This article explores the contribution made by infant observation procedures to social work. It initially reviews three areas in which this contribution has been made: social work training; understanding human interaction in areas of social work concern (such as parent-child interaction, child abuse and protection); and practice in specific areas of social policy. This article then takes the examination further to argue that the method of infant observation has a key contribution to make to the underlying methods, attitudes and performance of social workers. This is explored through a study of the links between infant observation and the two concepts of 'the reflective practitioner' and 'social space'. These contributions to effective social work practice are in opposition to currently dominant legalistic, procedural and competency-driven paradigms.
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related Research Data
Related research
People also read lists articles that other readers of this article have read.
Recommended articles lists articles that we recommend and is powered by our AI driven recommendation engine.
Cited by lists all citing articles based on Crossref citations.
Articles with the Crossref icon will open in a new tab.