Development Of Social Work Research Articles

Raj Yadav, Decolonised and Developmental Social Work: A Model from Nepal

Raj Yadav, <i>Decolonised and Developmental Social Work: A Model from Nepal</i>

Professional development of social work education and practice in Pakistan within a global context

ABSTRACT Issues such as lack of licensure and registration, a dearth of standards, and lack of defined job descriptions and job titles are some obstacles that create challenges to the expansion of the field of social work internationally. The purpose of this article is to provide insight on the challenges of implementation and professional development of social work education and practice in Pakistan. This article is divided into five sections: the historical development and characteristics of social work education, the development of social work practice, the professional development of social workers, the need to improve social work education, and professionalizing social work practice and education using indigenous social work education and practice in Pakistan.

PREREQUISITES FOR THE PROFESSIONAL PROMOTION OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE LIGHT OF THE APPLICABLE LAW

The regulations on the entitlement to practice the profession of a social worker are set out in Art. 116 of the Act of March 12, 2004 on social assistance. When assessing qualifications for employment as a social worker, the key is to meet the requirement of appropriate education. Employment in local government social welfare units is regulated by the provisions of the Regulation of the Council of Ministers of May 15, 2018 on the remuneration of local government employees. A social worker has the opportunity to raise professional qualifications by participating in specialization in the profession of a social worker. In the process of social assistance reform, which seems to be going on, the important issue of professional development of social workers in the context of career advancement was overlooked. The Act on Social Assistance does not define any path to promotion. The regulation on remuneration of local government employees also does not regulate the possibility of professional promotion. The Act on Local Government Employees does not contain such regulations either.

The doctor, development and (un)sociable monkey: An autoethnography of a social worker

This article is a critical autoethnographic investigation in which I explore development and social work vis-à-vis my own life episodes. I examine various tensions, for example, (1) becoming and being a colonial development subject; (2) encountering social work and compliance to it; (3) a U-turn, in disagreement with social work; and (4) a doctoral journey, reinvigorating my ‘social worker self’ through conceptualisation of a model of ‘decolonised, developmental social work’. This autoethnography leads me to critical discourses not only to question development and social work but also to uncover the ‘sense of (my) becoming and being’ regarding those two.

Education and training opportunities for local and indigenous social workers: case studies in disability-related fields from an international development perspective

ABSTRACT Many ‘non-professional’ and ‘non-certified’ social workers seem to conduct indigenous social work practices in low- and middle-income countries in Asia. From the perspective of international developmental social work, this case study explores the education and training opportunities for local and indigenous social workers in disability related fields. The data was mainly obtained through field work and practice conducted by the author, whose positionality was considered an international social worker in Sri Lanka and Mongolia. The field data was supplemented by literature. The findings reveal that some local workers in government and non-government sectors, who might not have received professional social work education, engage in practices that can be considered a part of social work using their indigenous and local knowledge and skills. In some cases, these workers also use their knowledge of international concepts and frameworks. Additionally, this study presents some instances of knowledge exchange between domestic and international stakeholders through dialogue-based practices and training in the field. The findings suggest that international social workers are required to explore reflective practice and collaborative knowledge creation with domestic stakeholders, including indigenous social workers and disabled people, through dialogue in the field.

Participatory planning and social protection for children found in the residential institutions

ملخص البحث باللغة العربية تسعى الدراسة الحالية إلى تحقيق الأهداف التالية: تحديد مستوى أبعاد التخطيط التشارکي لتحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية للمعثور عليهم بالمؤسسات الإيوائية. تحديد مستوى أبعاد الحماية الاجتماعية للمعثور عليهم بالمؤسسات الإيوائية. تحديد أکثر أبعاد التخطيط التشارکي ارتباطا بتحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية للمعثور عليهم بالمؤسسات الإيوائية. تحديد الصعوبات التي تواجه إسهامات التخطيط التشارکي في تحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية للمعثور عليهم بالمؤسسات الإيوائية. تحديد مقترحات تفعيل إسهامات التخطيط التشارکي في تحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية للمعثور عليهم بالمؤسسات الإيوائية. وتوصلت الدراسة إلى تحقيق أهدافها وتم اختبار فروض الدراسة وتقديم عدد من التوصيات التي يمکن أن تساهم في تحقيق الحماية الاجتماعية للأطفال المعثور عليهم بالمؤسسات الإيوائية. الکلمات المفتاحية : الحماية الاجتماعية ، التخطيط التشارکي ، الأطفال المعثور عليهم ، المؤسسات الإيوائية. Abstract Lecturer of Social Planning - Faculty of Developmental Social Work - BeniSuef University The present study seeks to achieve the following aims : 1- Determining the level of participatory planning dimensions to achieve social protection for those found in residential institutions. 2- Determining the level of social protection dimensions for those found in residential institutions. 3- Determining the dimensions of participatory planning most related to achieving social protection for those found in the residential institutions 4- Identifying the obstacles facing participatory planning contributions to achieving social protection for those found in the residential institutions. 5- Presenting some recommendations to activate participatory planning contributions to achieving social protection for those found in the residential institutions. The study reached its goals, the study hypotheses were tested and a number of recommendations were presented that could contribute to achieving social protection for children found in the residential institutions. Key words: social protection, participatory planning, found children, residential institutions.

Developmental Social Work and the Sustainable Development Goals in South Africa: Opportunities and Challenges

The main thrust of this article concerns the potential for the social work profession to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which overlap with developmental social work, specifically with respect to poverty and inequalities in South Africa. Although developmental social work practice may attempt to tackle the structural causes of poverty and inequality, relatively few studies appear to have been conducted to evaluate the contribution of this approach to attaining SDGs. The article draws from contemporary available literature and documents and the author’s observations pertaining to developmental social work and the role which it can play in attaining SDGs in the context of present-day South Africa. The review revealed the potential for developmental social work to make a meaningful contribution to attaining SDGs and the factors which could continue to hinder developmental social work practice, thereby making it difficult for SDGs.

THE COMPONENTS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM

Social work in the penitentiary system is a professional problem that still remains at the stage of reform. The urgency of the issue of professional development of social workers of the penitentiary service is due to the specificity of the work, a significant number of authentic peculiarities of the service. The aim of the article is to find out the components of professional development of social workers in the penitentiary system and to identify its promising areas. The following research methods were used: the method of generalization of independent characteristics, comparative analysis - the current state of the problem of professional development of social workers in the penitentiary system was clarified; systematization, integration, comparison - the components of professional development of social workers of the penitentiary system were substantiated theoretically and the proposals for improving this development were developed. The results of the research. There are many methods and forms of raising the educational level of the staff nowadays. Therefore, the director of penitentiary institutions needs to implement innovative methodologies that will increase the level of employees’ professional competence qualitatively and facilitate the solution of problematic situations that arise in the process of work. Thus, an important place in the segment of work with the penitentiary service’s staff is occupied by the formation of skills and abilities to provide social and psychological support. The phenomenon of emotional burnout raises the question of developing the methodologies of professional self-recovery of correction system’s staff. Psychodiagnostics, psychocorrection, psychodrama, art therapy - these technologies and techniques are actively used in social work in foreign penitentiary institutions and, partly, in our country. It was revealed that the main directions of work with the staff of reformatory colonies are formation and development of employees’ necessary knowledge concerning features of work with the convicts of different category and different age; adjustment of contact interaction in the professional environment of employees, optimizing a healthy moral and psychological climate; prevention of psychological stability of reformatory colony’s staff in professional activities; working out of typical situations of emotionally saturated nature. At the same time, self-education of employees, deepening the knowledge background on educational management of the institution’s director, setting up the monitoring of the quality of employees’ education, preserving the employee's right to personal educational choice, stimulating project activities, expanding the educational opportunities of the employee of the institution, consolidation of the staff based on cooperation is the background for professional development (and social in particular) of the employee of the penitentiary institution and the institution itself for the future.

التَّدریب المیدانی فی الخدمة الاجتماعیَّة ودوره فی تفعیل المشارکة المجتمعیَّة لدى الطلاب وفقًا لرؤیة مصر 2030

ملخص بحث يسعى البحث الراهن إلى تحقيق هدف رئيس يتمثل في التعرف على دور التدريب الميداني للخدمة الاجتماعية في تفعيل المشارکة المجتمعية لدى الطلاب في ضوء رؤية مصر 2030. وکان التساؤل الرئيس: ما دور التدريب الميداني للخدمة الاجتماعية في تنمية المشارکة المجتمعية لدى الطلاب في ضوء رؤية مصر 2030؟. ويعتبر البحث من البحوث الوصفية / التحليلية ، وتم الاسترشاد بمنهج المسح الاجتماعي للتعرف علي آراء عينة غير عشوائية ( عمدية ) حجمها 119 من طلاب الفرقة الرابعة بکلية الخدمة الاجتماعية التنموية بجامعة بني سويف. ولقد توصلت الدراسة لتصور مقترح لتفعيل دور التدريب الميداني للخدمة الاجتماعية في المشارکة المجتمعية لدى الطلاب في ضوء رؤية مصر 2030. الکلمات المفتاحية : رؤية مصر 2030 ، التدريب الميداني ، المشارکة المجتمعية. The current research aims to identify the role of the field training in social work in activating societal participation among students in the light of the Egypt's vision 2030. The main research question was what is the role of the field training in social work in developing societal participation among students in the light of the Egypt's vision of 2030? The research is considered a descriptive / analytical research. Also, the research adopted the social survey method, taking a non random sample from students of the fourth year of the Faculty of Developmental Social Work, Beni Suef University (119 students). One of the main research findings was presenting a suggested imagination to activate the role of the field training in social work in activating societal participation among students in the light of the Egypt's vision 2030. Key words: the Egypt's vision 2030 , field training , societal participation.

Embedding the developmental approach in social work education and practice to overcome poverty: The case of Southern Africa

The article examines the extent to which social work education and practice in Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe has embedded the developmental approach to address the problem of poverty and to bring about socio-economic transformation in these countries. This is particularly significant as social work has gained traction internationally as a problem-solving profession. However, it is argued that that there is a lack of clarity conceptually about how the developmental approach should be operationalised in order to deal with the social problems afflicting African countries in general and Southern Africa in particular. Furthermore the chapter examines challenges in the implementation of the developmental approach in economically fragile contexts such as Eswatini, Lesotho and Zimbabwe. The gaps and constraints in mainstreaming developmental social work are also examined in the context of poverty, globalisation and impacts of natural disasters. Challenges experienced by frontline social workers in mobilising communities through the application of a repertoire of developmental social work approaches have also received attention. The article is based on personal experiences of the authors in teaching and practicing social work in the three countries and this is complemented by reviews and analysis of research studies and policy documents and reports on the mitigation of poverty and the developmental approach. Importantly, the article also offers pathways on the embedment of the developmental approach in social work education and practice to promote the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially the goal relating to the eradication poverty.

Community work, love and the indigenous worldview ofbuen vivirin Peru

The Latin American indigenous knowledge paradigm of buen vivir (‘living well’) encapsulates an equilibrium of rights of people and nature, with a ‘solidarity economy’ emphasising equities, equality and freedoms, social justice and ecological justice. In participatory research in Peru, community workers developed a love-based framework of practice that reflects features of buen vivir. Participants suggest love is values-based feeling and action aiming for a world of peace, happiness and prosperity by transforming social conditions for a system of equality through participatory and democratic processes. The findings enhance developmental social work and buen vivir literature with a localised, relationship-oriented practice approach.

Importance of supervision in professional development of social workers supporting homeless people

The article presents the definitions and functions of supervision significant in the area of social work as well as its individual and institutional benefits. It also presents the results of a pilot study concerning the importance of the instrument of supervision in professional development of social workers. The study showed that the respondents most often participated in sessions providing emotional support, and less often in the sessions offering specialist knowledge. The way of carrying out the supervision was convergent with the current needs of the respondents; however, participating in supervision did not have much influence on making professional decisions or their quality.

Working together to reduce energy poverty in Timor-Leste with environmentally sustainable community-based economic development: A transnational developmental social work approach

This article discusses the social development practices of an international collaboration working to reduce energy poverty through the provision of household solar lighting for Indigenous people living in remote communities in the Remexio district in Timor-Leste. The article discusses some of the findings of a practice-based study that uses collaborative inquiry to analyse the working model of ‘Lampu Diak’, the name of the solar lighting project, and its impacts on the health and well-being of local people and the communities in which they live. Underpinned by a practice-based sociomaterial approach, the analysis characterises the Lampu Diak project as a heterogeneous and distributed network. It discusses four of the developmental social work practices that sustain the project, with a particular emphasis on the introduction of clean, affordable, sustainable solar lighting and the associated ‘common funds’. Common funds are informal microcredit schemes managed by community-based self-help groups. The article explores the potential affordances, benefits and pitfalls of common funds and the unanticipated ways in which they continue to unfold and extend the Lampu Diak project. The article contributes an example of how a village-to-village transnational collaboration practises developmental social work in a particular context.

The disaster relief and social work after the Wenchuan earthquake in Mainland China

ABSTRACT This paper mainly focuses on the development of disaster social work in Mainland China and the intervention of social work in disaster relief. Before the Wenchuan earthquake and in the initial stage of post-earthquake, disaster social work was mainly based on individual psychotherapy; from the earthquake to the year of 2012 in which post-earthquake recovery and reconstruction was completed, the disaster relief began to emphasise community building and integration, while the basic framework for disaster social work was also established. Social workers begin to explore the new mode of developmental and localised disaster social work. By combining with the practical experiences from disaster social work, this paper tries to highlight the dilemmas confronting disaster relief in Mainland China and put forward some corresponding countermeasures and suggestions, which could improve the future disaster relief system in Mainland China.

A Developmental Social Work Perspective on Problematic Internet Use among University Students

Problematic internet use (PIU) is a growing phenomenon worldwide. Students in higher education especially are a vulnerable group for developing symptoms associated with PIU as a result of the idiosyncratic characteristics of student life. Owing to a lacuna in local social work research on the nature, extent and impact of internet use among students in South Africa, a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 498 (n = 498) second-year undergraduate students at a South African university. The results indicate that students access the internet on university campuses and at home daily through their cell phones and laptops for academic and social purposes. Although the average number of hours spent on the internet per day does not indicate PIU, the findings flag certain symptoms associated with PIU, for example, tolerance, escape from problems, and loss of control. Social workers should not be complacent, but rather introduce services to lower students’ risk of PIU. Considering the country’s adoption of social development as welfare model, developmental social work services on the preventive, early intervention and treatment levels as well as policy development are recommended.

A THEORY-BASED SCHOOL VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAMME FOR HIGH SCHOOL LEARNERS IN THE TSHWANE SOUTH DISTRICT, GAUTENG PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

There is a lack of theory-driven and evidence-based school violence prevention programmes targeting high school learners. In line with a developmental social work approach within a framework of stakeholder participation and empowerment, the Think Smart-Take Charge-Turn a New Leaf programme was designed and implemented e. Following a one-group pre-test/post-test survey design, a focus group interview with eight Grade 11 learners to obtain information on their experiences and their opinions about the outcomes of the programme was conducted. This pilot evaluation determined that the programme effectively enhanced student knowledge and positively influenced attitudes towards violence, but did not appear to change behaviours

ENHANCING SOCIAL INTERVENTIONS BY INFORMAL PEACE COMMITTEES IN ZIMBABWE: A DEVELOPMENTAL SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVE

Informal peace committees are community-based responsive and supportive mechanisms that deal with social issues such as interpersonal conflicts, small-scale violence, poverty, hunger and social injustice. As human-service-oriented structures designed and created to represent the interests of local people, informal peace committees have an often unseen correlation with developmental social work in tackling social issues in their host communities in Zimbabwe. This article, therefore, argues that developmental social workers should become involved in these peace committees and identify the contributions they can make as a profession in order to enhance these successful initiatives

Developmental Social Work for Promoting the Socioeconomic Participation of Persons with Disabilities: An Application of the Capability Approach

The promotion of the socioeconomic participation of persons with disabilities is an important concept of developmental social work in community-based rehabilitation (CBR). This approach can be used to tackle poverty and inequalities, and to foster inclusion and empowerment. However, since discussions in the literature on common frameworks for developmental social workers in CBR appear inadequate, this review article aims to develop a practical framework that promotes the socioeconomic participation of persons with disabilities by applying the capability approach. First, the concept of socioeconomic participation and some of its dimensions are discussed and analytically framed using the capability approach. Following this, the practical framework for developmental social work is laid out. It is suggested that developmental social workers consider the complex dynamics between capabilities, functionings, resources, conversion factors, and other factors, with an emphasis on the social dimensions of practice. Thereafter, some theoretical and practical challenges and recommendations are identified.

Developmental Social Work for Promoting the Socioeconomic Participation of Persons with Disabilities: An Application of the Capability Approach

The promotion of the socioeconomic participation of persons with disabilities is an important concept of developmental social work in community-based rehabilitation (CBR). This approach can be used to tackle poverty and inequalities, and to foster inclusion and empowerment. However, since discussions in the literature on common frameworks for developmental social workers in CBR appear inadequate, this review article aims to develop a practical framework that promotes the socioeconomic participation of persons with disabilities by applying the capability approach. First, the concept of socioeconomic participation and some of its dimensions are discussed and analytically framed using the capability approach. Following this, the practical framework for developmental social work is laid out. It is suggested that developmental social workers consider the complex dynamics between capabilities, functionings, resources, conversion factors, and other factors, with an emphasis on the social dimensions of practice. Thereafter, some theoretical and practical challenges and recommendations are identified.

Where Is Developmental Social Work as Social Work Practice Method in Tanzania? The Case of Dar es Salaam Region

There is a consensus that developmental social work method is increasingly gaining support as a panacea for social and economic problems facing the African continent. The main emphasis of the method is centered on pulling together community resources in addressing social and economic problems. The literature shows that the method is currently underutilized in Tanzania and the reasons propelling such a situation are not clear. This study has found that developmental social work is confronted with the following barriers in Tanzania: lack of resources, nature of social work training and curricula, organizational factors/nature of social service agencies activities, lack of innovation and absence of regulations/clear guidelines. The findings also suggest that in order to make full utilization of developmental social work, structural, institutional, professional and individual factors have to be addressed. The recommendations of this study are: developmental social work is very important so as to bring about social and economic development. The nature of economic and social problems facing vulnerable populations in Tanzania today requires a combination of different methods including that of developmental social work, if sustainable development has to be realized.