What do we mean by analysis?

Analysis in practice

Analysis is central to everyday social work practice and involves paying careful attention to what is going on in any situation in order to understand that situation and make recommendations for support. Analysis is an ongoing process that social workers are engaged in all of the time.

Analysis is of course also a product, a written record which captures key aspects of all the different parts of the analytic process – the thinking, listening and observing that social workers do. The written record of analysis involves selecting the most important details from all these aspects and writing in a way that makes these understandable to many different kinds of readers. Moving from analysis as process – a part of almost every moment of everyday practice and involving a wide range of professional skills, intuition and expertise – to analysis as a written product is central to the securing of services and providing good care for vulnerable young people and adults.

In our workshops exploring social work writing, the group discussed what analysis as a product looks like. Practitioners felt that good analysis has a number of key features, but that in everyday practice it can be challenging to produce written analysis that includes all features.

Focus

• Outcomes focused – short-, mid- and long-term outcomes
• States clearly what the outcomes or impacts will be and if these are positive or negative

Structure

• Clear history running through - it is sequential and measured
• Analysis provides the history of what’s happened and what’s been discussed
• Clear reasoning, decision making and planning, all this is clearly connected to/ by the information previously given

Content

• Summarises and weighs up risks and risk factors, and shows protective factors, uses relevant risk tools
• Contains the right amount of detail
• Captures different perspectives in a non-judgemental way
• Brings in evidence, practice wisdom, information from other professionals, family, carers
• Explains what’s recorded and why
• Weighs up the likelihood or probability of change/ impacts

How it ‘reads’

• Writer has a good understanding of the issues
• Being able to get a sense of the service user and what they see as a priority
• It is clear and concise
• When required, analysis should be tailored to the requirement of the report / assessment and, distil the key information to inform the plan for the child / family.

“I feel like analysis is this thing, this concept. The best way I can describe it is that it’s like a butterfly, I can’t quite catch it to give a proper description. It’s holistic, it’s about layers. I’m constantly thinking about what is important and asking ‘what is someone else going to get from this?’. It’s about taking the information and making sure that it’s going to be meaningful to the next person who is reading it”
Claire, Adult Social Work

The ethical principles underpinning written analysis

There is no one-stop-shop or template for writing ‘good analysis’. However, there are some ethical principles that underpin written analysis as part of ethical practice in social care.

Respect for persons

Respect for human rights, dignity and worth is captured by good analysis. In writing, the values of acceptance and respect for both the reader and the subject of the writing can be demonstrated by the language used. Respect for persons involves writing with sensitivity and is about being able to see the world from the viewpoints of others. Good analysis demonstrates thoughtful use of language that avoids labelling, stereotyping and cultural or other bias.

Professional integrity

Good analysis writing takes account of organisational requirements and legal obligations. It also means being mindful of professional boundaries and responsibilities. This integrity then leads good analysis to offer clearly articulated and justified decisions, while taking into account the broader social context. Accuracy in recording leads to a fair representation of a supported person’s point of view, allowing records to be shared in an open and direct way.

Accuracy, judiciousness and credibility

Good analysis provides full and accurate information about people’s circumstances and accurately records the information to give a clear understanding of their needs to other professionals working with them. It includes only essential and relevant details, and does not use emotive or derogatory language.

Reflexivity

Reflexivity is essential to social work practice and writing reflexively is part of good analysis. Writing explores not only what an experience was, but considers the meaning the writer attached to it, both at the time and subsequently, and how this meaning may influence practice in the future. Good analysis gives the reader a sense that the writer has a sense of ‘self’ and has made connections between ideas, feelings and memories of experience.

Social justice

Strong analysis in social work writing is one of the tools that a social worker can use to challenge injustice, particularly as it relates to policies and practices. Good analysis openly values people’s lived experiences, is critically reflective, connects with the audience, and draws attention to social injustices to advocate for social change. It can challenge negative discrimination and recognise diversity by using language that is inclusive and does not further stigmatise already marginalised people.

Adapted from Ethical Professional Writing in Social Work and Human Services. Donna McDonald, Jennifer Boddy, Katy O’Callaghan, Poll Chester (2015)Ethical Professional Writing in Social Work and Human Services, Ethics and Social Welfare, 9(4):1-16.