Key findings and future developments The concept of the cognitive continuum (Hammond 1996) is central to the papers in this thesis and has provided a framework within which to examine social work sense-making. A number of authors have considered the significance of Hammond's work on judgement and decision-making for social work practice (e.g. Munro 2011, Turney et al. 2012, Taylor 2012). However, in comparison to fields such as nursing or management, cognitive continuum theory is relatively under-utilised in theorising and researching social work judgement and decision-making. My application of cognitive continuum theory has informed data analysis from my ethnographic research and this has, in turn, contributed to theory development in a number of key areas. In this section I will outline the nature of these developments and consider their current and potential impact on social work practice and education. Professional judgement in child welfare and protection has been criticised for being prone to error and bias and lacking in evidential status (Munro 2008). Attempts to address these issues have included important developments in structured clinical models of assessment which combine actuarial and clinical approaches to improve the predictive validity of judgements and make better links between assessments of risk and the plans that flow from assessments to effectively manage the risks identified (Barry 2007). Clinical and actuarial approaches to assessment can be seen to occupy the poles of the cognitive continuum, with clinical judgement drawing on intuitive, tacit knowledge and actuarial approaches requiring the application of statistical algorithmic models to predict risk. My research has demonstrated the significance of the social and cultural environment of the social work office as an influence and driver for movement on the cognitive continuum, crucial for an effective match between judgement style and task environment. Learning from experience It is broadly accepted that social workers operate in conditions of chronic uncertainty and that sense-making in such conditions is necessarily interpretive
Key findings and future developments The concept of the cognitive continuum (Hammond 1996) is central to the papers in this thesis and has provided a framework within which to examine social work sense-making. A number of authors have considered the significance of Hammond's work on judgement and decision-making for social work practice (e.g. Munro 2011, Turney et al. 2012, Taylor 2012). However, in comparison to fields such as nursing or management, cognitive continuum theory is relatively under-utilised in theorising and researching social work judgement and decision-making. My application of cognitive continuum theory has informed data analysis from my ethnographic research and this has, in turn, contributed to theory development in a number of key areas. In this section I will outline the nature of these developments and consider their current and potential impact on social work practice and education. Professional judgement in child welfare and protection has been criticised for being prone to error and bias and lacking in evidential status (Munro 2008). Attempts to address these issues have included important developments in structured clinical models of assessment which combine actuarial and clinical approaches to improve the predictive validity of judgements and make better links between assessments of risk and the plans that flow from assessments to effectively manage the risks identified (Barry 2007). Clinical and actuarial approaches to assessment can be seen to occupy the poles of the cognitive continuum, with clinical judgement drawing on intuitive, tacit knowledge and actuarial approaches requiring the application of statistical algorithmic models to predict risk. My research has demonstrated the significance of the social and cultural environment of the social work office as an influence and driver for movement on the cognitive continuum, crucial for an effective match between judgement style and task environment. Learning from experience It is broadly accepted that social workers operate in conditions of chronic uncertainty and that sense-making in such conditions is necessarily interpretive