Sheila Furness University of Bradford s.furness@bradford.ac.uk
Local demographics and their significance Dilemmas and Legislation The key principles behind the Furness/Gilligan framework Research in progress
Approximately 530,000 residents 23% under 16 years of age 49.4% male 50.6 % female 18% of total population Asian origin (www.bradford.gov.uk)
Bradford W. Yorkshire England /Wales Christian 60.1% 68.1% 71.75% Hindu 1% 0.5% 1.06% Muslim 16.1% 7.2% 2.97% Sikh 1% 0.7% 0.63% None 13.3% 14.7% 14.81% Religion 8.1% 8% 7.71% not stated
Place has important implications. Correlations between households declared religion and other significant issues e.g. Muslim families had the largest number of children. Over a quarter (27 per cent) of Muslim families had three or more dependent children, compared with 14 per cent of Sikh, 8 per cent of Hindu, and 7 per cent of Christian families (National Statistics, 2005). Attitudes towards pre-marital sex and abortion markedly different between those belonging to a religion or attending religious services (NCSR, 2007: 3-4).
Termination of pregnancy / Abortion Mercy killing / Euthanasia Contraception Consumption of alcohol Sexual intercourse outside marriage Same sex sexual relationships Beliefs in spirit possession (positive or negative) Use of donor organs Corporal punishment / Physical abuse of children The authority / rights of children / adults / women / men.
See Furness, S. and Gilligan, P. (2010b) Social Work, Religion and Belief: Developing a Framework for Practice, British Journal of Social Work, 40 (7), 2185-2202 doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcp159
...on my first meeting, my lack of beliefs informed the fact that I didn t think to take her religion and culture into account. After speaking to her I became aware of the significance of her family s beliefs, their impact on her dealing/not dealing with the attack. (Furness and Gilligan, 2010b: 2192)
Howell s model (1982) Unconscious incompetence Conscious incompetence Conscious competence
Izzat (honour/respect) Honourable Dishonourable If they act shamefully, then the family or tribe will react against them. Shameful deeds are covered up. If they can't be covered up, they are revenged (Muller, 2000).
Family members Family not able to resolve problem Family wish to deny or suppress the problem Family is the problem (Kee, 2007: 78)
Furness, S. and Gilligan, P. (2010) Religion, Belief and Social Work, Bristol: Policy Press Framework for Assessing the Significance of Religion and Belief
Benedict, R. (1967) The Chrysanthemum and the Sword London: Routledge and Kegan Paul City of Bradford Metropolitan Council Population www.bradford.gov.uk/bmdc/community_and_living/population/population (accessed 14 April 2012) Furman, L.D., Benson, P.W., Grimwood, C. and Canda, E.R. (2004) Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Education and Direct Practice at the Millennium: A Survey of UK Social Workers, British Journal of Social Work 34(6), pp. 767-792. Furness, S. (2003) Religion and Culturally Competent Practice, Journal of practice teaching in health and social work, 5 (1), 61-74. Furness, S. and Gilligan, P. (2010a) Religion, Belief and Social Work Making a Difference, Bristol: Policy Press. Furness, S. and Gilligan, P. (2010b) Social Work, Religion and Belief: Developing a Framework for Practice, British Journal of Social Work, 40 (7), 2185 2202, doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcp159
Gilligan, P. and Furness, S. (2006) The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice: views and experiences of social workers and students British Journal of Social Work, 36 (4), 617 637. Howell, W.S. (1982). The empathic communicator, University of Minnesota: Wadsworth Publishing Company. Kee, L. H. (2007) Indigenising Social Work: Research and Practice in Sarawak, Selangor, SIRD. Muller, R. (2000) Honor and Shame in a Middle Eastern Setting http://nabataea.net/h%26s.html 4 Jan 2012 O Beirne, M. (2004) Religion in England and Wales: findings from the 2001 Home Office Citizenship Survey, Home Office Research Study 274, http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hors274.pdf Saleeby, D. (2008) (5th ed.), The strengths perspective in social work practice, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.