Individual Social Workers Research Articles

METHODS OF SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT IN THE ACTIVITIES OF A SOCIAL WORKER

The article presents an analysis of different approaches of domestic scientists to the interpretation of the concept of «social work management». The author surveys the features of management as an object of governance in the activities of a social worker. Features include the social nature of management information; the need for motivation methods that effectively influences and motivates professionals to better results in social work; availability of social workers' professional competence; the presence of problems with forecasting the results of management in the social sphere; the importance of current and final management results.
 The author proves the necessity of social workers' self-management skills (time management, motivation, stress resistance and recuperation, development of emotional intelligence) for the effective performance of management tasks in professional activities. 
 The article highlights the principles that should be followed in solving organizational and managerial tasks in social work management (purposefulness, ability of realization, adaptability, efficiency).
 The researcher presents the structure of social work management methods in the study (economic, administrative, social counselling, psychological and pedagogical influence, social influence). Research characterizes the methods of social work management while working with recipients of social services (methods of individual social work, methods of group social work, methods of community work, methods of social service design).

Poverty as a Political Choice: a Comparative Analysis of Reports of the UN Rapporteur\u2019s Visits to the UK and Spain

This paper presents a comparative analysis of two reports by the UN Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, one for Spain and one for the UK. In both countries, austerity policies were introduced following the banking crisis of 2008. The UN Rapporteur reports highlight the damage that was done by welfare retrenchment. In particular, the reports document the impact of austerity on the most vulnerable individuals and communities. The paper uses Somers' (2008) conceptual model of citizenship as the basis for a comparative analysis of two reports. Somers' (2008) model of citizenship is a triadic one which sees the state, market and civil society as competing elements. Each one can serve to regulate and limit the influence or excesses of the other two. Somers argues that neoliberalism has seen the dominance of the market at the expense of the role of the state and the institutions of civil society. Austerity policies saw the market dominating. Having examined the context of the two reports and their conclusions, the paper discussed the implications for individual social workers’ practice and the role of social work as a profession in tackling poverty and marginalisation.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Implementation for Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: Implications for Social Work Practice.

Social workers have been critical in the response to HIV from its inception, in HIV prevention, support, and advocacy for stigmatized populations including gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM). Recently, social workers have been tasked with working in an era of increasingly biomedicalized HIV prevention, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a safe and highly effective new prevention technology. However, disparities in PrEP access due to structural barriers, including lack of health insurance coverage, and complex decision-making pathways and processes of engagement present substantial challenges for PrEP implementation. Ensuring equitable access to resources and supporting informed decision making are paramount to social work values, yet scant published literature has considered PrEP social work intervention. This article draws on qualitative data from 29 GBM respondents to highlight gaps in PrEP decision-making support and access that may be amenable to social work intervention. Authors describe opportunities for individual, interpersonal, organizational, and structural social work interventions to address multilevel gaps in PrEP implementation. Findings illuminate the complexity of individual experiences and social discourses regarding PrEP and their impact on GBM and raise important issues for social workers to consider in working with GBM clients, service providers, and administrators.

Attuning to the needs of structural socially isolated older adults with complex problems: the experiences of social workers with personal guidance trajectories for a less-researched group.

Many interventions to combat the social isolation of older adults are hardly effective because they ignore both the heterogeneity of the target group and the uniqueness of the individual experiences of social isolation. In order to be effective, interventions must meet the individual needs of specific clients. In this study, we aim to gain insight into the process in which professionals seek to understand how clients assess their situation, and what this means for the help they provide. We investigated how social workers in one‐to‐one guidance trajectories try to attune to the needs of the clients they accompany and what considerations they make in doing so.The study was conducted between 2014 and 2017 in the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Participants were 20 social workers of 8 social work agencies who provided guidance to community‐dwelling older adults who have been isolated for a long time and have problems in multiple life domains. We analysed 36 research‐driven logbooks, written by the social workers, which contain case study descriptions with information about specific clients who belong to the target group of this study. We also interviewed the individual social workers and organised six focus groups with 8–12 of the participating social workers.Our findings make clear how social workers try to identify the needs of their clients and provide help that is tailored to their possibilities and ambitions. By giving recognition to the emotions and situations of their clients, and by practical problem‐solving, they build a relationship with the older adults in which adequate help is accepted. The professionals set modest goals; their guidance helps stabilise the existing situation and may also contribute to the self‐reliance of their clients. This knowledge will be highly valuable in the developing and implementation of programmes and interventions for this less‐researched group.

Sistemi organizzativi plurimi e discrezionalità decisionale nei servizi per il benessere e la protezione dei minori in Veneto

The decisions taken by social workers in the field of child protection are influenced not only by factors related to the child and his/her life contex but also by organizational-contextual fac-tors of the social service and personal factors of the professionals (Baumann et al., 2011; Fluke et al., 2014; Benbenishity et al., 2015). The present research wanted to investigate how the organizational and professional variables affect the decisions of social workers in the child protection services in the area of the Veneto Region. 3 focus group were conducted, involving 22 social workers working in the protection services of 3 large municipalities in the Veneto Region were interviewed. The results highlight the presence of plural organizational structures and the lack of shared good practices with a shift in the decision axis towards the discretion of individual social worker.

How can social workers be meaningfully involved in palliative care? A scoping review on the prerequisites and how they can be realised in practice.

Palliative care is a holistic practice using a multidisciplinary approach in addressing multidimensional needs. Although the social aspects surrounding the end-of-life phase suggest a place for social work in it, the profession is often inadequately involved in daily practice. This contrasts strongly with the potential meaningful contributions of social workers in this field. To date, no comprehensive list of prerequisites for meaningful social work involvement in palliative care exists. This review aims to gain more insight on the prerequisites for meaningful social work involvement in palliative care and how to realise them in practice. It could therefore provide pathways for future intervention development in enhancing the involvement of social workers and maximising their contributions in palliative care. A scoping review methodology was used. A systematic selection of peer-reviewed articles ranged from 2000 to April 2021 – out of the electronic databases Web of Science, Scopus and Pubmed – was conducted. The 170 articles that met the eligibility criteria were analysed for relevant content using open and axial coding processes. The findings are reported according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. The nine prerequisites listed in this review concern the level of individual social work capacities and the level of contextual factors structuring social work practices. A majority of articles have, however, focused on the level of individual social work capacities in a rather specialist view on palliative care. Future research should further address the contextual level of social work involvement in the broader practice of death, dying and bereavement.

‘Maybe a Maverick, Maybe a Parent, but Definitely Not an Honorary Nurse’: Social Worker Perspectives on the Role and Nature of Social Work in Mental Health Care

Abstract In many places in the UK, social work is integral to mental health service delivery. Significant role erosion, however, has left the profession unclear about where it fits within modern mental health services. The 2016 Social Work for Better Mental Health initiative outlines five key mental health roles and has been adopted into national policy in England to combat this uncertainty, but the influence of this has not been explored. This study aimed to develop an understanding of how mental health social workers perceive and explain their role. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with seven social workers based within one English National Health Service mental health trust covering a large geographical area and their responses analysed using Ritchie, Spencer and O’Connor’s Framework thematic model. Findings indicated that social workers only superficially engaged with the aspirational policy roles, instead presenting their own framework for what makes mental health social work distinctive. This was constructed around the context and intentions of practice, rather than around proscribed tasks and responsibilities. This study has significance for individual social workers and for organisations providing and planning mental health services in the UK and beyond, given the influence that practitioner perceptions can have on how they undertake their roles.

Trabajo Social Comunitario en materia de vivienda: redefinición y desafíos a partir de un estudio de caso

La vivienda, como estructura central de la sociedad y derecho básico de la ciudadanía, representa un elemento clave para una vida digna, así como para la integración social. Su pérdida, por tanto, significa una carencia material y, al mismo tiempo, un proceso de ruptura que socava la estabilidad y la salud de quienes la viven en primera persona para acabar sumiéndolos en la exclusión. En esta coyuntura, el Trabajo Social se presenta como un agente idóneo y necesario para la intervención, no sólo sobre sus consecuencias, sino también sobre sus causas. En este artículo se expone un estudio de caso centrado en una intervención, basada en las metodologías de la profesión a nivel individual y comunitario, desarrollada en un proceso de desahucio colectivo en un pequeño poblado del norte de España. A partir de esta experiencia particular, se reflexiona acerca del papel deficitario que el Trabajo Social está cumpliendo en materia de vivienda, siguiendo la tendencia asistencialista de actuaciones puntuales que carecen de una continuidad e impacto real sobre la raíz del problema. Se concluye, así, la pertinencia de poner en marcha, especialmente al abordar procesos de desahucio, intervenciones desde una perspectiva integral y comunitaria, así como la necesidad de un posicionamiento profesional crítico que no pierda de vista el objetivo transformador de su práctica.

Social work in hospice and palliative care in Europe: Findings from an EAPC survey.

Social work is considered to be a key player in Hospice and Palliative Care. To prove this claim, the Social Worker Task Force within the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) decided to carry out a survey. The aim of this survey was to generate basic data and thus to create a basis for further development of Palliative Care Social Work (PCSW) in Europe. The online survey consisted of two parts: in Part 1, the 57 collective members of the EAPC were asked to fill in an online questionnaire containing questions about basic data. In Part 2, individual Palliative Care Social Workers (SWs) from all over Europe were asked to fill in another questionnaire with a focus on the basic conditions concerning their jobs as well, as on their tasks and roles. Thirty-two collective members of the EAPC completed the online questionnaire. SWs can be found in all of the Palliative Care settings, but there are considerable differences between the countries concerning the prevalence of SWs. Only five countries (20%) reported specialized qualification training in PCSW and just around half of the responding SWs had such a specialized training. The responding SWs (n = 360) were quite content with their working conditions. Tasks concerning patient and family and tasks concerning the interprofessional team were most prominent. There is a significant role overlap with other professions. The study reveals a very mixed picture of PCSW in Europe. This could be due to the high adaptability of social work, which is to be as flexible as possible to the needs of its clients. However, significant patterns, similarities, and differences emerge. The present study may, therefore, serve as a basis for further in-depth studies.

Eats me alive!: social workers reflect on practice in neoliberal contexts

ABSTRACT Social workers regularly engage with people who have experienced traumatic events—such as domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, persecution, or armed conflict—but our understanding of how this work affects social workers themselves is still developing. Theories of burnout, vicarious trauma, and secondary traumatic stress illuminate the difficulty of trauma work, yet these approaches generally assign accountability for self-care to individual social workers, neglecting the contexts in which they operate—a response that reflects the neoliberal ideology of personal responsibility. In this article, we argue social workers charged with supporting those who experience trauma are themselves jeopardized by the organizational manifestations of neoliberalism. This article presents the reflections of social workers doing difficult work in neoliberal contexts. In-depth interviews were conducted with seven American social workers serving trauma-affected clients in non-clinical roles to better understand how they experienced their work. In their responses, participants underscored the centrality of organizational and systemic contexts. As one of our participants commented, 'The organizational stuff eats me alive!’ It calls on social work educators to prepare students to recognize, critically engage, and resist neoliberal elements of their practice contexts.

Social Workers and Self-Care: A Promoted yet Unexamined Concept?

Self-care brings valuable, welcome and further attention to the personal and professional needs of social work practitioners. Self care has become part of the ‘official’ discourse of social work; it is endorsed in various professional documents in a range of countries, including the UK. Until recently, the concept has been the subject of limited research and literature, but this has now started to proliferate, especially in the USA. However, there has been virtually no research or literature produced in the UK. Therefore this article considers definitions of self-care, explores some of the ideas that underpin the concept and reviews recent research findings, mainly from the USA. Critical perspectives are considered surrounding self-care, exploring the dangers of an excessive focus on the individual social worker and the neglect of the organisational and structural context. Suggestions are made for further development of the self-care concept in the UK within the context of other theories, social work education, on-going professional development and organisational practices.

Growing Older in Social Work: Perspective on Systems of Support to Extend Working Lives—Findings from a UK Survey

AbstractSocial work, like many other human service professions, is ageing. This article reports and discusses the findings of a UK social work survey undertaken in 2018 (1,397 responses). It investigated how organisational policies and individual factors were affecting individual social workers’ decisions about working in later life. The survey measured (i) social workers’ attitudes to ageing at work and self-reported planning around retirement; (ii) mental health and well-being, quality of working life and home and work interface and (iii) intention to leave work and retirement planning. Statistical analysis enabled examination of how the interrelationship of these factors and relevant individual characteristics interact within the systemic work environment. Findings revealed that all participants had considered factors that might cause them to retire early. Framing the findings in an ecological conceptual model suggests that age-inclusive professional and organisational cultures, age-positive human resource management, support from line managers, fair working conditions and the ability to manage health and well-being, might enable social workers to extend their working lives in line with government policy. These findings provide insights for social work workforce policymakers and for employers to assist in their development of organisational and individual adjustments to sustain well-being in the social work profession.

Reflecting on a Common Core and the Variability of Social Work Definitions: “Theme and Its Interpretations” by Foucault

ABSTRACTThe assumed impossibility of forming a widely accepted view of social work is explained on the one hand by the contesting nature of social work definitions and on the other by a loss of professional identity since the 1960s. The aim of the article is to elaborate a third explanation based on the hypothesis that social workers adhere to their differing interpretations of common social work themes. The argument for this article is designed from Foucault’s idea of a “thematic realm which reveals a set of possible interpretations.” To reach the aim, we address the question of why Bartlett, who explicitly adheres to an individual view of a common social work theme, emphasizes her specific interpretation of what she identifies as the social work focus. By generalizing the answer to this question, a hypothesis on the motives for defining social work in terms of individual views of a common social work theme is developed. It is argued that the lack of a widely accepted view of social work is a consequence of social work being defined by individual social workers based on ideas beyond their immediate conscious control. Suggestions are made on how to educate social workers to reflect on their unexamined motives for adhering to dissimilar interpretations of social work common themes.

Social work with the local community in Ukraine and the possibility of using Polish experience

Although community organizing as a method of social work began to develop in Ukraine in the 1990s, but unlike individual and group social work, the attempts to introduce it into the activities of social welfare institutions and non-governmental organizations were unsystematic and not very successful. The aim of the article is to determine the possibilities of Polish experience of community social work implementation in Ukraine, taking into account the ongoing reform of local self-government. The study, the results of which are presented in the article, was designed as a so-called desk research and based on the results of the comparative analysis of Ukrainian and Polish scientific publications, documents, official websites, etc. The historical background of community social work development in Ukraine is outlined, the analysis of Ukrainian legal acts regarding norms and principles on community organizing is conducted. The article provides an overview of Ukrainian concepts and models of community social work. Particular attention is paid to the possibilities of Polish experience’ application, while implementing community organizing into practice of social welfare institutions as well as of NGOs. Possible structural and institutional changes related to the implementation of community organizing in social work practice and its benefits for the revitalization programs were analyzed. Polish experience of establishing a nationwide circle of community social work professionals was described. The author concludes that the challenges and barriers arising before community social work in both countries are quite similar and assumes that it is reasonable to take into account Polish experience, while implementing community organizing in Ukrainian realities.

Individual and Organisational Practices Addressing Social Workers’ Experiences of Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious trauma is a predictable side effect of social work practice with growing evidence of its varied impact on individuals and workplaces. Organisations employing social workers do not always take a preventative or proactive approach to addressing vicarious trauma, often assuming the provision of supervision and encouraging worker self-care will be sufficient. This article argues that organisations should be encouraged to accept responsibility for addressing vicarious trauma as a work health and safety issue. A narrative literature review of studies and articles over the last 10 years is presented that identified individual or organisational strategies to reduce the risk of vicarious trauma. The authors encourage individual social workers, social work managers, and organisations employing social workers to consider their approach in light of these findings, as well as wish to encourage further research.

Conditions for helping relations in specialized personal social services – a client perspective on the influence of organizational struc-ture

ABSTRACT This article highlights organizational structure as a factor influencing conditions for helping relations. It is based on a survey study and an interview study, both directed at parents in families that have parallel contacts in different parts of Swedish personal social services (PSS). The aim is to describe and analyse conditions for helping relations when clients with complex needs encounter specialized PSS. Low system trust, people processing dimensions of work, and an organizational and a professional emphasis on formal organizational structures and boundaries were found to constitute unfavourable conditions. Conversely, an occurrence of individual trust, people sustaining and people changing dimensions of work, as well as informal organization and individual social workers’ boundary spanning efforts, constituted favourable conditions. The article concludes that greater understanding of how clients are affected by contextual service conditions can give some pointers towards how to generally improve services for vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.

Shaping Canadian citizens: A historical study of Canadian multiculturalism and social work during the period from 1900 to 1999

Canadian multiculturalism is a source of national pride and Canada’s national identity. Despite this, the marginalization of migrants, Indigenous, and non‐White Canadians has persisted while (re)constructing Canadian citizens and nationhood. Using a Foucauldian genealogical approach, we explored how the social work profession has addressed this paradox around shifting Canadian national identities and multiculturalism while developing its professionalization across various historical junctures in the 20th century. Our findings reveal that, since its inception, the social work profession has negotiated with dominant discourses. In the collective response as a profession, the omission of attention and subsequent inaction to exclusion and marginalization is apparent. However, through the construction of counter discourses, individual social workers’ resistance to social injustice has been noteworthy. Identifying and documenting these counter discourses across significant historical periods thus contributes to rewriting Canadian social work history that reinvigorates our social work core values of justice and respect for all.Key Practitioner Message: • The study provides a critical analysis of the history of Canadian Social Work practice in relation to multiculturalism; • It can be used for pedagogical purposes (critical discussion and evaluation); • It raises awareness of historical social work blind spots.

The Public Library as a Protective Factor: An Introduction to Library Social Work

ABSTRACTLibraries from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. are now employing or housing social workers. As this practice area grows, it is reshaping the way that libraries assist their patrons. Though the work of individual library social workers vary depending on the unique needs of their patrons and communities, there are some social work concepts that remain constant across the country. Conceiving of the library as a protective factor, particularly for vulnerable patrons, can be a helpful lens through which to view the ever changing needs of individuals and communities served by public libraries. Libraries can play a crucial role in the strengthening of their communities by partnering with local service providers and by considering ways to strengthen and expand the resources they offer to patrons.

A Critical Overview of the Significance of Power and Power Relations in Practice with Children in Foster Care: Evidence from an Irish Study

ABSTRACT This paper is based on findings from an Irish study of permanence and stability outcomes for children in long-term care which involved biographical narrative interviews with 27 children, young people, parents and foster carers. The study concluded that power and power relations featured significantly in the narratives of our interviewees. To advance guidance for practice, this paper aims to build on the findings of the study reported with an emphasis on the theorisation of power and power relations to inform practice. To do this, we use illustrative quotes from children, young people and their families to demonstrate how power markedly affected their experiences. The findings are considered in the context of an adapted version of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model with a focus on the interaction between the social work system and individual social workers (exo system) the young person and their wider family (micro-meso system) as perceived by the latter. The wider impact of policy (macro system) and transitions and experiences over time (chrono system) are considered in the context of this interaction. In the discussion, the need for more explicit studies of power and power relations within the context of an ecological model to capture the complexity of layers and interactions of each child’s social system is highlighted. The contribution and limitation of the research is discussed. We end with a commentary about the importance of promoting an increased voice for children and young people in the development and improvement of public child welfare services.

Constructing a Social Work Environmental Dialogue

Modern behaviours supported by ignorance and greed have impacted on the environment and have left many scars that will take lifetimes to rectify. This paper proposes that the social work profession has apparently played no leadership role in alerting society to the dangers of environmental change; albeit individual social worker’s campaigns against exploitation of the environment are exceptions. Within the South Asian scenario, social workers such as Medha Patkar continue to crusade for environmental justice making it clear that collective advocacy is needed. The authors assert that the social work literature shows limited interest, consideration and therefore, no debate around climate change. The authors explore a role for social work and argue merits for a social work role in the environmental dialogue. A construction of social work taking a central role has been proposed, that requires a new perspective focused on society and its problems and the values of the profession.