Abstract In England, increasing numbers of children in care are placed in children’s homes, despite a shortage of suitable placements and concerns about continuity of care. Unstable and unsuitable care arrangements make it harder to look after children with complex needs and can have a long-term impact on their health and well-being. It is therefore important to understand the factors associated with multiple changes in placement. This article reports findings from a secondary analysis of national administrative data on children looked after in England, focusing on a cohort of children who turned eighteen in 2022–3 and had at least one children’s home placement from the age of ten. Stability was measured as the number of placement moves during the child’s period of care following their first children’s home placement. Regression models were estimated to examine the association of stability with covariates, including demographic characteristics, assessed needs, and other aspects of social care provision. Findings showed that children had 2.55 placement changes per 1,000 care days on average and certain characteristics were associated with a higher rate of change. Implications are discussed for residential care provision and for the wider problem of sufficiency in the English care system.

Abstract Drawing upon the findings of a qualitative case study of a housing rights community development project in Scotland, this article explores how a rights-based approach can help social work deliver social justice outcomes. Social work is often described as a ‘human rights profession’. However, there remains a gap between how rights are enacted within individual-focused practice and structural change efforts. This gap stems from the persistent divide between bottom-up and top-down rights-based approaches in micro and macro social work practice. Study findings suggest that a bottom-up rights-based approach can help social workers achieve individual-level improvements while simultaneously advancing wider social change. To do so, social workers need to reposition themselves from ‘the centre’ to ‘the side’ when applying human rights frameworks. Only then, can the rights-based approach help revitalize social work’s commitment to both individual well-being and social justice, particularly in contexts of increased participation, prevention, and early intervention.

Abstract This article explores the roles of medical social work (MSW) in Chinese hospitals and analyses its development, which is still at an early stage and is often constrained by various factors, through the lens of resource dependence theory. Based on a qualitative study in Beijing, the article identifies that the main roles of MSW in China currently include hospital management, transmission of medical security resources, and connecting patients with medical assistance resources, and explains that MSW’s struggle for professional legitimacy and its dependence on external resources are exacerbated by China’s unique institutional factors. The findings reveal a tension in that securing external funding often comes at the cost of professional autonomy, trapping medical social workers (MSWs) in administrative roles. The study proposes concrete strategies for mitigating this marginalization, including the formal integration of MSWs into hospital governance committees and the development of mandatory interprofessional collaboration protocols. This article analyses the need for MSW in hospitals to fully utilize existing conditions in order to develop further, while striving to enhance its internal control over resources.

Abstract The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the experience of gender inequality in higher education by Australian female Heads of Social Work. This exploratory study is significant as it builds upon previous studies of gender inequality that have focused on reasons why women are under-represented in senior positions, pay gaps, leave provisions, and training. The findings provide new information on the experiences of gender inequality of female Australian Heads of Social Work and include recommendations for change.

Abstract Social work is a relationship-centered profession with high demands for emotional labor. This study aimed to systematically review social workers’ emotional labor and identify factors that predict its outcomes. This study conducted a comprehensive review of English language studies through an extensive search. Only empirical studies that investigated social workers’ emotional labor and its outcomes, as well as the predictive factors that resulted in these outcomes, were eligible and included. This study identified 13,681 non-duplicate studies through database searches, with 22 ultimately meeting the inclusion criteria. Excluded studies were not peer-reviewed, or lacked clear definitions or relevant outcome/factor analysis of social workers’ emotional labor. The findings revealed that social workers’ emotional labor might yield both positive and negative outcomes on individual, professional, or organizational dimensions. Associated protective and risk factors, respectively, that resulted in these outcomes could be categorized into individual, professional relationship, organizational, and societal and contextual domains. Despite its significance, studies on social workers’ emotional labor remained limited. Considering the high emotional labor investment required of social workers and their potential outcomes, this study advocates for enhancing professional education, improving care services, strengthening organizational support, and greater social awareness to promote social workers’ professional and personal well-being.

Abstract The study investigated the relationship between how child welfare social workers (n = 309) assessed their first-line managers’ leadership and how they perceived their working conditions. A cross-sectional survey, based on the QPS Nordic questionnaire, was conducted in Stockholm County, Sweden. The analyses focused on the extent to which social workers assessed the leadership of their first-line managers to be empowering, supportive, and fair, and how they perceived quantitative demands, learning demands, control of decisions, role clarity, and role conflicts at work. Supportive leadership was most clearly related to working conditions and was significantly associated with how all working conditions were perceived. The more supportive the social workers assessed the leadership to be, the lower they perceived quantitative demands, learning demands, and role conflicts, along with more control of decisions and role clarity. There were less frequent associations between how working conditions were perceived and how fair leadership and empowering leadership, respectively, were assessed. The importance of leadership is underlined, especially in regard to supporting the social workers when needed. The findings show the importance of child welfare organizations ensuring that managers can provide consistent support and guidance in relation to problems and dilemmas the social workers might encounter.

Abstract Despite the tremendous flow of international migration, Ethiopia has not been given due consideration in the literature on transnational families. The current study explored the perspectives of children using information and communication technology (ICT) with their migrant parent(s). A descriptive qualitative approach, which provides rich descriptive content from participants’ perspectives, was employed. We conducted interviews with twenty-five participants from Adama and Addis Ababa. A thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Based on the analysis of the interviews, five overlapping themes were revealed: mixed emotional responses to ICT communication, transformation of children’s roles, distance parenting, shifts in contact, and emotional detachment. This study contributes by expanding our understanding of children left behind in Ethiopia and identifying the need for tailored social work services. Equitable digital access in the Ethiopian national child policy is found to be essential, which can be demonstrated by investing in school-based Wi-Fi hubs to facilitate parent–child communication and attachment. By highlighting children’s right to equitable digital access to communication with their migrant parents, this study contributes to child welfare policy across the globe in the context of migration.

Abstract This study explored the experiences with vicarious trauma for social workers who rendered their services during and in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, which ravaged Zimbabwe in 2019. A qualitative research approach was employed within the exploratory design. Ten social workers were purposively selected to share their experiences. Data were analysed through the Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The findings revealed that social workers who rendered their services to disaster-stricken communities were reeling from post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disturbances, fear, and changed professional and self-identity. It was established that there have not been any institutional support interventions to reduce postdisaster traumatic exposure effects following their cumulative exposure to distressing scenes caused by the cyclone. Talking to friends and work colleagues and seeking spiritual help were used as coping strategies amidst a lack of institutional support. The study recommends the provision of institutional support for social workers who render services in tragic disaster situations.

Abstract Across the globe social workers are increasingly working within disaster settings, responding to pandemics, environmental crises, conflict, and war. Despite being at the forefront of providing support to disaster-affected individuals and communities, research into disaster social work has not kept pace with work undertaken in the field. This case study draws on 20 semistructured interviews with Australian Government social workers to examine their role within domestic and international post-disaster settings. Four key findings are discussed. First, focusing on practical supports such as ensuring safety and providing food, water, and shelter, and supporting emotional wellbeing was considered the most effective approach by participants in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Second, participants identified that facilitating community-driven responses helped promote longer-term recovery from disasters. Third, participants reflected on using macroskills to influence policy and service delivery, utilizing their ‘on the ground’ expertise to advocate for changes to benefit the individuals and communities they were working alongside. Fourth, participants highlighted the importance of culturally responsive practice in post-disaster settings. The findings of this small-scale qualitative case study make a significant contribution to the scholarly literature on disaster social work and highlights the unique role of government social workers in disaster responses.

Abstract The surge in anti-Asian hate incidents (AAHIs) in USA during the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health of Asian Americans. This study aims to assess the research landscape by reviewing publication details, study characteristics, hate incident types, mental health impacts, and connections between hate incidents and mental health outcomes. The scoping review follows the six-stage framework outlined in the Joanna Briggs Institute’s guidelines. Literature is searched through five electronic databases and selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A data extraction template is prepared in Covidence, and investigators review the selected literature. A review of twenty-one peer-reviewed articles reveals that the primary disciplines among authors included psychology and social work. AAHIs include discrimination, bias, microaggressions, and stereotyping. The mental health impacts from the incidents include anxiety, stress, and depression. Significant direct and indirect associations between AAHIs and mental health are identified in quantitative studies, and qualitative studies echo these trends. This study can inform social work practice and policy recommendations aimed at enhancing the safety and protection of Asian American communities from hate crimes. These recommendations encompass legislative reforms and improvements in law enforcement practices to effectively respond to and mitigate hate crimes.