Practice Depth

I have just come across the wonderful phrase ‘practice depth’ in an article from Social Work Now from Dec 2007. The authors, Megan Chapman and Jo Field, describe three levels of social work, each deeper and having more impact and creating more change in clients than the last. I just thought that I would share it with you.

Conveyor belt practice, characterised by a professional response to drivers for increased efficiency, getting cases through the system, meeting targets, speedy casework resolution and general compliance with policy and practice guidance.

Pragmatic practice, characterised by compliance with policy and practice guidelines, moderate engagement with family and other agencies, efficient throughput of work; case management and supervision.

Reflective practice, characterised by critical reflection on issues; principled, quality practice decision-making and interventions, depth of analysis’ engagement with families and responsiveness to their needs while maintaining a child protection focus, mobilising supports and resources and access to critical supervision.

My feeling is that should be a layer before all this, going something like this:

Stuck practice, characterised by lack of awareness of policy and practice guidelines, Cases stuck in the system, cases not receiving any kind of clear or planned intervention, no engagement with families because families rarely get seen, or are seen by a different worker every time.

Maybe you can think of more?