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Further Resources

Authentic text resources

WiSPER Activities are based on findings and data from the WiSP project. If you are a trainer/educator you may find it useful to develop your own Activities to illustrate specific issues of concern to you. Here you can find a small resource bank of authentic social work texts drawn from the WiSP project to use and develop as seems useful to you.

Forthcoming book that draws on data and findings from the WiSP project Rai, L. Writing for social work practice, to be published by Sage. Click here to see Lucy talking about issues around writing Academic and Professional Writing in Social Work

Books and chapters focusing on academic social work writing

Bottomley,  J. Pryjmachuk, S. Cartney P. (2018) Academic Writing and Referencing for your Social Work Degree (Critical Study Skills) St Albans: Critical Publishing Ltd.

Dyke, C. (2016) Writing Analytical Assessments in Social Work. Critical Publishing: London.

Rai, L. (2010). Reflections on writing in social work education and practice. In: Seden, Janet; Matthews, Sarah; McCormick, Michael and Morgan, Alun eds. Professional development in social work: complex issues in practice. Post-qualifying social work. Abingdon, UK and New York, NY, USA: Routledge, pp. 163–170.

Books focusing on professional social work writing

Healy, K. & Mulholland, J. (2019) Writing for Social Workers. Sage: London

O’Rourke, L. (2010) Recording in Social Work: Not just an Administrative Task.  Bristol: Policy Press.

Seymour, C.  & Seymour, R. (2011) Courtroom and Report Writing Skills for Social Workers 2e. PQSWP. Learning Matters. London.

Watt, J. (2013) Report Writing for Social Workers. PQSWP. Learning Matters. London.

Weisman , D. & Zornado, J. (2012) Professional Writing for Social Work Practice. Springer: NY.

Rai, L. (2014) Effective Writing in Social Work Practice: Making a difference.  Policy Press: Bristol.

Articles on different aspects of social work writing  

Lillis, T. Leedham, M. and Twiner, A. (2017, copyright 2020). ‘If it’s not written down it didn’t happen’: Contemporary social work as a writing intensive profession. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Professional Practice, 14,1: 50-73.

Lillis, T. (2017) Imagined, prescribed and actual text trajectories: the ‘problem’ with case notes in contemporary social work, Text and Talk, 37-4: 485-508. 

Lillis, T. (2017). Writing in professional social work practice in a changing communicative landscape (WISP). Impact 2017(9) pp.61-63, Science Impact Ltd.

Maistre, C. Le, & Paré, A. (2004). Learning in two communities: the challenge for universities and workplaces. Journal of Workplace Learning, 16(1/2), 44–52.

Paré, A., & Le Maistre, C. (2006). Active learning in the workplace: transforming individuals and institutions. Journal of Education and Work, 19(4), 363–381.

Pithouse, a., Broadhurst, K., Hall, C., Peckover, S., Wastell, D., & White, S. (2011). Trust, risk and the (mis)management of contingency and discretion through new information technologies in children’s services. Journal of Social Work, 12(2), 158–178.

Rai, L. and Lillis, T. (2013). ‘Getting it Write’ in social work: exploring the value of writing in academia to writing for professional practice. Teaching in Higher Education, 18(4) pp. 352–364.

Rai, L. and Lillis, T. (2011). A case study of a research-based collaboration around writing in social work. Across the disciplines, 8(3)

Rai, L. (2012). Responding to emotion in practice-based writing. Higher Education, 64(2) pp. 267–284.

Rai, L. (2008). Student writing in social work education. PhD thesis The Open University.

Rai, L. (2006). Owning (up to) reflective writing in social work education. Social Work Education, 25(8) 785 -797.

Shaver, L. (2011). Using key messages to explore rhetoric in professional writing. Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 25(2).

Waller, M. (2000). Addressing student writing problems: applying composition theory to social work education. Journal of Baccalaureate social work, 5(2), 161–166.

Wastell, D., & White, S. (2013). Making sense of complex electronic records: Socio-technical design in social care. Applied ergonomics, 1–7. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2013.02.002

White, Sue, & Featherstone, B. (2005). Communicating misunderstandings : multi-agency work as social practice. Child and Family Social Work, (August), 207–216.

Useful websites

Write Enough http://www.writeenough.org.uk

SCIE Euphemistic language in reports and written records https://www.scie.org.uk/children/safeguarding/case-reviews/learning-from-case-reviews/13.asp

University of the West of England The importance of record keeping http://learntech.uwe.ac.uk/communicationskills/Default.aspx?pageid=1938

Iriss Recording practice and accessing records (Scotland) https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/reports/recording-practice-and-accessing-records