The papers in this section have over the years drawn attention to a range of situations nationally and internationally which have been morally concerning, as well as providing ethical practice responses to complex social situations. As we write this our final editorial, we would like to take the opportunity to thank all of the contributors who have submitted papers to the section during the last thirteen years. Without your desire to critically reflect on and write about ethical situations, the practice section would not have met its aim of providing space for service users, carers, students, practitioners and academics to bring attention to a wide audience issues and ideas in the area of ethics and values relating to the social professions.
The four papers included in this issue in different ways, bring to our attention a range of interesting practice and research issues. The paper by Zhe Han provides interesting insights into aspects of the long-term care sector, from a Chinese perspective, it explores the ethical dilemmas facing workers in this care milieu and chronicles some of their reflections. The paper highlights the ethical issues associated with long term care, providing an ethnographic study of care in a specific home environment known to him. The paper introduce the concepts xiao (filial piety) and mei banfa (there is nothing you can do about it) to assist our understanding of some of the intricacies and complexity of caregiving in what Zhe calls a commercialised setting, characterised by personal, professional, physical and emotional challenges of caring for the less privileged. He paints a vivid picture of the tensions Direct Care Workers (DCW) encounter between their agency, nursing homes, families, their clients and the inadequate support they receive when providing care for the vulnerable, whilst endeavouring to uphold an ethic of care. Zhe’s paper emphasises the difficulties of maintaining adequate care provision and the support for care ethics, where structural challenges and barriers exist.
The paper by Leah McComb, the Jo Campling student essay prize winner of 2019 addresses the perennial challenges of power within social work relationships. McComb reflects honestly on her practice as a student social worker placed in a Youth Offending Team. McComb's honest and reflective narrative describes as well as explore the issues of power and its imbalances in the social work and service user relationship, as well as the power dynamics which are played out between herself and another professional. Her exploration highlights the ethical practice tensions and ethical dilemmas she encountered and her attempts to understand them as well as resolve them.
The importance of engaging in open and honest conversations regarding ethical issues and concerns which arose in undertaking research with participants who were experiencing family violence, and abuse, is the focus of the dialogue-based paper contributed by Oliver and Fenge. It is evident from the content of the discussions that a reflexive lens is used to ensure that the research processes are not only critically evaluated, but are carried out with due regard to the complexities of power and is undertaken ethically. Oliver and Fenge’s paper also accentuates the importance of ‘hearing’ the child’s voice when conducting research. The paper also highlights the particularly valuable contribution of the practitioner-researcher who has the opportunity, having two roles – both social worker and PhD researcher – to undertake particular types of research which may be able to provide access and a voice to people who are seldom heard.
The ethical and practical concerns of enabling people with dementia to engage in research are discussed in the paper by Brannelly and Bartlett and links can be made with the paper by Oliver and Fenge in that it explores how research can be used to include people who are at times excluded from research. The paper discusses a creative methodology ‘walking interviews’ to enhance research relationships with people with dementia. The authors assert that the open environment acts as a ‘sensory prompt’ which supports conversation, and can provide insight and understanding of the people with dementia.
We are very aware of the complexities of ethical engagement in what are challenging and seemingly unethical times. From our experience of reading and editing papers, it is evident that many people are willing to write about injustice, inequality and oppression. Writing about, speaking out, refusing to be silenced about inequality, social injustice and oppression is fundamentally important as a public statement of intent. However, despite the many battles waged against structural relations, inequalities and the differential powers which exist in relation to marginalised individuals, groups and communities, it is still very evident that further change is required. We say this in the light of, the Me Too Movement and the death of George Floyd, which reverberated around the world and led once again to questioning of societal moral and ethical standards. Writers have contributed to the many debates which have taken place. Writing we believe is a form of activism. We therefore, encourage you to continue to write about matters regarding actions and relationships which seek to eradicate injustice and inequality. We end this editorial using the words of Martin Luther King Jr. writing from his cell in Birmingham, Alabama, USA in 1963: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’.