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Asking Questions

We're now going to focus on different ways of asking questions to find out information when carrying out assessments.

Whilst direct questioning might help workers acquire some kinds of information for assessments, this does not always feel straightforward to the person on the receiving end. Depending on their circumstances, some may feel that they are expected to give a particular kind of answer, or are wary about hidden agendas (Lefevre, 2008a). Others may feel bombarded by the questions, unsure of what to answer, or may find the questions intrusive.

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Asking Questions

Here are some examples of situations where service users might struggle with certain kinds of questions.

  • An elderly woman in hospital is having an assessment about the care she might need to enable her to live at home, but feels quite disoriented and frightened and can't think straight when she is asked about how she will manage bathing herself.


  • A teenage boy is being interviewed about allegations from his younger stepsister that he sexually abused her. He is terrified of being convicted and losing the support of his family and friends so denies the allegations when he is asked directly about them.


  • A mother is asked by her worker whether her husband caused her bruising. She lies about this for fear she will be seen as an unprotective parent and her children will be removed from her care.


  • A Muslim woman is being seen by the community mental health team due to severe depression and suicidal thoughts. She refuses to answer questions about her marriage and sex life feeling these are inappropriate in terms of her religion and culture.

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Asking Questions

Questions can often lead people in a certain direction and limit what they say. This has the disadvantage that workers may end up finding out only what the questions are designed to elicit rather than what it is they really need to learn. This can reflect our own bias and presuppositions. For example, if the worker asks a service user what he is struggling with, she is more likely to hear about his difficulties rather than his strengths.

Wherever possible, to get the fullest and most accurate picture, we should encourage people to communicate their views, thoughts and feelings at their own pace and in their own words.

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Asking Questions

To help us think more about this, we are going to think back to Lorraine's situation. Read the transcript below again. As you read it this time, notice the different kinds of questions the social worker asks.

Think about the questions that are particularly helpful as well as those that seem less helpful.

If you don't know the answers, don't worry, just read the transcript and click 'next' to see more information.

Transcript of NSPCC video excerpt from The Child's World

A smartly dressed woman (Sylvia Walker) walks up to the front door of a flat and knocks on the door.

A young, tired and casually dressed woman (Lorraine Witchurch) answers the door.

Sylvia Walker: Hello. Lorraine Witchurch?

Lorraine Witchurch: Yeah…

Sylvia: My name's Sylvia Walker. I’m a Social Worker from Oldport Social Services. I wrote to you about a week ago to let you know I'd be calling. You did get my letter?

Lorraine: Umm, I dunno.

Sylvia: Well, is it ok if I come in and talk with you?

Lorraine: Umm, yeah, well I suppose so. Come in.

Sylvia: Thanks.

Two women walk into the living room.

A young boy (Lee) is sitting on the sofa wearing a nappy, vest and socks.

He is babbling away about his book whilst his younger brother (Shane) is sitting on the floor banging a saucepan and spoon.

Lee: (babbling) What's that?

Sylvia: (to Lee) It's Barney.

Lorraine: You can sit down on there.

Sylvia: Thank you.

Sylvia sits down in armchair

Lee: (babbling) Barney!

Lorraine: Let Mummy sit down.

Lorraine sits down on sofa and places Lee on the floor

Lee moves over to play with his brother and the saucepan

Sylvia: Now, Lorraine. The reason I'm here is because someone called us because they thought you may be having some difficulties coping with the children.

Lorraine: Well who said that? I bet it was that nosy cow from next door.

Sylvia: I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't say, but when we get information like this we do need to find out how you're coping. It's not easy looking after two little children, especially when you're on your own.

Lorraine: I'm not on me own all the time. Well, Lee's dad comes round sometimes.

Sylvia: Oh, how often does he come?

Lorraine: Well, weekends. He takes the kids of me hands for a bit. And me Mum comes round as well in the week. I – I sometimes see Shane's dad, but he don't come round as much cos he's got problems.

Lee prods Shane in the face with the wooden spoon

Lorraine: (raised voice to Lee) Leave him alone. You’re too old to play with those. Go and switch the cooker off for me and come back here and watch the telly.

Sylvia: Oh Lorraine. Don't you think it’s dangerous for Lee to be using the cooker?

Lorraine: No, he's fine. He does loads to help me. He looks after Shane in the morning and he gets his own cornflakes. I need my sleep and he's always up early.

Sylvia: Does Lee go to nursery?

Lorraine: N-no, not anymore. He used to though.

Sylvia: And why doesn't he go there anymore?

Lorraine: Th-those other mothers were all stuck up and we were always late. Well, the nursery was the other side of the dual carriageway and we have to walk all the way down one side to the crossing, and then back up the other side. And the staff there said that the clothes I put him in weren't good enough.

Sylvia: What was wrong with them?

Lorraine: Well they said they weren't warm enough for him, but I know they were fine. And they said that he kept fighting with the other kids and that he bit a girl.

Sylvia: And what did you do about that?

Lorraine: I did tell him off for biting that little girl and I sent him to bed without any tea. But you can't stop boys from fighting, can ye? I mean, they all do it.

Shane crying on floor with dirt round his mouth

Lorraine gets off sofa and picks him up

Sylvia: What about Shane? How are you finding him?

Lorraine: He has his moments. He drives me mad with his whinging. He’s always got a cold: one cold after another.

Sylvia: Have you seen the doctor?

Lorraine: Yeah, but he gives us some medicine for his ears, but he – he don't eat properly. Trying to feed him is a nightmare. Yesterday I made a cottage pie, but he wouldn't eat it until I forced it down him. And then he sicked it up all over the settee. I was fuming – little bleeder did it to spite me.

End of script

Copyright

© Copyright 2000, 2006 NSPCC and The University of Sheffield

This video excerpt is reproduced with the kind permission of NSPCC and The University of Sheffield and is taken from the DVD The Child's World. To obtain further information or a copy of this DVD please send an email to: learningresources@nspcc.org.uk

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Asking Questions

Question 1

Below are four questions that the social worker asked Lorraine, the mother, in the video. Each can be categorised as open, focused, closed, leading or a prompt. See if you know what the different kinds of question types are.

Write down the list below then note next to it what category you think they relate to.

  • Does Lee go to nursery?


  • Why doesn't he go there any more?


  • Don't you think it's dangerous for Lee to use the cooker?


  • What about Shane, how are you finding him?


  • Uh huh? (nodding)

Click 'Next' to find out if you are correct.

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Asking Questions

The correct answers are:

  • Does Lee go to nursery? - Closed question


  • Why doesn't he go there anymore? - Focused question


  • Don't you think it's dangerous for Lee to use the cooker? - Leading question


  • What about Shane, how are you finding him? - Open Question


  • Uh huh (nodding)? - Prompt

Asking Questions

Open Questions

Wherever possible we should start off interviews with open questions which allow people to tell their stories, feelings and concerns in their own words.

  • 'How can I be of help?'
  • 'I want you to tell me what happened - in your own words' (Trevithick, 2005: 160).

What might have been some helpful open questions for the social worker to have asked Lorraine at the beginning of the interview?

Sometimes people will struggle with open questions, though, particularly if they are feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to start, or if they are not used formulating their thoughts and feelings into such an open space (ibid.). More focused questions can then be helpful.

Asking Questions

Closed Questions

Closed questions ask for very specific information often in one word answers like yes or no. They may be useful if you are after a very specific piece of information, e.g. the social worker asked Lorraine:

  • Have you seen the doctor?

Closed questions need to be used carefully, though. By moving away from gaining people's narratives in their own words they may steer the conversation away from what the service user really wants to convey but doesn’t know how to interrupt. They can also risk closing a conversation down. This can be an unhelpful spiral that it is particularly easy to get into with young people, particularly if they're not keen on social work contact, for example:

  • 'How are you?' 'OK.'
  • How is it in your placement?' 'Fine.'

Moving back to more focused but open questions is likely to be more helpful in such examples (Malekoff, 1994).

Asking Questions

Focused Questions

Focused questions enable the worker to follow a particular line of enquiry and gain more detail. Some focused questions may remain quite open, still encouraging the person to tell things in their own words as much as possible. Here are some examples of some the social worker could have used with Lorraine:

  • 'What is it like for you being a parent?'
  • 'Can you tell me about a typical day in your household?'

Other questions narrow the focus down much further to clarify matters, for example:

  • 'What are the ways that being a parent causes you stress?'

Questions beginning with 'how', 'what' or 'when' are often more helpful than 'why', which can feel both accusing and overly authoritarian (Seden, 2005: 29). Also people often don't know why things happen or why they behave in a certain way; that might be what needs to be explored.

Asking Questions

Prompts

Prompts are empathic words, short phrases and non-verbal communications, which workers can use to encourage people to talk to them about issues of concern. These may be helpful when people are struggling to put things into words, or if they have worries about how what they are saying may be received or acted upon. Prompts like these can encourage someone to continue talking:

  • 'I'm guessing that you don't know which way to turn at the moment.'
  • 'Tell me more.'
  • 'That sounds really hard.'

Non-verbal prompts can be equally powerful or encouraging. They are where the worker stays silent but shows interest, care and empathy through body language or sound:

  • 'Mmmm... Uh-huh.'
  • nodding occasionally
  • attentive bodily position (perhaps leaning slightly)
  • appropriate (but not intrusive) eye contact.

Where did you notice the social worker doing any of these with Lorraine?

Asking Questions

Leading Questions

Leading questions are phrased in a way that suggests some kind of answer. It's important to be wary of these as the respondent is more likely to answer what they think you want to hear rather than what is real or true. This may be particularly true when someone, either an adult or child, is particularly vulnerable, confused, or in a powerless situation. The worker can run the risk of 'putting words in their mouths' (Seden, 2005).

Think about these three ways of asking a question:

  • Are you finding Shane difficult?
  • I guess you must be finding Shane difficult?
  • Tell me the ways in which you find Shane difficult?

The first is a straightforward closed question to which Lorraine could answer yes or no. The third is focused and enables Lorraine to elaborate in her own words. The second, though, gives the impression the social worker is expecting Lorraine to say yes. Whilst this might be helpful in encouraging Lorraine to share difficult feelings, it might be harder for Lorraine to deny it if it's not true.