Research re social work with Gypsies and Travellers Sarah Cemlyn University of Bristol

Transcription

1 Research re social work with Gypsies and Travellers Sarah Cemlyn University of Bristol

2 Background Butler (1983) referred to mutual suspicion between Gypsies and social services and a de facto conspiracy to ignore Gypsies (p26) Social work with Travellers not generally seen as high priority by the communities or local authorities But vulnerable children (and sometimes adults) do interact with social work services Two opposing strands in problematic relationship: i) hegemonic over involvement leading to loss of children into care ii)failure to support the needs of vulnerable children

3 Cemlyn study 1998 CJPOA 1994 and associated guidance potentially brought social services into position of influence re unauthorised camping Study aimed to i) map social services provision for Traveller children and families ii) explore impact of CJPOA and how competing legal duties and powers were managed National postal survey in 2 stages, second shorter questionnaire to non respondents 4 multi agency area studies and other interviews (43 in total) (Cemlyn 1998, 2000a, 2000b)

4 Garrett, Greenfields, Morran and Power studies Garrett (2004, 2005) interviewed 8 practitioners working with Irish families including Travellers Greenfields (2002, 2006, 2008) explored contact with non resident New Traveller parents, plus subsequent legal work Morran (2002) interviewed Scottish social workers working with housed Traveller families Power (2003, 2004) reviewed provision across multiple policy domains for Irish Travellers including social work and criminal justice

5 Policy and monitoring Specialist provision? In Cemlyn (1998) 4% departments had specific policies. In Garrett (2004) 42% provided specific services but little detail. Power (2004) reviewed specialist social work team important but unique Assessment mainly linked to corporate policies re eviction, i.e. control not support as prime driver No ethnic monitoring (only introduced in 2011 census) so difficulties collecting quantitative data Strong common themes between different studies about nature of provision, from qualitative findings

6 Relationships with services Fraught relationships i) fear on part of Gypsies and Travellers re losing children to authorities historical experience and current threat ii) uncertainty, fear and hesitation on part of social workers Mostly crisis response in child protection and youth justice, minimal community engagement / prevention, leading to further alienation, mistrust and damage. Sometimes failure even of crisis response (Cemlyn 2000a, Garrett 2004, Power 2004) No development of culturally appropriate services e.g. fostering, or encouragement of Gypsy and Traveller foster carers

7 Barriers to access Mutual suspicion as above, fear, avoidance Ignorance or prejudice about Gypsy and Traveller culture in social workers. Lack of awareness of minority ethnic status (Cemlyn 1998, Garrett 2005, Power 2004) Lack of realistic and accessible information about services (Cemlyn 2000 a, b, Greenfields 2002, 2006) Social services geared to sedentary lifestyles, failure to respond to frequent movement of families, leading to neglect of children s needs (Cemlyn 2000, Power 2004) Neglect / avoidance of wide issues facing Gypsies and Travellers, despite social work values

8 Discriminatory services Failure to provide culturally appropriate services can lead to great damage (Allen 2013) Institutional blindness in failing to take account of homeless young people s situation (Power 2004) Specific neglect of cultural issues for Travellers in housing, but in Morran s Scottish study (2002) awareness of cultural continuation and ambivalence Direct racism Traveller culture as something that needs to be broken (Garrett 2005, p1368) CJPOA involved social services in additional areas of control and surveillance (Cemlyn 2000a, 2008)

9 Positive developments A few authorities in Cemlyn s study took a proactive children s rights approach re unauthorised camping, or a reactive approach that developed through advocacy Two specialist social work projects demonstrated outreach, engagement, advocacy, multi agency development (Cemlyn 2000b; Power 2004) Some individual social workers reached out to communities, built trust Morran (2002) found sensitive attempts by Scottish social workers to engage appropriately with the shifting marginalised identities of housed Travellers More research needed re good practice

10 References Allen, D. (2013). Changing relationships with the self and others: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of a Traveller and Gypsy life in public care. De Montfort University: Unpublished. Butler, J. (1983) Gypsies and the Personal Social Services. Social Work Monograph. Norwich, University of East Anglia Cemlyn, S. (1998) Policy and Provision by Social Services for Traveller Children and Families. Report on Research Study. University of Bristol Cemlyn, S. (2000a) Assimilation, control, mediation or advocacy? Social work dilemmas in providing anti oppressive services for Traveller children and families. Child and Family Social Work, 5 (4), pp

11 References continued Cemlyn, S. (2000b) From Neglect to Partnership? Challenges for Social Services in Promoting the Welfare of Traveller Children. Child Abuse Review, 9 (5), pp Garrett, P.M. (2004) Social Work and Irish People in Britain. Bristol: Policy Press Garrett, P. M. (2005). Irish Social Workers in Britain and the Politics of (Mis)Recognition. British Journal of Social Work, 9 (2), Greenfields, M. (2002) New Traveller Families and Section 8 Children Act Engagements. PhD (unpublished). Bath: University of Bath.

12 References continued Greenfields, M. (2006b) Gypsies, Travellers and legal matters. In C. Clark, & M. Greenfields, eds. Here to Stay. The Gypsies and Travellers of Britain. Hatfield: University of Hertfordshire Press, pp Morran, D. (2002) Negotiating marginalized identities. Social workers and settled Travelling People in Scotland. International Social Work, 45 (3), pp Power, C. (2003) Irish Travellers: Ethnicity, racism and pre sentence reports. Probation Journal, 50 (3), pp Power, C. (2004). Room to Roam: England's Irish Travellers. London: The Community Fund.