...that the prospect and actuality of giving evidence in a criminal trial are anxiety-provoking and stressful for the majority of young witnesses. Particular issues identified are delay, both in terms of cases coming to court and in waiting times at court, the availability of pre-trial preparation and support, facilities at court buildings and the treatment of young people during cross-examination by defence lawyers
(Edited publisher abstract)
This paper presents the findings of a small-scale study in Northern Ireland examining the experiences of young witnesses in criminal cases pre-trial, during the trial and post-trial. Interviews were carried out with 37 young witnesses and 33 parents, and a questionnaire was completed by 16 volunteers and practitioners working in a local young witness support scheme. The findings indicate that the prospect and actuality of giving evidence in a criminal trial are anxiety-provoking and stressful for the majority of young witnesses. Particular issues identified are delay, both in terms of cases coming to court and in waiting times at court, the availability of pre-trial preparation and support, facilities at court buildings and the treatment of young people during cross-examination by defence lawyers. The paper concludes that there is a continuing need to strive for improvement, and that this necessarily involves reviewing the experiences of young witnesses and seeking their views on measures designed to enable them to give their best evidence.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
child witnesses, evidence, law courts, interviewing, stress;
International Social Work, 63(2), 2020, pp.164-176.
Publisher:
Sage
Child protection is a stressful occupation that can result in burnout and job exit for some social workers. This article focuses on the positive and negative impacts of co-worker and manager relationships, reporting on the meaning applied by workers, and on how these relationships impact their ability to manage the challenges of child protection work. Semi-structured interviews with 15 social
(Edited publisher abstract)
Child protection is a stressful occupation that can result in burnout and job exit for some social workers. This article focuses on the positive and negative impacts of co-worker and manager relationships, reporting on the meaning applied by workers, and on how these relationships impact their ability to manage the challenges of child protection work. Semi-structured interviews with 15 social-workers who left and 15 who stayed reveal the critical importance of relationships at work for either building resilience or contributing to burnout. Recommendations call for employer-level interventions to promote relationship-focused interventions to enhance social worker resilience.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
child protection, stress, organisational culture, resilience, social work, interpersonal relationships, social workers;
Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, 18(3), 2019, pp.24-49. Online only
Publisher:
Department of Social Work. University of Strathclyde.
This study reports on the outcomes of 15 semi-structured interviews undertaken with managers employed by one Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trust within the residential child care sector. The purpose of the research was to explore the concept of ‘team resilience’ as a method to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue amongst residential social workers and care workers. The findings show that high levels of support already exist, but recruitment, communication, supervision, team meetings, team development, reflective practice, resilient individuals, team ethos and management style are all factors that contribute to team resilience. Teams need to be acknowledged, valued and nurtured to make them more effective and resilient. The more a team spends time together and is permitted to grow together the more resilient it becomes. Strong internal dialogues and communication are key functions to a resilient team that ultimately promotes the quality of care for service users. Developing a team to be internally self-aware, with an ability to embrace change whilst acknowledging individual core strengths, provides a solid foundation for promoting team resilience. The article discusses how trust and a sense of team purpose can contribute to the development of cohesion and resilience.
(Publisher abstract)
This study reports on the outcomes of 15 semi-structured interviews undertaken with managers employed by one Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trust within the residential child care sector. The purpose of the research was to explore the concept of ‘team resilience’ as a method to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue amongst residential social workers and care workers. The findings show that high levels of support already exist, but recruitment, communication, supervision, team meetings, team development, reflective practice, resilient individuals, team ethos and management style are all factors that contribute to team resilience. Teams need to be acknowledged, valued and nurtured to make them more effective and resilient. The more a team spends time together and is permitted to grow together the more resilient it becomes. Strong internal dialogues and communication are key functions to a resilient team that ultimately promotes the quality of care for service users. Developing a team to be internally self-aware, with an ability to embrace change whilst acknowledging individual core strengths, provides a solid foundation for promoting team resilience. The article discusses how trust and a sense of team purpose can contribute to the development of cohesion and resilience.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
resilience, stress, teams, residential social workers, care workers, staff, residential child care;
British Journal of Social Work, 49(1), 2019, p.198–216.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Child-protection social work is a stressful occupation that results in workforce concerns about poor levels of staff retention and high levels of inexperience. This paper presents results from a cross-sectional survey and reports findings from a sample of 162 Northern Irish social workers. The sample were measured for ‘resilience’ (acceptance of self and life and individual competence, RS14
(Publisher abstract)
Child-protection social work is a stressful occupation that results in workforce concerns about poor levels of staff retention and high levels of inexperience. This paper presents results from a cross-sectional survey and reports findings from a sample of 162 Northern Irish social workers. The sample were measured for ‘resilience’ (acceptance of self and life and individual competence, RS14 Resilience Scale), ‘burnout’ (emotional exhaustion EE, depersonalisation DP, personal accomplishment PA, Maslach Burnout Inventory) and organisational subscales (work-load, community, values, equity and control, Area of Work Life Scale (AWLS)). Pearson zero-order correlations showed that higher resilience was associated with lower EE and higher PA. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to identify unique demographic and work-specific predictors of resilience in addition to the AWLS subscales of control and values. The final model significantly accounted for 27 per cent of the variance in resilience scores, providing increased knowledge about resilience enhancing factors. As resilience is not an apolitical concept, the wider debates and politics of resilience are acknowledged. Specifically, contextual concerns are addressed that relate to the organisational factors that impact on social workers. The paper concludes by calling for organisational interventions to support resilience in social workers and maintain expertise in child-protection services.
(Publisher abstract)
Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People
Publication year:
2012
Pagination:
98p.
Place of publication:
Belfast
Adolescence is a challenging for many young people. It is a time when new opportunities present that allow the development of new relationships, new skills and a growing sense of independence and self. However, it can also be a time of challenge as individuals need to negotiate more complex and differentiated social and family relationships, issues of values and attitudes come to the fore, and questions about identity and the future become more apparent. On the whole research has concluded that most adolescents navigate this stage of life with few difficulties, but a minority do find this stage of life challenging, and their ways of coping may have negative consequences for both themselves and others. This report examines many of the difficulties face adolescents. It covers: child maltreatment, suicide and children’s rights; multiple adversities in childhood; adolescent suicide and accidental death; the case management review process; and suicide and reviews into child deaths.
Adolescence is a challenging for many young people. It is a time when new opportunities present that allow the development of new relationships, new skills and a growing sense of independence and self. However, it can also be a time of challenge as individuals need to negotiate more complex and differentiated social and family relationships, issues of values and attitudes come to the fore, and questions about identity and the future become more apparent. On the whole research has concluded that most adolescents navigate this stage of life with few difficulties, but a minority do find this stage of life challenging, and their ways of coping may have negative consequences for both themselves and others. This report examines many of the difficulties face adolescents. It covers: child maltreatment, suicide and children’s rights; multiple adversities in childhood; adolescent suicide and accidental death; the case management review process; and suicide and reviews into child deaths.
Subject terms:
self-harm, stress, young people, adolescence, behaviour, childrens rights, emotions;
A booklet designed to help support carers in their role when a friend or relative needs to be admitted to a care home. There are four main sections. The caring role, the emotional effects of caring and dealing with stress; the practical issues of choosing a care home; finding out about financial and legal issues of someone entering a care home; and coping with bereavement. It is one of a series
A booklet designed to help support carers in their role when a friend or relative needs to be admitted to a care home. There are four main sections. The caring role, the emotional effects of caring and dealing with stress; the practical issues of choosing a care home; finding out about financial and legal issues of someone entering a care home; and coping with bereavement. It is one of a series of three booklets developed specifically for carers of friends or relatives and those working in the caring profession. The series aims to help meet the challenges of caring, whilst also balancing these responsibilities with a carers own wellbeing.
Subject terms:
personal finance, stress, admission to care, bereavement, carers, care homes, costs;
This booklet provides information and resources to help carers build their confidence and skills. It has four main sections. These cover the Caring role, including; Dealing with Change, which highlights the importance of self-care, assertiveness, managing stress and good communication; Managing financial and legal issues; and Future Caring Options. It is one of a series of three booklets
This booklet provides information and resources to help carers build their confidence and skills. It has four main sections. These cover the Caring role, including; Dealing with Change, which highlights the importance of self-care, assertiveness, managing stress and good communication; Managing financial and legal issues; and Future Caring Options. It is one of a series of three booklets developed specifically for carers of friends or relatives and those working in the caring profession. The series aims to help meet the challenges of caring, whilst also balancing these responsibilities with a carers own wellbeing.
Subject terms:
older people, personal finance, self care, stress, carers, care workers, communication;
Child Care in Practice, 18(3), July 2012, pp.227-242.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
...from a large health trust in Northern Ireland. Parents completed pre-intervention and post-intervention measures, including the Parenting Stress Index. Programme facilitators assessed children pre-intervention and post-intervention using the Psycho-Educational Profile 3. Results indicate a statistically significant decrease in parental stress and increase in children's expressive and receptive
This study evaluated a Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children (TEACCH) based Early Intervention Programme for children diagnosed with autism. Thirty-one parents of 18 preschool children recently diagnosed with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder attended the eight-week programme delivered by trained facilitators. Participants were all referred to the service from a large health trust in Northern Ireland. Parents completed pre-intervention and post-intervention measures, including the Parenting Stress Index. Programme facilitators assessed children pre-intervention and post-intervention using the Psycho-Educational Profile 3. Results indicate a statistically significant decrease in parental stress and increase in children's expressive and receptive language skills from pre-testing to post-testing. Parents reported a high level of satisfaction with the programme. This study is an example of a practice-based intervention aiming to deliver high-quality, evidenced-based care to children, young people and their families.
Subject terms:
parents, stress, autism, communication skills, children, early intervention, evidence-based practice;
British Journal of Social Work, 40(5), July 2010, pp.1628-1643.
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
This paper reports on a new way to measure the expected working life of social care professionals using a method developed in studies of health care professionals. Prior research has shown that the expected working life of a doctor is 25 years compared with 15 years for nurses and 28 years for pharmacists. In this work an estimate of the number of years a social worker uses his or her qualification is provided. Findings suggest that, at 8 and 13 years, the expected working life of a social worker and care worker is shorter than these health care professionals and that gender differences are less apparent. It indicates that there is some evidence of exit to other professions and concludes that further research is needed to identify its extent and some of the underlying reasons why this should be the case.
This paper reports on a new way to measure the expected working life of social care professionals using a method developed in studies of health care professionals. Prior research has shown that the expected working life of a doctor is 25 years compared with 15 years for nurses and 28 years for pharmacists. In this work an estimate of the number of years a social worker uses his or her qualification is provided. Findings suggest that, at 8 and 13 years, the expected working life of a social worker and care worker is shorter than these health care professionals and that gender differences are less apparent. It indicates that there is some evidence of exit to other professions and concludes that further research is needed to identify its extent and some of the underlying reasons why this should be the case.
Subject terms:
job satisfaction, recruitment, social care professionals, social workers, stress, staff retention;