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Ruch, Gillian, Winter, Karen, Cree, Viv, Hallett, Sophie, Morrison, Fiona and Hadfield, Mark 2017.

Making meaningful connections: using insights from social pedagogy for statutory social work

practice. Child and Family Social Work 22 (2) , pp. 1015-1023. 10.1111/cfs.12321 file

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1

Makingmeaningfulconnections:insightsfromsocialpedagogyforstatutorysocial

workpractice

Abstract

Reportsintoincidentsofchilddeathandseriousinjuryhavehighlightedconsistently

thatacauseforconcernhasbeenthecapacityofsocialworkerstocommunicate

skilfullywithchildren.Inresponse,therehasbeenagrowingemphasisontraining

socialworkersintheircommunicationskills.Whileawelcomedevelopment,training

canoftenbeperceivedandexperiencedintermsofobtainingpracticaltipstoaidthe

verbalandnon-verbalcommunicationprocess.Wearguethatmorefundamentalto

‘connected’communicativeencountersareintrinsicqualitiesthataredifficultto

identify,defineand‘package’.Usingasocialpedagogicalapproachanddrawingon

datacollectedaspartofanEconomicandSocialResearchCouncilfundedUK-wide,

fournations,qualitativestudyexploringsocialworkers’communicativepractices

withchildren,thispaperwillconsiderhowsocialworkersmanagetoconnect,ornot,

withchildren.Thesocialpedagogicalconceptsof‘haltung’(attitude),‘head,heart

andhands’and‘thecommonthird’areoutlinedaspotentiallyhelpfulapproaches

forunderstandingtheintimaciesofinter-personalconnectionsandenhancingsocial

workers’capacitytoestablishandsustainmeaningfulcommunicationand

connectionswithchildreninthefaceofaustereorganisationalcontexts.

Keywords:communication,connection,statutorychildandfamilysocialwork,social

pedagogy,

2

Communicatingwithchildren:Contemporarypolicyandpractice

AshighlightedinreviewsofUK-basedchildabuseinquiries,concernsregardingsocial

workers’capacitytocommunicatewithchildrenarebynomeansnewandhave

exercisedtheprofessionoverasignificantperiodoftime(Ofsted,2011;Reder&

Duncan,2004;Winter,2011).Apersistentthemehasbeenthequalityandnatureof

socialworkers’relationshipswithchildrenandinparticularthelackorpoorquality

ofcommunicationbetweenthesocialworkerandthechild.Inresponse,andunder

variousUKgovernments,therehavebeensignificantdevelopmentsinlawandpolicy

aimedataddressinggapsinsocialworkpracticemostrecentlyculminatinginthe

ChildrenandFamiliesAct(2014)inEngland,theChildrenandYoungPeople

(Scotland)Act(2014),theSocialServicesandWell-being(Wales)Act(2014)andin

NorthernIrelandnewdraftguidelinesforcasescomingtotheattentionofsocial

services(DHSSPSNI,2015).Thesedevelopmentsemphasise:placingthechildatthe

centreofallthatisdoneandneverlosingsightofthem;listeningtothechildand

understandingtheirperspective,andrespectingandrespondingtotheviewsand

experiencesofthechildaslegitimateintheirownright.InEngland,forexample,

supportedbygovernmentguidance,mostrecentlyupdatedin2015(seeDepartment

ofEducation,2015)thereisaclearexpectationthatsocialworkersshouldhavethe

abilitytocommunicatewithchildren,thattheyshouldbecreativeandimaginativein

findingwaystocommunicateandthattheyshouldmakeavailablearangeof

methodstochildrentofacilitatethecommunicativeprocess.

Oncloserinspection,theselegalandpolicydevelopments,whichprimarilyfocuson

listingwhatshouldbedoneandwithwhatmethods,raisebroaderquestionsabout

whatisreallymeantbythetermeffectivecommunicationandhowitsunderpinning

processescanbestbeidentified,describedandconveyedtosocialworkersthrough

theirprofessionaleducationandcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment.Reportsand

guidance(Oliver,2010;Munro,2011a,b)defineeffectivecommunicationas

combiningseveralkeycomponentsnamely:activities(speaking,listening,observing,

negotiating,persuading,advocating);purposes(assessment,informationsharing,

offeringsupportandguidance);qualities(warmth,empathy,clarity,confidence,

authority);idealconditions(calm,quite,uninterrupted,safe);andmethods(tools,

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aidsandprompts).Howallthesediversedimensionsofthecommunicativeactare

effectivelyreconciledandrealisedisnotsoreadilyaddressed.Achievingeffective

communicationisfurthercomplicatedbythechallengesassociatedwiththe

widespreadadoptionofaNewPublicManagement(Gruening,2001)modelof

practicewithinthechildandfamilysocialworksector.Despiteattemptstoidentify,

understandandminimisethenegativeimpactsthathaveaccompaniedthese

developmentsnotablyincreasinglybureaucratisedandprescriptivepractices,these

trendspersist(Munro,2011a,b).

WiththeexceptionofrecentworkundertakenbyFerguson(2014a,2014b),

surprisinglylittleresearchhasbeenconductedthathasgenerateddetailedempirical

dataofeveryday,live,communicativesocialworkpractices.Thispaperrespondsto

thissignificantknowledgegapanddrawsonempiricaldatafromtwophasesofan

EconomicandSocialResearchCouncil(ESRC)fundedproject–theTalkingand

ListeningtoChildren(TLC)project.Byapplyingsocialpedagogicalprinciplesand

conceptstodataderivedfromobservationoflive,communicativeencounters

betweenchildrenandtheirsocialworkersandinterviewswiththesamesocial

workers,thepaperdevelopstheoretically-informedinsightstoequippractitionersto

makemeaningfulconnectionsandtoundertaketherelationship-basedworkthey

needandwanttoundertake,inwhatarestillwidely-recognisedtobechallenging,

overly-bureaucratised,prescriptiveandauthoritarianprofessionalcontexts.

SocialPedagogy–keyconceptsandprinciples

Socialpedagogicalprinciplescanbetracedbackthroughhistory(Hämäläinen,2003;

Lorenz,2008;Eichstellar&Holthoff,2010)andhavebeenappliedinavarietyof

ways.Inthecontextofchildandfamilysocialwork,asocialpedagogicalframework

offersawayofexploringandengagingwithwhathavebecometheneglected

emotionaldimensionsofrelationalandcommunicativeencountersbetweensocial

workersandchildren(Hämäläinen,2003;Smith&Whyte,2008;Stephens,2009).It

isnot,however,‘amethod’or‘asetofmethods’butratheranapproachthatisbest

representedbydescribingitsunderlyingprinciples.DerivedfromtheworkofNatorp

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(1898)andPestalozzi(1907)andcomprisedofseveralcoretenets,detailedbelow,

socialpedagogy,metaphoricallyspeaking:

isconcernedwiththetheoryandpracticeofcreatinga‘thrivinggardenfor

children’,andindeedforallhumanbeings–afertileenvironmentconducive

totheirwell-beingandlearning,developingtheirinherentresourcesand

connectingthemtotheirsurroundings(Eichstellar&Holthoff,2010,p.33).

Characteristicsincluderespectforindividuals’inherentworth;abeliefinpeople’s

potential;interconnectivity-ofthought,feelingsandactionsandoftheprofessional,

personalandprivateselves;andthefundamentalimportanceoftrusting

relationships.Keysocialpedagogicalconceptsthatfurtherexplainthese

characteristicsinclude‘haltung’,‘head-heart-hands’and‘thecommonthird’.Each

arenowexplainedinturn.

‘Haltung’

Closelytranslated‘haltung’means‘disposition’andreferstotheoverallmindset,

attitudeanddemeanourofanindividual.Complementinghowsocialpedagogy

adoptsaholisticperspectiveonchildrenandtheirdevelopment,‘haltung’requires

practitionerstoengageholistically,bringingallaspectsoftheirbeing–rational,

emotionalandpractical-intotheirprofessionalrelationships.AsoutlinedbySmith

(2010,p.6),‘asocialpedagogue’s‘haltung’isintrinsictotheir‘self’.Itisthat‘self’

thatthesocialpedagogueutilisesinworkingwithothersandwhichcontributesto

thedevelopmentofsuitablycloseandauthenticrelationships.’Onapracticallevel,

‘haltung’isconcernedwiththecongruencebetweenone’sactions,valuesand

beliefs.

‘Head-heart-hands’

Linkedto‘haltung’istheemphasis,asnotedabove,tothe‘head-heart-hands’motif

thatdefinesasocialpedagogicalapproachandrepresentstheengagementof

professionalswithindividualchildrenoradultsthroughtheapplicationofthinking,

feelinganddoing,eachbeingofequalimportanceinprofessionalrelationships.Ata

practicallevel,thisisconcernedwiththeideathat,intheirdailypractice,social

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workersuseacombinationof‘intellectual,practicalandemotionalqualities’(Smith,

2010,p.6).Theholisticuseofselfunderpinsthedevelopmentofauthenticand

trustingrelationships.Itrequiresthepractitionertoexercisehighlevelsofself-

awarenessandself-reflectiontoensurethattheprofessionalandpersonalselvesare

ondisplayintheworkplace,butthattheprivateselfisnot.

The‘commonthird’

Usingsharedactivity-basedencountersalsoformspartofthebasisfordeveloping

trustingrelationshipsandareconsideredpivotaltoasocialpedagogyapproach.

Knownasthe‘commonthird’,theactivityrepresentsasharedinterest,acommon

pointofcontactaroundwhichaseriesoftasksareorganisedfromstarttofinish,

creatingasenseofsharedownership,sharedvisionandsharedinterests(Smith

2010)

InformedbytheworkofGarfat(2004)andKrueger(1994)andtheideaof

‘connectivity’-thatis,bothinternalconnectivity(theinter-relationshipbetween

howwethink,whatwedoandhowwefeel)andexternalconnectivity(theinter-

relationshipbetweenourselvesandthosearoundus-thesethreesocialpedagogy

conceptsandpracticescombinetofacilitatethecreationof‘meaningful

connections.’

Theresearchproject

ThedatawehavedrawnonforthispaperweregatheredaspartoftheESRCTLC

project,conductedbetween2013and2015.Theprojectinvolvedfieldwork

conductedinlocalauthoritychildren’sservicesteamsacrossEngland,Northern

Ireland,ScotlandandWalesandspecificallyresearchedwhathappensineveryday

communicativeencountersbetweensocialworkersandchildren,exploringthe

factorsthathelporhinderthemakingofconnections.Ethicalapprovalforthe

projectwasobtainedfromtheprincipleinvestigator’sinstitution(CardiffUniversity)

andtheparticipatinglocalauthorities,withtheNorthernIrelandjurisdictionhaving

additionalethicalrequirementsthatweremet.

6

Toresearchtheseissues,theprojecthadthreephases(seeWinteretal‘s

forthcomingpaperandAppendixOneformoredetail).Inbrief,phaseoneinvolved

researchersbeingembeddedineightfieldworkteams(forbetweensixtoeight

weeksineach),accompanyingsocialworkersontheirvisits,conductingpre-visitand

post-visitinterviewsinthecar(oronfoot)andobservingandtakingnotesofthevisit

asitunfolded.Datafrom82visitswerecollectedaswellasextensivefieldnotes

fromtheteam-basedobservations.Phasetwoinvolvedtheuseofthevideo-

stimulatedrecall(VSR)methodwherewerecordedinteractionsbetweensocial

workersandchildren(nineintotal)andthenplayedbacktherecordingseparatelyto

eachoftheparticipantstoascertaintheirviewsaboutthenatureandcontentofthe

communicativeencounter.Whilstwidelyusedinotherprofessionaldevelopment

andresearchcontexts(HawandHadfield,2011;Theobald,2012)theutilisationof

theVSRmodelinsocialworkresearchisasignificantmethodologicalinnovation.

PhasethreeoftheTLCproject(on-goingatthetimeofwriting)involvesthe

developmentofdigitalprofessionaldevelopmentmaterialsforsocialworkers.

Toallowforthein-depthexplorationandanalysisofsocialpedagogicalprinciplesin

socialworkpracticewithchildren,wehavefocusedonthepre-andpost-encounter

interviewsandtheinitialpartofthreeencounters,drawnfromphasesoneandtwo

ofthefieldwork,whenconnectionswerebeingestablished.Whilsttherewasslight

variationinthepurposeofeachofthemeetingstheywereallfocusedon

safeguardingconcernsandillustrativeofordinary,everydaysocialworkencounters.,

Itisimportanttoemphasisethattheseexamplesareonlythat-examplesfroma

muchbiggerdataset-yetwealsoacknowledgethatitisinsuchencounters–the

ordinary,theeveryday–thatarichlynuancedilluminationofsocialworkcanbe

found,providingprovenancefromwellbeyondthecasesexplored.Inthisway,the

practiceissuestheyprofilestanduptoanalyticscrutinyandenableustodefendour

choiceofthemasemblematicofthegatheredandanalyseddatafromeachofthe

twophases.

Onefurther,finalobservationrelatestotheimpactofaresearcherorvideorecorder

intheseencountersandtherepresentativenessofthedatagathered.Incompleting

7

theethicsapprovalprocessesforeachphaseoftheproject,weweremindfulofthe

possibleobstaclestoengagementthatwemightencounter,inparticulartheimpact

ofintrusionintofamilies’livesandtheexposureofpractitionerstopublicscrutiny.

Tooursurprise,theseobstaclesprovedtobefarlessproblematicthanwehad

expected.Familiesoverwhelminglywelcomedtheopportunityforsocialworkers,

ratherthanthemasthefamily,tobeobservedandsubjecttoscrutiny.Inrelationto

practitioners’responses,inphaseonethemajorityofpractitionersexpressedtheir

appreciationathavingsomeoneinterestedintheirworkandtheopportunities

affordedbythepre-andpost-interviewstoreflectontheirwork.Anyconcernwe

hadthatthe82phaseoneencountersweobservedandpractitioners’

behaviours/experienceswiththechildrenandfamiliesweresignificantlydifferent

from‘normal’practicebecauseoftheresearcher’spresencedidnotappeartohold

up.Inphasetwothosepractitionerswhoparticipatedwereabletoacknowledgeand

workwiththeinfluenceofthevideoandtheresearcherontheencounters,inorder

tominimiseitsimpact.Thebiggerproblem,here,aroseinengagingpractitionersin

thesecondphaseoftheprojectinthefirstplace.Asaconsequence,therelatively

smallsampleinphasetworestrictsthescaleofclaimsthatcanbemadeinrelation

tothisaspectoftheresearchifconsideredinisolation.Inthecontextofthispaper,

however,thechoiceofdatafrombothphasesovercomesthisshortcomingand

highlightsthecongruenceofthefindingsacrossbothsourcesofdata.

CarlyandMaggie

Inphaseoneoftheproject,Maggie,afamilypractitionerwithovertenyearsof

experienceofworkingwithchildrenandyoungpeopleinchildandfamilysocialwork

wasmeetingCarly,agedseven,forthefirsttimefollowingareferralfromtheschool,

whereCarlyhadarrivedwithabitemarkwhichhermotheradmittedtoinflictingon

CarlyinretaliationforCarlybitingheryoungerbrother.Havingmetearlierintheday

withCarly’smother,Maggie’srolewastomeetwithCarlyandcreateaplanfor

directworkwithherandCarly’smother.TheobservedsessionwasMaggie’sfirst

homevisittomeetandengagewithCarly.Fromtheoutset,theresearcher’sfield

notescaptureMaggie’schild-centredapproach:

8

MaggiecomesthroughandsaysthatwearereadytogoandIgetmythings.

ShegrabstheboxofLegoandsaysthatsheisplanningonmakingbracelets

butshethinksmaybeCarlymightwanttoplaywithLego.Aswewalkacrossto

thecarshesaysshealwayscarrieslotsofthingsaroundwithherassheis

thinkingwhatmighttheyliketodowhichisgoingtohelpthemtrustherandto

feelcomfortable.Sheopenshercar-bootandtherearepuppetsandtoysand

boxeswithpaperintheminthere.IsaythatIhaven’tseenasocialworkerwith

thatamountoftoysandthingsbeforeandshesaysthatshecan’timaginehow

peoplegoabouttalkingtochildrenwithoutthem.Wegetintothecar.(Field

notes)

InthecourseofthecarjourneytothehomeMaggieexplainedhowsheperceives

herwork.AcknowledgingsheisnotquitesurehowshewillworkwithCarly,Maggie

says:

Maggie:Sothisisabitkindofjustsuckitandsee.

Researcher:OK.

Maggie:ButalreadyI’mthinkinginmyheadohImightusepuppetswithher,if

she isn’tasortofanartsandcrafts type… if she isn’tasortofartsandcrafts

typegirl Imightdo those sorts of activities andobviously I’ll chat toherabit

aboutwhat she’s interested inaswell.And then that just gives youabit of a

flavourforwhatyoumightwanttodo(Pre-visitinterview).

On arrival at the house,Maggiewitnessed a stressful inter-change between Carly

andhermotherandenteredintoadomesticsituationthatwasfraughtwithemotion.

Despite this unexpected beginning, Maggie carefully established a child-centred

workspaceinthesittingroom:

She[Maggie]sitscross-leggedonthefloor inthecornerof theroombythe

window, with her pot of beads She opens the pot and Carly comes in and

Maggiesays inacalmmatter-of-factvoice, ‘HelloCarly,doyou likemaking

bracelets?’Carlysaysyesandsitsdownnexttoher.Maggiesays‘Ithoughtso’

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andgetssomeelasticoutandsaysthatshefirstneedstomakesurethatthey

havetherightamounttothread.Carlyholdsherwristoutandtheyworkout

theelasticlengthtogetherandagreethattheywillmakeitalittlebitlonger

thantheyneedsothattheyhaveroomtotie it.Maggiesays ‘OKCarly let’s

decidewhatsortofbraceletyouwanttomakeandthenwhenwearedoing

that,I’mgoingtotellyouaboutwhoIamandwhyIamhere’Carlylooksat

her and nods. They sit together and discusswhat beads Carly will use and

what pattern she is going to make. Carly starts making the bracelet and

Maggie says ‘mummy said it was a stressful day today’. She is sat next to

Carly,sideonandturnstofaceher.

By the end of the visit, Carly had agreed tomeetMaggie again in school, Carly’s

brother had become involved in seeing what was going on and Carly’s mother

positivelyaffirmedCarlyforaLegopandashehadbuilt.Meaningfulconnectionshad

been createdwith all three familymembers and a transformation in relationships

hadbeenachievedinaveryshortspaceoftime.Inherpost-visitinterview,Maggie

continuedwiththethemeofbeingchild-centred:

Andshe’sokabout,youknow,megoingintoschoolandthatum…IthinkI’llneed

toexplaintheconfidentialitybitagaintoherbecauseshewasquitefocusedon

doingherbeadssoIthinksheonlyhalfheardme.Um…Ialwaysexplainthatto

childrenbecauseit’simportanttoknowthatandithelpswiththetrustbit…And

alotofitisyouknowyou’vegotarangeoftoolstodrawonbutalotofitissuck

andsee…

TheEvansFamilyandMarie

TheEvansfamily,observedinphaseoneoftheproject,wascomprisedofElaine(c.

24yearsold)andhertwochildrenDebra,aged8yearsandEddie,aged7years-

bothofwhomwereonthechildprotectionregister,aconfidentiallistofchildren

whohavebeenidentifiedasbeingatriskofharm,heldintheUKbylocalauthorities.

Theregistercarriesnolegalstatus,assuch,butisacentralisedwayofidentifying

childrenatriskinageographicalarea.Marie,thechildren’ssocialworker(inher

twentiesandqualifiedfor2years),wasaccompaniedbytheresearcheronaregular

10

statutorymonitoringvisittothechildrenandtheirmother,withwhomshehas

workedforayear.Aspartofthisvisit,Mariealsohadtoascertainthechildren’s

wishesandfeelingsregardingaforthcomingchildprotectionreviewcaseconference.

Inherpre-visitinterview,Marieexpressedherconcernsaboutthecapacityofthe

childrentoengagewithher:

IfounditreallyhardtoengagewiththesechildrenwhenIwasfirstgoingoutto

seethem.Theydidn’teven…theyalwayswantedtheirmumtherebutnow

they’rehappyenoughformetospeaktothemontheirown(Researchfield

notes).

WhenaskedwhetherthechildrenknowthereasonsastowhyMarieisinvolved,she

said:

Idon’tthinkso.Eddieissevenbuthe’sgotmildcerebralpalsyandarecent

diagnosisofepilepsy….um…hegoestoaspecialschoolbecausehehasmild

learningdifficultiesthoughheseemstohavereallycomeoutofhimself

confidencewisebutIdon’tthinkheunderstandswhatI’mdoing(Research

fieldnotes).

Onarrivalatthehousetheresearcherrecorded:

Thechildrenareinthehallway–Debra[has]aplastictoyinherhand.Itisa

minibongodrumwithbells.Sheisshakingitatusandsmiling.Eddiehasatoy

whistlethatheblowsatusasweenterthehallway(Researchfieldnotes).

Inashortspaceoftime,thechildrenhadmadetheirpresenceknownandindicated

throughtheirhostingofanoisymusicalfanfarewelcomethattheywereenthusiastic

thatthesocialworkerhadcometovisitandwereamenabletobeingengaged.

Marie’sresponsetothewelcomewasrecordedasfollows:

‘HelloDebrawhat’sthisyou’vegot?’(pointingtothetoy),butdoesnotwait

forareplyassheisthenleadintothefrontroombyElaine(Researchfield

notes).

11

OncethesocialworkerandElainehadseatedthemselvesinthefrontroomand

startedtalking,thechildrencontinuedtodemonstrateanabilitytomaketheir

presenceknownandawillingnesstoengagewiththesocialworker.However,itwas

Elaine,themother,whodrewMarie’sattention.Astheinterviewprogressed,the

children’sattemptstoengagewiththeirsocialworkerratchetedup.

Inthecourseofthepost-visitinterview(thattookplaceinthecaronthewaybackto

theoffice)Mariereflectedonthemissedconnectionsandconsideredhowthese

couldbeaddressedinordertobecomeattunedto‘themusic’intheroom:

Researcher:OneofthethingsInoticedwastheycameinwithtoys,likeDebra

hadthethingthatmakesalotofnoiseandEddiehadtheballandIwondered

ifyou’dthoughtaboutengagingwiththetoy?

Marie:Yea,cosit’slikeabridge?Anicebreakerwhenit’shardtotalkabout

otherstuff,yea.Maybethat’sawaytheyaretryingtoreachoutand…

Researcher:talktoyou?CosDebrabroughtinthatlittletoythat’sreally

importanttoher?

Marie:Yeathat’sactuallytrue.ShebroughtthatinandIdidn'treally

acknowledgeit–d’youknowwhatImean?Justtalkingtoheraboutitwould

bemakingaconversationwithher‘cosit’snotthreatening….

Researcher:Yea.It’sjustinteresting‘costheyaremakingaconversationbut

ontheirterms

Marie:Yea,yea(laughing)that’sareallygoodpoint.‘Cosifyounoticethe

footballaswellandhisnewfootballshoes…

Researcher:Right,yea

Marie:Ithinkthatwouldhavebeenagoodthingtotalktohimabout

(Interviewtranscript).

12

JanetandStephen

Thethirdexamplecomesfromameetingthatwasvideoedaspartofphasetwoof

theproject.Althoughthedatadrawnonhereisfromadifferentmethodological

phaseoftheprojectthatinvolvedvideorecordingtheencounter,theactual

encounterobservedandrecordedwasnodifferenttootherencountersobservedin

phaseone,wherethesocialworkerswerespendingtimewithchildreninorderto

gettoknowthem,toassesstheircircumstancesandtoascertaintheirwishesand

feelings.

Janet,anexperiencedseniorsocialworkerinher40s,hadrecentlystartedworking

withStephen,a7-year-oldboywhosefamilywereexperiencingdifficulties,which

includedincidentsofdomesticviolencethatwerehavinganadverseimpacton

Stephen.ThiswasJanetandStephen’sfourthweeklymeetingandittookplaceina

designatedplayroominaschool,whichwastheirregularmeetingplace.Itwas

apparentfromthewayJanethoughtabouthermeetingswithchildrenthatthechild,

inthisinstanceStephen,wastheprimaryfocusofherattention.Theavailabilityofa

well-resourcedplayroomclearlysupportedherinthiswork.Thatsaid,fromJanet’s

pre-meetinginterviewcomments,itwasclearthatattheoutsetofengagingwitha

familysheprioritisedseeingchildrenontheirownandwoulddosoregardlessof

whetherappropriatefacilitiesexisted:

Janettoldmethatwhenevershegetsanewchild/youngpersontoworkwith,

sheseesthemonceaweekforabout8weekssothattheycangettoknowone

another.Thereafter,shecanreducecontacttoonceamonthoronceafortnight,

dependingonwhatthechild’sneedsandsituationare.Shesaidshedoesn’tlike

TalkingMatsandtheothertoolsthatarebeingpromotedjustnow–she’d

ratherplayrealgameswiththechildrenandgettoknowthemthroughthat.She

thinksshemightbeoutofstepinthis–there’spressuretoembracethenew

tools(Researchfieldnotes).

Janetwentontosaymoreaboutherconcernsaboutcontemporarypractice:

13

Hugelycriticalofthestyleofsocialworkthatisaboutformfillingandticking

boxes–forexample,“Iconsultedthechildlastweek”.Insteadshearguesthat

youhavetobuildarelationshipandthisgoesbothways,soshetellskids

aboutherself,herkids,herholidaysetc.(Researchfieldnotes).

ThefieldnotesillustratehowJanet’sattitudedisplaysbothanunquestioning

orientationtowardsthecapabilityofthechildrenwithwhomsheworkstoengage

withherandanawarenessofhercriticalpartinachievingmeaningfulconnection

andengagement.Janetstatedclearlyhowsheusesherselfasakeypartofthe

relationshipbuildingprocessand,asillustratedbelow,veryquicklydemonstratesin

theencounterhowsheapproacheseachrelationshipinauniqueandpersonal

manner.

Thefieldnotesrecordthatonarrival,Stephenhuddledhimselfonthefloorinthe

corneroftheplayroomandJanettookoffherbootsandlaydownfacingStephenon

herside,soastobeonthesamelevelashim.Afewminutesintothemeeting,Janet

stretchedacrosstoStephenandsqueezedhisleg.Inthepost-interviewconversation

whenJanetandtheresearchermettoreviewthevideoedrecording,theresearcher

commentedonJanet’saction:

Researcher): Because that was very… You stretched right forward and you

grabbedhis legand I thought thatwasquite interesting, hedidn’tmind you

doingthatatallbytheway.

Janet:It’sathingwedo.

Researcher:Butyouwouldn’tdoitwithanolderyoungperson,Ibet?

Janet:AndIwouldn’tnecessarilydoitwithotherchildrenbutit’sathing,it’sa

jokethatwedobecausemainlywe’reinthecarandwhenwe’rehavingacarry

onandIgiggleIgrab,Idosomethingtohimthatmydadusedtodotome,it’s

akindofgripabovethekneeandyoujustsortofcrumbleintogigglesandhe

lovesitandIdoittohimallthetimeanditdoesn’t,it’snotsore,butIgrabhim

abovethekneeand Igivehimaticklethereandhefallsabout laughing.So I

supposeIwasreallyconsciousofthefacthedoesn’tsitlikethisnormallyever

14

so Iwasconsciousthatthatwasnewforhimand I leanedovertodothatto

him because a) its our thing but b) because I just wanted him to feel a bit

connectedeven thoughhewas sitting so faraway.And thateven thoughhe

wasclearlydoingthatbecausethingsweredifferentandhewasneedingthe

protectionofthecornerIwas,Iwasjustwantinghimtorememberthatitwas

stillmeandit’sstillusandnothingisdifferent(Interviewtranscript).

TheauthenticityoftheconnectionJanethadmadewithStephenunderthese

unusualcircumstanceswasconfirmedbythevisiblechangeinStephen’sdemeanour

fromtheoutsetofthemeetingwhenhewashuddledinthecornertotheconcluding

sectionofthemeetingwhenhelaysprawledout,incloseproximitytoJanet,

mirroringherbodylanguage.

Discussion

Sowhatsharedlearningandinsightcanwetakefromthesethreeencountersto

helpourunderstandingofwhatconstituteseffective,connectedcommunication

withchildren?Belowweoutlinehowsocialpedagogycaninformpracticewith

childrenandenhancepractitioners’communicationskills.Insodoing,weare

mindfulofhowthespecificfocusofthispaperthatinvolvesanalysingdetailed

practiceencounterscouldruntheriskofpathologisingthepracticeofindividual

socialworkers.Asresearcherswhohavepermissiontoopenuppracticetoresearch,

wehavebeenmindfulthroughouttheprojectofourethicalresponsibility.Itisnot

ourplacetomakejudgementsonpracticeinordertoapportionindividualblamefor

shortcomings,buttoensurethatthatweadheretoourcommitmenttoexpanding

understandingofeffectivecommunicationwithchildren,inordertoimprove

practiceasawhole.Furthermore,wearemindfulofthelimitationsofthispaperin

thatitspredominantlypractitioner-focusmeansthatpracticeisnotlocatedand

describedindetailwithinorganisationalcontextsandculturesthatbring

considerableinfluencetobear.Werecognisefullythesignificanceoftheseaspects

ofcontemporarypractice(Winteretal.forthcoming)butalsobelievethatthis

shouldnotnegatethefocusonsocialworkers’owninternalandexternal

15

congruenceasreflectedthroughthesocialpedagogicallensappliedtoanalyse

practiceinthispaper.

Developingpractitioner‘haltung’andrecognisingchildren’sagency

Ineachofthethreecasespresented,theextenttowhichtheindividualpractitioners

demonstrated‘haltung’wasvisiblydifferentandappearedtobecloselyassociated

withtheirexpectationsofchildren’sagency.BothMaggiewithCarly,andJanetwith

Stephen,demonstratedintheirpre-interviewshowtheyhaddevelopedcertain

universalpracticeswithchildren,whilstatthesametimecustomisedpractices

accordingtoeachindividualchild.Maggie’saccountdemonstratedherprofessional

authenticityandabilitytoadoptanopen-minded,‘notknowing‘positiontowhat

mightworkbest,bothcorecharacteristicsof‘haltung’andeffectiveconnections

(Garfat,2004;Eichstellar&Holthoff,2010;Smith,2010).Asthefieldnotesrecord,in

thecourseofthe45-minutevisitMaggiemanagedtoturnthedifficultinitial

situationaroundthroughachild-centredattitude(haltung)thatmadesureshespent

timediscretelyina‘commonthird’activitywithCarly,whilstusingher‘head,hands

andheart’toempathisewithalltheotherpartiesinvolvedi.e.Carly’smotherand

brother.

Janetdescribedherstandardpracticewhenstartingworkwithafamilyofalways

initiallyseeingchildrenoverseveralsessionsontheirown,inordertogettoknow

themintheirownright,recognisingthatwithinthisstandardpracticewhatunfolded

ineachsessionwasuniquetoeachchild.Intheinitialphaseoftherecorded

exchangewithStephenJanetdemonstratedherdispositionand‘haltung’towards

himbyusingherknowledgeoftheirrelationship(herhead),aphysicalinteraction

(herhands)andherempathicsensibilitytowardsStephenbeingunfamiliarwiththe

videoingprocess(herheart)tocreateasafeenvironmentforhimtorelatetoherin.

In contrast, Debra and Eddie displayed enormous amounts of energy and agency

thatMarienoticedonarrivalbutwasunabletoutiliselateron.Marie’spre-interview

remarksmaysuggestthatsheheldlowerexpectationsofchildren’sagencyandhad

pre-determined activities she was planning to use to ascertain their wishes and

feelings. From her pre-visit explanation and her conduct during the visit, Marie

16

showedthatwhileshewashearingthechildren,shewasnotabletolistentothem

fully; likewise,while shewas observing them, she could not see them, or at least

attendtoseeingthem,anexperiencewidelyreportedbyyoungpeopleinrelationto

their encounters with professionals (Author’s own, forthcoming). Marie’s post-

interview comments highlighted her insight into the visit dynamics and her

immediaterecognition,onreflection,thatshecouldhaveusedtheartefactsDebra

and Eddie had presented herwith (themusical instrument, a sportsmedal and a

football)moreeffectivelytomakeaconnection.Thisencounter,however,wasmade

harderforMariebytheneedtosimultaneouslyattendtotheneedsofElaineandof

thechildren. In contrast, Janethaddetermined to see Jamie separately sodidnot

have to address competing dynamics in the room, whilst Maggie managed this

challenge by creating a discrete and boundaried space to work with Carly. This

common, everyday conundrum for socialworkers ofworking out how to respond

simultaneouslytotheneedsofchildrenandtheirparentswasarecurringfeatureof

ourdataandisexploredinmoredetailinaforthcomingTLCpaper.

Ataveryconcretelevel,itwassurprisingtonote(fromallourencountersontheTLC

project)howfewsocialworkershadanyplaymaterialstousewithchildren.

Examplesofsocialworkershavingboxesoftoysandcreativematerialswererare,

butwheretheyexistedthepracticetheydemonstratedwasfrequentlyimpressive.

Thefactthatthiswastheexception,ratherthantherule,suggeststwokeyinter-

relatedandconcerningissues.Firstly,theinabilityoforganisationstorecognisewhat

practitionersneedtodotheirwork;wherepractitionersdidhaveplaymaterialsto

handtheyhadoftenbroughtthemthemselves.Secondly,manyofthepractitioners

weobserveddidnotappeartohaveamindsetthatembracedtheideaofchildren

needingvariedwaysofcommunication,andperhapsindirectresponsetothe

impoverishedmindsetsoftheorganisationsthatmanypractitionersfound

themselveslocatedin(seebelow)therewasalackofcreativityinthinkingabout

practice.Incontrast,socialpedagogicapproachesencouragetheuseofallsortsof

‘commonthird’activities,often,astheexamplesdrawnonillustrate,everyday

activitiesthatalreadyexistandcanbereadilyincorporatedintotheencounter.This

17

researchsuggeststhatthesignificanceofthispracticalandattitudinalelementofthe

everydayencounterneedstobebetterunderstoodandaddressed.

Anoticeablefeatureofalltheencountersweobservedwasthenon-linearnatureof

thesocialworker-childcommunicationprocess.Theprojectfindingshighlightedthe

importanceofsocialworkersdevelopingboththeirconfidenceintheagencyand

abilityofchildrentosaywhatneedssaying/expressingandtheirabilitytorecognise

thatitwillbecommunicatedoftenunexpectedlyandnotnecessarilythroughdirect

orstraightforwardprocesses.Acquiringandexercisinga‘haltung’thathasan

understandingofandconvictionaboutchildren’sagencyandtheabilitytocreatively

usethehead,heartandhandstorespond,wewouldargueareessentialsocialwork

skills.Ofparticularimportanceistheintuitivesensitivityofpractitionerstoresistthe

urgetoforceaconversationorraiseanissuetooquicklyordirectly.

Carsandcarjourneyshavelongbeennotedasconducivespacesandplacesfor

conductingconversationswithchildren(Ferguson,2014,2014a;Winnicott,1963),as

theyavoiddirectface-to-facecontactwhilstcreatingasenseofsafetyandintimacy.

Creatingasafeandappropriatelyintimatespace,suchasMaggieandJanetdid,that

involvedactivitiesthatallowedeyestobeavertedasrequired,affordssimilar

opportunitiesforconnectionandcommunicationtothatofferedbycarjourneys.

Establishingfamiliarroutines–thesameplace,sameroutine,sameactivities-also

createsanimportancesenseofintimacy,ownershipandcontinuity,whichchildren

valuegreatly(seereviewbyAuthor’s,2015).Suchinteractionsareintheirownright

highlyskilledanddemanding.Thechallengeofachievingsuchconnectedand

attunedencounters,however,isfurtherexacerbatedbytheprevailingorganisational

andpolicycontext,drivenbybureaucratic,asopposedtochild-centred,imperatives.

Inmanyinstancepractitionerswererestrictedtoonlyoneoraverysmallnumberof

opportunitiestoengagewithachild.

Socialpedagogicapproachesthatencourage‘head-heart-hands’approachesrun

countertothedominantmanageralistmindsetthatcurrentlypervadesthe

organisationaldomainandwhichappearstomarginaliseinterpersonalcontact.

Nonetheless,ifadopted,theyhavethepotentialtoestablishmeaningfuland

18

effectiverelationshipsthatultimately,forabiggerinvestmentininter-personal

contactearlyon,canbecosteffectiveinthelongrunbycontributingtothecreation

ofmoreaccurateassessments,informeddecisionmakingandappropriate

interventions.Janet’sresolvetoseeStephenregularlyisapowerfulstatementof

herpedagogically-informedprofessionalcommitmenttohumanneedovereconomic

efficiency,butonewhichhaspotential,inthelongrun,tobebothhumanely

effectiveandeconomicallyefficient.Undersuchconditionspractitionersneedtobe

professionallyassertive,asexemplifiedbyJanet’sprofessionalresolvetopractisein

thisway,inorderthatthebestinterestsofthechildcanbebothpromotedand

protected.Understandably,lessexperiencedpractitionersmayfindsuchan

approachhardertomobilise,particularlyiftheirorganisationalcontextdoesnot

endorseandsupportit,butrecognitionofitsimportancebeginstocreatethe

possibilityforsuchsitesofprofessionalagencyandassertiontodevelop.

Promotingsocialworkeragencyandestablishingorganisationalsupport

These examples from the research highlight the importance of individual

practitioners’values,beliefsandpracticesforeffectivecommunicationwithchildren.

That said, this individual perspective does not entirely account for the quality of

communicative practices as organisational contexts were found to have a

considerableimpactonwhatsocialworkersfelttheycouldorcouldnotachieve.For

practitionerstobeabletoestablishandsustainmeaningfulencounterswithchildren

requires them to be attuned to the harsh realities of human need and

impoverishmentandabletodrawonabreadthofapproachestocommunicateand

relateeffectively(Lefevre,2010).AsJanet’sbehaviourdemonstratescommunication

andconnectionsaremulti-facetedandinvolveacomplexseriesofinextricablyinter-

related intimate interactions - words, facial and hand gestures, body positions,

touches, sounds and silences. Eichstellar and Holthoff (2010, p. 184) capture this

needforsensitiveflexibility:

Therelationalaspectofsocialpedagogicpracticemeansthateveryday

bringssomethingnewandunforeseenaseverychildisuniqueandbringsall

theiruniquenessintothatrelationship.Asitisimpossibletohavearulebook

19

thatwouldadequatelycoverthecomplexityandendlesspossibilities

enshrinedwithineachrelationship,allthatsocialpedagogycandoisgive

professionalstheconfidenceneededforeachnewencounter,totrusttheir

ownandtheother’sabilities.

Associalpedagogictheoreticalapproachesrecognise(CameronandMoss,2011)to

offeranattunedresponsetoachildrequirespractitionerstobeexperiencing

attunedresponsestotheirownprofessionalneedsfromsupervisors,managersand

peers.Thesignificanceforeffective,connectedpracticeofpractitionersfeeling

heardandunderstoodwasbroughthometousthroughtheorganisational

observationdatagatheredinthecourseofthisproject.Itwaswidelyobservedthat

therewasalackofspaceforsocialworkerstoplaneffectivelyinrelationto

forthcomingencounters.Caseloaddemands,respondingtoemergingcrisesand

organisationalpreoccupationswithrespondingtoand/ormanagingriskdominated

theirpractice,resultinginalackofopportunityforsocialworkersinsometeamsto

attendtotheintimaciesofinter-personalconnectionsthatoccurwithinthespaceof

anencounter.

Thisfindingunderlinesthecrucialimportanceofattendingtotheorganisational-

individualinterfaceforeffectivepractice.Thisclaimisfurthersubstantiatedbythe

findingfromourobservationsthatsocialpedagogicprinciplesdidnotexplicitly

informthepracticesofanyofthewiderorganisationalcontextsinwhichtheteams

thatwereobservedwerelocated.Asaconsequence,asocialpedagogicmindsetdid

notfilterdownthroughtheorganisationstopractitionersinthefield.Whethersocial

pedagogywasafeatureofindividualorteamlevelpractice,therefore,waslargely

idiosyncraticandcontingentonthemotivation,knowledgeandskillsofindividual

practitionersormanagers.Thiswasvividlyillustratedacrosstheresearchproject

whereteamslocatedinthesameorganisationalcontexts,andeveninsome

instancesindividualswithinthesameteam,demonstratedcontrastingapproachesto

practice.Sufficetosayherethathowpractitionersunderstoodtheirroleand

engagedwiththechildrenandfamiliesontheircaseloadswasdependentonthe

extenttowhichtheirorganisationhadachild-centredoutlook,thenatureofteams’

20

structuresandculturesandthequalityandquantityofthesupervisionavailableto

practitioners.Thisisanotheraspectofourresearchthatwillfeatureina

forthcomingTLCprojectpublication.

Conclusion

Socialpedagogyinvitesallinvolvedtoattendtotheintimaciesofinter-personal

connections.Inthecontextofsocialworkers’relationshipswithchildrenandfamilies

whoareinvariablyexperiencingheightenedlevelsofanxietyandfinancialand

emotionalausterity,thismakesestablishingsuchconnectionsachallenging

undertaking.Oneofthebiggestchallenges,however,isthefinanciallydriven,short-

term-ismthatisintegraltocurrentwelfarepoliciesandpractices.Re-discoveringa

relationalstanceinsocialworkiscrucialifchildren’sbestinterestsaretobe

promotedandtheworsteffectsofmanagerialismaretobeaverted.Socialpedagogy

appearstoofferafruitfultheoreticalandpracticalframeworkforassisting

practitioners,workinginahostilepoliticalclimate,tomakemeaningfulconnections

withchildrenandfamilies.Bringingsocialpedagogyintosocialworkpractice

encouragesallrelationships,howeverfleeting,tobeshapedbya‘haltung’that

embracesandbuildsonchildren’sagency.Thefindingsofthisresearchsuggestthat

this,inturn,willincreasethelikelihoodthatameaningfulconnectionandmore

effectivepractice,evenindifficultcircumstances,canbeachieved.Thepromotion

anddevelopmentofsocialpedagogically-informedpracticemust,however,be

accompaniedbyshiftsinpolicytoensurethattheorganisationalcontextinwhich

practitionersoperate,protectsandpromotestheirprofessionalagencyinorderthat

effectivepracticecanbesustained.

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