Knocking on the Door
The Home Visit and Social Work Practice
Bringing research, theory and practice to life with Geese and leading social work academic and author, Professor Harry Ferguson
We have teamed up with Professor Harry Ferguson to deliver this training event, which will merge a traditional key-note lecture with vivid theatre performances to create an informative, memorable and enjoyable opportunity for learning.
“Little attention is given to... the practice of home visiting and the emotions and challenges of accessing children it gives rise to. Although it is the methodology through which most child protection goes on, the home visit is virtually ignored…” This training will seek to redress that by placing the home visit at the centre of child protection practice. In more detail it will explore:
- the lived experience of delivering practice in people’s most personal spaces
- negotiating the private areas of a family’s life – their home, bedroom, emotional world
- the use of movement and the importance of touch
- working with carers / parents who are resistant, aggressive or deceitful
- spaces for reflection and organisational support
The aim of the training will be to provide a stimulating and safe environment in which delegates will have the opportunity to reflect upon some of the key practice challenges involved in protecting children and will draw upon Harry Ferguson’s seminal text Child Protection Practice “A must read for students, social workers and other professions involved in the protection of children.”
Harry Ferguson is Professor of Social Work at the University of Nottingham. A qualified social worker, he has been conducting empirical studies into social work practice since the early 1990s. His research seeks to illuminate the world of practice, the complex relationships that exist between social workers and service users and the impact of interventions. He recently completed a major study of social work practice and child protection that involved observation of practitioners as they engaged in face to face work with children and parents, mainly on home visits, with the aim of increasing understandings of how best to protect and promote the well-being of children and help parents and other carers. Out of this he has developed publications and presentations on the lived experience of social work on home visits and complexities of how social workers sometimes do not engage effectively with children and parents and the skilled creative work that is involved when they (frequently) do.
Knocking on the Door can be adapted to a half or full day training and would include the following:
- An interactive theatre performance by Geese
- Keynote presentation from Harry Ferguson
- Vignettes to accompany the keynote and illustrate the key learning points
To book or for further information, please contact us at info@geese.co.uk