Ethical Social Work Practice Research Articles

Feelings of (in)Authenticity in Social Work – A Potential Guide for Ethical Practice?

ABSTRACT At the heart of this article lies the unique question of whether feelings of (in)authenticity can act as a resource for ethical social work practice. In adopting an affirmative position, I posit that emotional labour is traceable to feeling inauthentic and that for social workers possessing a virtuous sensibility such feelings represent sites of ethical struggle. For workers who are reflectively alert to their sense of self I argue that these feelings become ethical markers for practice, offering guidance for that which is ethically just. Within this debate, the idea of virtue as being morally good is framed around an interpretation that sees it as supportive of social justice. The article thus concludes that the deliberation of feelings – of being (in)authentic – can act as a disruptive prompt for practice that could prove unjust or oppressive. Within this original discussion, conceptions of authenticity, emotional work and virtue are critically explored in relation to the self.

Skills to enhance the efficacy of anti-racist supervision

Summary In a time of increased social division, overt bigotry, and pervasive structural violence, social workers have an opportunity to lead the helping professions in meaningful social transformation. Social work supervisors play a central role in developing and guiding ethical social work practice. Yet, little empirically driven scholarship exists providing supervisors with strategies for disrupting racism and bias in the practice of their supervisees. This exploratory qualitative study employs a grounded theory approach to unearth such strategies. Fifteen participants with social work supervisory experience, who identified as anti-racist, offered insights into in vivo approaches to disrupting racism in social work practice. Findings The findings from this study emphasize the importance of a strong supervisory foundation, comprised of centering race and being in authentic relationship with staff. Further, strategies such as assessing the race consciousness of staff create the foundation to employ competencies for efficacious anti-racist supervision including taking space versus pausing, providing incremental pedagogical scaffolding, and leveraging a foundational supervisory skillset. Applications These strategies represent tangible approaches social work supervisors might employ when engaging in anti-racist practice with their staff.

An ethical framework for simulation-based pedagogy: a strengths-based, anti-oppressive, and intersectional approach

ABSTRACT Existing evidence supports simulation for improving competency in social work education. This evidence has focused almost exclusively on simulation outcomes with little attention given to best practices for the implementation of simulation. We maintain that best practices for implementing simulation require careful attention to a host of ethical challenges. Failing to attend to these challenges not only can compromise the learning experience in simulation but also educators’ and students’ ability to integrate crucial social justice principles related to anti-oppressive social work practice. In this conceptual paper, we describe and employ a strengths-based, anti-oppressive, intersectional framework to competently engage in best practices for simulation pedagogy. We demonstrate how educators can utilize this framework to mitigate ethical concerns from the beginning when case scenarios are developed to the end when students are debriefed on the simulation experience. We conclude with discussing ongoing work needed in social work education to ensure educators encourage ethical social work practice by first modeling it for students in simulation exercises.

A Mind-Body-Spirit Framework for Addressing Self-Care in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT Despite high rates of compassion stress within the field of social work and the growing acknowledgment that self-care is critically important to ethical social work practice and to the practitioner’s overall well-being, social work education has not yet adequately responded to the self-care and wellness needs of students and new professionals, nor has it fully prepared them for the stressful realities of social work practice. Self-care education is essential for student/practitioner success and necessitates innovative programmatic and curricular development. It also entails more discussion and explication of conceptual frameworks upon which self-care education will be designed and implemented. Given that self-care relates to individuals’ unique biopsychosocial needs, as well as their preferred methods of healing and cultural beliefs, this paper calls for a mind-body-spirit framework for self-care education. The need for such a framework is examined and a sample curriculum is presented and discussed.

Accounting for an encounter involving a social worker and man with learning disabilities and crafting tools for ethical social work practice

ABSTRACT This article critically reads a social encounter in which a social worker and a middle-aged man with learning disabilities are implicated. To do so, I draw upon ideas and approaches associated with anthropology and the sociology of everyday life to expose invisible, or invisibilised, dimensions of social interaction which may, otherwise, be obscured, backgrounded, and perhaps even concealed by virtue of their ‘thereness’. Through the prisms afforded by these disciplinary lenses, a seemingly ordinary, and unspectacular, social encounter may be regarded in the context of everyday life alongside learning disability, as registering/generating multiple forms of language, and as being inescapably saturated in multifaceted forms of power. Because these disciplinary tools may help map not only the particular social encounter to which this article is concerned but also social interactions more generally, they constitute useful resources, to be cultivated, or crafted, for ethical social work practice.

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

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

Complex identities in ethical social work practice and research

ABSTRACT Identity, a socially constructed concept, makes sense of who we are, and how we relate to others and define our places in the world, including the physical environment. Identity formation and maintenance are complex, transactional relationships negotiated through interpersonal interactions and constantly adapting to the people we meet. Identity is culturally specific and changes through exchanges between and across cultures. Identity formation is fluid, dynamic, and reproduced through interaction with others. Identity is negotiated through power relations to create feelings of “belonging” and acceptance in specific situations and locales. Being accepted as belonging establishes an individual’s and community’s entitlement to human rights in society through social inclusion and exclusion processes. Working with those who do not “belong”, social workers aware of the impact of the social construction of identity should treat people with respect and dignity and provide necessary services.

‘If we weren’t reflecting, we would be like robots’: The case for thinking aloud in social work supervision

Thinking aloud is presented as a qualitative research and practice tool that enhances critical reflection and learning when it is applied in supervisor–supervisee dyads. Aotearoa New Zealand’s statutory child protection organisation, Oranga Tamariki (OT), has been openly criticised in reports damning ineffective social work practice regarding child and family assessments, cultural competency and critical practice. But what is really going on inside OT? Working alongside OT social workers, the authors explored ways to build critical reflection, resilience and well-being amongst supervisors and supervisees. Critical reflection was used as the methodological lens in this supervision study. The authors examine data collected from six supervisor–supervisee dyads participating in a thinking aloud process. Supervision recordings were analysed for reflective capacity, skills and current supervision practices in OT. Thinking aloud promoted a co-constructed space for supervisors and supervisees to critically reflect on their relationship together and their practice discussions in supervision. Using thematic analysis, four themes were generated from the thinking aloud discussions: the supervision agenda; supervisor skills; supervisory relationship and thinking aloud in supervision. These themes highlighted the significance of thinking aloud in providing deeper analysis and feedback on the quality of supervision and the skills used in the session. Reflective supervision is fundamental towards critical reflection and ethical social work practice. Within child protection services, it is crucial that social workers maintain a practice focus in robust decision-making effecting children and qualitative research supports this practice. Thinking aloud provides the basis for supervisors and supervisees to develop their skills together and ensure critical and accountable practice.

Social media use, attitudes, and knowledge among social work students: Ethical implications for the social work profession

Abstract The propagation of social media carries potentially rich ethical implications for communication norms, societal well-being, and individual mental health (i.e., human development and behavior). These concerns fall within the professional purview of social work. The purpose of this pilot survey research study is two-fold: (1) to describe and explore variables of interest, and their ethical implications, within the data pertaining to social work students’ use and knowledge of, and attitudes toward, social media; and, (2) to make recommendations for follow-up research studies seeking to more deeply ascertain the intersection of social media, ethical social work practice, and professional development. To achieve this stated purpose, the authors administer a 55-item survey to social work students (N ​= ​57) at a public university in the Southeastern United States with the permission of program directors and Human Subjects approval from the university’s Institutional Review Board. Overall, findings reveal that social work students seemingly hold conflicting attitudes toward social media that are also at times contrary to their self-reported knowledge and use of social media. The authors discuss social media’s ethical implications for the social work profession, taking the position that information about social media should be included in social work curricula.

Intercultural Humility in Social Work Education

ABSTRACT This conceptual study draws from social work, education, psychology, and moral philosophy (i.e., virtue and Confucian ethics) to inform our conceptual definition of intercultural humility (ICH) with five interrelated features. Starting with cultural humility in the context of the Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) for Baccalaureate and Master’s Social Work Programs of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), we examined conceptualizations of humility and cultural humility as virtues required for ethical social work practice. Implications for social work education are discussed by outlining rationales and strategies for developing each ICH feature.

The Application of Ethics within Social Work Supervision: A Selected Literature and Research Review

ABSTRACTSocial work supervision is a forum in which social workers and supervisors have the opportunity to explore ethics within their practice. It is also where social workers experience ongoing learning and development regarding ethics. This article is a selective review of social work supervision and ethics literature. Key areas identified are: 1) the role of supervision in the monitoring and development of ethical social work practice; 2) supervisors’ knowledge and application of codes of ethics, ethical theories, principles and ethical decision-making models; 3) ethical supervisory relationships, processes and practices. A lack of research evidence was identified regarding the application of ethics within supervision and in relation to the interactional process of ethical exploration, inquiry and dialogue within sessions. Considering this lack of evidence, we propose that ethics be integrated throughout the supervision process through the development of care ethics culture, ethical sensitivity and ethical dialogue. The article concludes with recommendations about bringing ethics to the forefront in supervision. Recommendations are also made concerning further research pertaining to the monitoring and development of ethical social work practice through supervision, supervisors’ ethics knowledge, the interactional process of ethical supervisory practice with supervisees and the influence of organisational culture upon ethics and supervision.

Self-compassion among social workers

SummaryIn recent years, the practice of self-compassion has garnered increasing attention in the literature, yet little is known about self-compassion in the field of social work. The purpose of this cross-sectional exploratory study was to examine self-compassion among social workers (N = 1011) located in a state in the southeastern United States. Specifically, this study was guided by two distinct, yet interconnected research queries: (1) How self-compassionate are social workers and (2) what personal and professional factors contribute to self-compassion among social workers?FindingsFindings suggest social workers are fairly self-compassionate. Significant group differences in self-compassion exist by perceived health status (self-report), relationship status, social work licensing, and professional organization affiliation. Significant predictors of self-compassion included health status, educational level, and relationship status (in descending order of predictive power).ApplicationsAdept and ethical social work practice requires that practitioners engage in self-compassionate practices. This study offers pragmatic implications for social work practice, including training and apposite areas for research.

From Cultural Competence to Cultural Consciousness: Transitioning to a Critical Approach to Working Across Differences in Social Work

ABSTRACTDriven by increasing cultural diversity and growing inequities in health and social outcomes, cross-cultural competence has become a fundamental dimension of effective and ethical social work practice. It has assumed a prominent discourse in social work education, scholarship, professional practice, codes of ethics, and organizational policy; however, how one defines, acquires, applies, and evaluates cultural competencies continue to be issues of debate. Grounded in a postmodern epistemic frame, an integrated model of critical cultural consciousness for working across differences in social work is proposed and implications for micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice are discussed.

The Social Work Librarian and Information Literacy Instruction: A Report on a National Survey in the United States

ABSTRACTAs an interdisciplinary profession encompassing macro, mezzo, and micro fields of praxis, well-informed and ethical social work practice necessitates the continual utilization of information literacy skills across a wide and ever-evolving range of information sources and access points. In response to a dearth of scholarship concerning information literacy instruction in social work education, this article reports on an initial endeavor to quantify and describe the nature of information literacy instruction in social work education on a national level in the United States. In addition to a review and discussion of the National Social Work Librarians Survey's descriptive data, this article addresses pedagogic and institutional challenges germane to the advocacy for the inclusion of information literacy instruction in social work curricula.

Lived Challenges to Ethical Social Work Practice in Criminal Justice Settings

Ethical social work practice within criminal justice settings is fraught with challenges. Through individual interviews in a qualitative study exploring social work practice in diverse criminal justice settings in the northwestern United States, a subsample of 9 social workers described the difficulties they experience adhering to social work’s professional code of ethics. They identify 2 primary areas of divergence, conflicting responsibilities and opposing interests, and identify the ways they respond to these challenges and the rationale behind their decisions. The discussion section explores avenues for strengthening social workers’ abilities to be a vital and ethical presence in criminal justice settings.

Ethical Challenges for Social Work in Post-Conflict Situations: The Case of Africa's Great Lakes Region

During the past decades, the African Great Lakes region has experienced several armed conflicts, widespread political crisis, and large-scale loss of human lives. The civilian population bears the brunt of political turmoil and suffers from direct and structural violence and from the violation of their fundamental human rights. Although social work is still weak in these countries, it can play an important role in peace-building and in the overall rebuilding and reconstruction of affected societies in order to achieve a lasting impact in transforming conflict and poverty structures. In this article, a multi-dimensional conceptual framework for social work in such situations is introduced. Social work interventions in highly sensitive post-conflict contexts should ideally be linked to local knowledge systems and African ethics, thus providing guiding principles for ethical social work practice. Empirical examples from Northern Uganda and Burundi underscore the importance of such contextualised approaches.

Ethical and Human Rights Issues in Coercive Interventions With Sex Workers

Sex work reemerged as a spotlight issue within feminist arenas in the 1960s. The interest in ‘‘prostitution’’ reform during the 1960s came about in much the same way it had in the past, that is, it rode on the coattails of other social movements (Hobson, 1987). As the civil rights movement led a heightened awareness of all human rights, individuals began to protest governmental interference in private sexual acts. Civil libertarian lawyers and feminist activists contested prostitution laws and social injustices against sex workers. The relationship between some strands of feminism and sex work is often polarized and rocky at best. In fact, the contemporary feminist debates on sex work, which began in the 1960s related to pornography and prostitution, have often been referred to as the feminist sex wars (Hollibaugh, 2000; Lerum, 1998; Sloan & Wahab, 2000; Zatz, 1997). On one side of the debate are sex workers and feminists who emphasize the importance of sex workers’ rights and understand sex work as potentially liberating and empowering. On the other side are those who believe sex work is exploitive, casting sex workers as coerced victims. Whether social workers think that sex work is a form of violence, legitimate work, or something much more complicated that cannot be reduced to the rhetoric of the feminist sex wars, it is time to seriously grapple with the ethical considerations involved with social work practice focused on people in the sex industry. Social workers should be deeply troubled by social work interventions that target individuals for arrest as a means of providing services. Specifically, we call attention to social work collaborations with law enforcement that target or end in the arrest of sex workers. While specific events in Arizona during the week of May 16, 2013, sparked the writing of this editorial, the issues discussed below bring into question ethical social work practice with sex workers including practice with oppressed and marginalized individuals and groups. Specifically, we challenge the assumption that arresting (or participating

Community Family Therapy: A Model for Family and Community Problem Solving and Development in South America

This article has a twofold purpose. First, it discusses theoretical and practice developments in both family therapy that include community, and in social work that emphasize acceleration toward social and community developmental welfare, but which should include microsystemic interventions. The authors contend that ethical family therapy and social work practice should use multimodal strategies, and suggest that the community family therapy (CFT) model is useful in addressing gaps in theoretical developments. Second, because the CFT model has not yet been adopted in South Africa, this article discusses evaluations of the CFT model by 3 groups of students for the model to be adopted with full understanding. These student groups are the 2010 cohort of final-year social work undergraduate students and the 2010 and 2011 cohort of postgraduate social work students at the University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa. The article presents readers with some understanding of the CFT model, how its teaching has evolved through a learner-centered pedagogy, the merits and demerits of the model, and preconditions that may facilitate adoption of the model.

Transmen's Health Care Experiences: Ethical Social Work Practice Beyond the Binary

Informed by institutional ethnography approaches, this study includes interviews with 3 young transmen (21–29) about their experiences regarding Canadian health care and the work they perform to access care. Semistructured interviews were used to gather data that were then analyzed to identify key aspects of participants’ experiences and perceptions. Findings describe the extra work transmen perform to compensate for a lack of provider competence in transgender health care. Influences of the dominant gender binary ideology as it shapes the health care experiences of transmen are discussed. This article calls for social workers to challenge the gender binary and use practice frameworks informed by transgender theory.

Ethical Social Work Practice in Direct Work with Carers and Children

This article considers some of the ethical implications of social workers undertaking more direct work with carers and children in the field of child protection. Following the UK government's near-complete acceptance of the recommendations of the Munro report into child protection in England and Wales, it seems inevitable that direct work will become more and more a feature of practice for child protection social workers. Whilst this development is almost universally welcomed, this should not disguise the fact that direct work can be fraught with ethical difficulties and challenges. This article explores in general terms three of the main potential areas of difficulty—the use of video-recording, informed consent and interpreting the meaning of direct work—before considering some specific responses to these in the context of a particular skills-based training intervention to improve the ability of child protection social workers to engage in direct work.