Following the actors: understanding the barriers to knowledge sharing in child protection social work

Recognising the post-recession socio-economic conditions where social work practice takes place, and by utilising Actor Network Theory (ANT) as an ontological tool, this paper draws on data from practitioners as they try to grapple with the concept of evidence-based practice and its operationalisation. The associated drive for growing the ‘collective capability’ of social services by mobilising knowledge is now a key motivator for organisations as they face financial uncertainty and the drive towards technological solutions to complex human problems. By utilising a methodological approach that draws on ANT and exploring what social workers are doing, this paper offers a new perspective on knowledge sharing that reflects contemporary shifts in the spatial and temporal arrangements of public sector workplace practices.