Faith-based practice

YesFaith-based social work is characterized by the recognition and acknowledgement of faith and faith-based values as significant sources of motivation and guidance. These may enhance professional values, but may also draw practitioners into direct conflict with secular values within the mainstream. This chapter explores the religious or faith-based origins of social work, the nature of faith-based practice, contemporary faith-based issues, and the global spread of social policies aimed at increasing the involvement of faith-based organizations in service delivery. It also seeks to highlight some of the dilemmas involved

Cultural barriers to the disclosure of child sexual abuse in Asian communities: Listening to what women say.

NoThere is apparent under-reporting of child sexual abuse in Britain¿s Asian communities and a varied capacity amongst professionals to respond with cultural competence. Professional approaches originate in cultural contexts, which are often different from those of most British Asians. If the proportion of children and non-abusing carers from Asian communities who access relevant services is to increase, professionals need to develop better understandings of cultural imperatives which determine behaviour in those communities. Consultations with Asian women in Bradford reinforce the view that culturally competent practice and respectful dialogue are essential to the protection of children. They also highlight a number of recurring themes. Members of Asian communities are aware of child sexual abuse, they recognize that the issue needs to be addressed by all communities and they report that many of those affected within their own communities have found it difficult to access relevant services. These consultations, like reports of similar work elsewhere, indicate that difficulties, which appear to arise from Asian women¿s fears about how agencies will respond, are frequently compounded by the impact of cultural imperatives arising from izzat (honour/respect), haya (modesty) and sharam (shame/embarrassment), which have a considerable influence on how many will behave

The role of religion and spirituality in social work practice: Views and experiences of social workers and students.

NoFindings from surveys of qualified social work practitioners and students indicate a need for social work education and practice to focus attention both on the importance of religious and spiritual beliefs in the lives of many service users and on the potential usefulness of religious and spiritual interventions. In this British study, undertaken in 2003 and 2004, students were less likely than their qualified colleagues to consider religious or spiritually sensitive interventions as appropriate. Attitudes varied little between those students who held religious beliefs and those who did not, but Muslim students and qualified social workers were more likely to view these types of interventions as appropriate. The authors conclude that there is a clear need for all social work practitioners and educators to give greater priority to exploring the potential significance of religious and spiritual beliefs in their training, in their professional practice and in the lives and perspectives of service users and colleagues. Social workers need to be able to respond appropriately to the needs of all service users, including those for whom religious and spiritual beliefs are crucial. `Culturally competent¿ practice depends, amongst other things, on an understanding and appreciation of the impact of faith and belief

Well-motivated reformists or nascent radicals: How do applicants to the degree in social work see social problems, their origins and solutions?

NoThis article reports ways in which applicants to the Degree in Social Work see `social problems¿, their origins and possible solutions to them. What is demonstrated is that whilst applicants are concerned about a range of problems, those which could be broadly classified as `anti-social behaviours by individuals or groups¿ predominate, in contrast to those which could be defined as `aspects of the social structure which have an adverse impact on individuals or groups¿. Applicants are much more likely to suggest `individual¿ rather than `social¿ causes and are most likely to suggest `liberal/reformist¿ solutions. It is argued, in the context of frame analysis, that pre-existing views will usually impact strongly on how students respond to the knowledge and challenges offered during training. The article aims to place discussion within consideration of wider issues, particularly whether social work in Britain can maintain its historic commitment to social justice and prevent itself becoming an increasingly uncritical tool of the UK government¿s social authoritarianism. Finally, it seeks to raise questions about whether social work education can assist qualifying workers to develop and maintain resiliently radical approaches to practice, which are also effective in bringing positive change to vulnerable and disadvantaged people

Exploring neglected elements of cultural competence in social work practice. Promoting and developing understanding of religion, belief and culture

This PhD by published work consists of: five single authored articles in refereed journals; two main author articles in refereed journals; four jointly authored articles in refereed journals; a single authored article in a non-refereed journal; one jointly authored book, including five single authored chapters; two single authored chapters in edited books. They were published in the period 2003-2013. None has been submitted for any other degree or diploma by me or any other person. The theme running through these publications is the need for social workers to pay significant attention to issues arising from religion, belief and culture. The research reported highlights the impact of such issues on the lives, experiences, resources and responses of individuals, groups and communities for whom they are important. The work emphasises the importance of developing such understanding and of enhancing knowledge of different ways in which religion, belief and culture impact on the issues that social workers deal with. I suggest that these are essential aspects of culturally competent social work practice which have too often been neglected in both research and professional training. The publications are listed in Appendix 1 (pp 56 - 59). They demonstrate how my thinking has developed over the past decade. They reflect and are, in part, a response to the developing professional, theoretical and political ii context within which I have operated as a social work practitioner, manager and academic over a longer period. The majority are solo-authored. However, I remain committed to collaborative work and recognise that discussions with those researched, my collaborators, and others remain invaluable to the ongoing development of my thinking. Joint authorship declaration forms have been completed, in respect of all relevant publications, and are appended. Eight publications (Art.12, Art.11, Art.10, Art.9, Art.8, Art.6, Art.5 and Art.3) are based on findings from primary research, while Art.1 and Art.2 explore published data or data supplied by others to provide original analyses of particular issues. The remaining publications, notably book chapters, are primarily conceptual in their approach. They are underpinned by findings from both the primary research reported elsewhere and the use of case examples collected from semi-structured interviews with social work practitioners.PhD by published work. The published articles are not displayed in full text with the online version of the PhD due to publisher copyright restristrictions

"Pathogen Eradication" and "Emerging Pathogens": Difficult Definitions in Cystic Fibrosis.

Infection is a common complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease. Current treatment approaches include early intervention with the intent to eradicate pathogens in the hope of delaying the development of chronic infection and the chronic use of aerosolized antibiotics to suppress infection. The use of molecules that help restore CFTR (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator) function, modulate pulmonary inflammation, or improve pulmonary clearance may also influence the microbial communities in the airways. As the pipeline of these new entities continues to expand, it is important to define when key pathogens are eradicated from the lungs of CF patients and, equally important, when new pathogens might emerge as a result of these novel therapies

The Challenge of Cultural Explanations and Religious Requirements for Children with Autistic Spectrum Conditions: South Asian Muslim Parents in Bradford, England

NoThe development in Bradford, England, of specific training materials for parents from Muslim communities of Pakistani origin caring for children with autistic spectrum conditions is outlined, with particular emphasis on challenges arising from non-scientific ‘religious’ explanations for children's conditions and from parents feelings of obligation to ensure that children meet religious requirements. Relevant literature is reviewed and parents’ responses to materials reported and discussed. It is suggested that such parents will benefit from opportunities to explore cultural ideas about causality with each other and with informed and non-judgmental professionals and to share concerns around matters such as washing and prayer

Religion y espiritualidad en la formacion y la practica del trabajo social en el Reino Unido,

NoEste articulo pretende exponer y revisar en qué medida la religión y la espiritualidad han sido reconocidas en la formación y la práctica del trabajo social en el Reino Unido. Los autores harán referencia a su propia investigación y publicaciones para evaluar el progreso en torno a la religión, las creencias religiosas y el trabajo social. Se han revisado las publicaciones existentes con el objetivo de identificar las contribuciones y los desarrollos producidos en el campo de la espiritualidad y la práctica del trabajo social. Para facilitar un contexto a este debate, se incluyen estadísticas del censo de 2011 y algunas reflexiones sobre la utilidad de la terminología y la definición de palabras clave. Debatiremos e identificaremos algunos de los retos del Reino Unido, en particular la necesidad de reconocer la importancia de los ricos y diversos sistemas de creencias, prácticas culturales y tradiciones de sus ciudadanos, y la necesidad de desarrollar una práctica que sea culturalmente sensible e incluya la gran variedad de creencias religiosas y espirituales de usuarios y profesionales

'It Never Came Up': Encouragements and Discouragements to Addressing Religion and Belief in Professional Practice--What Do Social Work Students Have To Say?

This article reports on the findings of questionnaires completed by fifty-seven social work students studying at four universities in northern England and the English midlands. The questionnaires surveyed students' views about the extent to which issues of religion and belief had been discussed in practice settings over a twelve-month period. A range of factors are identified that either encourage or discourage them from considering or exploring religion and belief in their work, in relation to the attitudes of colleagues and service users, themselves and their agencies. Their responses suggest that individual perspectives on and experiences of religion together with the informal views of colleagues determine whether and how religion and belief are acknowledged as significant and relevant. Students reported that few agencies promoted any opportunity for staff development and training in respect of this area, perhaps because issues of religion and belief are not considered important or are given less priority amongst other issues and responsibilities

Social Work, Religion and Belief: Developing a Framework for Practice

NoThis article explores the need for a framework that will assist social workers to identify when religion and belief are significant in the lives and circumstances of service users and how to take sufficient account of these issues in specific pieces of practice. It outlines the Furness / Gilligan framework and suggests that such frameworks should be used as a part of any assessment, while also being potentially useful at all stages of intervention. It reports on feedback gathered by the authors from first and final MA Social Work students who were asked to pilot the framework. It analyses their responses, in the context of national and international literature. It concludes that such a framework provides the necessary structure and challenge to assist social workers in acknowledging and engaging with issues arising from religion and belief that otherwise may remain overlooked, ignored or avoided, regardless of how significant they are to service users