Making A Difference : Service User and carer involvement in Social Work Education – a mixed methods approach within a participatory paradigm.

Social work is committed to challenging inequality and discrimination, supporting social justice and valuing diversity throughout the world. Unique to the United Kingdom is the formal recognition of the involvement of those in receipt of services or providing informal carer support as an essential part of social work training. Since this commitment to involvement was established in 2003 with the introduction of the new degree in social work, a wide and variable range of activities has developed across universities to involve people with experiences of social work services. Research to evaluate the effectiveness of involvement has found that evidence of practice impact is limited. Further, research has identified that university structures have not been inclusive of those most marginalised in society. This qualitative research study explores a key question emanating from those with lived experiences who have contributed to social work education, as well as researchers who have identified a knowledge gap; what difference does involvement make in social work education? Five focus groups, predominantly including those who have contributed to social work education from their lived experiences, social work students , qualified social workers and lecturers, were conducted across the UK. The methodological design employed a triangulated approach to evaluate the impact of involvement through the university curriculum and to introduce an innovative ‘Mend the Gap’ participatory action research (PAR) approach. Three PAR projects involving participants with lived experiences who felt most excluded from traditional structures in society along with social work students and qualified social workers, promoted methods of mutual learning leading to transformative outcomes. Both research methods align with a pedagogical idea that people need to step out of dichotomous categories, such as ‘social workers’ ‘service users’, to close the division which maintains people in roles as ‘expert’ professional and person ‘being helped’ with the problem. The work of Paulo Freire (1970) provides the pedagogical framework to explore core themes of power, empowerment, oppression and critical awareness. The findings have demonstrated how the contradiction Freire highlights between the ‘oppressor and oppressed’ is overcome through the mutual learning process. The triangulated research findings cohere through application of Braun and Clarke’s (2006, 2019) reflexive thematic analysis resulting in the identification of core themes. A new method for co-producing knowledge and learning and recommendations that build upon existing research for instigating change within social work educational structures is presented. The transferability of findings to other professional contexts adds to the value of the research contribution within the social sciences. The benefits of substantive mutual learning and how boundaries can be transcended through sharing experiential knowledge is emphasised. Most significantly, outcomes of the research demonstrate how transformation is achievable when those who feel most marginalised and stigmatised initiate the agenda. Altogether, the findings present a strong case for restructuring social work education, promoting outcome based meaningful engagement of diverse communities by putting service user- led organisations in control of an academic dominated agenda

Iron, Folate and Vitamin B12 Status of Apparently Healthy Irish Adult Women Attending General Practitioners in Inner-city Dublin

There is substantial related morbidity and mortality among men and women in developed countries. Certain events during the course of a woman’s life such as menstruation, pregnancy, lactation and the menopause may compromise haematinic nutrient status. The purpose of this study was to investigate iron, folate and vitamin B12 status among a sample of apparently healthy, non-pregnant Irish adult women attending general practitioners in inner-city Dublin. Dietary, socio-economic, medical and lifestyle factors contributing to status of these haematinic nutrients were extensively examined. The initial part of the work validated the methods in a representative sample of inner city Dublin women (n=35, mean age 40.3 years, SD 5.5 years). The Food Intake Questionnaire was developed and validated against the Diet History and biomarkers of haematinic nutrients in blood samples. An “Interview Questionnaire” was also developed and tested for reliability. The main study examined iron, folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine levels in a sample of inner-city Dublin Woman (n=104, mean age 32.8 years, SD 11.2 years). Iron deficiency anaemia and low iron stores were discovered in 2.8% (n=3) and 14.4% (n=15) of the women respectively. Folate deficiency was found in 1.9% (n=2) of the female volunteers and a further 48% (n=50) had sub-optimal folate levels for women of childbearing age. Plasma vitamin B12 levels were all within the normal range. Plasma homocysteine levels were elevated in 12.5% (n=13) of the sample. Attitudes to nutrition and determinants of food choice were also assessed among the female volunteers (n=104, mean age 32.8 years, SD 11.2 years). Accuracy of self reported dietary perceptions with regard to adequacy of nutrient intakes and food consumption was examined. The relationship between self-reported physical activity level and BMI confirmed that leisure time physical activity is an important determinant of body weight. Body image concerns and slimming practices were assessed among female volunteers (n=134, mean age 34.7 years, SSD 10.7 years). Dissatisfaction with body weight was pervasive within the group at 82% (n=110). Many had used unsafe slimming practices such as smoking (30%, n=33) and diet pills (15%, n=16) in an attempt to lose weight. The results of this study highlight important nutritional issues for women in a primary healthcare setting

The effort of partnership: Capacity development and moral capital in partnership for mutual gains

The article discusses the enactment of a strategic partnership undertaken by a large, multi-site company and several trade unions. The enterprise aimed to institute highly engaged practices of employee and management voice to create a collaborative culture throughout the organization. The study finds that five years since the inception of the project of institutional change, considerable challenges to its embedding and effectiveness remain. It also finds that particular characteristics of the partnership propose resource generation for addressing those challenges and progressing collaborative relations to mutual benefit. Substantive actor effort and organizational learning generate capacity for new relationships. That includes activation of moral capital including toleration, patience, mutual respect, reciprocity and trust

Digital Decisions and Online Heritage: an Examination of the Response of the GLAM Sector to the Opportunities of the Internet Since 2000

The digitisation of a critical mass of heritage collections has been an aspiration for successive UK governments and the heritage sector since the year 2000, with the stated aim of reaching new unserved audiences and thereby democratising heritage. But analysis shows that only an estimated 8.5% of the UK’s collections have been digitised and shared with the public. This research argues that there is a gap between what the UK Government believes is the purpose and value of digitisation and that expressed within the heritage discourse, and that this has been a barrier to digitisation. It examines predictions made during the years 1997-2003, a time when digitisation was being widely debated, and identifies three themes: Digital death and Obsolescence (fears linked to the speed of technological change), Ownership and the Public/Private web (the benefits and threats of sharing collections online) and Authority and Democratisation (the sharing of the curatorial role with visitors and the notion that digitisation can democratise heritage). Interviews with digital heritage professionals reveal they believe cost, time and copyright concerns to have been the main barriers to digitisation. I show that these practical challenges have been exacerbated by external pressures: technological, economic and social but predominantly political. The 2018 DCMS Culture is Digital report identifies the main barrier as a lack of digital maturity, but I argue this could equally be described as a lack of business maturity. I conclude that mass digitisation is unlikely to be a priority for heritage unless it can be successfully monetised, but that the Covid-19 crisis has created a new focus on this. I recommend that heritage organisations should take the lead from commercially successful museums like the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, which has successfully digitised almost its entire collection and shared it with no restrictions. I recommend that if the government wants to professionalise the sector, it needs to give British heritage organisations the same creative and financial freedom the Rijksmuseum has enjoyed. For UK heritage organisations, I recommend that a culture of open sharing might prove to be the key to democratising heritage, while at the same time helping them to discover the value and purpose of digitisation