Social Work with Interpreters: Improving Practice Through Research

Social Work with Interpreters: Using practitioner knowledge to improve practice

Wednesday 8th June , 1pm – 4:30pm , BR Room, 2.18

Agenda:

• 13:00 – 14:00 Registration & Lunch

• 14:00 – 15:00 Presentation of research findings

• 15:00 – 16:00 Workshop activity & tea/coffee served

• 16:00 – 16:30 Call to action

Summary:

As a result of globalisation, interpreters are an increasingly valuable asset to social work practice. Through their work with interpreters, social workers can provide support, safeguarding and services to individuals and families with limited English proficiency (LEP).

Despite this, research suggests that individuals with LEP are more likely to:

• self-report poor health

• are older

• are female

• are from low socio-economic backgrounds

This indicates that there are intersectional barriers preventing access to services and impacting on health outcomes and social care.

When attempting to access support, these barriers result in:

• deferring treatment

• missing appointments

• leaving without advice.

This inequity is at odds with both social work and interpreter professional values therefore change is essential to anti-discriminatory practice.

This event begins the conversation about how existing practitioner knowledge can be shared, in a structured way, to improve the lives of those individuals and families who have limited English proficiency.

The event shares the findings of a British Academy-funded research project that asked social workers and interpreters what they wished they knew about their counterparts, the challenges they face in mediating the social world, and what we can learn from their positive experiences.

• The afternoon will begin with a lunch and conclude with a call to action.

• All delegates will receive a certificate of attendance to use towards their professional CPD requirements.

Principal Investigator Biography:

Dr Sarah Pollock is a senior lecturer in social work at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is a qualified and registered social worker, and her practice experience includes working with adults in both community and hospital settings in Northwest England. Sarah’s PhD thesis explored the under-representation of older Pakistani women in health and social care services by analysing narratives about their interactions with state welfare systems. Her research interests include social justice, interpreter mediated social work and adult safeguarding, with a recent publication considering the legal context of interpreter-mediated social work. Sarah is currently working with colleagues from the University of Windsor, Canada to explore the international context of language barriers. Her work for the British Academy aims to develop best practice resources for interpreter mediated social work.