Professor Gillian Ruch discusses her research exploring the communication methods social workers use with children and families.
A couple of weeks ago, when two reviews of children’s social care in England (the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s inquiry into murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson) were published, I spoke to Professor Gillian Ruch about her research on social workers communicating with children.
An expert on relationship-based practice, Gillian has conducted a large scale project in the four UK nations in which she explored what practitioners said about their practice alongside observations of what they did. Her findings provide an insight into social workers’ interactions with children and families, and in this episode she offers some suggestions about how to communicate more effectively.
Gillian Ruch is Professor of Social Work at the University of Sussex. She teaches and researches in the areas of child care social work and relationship-based and reflective practice and is committed to enhancing the wellbeing of children, families and practitioners. Her particular interests are in promoting psycho-social research methods and reflective discussion and supervision forums that facilitate relationship-based practice.
The full paper can be accessed here:
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