About Me
I have been continuously involved in practice, research and teaching in the field of social work since 1954. How did I get there?
I was born in South Croydon in 1930, the youngest child of Irish Protestant parents who emigrated from Dublin in 1920 when the Republic of Eire was established. My father had been a civil servant in Dublin under British authority who feared discrimination at the time of the change of government. My parents brought with them my father’s daughter by his first marriage. His first wife had died of TB as did his daughter when I was five. My brother, who was 7 years older than I, was a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm for most of the war years.
Looking back, it is clear that from an early age, I was fascinated by the people –relatives, lodgers , relatives around me and sought in some way to make sense of their lives. Reading English Literature at Oxford enriched this search for understanding and two long vacations as an undergraduate, working at the Mulberry Bush School near Witney which cared for profoundly disturbed children, channelled my interest towards some form of therapeutic intervention From this, I went to the LSE where I took the course in “Child Care” social work in 1953.My tutor was Clare Winnicott.
My published work has been weighted towards child welfare; however, there are also a significant number of publications relating to care of vulnerable adults, social work and social work education generally, and interprofessional work in these fields. Of particular concern to me since the 1970s has been the issue of child protection/safeguarding which arose from my being a member of the inquiry into the death of Maria Colwell in 1973. (She was killed by her stepfather). This was a momentous event in the history of social work and allied professionals in this country. It has been followed by hundreds of ‘Serious Case Reviews’ into the deaths or serious injuries to children where maltreatment is alleged and has had profound consequences for social work. I have been involved in many such inquiries, in one way or another. In recent months these issues have received widespread national publicity.
However, from the 1980s, I have also been keenly aware of the predicament of some vulnerable elderly people. This was consolidated by a period as Chair of Age Concern, England. From the late 80s, there has been growing awareness of the issues surrounding the protection of vulnerable adults generally. I have also been involved in research in this field and have published widely on the topic.
I have travelled a good deal in Europe and the Far East.as lecturer ,consultant and related activities. In parallel ,I have supervised a significant number of overseas students, mostly for Ph Ds. Of particular interest have been my close links with China and Hong Kong, through a close association with the Poly- University of HK. (See Photos). I was involved in the resurgence of social work in China , after many years in which it was banned and played an active part in its early development. There are now more than 100 Social Work courses across China.
There are three main reasons for establishing this website. The first is to place on line a substantial amount of my published and unpublished work since 1954. Much of the former is out of print and many conference papers dealing with broad trends in social work were unpublished. Much of this material is now on the website and there may be more to follow.The documents have not been edited and present a historical record, warts and all, of my thoughts and feelings during those years.I believe there is material which will be of interest to those seeking to learn more of the history behind where we are now. So I hope that these papers will provide a resource for those who are interested in the development of social work over some fifty years
The second reason is that I am at present working on a memoir which I will probably put on the site ,hopefully in 2010.
The third reason for the site is to contribute to the debate about present day social work.
When I trained as a social worker in 1953, hopes were high for the emergence of a profession which would make a significant contribution to the well-being of children in need. Subsequently, such aspirations were extended more widely to include the wellbeing of many kinds of people in difficulty.
For a number of reasons, which I have charted in my writings, this optimism has been dimmed over the past fifty-plus years. I believe that there is an urgent need to recapture ‘the vision’ and the ethical basis for social work. Without those, we are lost in tangles of bureaucracy and in anxious and despairing feelings about the tasks which must be undertaken.
Social work is extremely complicated work. I believe that those who practice, research or teach it can only do so effectively if they seek to understand and utilise the interplay of mind and feelings in themselves and others.
During 2008 and 2009, despite some terrible events, there have been a number of indications that ,at last, the problems facing social workers are beginning to receive more sophisticated political and professional attention. There now seems to be a possibility of real change, provided social workers can organise themselves effectively. They need to be proactive as well as reactive. The plans for a national college may offer a launching pad for the renewal
When I set up the site, I thought it might be a chance to learn to blog! But I confess that I don’t feel comfortable with the chatty immediacy of it . So I am changing the invitation to a more personal one. I should be very pleased to receive by Email any reflections you may have about the content of the site or social work more generally, including the educational aspects. The format of the site has been changed accordingly. From such exchanges, it is possible that ideas for future action might be generated.
Olive Stevenson
Reader Comments (3)
Hello Olive
We met when you worked with us in Sheffield.
I have a memory that Catherine Jeary and you did some work around prisoners and abuse of older adults - linked to break ins?
If so can you let me know where I can access a copy?
Best wishes
Cath
SAGE Publications
Ref: 4.83/Gray & Webb/17/08/09
17th August, 2009
Dear Professor Olive Stevenson,
We are preparing an academic work entitled “International Social Work” edited by Mel Gray (University of Newcastle, Australia) and Stephen Webb (University of Newcastle, Australia). Which will be published by SAGE Publications in December 2009, as part of our SAGE Library of Social Welfare. The work will be published as four reprinted volumes with an introduction by the editors. The print-run is scheduled at approximately 250 copies. The finished work will retail at price GBP 600.
Book/Journal Title: British Journal of Social Work, 1, 2 (1971)
Chapter/Article Title: Knowledge for Social Work
Pages: 225-237
The copyright to this work is held by the Oxford University Press and they have granted us permission.
Oxford University Press has requested that, in addition, we inform you that your work will be included in this anthology. Full acknowledgement to you and the original source will of course be made at the front of the collection, as well as on the first page of the article itself.
For your records, the details of the collection are follows:
Title: International Social Work
Editor(s): Mel Gray (University of Newcastle, Australia) & Stephen Webb (University of Newcastle, Australia)
ISBN: 978-1-84787-563-1
Publication date: December 2009
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Please note, however, that due to the high production costs involved and the number of ‘contributing’ authors, we are unfortunately unable to offer complimentary copies to the authors selected for inclusion by the editors.
We greatly appreciate your co-operation in making this material available for use. The collection will be an invaluable resource for university libraries worldwide, especially in countries where academic holdings are relatively less comprehensive.
With very kind regards,
Sincerely,
Ms. Ranjana
SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd.
B-1/I-1, Mohan Co-operative Industrial Area,
Mathura Road, New Delhi – 110044.
Tel: 91-11-40539222
Fax: 91-11-40539234
E-mail: km.ranjana@sagepub.in
Web: www.sagepub.in
Permission is hereby granted for the use of the above mentioned material
Signed_____________________________
Date________________________
Dear Prof. Stevenson, apologies for the inappropriate method of contact but I have been unable to track down any other. I am writing to tell you that one of your past pupils Pat Hill from Derby passed away last month. She spoke often about her time with you as a research student I believe.
The family are having a celebration of her life on October 22nd and whilst we would be honoured if you would like to attend, if that were not possible I wonder if you have any recollections or comments to pass on to her many friends, ex-colleagues and family who are gathering together for this event. Kind Regards Amanda Laws