(p.117) Subjectivity and power are caught in the web of temporal practices. social workers negotiating with other workers or professionals, the use of disciplinary strategies is not so evident. As a The view, for example, that subjectivity is open-ness and contingent within a field of temporal relations as expressed by phenomenological thinkers, suggests that there are as many forms of subjective being as there are forms of time (see Mensch, 1996). For instance, the client has the ability to speak freely of his/her therapy and/or therapist while the therapist must uphold strict, privacy and confidentiality. Trying to sustain these torturous hostile relationships is incredibly emotionally demanding. There was genuine fear for the babys safety, however, a contradiction was that no actual evidence of harmful parenting was discovered by social care. Creating space to think and feel in child protection social work; a psychodynamic intervention, The impact of work-related violence towards social workers in children and family services, Sustaining relationships: Working with strong feelings: Part l: Anger, aggression and hostility, Engaging with involuntary service users in social work: Findings from a knowledge exchange project, Challenges and dilemmas working with highconflict families in child protection casework, Understanding defences and defensiveness in social work, Resistant parents and child protection: Knowledge base, pointers for practice and implications for policy, A relationship-based approach to engaging involuntary clients: The contribution of recognition theory, What makes it so hard to look and to listen? in the form of the authority or the office. The dynamics of how hostile relationships occurred and their implications will now be drawn together on two levels: practice experience and the organisational, and we will focus further on the Dixon case in particular for what it reveals about the impact of trying to sustain hostile relationships over time. In the case of a relationship that constantly feels like it needs fixing,true satisfaction will always feel just out of reach. It may frighten a parent into adequate parenting and thus the social worker may feel s/he has been successful in this use of power. Concluding theses for a responsible use of power in social work. Exploring communication between social workers, children and young people. The more opportunities workers have to reflect on and analyse their feelings and relationships with involuntary clients, the less chance there is they will become hostile relationships and the surer they can be that their work and major decisions (including to remove children) will be done ethically and free from hate and retaliation. The research on the other hand did gain some access to the deeper emotional life of individuals and the organisation. This can also be seen in the case of the Lewis family. The emotional impact of hostile relationships paralysed workers and organisations, restricting their minds and actions, confining them in highly constricted spaces where they and parents effectively enacted pathological relationships, taunting and punishing one another. This analytical approach also sensitised the research to how not only individuals defend the self from unbearable feelings, but entire organisations erect defences that impede thinking and reflective practice (Cooper & Lousada, Citation2005; Whittaker, Citation2011). The practitioners tried to relate to the children in the home and saw them at school, but the parents soon blocked that too. This richly textured fabric is society. When interviewed for the research around the time these encounters were happening Roberta admitted she deliberately covered the seating to prevent professionals from sitting down, orchestrating discomfort. Different types of judgement motivate varying ways of using power in the treatment of people. Power operates as a dynamic force that leaves no area of life untouched, influencing individuals, families, communities, and institutions. Service users in child protection cases have increasingly been framed through such discourses as disgusting others (Warner, Citation2015). Olivia and Susan ask Roberta lots of questions about the practicalities of baby care. This splitting into love and hate was also evident in Robertas narratives when interviewed for the research as she expressed her complete admiration for the independent social worker and her intense dislike of the statutory social workers, Olivia in particular. Minson, (1980) 'Strategies for Socialists? Furthermore, reflexivity involves an observation of the power imbalance between researcher and participant. 2.1 Definition of power and conceptual explanations It is bullying and arrogant, and uses jargon which may confuse a client. - It only takes five minutes Intimacy helps you feel connected in your relationship. People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read. Postmodern feminist social work theories reject the notion of egalitarian power relations as a fantasy that does not engage with the power dynamics that always exist between social workers and clients, a point also made in earlier work ( Wise, 1990 ). Many social workers struggle with feelings of power and powerlessness, as do the clients they are seeking to assist ( Bundy-Fazioli, 2004; Pitcher, 2008 ). Bar-On (2002) advocated for the social work profession to master the discourse of power and use it effectively (p. 998). As Rajchman (1985) points out "In his book on prisons, the historical constitution of the subject becomes a problem not simply about knowledge, but about power, and not simply about discourse but about practice." Power is rarely discussed; it is pushed away. As time passed, Roberta became more cooperative with professionals and was seen in a very positive light by the independent social worker. My knowledge of the laws, mastery of diagnostics and methodology, how I conduct and steer consultations or conversational processes, put me in a position of power. On closer inspection, according to Fiedler, it must quickly become clear that power does exist in social work. By month 11 of the fieldwork the cumulative concerns about Roberta and her parenting resulted in the local authority trying to remove Amy from her. Susan has a powerful tone of helpfulness in her voice, really encouraging Roberta to accept help and conveying the genuineness of the offer. Power imbalance The term Social Graces, Rowland explained, is a mnemonic to help us remember some of the key features that influence personal and The persistent stigmatising of the poor and of black and minority ethnic communities make them into marginalised others who provoke fear and contempt (Tyler, 2020 ). Social workers have had roles in perpetuating these harmful social systems, and this history cannot be ignored. Therefore, therapists should acknowledge and explore the power dynamics within each client-therapist relationship. If shes not working with us and we cant get into the home its not safe enough for her to take that baby home, end of story. She did not want colleagues to see her crying and this avoidance of showing the impact of traumatic experience was compounded by her senior manager not enabling her to express her emotions, so that the managerial goals of improving staff performance in compliance with targets and audits could be achieved. We have certainly made mistakes, but we are also a group of professionals committed to helping, lifting up, and advocating for oppressed and marginalized groups of people and fighting injustice in society. Ongoing self-reflection, conversations with colleagues, education, professional training and advocacy are the best ways to ensure we all live the anti-racist principles required of our profession. Roberta explained vividly in research interviews how she felt persecuted by the surveillance, how she would be watchful at the sitting room window wondering when they were going to call unannounced again and also fearing the announced visits. It exists simply because of the structures in which social workers work, e.g. Strengthening Social Worker-Client Relationships in Is It True That Single Women and Married Men Do Best? The chosen cases are what Wengraff (Citation2001) calls the focal or gold-star cases within qualitative research samples that deserve attention because they not only tell their own story but illustrate the general research findings particularly well. Principal social worker) or recognition in terms of respect, expertise, experience and so forth that s/he commands. When interviewed during month seven of the research Mrs Jones was scathing: it was uncomfortable and it has got worse and worse the longer it has gone on. Power has been described according to: (a) who has formal authority to make decisions and who controls the resources; and (b) who has less tangible aspects of symbolic power or the ability to control ideas and meaning [ 17 ]. She told the worker they were being rude and that she would search their name on the internet and then hung up. Ron, who was so placid and uncommunicative earlier, begins to seethe. It is the place where influencing judgements are held. "Thus, 'power' is immediately equated with 'abuse of power', with a condition that must be overcome as quickly as possible" (Stiels - Glenn 1996, p. 16). The central aspect of this work will be the handling of professional power in social work. Hypervigilant people constantly monitor for threats and brace for worst-case scenarios. In this situation where there is greater equality of power and skills of exercises of power can be met with appropriate resistance and negotiation. Therapists don't have psychological X-ray vision, they are not mind-readers, and if one claims to know what's in your unconscious it's probably because he or she put it there! She disputes that she has harmed her children. Why Traditional Psychotherapy Led to CBT, Which Spawned DBT, How to Have a Balanced and Stress-Resistant Life, How to Stop Overreacting to the Small Stuff, 13 Common Behaviors and Values of Narcissistic People, The Danger of Self-Protection in Relationships. It not only matters what you say but how you say it, and the same applies to material actions - things that one does, as opposed to what one says or writes. This will be done by focussing on one case-study, which makes possible the kind of in-depth analysis necessary to show how the casework was done, the dynamics of hostile relationships and the ebbs and flows of the social worker service user encounters and organisational life over the course of the year. During Month 7 another social worker co-worked with the family with Olivia because Susan was unavailable, and this is a scene from their first/introductory visit: Roberta leads the social worker into the sitting-room. WebAs well as recognising power issues and imbalances, as the social worker l would also need to undertake a risk assessment. Ron begins to raise his voice, he waves his hand around in a gesture of frustration, raising his voice louder still. Simple ways to not sweat the minor irritants. As many professions and organizations are doing, we must pause to look inward and use that knowledge to propel us toward action for meaningful social change. (Lest I come across as "blaming the victim," let me be clear that there are some cases wherein a vulnerable client who has little or no experience with therapy can suffer grievous boundary violations without "willingly" relinquishing power.) Register a free Taylor & Francis Online account today to boost your research and gain these benefits: Psychotherapeutic Approaches in Health, Welfare and the Community, Hostile relationships in social work practice: anxiety, hate and conflict in long-term work with involuntary service users, a Department of Social Work and Social Care, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK, b Department of Social Work, Education & Community Wellbeing, C115, Coach Lane Campus, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, c B6 Law and Social Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK, d Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster UK, e School of Counselling, Human Services and Social Work, Te Kura Tauwhiro Tangata, Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.