Evidence-based Practice in Social Work

Ian Mathews, Karin Crawford

• Publisher: Learning Matters
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781844456116
• eBook ISBN: 9781844457724
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

At a time when the credibility of social work is again being questioned, this book offers a critical approach to the debate concerning the reliability and validity of the evidence, research and knowledge that underpins professional social work practice. It critiques the notion of ?evidence? and argues that ?knowledge? is a much broader, more appropriate concept to consider. There is analysis of the different components and sources of this knowledge and an exploration of the often discordant interface between practice and knowledge. Finally, it supports the view that knowledge can be actively developed and tested by a range of people.

Part One

1 What underpins social work practice?

Karin Crawford

Achieving a Social Work Degree

Exercises in this chapter will focus on

• skill 1 demonstrating understanding and application of theoretical ideas
• skill 2 comparing and contrasting different viewpoints and experiences
• skill 3 relating different views to underlying philosophies or ideologies
• skill 4 evaluating different perspectives and ideas

Its content is particularly relevant to the following Social Work Subject Benchmarks.

4.7	the ability to acquire and apply the habits of critical reflection, self-evaluation and consultation, and make appropriate use of research in decision-making about practice and in the evaluation of outcomes
5.1.4	the ability to acquire and apply research-based concepts and critical explanations from social work theory and other disciplines that contribute to the knowledge base of social work, including their distinctive epistemological status and application to practice
5.1.5	the ability to acquire and apply processes of reflection and evaluation, including familiarity with the range of approaches for evaluating service and welfare outcomes, and their significance for the development of practice and the practitioner

---

Introduction

This chapter introduces you to a number of critical themes to which we will keep returning throughout the book. As you actively consider these themes you will be invited to undertake a range of skill development exercises which assist your thinking. For example, we start by inviting you to consider if and why professional social work requires knowledge and evidence to underpin the tasks that it does. This may seem a straightforward, almost commonsensical, debate but sometimes it is helpful to articulate the foundations of social work and explore why we undertake the task in the way that we do.

We hope that you will be able to see a sequence within this foundational chapter, as many of the arguments we raise recur in different guises throughout this book. Having invited you to consider the basis of social work we then move on to a challenging philosophical debate as we analyse the differences and commonalities between ‘evidence’ and ‘knowledge’. At this stage in your reading you may reason that they mean the same thing and indeed they are often used in a casual way which does not reflect their inherent complexity. Our argument is that they are different and that both require critical interrogation if they are to be accepted as a basis for practice.

We then pose a number of associated questions which are critical to practice. If social work is underpinned by evidence and knowledge, how reliable are these foundations? Is evidence and knowledge ‘true’ or does it need to be constantly reviewed and reinterpreted in the light of new insights? How does our understanding of knowledge which is deemed central to good practice evolve over time? These questions may seem a little overwhelming but an essential skill that you will need to develop as a social worker is the ability to critically analyse arguments and complex information in order to become an effective practitioner (Keen et al. 2009). We hope that this book provides an excellent start to that process by giving you a succession of contentious ideas to dissect and debate.

Finally in this chapter, we discuss a number of ways of categorising knowledge. This provides a helpful summary of the critical analysis you will have done and also demonstrates that there are a number of valid ways of considering underpinning knowledge. The purpose of this first chapter is to introduce a range of recurring themes and to set the context for a critical debate of the foundations of social work. We hope you enjoy the challenge!

Evidence and knowledge: The basis of social work?

A widely accepted definition of social work provided by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) suggests that

“The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.”

IFSW (2000)

While this definition is now a little dated and is open to challenge, it has been welcomed by many practitioners who appreciate the way it incorporates reference to social action, a theoretical basis and important value concepts such as rights and justice, all of which are integral to the way that social work operates.

The reference to theory, however, seems to have a minor role within the definition compared to the emphasis on the ‘doing’ of the task: problem solving, empowerment, liberation, intervenes, interact and so on. It could be suggested that this reflects the idea that social work is often viewed as being principally a practical activity based on little more than good personal skills. Margaret Thatcher, Conservative Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990, once allegedly claimed that social work was purely a matter of common sense which could best be undertaken by experienced mothers. Politicians, however, are not alone in entering the debate regarding the basis of effective social work. For example, Nygren and Soydan (1997: 218) suggest that

“Social work is considered to be an activity that is not and cannot be based on book knowledge. Its success depends on personal talent, and it can be taught through learning by doing and by imitating experienced social workers.”

While the characteristics suggested by these authors – life experience, personal talent and common sense – are undoubtedly valuable assets to bring to social work, such quotations devalue the complex mix of skills, expertise and knowledge that underpins and informs the professional task.

To return to the IFSW (2000) definition we have to acknowledge that it is now some years old and does not fully reflect the intensity of the debate regarding the evidence base of social work that has occurred in more recent years. We would now like you to engage in that debate.

Why is underpinning evidence and knowledge important to social work practice?

Critical thinking exercise 1.1

Make a list of the reasons why you think that social work requires knowledge and evidence to underpin the practice it undertakes and the decisions that it makes.

---

We will be returning to this argument on a number of occasions, but as a starting point we want to highlight several important factors.

Firstly the general public expect professional workers to have a sound basis for their decisions and views and to be able to evidence them if necessary. On occasions our trust in some professional groups such as doctors or solicitors is implicit. The range of knowledge and expertise and the complexity of the information that they are required to know is so considerable that the general public tend to defer to their professional decision-making. Even so, there is a growing culture of challenging such professionals to justify and evidence the decisions that they make. This is equally the case in social work where decisions of profound and lasting importance need to be made.

Secondly, the practice of social work, and its place in the interprofessional environment, is enhanced if a worker is able to demonstrate to users and to colleagues in other agencies the rationale for action/inaction and some of the research and information which has guided their thinking. It is inappropriate to expect the public at large or other groups of professionals to have respect for social work if it comes across as ill-informed and little more than instinctive. An ability to analyse evidence and to reflect on the validity of this evidence is an important social work skill. Taylor (2010), in his discussion of decision-making within social work, suggests that a holistic approach focuses on a range of crucial questions.

---

In relation to decision making a consideration of role alerts us to seeing ourselves as one player within what is often a complex situation, but nonetheless a useful contributor with a particular range of knowledge and skills. Among professions, social workers tend to have a holistic perspective on situations. The factors that we take into account in order to make sense of a complex, changing mosaic of information may be described as framing the decision.

These factors include:

• law, regulations, policies, procedures;
• function of your organisation and services available;
• relevant functions and services of other organisations;
• values, standards, principles;
• knowledge, research, theory and skills.

Adapted from Taylor (2010: 62)

---

This quote is helpful as it begins to articulate and explore some of the threads of knowledge and evidence that social workers are required to use in order for their work to be seen as credible by the public and by other professionals. Social workers are also required to demonstrate that their decisions are based on robust evidence in more formal arenas. For example, social workers are increasingly required to argue their case in court settings, to formally established panels with executive powers, to inquiries and to committees of politicians and others with influence on service outcomes. The people who sit on such fora may have a varying understanding of social work practice and policy. They are usually interested in the specific evidence being presented to justify a course of action especially when that action requires the allocation of scarce resources or the removal from home of a person against their will. These important decision-making fora and service users are best served by well-informed social workers who can present a case which is underpinned by sound evidence.

There are also important moral/ethical reasons as to why social work should be an informed activity. People who use services have a right to know that the judgements made by social workers which profoundly affect them and their families are made on something more substantial than personal opinion or common sense. For example, it is unethical to work with an older person towards the provision of permanent care in a residential setting and presenting it as a positive choice if you have not considered research into the effects of institutionalisation and the risks involved in moving people from their homes late in life. It is immoral to intervene in people’s lives without any clear idea as to the potential effects of the work being undertaken and without knowing if their situation is likely to be improved or be made worse as a result of your intervention.

Optional further study

You will find an interesting and accessible discussion of the moral and ethical reasons behind decision-making in mental health social work in Bogg (2010). Chapter 2 in particular offers an historical overview of the various ethical perspectives and the role of social work

---

Social workers not only have a moral duty to acquire a sufficient quantity and quality of knowledge to explain and justify their decision-making, they also have an obligation to keep their knowledge current and up to date. In practice, where workers have to balance many competing demands and pressures, this is sometimes not easy. Social workers, however, frequently expect service users to learn new skills, to absorb new information and to evidence their ability to change. If service users cannot adapt in this way, they risk having their children removed, being institutionalised or experiencing other unwanted outcomes. It would be unethical if those demanding and monitoring change and learning from service users were not able to similarly evidence the capacity for change and growth in their own professional practice.

---

Later in this book, in Chapter 7, we will be analysing the Proposed Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Workers in England which is currently being promoted by the ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part One
• Part Two
• Conclusion: Why is it necessary to consider the evidence and knowledge that underpins practice?
• Glossary
• References
• Index