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This thesis considers how local authority social workers go about assessing the suitability of lesbians and gay men to foster or adopt children. It also asks how far a stated lesbian or gay sexuality is problematic within this process. A constructionist approach to social enquiry is used, data being generated by interviews with social workers, as well as a case study of a lesbian couple’s adoption application. Dorothy Smith’s ‘institutional ethnography’ is also employed to examine the ‘relations of ruling’ that structure such assessments. A continuum of assessment models is proposed in order to show the dominance of ‘on merit’ approaches which prioritise child care skills over sexuality issues. The thesis demonstrates the presence of arguments about the supposed ‘risks’ to children posed by lesbians or gay men. The notion of ‘discrimination’ in assessments is analysed, as are attempts by some social workers to challenge discrimination, and it is argued that small-scale anti-discriminatory measures are inadequate. Constructions of the categories ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’ are discussed in relation to the ‘good carer of children’, and the thesis proposes the dominance of two versions: the ‘good lesbian’ and the ‘maternal gay man’. The thesisargues that the ‘on merit: prioritisation of child care skills’ model relies upon heteronormative ideas, and the case study looks at contested meanings given to the category ‘lesbian’ which are also gendered and raced. The thesis sees ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’ as categories of knowledge, and social work assessment as a ‘making sense’ activity in which versions of these are produced. Such everyday practices are problematised in the thesis, and discourse, (black) feminist and queer theories are used to analyse how the assessment is a site for the production of knowledges about sexuality.

The social work literature of the last two decades has drawn attention to the increasing importance of the assessment role of social workers. However, there has been limited historical analysis of the development of the assessment function in social work. This study examines the way in which the assessment role of social workers in England and Wales developed between 1950 and 1993. Historical narrative has been used to develop the themes of this study, addressing the significance of interrelated events and the range of political, economic and social influences on the changes which took place. It uses archival sources as primary material, including the archive of Lancashire County Council which is employed as a case study. This study traces the stages of development of social policy for the assessment function of social workers in local authorities. It draws attention to the diverse approaches of separate occupational groups of social workers to making enquiries and investigations about the circumstances of people who experienced social problems in the 1950s. Principles of social assessment which emerged during the 1960s are explored, together with their wider application to all client groups during the 1970s and the development of assessment as a priority activity within the newly established Social Services Departments (SSDs). The importance of the development of criteria and models of assessment in the late 1970s and 1980s and their inclusion as part of the social work process in planning documents produced by SSDs in the 1980s is discussed. The significance of the children’s and adults’ legislation and accompanying documentation at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s in giving local authorities a lead role in the co-ordination of assessments is addressed. Although conventional interpretations of the history of social work have suggested that a high point in the development of social work was reached in the early 1970s, archival material points to the function of social assessment being at a particularly early stage of its development. As a consequence of the changes which took place, the thesis argues that assessment was a unifying influence on social work as a single occupational group and emerging profession.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Social Work)) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / Child sexual abuse is a serious social and health issue that affects people worldwide. A variety of professions is trying to address this problem. It has numerous consequences, such as psychological, physical, social and emotional effects. An integral part of fighting child sexual abuse is disclosure. Forensic social work has been introduced in South Africa recently to facilitate the disclosure of child sexual abuse. This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of interviewing techniques with the Black child during forensic social work assessments in a South African perspective. The ecosystems theory was used in this research study to zoom into the nature of child sexual abuse and the environmental systems in South Africa that may affect the effectiveness of the interviewing techniques during forensic assessments with Black children. The study employed qualitative and evaluation designs. Non-probability sampling and probability sampling methods aided triangulation. Stratified random sampling, purposive sampling and convenient sampling techniques were followed to select fourteen (14) forensic social workers in South Africa. Out of these forensic social workers, thirteen (13) were females and one (1) was a male. Data were collected by means of a literature review and semi-structured in-depth interviews guided by an interview schedule with open-ended questions. The collected data were analysed thematically with the help of the Nvivo programme. The study revealed that rape is the most common sexual offence against Black children that forensic social workers across South Africa address. For the purpose of this research, rape is defined in accordance with the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007. Other sexual offences such as sexual assault, sexual grooming, and sexual exploitation/labour are barely reported because some South African communities regard them as minor things or taboos that could be addressed within families. As a result, they are not given the same recognition as rape in South Africa. Forensic social workers therefore have fewer such cases. The study also revealed that child pornography or exposing children to explicit sexual materials takes place more in urban areas than in rural areas, and as a result, it is not assessed among Black children in rural areas. This study further reveals that the disclosure of child sexual abuse is a process where children only disclose to someone whom they trust. In this regard, the environment where children are raised contributes to the disclosure of child sexual abuse. In rural areas, child xiv sexual abuse is mostly disclosed accidentally. Children from urban areas disclose more deliberately. Findings point to factors such as fear of the perpetrator, relationship with the perpetrator, boundaries of culture, the environmental setting, fear of embarrassment and shame, age of the child, language competency, poverty and the South African justice system as factors that play a role in disclosure of child sexual abuse during forensic social work assessments. In the facilitation of the disclosure of child sexual abuse, there is a variety of dynamics that professionals should be watchful of that may influence the disclosure rate. Personal characteristics of the child and the interviewer may affect disclosure of child sexual abuse during forensic interviews. For forensic social workers to ensure the protection of children and the conviction of perpetrators in child sexual abuse cases, they have to conduct skilful forensic interviews. There are specific interviewing techniques that aid disclosure. Some of these techniques appear to be very effective at eliciting detailed and accurate disclosures. Research reveals that in South Africa, cultural background, developmental level, language barriers and the manner of questioning children have an impact in the effectiveness of interviewing techniques during the assessments of allegations of child sexual abuse. Techniques should be contextualized in terms of cultural backgrounds and one should consider developmental level (age in particular), types of questions and language of the child, especially for Blacks. Once again, the disclosure of sexual abuse is a process with definable phases and characteristics. Many children find it difficult to talk about their sexual abuse experiences. It is therefore imperative that forensic social workers have an understanding of the diagonal process of disclosure when conducting forensic assessments. Forensic social workers have to be watchful of varied dynamics that are likely to affect the disclosure rate. The findings reveal that personal characteristics of the child and the interviewer, communication skills, blind assessments and informed allegation interviews have an impact on making the interviewing techniques effective during the disclosure of child sexual abuse. As a result, the study recommends that the forensic social worker should come to the developmental level of the child, speak the language of the child or use interpreters for the child to understand, and follow blind assessments interviews as opposed to informed allegation interviews. However, informed allegations interviews are recommended when assessing children below the age of four (4) years.

The thesis set out in this submission is drawn from six of the candidate’s publications, based in turn on empirical findings from four research studies of adult social care in England spanning the period 1992 2006. As a body of work, it interrogates the validity of Lipsky’s (1980) conclusions about the origins and nature of ‘streetlevel bureaucracy’ in the wake of subsequent welfare restructuring. The earlier studies pay particular attention to the impact of managerialisation on frontline assessment practice amongst adult social work teams following implementation of the 1990 National Health Service and Community Care Act. Later studies tackle a further challenge to Lipsky’s thesis of street-level bureaucracy, that is, the potential for a change in the nature of the exchange relationship between street-level bureaucrat and client in the light of the insertion of service user involvement, empowerment and rights into governance arrangements after 1990, including adult social care. The candidate argues that the ethnomethodological approach adopted in three out of the four studies has yielded rich data on frontline practice of a type screened out by much contemporaneous research on the impact of social care reforms. Taken together with the span of the research studies over some fifteen years, this has supported not only a detailed analysis of the relationship between the micropolitics of assessment practice and key features of the differing environments within which they occur but also their articulation with changing modes of welfare governance. Discourse analysis of interview findings from the remaining study has permitted insights into the way social workers integrate thinking about human and social rights into their everyday assessment practice. The candidate summarises her threefold contribution to the literature in a taxonomy derived from the research findings which serves, firstly, to articulate the relationship between core dimensions of the policy and practice environment and the differing forms of frontline discretion to emerge after 1990; secondly, to explore the impact of user empowerment and rights on the distribution of resources; and, thirdly, to evaluate the continuing relevance of ‘streetlevel’ bureaucracy for understanding frontline social work practice. She concludes by sketching out possible future directions for her work.

The overall aim of the present thesis was to explore and compare professional co-operation in child welfare investigations, explore the psychometric properties, and describe the clinical utility from different perspectives of a translated Swedish version of the standardized assessment instrument the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (the HOME Inventory). Social workers in Sweden, Denmark, Britain, Germany, and Texas (USA) co-operated with different professionals around a fictitious child welfare case. Differences were found between and within country-based samples, indicating an unsystematic work procedure in the social work agencies studied. The psychometric properties of the translated Early Childhood version (EC-HOME) and Middle Childhood version (MC-HOME) of the HOME Inventory were explored in terms of inter-observer reliability and by Rasch analysis. The samples were authentic Swedish child welfare cases recruited from a field setting. Inter-observer reliability was satisfactory. Results were ambiguous regarding measurement construction of the two versions studied. Because of the differentiating ability of the EC-HOME and MC-HOME, total scores could provide an indication of inadequate home environments. Experiences of social work practitioners of the clinical utility of the HOME Inventory suggested that they considered the instrument to be comprehensive and have explicit potential benefits, i.e. to be clinically useful. Correspondingly, caregivers’ overall perceptions of the HOME Inventory were positive, determining the content relevant and the format acceptable. However, certain flaws have to be rectified before the HOME Inventory is to be implemented and used successfully. Further, education and the possibility to practice administering the instrument seemed to be essential conditions for future use according to social workers. When social workers and teachers’ apprehensions about support and stimulation provided by caregivers to children in their home environments were compared, preschool teachers’ apprehensions correlated poorly with the social workers’ assessment. These results suggest that the HOME Inventory is promising but cultural adaptation and further studies of psychometric properties are necessary. Different forms of support to practitioners and agencies for successful implementation are required. Awareness of the type of information provided by different sources is important when co-operating in child welfare.