Observation And Its Application To Social Work

Karen Tanner and Pat Le Riche have brought together a range of contributions from practitioners and social work academics in order to discuss the application of ideas about observation to social work education and practice. The authors focus on how observation can be used to counteract oppressive and dehumanising practices.

Observation helps social workers and students to reflect upon situations before intervening. The Tavistock Model of Observation, which is informed by psychoanalytic ideas (especially those of Klein and Bion) is the starting point of this general book on the role of observation in social work. Karen Tanner and Pat Le Riche have brought together a range of contributions from practitioners and social work academics in order to discuss the application of ideas about observation to social work education and practice. While the Tavistock Model remains influential, the writers draw on material from a number of other disciplines, such as behavioural ethnography, psychology and critical social policy, on observation and social work. The central theme of the book is that of power relations. The authors focus on power in relation to the process of observation, and how observation can be used to counteract oppressive and dehumanising practices. Clearly and perceptively written, the book develops the debate on the purposes of observation and provides an overview of current practice. It will be of use to students and professionals alike.

Introducing the concept of observation to social work students can be a complex and challenging task. Assessing their observation skills and assignments can be even harder, especially if much of this work takes place implicitly, throughout their training and placements. This book will help students to grasp the fundamentals of social work observation, from the theories and methods to how these can be demonstrated in everyday practice. Skills are covered throughout, as well as effective observation work with different client groups and in different settings. The authors argue that an observant social worker is an effective and resilient one, and demonstrate this through case study material and research summaries.

Examining and exploring new approaches to therapeutic observation in health and social care, this multidisciplinary guide discusses and analyses its uses in a range of practical contexts with children, families and adults. Developing good observation skills is paramount to sustaining relationships in the challenging settings that health and social care professionals find themselves in. This guide shows how observation is taught, applied in practice, and how it will be returned to throughout professionals' careers. Drawing on psychoanalytic ideas and theories of human development as a base for professional learning, the experienced editors and authors offer theoretically informed models to teach observation skills in professional programmes, helping their readers prepare for successful intervention in any setting.

A range of contributions from practitioners are collected here in order to discuss the application of observation ideas to social work education and practice, and to draw attention to the place and value of observation within social work.

Introducing the concept of observation to social work students can be a complex and challenging task. Assessing their observation skills and assignments can be even harder, especially if much of this work takes place implicitly, throughout their training and placements. This book will help students to grasp the fundamentals of social work observation, from the theories and methods to how these can be demonstrated in everyday practice. Skills are covered throughout, as well as effective observation work with different client groups and in different settings. The authors argue that an observant social worker is an effective and resilient one, and demonstrate this through case study material and research summaries.

In the twenty-first century, more than ever, everything and everybody seems to be on the move. Global flows of people, goods, food, money, information, services and media images are forming an intensely mobile background to everyday life. Social scientists, too, are on the move, seeking new analytical purchase on these important aspects of the social world by trying to move with, and to be moved by, the fleeting, distributed, multiple, non-causal, sensory, emotional and kinaesthetic. Mobile Methods addresses the challenges and opportunities of researching mobile phenomena. Drawing on extensive interdisciplinary discussion, the book brings together a collection of cutting-edge methodological innovations and original research reports to examine some important implications of the mobilities turn for the processes of ‘research’, and the realm of the empirical. Through analysis that addresses questions such as ‘how are social relationships and social institutions made in and through mobility?’, and ‘how do people experience mobility in twenty-first century world cities?', the authors mobilize sociological analysis, bringing new insights and opening up new opportunities for engagement with contemporary challenges. This book is a key text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of disciplines including Human Geography, Social Policy, Sociology and Research Methods.

This volume has long been an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of social work, thoroughly presenting research concepts and skills.