Week 2 – Relationship Based Social Work PDF

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Relationship Based Social Work...

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Week 2 – Relationship Based Social Work Being effective in relationship-based work Ruch (2010: 18-19) argues that ‘to be effective in relationship-based work the social worker needs knowledge and skills in the handling of the complex dynamics of helping relationships. In particular, the demanding nature of practice means that it is potentially fraught with anxiety: the dilemmas and difficulties which service users face may evoke considerable uncertainty and anxiety.’ Key components of relationship-based work Ruch (2010: 21) outlines six key understandings of relationship-based practice: 1. Human behaviours and the professional relationship are an integral component of any professional intervention - You need to invest in a professional relationship a conscious awareness of your own behaviour and that of service users. This is different from many day-to-day interactions which often are fleeting and superficial. 2. Human behaviour is complex and multifaceted - People are not simply rational beings but have affective (both conscious and unconscious) dimensions that enrich but simultaneously complicate human relationships. For example, in working with a service user you might encounter strong emotional resistance to them following through on an apparently agreed plan of action. 3. The internal and external worlds of individuals are inseparable so integrated (psychosocial), as opposed to one-dimensional, responses to social problems are crucial for social work practice. The ‘psychosocial’ tradition in social work is an enduring one. It means understanding individuals in the context of their social circumstances e.g. poverty, disadvantage, discrimination, deprivation, injustice etc. 4. Each social work encounter is unique, and attention must be paid to the specific circumstances of each individual. This relates to a ‘core’ social work value expounded by writers such as Biestek (1957) who used the term ‘individualisation’. It means treating people as individuals and respecting individual differences. Organisations tend to ‘categorise’ people to simplify response but this can undermine the valuing of uniqueness. 5. A collaborative relationship is the means through which interventions are channelled, and this requires a particular emphasis to be placed on the ‘use of self’. There is an emphasis in social work of working, or seeking to work, in partnership with service users (and with other professionals and other organisations). This can be challenging especially in situations of conflict or disagreement. 6. The respect for individuals embedded in relationship-based practice involves practising in inclusive and empowering ways. This means seeking to include rather than

exclude. For instance, working with an older person with dementia who might readily be excluded from key decisions affecting her life. Example: Ruch (2010: 32) highlights the situation of young people leaving care where anxiety can underpin behaviour.  External pressures on the care leaver could include: discrimination in employment; lack of suitable accommodation; absence of supportive relationships  Internal pressures could include: ambivalence about becoming independent; previous experience of transitions; feelings of insecurity.

Relationship-based social work: some theoretical influences Attachment Theory:  Based on proposition that the way we relate to others throughout our lives is shaped first by the relationship with our primary carer (s).  Original exponent of ‘attachment theory’ was John Bowlby who was particularly interested in the effects of separation of children from their parents.  Bowlby and subsequent ‘attachment theorists’ emphasised the importance of the first 3 years of life.  According to this theory the patterns that are established in the early years become the ‘internal working model’ that will be used as a standard to guide interactions in the rest of life. The main point being made here is to understand that strong emotions encountered in professional relationships can be understood sometimes as being a reflection of early childhood experiences e.g. anxiety, aggression, frustration, anger. Social Learning Theory:  Social learning theory focuses on learning through observation.  It is associated with the work of Albert Bandura who sought to understand the factors that influenced learning by children through copying others.  One of Bandura’s well-known experiments entailed children watching an adult treat a large doll very aggressively – when the children then were allowed to play with the doll, those who had observed the aggressive adult acted more aggressively than those who had not observed the adult.  This work has influenced our understanding of the use of ‘modelling’ as an aspect of relationship-based practice.  For example, Trotter (2007: 150) uses the term ‘pro-social modelling’ as ‘an approach to the supervision of offenders which involves workers modelling pro-social values, comments and actions, reinforcing pro-social values comments and actions of offenders and appropriately confronting pro-criminal values actions and expressions.’ Psychodynamic Theory:  Psychodynamic theory involves looking ‘below the surface’ to understand less visible but powerful underlying feelings.

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A central concept in psychodynamic theory is that of ‘transference’ – in our current relationships we may unconsciously ‘transfer’ feelings into the present which actually stem from previous relationships. Consequently, we might experience ‘authority’ figures as if they were our parents. If these experiences were of unreliable or hostile figures, then we might find it difficult to work with someone such as a social worker. Workers also can transfer feelings from previous relationships into relationships with service users – for example, acting punitively or encouraging dependence.

Organisational Theory:  Theorists such as Freud and Klein recognised the importance of defences – normal and healthy responses to threatening situations.  Defence mechanisms include denial, repression, avoidance and displacement.  In anxiety-provoking situations, social workers might respond by denying the reality of the situation – for instance, in the tragic case of Baby Peter, one explanation of why social workers and others did not see the dangers in the family is that the high level of anxiety they experienced inhibited their ability to see what was going on  Menzies-Lyth (1988) in a classic study of nurses identified practices such as depersonalisation and routinisation which they had developed as defences against the pain of dealing with sick people.  Social workers need to be aware of the organisational defences that can distance workers from service users. What service users value in relationships with social workers There is a remarkable consistency in what service users say they value about relationships with social workers going back to Mayer and Timms 1970 study. A more recent study by Doel and Best (2008) listened to and reported the stories of service users who had experienced social work as positive. A number of themes emerged from this study:  Service users value social workers being sensitive about collecting information and how it is used, and being honest about confidentiality and its limits.  Service users wanted social workers to talk about power and to find ways to share decisions about control.  Service users appreciate social workers making appropriate challenges but being non-blaming.  Service users value someone ‘who treats you as an ordinary being’.  Service users value a combination of hands-on practical help and emotional support  Service users appreciate accessibility, early interventions and speedy responses  Service users value social workers who have a wide view of their lives and opportunities, can help create choices and can help with decisions  Service users attached significance to feeling that their social worker believed in them: believed they could change.  Service users valued being seen as a ‘whole person’ and not just as the ‘problem’ that brought them to social work attention (Summarised from Doel in Ruch et al, 2010: 199-213)

Key skills for supporting change in criminal justice social work  The importance of social workers establishing and sustaining effective relationships with service users is one of the themes of the 21st Century Review of Social Work (Changing Lives, Scottish Government, 2006).  Research that contributed to ‘Changing Lives’ included that undertaken by McNeill et al, 2005.  This research sought to review the evidence of ‘what works’ in encouraging personal change in offenders.  Four key skills were highlighted: Building relationships that support change; assessing needs, risks and strengths; research-based planning and delivery of interventions; and managing change. Obstacles to developing relationship-based practice  Service users not wanting or being resistant to engaging with a social worker e.g. ‘involuntary service users’  ‘Marketisation of welfare’ e.g. practice becoming more ‘resource-led’ rather than ‘needs-led’  Increasing bureaucratisation e.g. social workers spending more time ‘inputting’ data into computerised systems than seeing service users  Social workers’ fear of aggression or violence from service users e.g. research by Smith in Ruch, 2010 provides some vivid accounts of social workers’ experiences of distress and fear. Ruch (2010:22) argues that: ‘It is not enough to propose a model for relationship-based practice without attending to some of the obstacles to its effective implementation. Paradoxically, it is precisely because of these obstacles that there is a need for such a model to become more established in practice.’ Summary  Effective professional relationships are at the heart of good social work practice.  Evidence from a number of sources supports the need for social workers to give emphasis to establishing and sustaining relationships in practice.  Organisational contexts can make it difficult for social workers to give time and space to relationship-building and sustaining.  Renewed interest in and concern for ‘relationship-based’ practice might begin to impact on the delivery of social work services....