‘Building the Care Act: evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence? ’

1. ‘Building the Care Act: evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence?’ Paul Hollingdale University of Huddersfield

2. Care Act 2014 & Social Work with Older People – ‘Threats to Opportunity’ • How might the Care Act raise the profile of work with Older People • How might it counter much of the negative narrative that prevails from; • National Policy & Social Work • Student Social Workers

3. Background/Interest • Motivation • Personal • Professional • (Practice) • (HE)

4. Threats – Policy and Social Work/Older People • 2014 x 2 reviews • DH - Professor David Croisedale –Appleby • DE – Sir Martin Narey • SW Education – Pre –qualifying • Front line • Step up

5. Children & Family focus and even more? • Parton (2014: 2043/2053) reflects – child protection, ‘social work has been reduced to a very narrow forensic concern with child protection. 
& While social work in England has been marginalised or excluded from a whole range of areas of practice which it has traditionally inhabited—such as probation, work with older people and adults, and many of the newer family support and community-based activities—social work is identified as the profession for taking the lead responsibility for child protection. Why has this been the case?’

6. Student Social Workers • By no means all, but… • Quinn (2000: 224) reporting on her experiences of endeavouring to engage student social workers in the topic, says that, ‘ many are repelled by this area, it’s ‘all doom and gloom’ and they believe they already have the knowledge to work with older people, if they ever chose to do’. • Smith, (2013) suggested that students working with older people feel that their work, ‘doesn’t change week to week, there’s no goals, there’s nothing, they’re not doing anything different or feeling any different.’ Indeed, he added, they feel their role does not, ‘resolve anything as the life situation they (older people) are in is only going to get worse’. • Gellis, Sherman and Lawrance (2003) who undertook research into the attitudes first year social work students, established that the majority have views that older people are not ‘productive, do not adapt to change, lose independence and optimism.’

7. Opportunities • Social Work with Older People: A vision for the future. (2014)London: TCSW. • A report written by 8 leading academics in the field of gerontology, the aim of which(p5) is to; • To highlight the key issues around ageing, age related ill health and disability, and life course influences on later life outcomes that can be addressed effectively by social workers working with older people. •  To review the current and future roles and contexts in which gerontological social work is, and/or can be, effective and evidence its effectiveness. •  To help build a business case for investing in gerontological social work.

8. TCSW (2015) Discussion Paper - Excellent social work with older people • ‘We know that excellent social work with older people and their carers makes a real impact. It strengthens families, neighbourhoods and communities, and it helps to ensure that vital resources are used in the best way possible. It is an essential part of high quality social care – but it remains all too often overlooked, under-resourced and inaccessible to the people who stand to benefit from it. ‘ (p 2).

9. How? - Student and Newly Qualified Social Workers • Given that we know there is going to be an increase in the number of us, who live longer and possibly need in our future lives and family, friends etc social work support • I/We have an opportunity to listen too and engage now with people just beginning their social work education and/or early careers and establish • What they feel they need to support them in developing an interest in working • With older people • (I have a subjective view, if it isn’t a social worker, who has a real interest and sound value base coming out to see me in the future – who might it be?)

10. Care Act 2014 • Lyn Romeo – Chief Social Worker Adults – sets the following challenge • (Which I feel can be an opportunity/ Law/Policy/Practice) • Challenges for social work practice • Renewed focus on; • Practice-led approach • • Maximising independence and choice • • Strong legal literacy • • Positive risk-taking • • Working with other professionals across boundaries • • Confident practice leadership at all levelled approach

11. Research • Emerging questions 2 of which are; • What changes could be made in the curriculum for social work education that can promote a positive vision of social work and older people? • How does the Care Act 2014 influence practice with Older People

12. Your views/experiences? • Questions • Discussion

13. References • Croisedale-Appleby , D. (2014). Re-visioning social work education AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/285788/DCA_Accessible.pdf. • Gellis, Z.V., Sherman, S., & Lawrence, F. (2003). First year graduate social work students' knowledge of and attitude toward older adults.. Educational Gerontology,29 , 1-16. doi: 10.1080/03601270390156782. • Milne, A., Sullivan, M.P., Tanner, D., Richards, S., Ray, M., Lloyd, L. ... Phillips, J. (2014). Social Work with Older People: A vision for the future. London: TCSW. • Parton, N. (2014). Social Work, Child Protection and Politics: Some Critical and Constructive Reflections. British Journal of Social Work,44, 2042-2056. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcu091. • Quinn, A. (2000). Reluctant Learners: social work students and work with older people. Research in Post -Compulsory Education.5 (2), 223-237. • Smith, J. (2013). Students' role confusion when working with older adults: the voices of foundation students. Journal of Social Work Education,49 (2), 250-264. doi: 10.1080/104337797.2013.770346. • The College of Social Work. (2015). Excellent Social Work with Older People: a discussion paper. London: TCSW • Narey, M. (2014). Making the education of social workers consistently effective Report of Sir Martin Narey’s independent review of the education of children’s social workers. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/287756/Making_the_education_of_social_workers_consistently_effective.pdf • Front Line. (2015). Front Line: Changing Lives. Retrieved from http://www.thefrontline.org.uk. • Step up to Social Work. (2015). Step up to Social Work. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/step-up-to-social-work-information-for-applicants.