NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF SOCIAL
WORKERS IN
EDUCATION
Founded 1884
ASSOCIATION
OF SOCIAL
WORKERS IN
EDUCATION
Founded 1884
Articles and Research
Sun Tzu was a general and warlord who lived in ancient China around 2,500 years ago. He was part of a successful
military family that won many battles, sometimes against overwhelming odds, and his thoughts on strategic planning have
become regarded as essential reading in military academies and business schools across the globe from Sandhurst to
Harvard. In modern history, Mao Tse-tung is probably the most famous (or infamous) leader to attribute his success
down to Sun Tzu’s teachings on warfare and leadership.
Sun Tzu’s two basic premises are that wars are won by leaders who make the fewest mistakes and that most battles are lost due to generals’ poor planning before the actual fighting begins. The successful general wins by creating (over time) a strategic advantage that means his forces will be ready enough to deliver a fatal blow when his enemy makes a mistake... and the general achieves this advantage by patiently gathering good quality information and waiting for the right opportunity to strike.
Lesson 1: Applying Sun Tzu’s model to create an effective EWS
Sun Tzu modelled his own army on what he identified as the principles of ‘Natural Organisation’ – its structure was flexible enough to allow the quick deployment of troops in response to situations and he allowed his most trusted lieutenants to adapt* his overarching strategy according to their battlefield environment.
* as opposed to deciding to deploy their (or your) own strategy above the leader’s or unilaterally ‘adopting’ another general’s (PEWO’s) tactics in the midst of a battle.
Sun Tzu’s teachings emphasis the importance of the commanding general (for which we can substitute PEWO) being authorised by the ruler of the country (in our case the Director of Children’s Services) to wage war for a specifically defined purpose (e.g. reducing unauthorised & persistent absence). Many successful modern military strategists and business managers believe these references, when coupled with Sun Tzu’s emphasis on the importance of taking actions based on accurate information (or statistical data), provide evidence of his support for specialist response teams or short-term projects.
Indeed, in Chapter I of his writings Sun Tzu clearly says that generals should only engage in those actions that have the clearest chance of winning. In other words, to effectively operate in a constantly changing environment it’s also crucial that we organise our teams in such a way as to minimise the potential impact of unforeseen events.
With EWOs the ‘battle’ is usually (but unfortunately not always) mental as opposed to physical, fighting for the hearts and minds of clients (individual children & their families) and customers (schools) alike, using the tools of war provided to us by our political masters. However, because we operate in an increasingly political landscape, our battles are also information battles where final success is determined by public opinion and perceptions.
For these reasons, those Education Welfare Services that fail to grasp the principle of using data to justify their interventions and steadfastly carry on operating in a traditional ‘social work’ style (fighting the same old personal & professional battles) will only end up losing out to the politicians and/or DCSF.
In essence, Sun Tzu’s key principles for success can be summed up as:
Here ends today’s lesson. I’ll write more about what’s now known as SUMO (shut up, move on) philosophy in a later instalment, but in the meantime, try thinking about what Sun Tzu had to say on the importance of advance planning before waging war...
Lawrence ‘Grasshopper’ Warburton – a follower of ‘The Way’
Making it Mainstream: Developing sustainable approaches to in-school support for young people with depression in secondary schools - a new research report by Cathy Street, Brenda Allen & David Goosey.
NASWE representatives (Jacquie Newvell and Andy Winton) sat on the project advisory group for the above report, which aims to provide a resource kit for professionals interested in developing sustainable in school support for pupils with mental health problems, but in particular those suffering from depression. It provides practical advice and a number of illustrative case studies - it has also been written with distinct sections, so that they can be "dipped into" according to the specific interests of the reader.
Making it Mainsteam (2650KB).
'Aspirations, Encouragement, Realism and Openness - A study of a school social work service' undertaken by Professor Mark Doel of Sheffield Hallam University. NASWE doesn't normally endorse research reports submitted for publication on the website, but we think this study on the effectiveness of 'AERO' model interventions in South Staffordshire schools is just the sort of material that EWO and ESWs need to be sharing in the current climate.
Aero Report (163KB).
Research carried out by the Local Authorities Research Consortium (LARC) focusing on 3 key groups: looked after children, children and young people with ASD, and young people with over 20 per cent absence from school at KS3.
Experiences of poverty and educational disadvantage (131KB) - This paper explores the link between poverty and educational achievement.
Overcoming School Refusal - a tips and suggestions to encourage a reluctant child to attend school.
The Care Standards Act 2000 contained provisions for the protection of the professional title "Social Worker" this article explores the Act and provides a brief overview.
What does the future hold for the Educational Social Worker - death or resurrection?
A proposal for the modernisation of the education welfare service. Integrating education welfare services into support systems for children and young people.
Anti-Social Behaviour Bill responses submitted by the NASWE Policy Team to the consultation on the education - related provisions in the Bill.
Sheila Edward and Heather Malcolm summarise the findings of a literature review conducted as part of their recent DCSF sponsored research looking at the causes and effects of truancy.
