What knowledge do social workers use to inform their decision regarding permanency for Looked after Children?

The thesis begins with an exploration of the literature, before outlining the theoretical orientation of the research and its utility as a research construct for studying knowledge, which was based on a social constructionist approach. This underscored the research view that knowledge is made or invented – rather than merely given or taken for granted. It views knowledge as an individual interpretation of the world which in turn required me to understand the social world that people have constructed and which they reproduce through their continuing activities (Denzin and Lincoln, 2017).

To generate this new awareness regarding the social phenomena of the knowledge used by social workers to make decisions, the research adopted a logic of enquiry to answer the question that fits with the phenomenological interpretivist schools of research. <br><br>The thesis continues by outlining how a specifically created vignette was established in consultation with experts, to explore the knowledge practitioners in a statutory local authority in Northern Ireland used to make decisions regarding permanency.

The thesis outlines how thinking aloud-protocols and a semi-structured interview were used to explore the knowledge used by practitioners to make the decision. From the interview’s themes were generated using NVivo 11. An adapted model of knowledge was used to help structure the themes arising from the interviews (Pawson et al. 2003a; Drury-Hudson, 1997; 1999) and these themes are presented.

Whilst the research recognizes Pawson et al.’s and Drury-Hudson’s sources of knowledge as valid and recognizable, the research found that there was wide variation between practitioners in relation to the extent, depth and degree to which each source of knowledge was used. Based on the findings, recommendations are made that will help inform social work graduate and postgraduate education, professional training, and practice, as well as professional supervision, with the aim of improving the extent and depth of practitioner knowledge in the field, thus increasing the robustness, consistency and defensibility of decisions taken. <br>