Effective Social Work with Children, Young People and Families

Putting Systems Theory into Practice

Steven Walker

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781446252253, 9781446252246
• eBook ISBN: 9781446290828
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

This book looks at the changing context of children and young people?s services heralded by the structural, organisational and funding changes put forward in Eileen Munro?s Review of Child Protection. It is strongly grounded in research and theory, and gives specific consideration to how systems theory can help practitioners in understanding families.

It highlights the need for every social work practitioner to develop the capacity to undertake unified assessments and interventions in a wide variety of settings with individuals, families, and groups where there are child protection and safeguarding concerns.

With case studies, interactive activities, summaries and guidance throughout, this book will be essential reading for all social work students and qualified social work practitioners, as well as all those involved in the field of child protection.

PART I

THE PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS OF THEORETICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS

1

SYSTEMS THEORY

INTRODUCTION

One of the earliest references to social work and systems theory goes as far back as the mid-1970s (Forder, 1976). At that time the theory was being articulated most notably in works seeking to provide social workers with a unitary model of practice (see Goldstein, 1973; Pincus and Minahan, 1974), one that could offer a holistic framework within which to place social work practice. Social work as a new profession was evolving and experimenting with ideas from psychology, sociology and social policy to try to find an identity and set of skills based on solid theories: as a result there was a lot of effort expended into creating a professional identity, value base and intellectual framework that could explain what social work was. This debate has continued ever since, mediated through changes in society, economic upheavals, population trends and legal and educational developments. Because society is in constant flux it is inevitable that social work should be unsettled, and theoretically promiscuous. This is not a problem but a reflection of how social work must evolve in order to respond to new challenges and constant changes.

Forder (1976) considered the philosophical implications of systems theory, concluding that it offered more than the prevailing reductionist psychological theories that were concerned with behaviour and stimuli and that it could develop sociological theories that would place human behaviour in the context of a desire for equilibrium and maintenance of the social and economic status quo. It was argued that systems theory could happily incorporate the concept of free will as well as self-determination and fit into Marxist-inspired conflict theory. Goldstein (1973) observed that the process of social work using a unitary model could be cyclical rather than having a linear start and finish. Together with Pincus and Minahan (1974) the concept of a contract between social worker and client, and what they termed ‘target systems’ for activity, was incorporated to emphasise the interactivity of the whole. A kaleidoscope provides a useful metaphor for understanding this abstraction: when this is twisted (i.e., an action is implemented) the whole pattern being observed changes its shape and colour from that of the original and does so ad infinitum.

Modern systems theory, and its link with family therapy and the systemic ideas that have developed from it, is generally credited with emerging in the 1950s as a result of a number of developments in the fields of psychology, communication theory and psychiatry. At a broader level it is also important to acknowledge here the socio-economic context of a post-Second World War economic expansion, population growth and the significance of cultural changes affecting people’s attitudes to sex, marriage, leisure and intimate relationships. Thus in developed industrialised countries the fifties were a time of rapid sociological change and economic growth when new ideas were more easily articulated and received (Walker, 2005). As a result there was a broad cultural change and a focus on scientific ideas that looked for improvements in the way psychological problems were addressed, moving from mainly medical and pharmacological treatments towards adopting in the 1960s what we now refer to as ‘talking therapies’.

One of the important factors that stimulated the embryonic ideas that were to grow into a new form of social work was the need to build upon the traditional psychoanalytic model of individual therapy. This individual psychodynamic model was constructed on the basis of theories of the unconscious, psycho-sexual development and defence mechanisms that offered elegant explanations for internal conflicts leading to anxiety, depression and more serious problems resulting in interpersonal difficulties (Yelloly, 1980). New research that demonstrated effectiveness when groups of people were brought together to talk about their problems began to influence practice. Two key figures stand out from this time as being influential in moving forward the ideas that were to crystallise in systemic practice. Ludwig von Bertalanffy (1968) was a German biologist who devised a general systems theory that could be used to explain how an organism worked: this could be achieved by studying the transactional processes happening between different parts. He understood that the whole was greater than the sum of its parts and that using this theory we could observe patterns and the way relationships were organised in any living system.

Gregory Bateson (1973) and others in the USA took this concept of a general systems theory and combined it with the new science of cybernetics: they then applied it to social systems such as the family. Cybernetics had introduced the idea of information processing and the role of feedback mechanisms in regulating mechanical systems. Bateson utilised this notion to argue that families were systems involving rules of communication and the regulatory function of feedback that influenced patterns of behaviour within them. In the UK, Ronald Laing (1969) challenged the orthodoxy in psychiatric practice by arguing that schizophrenia was a product of family dysfunction, while John Bowlby (1969) moved from treating individuals to treating families where an individual was displaying mental health problems.

An idea thus began to take root that individual experiences within families were continually being shaped and influenced by the evolving interaction patterns of communication. Bowlby is more generally recognised as a key figure in the development of attachment theory, yet he was among the first of this new generation to recognise the limitations of individual work and began to work with families rather than individuals. Individuals were not therefore determined by early traumatic experiences or distorted developmental transitions, as the prevailing therapeutic orthodoxy argued (Freud, 1973; Segal, 1975; Yelloly, 1980). Systemic thinking conceptualised that individual personality and identity could change along with changes in family dynamics. From this common root theory (systems theory) a number of models and methods of practice evolved and this has continued through to the present day (Walker and Akister, 2004).

SYSTEMS THEORY

Thinking of families as living systems with all the dynamics that this implies was quite revolutionary in its time as it challenged the prevailing orthodoxies which perceived emotional and psychological problems in individual terms:

Family therapy … looks at problems within the systems of relationships in which they occur, and aims to promote change by intervening in the broader system rather than in the individual alone. (Burnham, 1984: 2)

It enabled professionals to think about how the dynamics are constantly altering as each family member deals with life both inside and outside the family. This also introduced ideas about family boundaries and the permeability of these. It moved the thinking away from linear causality and introduced the idea of circular causality, except where direct child abuse is being perpetrated by a powerful individual exercising bullying, intimidating and financial and psychological power. Crude interpretations of family therapy ideas saw this as absolving perpetrators of responsibility, particularly where a ‘no blame’ culture was employed in family work. Other critiques rightly pointed to some of the different methods and schools of family therapy practice as being manipulative and even combative (Howe, 1989). However, as we shall see later family therapy, just like systems theory, is constantly evolving, learning from its mistakes and adapting to new circumstances. The important theoretical concept we must grasp here is that change impacts and reverberates around the system in ways that are often unpredictable, for example in child protection interventions or family support measures. These systemic ideas were readily embraced by social workers as helping them to understand how the pieces of each family puzzle would fit together. So what do we mean by these unpredictable results of change?

The activity that follows aims to illustrate the interconnectedness of families, groups, organisations and interprofessional relationships, whereby one action can invoke another reaction in these systems.

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ACTIVITY

A mother, father and their two children (boys aged 9 and 4) live together. The parents are having difficulty with the elder boy’s behaviour. Family work is undertaken which results in clearer rules for both boys’ behaviour and the father spending more time with the elder boy. The elder boy’s behaviour improves and everyone is happy until they notice that the younger boy’s behaviour has deteriorated.

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Commentary

What has happened here? It would appear that the improvement in one problem area has led to another problem developing. This is not uncommon when working with families and using systems theory can help us to consider and anticipate some of the possible dynamics of change. The impact of change on all parts of the system needs to be considered. In social work practice when a child is removed from a family it is not unusual to find that another child takes on the role of the child who has been removed and that the problems begin again. In other words dealing directly, or only, with the problem presented can lead to another issue developing and the use of systems theory can help prevent this ‘symptom replacement’.

The key points which we need to think about and incorporate into our practice are:

• The parts of the family are interrelated.
• One part of the family cannot be understood in isolation from the rest of the system.
• Family functioning cannot be fully understood by simply understanding each of the parts separately.
• A family’s structure and organisation are important factors that determine the behaviour of family members.

In all areas of practice there will be times when there can be a preoccupation with one or two family members and the others will be marginalised. In the above family the younger child’s needs were not given enough priority when designing the intervention that was targeted on attempting to improve the elder child’s behaviour. This can easily happen and even with experienced practitioners and so it is useful to revisit the interrelatedness of the family members.

These four points make the case for considering families systemically. In relation to social work practice the second and third are of particular note. It is still not uncommon in social work to try to piece together a family’s story by accessing or understanding separate parts of that family. The notion that this does not enable an understanding of the whole, if true, throws into question much of social work practice where family members are not seen together and indeed some may not be involved at all. So if we cannot understand, let’s say, a child in isolation from their family (bullet point 2), and if we cannot understand the family by simply interviewing members separately (bullet point 3), then the task of convening the family members relevant to the system under consideration needs to be undertaken.

It is easy to state this and even if it is apparently true many professionals working in the human services will feel more comfortable interviewing people individually and believe that this enables people to speak more freely. The problem with this viewpoint is that in doing so they are not communicating with the relevant family members and as that family’s worker/therapist they will become the sole holder of all the information available as well as the person who decides what is sufficiently relevant for other family members to know. This is a very powerful position to occupy and non-compatible with ideas of working in partnership with users and carers. In addition, as individuals we will each have our own slant, bias, preferences or interpretation of the facts and it is more effective to share these in a family meeting using a relevant system that can also provide a reality check (Walker and Akister, 2004).

A family’s structure and organisation (bullet point 4) will determine to some degree what is possible within that particular family. There is no ‘normal’ family structure. The question therefore must be ‘Does this structure work for this family?’ And further, does it allow for the healthy growth of family members? This is where issues such as the permeability of boundaries can be explored. Each system will have a boundary and each system will also contain subsystems and be located within suprasystems. In family terms there will subsystems within every family which will have their own boundaries. Examples of possible subsystems are those of parental, marital or sibling. There can also be grandparent subsystems and the existence of a suitable hierarchy between the various generations is important here. The suprasystems to which the family may belong concern the extended family, community and other ecological groupings. If a family’s boundaries are relatively impervious they may be isolated from their community and might also be enmeshed in their relationships within that family. If on the other hand a family’s boundaries are too permeable, the individuals in that family may be disengaged from one another and over-involved with the wider community. This enmeshment and disengagement were first described by Minuchin (1974).

Recent inspections and joint reviews following the death of Peter Connelly (DH, 2010a) have illustrated the need for social workers to rediscover their core skills of assessment, so that decision making and care planning are based on a sound analysis and understanding of each client’s unique personality, history and circumstances. Munro confirms that a systems perspective offers the most holistic tool for undertaking informed assessment work that takes into full account the wider environmental factors combined with the inter-personal relationship patterns influencing family experience. Government guidance is recognising the importance of a therapeutic dimension to contemporary practice. It has long been established that social workers’ own therapeutic skills need to be seen as a resource that must be used and offered in assessment work (DH, 2000a). This has been repeated since by Munro as recently as 2011.

Community care reforms, child care fiascos and mental health panics have fuelled the drive towards a managerialist culture in social work reducing the professional autonomy of social workers. Munro evidenced this and underlined the critical importance of freeing up social workers to spend more time in direct contact with families, rather than repeatedly filling in paperwork and tickboxing narrow procedures and timescales. The evidence from social work practitioners is of a strong demand for the practical and theoretical resources to equip them to deal with modern family life and rediscover the value of interpersonal relationship skills (BASW, 2003). The Department of Health has long conceded that assessment processes have become de-skilling for social workers (DH, 2000b), while others have shown how assessment frameworks are impeding therapeutic communication between social workers and service users (Crisp et al., 2007).

SYSTEMS THEORY AND INTERVENTION PRACTICES

Three broad schools of family therapy can be identified within the systems literature: structural, strategic and systemic. These will be elaborated on along with various others in Chapter 3, but briefly described in this context. First, the characteristics of structural family therapy stem from the technique of observing the interactive patterns in a family. Once this baseline behaviour can be understood as contributing to the problem a structural approach would seek to highlight these, interrupt them when they are happening, and then have the family to re-enact them in ways that will lead to different outcomes. The attraction for practitioners of this way of using family therapy techniques is that it aspires to provide families with problem solving practical solutions while also maintaining a strict structural hierarchy between children and parents/carers. In direct family work therefore the task is to enable families to try out a variety of ways of doing things: for example, by coaching a parent on how to maintain a boundary or limit the behaviour of their child.

Second, the strategic family therapy approach, in cont...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Introduction
• Part I: The Practice Implications of Theoretical and Philosophical Foundations
• Part II: Dilemmas and Challenges in Applying Systems Theory in Practice
• Part III: Creating the Difference that Makes a Difference
• Bibliography
• Index