Search results for ‘Publisher:"social services research group"’ Sort:
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Social research and social work practice
- Author:
- ETHERINGTON Stuart
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(1), 1984, pp.25-27.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
The tradition of social reform in Britain has been heavily dependent on empirical data for challenging the conventional wisdom. Social services researchers should begin to apply their skills more to this end. In particular, they should seek to engage with practitioners at the local level to support and develop their role as social reformers. An alliance such as this is essential in the fight against those who would dismantle the welfare state.
Doing social work research
- Authors:
- PHILLIPS David, MARSH Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(2), 1984, pp.21-25.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
The authors review some of the research problems they encountered on a recent ESRC-funded study, which attempted to understand the worlds of professionals and clients in terms that made sense to the actors themselves, and some of the ways they tried to overcome them. Particular difficulties about the reliability, validity and complexity of the data were examined. The research process within the agency is discussed, focussing on the elements of collaboration, publicity and feedback, and difficulties of gaining access to cases. The examples are used to highlight the links between theory, design and practice in research, as well as to provide examples of research in action.
The 'ideal home' visual game: a method of consumer research in old people's homes
- Author:
- WILLCOCKS Dianne
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(1), 1984, pp.13-18.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Interest in the accommodation and environmental requirements of old people living in residential homes has been stimulated by a growing body of evidence concerning the effects of the physical setting on the quality of their lives. This paper describes the development of a visual game technique for obtaining evidence about consumer preferences and the sort of features which residents would choose in a home. It is argues that the shift from conventional verbal interviews to a visual method permits elderly residents to act out the role of 'environmental decision-maker'.
Evaluating soft findings: some problems of measuring informal care
- Author:
- ABRAMS Philip
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(2), 1984, pp.1-8.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This paper discusses the value of non-experimental methods of a qualitative kind for the study of informal care. Drawing on research on neighbouring conducted at the University of Durham, various strategies are suggested for obtaining confirmation of data gathered by observation, which would render the results more rigorous and 'hard'.
Evaluation studies: past experience and possible future directions
- Author:
- GOLDBERG E.Matilda
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(1), 1984, pp.1-6.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This article reviews past evaluative research into social work and the social services and examines recent and current developments in the field. All the signs point towards a greater specificity of problem formulation, objectives and methods of intervention. Progress is being made in clarifying concepts, forging research and practice tools, and refining methods. There has been a noticeable shift away from descriptive research to more experimental and comparative designs. The key challenge for the future is how to make good use of our growing knowledge and to ensure that it feeds through into practice.
Dissemination of in-house research in LASSDs
- Authors:
- BARNES Marian, WILSON Tom
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(1), 1984, pp.19-24.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
After identifying the motivations underlying in-house research in social services departments and considering the possible target audiences for dissemination, the authors examines the 'scientific paradigm' as a possible source of problems. It is suggested that a more comprehensive typology of modes of research may offer solutions to some of these problems. The paper concludes with a review of the modes of dissemination appropriate to different audiences and with an examination of the barriers to dissemination.
Inter-service collaboration at the very local level: some findings from the Dinnington Project
- Author:
- BAYLEY Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(2), 1984, pp.9-13.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This article describes an experimental and innovatory approach to the delivery of services which aims to harness the help and resources of the statutory, voluntary and informal sectors. It is based on the principle that any real improvement in existing services depends on much better co-operation among workers in the field, and the abandonment of the view that represents patients or clients as passive consumers. The project has shown how workers can adapt their ways or working to respond more quickly to a wider range of problems. Ultimately, though, greater integration of services in the field is dependent on closer collaboration at managerial level.
North Yorkshire's welfare benefits take-up campaign
- Author:
- JOHNSON Jean
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(2), 1984, pp.28-32.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This article describes the background to and the organisation of North Yorkshire's first welfare benefits take-up campaign. It provides an analysis of the public response to the campaign and estimates the value of the new and additional claims it generated. The future of welfare rights work in North Yorkshire and the lessons learned from the experience are discussed.
Young offenders and residential care
- Author:
- CAWSON Pat
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(1), 1984, pp.7-12.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Research has shown that institutional care is ineffective in curbing delinquent behaviour. Three explanations for its failure to reduce offending behaviour are discussed: the sociological, the psychological and socio-psychological arguments. These ideas and findings have implications for social work which have not yet filtered through into practice, They also have implications for social services research: for the way it is done, for the choice of outcome measures, and for the use of action research in improving services.
Evaluating volunteer support to elderly people in residential homes
- Authors:
- POWER Michal, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 2(2), 1984, pp.14-20.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
The expansion of volunteer care to very elderly people has been less marked in the residential sector. In 1979 the DHSS funded a field experiment of quasi-experimental design to explore the potential and assess the effectiveness of neighbourhood support to very elderly residents of old people's homes in Weston-super-Mare, a retirement resort. The study was undertaken on two stages: a survey of attitudes to volunteers amongst residents and staff or private, voluntary and local authority homes, and a parallel survey of households in the central district where most of the homes are located; followed by an experiment of volunteer support to one home in each of the three matched pairs.