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Abstract
How to succeed in facilitating for empowering processes within social work practice is a central topic in both theoretical discussions and regarding its principles in practice. With a particular focus on how dialogical communication can play a part in order to practice empowering social work, through this text the author frames HUSK as a project facilitating the underpinning humanistic approaches in social work. Dialogical communication and its philosophical base is presented and recognized as a means to achieve empowering social work as well as highlighting the importance of the humanistic approach. The author also underscores how HUSK projects in themselves were enabled because of the required collaboration between service users, professionals, and researchers that signified HUSK. This is pinpointed as having potential for a future research agenda as well as pointing at how the outcomes of the projects may impact future social work practice when the goal is to conduct empowering social work.
Notes
1. For a more detailed description of the NAV reform and discussion of the reform as context for understanding of HUSK, see Alm Andreassen's contribution in this volume.
2. A program should be full time, that is, 37.5 hours per week for a maximum duration of 2 years, and may include work-training, classroom training, motivational training, physical training, time allotted to receive medical treatment or time to carry out activities that are of special interest to the participant (Parliamentary prp. nr. 1, 2006–2007—the state budget for 2007 and 2006; Parliamentary prp. nr. 1, 2008–2009). Participants in the program receive a fixed taxable benefit, which is somewhat higher than the level of social assistance (Parliamentary report nr. 9, 2006–2007; Parliamentary proposition nr. 46, 2004–2005). In 2011, there were approximately 10,700 persons participating in the program (Norway Statistics 2012).
3. Wilson and Beresford, in a critical note on the concept of anti-oppressive practice, which originated in specific discussions concerned with antiracist, antisexist, and antidiscriminatory practice, claim it has failed to pay significant attention to the social division and the oppression experienced as service users (Wilson & Beresford, Citation2000, p. 563).
4. Questions asked were: (a) If you were to tell a friend what your goal is, what would you say? (b) In your collaboration with the social worker, what are you most pleased with? (c) Regarding feedback about the services, what do you need in order to get further toward your goal?
5. Questions asked were: (a) What is your goal with your work? (individual), (b) In collaboration with users, what are you most pleased with, and what has received the most benefit from it? (c) What is needed to move your users closer toward their goals? (group).
6. Questions asked were: (a) What is needed for you as a user and for you as an employee to move further ahead? (b) How can you accomplish it? Suggest five specific measures.
7. For a detailed description of dialogue meetings as Seikkula and Arnkil present them, see Seikkula and Arnkil, Citation2006. It is beyond the scope of this article to present their particular carrying out of dialogue meetings. Seikkula and Arnkil especially focus on therapy and treatment processes (alcohol, violence, psychotic patients); the idea in this context is, what might the dialogue contribute when the goal is to explore improved social services and the importance of giving voice to the users?
8. “Premature closing” is a concept used in a study of professional development to understand what happens when challenges are experienced as growing too heavy, and openness and reflection are not managed and maintained. It can be interpreted as a nonreflective way to defend oneself when one struggles to deal with difficulties and challenges in the professional work. Within social work, professionals may refer to it as work and time pressure—to get the most urgent tasks done (Rønnestad, Citation2008, p. 281).
9. When it comes to the underlying philosophy and view of the human being, it can be noted, from a postmodern perspective, that subjects are not stable entities. Consequently, desires and language can be uncertain, and so cannot, in and of themselves, form the basis for insight and knowledge. There is no such thing as “the truth” of what is best or “the true picture” of life and needs.