.07.20) Introduction: A challenge in social work is being taught both sociology and psychology. There can often be a tension between these two disciplines, with each making the case that the level of analysis inContinue reading “Book review of The Ecology of Human Development (1979) by Urie Bronfenbrenner”

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 aContinue reading “Critical cause of concern and critical cause of change”

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 dadContinue reading “Drugs, death and my decision to become a Social Worker”

A reflection, by Richard Devine; Social Worker for Bath and North East Somerset (19.06.20) (Vacancy in BANES currently for deputy team manager – just click on the job title and it take you directly to the website). I am cautious in analysing the meaning of words, statements, and phrases in children’s social work. Language isContinue reading ““She prioritises her own needs above her child’s””

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. IContinue reading “A Reflection on a long career in Social Work”