Ghosts in the care home: the nature of relationships in a home for people with learning disabilities

Nick Waggett (2012) Ghosts in the care home: the nature of relationships in a home for people with learning disabilities, Journal of Social Work Practice, 26:4, 443-457

Abstract:

This paper considers the complex task of working with adults with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour in a care home and the impact on relationships within the staff group and wider organisation. Examples are drawn from an organisational consultation to a home with a history of disputes, grievances and sick leave. The metaphor of ghosts is used to explore the processes by which the residents' own traumatic histories come to be played out by the care home staff. The paper concludes that an increased understanding of organisational processes in the residential care sector may help staff form more helpful relationships with service users and hence lead to better outcomes.

Keywords: process consultation, learning disabilities, projective identification, containment

View full text article here:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02650533.2012.678819

Comments

In the age of the smart machine (again)

In the age of the smart machine How can we benefit from the opportunities of digitization and AI in ways that improve both the provision of services and the experience of those working in them? As a way of reflecting on the current imperative to benefit from the role-out of AI across business and public services, I have been re-reading Shoshana Zuboff’s seminal study ‘In the age of the smart machine’ . This book, published in 1988, traced the implementation of an earlier generation of computer technologies. Whilst AI has many different characteristics, opportunities and potential risks, I think Zuboff’s analysis continues to have relevance and can provide insight into what is happening today. Automate or informate A key distinction Zuboff makes is between technology used to automate work processes or to informate them. If technology is used only to automate work: it can reduce skill levels, and dampen the urge towards more participatory and decentralized...

Digital transformations

This paper has been published as Waggett, N. (2025). Digital transformations: Exploring the human-technology constellation in our entangled organisations. Organisational & Social Dynamics 25(1) 52–72 (2025) Organisational and Social Dynamics, 25, 52-72. doi: 10.33212/osd.v25n1.2025.52 ABSTRACT Work, organisations, and society have been transformed by digital technologies. Information and communication technologies are increasingly important to the management and delivery of human services. Significant sums are invested with the expectation that new technology will drive positive changes such as improving service user experience, efficiency, and outcomes. Sometimes the promises of technology are not fully realised. As researchers and practitioners in organisational and social dynamics it is important to understand how these technologies are affecting the ways in which we organise, communicate, and relate. In this article I explore one aspect of this dynamic, ...

Defining the Primary Task (Visualizing Organisational Dynamics Series #1)

What is the one thing that your organisation (company, team, service) must do in order to survive and thrive? Is that what you are actually doing? Most people working in an organisation, or leading it, will be familiar with the feeling of having to do too much with too little resources. Phrases such as ‘having to keep all the balls in the air’ and ‘I need to keep all the plates spinning’ suggest a person juggling multiple tasks, responsibilities, or commitments simultaneously. This is stressful for the individual or team and often not very effective as it is hard to determine which of the ‘plates’ is the priority and therefore deserves greater time or resources. Prioritization is crucial to effective planning and clarity on which tasks are likely to produce most gains is important for job satisfaction. When we are in the middle of a whirl of competing demands, or facing deadlines and targets, it can feel impossible to determine what is most important. Most likely w...

Dr Nick Waggett

Search This Blog