Development Of Social Work Research Articles

Why Are Social Work Professionals Relevant in Corporate Social Responsibility? A Case of CSR and Non-CSR Projects in India

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is legally mandated in India for corporates to engage in community development. This requires specific skills to design and implement socially impactful development projects. This article discusses (a) the differences between CSR and non-CSR projects and (b) the relevance of social work professionals (SWPs) in CSR in India. Using a qualitative research method, 13 participants from non-governmental organisations and scholars from social science universities with experience in CSR and non-CSR projects were interviewed. The comparative analysis of views relating to CSR and non-CSR projects showed significant differences in the focus of the projects, financial support, processes of due diligence and monitoring and reporting. Non-CSR projects were found to have a better focus on processes of community development; one of the significant reasons being the engagement of professionally trained social workers and domain experts. The article recommends the application of developmental social work through the inclusion of SWPs in making CSR projects people-centric and impactful.

Social work's contribution to socio-economic development–why, how & who?

Real development should be seen as more than just economic growth. Social Workers have important roles in the development of Africa. Mupedziswa, Sewpaul, Lombard, and others have put forward developmental social work as an approach that addresses issues affecting people at the macro level, nipping underdevelopment causal factors in the bud. Developmental social work abandons the reactionary and residual approach to problems. To celebrate Africa Day, the Africa Social Work and Development Network holds annual indabas where social work scholars and practitioners make presentations and discuss identified themes. Answering the questions why, how & why, this article presents one of the presentations delivered at Africa Day Indaba on 25 May 2023 and the ensuing discussion on social work's contribution to the socio-economic development of Africa. The presentation adopted a developmental social work lens HOW TO REFERENCE USING ASWDNET STYLE Muridzo N. G. (2024). Social work's contribution to socio-economic development - why, how & who? African Journal of Social Work, 14(3), 133-139. Presentation delivered at Africa Day Indaba, 25 May 2023. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v14i3.4. Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Innovative fieldwork education in Africa

My remarks focus essentially on the theme of social work education in Africa. I observe that social work education per se has two prongs – classroom instruction and field practicum. I then indicate that the paper is interested in the practicum component of social work education. It notes that in the context of Africa, there has been a clarion call for relevance in social work on the continent. To this end, terms like Ubuntu and indigenisation, have emerged in the context of the discourse on the quest for relevance of social work on the continent - concepts which are consistent with a developmental social work model. My argument is in order to successfully promote the development approach in social work, change has to begin in the education component. The challenge though is that some institutions of education and training in social work, have purported to be promoting the developmental social work education approach, when in fact, the practicum component of their education and training programmes is not consistent with the developmental approach. Apparently, some social work educators are not very clear in terms of what the developmental approach entails, while others are curtailed by institution culture and policies. I then argue that in order to produce a cadre who is well versed in the developmental social work approach, the fieldwork practicum component has to be consistent with the key tenets of the developmental approach. Six models of the developmental social work approach to fieldwork placements are presented as examples of the kind of field placements that would go with the developmental approach. Advantages of the developmental type of placements are briefly explored. HOW TO REFERENCE USING ASWDNET STYLE Mupedziswa R. (2024). Africa Day Indaba 2022 – Innovative Fieldwork Education in Africa. presentation made during Africa Day Indaba 2022. African Journal of Social Work, 14(3), 126-132. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v14i3.3 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

A Political Economy Analysis of Social Work’s Development in China: A Social Development Perspective

This paper examines the phenomenal growth of social work in China and the complexities and challenges faced by the profession and related stakeholders in the context of neoliberal economic practice within a hierarchical top-down political system. It proposes developmental social work as a viable indigenous social work practice mode. This analysis based on a collection of academic papers and relevant government reports sheds light on the interplay between welfare developmentalism, institutional dynamics, and professional challenges in the broader sociopolitical context, not least the neoliberal co-optation of social development aligned increasingly with economic goals to the detriment of broader social and structural issues. It shows how the political parameters of the Chinese Communist Party and its pursuit of community integration and social development shaped China’s approach to social work. It sees the necessity for a system of welfare services to address socio-structural issues and the indigenization and cultural adaption of social work in China as an expressly political process. Regarding the former, the government’s strategy of outsourcing public services to accord with its agenda has resulted in a contractual relationship between social organizations, including nongovernment and social work organizations, and the state. This has limited the independence and hindered the development of a strong civil society, and curtailed social workers’ autonomy, exacerbating professional challenges relating inter alia to the low number of qualified social work practitioners, limited job opportunities outside major urban centers, high staff turnover, and poor quality services provided by those without formal social work training. To enhance professional recognition in China, the paper suggests a holistic developmental approach that involves the resolution of individual problems through investing in people, helping them to build their capacity, drawing on social capital, and capitalizing on market opportunities to promote self-reliance, thereby contributing to community and social development.

Findings from a national evaluation of social work field education programs in Liberia, West Africa

Program evaluation is an integral component of social work field education and continuous social work programmatic improvement. To conduct an inaugural national survey of social work field education programs in Liberia, West Africa, Made in Africa Evaluation (MAE) was used to design and implement a national evaluation of social work field education programs. The evaluation was led by and implemented with Liberian social work faculty and staff. Thirty-six field supervisors completed a quantitative survey. Results were used to assist programs identify strengths and areas for improvement. The MAE approach guided analysis and discussion of evaluation results. Findings revealed an emerging credentialed and experienced pool of field supervisors with high exposure and endorsement of human rights concepts, which was a strength. Field agencies were clustered in the city center of Montserrado County, the county seat for Monrovia-Liberia’s capital. Field agencies’ missions and services aligned with health, education, and gender equality sustainable development goals. Field agency supervisors provided few opportunities for students to practice macro based developmental social work activities such as advocacy and community work, an area identified as needing improvement. Challenges included Liberian social work faculty’s lack of experience in conducting evaluation research, insufficient access to scholarly databases to obtain research articles, and expensive data management platforms. Collaboration was recommended as a strategy to build evaluation capacity. How to reference using ASWNet style: Tuggle, F., Banks, S. and Gbessage, S. (2023). Findings from a national evaluation of social work field education programs in Liberia, West Africa. African Journal of Social Work, 13(6), 273-284. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i6.1 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Developmental social work training programmes in the Global South: A scoping review

In moving away from South Africa’s colonial past, social work training needs to embrace indigenised content and empower social workers to move towards practising from a developmental social work perspective. This requires a paradigm shift towards developmental social work training in South Africa. This study was conducted to look at the characteristics and challenges of developmental social work training in the Global South in order for South African social work training institutions to learn from the data and implement more an effective developmental social work training programme. The study was conducted through a scoping review. The five-step scoping review methodology was used to investigate and select recent literature on developmental social work training in the Global South. A thematic analysis was then used to scrutinise selected articles to extract core conclusions and recommendations made by authors to answer research questions. In addition to answering the research question about the characteristics and challenges to teaching developmental social work in the Global South, six main themes that should be highlighted when teaching developmental social work in the Global South were identified and are discussed in the article. These themes are critical thinking and reflective practice; political social work; field placement programmes; indigenisation; de-colonisation and historical context; economic development and empowerment and theoretical course content. For social work to stay relevant in the Global South, it is important for governments to provide universities with resources to enable them to implement effective developmental social work training.

The influence of ujamaa policy in realization of developmental social work in Tanzania – Ubuntu perspective

The study applied desk research method to analyse literatures to gain a broader perspective on the influence of Ujamaa policy in developmental social work; it was developed by the late Dr. Nyerere’s in post-colonial Tanzania in the process of decolonization and restore development approach relevant to African context. Review shows that Ujamaa became the social development model (Developmental social welfare or the developmental approach) with a broad approach that promoted collective and holistic well-being of a nation. Ujamaa embraced values that entail African history, cultural values and ecology, applicability of Ujamaa policy marked the essence and applicability of developmental social work in Africa. Despite of various challenges, Ujamaa succeeded to achieve collective development through strengthening people and their communities’ livelihood capabilities, ameliorate social and economic problems. The model integrated families, kinships and groups into community participation and empowerment to achieve collective development in human face. Ujamaa’s principle of universal welfare, communalism, interdependence, shared resources, human dignity and participatory development, is widely studied in the world today. Based on the success of Ujamaa model, in October 2009 the UN General Assembly named Dr. Nyerere ‘a World hero of social justice’ and August 2014 he was awarded as Ubuntu Champion by the National Heritage Council of South Africa for his practical contribution in African Ubuntu. Conclusively, application of Ujamaa model in realization of SDGs by 2030 is vital. It’s recommended for social workers to demonstrate how developmental social work could contribute to building a better Africa and a better world.How to cite this article using ASWNet styleLembuka M. H. (2023). The influence of ujamaa policy in realization of developmental social work in Tanzania – Ubuntu perspective. People centred – The Journal of Development Administration (JDA), 8(3), 83-90. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jda.v8i3.5
 Visit journal website: https://jda.africasocialwork.net

Contents of a transformative developmental social work curriculum

ABSTRACT South Africa is recognized as the most unequal society in the world. In the National Development Plan 2030 in 2012 the South African government has called on social workers to participate in transformation by addressing inequality. A pursuit of social justice highlights the need for a social work curriculum that is transformative in nature and cultivates an anti-colonial Global South approach. Transformative developmental social work based on social development theory is a modality of choice when it comes to practicing social work in Global South countries. It empowers social workers to contribute to social justice in societies that are plagued by inequality. Although South Africa has incorporated developmental social work into its social welfare policies, a knowledge gap still exists that hampers social workers in bridging the gap between theoretical training and practicing in Global South countries. It is, therefore, necessary for South Africa to develop social development training, and practice which answers to its own socio-political, cultural, and economic environment. To reach this objective, a curriculum is crucial in which social justice, human rights, and equality are pursued. The aim of the study was to develop a curriculum for undergraduate social work training in transformative developmental social work to enable social workers to contribute to social justice. A multi-method and multi-phased study approach were used for the purpose of curriculum and programme development. In phase one, a scoping review was done about current social development teaching in the Global South. During phase two, a quantitative cross-sectional study with newly graduated social workers was done. They completed the Social Justice Scales of Torres-Harding et al. Phase three was a qualitative descriptive study with young South Africans that were used to describe their experience of social justice in South Africa. These phases were used to gather information to guide the process of curriculum development. Curriculum contents were then verified using the Delphi Technique by social work teaching experts. The research study produced a curriculum for transformative developmental social work training for undergraduate social work students.

A community of practice approach for school-based developmental social work in South Africa: Reflections of social workers

This article reports on social worker reflections on the benefits and barriers of a multisectoral community of practice to improve child well-being for beneficiaries of the Child Support Grant in poor urban communities in Johannesburg, South Africa. The findings could inform cash plus school based social work policies and practice.

How deep is the cancerous cut of substance use disorders on human rights? The effects of substance use disorders from a human rights perspective: The thinking of Developmental Clinical Social Work

ABSTRACT Developmental Clinical Social Work (DCSW) involves the integration of social development approaches to the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological, behavioral, emotional, and medical disorders through social work methods. In doing so, it also covers the predispositions that occur over time in one’s life course. Utilising the thinking of Developmental Clinical Social Work, the paper explores the effects of substance use disorders from a human rights perspective. The human rights to health, adequate housing, food and nutrition, development, clean and healthy environment, occupational health and safety, education, parental and children rights have been discussed considering the effects of substance use disorders. The article stimulates the realization that investment in the prevention of substance use disorders advances for the attainment and enjoyment of the above-mentioned human rights. To its end, the paper contradicts with the notion that the use of drugs is a “human right”. It justifies the need for court sanctioned substance use disorder treatment facilities that are evidence-based and adhere to human rights. It should be noted that this is a conceptual reflection of three academics, two of whom have taught on the advanced substance use and treatment course and one has taught on developmental social work courses.

The Value of Informal Peace Committees as a Developmental Strategy to Deal with Post-Conflict in Zimbabwe

In this article, I investigate the extent to which community-based initiatives such as informal peace committees can serve as vehicles for developmental social work practice to promote community empowerment and capacity development in Zimbabwe. The formation of self-initiated peace committees by Zimbabwean communities demonstrates local agency, self-reliance and resilience. This type of local agency resulted in community members working together to unite, participate and form a peacebuilding committee. The study was based on action research data from Ward 8 in the Seke District, in which 42 male and female adults participated. Given the study’s participatory nature, 14 informants took on multiple roles, including co-planning, co-designing and establishing a ward-level peace committee. The findings revealed that informal peace committees have a close relationship with developmental social intervention strategies that seek to deal with development challenges such as poverty, inequality, and violence and, the major one, community development. These attributes reflect the strengths and empowerment potential that developmental social work can explore to increase the impact of informal peace committees at the community level in the Seke District and beyond.

Reflections on integrating environmental social work methods of intervention in Zimbabwean social work curriculum

Undeniably, natural climatic shocks, poverty and environmental degradation have become intractable challenges Zimbabwe grapples with. Worthwhile to note is how to overcome enduring precarity for predominantly rural and peri-urban communities the enduring livelihood strategy has been to harness natural resources. For instance, Zimbabwe hosts some of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the world and is home to over 5,930 species of plants and over 1,360 animals. Forests currently cover around 45% of the country’s total land area, but deforestation is an increasingly pressing issue, resulting in forests disappearing at a frightening rate. Given how developmental social work has become important thinking in social work scholarly discourses, its domains like environmental social work have become important for mainstreaming in social work training curricula and fieldwork. Based on review of secondary literature, the objective of this article is to offer pathways by which social worker educators can embed critical perspectives of environmental social work methods of interventions. This would be embedded in the curriculum components including research and fieldwork practicum. This can aid mainstreaming of environmental social work themes, debates and strategies in delivering courses centred on community, rural and social development. The article concludes by discussing possible constraints and opportunities in galvanising environmental social work visibility in the Zimbabwean and African social work curricula.
 How to reference using ASWNet style:
 Nhapi, T. (2023). Reflections on integrating environmental social work methods of intervention in Zimbabwean social work curriculum. African Journal of Social Work, 13(2), 118-126. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i2.8
 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

A Mathematical Analysis of 4IR Innovation Barriers in Developmental Social Work—A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era also known as digital age is central to the advancement of the construction industry as the industry is currently facing a myriad of challenges, including poor productivity and project failure. Therefore, there is an urgent need for industry to adopt 4IR innovations to increase the building business’s performance. The study explored the relationship between the critical barriers to 4IR innovations to foster sustainable development. The study embraced a numerical exploration approach which employed a questionnaire to obtain information from building industry experts. The questionnaire data were used to classify the 4IR barriers into policy and structure, readiness, and acquisition, using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Likewise, a predictive model was developed using Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS). It explained the relationship between the barrier categories and the barriers to 4IR innovation adoption for sustainable development. The results showed that policy and structure were critical components of 4IR adoption that the stakeholders of the construction industry must pay close attention to. The study also provided valuable areas for future research to enhance 4IR innovation adoption for sustainable development.

Reconsidering social work education in Namibia: past, present, and future

ABSTRACT This article considers the past, present, and future of social work education in Namibia in three parts. The first provides the historical context of colonization, liberation struggle, and post-independence social welfare. The second discusses social work education pre- and post-independence, focusing on the University of Namibia’s (UNAM) programme and the challenges of developing an indigenized curriculum. The third on curriculum review focuses on an indigenized curriculum that fits a developmental social work approach and indigenous helping processes in local contexts. The authors propose a conceptual framework for curriculum review that draws on the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development and Namibia’s fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), which are compatible with the integration of indigenous and Western social work approaches and developmental welfare goals, respectively.

AN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS APPROACH TO ASSESS THE WELL-BEING OF STREET CHILDREN IN ZIMBABWE: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENTAL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

This study reports on an assessment of the well-being of street children in Harare Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe using the ecological systems approach. This study was underpinned by a quantitative approach which employed a semi-structured questionnaire as an instrument of data collection. Based on survey data of 202 street children who were purposively sampled, the findings revealed that street children lack access to food, education, accommodation, health care and proper sanitation. Therefore, street children require multi-component psychosocial and developmental interventions to enhance their well-being. The recommendations drawn from the findings were submitted to the Department of Social Development in Zimbabwe. Keywords: Child well-being, developmental social work, multiple deprivation, street children, poverty, Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS AND VALUE CHAIN DEVELOPMENT WITH WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS: EVIDENCE AND LESSONS FROM THE CLOTHING BANK, SOUTH AFRICA

Female-headed households often benefit from engaging in sustainable livelihoods and value chain development approaches to enhance income security. In this article, the researcher employs a qualitative methodology to study how women entrepreneurs (N=20) selected from The Clothing Bank solve poverty-related problems. This article discusses three strategies relevant to value chain development: access to assets, dealing with risks when reinvesting capital, and enabling multiple stakeholder support. The article concludes with some considerations to bridge the gap between social work and social entrepreneurship to advance developmental social work research. Keywords: feminisation of poverty, sustaining livelihoods, value chain development, women entrepreneurs, female-headed household

Ubuntu and Values Underlying the Vatsonga Culture: Implications for Developmental Social Work with Children

The development of the social work profession in Western countries is criticised as being irrelevant to the African context. Although developmental social work was introduced in South Africa to align the profession with African contexts and adopted in some southern African countries, the acknowledgement of African indigenous knowledge systems remains a neglected area. In this article, we present the findings of the study that explored the use of Vatsonga indigenous knowledge in child protection. By using a qualitative study as the basis, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 40 Vatsonga elders who were keepers of their indigenous knowledge. The research findings indicate that beliefs and practices based on the African principles underlying ubuntu have a strong focus on enhancing the well-being of children, including orphans and vulnerable children, and could relate to the central goal and the concepts underlying developmental social work. We conclude that there is a strong association between the principles of ubuntu and developmental social work interventions that focus on the well-being of children.

Lifelong Learning and Development for Social Workers

Aim. In the paper, the authors demonstrate the influence of the education and educational level of social workers on the quality of social work as a profession that helps people in unfavorable situation. They point to the importance of lifelong learning, which is essential for advancing the knowledge and competences of social workers in practice. Concept. Lifelong education for social workers is currently a necessity for their functioning not only on the basis of the rapid, dynamic changes in their problems and social clients, but also for rapid and dynamic changes in the use of methods and techniques of social work. Method. The study deals with the educational development of employees in the profession of social worker. It defines and identifies forms of continuous education of social workers, which can have different methods and which can result in different competencies of a social worker. Results. The study confirms that the lifelong learning of social workers requires constant access to support and information about education, but also to set opportunities and thus facilitate access to the education of social workers. It is necessary to realise that the competences of the social worker must be in accordance with the education that the social worker has. Conclusion. The scientific articles and contributions that we offer in this study point to lifelong learning, which has the effect of expanding the possibilities of a social worker’s work with several types of clients, increases his competences and thus acquires a lot of knowledge and skills that are subsequently applied in practice.

ТЕОРЕТИЧНЕ ОБҐРУНТУВАННЯ МОДЕЛІ ФОРМУВАННЯ СОЦІАЛЬНО-РЕАБІЛІТАЦІЙНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ В МАЙБУТНІХ СОЦІАЛЬНИХ ПРАЦІВНИКІВ

The system of vocational education is at the stage of modernization, and the formation of professional competence of future professionals is a fully unrealized reserve the actualization of which will improve the quality of higher education training of future social workers. The purpose of the study was to develop a model of formation of future social workers’ social rehabilitation competence; the model’s in question integration into practice is designed to ensure the improvement of professional development of social workers in educational activities. The article analyzes the scientific literature on professional training of future social workers and uses a modeling method to design a model that, in our opinion, will ensure the consistent development of value, content, cognitive and procedural components of future social workers’ social rehabilitation competence. It is proved that the formation of social rehabilitation competence is provided by approaching the real conditions of professional activity during the internship period. The presented model of formation of social rehabilitation competence of future social workers allows to approach the process of their professional training holistically, and its implementation will successfully form the social rehabilitation competence of future social workers, which is a necessary component of training.

Reimagining Indigenised social work in Uganda: Voices of practitioners

Using thematic analysis, this study examined social workers’ (n = 21) descriptions of what Indigenised social work practice in Uganda entails. Responses from semi-structured interviews revealed the following three themes that inform social workers’ understanding of Indigenised social work practice: (1) collective action and mutuality, (2) communal welfare and respect for life and (3) liberation and restoration. The discussion aims at understanding the hallmarks of each description in relation to the notions of Indigenised social work as culturally inclusive and responsive practice, developmental social work and political action.