This study examines the confluence of practices that are generated when the state brings strangers together to make a brand new family. Concerns about matching, the process in which an adoptive family is made, are driving significant changes in the organisation of adoption services yet 'research evidence is lacking- not just sparse, but virtually absent' (Quinton, 2012, p.1). This study addresses these gaps and offers original empirical and conceptual contributions to the knowledge base. My approach draws on sociological and anthropological perspectives through which family life is understood as constructed through day-to-day activities, action, imagination and emotional interactions. This study focuses on the 'doing' of family and the 'doing' of social work to illuminate and analyse everyday practices. The research design is original in the field and builds on innovative methodologies at the interface of pedagogy, practice and research. Through a psychoanalytically informed multi- modal ethnographic study I observed a single matching process in 'real time' over 9 months. This methodology afforded direct access to dyadic, familial, professional and organizational relationships in homes, offices, forums, in documents and in email correspondence. Group analytic practices were used to help access subjective and sociocultural dimensions. The data generated from these groups (which included adults adopted from care, adoptive parents, researchers, social workers and policy advisors) allowed the juxtaposition of contemporary matching practices with intergenerational perspectives. Collaborative processes brought a multiplicity of minds to the study helping maintain a recursive and critically reflective approach. This unique data-set provides an opportunity to consider matching through multiple lenses and as a lens through which to consider multiple practices. This thesis makes four analytical claims. Firstly, I suggest that during a matching process intense emotional forces, multiple paradoxes and uncertainty converge, creating a 'liminal hotspot' (Greco and Stenner, 2017, p.147). For those directly involved, (including children, carers, prospective parents and professionals) navigating this space requires spatialized and temporalized strategies. In this study social work practices were found to function as necessary rites of passage, tools and processes which could also mitigate polarizing forces. Secondly, I suggest that matching is a site where work and non-work practices become entangled. In the midst of these entanglements those involved have to navigate 'distinct cultures of child rearing' (Thomson et al., 2011, p.4). In this context the role of the foster carer emerges as extraordinarily complex. Thirdly, this thesis claims that current powerful social projections and transformative processes are played out and become visible within matching practices. Matching practices are considered to be an epistemic lens into a matrix of tensions relating to care and authority. Finally, this research suggests that reductions in welfare spending, increasing pressures on services and a policy pre-occupation with timeliness are undermining essential deliberative processes. This study found that this is a high risk situation; creating unnecessary vulnerability across a workforce, across multiple families and ultimately in the lives of children.

My research has adopted a psycho-social approach to investigate the ways in which professionals mediate between the emotional demands of their work and the statutory duties and responsibilities of their role. In order to fully understand the roles played by the professional's individual characteristics, the team dynamics and the broader emotional texture of the child protection system in shaping the emotional experiences of front-line practitioners, this study has utilised a multiple-case study design. Professionals from two different child protection teams, one in Italy and one in England, have represented the two units of analysis. In particular, the research has explored the emotional vicissitudes of six front line practitioners (three from each team) over a period of sixteen months. Data have been gathered through periodic interviews with the research participants, psychoanalytically informed observations of their supervision sessions, periodic observations of team meeting discussions, and an interactive activity which had involved their entire teams. Doucet and Mauthner's (2008) Listening Guide has been utilised in order to obtain a deep understanding of practitioners' stories in a way that actively incorporated 'the public and cultural narrative that inform their lives, and the crucial intersection of these narratives with other relevant social forces' (Somers, 1994; 620). The findings of this research highlight how professionals within the Italian context appeared to be more capable of talking about the way in which their work affected them emotionally, compared with their English colleagues. One of the main reasons for this can be traced to the increasingly paranoid attitude that appears to permeate the overall English child protection system, especially after the death of Peter Connolly ('Baby P') and the public outcry which followed that tragic event. The child protection team was seen to have the potential to act as a supportive place where professionals' emotional responses can not only be recognised and contained, but also where the intensity of these emotional responses can be suitably modulated to a more manageable level. Where this occurs, it can allow professionals to remain in touch with their own emotions, which in turn can enhance their ability to effectively protect and safeguard vulnerable children and their families. Conversely, it was shown that, if professionals are not adequately supported within their working environment, they may be left feeling 'doubly deprived' at an emotional level, firstly from the nature of their undeniably challenging work and, secondly, through the imposition of an unresponsive working environment over which they have minimal control. These emotional deprivations may adversely affect their ability to work competently and safely creating a situation whereby less resilient practitioners might identify themselves with negative aspects of their working environment. This could reduce their ability to fully appreciate vulnerable people's needs and circumstances and to practice safely and competently. Ultimately it might result in practitioners leaving the profession. Contrary to popular perception, it might be the most resilient who would leave first, as they could recognise the damaging effects of an environment which did not contain or support them. Finally, the study makes a series of recommendations that could improve the retention of child protection social workers and enhance the outcomes of their work, including supporting front-line practitioners in becoming more familiar in the ways organisational dynamics might affect their work. The study also highlights the importance, for organisations, of putting in place strategies to create a safe environment in which they can work, and not to make them feel overly exposed towards anything or anyone who could try to affect their ability to perform their duties and responsibilities.

This thesis combines autoethnography (Adams et al., 2015) with a psychosocial (Frosh, 2010; Hollway and Jefferson, 2013) approach to explore notions of self and responsibility in the self-narratives of young people involved in treatment for harmful sexual behaviour (HSB). It reflects an area of professional interest for me as a social worker involved in the assessment and treatment of young people classified as having sexual behaviour problems, and appears to be an under represented area of the research literature. Working with the psychoanalytic concept of transference I also explore how as a researcher I make sense of the ways in which professionals and young people encounter each other in treatment. Drawing on poststructuralist conceptions of self and an ethical life (Butler, 2005), I suggest that treatment operates as a form of ethical violence, if ethical violence is to require a coherent self-narrative from young people as part-evidence of them taking personal responsibility (Butler, 2005). Rather than focusing on the ‘truth' of a ‘seamless story', I am interested in what Butler (2005) calls ‘enigmatic articulations' that cannot easily be narrated. From this perspective I use autoethnographic methods and psychoanalytic tools to consider how unconscious dynamics might be enacted between practitioners and young people in treatment to produce meaning, and to make sense of discomfiting, and sometimes conflictual experiences. The empirical study employed a qualitative longitudinal design (Thomson, 2012) gathering narrative data over the course of eight months from six young men aged between sixteen and eighteen, at various stages of treatment for HSB. Interviews were conducted using the ‘Free Association Narrative Interview' method (Hollway and Jefferson, 2013), and complemented with creative/arts-based techniques, such as music and collage (Thomson, 2008). Personal reflections and insights, aroused through my own transference were also produced during data collection and analysis. Data analysis was inductive, utilising narrative (Doucet and Mauthner, 2008), and psychosocial approaches (Frosh and Baraitser, 2008; Hollway and Jefferson, 2013), informed by psychoanalytic (Laplanche and Pontalis, 1973; Zizek, 2006; Frosh, 2012) and social (Butler, 2004, 2005; Frosh, 2010) theoretical perspectives. Findings are presented in the form of three case studies, influenced by the psychoanalytic case study tradition (Forrester, 1996) and autoethnography (Ellis and Rawicki, 2013), which serve as exemplars, illustrating themes that emerged from the wider data set. Each presents my understanding and interpretation of the young person's story, in relation to their experience of treatment as provided over the course of the interviews. The case studies also highlight some of the complex struggles involved for young people in trying to narratively locate themselves between various, and often competing discursive demands, and provide insights from my experience as a practice informed researcher and interlocutor engaged in collaborative meaning making. The narratives are analysed to reveal discordant voices characterised by contradictions and inconsistencies; fears, anxieties and uncertain futures, as well as un-narrated feelings of dangerousness, which are echoed and amplified through my own highly personalised reflections. The thesis makes a number of original contributions, and develops new substantive knowledge regarding an understanding of young people attending treatment for harmful sexual behaviour, particularly in relation to how they view themselves and their treatment journeys. By writing autoethnographically, and using this to present participant stories as multivoiced narratives I am bringing both a researcher, and practitioner perspective into view regarding young people's understanding of responsibility, truth and disclosure. The application of Lacanian-influenced, psychosocial, creative, narrative and autoethnographic methods is original in its approach to researching ‘beneath the surface' with young people involved in treatment for HSB. The thesis also generates valuable insights in terms of the limits of narrative approaches to treatment, and the support needs of practitioners.

This qualitative, exploratory investigation provides insight into the relevance and applicability of adopting a Design for Service (DfS) approach to effect transformation in Voluntary Community Sector (VCS) contexts. Using Action Research and a case study structure, the DfS approach was introduced and applied within three VCS organisations in succession. In each organisation, data on the impact and perceived value of the approach to a range of stakeholders was captured during, immediately after, and in the year following the engagement. An inductive analysis process was then employed to build theory from the collated case study data. The research has established that the use of design at a systemic level of a VCS organisation can incite transformational change. It has shown that stakeholders' initial trust in the designer is more important than their trust in the DfS approach (methods and processes), which becomes crucial to increasing the influence of design in the organisation. Once the designer becomes a 'friend' to the organisation, they can operate at an embedded level as a 'critical friend', which allows them to challenge the status quo and create new organisational perspectives. Finally, it defines five organisational factors that are critical to using the DfS approach to effect transformational change in a VCS setting. The study has multiple contributions to knowledge, including: detailed evidence that design can be used to transform VCS organisations; a 'critical friend' model depicting how design can be used to effect transformation in such settings; and a prototype 'design-readiness' self-assessment tool for VCS organisations. This thesis represents the first doctoral length study into the application of the DfS approach in a VCS context, and provides both evidence and insight into its capacity to incite transformational change at a critical time for the sector.

The processes of professionalisation and professional socialisation are examined both generally and in the context of an occupation undergoing professionalisation - namely social work. The way in which commitment to a profession develops amongst students in training, including changes in the conceptions which students have of the profession and situations which are important in bringing about change, is examined. There is a comparison of students in different educational institutions, a University and a Technical College, and with different educational backgrounds. The goals and structure of the institutions, including their teaching staff, are also discussed. The value of a number of models or typologies of professional socialisation, in particular the process model, in suggesting approaches to the research and in distinguishing levels of analysis, are considered. A questionnaire survey was carried out in two training courses and students were interviewed at the beginning and end of their courses. Amongst other things material was collected on the social characteristics and background of students, motivations for entry to social work, experiences on the course and aspects of identification with the profession. Information was also obtained from documentary sources and informal interviews with staff on the organisation and control of training, the curriculum and college courses, selection procedures and the characteristics of teaching staff. On the basis of this data it was possible to identify and distinguish between certain structural variables (such as student selection) and situations in which socialisation took place (such as role playing) and to suggest which variables were of greatest importance in socialisation. The information also threw some light on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various models and typologies under discussion and suggested how these might be developed and improved. Finally the data from the research is used in a discussion of some of the contemporary problems in social work training and education.

This thesis examines the role of social work within post-war England, particularly its place within the welfare state and wider society. The thesis focuses on social work’s ambiguous position ‘in the gaps’ and ‘on the margins’, where it operated between a variety of spheres, including other professions in the medical and social services, policy-makers, individual clients and communities, and social researchers. Within this position, social workers were commonly tasked with mediating between these different groups, and helping to interpret the various languages and expectations present in post-war English welfare and society. This meant that social workers aimed to make the provision and consumption of welfare more effective, both through working closely with individuals, families, and communities, and through promoting efficient coordination and cooperation between the welfare services. The thesis discusses the problems which this approach sought to address, and the issues which resulted. The study of social workers offers an insight into the negotiations and compromises implicit in post-war society, and also allows us to consider how issues of social change and the problems which emerged or persisted in post-war England were navigated. The thesis also considers the relationship of social work with the psychological and social sciences, and seeks to reconsider how concepts from those disciplines were utilised within welfare practice. This includes an emphasis on pragmatic practice, on the discretion of the individual worker, and on the attempts of social workers to generate knowledge about the field of their work and the efficacy of their intervention. Overall, the thesis shows how closer attention to social work can illuminate some of the tensions which arose in the post-war provision of medical and social services, in the everyday practice of welfare, and as a result of social, cultural, and demographic change.

Despite much enthusiasm for the practice of peer mentoring by ex-offenders it has received very little empirical scrutiny. This thesis examines the micro dynamics and intimate interactions within these relationships. In doing so it highlights how mentors are often much more than functional additions to existing criminal justice systems. They are also presented as teachers, co-operators and critical agents. The narratives in this study highlight how dominant forms of knowledge often minimise or miss the lived experiences of crime and change. In contrast, peer mentors place lived experiences at the centre of their approach and in doing so they critically question exclusionary practices and re-humanise themselves and their peers. The work of peer mentors also highlights and at times challenges the hidden power dynamics that are subsumed when ‘regular’ interventions take place. But, mentoring cannot avoid or operate outside of these power relationships. It can and does generate other power dynamics. Whilst many of these complex relations remain hidden in current evaluations of the practice they are rendered visible here. Data were obtained from qualitative interviews with eighteen peer mentors, twenty peer mentees, four service coordinators and two Probation officers, who were drawn from a range of voluntary sector providers in the North of England. Observations of practice were also carried out, including: volunteer recruitment processes; training courses; and formal supervision sessions. Where possible mentors were also observed facilitating group work with their peers. The analysis of the data drew upon techniques of thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis focusing upon how mentoring was described, performed and justified by participants. As a result of this analysis five overarching themes emerged. These are: identity, agency, values, change and power.

Aim: To examine constructions of community among retired migrants from the UK in the Costa Blanca in Spain. Background: 'Community' as a concept has enduring theoretical and practical significance. Often discussed in terms of representing something lost yet recoverable, community has further relevance in understanding social change and continuity. Underpinning discourses of community, there is often a recurrent theme of loss and recovery which has utopian and nostalgic overtones and this permeates contemporary understandings of what community represents. This is also reflected by the Labour Government's appropriation of community as a panacea for social problems. Since the 1 9 m70igs, ration to Spanish coastal resorts - costas - has significantly increased and retired British migrants constitute a large proportion of such movement. The development of theories to facilitate understanding of these new 'transnational' communities through lifestyle migration is a relatively new area of study and I aim to contribute to this. The idea that the absence of community is problematic combined with a romantic discourse relating to 'past ages'- or 'nostalgia' - warrants further exploration. Methods: Seventeen in-depth interviews were undertaken with a theoretically sampled group of women who had moved to the Costa Blanca from the UK. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using a narrative approach. Findings: There are multiple forms of belonging to community. Representations of community are multi-dimensional, complex and overlapping in nature. Place continues to be salient, but belonging to places is now more complex as a result of transnationalism through lifestyle migration and increased global movement. Constructions of belonging to place are inextricably linked to networks and ethnicity. Conclusion: Nostalgic constructions of community can be understood as an antidote to modernity and nostalgia denotes the mourning of a lost time as well as a lost home or place. In times of rapid social change, when people's intimacy with the world - represented as belonging to places, networks and ethnic group - is compromised, they seek to recreate it through nostalgia. Nostalgic constructions of belonging are key to how people give meaning to their lives. Different types of belonging are linked to community through a sense of nostalgic intimacy with the world. If intimacy with the world is compromised then nostalgia constructs and reflects belonging. In the absence of real intimacy or closeness, nostalgia is ignited through narrative and fills this gap. Nostalgia therefore, is a form of chronotope since it can be used to link time and space.

Volunteer tourism is a burgeoning industry, and is similarly expanding as a field of academic interest. However, much of the extant literature on this phenomenon is concerned with the motivations of volunteer tourists and their interactions with indigenous and local populations or, in the field of environmental conservationism, impacts upon local environments. There are few thick, qualitative studies of the environments created by the phenomenon within this literature, and even fewer which engage rigorously with sociological theory. Drawing on ethnographic immersion in a small community of volunteer sea-turtle conservationists in Greece, this thesis explores the types of work volunteers perform within these environments, and frames these experiences in relation to broader sociological perspectives on work, employment, and leisure. The concept of flourishing is mobilised to understand the specific types of satisfaction which the participants exhibit and report during their time volunteering. This investigation combines fieldwork and qualitative interviews to develop an empirical understanding of the everyday life of volunteering and how the participants’ experiences and accounts contrast to but are also framed by dominant discourses such as personal growth, employability, and instrumentalism found in advanced neo-liberal capitalism. The ‘thickness’ of the data, providing detailed insights into the lived experiences of volunteers through the immersive ethnographic method, allows for the social complexity of the volunteer experience to be studied. It proposes that whilst volunteer tourists employ discourses of employability and self-improvement when asked why they volunteer, the actual experiences of volunteering provide less tangible rewards, such as sensual interactions with the natural environment and human relationships reinforced by the proximity of the volunteers’ living quarters and values. This research both contributes to a growing literature on the phenomenon of volunteer tourism and adds empirical weight to an established debate concerning the relationship of Marxism to environmentalism. Using the concept of species-being in relation to the teleology of both Marxist and Aristotelian theory, it is argued that conservation work can allow individuals to flourish – in an environment in which work and leisure are more hybridised than oppositional – and for a protected species, the sea turtle, to achieve its telos.

This thesis explores disabled activist’s perceptions of the challenges to British disabled people thrown up by changes in policy and cuts to services made by the coalition government of 2010-2015. These themes are explored through a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 20 disabled activists. The thesis begins with a presentation of the history of the British Disabled People’s Movement, drawing on writers such as Hunt (1966, 1981), Campbell and Oliver (1996) and Barnes and Mercer (2006). This is followed by an overview of available evidence concerning current challenges to the standard of living of disabled people. The next chapter involves a discussion of methods in the form of a narrative account of the development of the thesis. This is followed by an interrogation of prominent methodologies in disability research, pointing to the strengths and drawbacks of the emancipatory disability research approach (Oliver, 1992; Bares 2008) by drawing on critical realist perspectives (Sayer, 1992; Lawson, 1999). Moving on to an analysis of interview data, the combination of challenges currently facing disabled people are explicated. To make sense of challenges revealed at individual, collective and ideological levels, the notion of ‘enforced individualism’ (Roulstone and Morgan, 2009) is drawn upon. It is argued that, taken together, these challenges comprise novel forms of disablism that coexist with older and more familiar forms of disablism associated with paternalism and oppression within institutions. Following examination of these challenges, attention turns to the political positions and responses that disabled people have adopted in reaction. To theorise such responses, Fraser’s (1995: 2003) analysis of injustice and resistance is applied to the political positions taken by participants. Later chapters reflect further on injustice and resistance, drawing again on Fraser, as well as the extension of the social model of disability presented by Thomas (1999; 2007; 2010; 2012), the political theory of Holloway (1991; 1993a; 1993b; 2005) and the political economy of Polanyi (1944). These theories serve to highlight the nature of contemporary anti-disablist resistance, and also provide a novel means of conceptualising the relationship of disability studies and disability activism.