Competent Social Work Research Articles

FORMATION OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN FUTURE SOCIAL EMPLOYEES BY MEANS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

The author of the article raises the problem of future social workers’ social competence formation. The purpose of the article is to unlock the potential and possibilities of using ICT as a means of shaping and developing the social competence of future social workers.The author argues that the use of ICT in the training of future social workers and the formation of their social competence will contribute to: individualization of education; designing his/her imaginative “I” in the future profession; mastering the skills of “lifelong learning”; enhancing the motivation of the learning subjects in their use and the emotional background of the educational process; activation of independent activity; activation of self-education and reflection; providing a wide range of contacts, the ability to communicate through the Internet without any space, time constraints, etc.; complex influence on different senses; accumulation of information and knowledge in the context of contemporary socio-cultural transformations; increasing the level of social competence formation and its integrative level in general.The author defines the prerequisites for the use of ICT by students. She reveals the basic skills and competences of the social worker in the process of using ICT as a means of forming and developing their own social competence. Scientist unlocks the potential of online distance learning platforms and massive open online courses, social networks, interactive online forms of educational work organization, etc. – as a means of forming and developing the social competence of future social workers.

Using Simulated Instruction to Prepare Students to Engage in Culturally Competent Practice

Developing and training students to understand issues of diversity, including the development of a culturally competent social work identity, has long been a challenge for schools of social work. Nevertheless, preparing students to engage with diverse populations is paramount. Simulated learning is an effective pedagogy to enhance and broaden students’ understanding in regard to engaging with diverse populations. This article examines the use of human simulation instruction activities to prepare students to engage in culturally competent practice. More specifically, in this article, the constructs of the cultural competence practice model of Campinha–Bacote (2002) will be examined for practical application in social work education.

Considering the Potential of Pesantren’s Constribution in Diversion Programs for Juvenile Offenders

Diversion, in the Law of the Republic of Indonesia No. 11 of 2012 concerning the Juvenile Justice System, aims to save the future of children (victims and perpetrators). In the process diversion involves the community in the process of restoration of relations between victims and perpetrators.Diversion is carried out bearing in mind that children who are perpetrators of crime have the right to be treated fairly by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The problem in the current diversion is the stigmatization of society and the rejection of perpetrators and their families. To overcome this, a selter is needed for adequate coaching. The existence of selter and competent social workers who handle isstill very less when compared with the existing needs. Is an Islamic boarding school as an educational institution in Indonesia, has made many contributions in the development of social society in Indonesia. Not only religious education, the role of pesantren also contributes to the development of community skills, poverty alleviation, empowerment and other behaviorbased activities. Islamic boarding school education applies a live in system, which makes students (santri) live in a dormitory. With a system like this pesantren must have adequate facilities such as dormitories, places to study and mosques. Data from the Directorate of Islamic Education (Pendis) Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, recorded 27,230 pesantren with various models (salaf and modern) that have accommodated 3,759,198 santri, both male and female. This number illustrates that pesantren has the potential to contribute to the handling of child offenders. Contribution of pesantren can be in the form ofshelter and guidance for children of perpetrators. Some potential reasons that pesantren are alternative places to carry out diversion programs: 1) in large quantities and spread throughout Indonesia 2) have adequate facilities and human resources for mental development; 3). tested in a mental development program; 4). Community trust in pesantren is quite high. Before the pesantren becomes an alternative, there are a number ofthings that need to be addressed, among others: 1) aligning the vision of diversion between the legal apparatus and the boarding school administrators; 2) readiness of other pesantren residents (santri and teachers) to accept child crime perpetrators. 3) improvement of coach / teacher skills in handling child offenders.

Differing knowledges: comparing the contribution of drama students and service users in role-plays preparing social work students for practice

ABSTRACT Much has been written about service user involvement in social work education with the literature recognizing the value of this particular type of experiential knowledge in helping students understand key competences and concepts. There is also extensive literature highlighting the role of simulation in assisting social work students to develop key insights in regard to skills and knowledge through role-plays. Using a Cross-Over design, this paper compares the contribution of drama students with service users in the preparation of social work students for field practice in Northern Ireland. Our findings suggest there is an important role for both drama students and service users working collaboratively to help social work students develop in key areas of social work competence and have implications for social work education in an international context.

Development of soft skills as a factor of improving the efficiency of social workers

The article analyzes soft skills as a group of "soft" over-professional skills that have a strong impact on the nature of the specialist's interaction with his environment. The importance of developing these qualities among social workers is emphasized. It is noted that the system of vocational training and training of future specialists does not provide for the formation of "soft" competencies. The authors see the development of soft skills of social workers as a management task. There are two areas of work with staff, which are focused on the development of soft skills. The first is an active supervisory experience as learning from the experience of others (working with a mentor). It is emphasized that such a supervision is a tool for the formation of "soft" qualities of specialists and prevents the occurrence of stressful conditions. The second is the development of staff by updating, replenishing and improving the knowledge, skills and abilities of specialists. The authors propose specific management methods in accordance with the allocated areas: 1) the elaboration of individual development plans for employees; 2) search and accounting of feedback; 3) the involvement of experienced employees in the supervision implementation; 4) rotation of personnel; 5) the creation of a moral and psychological climate in the team, which stimulates self-development and self-education of employees. The article concludes that it is difficult to evaluate the degree of development of over-professional skills. The need to develop soft skills among social workers as a condition for improving the quality of their services is proved. Promising areas of research on the problem are being identified: opportunities to modernize the training system and develop a management strategy to take into account the development of soft skills of employees; creating a methodology for assessing and measuring the level of development of the "soft" competences of social workers at different stages of their professional careers.

‘Does my Haltung look big in this?’: The use of social pedagogical theory for the development of ethical and value-led practice

The aim of this article is to set out how the use of social pedagogical Haltung can support the exploration of values and how this informs and shapes a practitioner’s direct work. Haltung is a German concept that has no direct English translation but means ‘mindset’, ‘ethos’ or ‘attitude’ (Eichsteller, 2010) and relates to an individual’s value base. Mührel (2008, cited in Eichsteller, 2010) set out that a social pedagogical Haltung is based on the two concepts of empathic understanding and regard. This article argues that the use of a social pedagogical Haltung gives practitioners a philosophical framework to support the reflection of core values and ethics held on a personal level. It also supports an understanding of how these influence practitioners and students when using self in relationship-based practice. The understanding of Haltung is important, but for social pedagogical practice to be undertaken it also has to be demonstrated by actions. The reflective activity of ‘values alive in practice’, set out in this article, provides a tool for social workers, practitioners and students to critically explore their own values and practice and make more meaningful connections between their Haltung and the behaviours they demonstrate in their everyday work. In the United Kingdom, values and standards for social work practice are set out by the British Association of Social Work and Social Work England. Arguably these have, at times, been reduced to a checklist for students and practitioners and can lack more in-depth and explicit links to practice. The analysis of practice is more likely to focus on the skills and abilities of practitioners rather than the value base that underpins these. While the understanding and key application of core knowledge and skills is essential for competent social work practice (Forrester et al., 2019), this article argues that it must also be supported and shaped by ethical principles. It seeks to explore how social workers can be supported to adopt value-led approaches to complex work within an outcome-focused culture.

Rural Healthcare and Telehealth: The Importance of Social Work Departments at HBCUs in Developing a Competent Workforce in the Rural South

Telehealth is an emerging area of practice within social work that can potentially have great impacts on the way care is provided to rural communities. Rural communities are racially diverse, older, and tend to have lower incomes resulting in unique barriers to already scarce rural healthcare options. In addition to understanding the logistic differences that may influence healthcare receipt in rural areas, such as transportation and cost, there are additional competencies that are required to effectively implement culturally competent telehealth to rural communities, such as understanding digital inequities. Thus, there is a need for a culturally competent social work workforce to engage with rural communities in order to implement effective telehealth practices. HBCUs are primed to create this workforce as evidenced by their historical contributions to the field and current proximity to marginalized communities. This article will explore rurality and healthcare in the Southern United States, provide a general overview of telehealth use by social workers, and discuss the importance of HBCUs in the role of developing a culturally competent workforce to engage diverse communities and enhance telehealth delivery in rural areas.

Non-government organization study awards: enhancing successful completion of social work qualification

ABSTRACT The current study used a sequential, exploratory mixed-method design to explore how a social work study scholarship implemented in Aotearoa New Zealand impacted on recipients’ qualification completion and their professional and practice competence. Phase one involved 13 individual interviews with past award recipients which described how the study award impacted on their qualification completion. Thematic analysis was used to extract themes. These themes were examined in the second phase through a quantitative battery completed by 107 past recipients to examine their professional and practice competence. The findings from interviews showed the award enabled recipients to complete their studies and improve their social work practice without causing undue stress or financial pressure on the recipient and their family. Quantitative analysis corroborated and extended these findings to demonstrate that the award contributed to lifting the level of social work knowledge, competence, and skills in the recipients. Accompanying the successful qualification completion, these qualified social workers were equipped with essential skills, promoting social work values and competence to contribute and safeguard the benefit of children, families, and communities. The awards offered a ‘wrap around’ support and was not limited by age or ethnicity but provided a support system to achieve qualification completion.

Physician and nurse practitioner perceptions of social worker and community health worker roles in primary care practices caring for frail elders: Insights for social work

ABSTRACTSocial workers (SW) and community health workers (CHW) have emerged as key workforce personnel in efforts to care for elders in the U.S. However, little is known about the presence and roles of SW and CHW in primary care practices. This paper presents findings from a nationally representative survey of geriatrics and primary care practices. Physician and nurse practitioner clinicians were randomly selected within practices, stratifying by practice staffing and presence/absence of geriatric clinicians; our final sample for this analysis included 341 practices. Key findings include: reported challenges in meeting the social service needs of elders, underutilization of SW, and fuller utilization of social work competencies in practices in which both SW and CHW were present. These findings offer a unique perspective of SW on interprofessional teams and have implications for the future of the profession.

Dietary adaptation of immigrant families

ABSTRACTFindings from this preliminary descriptive survey of 81 Japanese households who live in southeastern Pennsylvania reveal the unique challenges that immigrant families experience in regard to food. Retention of dietary traditions may become difficult when personal, psychological, and social concerns are involved, and dietary adaptation can be an inevitable process, resulting from certain life events, such as immigration to the United States, marriage to a U.S. citizen, and childrearing. Culturally competent social workers should be aware of the extent to which dietary adaptation influences the well-being of immigrant families. Practice implications are discussed.

Narratives of power and powerlessness: cultural competence in social work with asylum seekers and refugees

ABSTRACT With increasing international migration, social workers have not only been confronted with growing diversity, but also with the effects of displacement, trauma and immigration controls in the lives of their service users. Although the ongoing debates on migration, migrant integration and social cohesion have facilitated a growing literature on, and demand for cultural competence in social work, little progress has been made to arrive at an agreement of what exactly is required from social workers in cross-cultural encounters. This paper draws from the qualitative element of a mixed-methods study on social workers’ experiences of cross-cultural practice conducted in Glasgow, Scotland in 2016. By focusing on social workers’ experiences of accommodating and negotiating cultural differences with asylum seekers, this paper illustrates how social workers are moving beyond the cultural lens in understanding difference and disadvantage. The findings suggest that whilst culture continues to influence social workers’ encounters with service users, addressing cultural conflicts requires social workers to understand the complex power relations which asylum seekers are subject to both within and beyond the care relationship. Practice perspectives on the challenges and successes in cross-cultural social work illustrate the interplay between cultural and structural considerations involved in social work with asylum seekers.

CLINICIAN PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL WORKERS AND COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS IN PRACTICES CARING FOR FRAIL ELDERS

Social workers (SW) and community health workers (CHW) have emerged as key workforce personnel in efforts to care for elders in the U.S. However, little is known about the presence and roles of these professionals in outpatient practices. This paper presents findings from a nationally representative survey of geriatrics and primary care practices. Key findings include: reported challenges in meeting the social service needs of elders, underutilization of SW, and fuller utilization of social work competencies in practices in which both SW and CHW were present. These findings offer a unique perspective of SW on interprofessional teams and have implications for the future of the profession.

PSYCHOMETRIC APPRAISAL OF THE GERIATRIC SOCIAL WORK COMPETENCY SCALE II WITH LIFELONG LEADERSHIP SKILLS

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Gero-Ed Center and Hartford Partnership Program in Aging Education (HPPAE) emphasize five competency areas specific to social work practice with older adult clientele (i.e., gero social work), namely knowledge and skills applicable to (a) values, ethics and theories; (b) assessment; (c) intervention; (d) aging programs, services and policies; and (e) leadership in aging environments. Accordingly, CSWE/HPPAE created a standardized measure – Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II with Life-long Leadership Skills (GSWCS II) – to assess empirically these practice competencies among social work students and gero social work practitioners. A scant amount of literature exists that reports properties of this measure. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to conduct a psychometric examination of the GSWCS II, namely its factor structure and reliability among the competency areas. The sample consisted of three, advanced year MSW cohorts (N=170) from a state flagship university in the southern United States. Almost one-third of the sample were enrolled in a gerontology specialization during their advanced year. The typical participant was a 27-year-old female enrolled full time, completing the 60-credit hour MSW program. Principal axis factor results indicated unidimensionality, using the traditional 1.0 eigenvalue threshold, for each competency scale. All items loaded moderately-to-strongly on their respective competency scales; loadings ranged from 0.569 to 0.906. Regarding internal consistency for each of the competency scales, Cronbach’s alphas ranged from 0.932 to 0.959; Guttman split-half coefficients (lambda-4) ranged from 0.896 to .941. Implications for gero practice competency assessment are discussed.

The Great Divide Between Social Work Educational Policy and Licensure Examinations: Differing Approaches to Identifying Competency That Are Challenging the Profession

ABSTRACT In 2008, social work education underwent a major shift from accrediting undergraduate and graduate programs based on curriculum design and structure to focusing on student outcomes. These competencies are believed to be inclusive of the proficiencies needed for competent social work practice. Central is the notion that social work competency can only be assessed by observation of behavior in real or simulated practice settings. In addition, these educational competencies are based in the strong social and economic justice perspectives that are at the heart of the social work profession. This approach to identifying competency starkly contrasts assessments used for social work licensure. Licensure examinations are based on assessing knowledge for tasks that licensed social workers actually do in their jobs. Thus, there is a disconnect, with educators on one side asserting competency can only be assessed through behavioral observation of what social workers should be doing and regulators on the other focusing on knowledge that is driven by real world market conditions. This article examines this existing divide and provides suggestions for bridging it in the future.

Barriers and Facilitators to Supportive Care for ESRD Dialysis Patients— A Social Worker’s Role

Despite efforts to increase supportive care for patients on dialysis, many barriers continue to exist. This study surveyed dialysis facilitystaff to examine the barriers and facilitators related to providing supportive care to patients on dialysis. This qualitative analysis revealed five barriers: 1) lack of integrated, holistic teams; 2) practitioner beliefs; 3) perceptions of social work competence; 4) time andworkload; and 5) lack of clarity regarding palliative care versus hospice and interpreting Medicare benefits. The analysis also revealed four facilitators related to providing supportive care: 1) integrated, holistic teams, including family involvement; 2) collaboration acrosscare teams; 3) communication and compassion; and 4) formal or regular mechanisms for the review of advance-care plans. Based onthe professional ethics code, social workers can play a role in bolstering their own teams’ capacity to integrate supportive-care practices. Further, using their advocacy skills, social workers can lead efforts to ensure that they and their colleagues have appropriate training and competence in supportive care. Finally, social workers, with their knowledge of community resources, can help foster innovative collaboration between dialysis organizations and palliative care and hospice organizations, in spite of current regulatory and financial barriers.

Teaching Note—An Interprofessional Book Club: Bringing Together Social Work and Health Affairs Students

ABSTRACT The demands for interprofessional education (IPE) are becoming increasingly more explicit among health professions accreditation standards as well as within social work education. The following teaching note describes an interprofessional book discussion related to Paul Kalanithi’s 2016 book, When Breath Becomes Air. The book explores the end of life experience of a young neurosurgical resident unexpectedly diagnosed with terminal cancer. This content allows students to reflect on their mortality while pursuing their educational goals while also addressing clinical concepts related to team-based care, coordination, and personal, familial, and system perspectives of a major health diagnosis. The book is rich with examples for students to engage in interprofessional discussions salient to social work and across disciplines. The following teaching note includes a detailed description for programs wanting to engage in new or increased IPE efforts at their institution. The rationale for why this book was selected, as well as questions to guide discussion, and related social work competencies are included. Further, lessons learned throughout the planning and implementation process, as well as guidance on how this activity could be replicated or adapted for social work and other programs are discussed.

Psychosocial care provision for terminally ill clients in rural Australian communities: the role of social work.

Despite being one of the most avoided topics of all time, death is a guaranteed eventuality for us all. However, quality psychosocial care as death approaches is not a guarantee. Where people reside is likely to impact a person's accessibility to quality psychological, emotional, social, spiritual and cultural support. Structural forces such as funding and resourcing will also be a contributing factor. Social workers have specific expertise in the psychosocial domain, yet enablers and inhibitors to social work referrals to support terminally ill clients in rural and remote communities have not been well explored. This study had two primary aims: to investigate the provision of psychosocial care for palliative clients in rural Australian communities and to identify barriers and facilitators of social work referrals to address psychosocial concerns for palliative care clients. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 38 rural participants across 24 rural and remote communities in the state of Queensland, Australia. The researcher travelled 7500 km to conduct these interviews over a 5-week period. The Rural, Remote, Metropolitan Areas classifications provided guidance on determining which communities would be considered regional, rural or remote communities. To explore the aims of the study, four participant groups were selected to participate in semi-structured qualitative interviews: group 1, social workers; group 2, community health nurses; group 3, community workers; and group 4, palliative clients/carers. For a comprehensive analysis, it was important to not only hear the views of those addressing psychosocial needs, but also include the voices of those receiving psychosocial care, resulting in all perspectives being captured. A thematic analysis was utilised, from which prominent, recurring themes were identified to form the basis for recommendations for future psychosocial care provision. Findings revealed that psychosocial needs for terminally ill clients were addressed in an ad-hoc, inconsistent manner across rural and remote Queensland. Eligibility and access for palliative care program funding impacted service delivery and what support could be provided. Furthermore, social workers were limited in what they could offer due to the vast geographical distances, which inhibited quality face-to-face interventions and the capacity to address urgent psychosocial concerns. This resulted in community nurses assuming the role that social workers would usually undertake in more urban settings. In communities where a generalist social worker was employed, referrals were often impacted by the perceptions of other professionals of social work competencies. Finally, the results highlighted that a disparity exists between the perspectives of palliative care clients and their caregivers and understanding of healthcare professionals of what were identified as important psychosocial concerns. Palliative care funding in Queensland is insufficient to effectively address the existing demand. Resourcing for rural and remote palliative care in Queensland is inadequate to ensure holistic and quality approaches to psychosocial care in the end stages of life. Increased resourcing would result in better care, for longer time frames throughout a disease trajectory. Education and training for health practitioners to address skills and competencies in psychosocial care for terminally ill clients is a recommendation for professional development. Furthermore, there is a need for social work to develop national standards and competencies to enhance practitioner confidence to efficiently address psychosocial concerns for terminally ill clients. Whilst this study was undertaken in Queensland, Australia, the findings are echoed in other international rural communities.

Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II: Testing the Hypothesized Factor Structure

ABSTRACTThe Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II is the leading measure of students’ competency with older adults. Although the 40-item instrument has demonstrated strong internal consistency and congruent validity, the hypothesized four-factor structure has not been tested. We used confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of social work students (N=667) to test the fit of the hypothesized model and explore respecification. The original model demonstrated strong internal consistency and a roughly acceptable fit. However, high interfactor correlations and items with significant cross-loadings led to the development of a 36-item version. The reduced version made small but consistent improvements in model fit and discrimination among factors while retaining strong internal consistency. Implications for future research and scale usage are discussed.

Understanding Simulation in Social Work Education: A Conceptual Framework

ABSTRACT With the adoption of the 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, the Council on Social Work Education accepted simulation as a means for students to accumulate field practice hours. However, little research exists addressing the use of simulation for social work student development. To effectively utilize simulation to develop social work competencies, more must be known about simulation and its integration into curriculum. This article presents a conceptual framework for simulation: holistic competence in social work education, curriculum as engagement, and experiential learning theory. The author integrates the framework with research on the efficacy of simulation as pedagogy in other disciplines and provides strategies for simulation within social work curriculum and field education programs.

Development and Validation of a Field Evaluation Instrument to Assess Student Competency

ABSTRACTThe Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) issued new requirements for social work educational programs in 2015, identifying a new set of competencies for students to be effective social work professionals. Social work programs are expected to measure students’ competencies to demonstrate the effectiveness of their education. However, few measurement tools that focus on these revised competencies have been published in the social work literature, and consequently, social work educators lack sufficient tools to accurately measure students’ performances. This article reports on the development and validation of the Field Evaluation Instrument (FEI), a tool designed to assess the 2015 social work competencies of social work students in the generalist practice context. It documents the development of the FEI, which was informed by the existing literature, and the CSWE’s Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, as well as item development and survey design procedures. The resulting 69-item, 9-scale FEI demonstrated excellent factorial validity, strong internal consistency, and robust external validity as evidenced by the positive correlations with students’ grade point average in the social work major. The FEI fills an important gap in social work education by contributing a valid tool to assess the CSWE competencies. Further implications for social work education are discussed.