Context Of Social Work Research Articles

Work Will Not Disappear. So We Should Make It Better

Workers everywhere worry about the future of their jobs. After all, for the vast majority, income from paid employment (in one form or another) is the dominant means to provide for the necessities of life. The availability, stability, and earning potential of paid work are essential to our well-being. The world of work is being transformed by technology: machines and computers can perform ever-more complex tasks (including those involving judgment and learning), reigniting age-old fears that workers will be replaced by machines. Of course, workers have worried about machines taking their jobs since the dawn of capitalism. In historical experience, technological change by itself does not produce long-lasting unemployment: unemployment certainly does exist, but usually for other reasons (like failed macroeconomic policies). But technological change certainly causes dislocation and hardship for certain groups of workers – and the resulting costs are much worse if affected workers don’t get alternative job opportunities, mobility assistance, and retraining. There is nothing inevitable about how technology is developed, applied, and managed; the impacts of technology depend entirely on choices made regarding its design, implementation, and management. At present, most of those decisions are made unilaterally by the owners and top managers of private businesses, who have free rein (in most countries) to choose what technologies are implemented, to what ends, and who bears the resulting costs and benefits. Perhaps we should be less concerned with technology, and more with the unbalanced decision-making structure within which technology is presently governed. Moreover, technology is not the only force transforming the world of work. The organisational and social context of work is also in major flux. Indeed, changes in work organisation and employment relations are having a more immediate impact on workers than the much-hyped advent of robots and artificial intelligence. A permanent, fulltime , paid job with accompanying benefits (like job security, paid time off, and pension and health programs) is no longer normal practice in most labour markets – and is a utopian dream for most young workers. In its place, precarious work in many forms (including temporary, part-time, casual, irregular, and nominally independent or selfemployed positions) is the new normal. In the extreme, precarious work is now organised through ‘gigs’: on-demand, piece-work tasks allocated and compensated through faceless digital platforms. These twin disruptions – changing technology and changing working relationships – have led some observers to conclude that work, broadly defined, can no longer be the financial and social foundation of households and society. People will need to find other ways to support themselves, and/or fall back on income supports delivered by the state (perhaps through a guaranteed annual income). This vision of a workless future can be described positively (as a world in which humans have ample leisure time to pursue a range of interests) or negatively (as a dystopia in which wealth becomes concentrated amongst a narrow property-owning elite, while most people huddle at the margins seeking a way to survive). Both scenarios assume that paid work is diminishing in importance. This assumption is misplaced. Robots or no robots, work is here to stay There are enduring features of paid work that ensure it will remain the cornerstone of the economy, and the major pillar of financial well-being for most households. The question is not whether or not work will somehow ‘disappear’: it can’t. The question is how society will choose to treat, protect, and compensate the work that will remain essential to its economic and social progress. In the realm of digital platforms and ‘gigs’, for example, paid work is still very clearly the driving force of production and growth. Modern digital businesses rely on paid workers to produce their ultimate output. But those firms have developed clever systems to minimise or evade the risks, costs and obligations traditionally faced by employers (minimum wages, notice of dismissal, pension and health benefits, etc.). Contrary to the popular assumption that digital platforms are the ‘cutting edge’ of business innovation, their work practices are centuries old: including piece-work compensation, on-demand work scheduling, and labour hire systems that have been around as long as capitalism. In previous decades, limits were imposed on some of...

Social Worker Identity: A Profession in Context.

Social work is a broad field encompassing micro, mezzo, and macro areas of practice. Consequently, the field lacks a unifying professional identity due to the expansiveness of the profession. Professional identity is conceptualized as an extension of social identity, vis-à-vis the embodiment of three qualities: connectedness, expansiveness, and effectiveness. This study used 12 in-depth, individual interviews with practicing social workers to explore these qualities. Findings from interviews reveal six primary themes and 21 subthemes pertaining to social worker identity. Themes and subthemes are organized according to three broad families (social work in context, professional trajectories, and external influences). Implications for policy, practice, and future research are presented.

Theories in Māori social work: Indigenous approaches to working with and for indigenous people

Māori social work practice has been developed upon a strong foundation of indigenous knowledge, theories and values. Theories can be used to validate social work practice and to build and enhance the engagement between workers and whānau. This article describes some Māori social work theories and how they have developed both within the social work world and that of neighbouring professions. A number of theories have been described by Māori social workers from across Aotearoa as the foundations for their social work practice. Theoretical discourse in the world of Māori social workers enables one to grow and develop their practice, leaning on ancestral knowledge and valuing the skills that are gained through understanding tikanga in a contemporary context. Through enhancing one’s knowledge of Te Ao Māori and evidence-based practice, social workers can use, develop and create Māori theories in a social work context for the benefit of Māori whānau and communities.

Professional social work and the defence of children’s and their families’ rights in a period of austerity: A case study

This article explores the implications of austerity for professional child and family social workers. Their ability to offer and provide a range of child and family support services was threatened by proposed clauses in the 2016/17 Children and Social Work Bill, now Act, which would have exempted local authorities from meeting key existing statutory duties. Having established a policy context for progressive social work, the article records the Bill’s passage through Parliament, and details the successful Together for Children campaign against the clauses, in which the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) and the Association of Professors of Social Work participated. The authors conclude by identifying some of the ways in which social workers can apply their progressive and professional values and knowledge to defend the social care rights of children and families.Keywords: children; social work; legislation; children’s rights; campaigning; austerity

Austerity, inequality and the context of contemporary social work

This paper provides an overview of the contemporary context of austerity politics in the U.K. Austerity acts as a cover for welfare transformation and public sector spending reductions. The consequence has been to deepen inequality and make the lives of the poorest and marginalised much more difficult. Understanding these processes is important for social workers if we are to fully comprehend the difficulties placed on service users and their already complex lives.Keywords: austerity, inequality, poverty, wealth

Putting practice at the heart of social work education: can practice skills be reliably graded by different markers in child and family social work contexts?

The Frontline programme is a social work qualification route, in England, which began in 2014. Students are based in statutory child and family contexts supported by an academic staff member and practice educator. The assessment strategy on the programme includes seven graded observations of students engaging in social work, marked by both staff. This paper investigates reliability of grading of direct practice between different markers on the programme. It reports findings for 30 recordings of direct observations of practice that were graded during the first cohort. These included observations graded by an academic and by a practice educator. Each was independently then graded by an academic, blind to the original score or who marked it. An acceptable level of reliability was found between the independent grader and the first mark (r = .621). In general the level of agreement was higher between the independent grader (a social work academic) and academics. In comparison, practice educators tended to give higher grades to students. Nonetheless, overall the reliability of marking suggests it is possible to agree on marks for students, which points to the potential for grading of practice to be more widely used in social work education.

ソーシャルワークにおける反抑圧主義（AOP）の一端――カナダ・オンタリオ州の福祉組織の求人内容と組織理念を手がかりとして――

ソーシャルワークにおける反抑圧主義（AOP）の一端――カナダ・オンタリオ州の福祉組織の求人内容と組織理念を手がかりとして――

The Practice Pyramid: A model for integrating social work values, theory and practice

The Practice Pyramid is a learning tool that supports social work students’ ability to integrate their understanding of personal and professional values, theory and practice during field placements. Although it has been used by practice educators in Scotland for over 20 years, it is not well known elsewhere and has yet to be evaluated. This paper, written by a practice educator and a student social worker, describes the Practice Pyramid and provides a case example to illustrate how it contributed to one student’s learning during a practice placement. Four factors that appear to contribute to its success are proposed: its model of pedagogy, the visual and accessible nature of the tool, flexibility and the support it gives to collaborative learning processes. It is suggested that the Practice Pyramid may usefully support learning in a range of social work and non social work contexts, and would benefit from more extensive evaluation of its role in supporting practice - theory integration.Keywords: Practice Pyamid; social work students; field placements; Scotland; collaborative learning

MUSIC EDUCATION IN SOCIAL CONTEXTS – A STUDY PROGRAM

This article outlines the foundational considerations of the academic qualification ‘Music Pedagogy in Social Work’ conceptualized and realized in Potsdam, Germany. Based on knowledge about possible benefits of cultural and musical education for the aims of social work, namely the empowerment of individuals, social participation and inclusion, the author specifies the needs and competences for professionalization in this field. Examples from student and graduate experiences with musical education in kindergarten, youth clubs and other social institutions make clear the objective of the qualification. The importance of aesthetic experiences and aesthetic education in social work contexts constitute the theoretical framework for an interdisciplinary combination of music education competencies with an academic qualification in social pedagogy. The evaluation of musical pedagogy in social contexts underlines the necessity of an artistic musical qualification as fundamental for successful implementation of music education in the context of aesthetic and cultural education within social work.

Music education in social contexts – a Study program

This article outlines the foundational considerations of the academic qualification ‘Music Pedagogy in Social Work’ conceptualized and realized in Potsdam, Germany. Based on knowledge about possible benefits of cultural and musical education for the aims of social work, namely the empowerment of individuals, social participation and inclusion, the author specifies the needs and competences for professionalization inthis field. Examples from student and graduate experiences with musical education in kindergarten, youth clubs and other social institutions make clear the objective of the qualification. The importance of aesthetic experiences and aesthetic education in social work contexts constitute the theoretical framework for an interdisciplinary combinationof music education competencies with an academic qualification in social pedagogy.The evaluation of musical pedagogy in social contexts underlines the necessity of an artistic musical qualification as fundamental for successful implementation of music education in the context of aesthetic and cultural education within social work.

Music education in social contexts – a study program

This article outlines the foundational considerations of the academic qualification‘Music Pedagogy in Social Work’ conceptualized and realized in Potsdam, Germany.Based on knowledge about possible benefits of cultural and musical education for theaims of social work, namely the empowerment of individuals, social participation andinclusion, the author specifies the needs and competences for professionalization inthis field. Examples from student and graduate experiences with musical education inkindergarten, youth clubs and other social institutions make clear the objective of thequalification. The importance of aesthetic experiences and aesthetic education in socialwork contexts constitute the theoretical framework for an interdisciplinary combinationof music education competencies with an academic qualification in social pedagogy.The evaluation of musical pedagogy in social contexts underlines the necessity of anartistic musical qualification as fundamental for successful implementation of musiceducation in the context of aesthetic and cultural education within social work.

De capability approach als normatief-evaluatief kader voor sociale interventies: Kwalitatief onderzoek in India met inzichten voor de Vlaamse en Nederlandse praktijk

De capability approach als normatief-evaluatief kader voor sociale interventies: Kwalitatief onderzoek in India met inzichten voor de Vlaamse en Nederlandse praktijk

Social media work: reshaping organisational communications, extracting digital value

Social media platforms are associated with significant digital transformations but also carry some uncertainty for organisations seeking to capitalise on their affordances while developing new professional roles. This article explores the characteristics and contexts of social media work and the different approaches of organisations as they enter a second wave of application, moving beyond participation to data extraction within conditions of continuous connectivity and community management. The article uses hybrid methods: analysing job market data and in-depth interviews with 18 social media strategists and workers from 13 different organisations. The analysis is informed by critical accounts of digital labour, and emphasises organisations’ strategic search for new affordances such as analytics that extract additional value from carefully managed communities. The findings reveal how social media work has become diffused across industries, and is understood ‘ecologically’, as a capability that operates right across organisations within a dynamic and changing media environment.

Towards an actor-oriented approach to social exclusion: a critical review of contemporary exclusion research in a Swedish social work context

ABSTRACTSocial exclusion has emerged as a key concept within Swedish social work research during the last decade. Yet, despite the plethora of conceptualisations put forward there is a dearth of critical discussion on potential pitfalls and limitations following this fragmentation. This article investigates the deployment of social exclusion in national social work research during the period 1999–2016. Three separate but linked research strands are identified: (1) a policy-absorbed approach, characterised by conceptual and analytical closeness to the Swedish policy discourse on exclusion, (2) a diluted approach, characterised by conceptual confusion and conflation and (3) an autonomous approach, distinguished by its conceptual and analytical distance from the official policy discourse on exclusion. Based on presented findings, we argue that there is need for an actor-oriented approach to social exclusion within social work research. We conclude with proposing a multi-level analytical framework that involves studying the sequence of events leading up to people being denied access to social, economic, material, cultural and/or political resources.

Proactivity routines: The role of social processes in how employees self-initiate change

Proactive work behaviors are self-initiated, future-focused actions aimed at bringing about changes to work processes in organizations. Such behaviors occur within the social context of work. The extant literature that has focused on the role of social context for proactivity has focused on social context as an overall input or output of proactivity. However, in this article we argue that the process of engaging in proactive work behavior (proactive goal-striving) may also be a function of the social context in which it occurs. Based on qualitative data from 39 call center employees in an energy-supply company, we find that in a context characterized by standardized work procedures, proactive goal-striving can occur through a proactivity routine – a socially constructed and accepted pattern of action by which employees initiate and achieve changes to work processes, with the support of managers and colleagues. Our findings point to the need to view proactive work behaviors at a higher level of analysis than the individual in order to identify shared routines for engaging in proactivity, as well as how multiple actors coordinate their efforts in the process of achieving individually-generated proactive goals.

Making Up the “Drug-Abusing Immigrant”

In social work, drug treatment, and government contexts in Sweden, numerous attempts have been made to construct a new kind of client and patient: the “drug-abusing immigrant.” I trace these developments from the 1960s to 2011 through an analysis of publications about “drug abuse among immigrants.” The empirical material consists of a broad range of publications produced on this topic in social work, drug treatment, and government contexts both nationally and in local municipal settings. I use Hacking’s analytical approach to “making up people” as a way of analyzing how knowledge production resulted in certain descriptions of the kind of client/patient categorized as a “drug-abusing immigrant.” Four themes were central to discussions of this kind: the introduction of new drugs and ways of using them by immigrants, the intermingling of ethnic drug use patterns, the need to target Iranians in relation to opiate use, and descriptions of drug-using immigrants as vulnerable. Drug use among immigrants was a phenomenon mainly discussed at local levels of social work and drug treatment and did not develop into a national political problem. It seems that a perceived rapid increase in immigration in Sweden during the mid-1980s acted as a catalyst for the focus on “drug abuse among immigrants.” The “drug-abusing immigrant” category should be seen as an administrative category and the process of making it up as ultimately a “failed” one. The category was not adopted by those so categorized and subsequently declined in use during the 2000s. A recent focus on drug use among “unaccompanied minors” might be seen as a new attempt to make up certain immigrants as a specific kind of “drug abuser.”

Realisation of ethics in the activity of a social worker

The article presents the results of the research in the realisation of ethics in social work activities. Social work is a complex and multifaceted profession in which practice is based on strong values. Social work values and ethical principles have been a particularly acute and debatable topic since ancient times. It has always been noticed that social work practical activities raise ethical issues and dilemmas. Ethical problems and their solutions are basic problems in the development of social work as a profession. Due to these reasons, the main goal of this article was set: to reveal how ethics are implemented by social workers in practice. In order to achieve the goal, the following objectives were set: 1. to explore the concept of ethics and values in social work context. 2. to analyse how the social worker's ethical standards are being implemented in various fields of activity. 3. to examine how ethics is realised in practice by the social workers of N District Municipality. In order to achieve the goal and tasks, the concept of ethics and values in social work was discussed as well as the analysis of social work ethics was implemented in various branches and spheres of activity. To reveal the topic, the research (survey) was carried out, which was attended by the N District Municipality social workers. Closed-ended questions were analysed by quantitative research methods and open-ended questions were processed by qualitative research methods. The results revealed that social workers of N District Municipality knew the ethical standards of their profession and implemented them in all the mentioned aspects of ethical codes. Social workers identified five main reasons which cause violations of ethical standards in their practice: apathy of colleagues, heavy workload, lack of offices, problematic clients and nervous tension at work.

Sexual Well-Being and Physical Disability

The meaning of sexual well-being for physically disabled people is a little researched area of social work practice. The traditionally hidden nature of sexuality and sexual well-being in disability research means that practitioners have little evidence based guidance to help offer inclusive person-centred care. Because sexual well-being is a sensitive topic, and one which professionals can feel uncomfortable discussing, the absence of guidance reinforces the barriers to its inclusion in practice. So, although sexual well-being is potentially one of the most meaningful aspects of human life, it has rarely been addressed in health and social care practice (Taylor, 2011). As a result disabled people can experience discrimination regarding their sexual well-being, with the notion of asexuality or deviance remaining prevalent in their personal accounts. Sexuality and sexual relationships are often the source of disabled people's deepest oppression and therefore should be the focus for disability action (Shakespeare, 2000). This paper will explore the importance of sexual well-being to personal identity, self-esteem and mental and physical well-being. This is particularly relevant to the context of social work with adults in England which is underpinned by the Care Act (2014) with its focus on promoting well-being. Issues for practitioners and future research will be identified.

A QUEIXA DE ASSÉDIO MORAL NO TRABALHO E A PSICOTERAPIA

As relações interpessoais em ambientes de trabalho podem ser complexas, permeadas de múltiplas significações. Por vezes, alguns trabalhadores podem chegar a ser submetidos a situações emocionalmente penosas ou mesmo humilhantes. Classificam-se como assédio moral as situações em que a violência emocional é deliberada e repetidamente provocada contra uma pessoa. Dada a importância que o trabalho tem para as pessoas, dificuldades experimentadas no seu âmbito podem ter importantes repercussões subjetivas. Há pessoas que buscam atendimento por distúrbios desencadeados por situações consideradas como assédio moral no trabalho. Neste artigo, discute-se a psicoterapia nestas situações, chamando à atenção o manejo clínico no que se refere às conjugações de aspectos do contexto social de trabalho, eventualmente violentos e injustos, e os aspectos da subjetividade característicos da constituição psíquica de cada um. Recorrendo a autores como Ferenczi, valoriza-se o reconhecimento do potencial traumatogênico de algumas situações do contexto em que o indivíduo se insere. Por outro lado, são apontados os riscos que a psicoterapia corre quando o entendimento do psicoterapeuta passa a ser pautado pela crítica social, comprometendo a especificidade da escuta clínica.

Een zoektocht naar de identiteit van het sociaalwerkonderzoek: een reflectie over de kenmerken van een academische discipline

Een zoektocht naar de identiteit van het sociaalwerkonderzoek: een reflectie over de kenmerken van een academische discipline