Papers by Trish McCulloch
The British Journal of Social Work, Feb 9, 2018
Social work education has again been subject to scrutiny and review across the UK. Different coun... more Social work education has again been subject to scrutiny and review across the UK. Different countries have set about this task in different ways. In England we can observe a top-down process driven by government; in Scotland the approach has evolved more collaboratively. This paper discusses the recent Review of Social Work Education in Scotland within the broader pressures and opportunities of public service reform. At the heart of the Review findings is a simple but timely conclusion: we need to realise a shared approach to professional learning, across the social work career path. This means moving beyond recent preoccupations with social work education, and polarising approaches to reform, towards a genuinely co-owned approach in which professional learning is a shared responsibility and a central feature of what it is to be a social work professional. In closing, the paper considers how we might realise a shared approach to professional learning in Scotland and beyond.
Criminology & Criminal Justice, Jul 24, 2016
This paper is about the place of those sentenced in criminal justice sanctions. Specifically, it ... more This paper is about the place of those sentenced in criminal justice sanctions. Specifically, it reports on the findings of a co-productive qualitative inquiry that sought to explore the place and possibility of service user coproduction within justice sanctions, drawing on the experience of people with convictions. The conclusion of the paper is that participation and co-production matters in justice sanctions. The detail and implications of this conclusion are discussed.
European Journal of Probation, Aug 1, 2010
Recent attention to the question of 'what works?' in supporting desistance, coupled with the emer... more Recent attention to the question of 'what works?' in supporting desistance, coupled with the emergence of a number of research studies which suggest that Community Service (CS) might be effective in reducing recidivism, has contributed to growing interest in the rehabilitative potential of CS. Informed by this context, this paper reports on the findings of a small scale Scottish study which set out to evaluate the impact of pro-social modelling training on the practice of CS supervision within a local authority team. The study indicates that the training had a positive impact on CS supervision-most accurately described as a validation or development of existing approaches. However, the findings also highlight areas of limitation in training impact and, in doing so, present a rationale for attending to a number of key areas if CS is to realise its potential and assist offenders in their efforts towards desistance.
European Journal of Probation
In a context of neoliberal penality, crime is falling yet prison populations continue to rise. Go... more In a context of neoliberal penality, crime is falling yet prison populations continue to rise. Governments profess to recognise the problem yet have had little impact on underlying trends in criminal justice practice. This article reports on a Scottish initiative to try and disrupt this cycle through broadening the base for deliberation upon justice matters to include civil society. In so doing, we sought to build upon an emerging civic engagement evident in the wake of the 2014 Independence Referendum. Our premise was that to effect change requires that we look beyond policy fixes to the values and the socio-cultural drivers that take practice in particular directions. We conclude with a reflection on the obstacles to change.
Practice
This paper provides a short history of social work education in Scotland. Its aim is to understan... more This paper provides a short history of social work education in Scotland. Its aim is to understand the patterns of the present through the lens of the past. A key argument is that social work education and practice exists persistently in the crossroads, that is, in the spaces between competing and often conflicting perspectives regarding that 'what', 'why', 'how' and 'who' of social work and social change. At the same time, there is a dearth of robust theory and research underpinning social work education and practice, leaving the profession vulnerable in periods of rapid social and political change. Attention is given to the implications of these constants for education and practice, and to how we might address these going forward. The paper concludes that if we wish to realise the potential of social work education, learning and practice, we need to more collectively address long-neglected questions of learning identity, learning philosophy and learning practice.
European Journal of Probation
This article explores the place and potential of a more participatory and co-productive justice p... more This article explores the place and potential of a more participatory and co-productive justice practice, using the particular lens of compliance. In recent years, compliance has come to be associated with new managerial and correctional forms of justice. Yet, emerging theoretical and empirical analyses attest that individual compliance is a complex and multi-dimensional dynamic. It is not particularly responsive to mechanisms of enforcement and control, and where enforced compliance is achieved it does not emerge as a particularly valuable justice outcome. These findings, and others, suggest the relevance of a more co-productive justice pursuit – one that recognises and supports the participation, potential and progression of those required to comply.
This publication is copyright SCCJR. Permission is granted to reproduce any part or all of this r... more This publication is copyright SCCJR. Permission is granted to reproduce any part or all of this report for personal and educational use only. Commercial copying, hiring or lending is prohibited. Any material used must be fully acknowledged, and the title of the publication, ...
Criminology and Criminal Justice, Aug 1, 2007
This article aims to set current developments in `offender management' services in England an... more This article aims to set current developments in `offender management' services in England and Wales and in Scotland within the contexts first of a discussion of Bauman's analysis of crime and punishment in consumer society and second of wider debates about the commodification of public services. Rather than examining the formal commodification of offender management through organizational restructuring, `contestability' and marketization, the authors examine the extent to which the substantive commodification of offender management is already evidenced in the way that probation's products, consumers and processes of production have been reconfigured within the public sector. In the concluding discussion, they consider both some limitations on the extent of commodification to date and the prospects for the containment or moderation of the process in the future.
What Works in Offender Compliance, 2013
In Chapter 8, Smith explores a number of theoretical explanations of youth crime, and argues that... more In Chapter 8, Smith explores a number of theoretical explanations of youth crime, and argues that an understanding of the concepts of youth, power and hegemony are important in developing 'progressive and responsive' youth justice policy. His own proposals in this area are outlined in the last two chapters. Chapter 9 asks what we want from the youth justice system, and Smith proposes a greater consideration of, and role for, victims, a better public understanding of youth crime, and more concern for young people's views. In the final chapter, Smith sets out the values he believes should underpin a fair youth justice system, including voluntarism, a problem-solving approach, minimum intervention and inclusion, and suggests a number of practical steps which might be taken at the macro, mezzo and micro levels to achieve this. The picture one gets on reading this book is one of failing reforms, a lack of positive impact on young people or their behaviour and little improvement in criminal justice institutions or for victims. Where gains have occurred, Smith contends that these are in spite of, not because of, the reforms to the youth justice system. It is clearly a topic about which Smith feels strongly, and it sometimes comes across as a personal campaign. Overall, the book is well researched and written; the historical background is well covered and current debates are thoroughly explored, although it is always clear where the author's sympathies lie. The book covers a lot of ground, from the political, organisational, legislative and practical changes to the system to the theoretical context and the research literature on the system's effectiveness, and will be a useful resource for practitioners, academics and students, and its message will chime with those who have concerns about the current direction of youth justice policy. His recommendations may not always be realistic, but should provide food for thought for policy makers. That said, this second edition largely fails to live up to its description as 'comprehensively revised and updated'. All bar one of the chapters are substantially the same, with cosmetic rewording. The only new chapter, which is devoted largely to ASB and ASBOs (an area which received little attention in the first edition, but which now deservedly merits its own chapter) is let down by poor referencing. Those who have read the first edition may question whether it is worth upgrading to this edition. For those who have not, however, the book remains a valuable contribution to this important area of policy. Note 1 Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programmes (ISSPs) and AntiSocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs).
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Papers by Trish McCulloch