Transcript NO MORE ‘NEEDS’

NO MORE ‘NEEDS’: growing
confidence and improving
skills around sexuality in social work
research, learning and practice
Practical Learning: achieving excellence in the human services
PEPE conference
Edinburgh
2008
Joy Trotter and Trish Hafford-Letchfield
University of Teesside - London South Bank University
sexuality in social work
familiar concepts
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social exclusion & marginalisation
anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices
these imply that social work
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embraces equality and diversity
has become ‘culturally competent’
subscribes to moral and ethical standards which include respect
for others, regardless of their sexual orientation
however
sexuality issues continue to be marginalized or
excluded altogether (Leech & Trotter, 2005; Fish, 2006)
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sexuality in research
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Despite the 2002 RAE specifically remarking on
sexuality as one of a number of new and emerging
areas for social work (Shaw & Norton, 2007) it continues to be
under-funded and under-researched.
Others have contributed:
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education - focussing on schools & sexual bullying and sex education
sociology and social policy - developing understandings & debates
around sexuality
economists and demographers - struggled to capture or predict trends
relating to sexual diversity within families
health and psychology – mostly AIDS/HIV, STDs and other ‘problems’
criminology – around sex offenders and child sexual abuse
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sexuality in learning
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Despite a number of pioneering texts around a decade ago
(Logan et al, 1996; Hicks, 1996; Trotter & Gilchrist, 1996; Trotter, 1998; Brown, 1998; Trotter,
very little has been transferred to national
learning resources, training policies or general educational
materials.
2000a, 2000b; Logan, 2001)
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Social Work and Sexuality (Brown, 1998) omitted from BASW’s
(Macmillan Press) re-launch of Practical Social Work series in
2006 (12 titles) nor was it included in advertisements for ‘key
backlist books’ (10 titles)
Learning Matters – helping social workers to support people in
‘achieving their sexual rights’
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(Jones & Bywater, 2007, p134)
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sexuality in practice
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Common mistakes:
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Technicist approaches to assessment and service provision have
emerged which seek to identify the particular ‘needs’ of ‘minority’
populations (Jeyasingham, 2008).
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These have focussed on non hetero-sexual people, implying
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sexuality often confused with sex (behaviour),
sexuality confined to ‘issues’ (problems) and/or
sexuality conflated with sexual (sexiness).
heterosexuals do not have needs
non hetero-sexual people have only ‘needs’
non-heterosexuals can be regarded as one homogenous population and
there are no overlaps or ‘needs’ that are held in common between the ‘two’ populations.
Its also assumed that once these so-called ‘needs’ are ‘known’, they
will somehow be addressed (Hicks, 2005).
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community of practice
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Evolving
Opening up a dialogue between inside and
outside perspectives
Invite different levels of participation
Develop both public and private community
spaces
Focus on values
Create a rhythm for the community
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a case study
Symposium: Sexuality issues in social work practice, education and research
Began in June 2004
Aims/objectives - To extend and strengthen the knowledge base by:
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providing a friendly and safe forum for discussion and dissemination of ideas
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sharing and developing ideas;
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supporting and sustaining each others’ interests and endeavours;
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contributing to and collaborating on research projects and publications.
Membership - Social work and allied academics, researchers, practitioners, students and service users with proven
&/or active interests in sexuality issues.
Activities
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share the data-base of contacts
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share information, news and ideas
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contribute ‘reading lists’, with recommended favourite(s) & accompanying review
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regular meetings, seminars and conferences
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research projects
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collaborative writing
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growing confidence
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Growing membership
Developing identity
Evolving leadership
Ongoing learning through:
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mutual engagement & joint enterprise
sharing 
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personal, educational & professional histories
life experiences
giving meaning to practice
participation
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improving skills
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Virtual and real support network
Developing expertise
Campaigning / lobbying
Publishing
Workshops / conferences
Research projects
Seminar series
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Exciting futures
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Early days – fluid and informal network
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Recognising differences?
Including and collaborating?
Direction & future?
SIG or Symposium?
Shifting the focus by
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pursuing clarity about values
widening participation & perspective
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meanings/understandings emerging - no more ‘needs’
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References
Brown, H. C. (1998) Social Work and Sexuality: Working with Lesbians and Gay Men, Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Fish, J. (2006) Heterosexism and Social Care, Basingstoke: Palgrave.
Hicks, S. (1996) ‘The last resort? Lesbian and gay experiences of the social work assessment process in fostering and adoption’, Practice, 8(2),
15-24.
Hicks, S. (2005) ‘Sexuality: social work theories and practice’. In Adams, R., Dominelli, L. & Payne, M. (eds) Social Work Futures: Crossing
Boundaries, Transforming Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jeyasingham, D. (2008) ‘Knowledge/ignorance and the construction of sexuality in social work education’, Social Work Education, 27(2), 22–35.
Jones, R. & Bywater, J. (2007) Sexuality and Social Work. Exeter: Learning Matters.
Leech, N. and Trotter, J. (2005) ‘”None of them ever asked about sex”: some personal thoughts as to why social workers have difficulty
discussing sexuality with young people’, Socio-analysis, 7, 19-36.
Logan, J. (2001) ‘Sexuality, child care and social work education’, Social Work Education, 20(5), 563–575.
Logan, J., Kershaw, S., Karban, K., Mills, S. Trotter, J. & Sinclair, M. (1996) Confronting Prejudice: Lesbian and Gay Issues in Social Work
Education, Aldershot: Arena.
Shaw, I. and Norton, M. (2007) The Kinds and Quality of Social Work Research in UK Universities: Using Knowledge In Social Care Report 17,
London: Social Care Institute for Excellence.
Trotter, J. (1998) ‘Learning and practising, or just saying the words? Anti-discriminatory issues in social work training’, Journal of Practice
Teaching in Health and Social Work, 1(2), 31-47.
Trotter, J. (2000) ‘Speaking out, coming out and being outed: different sexualities and child protection practices’. In Cox, P., Kershaw, S. & Trotter,
J. (eds) Child Sexual Assault: Feminist Perspectives, London: Macmillan.
Trotter, J. (2000) ‘Who’s leading whom? Sexuality and young people’. In Harris, J., Froggett, L. & Paylor, I. (eds) Social Work Making a
Difference, Birmingham: Venture Press.
Trotter, J. and Gilchrist, J. (1996) ‘Assessing DipSW students: anti-discriminatory practice in relation to lesbian and gay issues’, Social Work
Education, 15(1), 75-82.
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