Search

In 2023, the UK Government published its long-awaited reform strategy for England's children's social care system. Whilst the strategy set out planned reforms for several aspects of the wider system, an area requiring particular 'priority' was the purported workforce instability seen within child protection social work. However, the strategy has subsequently faced criticism on the basis that the suggested reforms were not satisfactorily informed by the testimonies of practicing social workers. This paper draws from a mixed-method study to report on the lived experiences of a sample of 201 child protection social workers practicing across England, in the context of better understanding the factors which they believed were impacting on workforce stability within England's child protection system. Implications that emerge are the need for an increase in the monetary commitment offered by the UK Government (especially in the context of tackling high caseloads, and improving local authority pay scales to reduce the allure of agency work); a targeted emphasis on challenging local cultures preoccupied with evidencing compliance over time spent with children; and the Government taking a more assertive role in tackling the often-counterproductive commentary perpetuated by politicians and media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The financialization of everyday life has received considerable attention since the 2008 global financial crisis. Financialization is thought to have created active financial subjects through the ability to participate in mainstream financial services. While the lived experience of these mainstream financial subjects has been the subject of close scrutiny, the experiences of financial subjects at the financial fringe have been rarely considered. In the UK, for example, the introduction of High-Cost, Short-Term Credit [HCSTC] or payday loan regulation was designed to protect vulnerable people from accessing unaffordable credit. Exploring the impact of HCSTC regulation is important due to the dramatic decline of the high-cost credit market which helped meet essential needs in an era of austerity. As such, the paper examines the impact of the HCSTC regulation on sixty-four financially marginalized individuals in the UK that are unable to access payday loans. First, we identify the range of socioeconomic strategies that individuals employ to manage their finances to create a typology of financial subjectivity at the financial fringe. Second, we demonstrate how the temporal and precarious nature of financial inclusion at the financial fringe adds nuance to existing debates of the everyday lived experience of financialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to assess the value of accredited leg ulcer education in influencing changes in practice. This is a before and after educational evaluation that adopted a qualitative survey approach of 12 primary care nurses attending the Nurse-Led Assessment and Management of Leg Ulcers accredited CPD module at a London university. The findings revealed that 6 out of the 8 nurses who completed the final interviews were satisfied that all learning outcomes for the module had been met. All of the nurses commented they had changed at least one aspect of practice following the module with the majority stating a number of improvements had been made relating to improved knowledge, practical skills, treatment and patient concordance. The evaluation was limited to a small cohort of primary care nurses and further longitudinal research is required to investigate the effectiveness across multiple cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The speech and language therapy/pathology (SLT/SLP) profession is characterized by extreme 'occupational sex segregation', a term used to refer to persistently male- or female-dominated professions. Men make up only 2.5% of all SLTs in the UK, and a similar imbalance is found in other countries. Despite calls to increase diversity in the allied health professions more generally, research into the reasons for occupational sex segregation and gender as a potential key factor remains scarce. Aims This study aims to explore the potential role of gender/gendered discourses in people's decision to pursue a career in SLT/SLP. It seeks to illustrate how gendered assumptions/expectations/discourses continue to construct SLT as a 'gendered' profession, and to make some recommendations in this area for SLT recruitment and practice. Methods & Procedures The study adopted a qualitative design which elicited research participants' views, knowledge and experiences (in their own words) in relation to the research questions. Data collection involved two iterative phases: a preliminary data phase-which involved semi-structured interviews with newly qualified SLT graduates and practising SLTs, and the completion of questionnaires by undergraduate SLTs-and a main/focus group phase. In the focus group phase reported in this paper, six focus groups in total were held with SLTs, teachers of SLT, and careers advisors in London, UK. The data were analysed qualitatively using grounded theory principles, thematic analysis and discourse analysis. Outcomes & Results The findings extend our knowledge and understanding of gender as a parameter of people's motivations and perceptions, which can influence their choice of career (e.g. as regards pay and flexibility). The findings also show that discourses around women as carers, nurturers and communicators constitute key ways through which the SLT profession continues to be constructed as 'women's work'. The topic of structural gender inequalities in the profession was also discussed in the data. Some recommendations for change, with implications for SLT recruitment and practice, were made by the participants themselves. Conclusions & Implications Gender imbalance in SLT needs to be researched further in order to help address inequalities, re-evaluate professional practices and develop service delivery in the profession. This area also needs to be researched via analysis that goes beyond gender distribution in numerical terms to consider the complex perceptions or discourses around gender and work. Cross-disciplinary and comparative perspectives in future research would also be fruitful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

kennedy f., harcourt d. & rumsey n. (2011) The shifting nature of women's experiences and perceptions of ductal carcinoma in situ. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(4), 856-867. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a descriptive qualitative study of the evolution of women's perceptions and experiences of ductal carcinoma in situ from the period near to diagnosis to 1 year later. Background. Ductal carcinoma in situ is a non-invasive breast condition where cancer cells are detected but confined to the ducts of the breast. With treatment, the condition has a positive prognosis but ironically patients undergo treatment similar to that for invasive breast cancer. There is a lack of longitudinal qualitative research studying women's experiences of ductal carcinoma in situ, especially among newly diagnosed patients, and how experiences change over time. Methods. Forty-five women took part in an initial interview following a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ and 27 took part in a follow-up interview 9-13 months later. Data were collected between January 2007 and October 2008. Transcripts were analysed using a hybrid approach to thematic analysis. Findings. Women's early perceptions of ductal carcinoma in situ merged and sometimes conflicted with their lay beliefs of breast cancer. Perceptions and experiences of the condition shifted over time. These overriding aspects were evident in four themes identified across the interviews: (i) perceptions of ductal carcinoma in situ vs. breast cancer, (ii) from paradox to acceptance, (iii) personal impact, and (iv) support and interactions with others. Conclusion. This study represents one of the few longitudinal qualitative studies with newly diagnosed patients, capturing women's initial and shifting experiences and perceptions of the condition. The issues identified need to be recognized in clinical practice and supported appropriately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychiatric morbidity has been shown to be associated with the increased reporting of a range of social problems involving legal rights ('rights problems'). Using a validated measure of psychiatric morbidity, this paper explores the relationship between psychiatric morbidity and rights problems and discusses the implications for the delivery of health and legal services. New representative national survey data from the English and Welsh Civil and Social Justice Survey (CSJS) surveyed 3040 adults in 2007 to explore the relationship between GHQ-12 scores and the self reported incidence of and behaviour surrounding, rights problems. It was found that the prevalence of rights problems increased with psychiatric morbidity, as did the experience of multiple problems. It was also found the likelihood of inaction in the face of problems increased with psychiatric morbidity, while the likelihood of choosing to resolve problems without help decreased. Where advice was obtained, psychiatric morbidity was associated with a greater tendency to obtain a combination of 'legal' and 'general' support, rather than 'legal' advice alone. The results suggest that integrated and 'outreach' services are of particular importance to the effective support of those facing mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]