Social Work Approach Research Articles

Relationship between Social Work, Alliances, and Inclusivity: Way Forward for a New Eco-Social impact in Kenya

Alliances and inclusivity for social work have become increasingly important in the recent past as implementing agencies seek to realise sustainable development from engagement and facilitation of communities. The current scenario of social education and practices has largely encountered aspects of exclusion and non-sustainability. The role of social work for innovation and sustainable development cannot be underestimated. It postulates that social workers have equal opportunity to draw from practice the values that bring about positive societal changes. Organisations and institutions have a role to play in this regard. It is the role of the service institutions in Kenya to promote ideas, concepts and systems that embrace innovative approaches which enhance sustainable development. This paper looks at how alliances can be effective in promoting the principles of innovative social work practices and sustainable development in Kenya. The role of research in social work forms the basis of the conceptual analysis for the discussion. Various concepts that enhance or hinder innovative social work approaches and sustainable development are also discussed. The achievement of national and international development goals like Kenya Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) largely depends on the creativity and innovation of social approaches and strategies. This paper strives to lift up the paradigm shift of social work education and practice as envisaged by social workers in Kenya and suggest possible intervention strategies necessary for co-building a new eco-social world. The author uses documentary analysis to explore challenges encountered and possible solutions. Empirical data was collected between March and May 2022 through semi-structured interviews with social workers, literature review and document analysis. This article recommends a strategic focus on the modalities and components of social work interventions as a way of enhancing the outcomes of co-building a new eco-social world.

Bridging the Grey Gap: Conducting Grey Literature Reviews for Ethical Social Work Practice and Research

This article provides a social work approach to reviewing the grey literature as part of a scoping or systematic review that attends to all layers of the social ecology through a person-in-environment framework. Little guidance exists on how to conduct a grey literature review specific to social work. Yet, consulting the grey literature—which often includes knowledge generated by practitioners and community members outside of academia—aligns with social work’s commitment to social justice, integrity, and competence because the grey literature contains case-specific and contemporary information about social work practice. Although academic knowledge about addressing injustices has value, it is often constrained by the neoliberal political economy, which emphasizes depoliticized market-based solutions to social issues and (re)produces inequities. Consequently, sole reliance on academic evidence compromises social workers’ ethical commitment to integrity, competence, and social justice. We use a scoping review focused on restorative and transformative justice responses to sexual violence as a case study demonstrating the value of grey literature in social work. We argue that grey literature should be part of evidence-informed ethical social work practice and recommend a social work approach to reviewing the grey literature that incorporates the person-in-environment framework.

Opportunities for social workers to mitigate unjust substance use policy

ABSTRACT A social work approach to addressing substance use embraces the NASW Code of Ethics with a dually focused client-centered and person-in-environment lens. These social work values often conflict with the myriad of U.S. policies that impact substance users by creating and reinforcing structural inequalities. Michael Lipsky’s Street-Level Bureaucracies reveal for social workers opportunities to mitigate policy with the consistent practice of a social work approach to substance use. This article provides an overview of Michael Lipsky’s Street-Level Bureaucracies and outlines opportunities to embrace social justice and human rights through micro and macro social work practice with people who use substances.

Linkages: Settlement houses, summer camps, and the origins of social group work

ABSTRACT This article shares historical research relating to the intersection of social group work, settlement houses, and summer camps. It discusses how settlement houses in the early twentieth century worked to nurture social group work approaches in their clubs and summer camps. By developing an understanding of group process, examining the impact of the physical environment, implementing collaborative models, and operationalizing democratic living; these pioneer social workers created and applied concepts for working with small groups that continue to be relevant today. Graduate schools of social work gradually accepted social group work as a method of interpersonal practice and engaged faculty who had honed this approach in settlement houses, community centers, and summer camps. Social science research was soon incorporated into the method. Spotlighting multiple examples, the article seeks to show how group work’s distant past can serve as a highly pertinent inspiration for present and future social workers and students.

Supporting Pregnant Women Experiencing Homelessness

ABSTRACT Despite the significant needs of pregnant homeless women, the paucity of literature on this topic has contributed to a gap in practice and policy knowledge about this vulnerable group. Drawing on two research projects undertaken in Victoria, Australia, the authors analysed interviews with women experiencing homelessness and interviews and focus groups with policy practitioners and service providers. Service system barriers faced by pregnant homeless women and the support needed to stabilise housing were explored. Results showed how the resource-depleted housing context, combined with organisational restrictions that constrained care coordination and continuity, generated exclusionary outcomes for pregnant homeless women. These findings, informed by a feminist critical social work framework, draw attention to: the harms of gender-blind policy and practice; the approaches to providing care that work; and a need within social work to address challenges unique to pregnant women experiencing homelessness. IMPLICATIONS Policy and practice that do not recognise gender generate exclusionary outcomes for pregnant homeless women. There is a pressing need for affordable, suitable and long-term housing options for pregnant homeless women Rapid rehousing into permanent accommodation that recognises pregnancy as a criterion is needed to meet requirements of pregnant homeless women. A feminist critical social work approach highlights the need for continuous and coordinated care provision for pregnant homeless women

Interpersonal Problems of Urban Poor Children Case Intervention Study—An Attempt to Integrate Social Work Approach in China

As cities grow, the issue of urban poor children comes to the fore. Whereas, professional skills of Social Work are not widespread in China since it is a new subject. Besides, people find that using a single method of Social Work is not always effective in dealing with complex problems. Therefore, this paper attempts to flexibly utilize the social work approach, as well as integrate various professional skills to achieve better results. After selecting a child as a case in the Y community and the assessment, it finds that interpersonal barriers and a weak social support system were his critical problems. Therefore, the intervention aims to strengthen his social support system and improve his interpersonal communication capability. The practice study is based on the social system theory, analyzing the client’s egotism living conditions and social interaction. According to the Pincus-Minahan model, this paper sets service goals and intervention objects, choosing the client’s personal, family, and school system as intervention objects. The intervention process combines interview and scale, and adopts a variety of special practical skills suitable for the client’s situation, such as game therapy and relaxation mode. To progressively achieve goals, the intervention comprises five phases, including “the establishment of professional relations”, “venting emotions stage”, “establishing rational cognition stage”, and “promoting positive interaction with the family system stage”, and “social skills enhancement stage”. The service successfully alleviates interpersonal interaction trouble. In addition, in order to make the study more objective and comprehensive, this practical study combines interviews with scale, integrates qualitative and quantitative evaluation research models, and carries out process evaluation in each service stage. In the selection of research methods, this paper gives full play to the advantages of casework, and makes up for the weakness by integrating various practical skills. This practical study has achieved remarkable results. The client is more willing to communicate with others after the intervention, and his interpersonal relationship has been significantly improved.

Indigenised approaches to addressing elder abuse in Uganda

Summary The social gerontological field has long called for a culturally appropriate framework to understand, prevent, and respond to elder abuse in the Global South. This emphasis is, in part, based on the notion that elder abuse is a cultural and structural concern that cannot be effectively addressed using mainstream social work approaches. Therefore, indigenised approaches are preferred while tackling cultural and structural forms of elder abuse. However, despite several attempts, there is limited research on indigenised approaches and practices within the gerontological social work field. Therefore, we investigated how social work could promote indigenised approaches to better address elder abuse. We explored this through in-depth semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 21 social workers. Findings Elder abuse is a cultural and structural social problem that requires family- and community-centred approaches premised on the Indigenous values of togetherness, reciprocity, solidarity, responsibility and love for humanity. These approaches must be embedded in people’s cultures and knowledge to address the social structural changes that have contributed to elder abuse in the Global South. Applications Social workers should strengthen family and community support to achieve social capital and inclusion for older people. This will not only enable families and communities to safeguard their older members, but also enhance community-based solutions to address elder abuse. Social work educators should engage in robust and rigorous research and curriculum change for social work education to enable the integration of post-colonial theories and approaches into social work training.

Social Work's Role in Human Rights for Refugees: Challenges Facing Syrian Refugee Women and Girls

In looking at social work’s response to the human rights of refugees, the profession has not been historically very engaged with the social issue and there seems to have been a general lack of awareness regarding the human rights issues facing refugees (Libal & Popescu, 2018). However, by viewing social work as a human rights profession, social workers may have the opportunity to become more prepared to aid refugees globally not only in a clinical response, but also on the level of advocacy and policy implementation to advocate for and ensure the rights of refugees around the world (Karlsson & Johnsson, 2020). This paper will first engage in a historical analysis, discussing historical social work approaches, historical framing, and present-day social construction and response to the global refugee crisis. The paper will then analyze the overall mental health, wellbeing, and other challenges facing refugees, providing specific attention to the those faced by Syrian women and girl refugees, followed by an analysis of how social work can address these challenges. The paper will then highlight assumed causes and consequences of these challenges while addressing how those in power have framed the refugee crisis throughout history. The paper will then dive deeper into the prevalence of these human rights challenges and who they impact. After discussing how this issue relates to social work values, this paper will then detail potential advocacy steps social workers may implement at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels to address it.

STRENGTH-BASED APPROACH IN WORKING WITH TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES: A REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL PRACTICE

Based on the analysis of literature, the paper reviews the characteristic of the application of the strength-based approach at the level of the territorial community, which has become widespread since the 1990s. It was stressed that this approach belongs to the emancipatory (developmental) macro-practice of social work and is aimed at using community resources to solve collective problems, as well as ensuring more equitable relations in the community. The paper highlights that for relatively stable situations in communities and in developing communities, the following strategies could be used: community participation; collective empowerment; asset-based community development. The authors specify the peculiarities of the application of these approaches in social work within territorial communities.While for crises and emergencies, a community resilience development strategy is more commonly used. This strategy involves building community members' ability to use their own resources to overcome emergencies and return to normal life. The paper reveals the process of working with territorial communities in emergencies and considers the following stages: assessment of losses and risks; determining community capacity; ensuring participation; education and training; formation of resilience. These stages are presented in such a way that the community can pass gradually or cyclically, in case when the impact of the emergency is prolonged or repeated.The paper features the key components of the strengths-based approach applied to social work with territorial community: community empowerment; collective action and self-organization; positive self-identification and community values; viability (resilience) of the community. The specifics of these strategies are outlined, their differences from the classical typology of community work models (by J. Rothman) are discussed.

Social work in a superdiverse society: an exploration of cooperation in professional practice

ABSTRACT Superdiversity is a rapidly expanding social phenomenon with major implications for social work practice. In this paper, we outline the key characteristics of superdiversity as it is currently understood and explore its implications for social work practice. Drawing on the seminal work of Richard Sennett we consider how his conceptual ideas about cooperation, as a vehicle for embracing difference through dialogue, can be translated into everyday social work practice in contexts of superdiversity. Empirical research into contemporary social work practice with urban migrant communities provides rich illustrations of the intricacies of social workers’ cooperative mindsets and skillsets and their capacity to respond to the challenges that superdiversity poses to professional practice. This paper considers the affordances of this conceptual approach for social work and superdiversity and closes with an affirmative rallying call to cooperative action and a re-conceptualisation of cooperation based on embracing difference.

Research Competencies of Social Work Students during Remote Learning

Context: Acquiring research competencies by students is becoming more and more relevant in an evidence-based social work approach. Moving from traditional face-to-face pedagogical approach to a fully remote educational paradigm has greatly impacted universities in developing appropriate solutions for teaching and learning. Research skills and knowledge have been considered an important competence in social work training as best practice requires using available research data and best research requires understanding the context of practice. Method: Using a quantitative approach the current paper analyses how perception of remote learning and type and level of digital skills influence the development of research skills for social work students. 242 Romanian students enrolled in bachelor program filled in a questionnaire in June 2021. Results: The experience of a fully remote learning of research method did not have any significant impact on research competencies. However, the high level of operational skills influences students’ competency in research inquiry and quantitative/qualitative methodology, information-navigation skills positively influence dissemination of research and creative skills influences their level in quantitative/qualitative process, ethics and dissemination. Conclusion: In an evidence-based social work approach, research competences need to remain an important component of learning plans. However, considering the digitalisation trend higher education, it is expected that the content and format of research classes to adapt in order to assure the transferability of skills into the field of practice.

Creating SPACE

Escalating conflicts, climate change, rising inequality, a global pandemic: Complex emergencies are leading to a reconfiguration of the world as we know it. Rapid flow of information allows increased visibility and understanding of the impact of these crises on the most vulnerable. Yet at the same time, marginalized communities are rendered invisible, and their fundamental human rights are being erased. In such contexts, providing a framework that engages communities and ensures that they are at the core of any capacity building endeavor is an important professional mandate for international social work and social development. This paper introduces the Strengths and Participation to Accomplish Capacity and Empowerment (SPACE) conceptual framework for capacity building and community engagement in international social work practice. This conceptual framework builds on both the strengths perspective and empowerment theories, and promotes a rights-based approach for international social work and social development. SPACE was first used to design and implement a training-of-trainers program in two communities in Guatemala. The training’s effectiveness in building capacity was evidenced by the impactful networks strengthened or developed as a result of the training in developing COVID-related responses. Further applications of this framework can improve international social work practice and advance rights-based approaches to sustainable development.

A call for a new perspective in social work and health care: the developmental-clinical social work perspective. COVID-19 pandemic through the human rights perspective

ABSTRACT Human rights are essential in shaping the pandemic response both for the public health emergency and the broader impact on people’s well-being. Utilizing the human rights lenses, this article expatiates on a developmental-clinical social work approach to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The disquisition explores human rights to health, education, adequate food and nutrition, water and sanitation, and development. It conducts projections and a cost–benefit analysis of remedial and developmental focus on health. The paper emphasizes that it is criminal to deprive human beings of their entitlements. The paper argues that socio-economic inequalities deprive people of their human rights. To this end, it calls for the equal distribution of wealth to end poverty and ultimately address human rights concerns. It advances for the integration of health in all policies. The article calls for the social work profession and other helping professions to rethink of their priorities in the enhancement of people’s welfare: either to be an agent of social control or an agent of social change. Social work should face the socio-economic inequalities head-on if it is to truly reflect its professional philosophy of social justice.

Socio-psychological rehabilitation of scientific and pedagogical workers by means of landscape therapy

The article highlights the essence of landscape therapy as an interdisciplinary concept and the place of this method among other means of social and psychological rehabilitation. The psychological and aesthetic aspects of human perception of landscape complexes as a means of social and psychological rehabilitation are revealed. The application of the landscape therapy method is presented in the context of three of the most modern and promising approaches in international social work: an approach based on clients' strengths, an approach focused on "empowerment" or "activation" of clients and the concept of green social work. The article proves the fallacy of approaching landscape therapy only as a natural background during the application, so to speak, of the basic techniques of art therapy. The forms of application of landscape therapy in social practices accepted in the world (for example, garden therapy in hospitals and rehabilitation centers) and social practices introduced at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine are described. The categories of scientific and pedagogical workers for whom landscape therapy is the most recommended are defined. It is emphasized that landscape therapy's therapeutic and rehabilitative effect during interaction with scientific and pedagogical workers is aimed not only at obtaining aesthetic satisfaction, but also at optimizing negative emotional states. The state of studying the problem of the influence of different types of landscape ecosystems on the psycho-emotional sphere of a person is analyzed. Landscape therapy as an autonomous method of social and psychological rehabilitation is perceived in the world as an effective tool for influencing clients and patients with a number of mental, social and physical problems. Ecotherapy (nature therapy) and garden therapy (therapeutic gardens) are actively developing in the world as branches that are close in concept to landscape therapy. The rehabilitative potential of the means of landscape therapy in the conditions of sanatorium-resort treatment has been clarified. The results of an empirical study conducted on the basis of the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine on the study of daily (routine) self-recovery techniques of scientific and pedagogical workers during the working day are presented.

New Strategies of Conflict Resolution in Social Work: A Consideration on Buddhist Social Work Approach Based on Sutta Pitaka

Buddhism has long been recognized as a religion of peace and non-violence. In today’s world, various conflicts take place between nations, religions, and ethnic groups. Buddha saw that people can live together freely as individuals, equal in principle, and therefore responsible for each other. Buddha explains that every member of the human family, man and woman alike, has an equal right to liberty. He recognized that each of us is just a human being like everyone else. The Buddha has given this example in his own monasteries. The monks who belonged to different castes were given the opportunity to spend time together in the same monastery, which included holding meetings altogether, irrespective of ethnicity, caste, or religion, walking together in the Pindapātha, and holding Dhamma discussions together in the one Dhamma hall. The objective of this study is to identify Buddha’s teaching on social and ethnic harmony throughout the Buddhist scriptures (Pāli Canon) and consider its application in conflict resolution. Special attention will be paid to the doctrine preached by the Buddha which can be applied to build mutual understanding, relationships, and peace. The study method in this study is historical texts (Sutta Pitaka) content analysis and is carried out using the library survey methodology.

The Role of Preventive Approach of Social Work to Prevent the Risks of Intellectual Deviation among University Students

Social workers are an important part of the efforts to combat intellectual deviation among young people in many countries, including Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study was conducted on 102 social workers to examine the social worker's actual role (the practitioner) in protecting university students from the dangers of intellectual deviation by identifying the actual practice roles and the challenges they face in three public universities in Saudi Arabia. The study concluded that social workers play many roles to protect students from intellectual deviation, the most important of which is to develop critical thinking among students to think soundly. Nevertheless, the results also indicate that training female students on cultural openness and interest in consolidating identity was one of the least practiced roles in this field. The social worker faces many obstacles in exercising the preventive role, the most important of which is the lack of a media plan to clarify the role of the university social worker in protecting female students from the dangers of intellectual deviation. The second obstacle is the social workers' lack of sufficient skill in changing students' ideas and concepts. In addition, to the students' lack of awareness of the nature of the role played by the social worker when practicing the preventive approach to confront intellectual extremism. The study suggests focusing on cultural sensitivity in exercising the preventive role in combating intellectual extremism among young people and presenting several strategies that contribute to the development of social work in this field.

Strengths-Based Approaches in Social Work and Social Care: Reviewing the Evidence

<strong>Context:</strong> There is substantial policy support for strengths-based approaches to social work and social care. These new models of care promote the deployment of ‘strengths’ including personal, social and community resources to empower individuals to achieve their desired outcomes. Although a number of strengths-based models have been developed it is not known whether and how they work, or which model works best for whom and in what circumstances. <strong>Objectives:</strong> A scoping review of evidence was conducted between July and September 2019. Its primary aim was to explore the nature and extent of evidence in relationship to strengths-based approaches in social work and social care for adults; also how these approaches impact on practice and on outcomes for social care service users and their families. <strong>Methods:</strong> A database search was conducted for the period 2009 to 2019 to identify peer-reviewed and grey literature publications on the use of strengths (or asset) based approaches in social work and social care. A total of 72 items were included. <strong>Findings:</strong> Strengths-based approaches are being embraced by policy makers and practitioners but questions remain about: their definition (how they are distinct from other approaches, and how they should be conceptualised); their effectiveness and feasibility (including their intersection with local authority eligibility thresholds); and how they should/can be evaluated. Specific research needs to be done to evaluate the precise nature of strengths-based approaches in social work and social care, their impact on users and carers quality of life and well being and the outcomes achieved. <strong>Limitations:</strong> The review may be limited by the lack of evidence in a relatively under-researched area of practice. Study designs were varied and included a number of qualitative case studies but very few quantitative or RCT based studies. <strong>Implications:</strong> This review has brought evidence together, extended understanding about strengths-based approaches in social work and social care for adults and offered us a platform upon which to develop models of evaluation.

In Search of Transformative Practice: Outreach Work Tactics for Perpetuating Symbolic Boundaries

Abstract Health services, social welfare, housing and an adequate standard of living are all part of the economic, social and cultural rights which should be accessible to all. These rights are, however, not realised for all and societal resources are not accessible to all. In this respect, outreach work is a promising social work approach as it is often deployed to target, engage and bring individuals back into contact with services. Nevertheless, it is argued that outreach work leaves the mainstream unchallenged. We therefore examine the transformational potential of outreach work (Grymonprez and Roose, 2019). Theoretically, we draw on the concept of symbolic boundaries, which are conceptual distinctions drawn between people and groups. This article contains an in-depth analysis of outreach work practice with marginalised homeless individuals in the Belgian city of Antwerp. We identified three conceptual distinctions important for the construction of symbolic boundaries: predictability, complexity and housing readiness. Our analysis identifies a range of tactics used by outreach workers to transform these boundaries. Such tactics may be helpful for social workers interested in transformational practice in contexts where challenging the mainstream is not seen as a mandate for outreach workers.

Sosyal Hizmette Sosyal Eylem Yaklaşımının Kullanılması

Sosyal eylem, “insanları olumsuz yönde etkileyen maddi ve sosyal koşulları değiştirmeye yönelik sistematik ve bilinçli çaba” olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Tanımından anlaşılacağı üzere sosyal eylem kavramının çıkış noktası, sosyal hizmet mesleğinin hedefleriyle uyuşmaktadır. Sosyal hizmet uzmanları geçmişten günümüze mikro, mezzo ve makro düzeydeki baskı karşıtı ve güçlendirme odaklı mesleki müdahalelerinde sosyal eylemden yararlanmışlardır. Çalışma; toplumsal cinsiyet, engellilik ve mültecilik alanlarında sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının sosyal eylemden nasıl yararlandıklarını anlatmasından ötürü önem arz etmektedir. Çalışmada sosyal eylem kavramının içeriği, sosyal eylem kavramının sosyal hizmet uygulamasında kullanımına dair tarihçe ve sosyal eylemin sosyal hizmet uygulamasında kullanım alanları (toplumsal cinsiyet, engellilik, mültecilik) aktarılması amaçlanmıştır

A Systematic Review of the Protective and Risk Factors Influencing the Mental Health of Forced Migrants: Implications for Sustainable Intercultural Mental Health Practice

This systematic review followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The primary aim of this research was to identify risks and protective factors for the mental health of forced migrants. The secondary aim was to suggest an alternative, more comprehensive approach in social work that surpasses usual diagnoses and intrinsically contradicts the medicalization of mental health issues of forced migrants. The search was conducted between January 2015 and January 2021. As a result, 29 studies met inclusion criteria. Medicalizing mental health issues by relying solely on the effectiveness of medicine was a controversial risk factor that negatively affected daily life activities of refugees and reduced their willingness for seeking professional mental health services. Empowering vulnerable minorities by giving them back their power and agency to be able to speak for themselves and raise voices of trauma and recovery was the missing protective factor for a sustainable mental health practice. The benefits of group-based interventions were highlighted in which communities and individuals address mental health issues as well as isolation through building collective identities and support networks. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can add more strength to any kind of mental health interventions. Finally, the benefits of applying an ecological perspective for the study of the mental health of refugees, and its implications for a sustainable intercultural practice, were discussed. Social workers in this model are the representatives of at-risk groups, and thus require more agency and creativity in reflecting client’s concrete needs.