Relationship-based practice and the creation of therapeutic change in long-term work: social work as a holding relationship (2020)
Journal Article
Ferguson, H., Warwick, L., Disney, T., Leigh, J., Cooner, T. S., & Beddoe, L. (2022). Relationship-based practice and the creation of therapeutic change in long-term work: social work as a holding relationship. Social Work Education, 41(2), 209-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1837105

Relationship-based practice has become a dominant theory through which what goes on between social workers and service users is understood. However, the presence of a relationship explains little and much more critical attention needs to be given to... Read More about Relationship-based practice and the creation of therapeutic change in long-term work: social work as a holding relationship.

Hostile relationships in social work practice: anxiety, hate and conflict in long-term work with involuntary service users (2020)
Journal Article
Ferguson, H., Disney, T., Warwick, L., Leigh, J., Cooner, T. S., & Beddoe, L. (2021). Hostile relationships in social work practice: anxiety, hate and conflict in long-term work with involuntary service users. Journal of Social Work Practice, 35(1), 19-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2020.1834371

While recognition that some service users do not want social work involvement has grown in recent years, little research has explored how relationships between social workers and ‘involuntary clients’ look and feel like in practice and are... Read More about Hostile relationships in social work practice: anxiety, hate and conflict in long-term work with involuntary service users.

“Isn't it funny the children that are further away we don't think about as much?”: using GPS to explore the mobilities and geographies of social work and child protection practice (2019)
Journal Article
Disney, T., Warwick, L., Ferguson, H., Leigh, J., Cooner, T. S., Beddoe, L., …Osborne, T. (2019). “Isn't it funny the children that are further away we don't think about as much?”: using GPS to explore the mobilities and geographies of social work and child protection practice. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 39-49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.02.029

Social work is an inherently mobile and spatial profession; child protection social workers travel to meet families in diverse contexts, such as families' homes, schools, court and many more. However, rising bureaucracy, managerialism and workloads a... Read More about “Isn't it funny the children that are further away we don't think about as much?”: using GPS to explore the mobilities and geographies of social work and child protection practice.