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Action for Children's Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service (SOCEIS) evaluation
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Publisher:
- Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre
- Publication year:
- 2022
- Pagination:
- 43
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
The aim of this evaluation is to examine the implementation, delivery and impact of the Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service, a pioneering programme aimed at diverting young people away from a life of serious organised crime. The project offers a bespoke service, identifying the individual drivers and causes of young people's offending with the aim of empowering young people to make positive change. This is supported by three core elements of service delivery: provision of intensive case work such as 1:1 support, peer mentoring and evidence informed approaches; community-based early intervention and prevention; and a whole-family approach. Interim findings based on quantitative analysis of service data and qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with practitioners, peer mentors and project partners found that: just under half of young people were in some form of education, including mainstream school, college, pupil referral units or other provision; despite the perceived challenges of engaging young people, the Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention Service (SOCEIS); was deemed to be successful at engaging most young people; a key strength of SOCEIS was its highly skilled staff who were adept at working with young people; engagement with SOCEIS was enhanced by the amount of time staff were able to spend with young people - this was facilitated by small caseloads and open-ended casework; by viewing young people through a safeguarding, rather than a criminal lens, young people were given a programme of support aimed at addressing their underlying needs rather than focusing on their offending behaviour; the SOCEIS was successful in engaging young people who were reluctant or unwilling to work with practitioners or those who did not perceive themselves to be at risk and in need of help; there were early indications that the SOCEIS was successful in supporting young people away from serious and organised crime and into education, employment, and training. (Edited publisher abstract)
A systematic map and synthesis review of child criminal exploitation
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Publisher:
- Cardiff University. CASCADE
- Publication year:
- 2019
- Pagination:
- 56
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
This rapid review assesses what is known in the literature about child criminal exploitation, early identification of children at risk of criminal exploitation and key messages for an effective service response. It is based on a review of 53 sources, identified in a mapping search of five databases and eleven online resources. The review indicates that child criminal exploitation is an emerging problem that affects vulnerable children across all ages and ethnicities but that there is currently limited evidence about the nature and scale of the problem and what works in the identification and prevention of children becoming criminally exploited. The review found that three key elements appear to be particularly important: children should be seen as the victims of criminal exploitation rather than the perpetrators of crime; children who are at risk of, or who are being criminally exploited require strengths-based, relationship driven approaches; this is a complex social problem and therefore it requires interventions at national, community, family and child level. These may include developing a national intelligence picture to determine the scale and scope of child criminal exploitation; using community participation and outreach measures as tools in the proactive prevention of child criminal exploitation; and strengthening the services support for both parents and children. The review concludes by arguing that there is a need for research, policy and preparedness across agencies to try new ways of responding to children and families, including involving young people in the shaping of the response. (Edited publisher abstract)
Video interaction guidance: a return to traditional values and relationship-based practice?
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, REES Alyson
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 49(6), 2019, p.1415–1433.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
In response to the shift away from direct work in social work, there has been resurgence in relationship-based participatory approaches. Such approaches are dependent upon practitioner expertise in developing and sustaining relationships with families. This article presents findings from an evaluation of the Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) Service embedded within Children’s Services in a unitary authority in England. The Service provides therapeutic strengths-based direct work with families delivered by educational psychologists, social workers and family support workers trained in VIG. Interview findings with parents and referrers highlighted the significance of conducting the intervention within the home as a separate service distinct from the child protection role. The therapeutic relationship between the practitioner and the parent served as an exemplar of a positive relationship and a safe space where parents’ internalised perception of themselves could be challenged. The VIG service offers an evidence-based intervention aimed at increasing primary carers’ attunement and sensitivity towards their child. VIG also enables professionals the time to engage in direct work with families and to review how they interact and engage with them. Such an approach allows the ‘invisible trade’ of social work to become visible and subject to improvement and refinement. (Publisher abstract)
The pre-training characteristics of frontline participants and mainstream social work students
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 48(2), 2018, pp.487-504.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Frontline is a fast-track training scheme for social workers in children’s services in England, which aims to attract ‘outstanding’ graduates who may not previously have considered a career in social work. This implies that students recruited onto the Frontline programme will be of a higher academic quality than those on mainstream social work courses. This article presents findings from an independent evaluation of the Frontline pilot stage which compared the pre-training characteristics of Frontline participants with those of social work training enrolments in England for 2013–14, derived from Higher Education Statistics Agency data, the Frontline participant database and a questionnaire administered to postgraduate students in five ‘high-tariff’ universities. Frontline participants have significantly better prior academic qualifications than students on mainstream programmes. They are significantly younger, more likely to have parents who are graduates and more likely to have attended private schools. The Frontline programme has fewer minority ethnic students than mainstream programmes. Frontline’s objective of attracting those who may not have previously considered social work as a career has featured recruitment of a more socially advantaged and less diverse group of entrants. How likely Frontline trainees are to stay in the profession remains to be seen. (Publisher abstract)
Independent evaluation of the Frontline pilot: research report
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 163
- Place of publication:
- London
An independent evaluation of the Frontline pilot, a fast-track training scheme for social workers in child protection. The evaluation assesses whether Frontline is successful in attracting high quality graduates, examines the quality of the delivery of Frontline, and looks at how well Frontline prepares participants to be good quality social workers. Research methods included the analysis of demographic and educational profile data; a questionnaire to distributed to frontline participants; and qualitative case studies in six local authorities for the first two cohorts of Frontline trainees, including interviews and focus groups with Frontline trainees and interviews with social workers, managers and service users. To assess the practice quality of Frontline graduates a quasi-experimental study using simulated interviews with actors playing the parts of service users was used to compare Frontline graduates with qualifying students on mainstream programmes. The research found that Frontline participants were: younger and had better qualifications than students on mainstream social work programmes; rated significantly higher than students on mainstream programmes for the quality of their interviewing and their written reflection. The study also found they had skills in developing strong collaborative relationships with service users, cultural competence and conducting holistic assessments. However, Frontline trainees’ rating of their own confidence in their abilities was lower than their mainstream counterparts. Limitations of the evaluation are also discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
The benefits and challenges of training child protection social workers in father engagement
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse Review, 21(4), July 2012, pp.299-310.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The Cardiff University Fathers and Child Protection course was developed as a training intervention for child protection social workers, and designed to improve father engagement. This article describes an evaluation of a pilot two-day training course with 2 local authorities in South Wales, which involved one day of awareness-raising about the importance of work with fathers and one day of motivational interviewing skills training. The mixed-method evaluation included observation and pre- and post-course interviews with social workers who attended the course and the 3 trainers. The article discusses the intervention outcomes, with examples from the interviews, reporting evidence of positive change in trainees' responses about self-efficacy in relation to work with fathers and positive responses to the motivational interviewing element of the course. It also discusses the benefits and challenges of attempting to improve father engagement in child protection and of using motivational interviewing in child protection practice.
Engaging fathers in child welfare services: a narrative review of recent research evidence
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child and Family Social Work, 17(2), May 2012, pp.160-169.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
It is widely recognised that there is generally poor engagement of fathers with child welfare services. This is problematic since the man’s potential to be a resource for the care of his children is not used and because the risk posed by the man to children is not properly assessed and managed. This paper reviews the published research from 2000 to 2010 about the barriers to and facilitators of better father engagement in services, as well as the limited evidence on the effectiveness of work with maltreating fathers. The findings show that there is relatively little known about what works in engaging men, but there are some promising indicators of facilitators to father engagement from family support and child protection practice contexts. These include: early identification and early involvement of fathers; a proactive approach, including an insistence on men's involvement with services; and the use of practical activities. Although little is known about which approaches are most effective, there would seem to be a logical fit with cognitive-behavioural approaches and motivational interviewing.
UK panel data on social work service users
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 42(1), 2012, pp.165-184.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article describes a mapping exercise that was undertaken to establish the current coverage of social work and social care-related topics in UK panel studies. Ten panel studies were gathered from a search of the Survey Question Bank and the internet. The review aimed to establish the number and proportion of social work service users in these studies, and the kinds of data available, in order to inform future research. The authors concluded that there was potential for secondary analysis in seven of the ten panel studies and this analysis should be encouraged as it could shed some light on comparative outcomes and the demographic context of social work service users. However, the limited data related to social work in existing UK panel studies would suggest the need for a dedicated panel study of social work service users that provides detailed data on social work processes and outcomes. Implications for future research are discussed.
Social work doctoral students in the UK: a web-based survey and search of the index to theses
- Authors:
- SCOURFIELD Jonathan, MAXWELL Nina
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 40(2), March 2010, pp.548-566.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This research project aimed to identify who social work doctoral students are, what they are researching and what their experience is of doctoral study. A web-based survey of social work doctoral students across the UK was targeted at students doing professional doctorates as well as Ph.D.s and those engaged in full-time and part-time study. One hundred and thirty six completed questionnaires were returned, and the data was subject to bivariate analysis. In addition, a search was conducted of the Index to Theses for doctoral theses in the UK on social work topics over a ten-year period. Findings from both elements of the research are presented in relation to student demographics, employment and funding, type of doctorate, methodology and student satisfaction.
Evaluation of the Video Interaction Guidance service, Cornwall Council
- Authors:
- MAXWELL Nina, REES Alyson, WILLIAMS Anne
- Publisher:
- Cardiff University. CASCADE
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 40
- Place of publication:
- Cardiff
This evaluation report presents findings for the Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) Service Evaluation (January to October 2016). VIG is a technique in which a practitioner uses video clips of authentic situations to enhance communication between children and people close to them (AVIG.UK). During the evaluation period, output and impact data has been collated and telephone interviews have been conducted with clients and referrers for all cases that had completed the Video Interaction Guidance intervention during the period February to March 2016. This period was selected on the basis of time considerations, as follow-up interviews had to be undertaken with clients six months after they had completed the intervention and also within the confines of the evaluation period (January to December 2016). Findings are structured according to the research outline provided in the tender and consist of output, impact and interview data. The findings revealed that VIG was perceived positively by both clients and referrers. All parents noted that they set their own goals with the help of the guider. The intervention gave parents time to reflect on what they do well and the opportunity to build upon this. Many noted that by becoming more attuned to their children, in particular by giving their child space and time to articulate their own needs, then the bond between them grew. Six months after the intervention, all of the ten participants were pleased that they had participated in VIG. Overall, the VIG Service would appear to be a cost effective, yet minimal intervention which is time limited and was felt to have lasting benefits and impact. (Edited publisher abstract)