Smeeton, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-9177-2625 (2020) “A murky business”: A phenomenological ontology of risk in child protection social work. Qualitative Social Work, 19 (2). pp. 284-300. ISSN 1473-3250
Abstract
This paper is based upon ongoing theoretical work by the author. A growing number of academics are starting to problematise social work within a risk paradigm by highlighting the impact this has on how service user's experiences are atomised into units of risk, rather than having their needs understood as members of families and communities. This paper seeks to develop this discussion by offering a theoretical examination of risk from a phenomenological perspective by unpacking some of the underlying constructions of risk. Using Heidegger’s work this paper attempts to first of all undertake an ontology of risk and then to examine its usefulness in the UK child protection context. The author argues that working within a risk paradigm obscures rather than clarifies understanding. The approach is rooted in an argument that “phenomenology” is the natural home of social work which is interested in the lived experiences of people within their environments or “being-in-the-world”.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 The Authors. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Qualitative Social Work. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Phenomenology; ontology; Heidegger; risk; child protection |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 17 Jun 2019 15:11 |
Last Modified: | 13 May 2021 16:29 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/1473325018815732 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:147325 |
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