Social work through an existential lens – sense and nonsense in decision making - Mistakes and decis

This is the abstract of my presentation for the DARSIG Symposium "The challenges of researching and supporting social work decision making"" (organised with Andrew Whittaker, London South Bank University, United Kingdom; Campbell Killick, South Eastern Trust, Newtownards Northern Ireland, United Kingdom; Mark Hardy, University of York, United Kingdom;

Judith Mullineux, Ulster University, United Kingdom; Kate Leonard, (Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom; Louise O’Connor, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom) at the ESWRA Conference in Aalborg (19-21 April 2017).

Reflection on mistakes is a powerful source for more effective decision making and action in social work, as in any other field of human activity. Reason (1990) identifies two forms of errors: errors in execution (I thought well, but I did wrong) and errors in planning or in problem solving (I did well, but I thought wrong). Professional errors are just one of the many possible classifications and, according to Reamer (2008, p. 62), occur ‘when practitioners depart from widely accepted standards and best practices in the profession’.

Mistakes are inevitable and security has also costs and not

only benefits. So, in the frame of appropriate error prevention systems, social workers should pay special attention to latent errors and risks, find immediate measures to repair and limit harm and learn to prevent similar events in the future. At the same time, exploration and experimentation are needed when previous attempts made using ordinary and normal strategies failed. Also in this case decision making needs to be defensible and reasonable (methodology and shared communication with colleagues are basic requirements for this) and is improved by reflective service users and their active contribution.

Using conclusions from the most relevant literature on this

topic and some of the outcomes of recent research, ‘smart questions’ reflective frameworks, reflective friends and 'concise reflective writing' will be presented as some of the easiest ad more effective strategies aimed at improving the quality of decision making using new learning developed by reflecting on mistakes.