Becoming a Reflective Neurodivergent Social Work Supervisor

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Williams, J., Guthrie, J., McCarthy, A., & Smith, F. (2026). Becoming a Reflective Neurodivergent Social Work Supervisor. In The Palgrave Handbook of Neuroinclusive Social Work (pp. 263-284). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-18034-6_11 · ISBN : 9783032180339 · Place of publication : Cham

Publication date: 1 Jan 2026 Added to AutiHub: 3 Oct 2026 Type: Book chapter Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 4 (50.0%)
  1. Jo Williams
  2. Jenni Guthrie *
  3. Andrea McCarthy
  4. Florence Smith *

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Paramedics make important and increasingly complex decisions at scene about patient care. Patient safety implications of influences on decision making in the pre-hospital setting were previously under-researched. Cutting edge perspectives advocate exploring the whole system rather than individual influences on patient safety. Ethnography (the study of people and cultures) has been acknowledged as a suitable method for identifying health care issues as they occur within the natural context. In this paper we compare multiple methods used in a multi-site, qualitative study that aimed to identify system influences on decision making. METHODS: The study was conducted in three NHS Ambulance Trusts in England and involved researchers from each Trust working alongside academic researchers. Exploratory interviews with key informants e.g. managers (n = 16) and document review provided contextual information. Between October 2012 and July 2013 researchers observed 34 paramedic shifts and ten paramedics provided additional accounts via audio-recorded 'digital diaries' (155 events). Three staff focus groups (total n = 21) and three service user focus groups (total n = 23) explored a range of experiences and perceptions. Data collection and analysis was carried out by academic and ambulance service researchers as well as service users. Workshops were held at each site to elicit feedback on the findings and facilitate prioritisation of issues identified. RESULTS: The use of a multi-method qualitative approach allowed cross-validation of important issues for ambulance service staff and service users. A key factor in successful implementation of the study was establishing good working relationships with academic and ambulance service teams. Enrolling at least one research lead at each site facilitated the recruitment process as well as study progress. Active involvement with the study allowed ambulance service researchers and service users to gain a better understanding of the research process. Feedback workshops allowed stakeholders to discuss and prioritise findings as well as identify new research areas. CONCLUSION: Combining multiple qualitative methods with a collaborative research approach can facilitate exploration of system influences on patient safety in under-researched settings. The paper highlights empirical issues, strengths and limitations for this approach. Feedback workshops were effective for verifying findings and prioritising areas for future intervention and research.

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Cited references
65
With a DOI
32
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
33
11 / 65 (16.9%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
16 / 65 (24.6%)
References with detected author names
54 / 65 (83.1%)
Without detected author names
11
Without a structured title
16
Without a stable identifier
33
References with raw author names still to review
11
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
135
From DOI or external metadata
135
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
11
38 / 135 (28.1%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 97 / 135 (71.9%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
19 / 135 (14.1%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 19 / 38 (50.0%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 15 / 130 (11.5%).
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