Helen Ruth Hodges, Lucy J. Griffiths, Laura Elizabeth Cowley, Michael Jeanne Childs and Jonathan Scourfield
Linked data can provide unique insights into both the need for social care services and the outcomes of intervention. Crucially, these insights will be based on much more…
Abstract
Purpose
Linked data can provide unique insights into both the need for social care services and the outcomes of intervention. Crucially, these insights will be based on much more representative coverage of the population of people receiving social care than is achieved by surveys and they are not subject to the reporting bias that can arise in relation to stigmatised services.
Design/methodology/approach
The opportunities are expanding for linking together routine administrative data from different public services, e.g. health care, social care, education and criminal justice. These linked data can be used for research in trusted research environments which are very secure and where no researcher can identify individuals. Work is rapidly developing using children’s social care data.
Findings
Much of the data linkage research using children’s social care data is being conducted by data scientists and medical researchers without knowledge of the sector, and very few social care or social work specialists who have that knowledge are involved in these studies.
Originality/value
This viewpoint piece argues the need for social care and social work research to embrace data linkage. What is needed is an integration of methods expertise in linked data and substantive knowledge of children’s social care work. The arguments are illustrated with reference to some recent research in Wales.
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Helen Ruth Hodges and Jonathan Scourfield
The purpose of this paper is to consider some possible reasons for the relatively high rate in Wales of children looked after by local authorities.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider some possible reasons for the relatively high rate in Wales of children looked after by local authorities.
Design/methodology/approach
Selected potential explanations for Wales having higher rates were tested against aggregate data from published 2021 Government statistics. Wales was compared with England and English regions for area deprivation, local authority spending, placements at home and kinship foster care. Descriptive statistics were produced, and linear regression was used where appropriate.
Findings
Wales has higher overall children looked-after rates and a bigger recent increase in these than any English region. Deprivation in Wales was higher than in most English regions. However, a smaller percentage of Welsh variation in local authority looked-after rates was explained by deprivation than was the case for England. Spending on preventative services has increased in recent years in Wales whilst decreasing in England, and there was not a clear relationship between spending on preventative services and the looked-after rate. Wales had a higher rate of care orders placed at home and more children per head of population in kinship foster care than any English region. Some of the explanations that have been suggested for Wales’s particularly high looked-after rates seem to be supported by the evidence from aggregate data and others do not. Practice variation is likely to also be an important part of the picture.
Originality/value
This is an original comparison of Wales, England and English regions using aggregate data. More fine-grained analysis is needed using individual-level data, multivariate analysis and qualitative methods.
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Andrew Pithouse, Jonathan Evans and Jonathan Scourfield
This paper describes one aspect of research on domiciliary care in a Welsh authority, undertaken to assist in strategic planning of services. It goes on to explain the…
Abstract
This paper describes one aspect of research on domiciliary care in a Welsh authority, undertaken to assist in strategic planning of services. It goes on to explain the significance of the findings for the training of home care staff, and the development of standards which have been incorporated in a new accreditation scheme.
Esra Sipahi Döngül and Hatice Öztürk
Social welfare, while it expresses the general well-being, happiness and quality of life of individuals and society, can also affect the social, economic and psychological…
Abstract
Purpose
Social welfare, while it expresses the general well-being, happiness and quality of life of individuals and society, can also affect the social, economic and psychological situations of individuals and society. It is aimed at examining in detail the research trends and developments regarding the concept of social welfare within the scope of international research in the literature.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, the bibliometric analysis of the studies published between 1991 and 2023 on the concept of social welfare in the Web of Science (WOS) was analyzed with the VOSviewer (Version 1.6.9) package program.
Findings
This study indicates that 3,276 works on the topic of “Social Welfare” were produced. Examining the year-based distribution, 2021 has the most publications (381 works), making it the year with the highest number. Journal articles have the most publishing types, with 2,974 works. There are 3,276 published works, all in English. Upon analysis of the most frequently used keywords that were connected to one another in the study and were used at least twice, it was found that “child welfare” was the most used term with 214 repeats, followed by “social work” with 183 repetitions and “welfare state” with 154 repetitions. In terms of publications on social welfare, social work (1,233 works) and management (679 works) are the research disciplines with the most. In terms of the works, they produce in the field of social welfare, it has been shown that the USA (502 works) and the UK (650 works) are pioneers.
Research limitations/implications
Considering the limited interdisciplinary studies on social welfare and the gap in this field, it has become necessary for researchers, practitioners and policymakers to focus on this issue. This study is limited to the bibliometric analysis of English language studies published in the WOS database between 1991 and 2023 on the concept of social welfare on March 20, 2024, it is recommended to investigate similar studies in different databases in certain periods in order to explore research trends from the perspective of different disciplines.
Practical implications
This study with bibliometric analysis provides forward-looking insights into social welfare on the basis of research, practice and policy. The dominance of social welfare research by major publishing houses and leading academic institutions demonstrates the influence of this field in the literature. However, it should be noted that the promotion of different types of publications, such as books and book chapters, can contribute to the enrichment of the literature in this field. In particular, book studies with in-depth analyses and critical approaches can help expand the body of knowledge in the field of social welfare.
Social implications
By encouraging international conference papers, social welfare policies implemented in different countries can be discussed in the context of academics, experts and policymakers. At this point, it can be suggested that research in the field of social welfare should be expanded to cover different geographical regions and cultural contexts. Increasing social welfare work in regions such as Asia and Africa can contribute to a better understanding of societal issues in these regions.
Originality/value
Considering the limited number of interdisciplinary studies on social welfare and the gap in this field, it can be stated that this study is original in terms of revealing research trends on social welfare.
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Purpose – Drawing on a study of data extracts ‘mined’ from the Internet without interaction with the author, this chapter considers the emotional implications of online…
Abstract
Purpose – Drawing on a study of data extracts ‘mined’ from the Internet without interaction with the author, this chapter considers the emotional implications of online ‘participant absent research’. The chapter argues that researchers should reflexively consider the ways in which data collection techniques framed as ‘passive’ actively impact on researchers’ emotional lifeworlds. Consequently, it is important to ensure that researchers are adequately prepared and supported.
Methodology/Approach – The data introduced in this chapter were constructed around a single case study. This example documents an incident where a woman was asked to leave a sports shop in the UK because she was breastfeeding. Not allowing breastfeeding within a business is illegal in the UK, and this case resulted in a protest. The study involved an analysis of user-generated data from an online news site and Twitter.
Findings – Drawing on field notes and conversations with colleagues, the chapter explores the value of reflexivity for successfully managing researchers’ emotional responses to disturbing data during the process of analysis.
Originality/Value – Whilst the role of emotion is often considered as part of ethnographic practice in studies utilising face-to-face encounters, it is underexplored in the online domain. This chapter presents, through a detailed example, a reflective account of the emotion work required in participant absent research, and offers strategies to reflexively manage emotions.
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This article addresses contemporary presentations of migrants, particularly women, as dependents and a ‘burden’ on welfare. Focusing mainly on Britain, it shows that, while…
Abstract
This article addresses contemporary presentations of migrants, particularly women, as dependents and a ‘burden’ on welfare. Focusing mainly on Britain, it shows that, while immigration policies increasingly restrict their access to official welfare, migrants are crucial to the provision of welfare both to their own family and community and in mainstream services, including professional roles as well as in informal employment. Migrants are involved in complex networks of caring relations, often across national boundaries, in which they may provide care to others in order to provide for dependents back home.
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Jonathan Pettigrew, Robert Razzante, Joshua Allsup, Yu Lu and Colter D. Ray
The current study identifies successes and limitations of sustaining Dale se Real (DsR) as a school-based educational intervention program related to drugs and violence for 7th…
Abstract
Purpose
The current study identifies successes and limitations of sustaining Dale se Real (DsR) as a school-based educational intervention program related to drugs and violence for 7th and 8th grade students in Nicaragua, Central America. As evidence-based interventions are transported and imported across national borders, issues surrounding their adaptation and sustainability become important targets for investigation.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews were conducted with nine key informants (e.g. school directors, implementers) from seven institutions, four of which sustained DsR and three of which did not. This study explores DsR's fit with the institutions' missions and routines, program adaptability, broader community support and sustainability planning.
Findings
Findings demonstrate two emerging views of sustainability within the Nicaraguan schools: a deficit approach and an empowerment approach. These two approaches imply different motivational structures for institutions and also led to the practical finding that developers and trainers need to provide structured or formal ways of empowering schools to continue implementing a program after staff no longer routinely contact them.
Originality/value
This study contributes a particular case on what facilitates and impedes sustainability of school-based interventions that can inform future intervention research in Latin American countries.