[The Formal Inclusion of Spirituality in Contemporary UK Social Work Practice]

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

This study seeks to explore from existing literature the perception of stake holders (social workers, carers and social work academic researchers) on the formal inclusion of spirituality in the UK social work practice Tabulation of studies, accompanied by narrative synthesis of the findings, will code and group the studies by design and type (e.g. quantitative papers and qualitative papers) Qualitative data will be subject to thematic analysis. A narrative summary technique will be used to aid interpretation of trial results. It is hoped that the study will contribute to the better understanding of whether or not to formally incorporate spirituality in contemporary UK social work practice.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Problem Statement3

Purpose of the study5

Significance of the Study5

Rationale/ Nature of the study6

Justification for the study8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY22

Review methods23

Search Strategy23

Key words and search terms24

Inclusion of papers24

Selection criteria and data extraction25

Data Analysis25

Ethical Considerations28

Costs of the study28

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS OF THE STUDY29

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATIONS AND FURTHER RESEARCH47

Recommendations for Social Work Education48

REFERENCES52

BIBLIOGRAPHY67

APPENDIX74

Database Search74

List of Primary Articles USED74

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the study

Despite an apparent increase in interest in issues related to religion, belief, spirituality and professional practice during the past decade, research consistently suggests that most social workers and related professionals experience considerable difficulties in identifying and responding appropriately to the religious and spiritual needs of service users (Furness, 2003: 46: Gilligan, 2003: 144; 2009: 205; Gilligan and Furness, 2006: 41; Crisp, 2008; 2010; Gray, 2008: 133; Stirling et al., 2009: 45). There are, however, many reasons why it is important that health and social care professionals need to develop understanding and awareness of issues of religion and belief, while they are unlikely to do so, without relevant tools. In the authors. experience, most relevant professions are insufficiently engaged with reflection on their own values relating to religion and belief and insufficiently aware of models which provide a base from which develop a sound framework for religiously literate and culturally competent practice.

In 2011, in Britain, there appears to be an increased willingness on the part of some professionals to recognise the need to understand a variety of religious and spiritual issues, if they are to provide an adequate service to those for whom religion and spirituality have significance. Gerrish et al. (1996) carried out research in England to find out the views of nursing students about their preparation for practice, particularly in respect of working with people from diverse backgrounds. These students generally felt ill-equipped to meet the needs of the ...