Symposium: Below the surface ­– Critical realism and social work research

• The theme of the symposium is how critical realism has been applied in social work research since the early 2000s. This symposium is strongly linked to the subtheme of Theory and practice in social work and more specific to theory development in social work. The aim of the symposium is to describe and discuss research where critical realism (CR) has been applied as a theoretical framework, and to inspire others to utilize CR in social work research. The first presentation is based on a systematic literature review of critical realism in social work research conducted between 2001 and 2022. The following two presentations concentrates on the CAIMeR-theory (Blom & Morén 2010; 2019), which is a general theory developed at Umeå University, based on CR, used for explaining client outcomes. The second presentation focuses on a revised version of the CAIMeR-theory. The third presentation demonstrates how the CAIMeR-theory underpinned and guided a small evaluation project. The presentations in the symposium will address central concepts of CR in different ways, and will altogether, serve as an introduction to critical realism and its use in social work research in different contexts.    

• Critical realism, realist evaluation and social work research: A systematic reviewAuthors: Anu-Riina Svenlin & Didier BoostBackground: Critical Realism (CR), as a philosophy of science, was conceived by Roy Bhaskar (1979) as an alternative to empiricism and postmodernism; approaches which at the time had been dominating and dividing the social sciences. In social work, CR has been gaining momentum since Stan Houston (2001), Björn Blom and Stefan Morén (2003) convincingly argued how the paradigm can contribute to social work practice, research, and theory. Given the paradigm’s tendency to prioritize ontology over epistemology, CR has been applied in social work research in various ways, including realist evaluation (Kazi, 2003), in combination with grounded theory (Oliver, 2011), and the development of CAIMeR-theory (Blom & Morén, 2010). To further advance the use of CR, we argue that there is a need to analyze how CR and realist evaluation have contributed to the social work research.  Method: In our review, we question (1) what is the motivation for using CR? (2) how is CR applied? (3) what empirical and theoretical contributions has been made to the body-of-knowledge? (4) which methodological issues are raised? To answer these questions a systematic review was conducted. Peer-reviewed articles (PsychInfo; Web of Science) relying on CR or realist evaluation between 2001 and 2022 were included. Findings and conclusion: The dataset will be analyzed in the spring 2023 and preliminary findings will be presented at the symposium. The results provide answers to the above-mentioned questions but allow also reflections on the strengths, weaknesses, and further prospects of using CR in social work research. 

• The CAIMeR theory 2.0 – lessons learned and future prospects for evaluation in social work practiceAuthors: Björn Blom, Didier Boost and Anu-Riina SvenlinBackground: The CAIMeR theory, developed for improving evaluation of social work practice, began to be outlined at Umeå University in the early 2000s. CAIMeR is a middle-range theory that primarily aims to explain how client outcomes arise. The theory is descriptive, in the sense that it stipulates the basic components of social work practice – Contexts, Actors, Interventions, Mechanisms, and Results – and how they interact. Furthermore, it is explanatory since it identifies generative mechanisms, and contextual conditions which underpin how change is realized in social work practice.CAIMeR has been published in various versions and stages of development. The real impact, however, occurred after an international publication in 2010. Since then, CAIMeR has been used in research, evaluation, education and social work practice both in Sweden and in other countries (e.g. Australia, Belgium, Finland and Denmark).Method: Throughout the years, the originators themselves (Björn Blom & Stefan Morén) and several other researchers have identified both advantages and weaknesses with the theory, and they have experimented with applying it in different contexts and welfare regimes. This called for a further development of the theory. We will present a revised version of the CAIMeR theory, which we accomplished by compiling different research experiences and analyzing pros and cons of applying the theory.Findings and conclusion: The revised version includes e.g. new generative mechanisms, and a clarification and addition of contextual conditions. The result is a more usable theory that can guide researchers and social workers to obtain explanatory knowledge when evaluating social work practice.

• How CAIMeR theory was used in the evaluation of a treatment center that conducts twelve-step treatment for substance use disordersAuthors: Marcus Blom-Nilsson, Robert Grahn, Anu-Riina Svenlin & Björn BlomBackground: We have carried out a pilot evaluation of a treatment center conducting treatment for substance use disorders with men aged 18 and over. The treatment is based on manual based twelve-step treatment, Recovery Dynamics.The evaluation used a program theory approach with the goal of developing a local and organization-specific theory describing and explaining how and why the treatment center achieves outcomes. We have taken into account Contexts, Actors, Interventions, Mechanisms and Results by using the CAIMeR theory.Method: Two types of data were used: 1) Focus group interviews with staff: i.e. semi-structured group interviews about prerequisites, interventions/processes and results. 2) Feedback group discussions: our observations and analysis have been discussed in meetings at the treatment center.Findings and conclusionThe study shows:that Contexts, Interventions and Results are more multifaceted, and interact in a more complex way, than what the organization itself perceives,that informal support interventions (e.g. going fishing) seem to be more common and sometimes more important than the formal treatment interventions (e.g. group therapy),that a basic assumption in the treatment – ​​"that addiction is a chronic mental illness" – is reinforced and confirmed via the mechanism of the self-fulfilling prophecy. This is because it is built into the twelve-step treatment that the clients should have a lifelong contact with the non-profit AA/NA self-help movement, and they must themselves act as support for other addicts after treatment has ended.Our presentation demonstrates how CAIMeR theory underpinned and guided evaluation process, data collection, analysis and presentation of results.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

critical realism

CAIMeR-theory

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

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