‘Back to our Roots?’ Re-visiting psychoanalytically-informed baby and young child observation in the education of student social workers

Abstract

While there is a well-established literature on psychoanalytically-informed baby and young child observation in social work education, little has been published recently. This paper reviews the rationale for its use, evaluating its impact on students’ learning in the light of contemporary policy and practice contexts facing social work education. Analysis of feedback gained from a recent cohort, identifies three ways in which learning through baby and young child observation contributes: firstly, students encounter and learn about the complexity of child development from the direct experience of observing and secondly, observing facilitates the development of important skills for practice; students’ ‘use of self’. Thirdly, through observing, students describe how they develop the capacity to take-up and sustain a professional role. Well-structured teaching and learning through observation is therefore shown to provide a rigorous, theoretically-grounded contribution to the training of university-based social work students entering this complex and challenging professional field.

Keywords:

• social work practice
• baby and young child observation
• use of self
• social work education
• readiness for direct practice

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Helen Hingley-Jones

Helen Hingley-Jones is Associate Professor of Social Work at Middlesex University, School of Health and Education, The Burroughs, Middlesex University, London NW4 4BT. [email: [email protected]].

Clare Parkinson

Clare Parkinson is a clinical lecturer and senior social worker at the Tavistock. She has taught versions of the Tavistock model of baby observation since having completed her own two-year infant observation many years ago. She currently teaches institutional observation to doctorate students. She is interested in reflective supervision and in mental health practice especially as linked to the field of mental capacity. [email: [email protected]].

Lucille Allain

Lucille Allain is Associate Professor of Social Work and Director of Social Work Programmes at Middlesex University. She teaches on qualifying level social work modules at undergraduate and master’s level and also teaches a range of CPD modules for qualified social workers. She has researched and published in the area of looked-after children and leaving care, and has co-authored two social work textbooks. She is currently researching the impact of Special Guardianship Orders on carers and professionals and is the lead researcher on a project evaluating interprofessional learning for GP trainees and adult social workers. [email: [email protected]].