{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T10:11:51Z","timestamp":1790763111996,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,1]],"date-time":"2016-08-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1470009600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Qualitative Social Work"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Although the home is the most common place where social work goes on, research has largely ignored the home visit. Drawing on a participant observation study of child protection work, this article reveals the complex hidden practices of social work on home visits. It is argued that home visits do not simply involve an extension of the social work organisation, policies and procedures into the domestic domain but the home constitutes a distinct sphere of practice and experience in its own right. Home visiting is shown to be a deeply embodied practice in which all the senses and emotions come into play and movement is central. Through the use of creativity, craft and improvisation practitioners \u2018make\u2019 home visits by skilfully enacting a series of transitions from the office to the doorstep, and into the house, where complex interactions with service users and their domestic space and other objects occur. Looking around houses and working with children alone in their bedrooms were common. Drawing upon sensory and mobile methods and a material culture studies approach, the article shows how effective practice was sometimes blocked and also how the home was skilfully negotiated, moved around and creatively used by social workers to ensure parents were engaged with and children seen, held and kept safe.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/1473325016656751","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,7,6]],"date-time":"2016-07-06T21:30:07Z","timestamp":1467840607000},"page":"65-80","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":91,"title":["Making home visits: Creativity and the embodied practices of home visiting in social work and child protection"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Harry","family":"Ferguson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Sociology & Social Policy, University of Nottingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-1473325016656751","volume-title":"The Poetics of Space","author":"Bachelard G","year":"1969"},{"key":"bibr2-1473325016656751","volume-title":"The Transmission of Affect","author":"Brennan T","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr3-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcn162"},{"key":"bibr4-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcs124"},{"key":"bibr5-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Working Together to Safeguard Children: A Guide to Inter-Agency Working to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children","author":"Department for Education","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr6-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/9780230006249"},{"key":"bibr7-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcl367"},{"key":"bibr8-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-0-230-34587-4"},{"key":"bibr9-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ferguson H (2014) What social workers do in performing child protection work: evidence from research into face-to-face practice.\n                      Child and Family Social Work\n                      21(3): 283\u2013294.","DOI":"10.1111\/cfs.12142"},{"key":"bibr10-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcu120"},{"key":"bibr11-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ferguson H (2016b) How children become invisible in child protection work: Findings from research into day to day social work practice.\n                      British Journal of Social Work\n                      47(4): 1007\u20131023.","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcw065"},{"key":"bibr12-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/car.981"},{"key":"bibr13-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Analysing Social Work Communication: Discourse in Practice","author":"Hall C","year":"2014"},{"key":"bibr14-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203818336"},{"key":"bibr15-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203070062"},{"key":"bibr16-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bct053"},{"key":"bibr17-1473325016656751","volume-title":"The Comfort of Things","author":"Miller D","year":"2008"},{"key":"bibr18-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Stuff","author":"Miller D","year":"2010"},{"key":"bibr19-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Conducting the Home Visit in Child Protection","author":"Nicholas J","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr20-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Perspectives on Social Casework","author":"Perlman HH","year":"1971"},{"key":"bibr21-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Home Truths: Gender, Domestic Objects and Everyday Life","author":"Pink S","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr22-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4135\/9781446249383"},{"key":"bibr23-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1068\/a140074p"},{"key":"bibr24-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/17450101.2014.957066"},{"key":"bibr25-1473325016656751","unstructured":"Pithouse A (1998)\n                      Social Work: The Social Organisation of an Invisible Trade\n                      . 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Objects and artefacts in social work identity, practice and research.\n                      Qualitative Social Work\n                      , DOI: 10.1177\/1473325016637911.","DOI":"10.1177\/1473325016637911"},{"key":"bibr28-1473325016656751","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1515\/9783110214222.481"},{"key":"bibr29-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Social Casework","author":"Timms N","year":"1964"},{"key":"bibr30-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Social Work Skills and Knowledge: A Practice Handbook","author":"Trevithick P","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr31-1473325016656751","volume-title":"The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure","author":"Turner V","year":"1969"},{"key":"bibr32-1473325016656751","volume-title":"Mobilities","author":"Urry J","year":"2007"}],"container-title":["Qualitative Social Work"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1473325016656751","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/1473325016656751","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/1473325016656751","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,2]],"date-time":"2026-05-02T06:05:13Z","timestamp":1777701913000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/1473325016656751"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,1]]},"references-count":32,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/1473325016656751"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1473325016656751","relation":{},"ISSN":["1473-3250","1741-3117"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1473-3250","type":"print"},{"value":"1741-3117","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2016,8,1]]}}}