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This article begins with an overview of the current context for the delivery of social/welfare services and goes on to consider client–worker relationship boundaries that fall within and outside conventional ethical parameters in professional practice. Alternative interpretations of "relationship" are discussed, noting in particular what consumers of services have identified as being beneficial qualities demonstrated by professional "helpers." Using touch and adopting notions of compassion, love, and reciprocity are discussed, noting how these ideas collide with the current ethical thinking commonly used to guide Western social work practice. Finally, a reexamination of "professionalism" is proposed, including ways to facilitate worker–client connectivity. Throughout, the complex tensions between balancing ethical considerations with ideas relating to trust, risk, and authenticity are articulated.

Die Durchführung qualitativer Forschung auf der Basis einer feministischen Forschungs-Methodologie erfordert ein hohes Maß ethischer Bindung von Forschenden – insbesondere hinsichtlich des notwendigen Zeitaufwands zum Aufbau und zur Aufrechterhaltung sozialer Netzwerke zwischen Forschenden und Beforschten. Der Beitrag wirft Fragen auf, ob es bei einer großen qualitativen Studie für Forschende möglich ist, diese Ideale auf jede/n Teilnehmende/n anzuwenden.

Based on a theme that emerged from a study conducted with 25 Indigenous stakeholders between 2009 and 2010, this article argues for the inadequacy of Western models of the practitioner–client relationship, and a need to consider rural and cultural characteristics of Indigenous social work in relationship building and maintaining. The findings suggest that historical and affective contexts, life contextualized scenarios and the collective interest which affect professional boundaries and the dyadic relationship are important in terms of addressing the relationship in a tribal community. The article ends by highlighting implications for Indigenous social work.

Ausgehend von einer laufenden Untersuchung zur Entwicklung von Selbstregulation in der frühen Kindheit (BOYER 2005a, 2005b; BOYER, BLODGETT & TURK 2004) beschäftigt sich dieser Beitrag mit ethischen und professionellen Überlegungen zum Sampling in einer groß angelegten qualitativen Studie. An der Untersuchung nahmen 146 Familien mit Kindern im Vorschulalter und 15 Erzieher und Erzieherinnen aus sieben Vorschulen teil. Das Datenmaterial setzte sich zusammen aus 30- bis 45-minütigen Tonbandaufnahmen von Einzelinterviews und aus (insgesamt 28) 90- bis 120-minütigen fokussierten Gruppendiskussionen sowie aus 30-minütigen Videoaufnahmen, die jedes Kind beim natürlichen Spiel zeigen. Über die Herausforderungen in Bezug auf informiertes Einverständnis und längerfristige Teilnahme bei großen Untersuchungen berichtet die Literatur (GALL, GALL & BORG, 2005). Teilnehmer und Teilnehmerinnen qualitativer Studien werden gezielt ausgewählt, um möglichst Informatives zum Thema beizusteuern (CRESWELL, 2002). Dies stellt eine Herausforderung für die qualitative Sozialforschung dar, die um maximale Teilnahme und große Stichproben bemüht ist, weil freiwillige Teilnehmende "in der Regel besser gebildet sind, einen höheren sozioökonomischen Status haben, intelligenter sind, bedürftiger nach sozialer Anerkennung, geselliger, unkonventioneller, unautoritärer und weniger konform als Nichtfreiwillige" (MCMILLAN, 2004, S.116). Dieser Beitrag zeigt eine Umgehensweise mit diesen Sampling-Schwierigkeiten und plädiert für den Aufbau von Beziehungen zum Forschungsfeld auf ethischen, interpersonalen und professionellen Grundlagen.

Fostering and maintaining strong collaborative relationships are critically important for paraprofessionals and special education teachers working together to provide a high-quality education for students with severe disabilities. Through in-depth interviews with 22 teachers and paraprofessionals comprising nine educational teams, we examined educator perspectives on what influences the quality of their professional relationships, as well as how their perspectives on these influences converged or diverged. Teachers and paraprofessionals identified five themes of influences to the quality of their relationships: teacher influences, paraprofessional influences, shared influences (i.e., related to the collective efforts of teachers and paraprofessionals), administrative influences (i.e., related to school and district leaders), and underlying influences (i.e., related to contextual or other factors). The findings highlight the complex nature of these relationships and emphasize the importance of supporting teachers and paraprofessionals as they work together to meet the needs of students with severe disabilities. We offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at strengthening the quality and impact of special educator–paraprofessional collaborations.

PurposeThis research is situated at a metropolitan university in Melbourne (Australia) where the authors work in initial teacher education programs within the same faculty. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness that collegial, collaborative and "co-caring" environments can foster an improved sense of belonging, acceptance and inclusion in the academy. They also argue that communities of practice may foster an improved sense of belonging that enhances empowerment and harmony among all staff in academia in pandemic times and beyond.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw on case study methodology as a qualitative approach to understand and illuminate the phenomena under study. Case study methodology provides an in-depth understanding of their trifocal voices, as it allows them to voice their stories through collaborative autoethnography. The authors use self-narratives to unpack their sense of belonging in academic spaces. Collaborative autoethnography (CAE) enabled them to work together as a team of women and as a community of researchers.FindingsThe findings foreground the responsibilities of casual staff while concomitantly articulating the challenges faced by both permanent and casual staff to create a "sense of belonging" in the academy. The authors found that social connection engenders a sense of belonging and inclusion within a space that is often beset by neoliberal ideologies of competitiveness and individual achievement. They articulate their stress, pressure and uncertainty as permanent and as casual academics working supportively to develop and maintain identity in very difficult circumstances. They share how they developed professional relationships which bring unforeseen benefits and personal friendship at a time of especially restrictive practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper includes three voices, a limitation in itself, thus generalisations cannot be made to other academics or institutions. Employing CAE offers the possibility of delving more deeply into the emotional complexities inherent within this method for further research. They recommend a sense of "co-caring" as a form of pastoral care in the "induction program" for all academics including casual staff. While this may not "strategically" fit in with many because of power imbalances, the journey of co-caring and sharing and building friendships within the academy has a limited presence in the literature and calls for further investigation.Practical implicationsThe authors draw attention to the need for higher education institutes to recognise the role permanent staff play when working with casual academics.Social implicationsThe authors draw attention to the need to be inclusive and collaborative as a way to improve the divide and strengthen connections between permanent and casual academics at university worksites. This is imperative given the shifting demographics within Australia and its workforce. They also highlight issues of race in the academy.Originality/valueThis is an original work carried out by the authors. It raises concerns about a sense of belonging in the academy, job certainty and the place of people of colour as these issues may also be experienced by other full-time and casual academics.

There has been a great deal written in recent years about the complexities of social work decision making and the need for a more ecological conceptualisation of the decision-making task in child welfare and protection. This article outlines some of the findings from a PhD study of secure accommodation decision making in Scotland which sought to understand the dynamics of local social work decision making in cases where children and young people pose a significant risk to themselves and/or others. Observations of decision-making meetings, interviews and focus groups were used to develop a multidimensional perspective on decision-making practices in one large urban local authority. Professional relationships were found to impact on information gathering, 'thinking through' decisions and managing emotions, 'working' the decision-making system to the benefit of your referral and having your assessment accepted by others. Trust emerged as an important quality in relationships between professionals who share decision-making responsibilities. Drawing on theories of trust, relationships and decision making, the article challenges the dominant rational choice model of social work decision making and develops new links between theory and practice by highlighting the importance of understanding the impact of professional relationships when seeking to improve social work decision making. The article also emphasises the need for further research to enhance our understanding of the multiplicity of ways that professional relationships can impact on decision-making practice and its outcomes.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how young women understand and make meaning of their status as early-career women (ECW) in the creative communication industry, which is typically dominated by male leadership. It explores how professional relationships influence their transition into full-time employment and influences their career trajectories.


Design/methodology/approach
Interviews with 31 women in the first five years of their communication careers provided insights into how they experience professional relationships in the workplace in relation to leadership advancement. Inductive coding, a feminist organizational communication lens and literature on mentorship and role modeling was used to explore the standpoint of these young women.


Findings
Young women understand that professional relationships are necessary for acclimation and professional development. Our analysis revealed an intersection of three distinct ways these relationships help young women cultivate a strong career foundation, positioning themselves for leadership opportunities.


Practical implications
This study provides insight into the experiences of ECW, a group significantly overlooked by industry and research as a way to increase career equity. Findings from this study guide programmatic and socialization practices to help young women overcome barriers.


Originality/value
Developing a deeper understanding of women worker's realities, this research encourages industries to regard the entire career path, emphasizing the importance of beginning socialization experiences in the workplace. It offers actionable managerial practices, and it drives a new scholarly focus on a demographic critical to closing the leadership gender gap.

AbstractThis article argues that psychosocial theory can enhance understanding of intersubjective dynamics between workers and young people involved in crime and violence. After introducing some conceptual tools from psychoanalysis and post‐structural theory, a case study follows a worker's efforts to bring about a young man's desistance (including the worker's use of self‐disclosure) and how this is stymied by systemic failings in a homeless hostel in the UK. The article concludes that professional work in services targeted at young people with multiple support needs requires a deep sensibility to intersubjective and unconscious dynamics within professional relationships and organisations.

Abstract
This qualitative study explored how professionals and parents with mental illness experience their relationships with each other, what aspects of interaction promote a constructive relationship and the role of wider organisational and systemic factors. A purposive sample of 30 adult mental health and children's services professionals, and 21 parents completed semi-structured interviews. Professionals' transparent, non-judgemental, empathetic and positive approach and ability to form partnerships and to share power with parents were keys in building trusting relationships with them. Professionals' capacity to use limited self-disclosure of their own personal experiences (i.e. parenting) enabled them to develop constructive relationships with parents. Equally, important was parents' willingness to form partnerships with professionals and to accept a whole family approach to service delivery. Professionals' limited understanding of mental illness and focus on administration hindered their relationships with parents. An understanding of what constitutes a constructive relationship between professionals and parents and how it develops may help professionals to reflect upon how they engage parents and to do it well. It may also assist organisations to develop the necessary structures and resources to create the conditions for promoting constructive engagement between professionals and parents.

Als Entgegnung auf die ethischen und professionellen Überlegungen im Zusammenhang mit der Durchführung einer großen qualitativen Studie (BLODGETT, BOYER & TURK, 2005) weise ich hin auf die Wichtigkeit von Authentizität im Forschungskontext, auf die für die Forschung wertvollen Interaktionen und auf die ethischen Charakteristika der Studie. Ich schlage einige alternative Standpunkte vor, was spezifische Aspekte der Untersuchung angeht, wie etwa die Konstruktion von Wissen durch Forschung, das "in den Schuhen anderer gehen", den Umgang mit vulnerablen Bevölkerungsgruppen und mit Insider-Outsider-Interaktionen.