Teaching lifespace working by using the lifespace in teaching

One of the most useful, fruitful and illuminating models I have found of understanding the work of residential child care has been that of lifespace. When I was undertaking my own social work training I remember struggling, at times, to use the methods I was being taught to help me to understand and develop my work within a group environment. Often these models were based upon the assumption that working one-to-one was the norm. It was not that I was unable to amend what I was learning to make it more relevant, but that I had to struggle to make the models fit the complexity of working within a residential setting. The teaching which I received on the concept of lifespace provided me with a theoretical base which drew upon the wider range of teaching on child development and group dynamics. It also provided affirmation of the work I had undertaken, in that it confirmed the effectiveness of working within a group setting as an effective and valid option rather than as a poor substitute for individual work

In Residence : A series of 12 papers

This re-issue of 12 papers written over a period of six years has been produced to celebrate SIRCC's 10th anniversary – the organisation launched in April 2000. I'd like to express my appreciation to all the authors, who are drawn from SIRCC staff and residential practitioners currently working in various settings. The papers are circulated free of charge to all Scotland's residential homes and schools, and are available for download on our website. A recent survey told us that the papers are valued by those who read them, although that survey also prompted us to look again at how we promote them, and try to make sure they don't get stuck in a manager's office! This re-issue has been substantially augmented with material for supervisors linked to each of the papers. We hope this will help workers look at how they can transfer the learning within the paper into practice, with the help of their supervisor. We have also asked subject experts to review the earliest papers and add their own foreword which provides a reflection on the original