Conclusion
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The extent to which your agency supports you in accessing and developing the necessary knowledge is important. Without needing to publicly criticise your agency or colleagues in it, it may be helpful to feel confident about what it is reasonable to expect in terms of professional support. This learning object has introduced you to a formal framework for thinking about these issues and to references which can be cited in your conversations with colleagues.
There is another piece of work which has been produced by SCIE (Walter et al, 2004) about access to knowledge, in the form of a classification of agencies which is explored in the next two screens.
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This way of understanding how knowledge can, is, and should be used in the design and delivery of children's services will enable you to think further about the possible role of your agency in helping you with your own development. It may also help your colleagues consider how your agency can understand how to better support the knowledge needs of its workforce - including YOU.
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These three 'models' may not be mutually exclusive but they are a helpful way of understanding how you think about the challenges as well as how you might begin to raise some of these issues in your agency, in a constructive way.
The Organisational Excellence Model
In this model the key to success lies with social care delivery organisation itself and knowledge/research use is supported within the overall agency culture.
The Research-based Practitioner Model
In this model it is the role and responsibility of the individual practitioner to keep up to date with knowledge, including research, and apply it to practice.
The Embedded Research Model
In this model research informed practice is achieved by embedding knowledge/research in the systems and processes of social care, such as standards, policies, procedures and tools.
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Final Task
Put together a plan of action for your agency using the areas that have been covered throughout this learning object, work through the tasks below to help improve the performance of you own agency.
1. Write out a description of how you would like your agency to help you in the process of accessing the knowledge you think will be helpful, and identify two specific supports which you would like your agency to make available to you in the short term.
2. Check out every six months or so whether these two goals have been met - then feedback to your employers what you have found helpful, and what you have not found helpful. You can then identify two more goals for the next period.
This process should help you and your agency develop the capacity to work towards achieving better outcomes for children in families who are living with poverty and social exclusion. You can't do it alone! - your agency needs to work in partnership with you on these challenges.