Social Work Theory, Evidence-Based Research And Anti-Oppressive Practice

This essay will consider the significance of social work theory, evidence-based research, and anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice. Discrimination is the unfair treatment of people based on attributes such as class and ability. In an interview with The Open University (2022a), Neil Thompson describes oppression as the outcome of discrimination. Theories help social care professionals interpret situations. Evidence-based research enables us to learn from studies and lived experiences. I have reflected on the value of these principles using an anonymised practice example, where my team assessed a kinship fostering family.

The assessment process for kinship carers is different to mainstream foster care. Mainstream applicants undergo

Practitioners need to focus on tackling discrimination in order to tackle oppression (Thompson and Thompson, 2015, cited in The Open University, 2022a). We understand the risk of discrimination for these grandparents. Their abilities, capacity, age and digital status were an area of focus throughout the assessment. My team made changes that prevented the oppression of these kinship carers based on their Social GRACES (The Open University, 2022). In order to mitigate digital exclusion and intersectionality, we closely supported them throughout the assessment. Instead of sending documents by encrypted email, they were sent to the carers by post or hand delivered by their social worker. I provided them with my team telephone number, which meant that they could contact me at any time for administrative support. I spoke to them several times about the assessment paperwork, explaining what was required and why. We also helped them create an email account on their laptop in order for us to obtain DBS checks. The carers requested further support with training so we signed them up to e-learning courses on topics such as safeguarding, that they could complete at their own pace. If we had not supported this couple with their understanding of technology and administrative tasks, we would have put them at an unfair disadvantage. This could have led to them feeling overwhelmed and

An annual report completed by Kinship (2023) found that sixty percent of interviewed carers had borrowed money for everyday purchases. This is one of the reasons that all foster carers are entitled to a maintenance and reward allowance. The male carer in this practice situation was in receipt of benefits due to a long-term health condition and the female carer had to reduce her working hours. We provided them with a Foster Talk membership, which enabled them to access independent financial advice. The same Kinship study found that just three percent of kinship carers said they completely trusted their local authority. This justifies my team’s decision to allocate peer support to the carers. As part of their post-approval support package, we matched them with another foster carer that could act as a mentor. It is important to acknowledge criticisms of evidence-based practice, including Harris and White’s (2013) observation that it is not possible to base decision-making in social work on certainty. However, peer mentorship is something that my service has provided for several years, with positive feedback from many families who feel that they benefit from this additional form of support. Research can also inform social work theory, with Ainsworth et al. (1970) developing the ‘strange situation’ procedure for practitioners to observe attachment between children and their carers (The Open University,