Masking hegemonic masculinity: reconstructing the paedophile as the dangerous stranger

This paper reviews the social constructions of the paedophile as these are embodied in clinical and journalistic discourses. It considers how these discourses have influenced community perceptions of risk and professional responses to the concerns they portray. It then locates these professional constructions within a context of hegemonic masculinity and unsafe families. It concludes that community safety is not adequately addressed by professional assessments of risk that focus primarily on the problems posed by known paedophiles. It is important to consider the problem of sexual violence in a much wider context that problematises the context in which sexual abuse occurs.</p

Use of respiratory protection in Yogyakarta during the 2014 eruption of Kelud, Indonesia : community and agency perspectives.

The 2014 explosive eruption of Kelud volcano, Indonesia ejected fine-grained volcanic ash in a plume which travelled westwards across the island of Java. In Yogyakarta, without warning, up to 5 cm of ash was deposited within a few hours. This paper investigates the community and organizational response to the respiratory hazard of the ashfall, in the city of Yogyakarta. In any location where ashfall is a rare event, people located away from the primary volcanic hazards will be concerned about whether volcanic ash in their environment is dangerous to inhale, and how they should protect themselves. The World Health Organization primarily recommends that people stay indoors, or use light-weight face masks if outdoors. In the first study of its kind, we undertook a rapid questionnaire survey (with 125 respondents) on the use of community respiratory protection when ash is in the air. We documented the types of masks people wore, where they had got the mask from, why people wore masks, who advised them to wear a mask, and whether people thought their respiratory protection was effective. We also conducted informal interviews with a range of emergency management and health agencies, NGOs and a children's charity, to understand how those involved in mask procurement and distribution responded to the crisis, and to determine their understanding of the effectiveness of the masks that they provide. The study showed that a wide range of respiratory protection is used by those who choose to protect themselves, from cloth through to highly-efficient face masks, but with most people wearing surgical masks. Masks are widely available, from street stalls and shops, but are also distributed by government agencies, NGOs and employers. The organizations interviewed mainly distribute surgical masks to the public. Most people wore masks through their own initiative because they understood that there could be a health hazard, although some people wear them anyway when riding scooters (to protect from inhaling vehicle exhaust and street dust). Around 40% of the respondents thought that their existing protection was not sufficiently effective and around 30% of the respondents took measures to try to improve the effectiveness of their chosen protection method (e.g., wearing two types concurrently). This pilot paves the way for the Health Interventions in Volcanic Eruptions (HIVE) project which aims to provide an evidence base on effective respiratory protection for community use when ash is airborne, so that health agencies and other suppliers can provide reliable protection for the general population. The HIVE project will experimentally test the effectiveness of the range of types of respiratory protection identified in this study, as well as understanding the behaviours and environmental and cultural issues which affect whether people will wear masks when ash is in the air

Social work education, training and standards in the Asia-Pacific region

This article discusses the joint project between the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) to establish guidelines for the training and standard setting that elucidates what social work represents on a global level. While it is impossible to address all the issues that might be significant in such a large scope, attention is given to the challenges establishing global standards might encounter in a region as diverse as the Asia-Pacific

The Road Not Taken

The future of social work in England as a degree-based profession linked to a career ladder needs stalwart defenders. Its capacity to stand among those leading world developments in research, education and practice is in doubt because it is being undermined by politically-motivated attacks on its professionalism and commitment to protecting the interests of society’s most vulnerable people and constant changes to its professional and educational base. The turbulence caused by an unending stream of government policy shifts including Frontline, Step-up, Think Ahead and reductions in bursaries for a profession that sorely needs them, have sapped continuity within its ranks; led to declining numbers of students joining the profession; produced high rates of turnover among practitioners; and encouraged a flight away from statutory services to the voluntary sector, and, for some, a complete exit from the profession. These developments constitute a waste of public money spent on raising standards and the profession’s standing

Impact of Scottish vocational qualifications on residential child care : have they fulfilled the promise?

This article will present findings from a doctoral study exploring the impact of 'SVQ Care: Promoting Independence (level III)' within children's homes. The study focuses on the extent to which SVQs enhance practice and their function within a 'learning society'. A total of 30 staff were selected from seven children's homes in two different local authority social work departments in Scotland. Each member of staff was interviewed on four separate occasions over a period of 9 months. Interviews were structured using a combination of repertory grids and questions. Particular focus was given to the assessment process, the extent to which SVQs enhance practice and the learning experiences of staff. The findings suggest that there are considerable deficiencies both in terms of the SVQ format and the way in which children's homes are structured for the assessment of competence. Rather than address the history of failure within residential care, it appears that SVQs have enabled the status quo to be maintained whilst creating an 'illusion' of change within a learning society

UNICEF Children's Climate Change Risk Index (CCRI):Systematic Review of the Literature: Findings, Outcomes and Policy Recommendations

IntroductionThis report has been compiled as part of the Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) Project for UNICEF based on the work undertaken for the systematic literature review (SLR) in work package (WP2) by Irena Connon (Research Fellow and Co-I) and Lena Dominelli (Social Sciences Lead). The purpose is to provide a descriptive overview of the findings of the Systematic Literature Review from which a Diagram of Linkages between Climate Risk Factors and their Importance for Child Health Outcomes and a Child-Centred Iterative Loop Framework for Action were developed. This report considers:1) How and to what extent the existing research and policy literature has examined the interactions and intersections between all the individual, structural, institutional, cultural factors, policies, and wider geographical domains that determine the risks, vulnerabilities, mitigation strategies and outcomes for individuals, including children, experiencing climate change hazards, risks, and related disasters.2) The extent to which the agency, decision-making capacity, and rights of children, adolescents and young people has been captured within the existing academic research literature.MethodologyThe systematic literature review explored seven key themes: 1) Climate change, risks, hazards, and related disasters; 2) Vulnerability mitigation activities associated with climate change, 3) Stages of climate-related disasters; 4) Climate shocks and stresses, 5) Climate change, risks, health, and wellbeing; 6) Discrimination and oppression in relation to climate change, and 7) Resilience and climate change hazards, risks, and related disasters. The findings and the contributions made by other members of the CCRI project team were thendrawn upon to develop the Diagram of Factors Linked to Children’s Climate Change Health Risk and the Child-Centred Iterative Loop Framework. The weighting that the existing literature attributed to each linkage was derived by using citations as a proxy of importance.Key FindingsOur systematic review of academic and policy-relevant grey literatures found that:1) Little is known about the intersections between the multi-layered factors and how they influence differences in risks for children (including adolescents and young people).2) The risks manifest in the day-to-day realities of children are not well understood.3) The impacts that vary according to the specific ages of children are rarely considered. 4) Adults make decisions about children’s futures without understanding and addressing the specific climate risks that children face. 5) There remains a notable absence of children’s agency and decision-making capacities within the existing research. The citation analysis revealed the three relationships most commonly identified as influencers of health risks associated with climate change were: 1) poverty and child health, 2) education and child health, and 3) poverty and education. However, given the lack of research examining risk from children’s perspectives, this can only be said to be reflect adult understandings of children’s risk rather than children’s own understandings. The Child-Centred Iterative Loop Framework highlights the limitations within existing knowledge, particularly the tendency to focus on adults’ perceptions of climate risks to children, and repositions children in the centre as agents.Conclusion and Recommendations As children are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, it is fundamental for them to be positioned at the centre of all developments in research, policy, decision-making, and practice, and for them to be recognised as agents capable of determining their own futures as envisaged in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Opportunities for children to exercise their agency and for research to be conducted in partnership with children to coproduce and utilise qualitative forms of inquiry to understand their real-life experiences of climate risk are critical to future development

Learning democracy in social work

In this contribution, we discuss the role of social work in processes of democracy. A key question in this discussion concerns the meaning of ‘the social’ in social work. This question has often been answered in a self-referential way, referring to a methodological identity of social work. This defines the educational role of social work as socialisation (be it socialisation into obedience or into an empowered citizen). However, the idea of democracy as ‘ongoing experiment’ and ‘beyond order’ challenges this methodological identity of social work. From the perspective of democracy as an ‘ongoing experiment’, the social is to be regarded as a platform for dissensus, for ongoing discussions on the relation between private and public issues in the light of human rights and social justice. Hence, the identity of social work cannot be defined in a methodological way; social work is a complex of (institutionalized) welfare practices, to be studied on their underlying views on the ‘social’ as a political and educational concept, and on the way they influence the situation of children, young people and adults in society

Racism, anti-racist practice and social work: articulating the teaching and learning experiences of Black social workers

In the mid 1990s a Black practice teacher programme was established in Manchester and Merseyside with the primary aim to increase the number of Black practice teachers in social work organisations, and in turn provide a supportive and encouraging learning environment for Black student social workers whilst on placement. In the north‐west of England research has been undertaken, to establish the quality of the practice teaching and student learning taking place with Black practice teachers and students. This paper is an exploration of the ideas generated within the placement process that particularly focused on the discourse of racism and ant‐racist practice. Black students and practice teachers explain their understanding of racism and anti‐racist practice within social work. From the research, the paper will critique some of the ideas concerning anti‐racism. In particular, it will question whether anti‐racist social work practice needs to be re‐evaluated in the light of a context with new migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. It will concluded, by arguing that whilst the terms anti‐racism, Black and Minority Ethnic have resonance as a form of political strategic essentialism, it is important to develop more positive representations in the future

Connecting Localism and Community Empowerment: Research Review and Critical Synthesis for the AHRC Connected Community Programme

The Connecting Localism and Community Empowerment project sought to assess the merits of the assumption that localisms brings about community empowerment through a review of the existing academic and policy literatures. The key findings from the review point towards a lack of clarity and coherence in the literature in the usage and interpretations of the terms ‗localism‘ and ‗community empowerment‘. They are often defined by implication or tacitly assumed to have an accepted definition. Whilst greater localism is generally claimed to increase community empowerment, there are substantive grounds for questioning this claim, which arise from critically analysing these concepts and how they interact. These grounds highlight conditions which need to be fulfilled if localism is to realise its potential to enhance community empowerment. To understand these conditions we analysed four international case studies. We also consider two assessments of the New Labour government‘s localist policies in the UK

Mapping social work across 10 countries: Structure, intervention, identity and challenges

An emerging global consciousness and rising attention given to international social work development has seen the recognition of comparative research within the profession. Understanding the functioning and organisation of social work within various country contexts is critical in order to formulate knowledge around its overall impact, successes and challenges, allowing social workers to learn from one another and build professional consolidation. The profession is mapped out in 10 countries, reflecting on its structure, identity and development. Although the profession is developing globally, it is also experiencing significant challenges. Key insights, conclusions and recommendations for future research are presented