Decisions, outcome and change
Nordic FORSA/NOUSA conference 2016
7th of November - 9th of November
Social work is a highly dynamic practice that aims to generate positive outcomes for
individuals as well as communities and Society. Social workers have to make decisions
about what to do when children are maltreated or when unemployed people apply for
benefits and seek help to get a job. Social workers often don’t know exactly what will
help. They have to make decisions within the possibilities and constraints set by the law
and financial conditions in municipalities. They have to talk to families, adults, children,
some with disabilities, and make decisions within a short space of time. They have to
gather information from a variety of sources, put them together, and make an assessment.
This complexity is often viewed as a rational pipeline by the law, in spite of the fact that
decisions in practice are often taken by social workers using their intuition which builds
on their knowledge and experiences.
Social workers are embedded in organisations - often a department in a muncipality.
Organisations frame and translate ideas from the law and other sources about the
directions local social work should take. They distribute resources and authority and
monitor the actions of their members. This last element is a central focus in New Public
Management, though it may be changing due to evaluations pointing at the cost and
unintended consequences of such practices.
Outcomes and impacts are key ingredients when organisations and social workers make
decisions. Do the citizens (clients, users) benefit as expected? An important element
during the last two decades has been evidence based efforts to know what works? Often
followed by ”for whom? and under what circumstances”? A vital aspect of this is how
social workers and social work organisations can know whether outcomes in their work
and in their organisation are better than treatment as usual. This also raises the
important issue about how to establish an evidence base or knowledge base for local
practice.
These three tracks will characterize the FORSA/NOUSA conference 2016:
How do and how can social workers make decisions which benefit individuals and
society? And how do laws and financial conditions impede or contribute to making
relevant improvements in clients’ lives?
How do and how can social work organisations improve decision-making in social work?
How can they translate legal and community discourses in an accountable way so they
match the aims of social policies?
How do social workers and social work organisations gain insights into how their efforts
lead to improvement? How can change be measured? And how can experiences with
evidence based methods contribute to decision-making practices in social work?
The conference aims to attract presentations which discuss the matters in relation to
research, practice as well as education. Good examples on how social work education
contributes to developing social workers competences will be appreciated.
Preliminary program
MONDAY 7th of November
17:00 Opening ceremony lead by director at Metropolitan University
College Stefan Hermann
TUESDAY 8th of November
09:00 Introduction to the program by Frank Ebsen
09:15 Keynote lecture professor Eileen Munro, London School of Economics
- ’Dealing with uncertainty and complexity in research and decision making’
- a comment on some versions of evidence based practice and some versions of
risk management.
10:15 Keynote lecture Bente Heggem Kojan, Institutt for anvendt
sosialvitenskap NTNU
- ’Decision Making and Inequalities in Child Welfare’
11:00 Coffee break
11:15 Docent Frank Ebsen, Department of Social Work, Metropolitan
University College
12:00 Lunch
13-17 Workshops
19:00
Conference Dinner
WEDNESDAY 9th of November
09:00 Keynote lecture
10:00 Keynote lecture
10:45 Coffee break
11:00 Workshops
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Workshops
15:15 Round table discussion about direction in social work research and the
use of research in practice by leading representatives from Ministry of
social affairs in the four Nordic countries.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote speakers will include Eileen Munro, London School of Economics, Bente
Heggem Kojan, Institutt for anvendt sosialvitenskap NTNU, Docent Frank Ebsen,
Metropol, among others
Key Dates
Call for oral or paper abstracts 1st. of March 2016
Deadline for submission 16th of May 2016
Notification of acceptance 1st of July 2016
Deadline for submission of approved papers for paper
presentation 1st of October 2016
Final deadline for payment 1st of August 2016
Conference starts 7th of November 2016
Organized by Metropolitan University College, Department of Social Work.
To registrer
www.nordicsocialwork2016.dk
(site available 1st of March)
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