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This thesis investigates the views of English social workers and child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) clinicians about how social workers use the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) with looked after children. Focus groups and semi structured interviews (conducted 2011 - 2013) examined social workers’ (n = 58, from nine local authorities) understandings of the mental health needs of looked after children and their use of the SDQ in assessing this, as well as how CAMHS clinicians (n = 24, from 11 Health Trusts) viewed the role of social workers in appropriately assessing mental health problems. Normalisation Process Theory was used to appraise how the SDQ had been routinely operationalised in everyday social work practice. A case study of one local authority explored the working practices of looked after children’s social workers and specialist CAMHS clinicians working in a co-located (high integration) service which had achieved consistently high annual SDQ returns over a number of years. The study found most social workers were not aware of the SDQ scores of the children or young people they were allocated and did not know how to interpret it in terms of looked after children’s mental health. Routinely collected SDQ data on looked after children who had been in care for a year or longer was not utilised by most of the social workers or the local authorities which collected it. Specialist CAMHS used the SDQ alongside social workers in only two local authorities. Level of integration (based on degree of co-location of social workers and CAMHS) did not appear to be associated with social workers’ SDQ use. Detailed examination of one local authority showed that although it contained a highly integrated service and was the best in the country at getting completed SDQ forms returned from foster carers, having a robust process for data collection was not enough to ensure the SDQ was integrated within social work practice in the organisation. Given challenges to local authority budgets and services, any recommendations to improve current practice must be mindful of resource implications. Better utilisation could therefore be made of existing local authority processes and resources to embed the SDQ into routine practice. A multi-agency approach remains critical to establish the routinised usage of the SDQ. This has the potential to benefit all agencies and most importantly, looked after children.

Despite many changes in legislation in Europe that give lesbians and gay men the same legal rights and accountabilities as heterosexuals, most countries in the world continue to breach the fundamental human rights of their lesbian and gay citizens. At a European level, legislative changes have been insufficient in addressing the complexity involved (EUAFR, 2013) Significant evidence continues to demonstrate that homophobia remains a serious problem in many European States. This is the backdrop to Rainbow Homophobia and Schools (Rainbow HAS) research project, which involves 6 nation states collaboration to examine the problem of trans/homophobic bullying in schools.\ud \ud The English research team stream used a range of methods to investigate and understand these issues. This presentation focused on the qualitative interviews undertaken with a range of different families, schools and community associations in order to provide a snapshot of contemporary practice. Through this approach, we identified discourses used to address homophobia and the implications for developing a more in-depth dialogue with stakeholders.\ud \ud We draw upon one specific area of the study's findings, using a Foucauldian lens to examine the experiences of the 'new' families of lesbian and gay men, who had successfully negotiated the outsider/insider and public/private spheres of the school and communities of which they are a part. This has implications for promoting ideas around intersectionality in social work, challenging given approaches to understanding discourse in homophobic bullying and the need to question the relative silence of social work in addressing this.\ud \ud Reference: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2013) EU LGBT Survey: European Union lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender survey: Results at a Glance. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

This background context paper provides an overview and highlights from the UK in relation to homophobic bullying in schools. The paper was prepared for Workstream 1 of the Rainbow Has European Funded Project involving 6 European countries and which looked at the Rights Through Alliances: Innovating and Networking Both Within Homes And Schools between 2012-15. This paper describes the UK context and other participating countries prepared a similar background paper to inform a comparative approach and to benchmark activity across Europe. The full project report and other outputs from the programme can be viewed on the project website http://rainbowhas.eu/

This background context paper provides an overview and highlights from the UK in relation to homophobic bullying in schools. The paper was prepared for Workstream 1 of the Rainbow Has European Funded Project involving 6 European countries and which looked at the Rights Through Alliances: Innovating and Networking Both Within Homes And Schools between 2012-15. This paper describes the UK context and other participating countries prepared a similar background paper to inform a comparative approach and to benchmark activity across Europe. The full project report and other outputs from the programme can be viewed on the project website http://rainbowhas.eu/

This paper draws on key findings from a European project ‘Rights through alliances: Innovating and networking both within homes and schools’ (RAINBOW-HAS) conducted between 2013 and 2015. RAINBOW-HAS was co-funded by the Fundamental Rights\ud and Citizenship programme of the EU and aimed to build collaboration between six European Union countries; Bulgaria, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK to analyse and improve the rights of children and youth vis-à-vis affective sexual diversity\ud regarding sexual orientation and gender identity in educational settings. It looked at how participating countries builds bridges and alliances between and across Europe by sharing aspects of good practice through an evidence base and drawing on the\ud strengths generated through learning and dialogue in the context of different contexts, legislation and policies, institution, cultures as well as socio-economic and political differences. RAINBOW-HAS brought important concepts from Europe into the individual domestic contexts through its direct engagement with young people and their families within selected local contexts. LGB parents in particular discuss their children’s experiences of bullying. They were found to be discursively and rhetorically designed\ud to deal with a heteronormative and gender neutral social/political context. We explore whether reports of bullying are equally if not more risky for LGB parents, given the ongoing challenges and undermining of LGB parenting and ask critical questions about\ud bullying by placing it in a broader political and cultural context. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews undertaken with a range of different families, schools and community associations (n=174) provided a snapshot of contemporary practice across\ud the European context. Through this approach, we identified discourses used to address discrimination and the implications for developing a more in-depth dialogue with stakeholders. This has implications for promoting family and young people’s own\ud engagement and in challenging homophobic and transphobic bullying and the need to question the relative silence of social work in addressing this. \ud European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (2013) EU LGBT Survey: European Union lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender survey: Results at a Glance. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.

This chapter examines the literature on gender and ageing through the lens of critical feminist gerontology. This draws on multidimensional concepts comprising power, economic, social, and symbolic relations operating simultaneously at intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and societal levels. Applying an intersectional lens and feminist perspective to social work practice with women in later life requires us to move beyond gender as one way of explaining differences towards ensuring advocacy and empowerment to address inequalities and shape supportive social work interactions. This should provide a nuanced understanding of the specific challenges faced by women in later life and help social workers improve support through purposive gender responsive and age sensitive practice.

Social work and feminism have always had a somewhat mixed relationship. There are clear influences, but also elements of contestation, with those working in the fields of social work and social care being as susceptible to interpretations and trends in popular culture as the rest of the population. In this chapter, I examine the development, impact and tensions of various feminisms. We explore the place of experience and the schisms brought about by attempts to incorporate the very different experiences of Black women as well as those from disadvantaged backgrounds into 'second wave' feminism. We consider the contribution made by postmodern feminism and investigate the influence of what has been termed 'choice' feminism on so called third and fourth wave movements. We also appraise what is sometimes and controversially called, Islamic feminism to consider the connections and disconnections between Islam, culture and patriarchy. Finally, we look at the effects of these various influences on social work in terms of current practice and future directions.