Values, theories and practice: towards an integrative model

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Values, theories and practice towards an
integrative model

• Hilary Pengelly (Sheffield Hallam University)
• and Malcolm Cowburn (University of Bradford)

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The problem..

• Social work values, theories and methods often
  taught separately
• Students left to make links
• Student reflection on practice is limited to
  practicalities

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The challenge..

• to move towards an integrated model of values,
  theories and practice
• Critical reflection provides opportunities for
  reflection on how values and theories create
  practice

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Values, theories and doing social work

• Values
• Religion
• Politics
• Ethics (derived from codes of conduct)
• Theories
• Psychological
• Sociological
• Political
• Doing social work
• With/for whom?
• Objectives
• Methods
• Care/control
• Anti-oppressive practice

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Case study

• Robert
• 70 years old, white working-class man
• retired miner
• Widowed
• lives alone but has friends near by
• one daughter (48), one son (50) want him to go
  into residential care
• suffering from emphysema and dementia
• increasing risk to his independence - pressure
  from community nurse for him to go into hospital
• determination he wants to remain living alone at
  home

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Values and beliefs

• Social Worker values and beliefs that will
  influence choice of theories methods
• attitudes towards
• (old) age
• Loss
• retirement
• bereavement
• Gender
• men need help looking after themselves?
• daughter should be able to provide support for
  her father?
• health and wellbeing
• holistic (social issues)
• influence of medical model
• Risk assessment
• Importance of protecting client from risk
• Importance of respecting clients wishes and
  seeking to minimise risk
• Clients right to self determination
• the right to decide what constitutes acceptable
  quality of life
• the right to a view on whats best for him that
  clashes with his family

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Theoretical frameworks

• Psychologically based social work theories locate
  the cause of the distress and its solution in the
  client
• Sociological theories suggest that society causes
  problems for people and that society should be
  targeted for change
• Medical model (of aging and vulnerability)
• Political theories - especially those theorising
  power

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Methods of Intervention

• Focus of intervention is Robert - support with
  finding residential care, coming to terms with
  loss of independence
• Focus on Roberts desire to remain independent
  and his right to self-determination - negotiate
  with colleagues and families over risk assessment
  and support to enable him to remain independent
• Focus may be on empowering Robert to express his
  wishes become more active in forums to
  represent his views, social work role is lobbying
  local authority to increase resources for
  preventative services

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How do we use the Triangle in practice?

• Visual representation of the inter-relatedness
• Method
• Theory
• Values
• Model for critical reflection
• Practice
• Theoretical understanding
• Value base (linked to GSCC Codes of Practice)