108HilaryBurgess

Spirituality and Religion: the neglected dimension in social work education? Bernard Moss, National Teaching FellowStaffordshire UniversityHilary Burgess, SWAPJSWEC 2005: 

Spirituality and Religion: the neglected dimension in social work education? Bernard Moss, National Teaching Fellow Staffordshire University Hilary Burgess, SWAP JSWEC 2005

National Symposium: 

National Symposium 50 people attended; academics, practitioners, service users, students and some representatives from national agencies Keynotes from Peter Gilbert, NIMHE/MHF Fellow and Philip Gilligan, University of Bradford Initial discussion groups on opportunities and problems about incorporating faith issues into the curriculum Later themed study groups on faith and MH; older people; children and families; multi-faith perspectives

Starting point for participants: 

Starting point for participants For practitioners and students: little or no experience of these issues having been addressed in qualifying training/ practice learning For service users: little or no experience of these issues having been addressed by practitioners For academics: many had limited or no experience of teaching in this area; some had ‘cautiously introduced’ some material; some said religion had been ‘ghettoised’ into bereavement

Challenges: 

Challenges Clarifying terminology and meanings Need conceptual/theoretical frameworks to underpin teaching and learning in this area Uncertainty as to where and how to address this in the curriculum Recognising/challenging oppressive aspects of some religions whilst valuing their strengths May require complex value-judgements to be made about practice

..more challenges…: 

..more challenges… Lack of training for/confidence of staff, including PTs Some SW methods do not fit well with the language and experience of spirituality e.g. task-centred practice How does this ‘fit’ with ADP, especially where there are clashes Time and space for thinking and development work

Challenges continued: a taboo area: 

Challenges continued: a taboo area Social Work/SW education seen to be secular Raising issues of faith might be seen as proselytising For those with faith there may be fear of ‘coming out’ Raising these issues may undermine professionalism Faith as a ‘private’ and potentially frightening sphere Recent prominence of religious politics; academics, students and users may hold opposing views Lack of ‘emotional intelligence’ by staff/students

Opportunities: 

Opportunities Engagement with spiritual dimension may balance the procedural managerial response May enable links to faith communities, useful resources and social capital Linking with ethnicity in terms of cultural identity Gives chance to develop ‘whole person’ approach Linking to concepts of hope/recovery; crises may be not only psychological but spiritual/existential

Linking different faith & philosophical perspectives: 

Linking different faith & philosophical perspectives Common ground as well as difference can be identified between approaches such as humanism or atheism and different faith communities/religions Themes might include: ‘hurt’, ‘something missing in ones life’, meaning/purpose/direction in life, connection to something ‘bigger’, feelings of guilt or forgiveness, ‘finding a place’, and the big ‘why’ questions

Mental Health: 

Mental Health Humanity and the spiritual dimension of the whole person should be an essential and intrinsic part of good mental health Sound mental health should be at the centre of human services Key links between spirituality and mental well-being include identity, meaning, hope, recovery Faith communities may be supportive of people with MH problems, but may also stigmatise Some key national research and work in this area:NIMHE/MHF project on Spirituality and MH

Older people: 

Older people SW and SW education can explore the relationship between ageing and a ‘spiritual journey,’ encompassing possible fears of mortality, loss, dependency and pain, whilst for some there may also be developing wisdom SW intervention often focuses on physical needs in old age rather than relational, emotional and spiritual needs Time is needed for such work

Children, young people and families: 

Children, young people and families Key areas for possible spiritual dimension: Parenting; Assessment; Life transitions and crises (e.g. pregnancy and marriage); End of life care and bereavement; ‘Matching’ and care issues for looked after/adopted children SWs may need to negotiate between different belief systems of parent/s, child, extended family, foster carers, community and their own beliefs/ those of the agency and SW values Importance of high level interpersonal skills to enable conversations (e.g. with teenagers on meaning of life); see NYA ‘Getting Connected’

Possible places for inclusion in the curriculum (not mutually exclusive): 

Possible places for inclusion in the curriculum (not mutually exclusive) Q: Should the approach be discrete and/or permeated? Within an AOP/ADP module Incorporated into HGD module, thus across life-span Within specific user group modules Within L& T on social work values In law teaching In skills modules (how to facilitate discussion on faith) Practice learning A dedicated module

Ways of learning and teaching about this topic: 

Ways of learning and teaching about this topic Teaching on comparative religions (anthropological) Space/time for personal reflection on spiritual perspective/journey or the lack of it, without exposure Phenomenological stance (recognising/bracketing ones own views) Case studies Role play Current affairs linked to social policy and SW practice Reflective practice/holistic approaches to thinking and practice

Suggestions for future work: 

Suggestions for future work Develop guidance on introducing spirituality into the curriculum A tool to examine the concepts and language A framework to analyse spiritual and religious perspectives and their potential impact on practice An annotated bibliography Collation of inter-disciplinary multi-faith resources A web-site with relevant resources/discussion space Another symposium

.. more suggestions: 

.. more suggestions Establish a research forum on this issue Engage with other stakeholders to take forward Service users willing to talk about their own spirituality constitute a vital resource Dialogue is needed at local/regional/national national (c.f. National Youth Agency Multi-Faith Consultations) A network of colleagues to further the debate Do the Benchmarking Statement and NOS need revision to take account of these questions?

Evaluation: 

Evaluation 35 evaluation forms received 31 said the quality of materials and presentation were good or very good 25 said that the session met their needs 23 said they were likely to change their practice as a result of the event 24 said the best aspect of the event was the opportunity to debate these issues with others

Summary points: 

Summary points Recognising the notion of travelling identity/identities (Gilbert) and/or (spiritual) journey through life Importance of legitimising this theme in SW programmes and SW practice A key learning outcome might be for students to be able to ask about and to understand the relevance of a spiritual dimension to users lives