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19.09.24 Attachment Theory: A new look at the most relevant ideas and findings and how best to draw on them in social work practice with children and families
Thursday 19th September - 9.30am - 4.30pm
6hrs CPD
BASW Members - £99.00 & VAT (£118.80) || Non Members - £149.00 & VAT (£178.80)
Delivered by Dr Sarah Foster via MS Teams
In this session we will look at what ideas from attachment theory are useful to draw on in child welfare practice. We will also look at how we can best draw on these in our practice.
The session will provide attendees with up-to-date practice relevant ideas and findings from attachment theory, as well as ideas on how to use these in children & families practice. The session will also provide attendees with opportunity to reflect on their current practice use of attachment theory, think about how they might want to use the theory in their future practice, and learn from discussion with fellow social workers.
Attachment is among the core theories for social work with children and families. Yet there remain considerable debates about what practitioners need to know about attachment, and how that knowledge should be applied in practice. Some misrepresentations of attachment theory are in circulation, including in some of the texts written for social workers, and some of the ideas and current research findings from attachment theory that are most useful for practice are little known. Some practice applications of attachment theory have been highlighted as problematic, which has led some social workers to turn away from using attachment theory, potentially leading to missed opportunities. The language used to talk about attachment also varies, and there is risk of social workers talking past each other by using the same words to mean different things.
This session will help you to find a path through the confusion, challenges, and critique surrounding use of attachment theory in child welfare practice. During this session we will look at which ideas and research findings from attachment theory are particularly relevant and useful for practice, and which are less useful. We will also reflect on appropriate ways to apply those ideas to our practice.
Social workers attending the session do not need a particular level of existing attachment theory knowledge, or to be currently using it in a particular way (or at all). The design of the session is such that all children & families social workers will be able to benefit from it: some may come away from the session with new ideas to apply to their practice, some may come away from the session with plans to change aspects of how they think about attachment in their practice, and some may come away from the session with a renewed confidence in what they already know and do in relation to using attachment theory.
Learning outcomes:-
By the end of the training, attendees will:
- Have a greater knowledge of current developments and research findings from attachment theory with particular relevance to social work practice with children & families.
- Have a greater appreciation of why some of the most commonly known aspects of attachment theory have limited relevance to social work practice with children & families.
- Be more confident at spotting and challenging claims made about children and caregivers that are based on misunderstandings of attachment theory.
- Have reflected on how they currently use attachment theory ideas in their practice, and gained further confidence in their current approach and/or ideas for some potential changes.
- Have explored challenges in the language used about attachment, and gained ideas on ways to improve clarity in how we talk about attachment.
Trainer bio:
Dr Sarah Foster is an Assistant Professor in Social Work at Northumbria University. Sarah has been teaching on pre and post qualifying social work programmes since 2014. Sarah previously worked as a Workforce Development Coordinator in a local authority children’s services department. While working at Northumbria University, and in conjunction with Professor Robbie Duschinsky from Cambridge University, Sarah has carried out a programme of research into how attachment theory is understood and used in UK child welfare practice.
BASW members please log in to your BASW account prior to booking to maintain your CPD record
25.10.24 Reflective Practice & Critical Analysis with Siobhan MacLean
Friday, 25 October 2024 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
3hrs CPD
BASW member - £49 + VAT (£58.80) Non member - £75 + VAT (£90.00)
A session uniquely designed and delivered by Siobhan MacLean online via MS teams, with limited class sizes to allow for a fully interactive experience.
As the social work role, and the issues we are dealing with, can be seen as becoming ever more complex reflective practice is perhaps more important than ever. Using the What? Why? How? framework this session will explore the concepts of critical reflection and analysis. What do they mean? Why are they important? How do we improve our skills in this area? The session will address the move away from process towards component models and the way that this can help us to connect critical reflection and analysis more clearly.
Trainer Biog -
Siobhan Maclean has been a social worker for over 30 years and became a practice educator in 1995. Siobhan has worked independently for a number of years. As an independent her work is varied but includes training, devising practice learning resources and consultancy work. Siobhan still very much enjoys working as a practice educator and currently works with a few students a year in an off site capacity.
In 2004 Siobhan was appointed to the position of Secretary of the International Federation of Social Workers, holding this position for eight years. She still maintains close international links and enjoys working to support practice educators in countries where social work education is in the early stages of development.
Siobhan was recently appointed a Visiting Professor at the University of Chester. She is also an Editorial Board member of the Journal of Practice Teaching and Learning.
Siobhan has written widely, mostly around social work theory and critical reflection. She is committed to making the knowledge base accessible to busy practitioners and set up Kirwin Maclean Associates as an independent publishing organisation based on the values and ethics of social work.
BASW members please log in to your BASW account prior to booking to maintain your CPD record
05.11.24 Facilitated Practice-based Research (FPR) Training
Tuesday 5th November 2024 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
3hrs CPD
BASW member - £49 + VAT (£58.80) Non member - £75 + VAT (£90.00)
A session designed and delivered by Dr Lesley Deacon online via MS teams, with limited class sizes to allow for a fully interactive experience.
In this interactive session you will be introduced to the concept of Facilitated Practice-based Research (FPR) (©University of Sunderland). FPR is a new approach to empower practitioners across a range of professions to engage in, and lead, practice research.
As well as learning about FPR, you will also have opportunities to reflect on (and share) your own knowledge and experiences of research. In addition, you will hear from practitioners about their experiences of the FPR programme and the findings from their research projects.
Participants will be supported to:
- understand the extent to which the language of academic research can act as a barrier for practitioners wanting to engage in research;
- begin the process of reframing their ‘practice’ skills as ‘research’; and
- learn about real examples of research conducted by practitioners for practice.
Trainer Bio :-
I am a Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Vice Chancellor's Research and Knowledge Exchange Fellow, NIHR ARC NENC Social Care Fellow, Senior Fellow AdvanceHE, and a registered Social Worker (Social Work England).
I describe myself as a neurodivergent, academic-based practitioner researcher. My areas of interest are neurodiversity and practice research.
I have developed a new approach to empower practitioners (across a range of professions) to engage in, and lead, practice research – Facilitated Practice-based Research (copyright University of Sunderland) (FPR). This model is neurodiverse and trauma-informed and consists of an intensive, facilitated, research programme in which a group of practitioners works together to co-design, co-construct and co-implement a piece of practice research relevant to current practice issues. Research findings are then implemented into practice and monitored for impact. It is linked to the module SWKM43 Reflexive Practice Research.
As a neurodivergent person, I combine my lived experience with research into creating spaces that are neurodiverse ie open and accessible, acknowledging all neurological diversity.