Constructing Social Work Practices

by Jokinen, Arja; Juhila, Kirsi; Poso, Tarja

• ISBN13: 9781840149845
• ISBN10: 1840149841
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-10-01
• Publisher: Ashgate Pub Co

Summary

'Constructing Social Work Practices' comprises both theoretical/reflexive articles and articles based on empirical social constructionist studies. It provokes new ways of looking at social work practices as interpretative and interactive processes. In addition to this theoretical and methodological contribution, the volume provides empirically based material on the practical implications of an alliance between social work and social constructionism.The book is divided into four parts: Part one (Social Work and Social Constructionism) consists of theoretical articles that set a constructionist agenda for the book. Part two (Practices of Encounter) focuses on empirical studies with the analysis of the situated interactional and interpretative procedures of social work. Part three (Discursive Struggles) turns the gaze from local social work practices to the culturally and institutionally informed analysis of social work. The last part (Practical Relevance) shows how social constructionist research can have practical uses for social workers and social work teachers.

Table of Contents

Social Work and Social Constructionism
Introduction: Constructionist Perspectives on Social Work Practices	p. 3
Social Construction in Social Work and Social Action	p. 25
Practices of Encounter
Using Narratives in Social Work Interaction	p. 69
Examining the Artfulness of 'Risk Talk'	p. 87
Doing 'Delicacy' in Institutions of Helping: A Case of Probation Office Interaction	p. 103
Speaking of Emotions in Child Protection Practices	p. 116
Masculinity Discourse in Work with Offenders	p. 133
Discursive Struggles
The 'Social Construction of Child Maltreatment': Some Political, Research and Practice Implications	p. 153
Constructing Child Welfare Practice in Ontario, Canada	p. 173
Constructing Juvenile Delinquency: The Socio-Legal Control of Young Offenders in Israel, 1920-1975	p. 193
Practical Relevance
Financial Counseling at Norwegian Social Offices: Lessons for Constructing Social Work Practice	p. 217
A Model for Constructivist Social Work Practice: The Product of a Clinician-Researcher Dialogue	p. 238
Speaking Up and Speaking Out: A Dialogic Approach to Anti-Oppressive Practice	p. 257
Negotiating Constructions: Rebridging Social Work Research and Practice in the Context of Probation Work	p. 274
Notes on Contributors	p. 304
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