Risk and decision making in social work

Professor Martin Webber, Dr. Mark Hardy and Dr. David Saltiel will use their considerable experience of social work in practice as well as academic study and research to consider how knowledge and research can be transferred to practice. This day is particularly suitable for recently qualified social workers but will also appeal to more experienced social workers and managers.

This event is in response to feedback from newly qualified and experienced social workers asking for support on risk taking and decision making in social work.

Dr. Mark Hardy of the University of York will present on ‘Minimising risk and maximising quality: how to make ‘good enough’ decisions in social work’.

Mark is Director of the BA in Social Work at the University of York.After qualifying as a social worker, he spent the majority of his career as a practitioner working with both young and adult offenders and in forensic mental health, working especially with people diagnosed as having a personality disorder. His ongoing interests focus specifically on the intersections between social work and the criminal justice system and health service as they manifest in the policy and practice of risk assessment and risk management and more generally on clinical decision making and work in involuntary settings. 

Dr. David Saltiel is a lecturer in social work at the University of Leeds and a qualified social worker with many years’ experience working with children and families. He has a first degree in sociology, a Masters degree in Child Protection & Welfare Studies and a PhD. His doctoral research was a study of social workers' decision making in child protection work. He is particularly interested in studying how professionals form judgements and make decisions in everyday practice using a range of qualitative methods, particularly ethnography. Currently he is engaged in a study of how mobile technology plays a part in the negotiation of caring and befriending relationships in social care.

MRC Booking Form 19th May 2016 (MS Word , 67kb)

For subscribing organisations this is an Adult & Children's Services event.

For others there is a fee of £120. Lunch and refreshments are included.

Bursaries are available for students and for staff and volunteers from voluntary and community groups and charities; please ask for details.

tel: 01904 321237 - email: spsw-mrc@york.ac.uk