The formulation and management of social problems in service provision

As we go about our day-to-day activities, we encounter problems in our neighbourhoods (e.g., loud noise, property access, rubbish) which affect many peoples' lives. A recent study reported that over a 12-month period, more than 577,000 members of the public in the UK contacted their local council to report a neighbourhood issue (Jarrett, 2018). Significant psychological and physiological health risks relating to stress and anxiety are caused by neighbourhood disputes, conflicts, and harassment (e.g., Hill, Ross, & Angel, 2005; Shmool et al., 2015). For such a pervasive social concern, there has been little empirical research on how neighbourhood problems are described and managed as part of peoples' everyday lives. The main aim of my Fellowship is to extend the reach of my PhD thesis by producing empirical publications which will, using the qualitative approach of conversation analysis (CA), provide new insights into if and how neighbour disputes are resolved.

As members of society, we have a basic human desire to interact with others, to form communities, but also to thrive as individuals in our neighbourhoods. Occasionally, social cohesion is disrupted through the stresses of everyday life, leading to disputes over noise, unpleasant smells, or property access through a shared driveway - in turn negatively impacting upon interpersonal relationships in our communities. Sometimes, these kinds of issues are not resolved between neighbours, resulting in dilemmas about where or who to turn to for help. Several professional organisations in the UK offer assistance with neighbourhood problems, including local government services and charitable bodies. In my PhD, I investigated actual interactions between members of the public and call-takers in various institutions wherein neighbourhood issues were described, and resolution sought and attempted. Using the qualitative approach of CA, I examined recordings of initial intake telephone calls to UK antisocial behaviour, environmental health and mediation services, to investigate how callers reported neighbourhood concerns, and how call-takers managed callers' concerns. Over the course of my Fellowship, I propose to modify two thesis chapters and submit them for publication in leading international peer-reviewed journals. These chapters focus on the inter-connectedness between organisations (if and how they collaborate), and how services offer assistance (or not). More understanding of how dispute resolution services manage neighbourhood problems would enable improvements for the service-users.

A further key aim of the Fellowship is to undertake pilot work, applying similar methods of analysis to the reporting and managing of housing/homelessness problems to the Shelter charity. As with neighbour disputes, there are real health impacts on members of the public who have housing issues. A recent Shelter report revealed that 88% of Shelter clients said their mental health was affected by their housing, and 31% reported physical effects from housing; 62% reported mental health improvements associated with Shelter's help (Shelter, 2018). The Fellowship will give me the opportunity to start to examine how social problems are reported and managed through collection and preliminary analysis of recordings of helpline interactions from Shelter. Findings from the pilot analysis will underpin future grant application work with Shelter and more experienced co-applicants (e.g., Profs Antaki, Parry, Stokoe).

The findings from my research have strong potential for social impact through presentations and reports tailored for specific services (including Shelter) for how organisations manage and address peoples' neighbourhood and housing problems. Findings can be used to design materials for future impact trajectories in communication training, detailed below (Stokoe, 2011). Consequences for improvements in service provision may enhance the mental and physical wellbeing of members of the public.