Putting the need for the social graces into a cultural context, Rowland explained that in our western, capitalist society, we have often tended to think of ourselves first and foremost as individuals, rather than as a cohesive unit. The social graces align with the BASW 80:20 campaign, which champions relational practice, with the desire to reverse the ratio of social workers spending 80% of the time at their desks, and just 20% with service users. It’s about the interaction between people, not data.”įor most of us, it is people, not spreadsheets, which ignite our desire to become social workers. “The graces are about process, not procedure. What Rowland says next is music to my ears – especially as someone who understands the pressures on social workers to produce Ofsted-pleasing statistics, reach targets, and tick the boxes required for inspections: There is room for reflection and correction. That’s the beauty of the graces they are fluid. They could differ according to place, time and culture. The graces in the figure about are not an exhaustive list, and can be adapted. Naming power differences can invite service users, colleagues or even friends to share the social graces which they feel can hold them back, or even cloud their judgement of others. In doing so, it is far easier to identify (and work on) our own prejudice, or indeed on our own privilege. One of the key aims of the graces is to ‘name’ power differentials. So, over time, the ‘dis’ was dropped, and the ‘social’ added to the front, to highlight the fact that the graces have an impact not only on an individual level, but are activated within the community. Originally, the pneumonic was arranged as ‘disgraces’ to highlight the fact that such inequalities were ‘disgraceful’, but it was feared this could be rather off-putting. The term ‘Social Graces’, Rowland explained, is a mnemonic to help us remember some of the key features that influence personal and social identity (see figure 1), as developed by John Burhnham, Alison Roper-Hall and colleagues (1992). In order to get to grips with the Social Graces tool, I consulted with Rowland Coombes, a family systemic psychotherapist, and a clinical lead at the Centre for Systemic Social Work. The Social Graces is one of the tools which can help us to achieve this. We need tangible tools we can use to fight against prejudice, to acknowledge privilege, and to redistribute power. Have you ever been overlooked for a promotion because of your gender?.
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