Social Work Knowledge Research Articles

Therapeutic Gardening Groups with Children and Young People Who Have Experienced Maltreatment

ABSTRACT Despite the burgeoning interest in eco-social work, there is a dearth of publications exploring eco-social work practice with children and young people who experience violence, abuse, and neglect. Social workers are committed to service delivery to children and young people and, as such, are ideally placed to create and expand on eco-social work practice. The authors argue that therapeutic gardening groups with children and young people who have experienced abuse and violence deserve a place in the eco-social work field. This article describes an established gardening program that successfully ran for five years. In this article we summarise the group work program, illuminate children's and young people's experiences of the groups, and share insights and reflections from the facilitators of these groups. Finally, the authors impress upon readers the need for researchers and practitioners to contribute to this growing body of social work knowledge. IMPLICATIONS Gardening is a potential place of healing for children and young people who have experienced violence, exploitation abuse, and neglect. Gardening is a site for creative eco-social work practice. Further research is needed to explore the use of gardening as a therapeutic intervention.

The knowledge and skills needed for forensic social work in Australia: A Delphi study

Summary Forensic social work is the application of social work knowledge, skills, values and ethics within a legal and criminal justice context. Globally, social workers play an integral role in the criminal justice system but in many countries, including Australia, there is limited conception of the competencies needed for this specialist practice. Australia serves as an example of forensic social work regulated through a generalist social work competency framework, where specialist skills and knowledge are not distinctly outlined or assessed. The purpose of this study was to identify the knowledge and skills used by forensic social work practitioners in Australia. This study used a 3-round Delphi method with an expert panel of social workers working in forensic practice across Australia. It consisted of a 1-hour semi-structured individual interview followed by 2 rounds of online surveys. Findings Consensus was obtained for 30 skill and knowledge items for Australian forensic social work. The panel identified these competencies as specialist, meaning requiring further training beyond generalist proficiency. Of these, eight of the skill and knowledge items were seen as essential for graduates entering forensic social work. Applications The findings from this study contribute to an evidence-based model of forensic social work competency. In Australia, they can be used to consider potential gaps between current generalist mechanisms and specialist practice expectations. With further research, these findings can be used to inform professional standards for forensic social work in Australia and potentially internationally.

Grow Your Own School Mental Health Specialists: A Policy Pilot to Address Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages in Schools.

The capacity of schools to address behavioral health concerns presents an emerging challenge, exacerbated by major shortages in the workforce. Schools across the U.S. are struggling to hire licensed behavioral health professionals, with additional barriers encountered when seeking to hire practitioners with experience in educational settings. In 2023, a school district in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, partnered with The Ohio State University to launch a "grow your own" policy pilot. The priorities focused on addressing workforce shortages and leveraging the experiences of current teachers/staff to support growing needs related to student mental health and well-being. More specifically, the district utilized COVID-19 relief funds to recruit, train, and transition 25 teachers/staff into school mental health positions by underwriting the costs of each professional's Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Here, we (a) describe the district-university partnership and the processes guiding the implementation of the "grow your own" model, (b) distill preliminary findings about district needs regarding behavioral health, and (c) explore facilitators, barriers, and outcomes associated with learning among participants in the program. The findings from a district-wide staff survey indicated a high level of need for individual counseling, crisis intervention, and small group interventions. Additionally, qualitative interviews revealed that learning among the program's participants was facilitated by effective classroom strategies and specific learning experiences integral to the program's design. These facilitators supported key learning outcomes, including general social work knowledge, self-awareness, and therapeutic skills that are foundational for engaging with students, parents/families, teachers/staff, and the broader school community. This innovative policy pilot and training model demonstrate how universities and local educational agencies can partner to address workforce development challenges at the intersection of behavioral health and education.

EVALUATION OF THE HEALTH LITERACY LEVELS IN SOCIAL WORKERS

Health literacy levels of social workers working with disadvantaged or risky groups of society have a very important place in the protection of public health. The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the level of health literacy knowledge of social workers in Turkey and various variables. In this study, 237 social workers working in institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies and the Ministry of Health in different provinces of Turkey were included in the analysis. Health literacy levels were measured using Turkey’s Health Literacy (TSOY-32). The SPSS package program was used in the statistical analysis of the data and p

The Emergence of Anthroposophical Curative Education in Israel

Abstract This paper tracks anthroposophical social initiatives in Israel in the mid-20th century. It follows the migration of people involved in the anthroposophical movement, the transfer of anthroposophical ideas and the transnational translation of social work knowledge and practice from Europe to Mandatory Palestine and Israel. Archival material was collected from official, institutional, and private archives in Israel, Switzerland, Britain, and Germany and some data was obtained through oral history interviews. Transnational correspondence between anthroposophists in Palestine, later Israel, and those in Europe and Britain up to the late 1960s reveals efforts to tackle the newly founded state’s most burning struggles to adjust, realize, and embed an anthroposophical care practice. The paper suggests that the transnational translation of anthroposophical curative education played a significant role in the reception of anthroposophy in Israel through a process in which European cultural aspects of anthroposophy were adjusted, and its universal human aspects were prioritized.

Mothers’ choice of health management services for under-five children with common illnesses: evaluating social workers’ impact in Nigerian health sector

ABSTRACT Introduction Every child deserves the right to life. In Nigeria like other African countries, a high burden of child mortality prevails. Attaining a low-mortality rate of children entails that mothers who are the primary caregivers are in the best position to provide quality healthcare management. Method With the phenomenological approach in qualitative research, the researchers sourced data using Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and In-Depth Interviews (IDI) from 38 mothers of various categories. The participants were purposively selected from four government and mission health institutions in a semi-urban Nsukka town, Enugu State. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings Results revealed that mothers utilize health institutions including government, mission, private, pharmacies and patent medicine vendors when seeking healthcare for their children. Their inability to recognize potential life-threatening conditions is the leading factor in increasing child mortality. Findings show that because participants were concerned about financial challenges; they were ready to adopt traditional medicine as an alternative to modern medicine. The study showed evidence of unsafe strategies mothers adopt for the health management of their under-five children with common illnesses. Participants indicated little knowledge of social workers’ engagement in health institutions. Conclusion Healthy living is essential in the protection from illnesses. Since under-five children are vulnerable to illnesses, their mothers should provide them with quality healthcare management. The study recommends that social workers’ engagement with health providers and users in semi-urban societies could help propagate healthcare awareness and strategies in mothers’ choice of health management for under-five children in Nigeria. Overall, adequate health policy consideration should be given to all under-five children in Nigeria.

A narrative review of the international literature on social work within the military

There is a dearth of understanding about the international literature on military social work with active service members. This narrative review spans the literature between 1944 and 2019 in an effort to grow the international military social work knowledge base. Of the 92 countries searched, 24 produced at least one publication about military social work with active military service members. Major themes identified among the articles reviewed included: the general scope of practice, practice in mental health and trauma, practice with special populations, practice with families, interdisciplinary practice and collaboration, ethical issues and dilemmas, and education and training.

What is the Scope and Contribution of Lived Experience in Social Work? A Scoping Review

Abstract Lived experience, or people’s expertise and perspective derived from their involvement with events and interventions, represents an important resource for social work. Despite the appeal, lived experience is an ambiguous concept and the way social work knowledge is informed by lived experience is difficult to grasp. This article reports on a scoping review that maps the social work academic literature to examine how lived experience is used to inform social work. Over a thirty-three year period (between 1990 and 2022), we identified 1,877 studies. Of these, 110 met the inclusion criteria and were analysed for this study. Most studies (52 per cent) were published between 2019 and 2022, and a majority (43 per cent) were published from research conducted in the UK. The studies contribute knowledge to social work practice, education, research, and about the practical management of lived experience. The results show that lived experience contributions benefit both social work and the people contributing. An important implication is the opportunity for social work to lead the changes required to enable lived experience contributions to continuously inform the profession and contribute to social work realising its aspirational version of itself.

Integrating four teaching and learning methods to deliver transformational social work education online

ABSTRACT As responsive social work education is about meeting the dynamic needs of learners, social work educators engage with innovative approaches that promote teaching and learning (TAL). The purpose of this article is to address the research question: Based on our experience as educators, what TAL methods can support social work and human services curriculum delivery in an online environment? Using the co-operative research method and analyzing our reflections, we proposed a model of curriculum delivery which conceptualizes the application of four methods of TAL (pedagogy, andragogy, heutagogy, and paragogy). We also illustrate how this teaching approach can promote different levels of learning (single, double, and triple- loop learning). The model is based on internationally agreed principles of social work and can incorporate non-Western and Indigenous learning processes. We argue that when educators and learners use these four methods in different combinations, it is possible to produce learning experiences that augment social work skills and knowledge development, as well as prepare learners for a multi-dimensional world of change. The implication is that there is scope in the presented model to promote transformational learning and ways of positive engagement during social disruption and dynamic change, both features in our current global environment.

Enactments of evidence-based programs in social work – the gap between ideal and practice in the context of Norway

ABSTRACT Research shows that social workers have positive attitudes towards evidence-based practice (EBP), but that there exists confusion about what EBP entails in social work. Social workers do not distinguish between EBP and the use of other sources of knowledge and tend to find knowledge and experiences from practice, colleagues, and supervisors just as if not more important. Therefore, for some proponents of EBP, implementing EBP in a way that ensures fidelity according to standardized evidence-based programs becomes important. This article, presenting findings from a PhD project , shows what happens in practice when this is the case. Based on a qualitative study of the implementation and enactment of evidence-based programs in social work in Norway, the findings show that despite organizational and key actors’ attempts to minimize the gap between knowledge and practice and to homogenize practice to prevent drift, heterogenous enactments take place in practice. These enactments are driven forward by social workers’ knowledge about and practical attentiveness to the situation, needs and broader conditions and troubles of the ‘users’, in this case children and families. Thus, competent social workers make EBP work, but this is camouflaged in a top-down approach to implementing evidence-based programs to which these modifications appear to be an obstacle to a ‘pure’ implementation. Therefore, the article discusses the epistemological implications of the findings and offers suggestions for further theoretical and empirical research that cultivates a more adequate understanding of the relationship between knowledge and practice in social work.

Transgender Lived Experience in Social Work: A Critical Discourse Analysis

To date, social work literature regarding transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals situates TGD individuals as objects of social work knowledge and intervention. While this existent work represents an important foundation, it may foreclose other positionalities for TGD individuals. Therefore, this feminist critical discourse analysis of social work literature utilizes professionalization and transnormativity as conceptual anchors to explore the phenomenon of “transgender lived experience” in social work literature in order to understand both the nature of transgender lived experience and who is permitted to have it. Ultimately, this project found that transgender lived experience within social work is a totalizing discourse centered on a wholly painful experience of othering that can only be ameliorated through medical intervention. While this experience can confer expertise upon some individuals, transnormativity and professionalization operate in concert with this discourse to situate TGD people as transgender in the first place, foreclosing any other subjectivity. Therefore, future inquiry into the experiences of TGD individuals in social work must be willing to embrace epistemic perspectives and methodologies that emphasize the nuance and diversity of individuals’ experiences and resist totalizing grand narratives.

Social Work Journals and the Disciplinary Production of Alternative Knowledge(s)

ABSTRACT Disciplinary knowledge is reflected, legitimated, and replicated in academic journals, social work knowledge reproducing mainly Western knowledge(s). Hence, there has been an increase in the calls for a stronger articulation and inclusion of critical alternatives. Using a critical social work lens, we explored whether and how social work journals reproduce alternative knowledges. We developed a novel global list of all 272 social work journals and invited journal editors to respond to a virtual, exploratory qualitative survey. Through our reflexive thematic analysis, we identified two core themes in the 31 responses – the journal editors’ attachment to dominant, white, western social work knowledge and values, and their rhetorical inclusion of alternative knowledges. Alternative knowledges were seldom constructed as subjugated voices, but rather as innovation, gaps, or international perspectives. Despite agreeing that social work journals should include of a variety of knowledges, few journals created intentional space for subordinated knowledges. A disciplining mechanism that excludes/minimizes the alternative voices, and invalidates their experience was used to avoid attention to marginalized and silenced perspectives. Such processes impoverish social work knowledge. To enrich social work knowledge, journal editors should act intentionally, collectively, and critically to identify critical alternative knowledges and facilitate their inclusion in the social work canon.

Mental Health Social Work Practitioner Research: A Narrative Review of Papers Published From One Academic Program

Purpose: This narrative review explores papers published in peer-reviewed journals reporting research from a practice research module of a qualifying program to examine their potential contribution to knowledge in mental health social work. Methods: A narrative review was undertaken according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews of papers published by the first three cohorts of a practice research module. Results: Eleven papers were included in the review which found, for example, some deficits in practitioners’ knowledge, confidence and understanding. The studies were modest and had some common limitations, but a high number of online views indicate that the papers have the potential to impact on practice. Conclusion: This review found that it is possible to use a practice research module of a qualifying program to train social workers to undertake and publish high-quality research which has the potential to influence policy or practice beyond a students’ own learning.

Visual Methods for Qualitative Research with Older Refugees: Reflection on Strengths and Drawbacks

Although older refugees have similar characteristics and vulnerabilities as other populations that have benefited from visual research methods, there is scarce evidence of these methods being used for qualitative social work studies with older refugees. In this article, we discuss the application of visual methods for social work research with older refugees for a better understanding of their experiences and challenges, highlighting how it can be evocative, improve discussions by reaching senses that ordinary interviews cannot grasp, avoid re-traumatisation during research, and build resilience and coping in older refugees. We propose that visual methods could address power dynamics that privilege researchers over participants like older refugees, thus empowering and ensuring older refugees control research processes. This can be crystallised by using visual methods in participatory research. We also outline the drawbacks and concerns of using these methods for research with this population. We conclude by presenting a discourse on how visual methods can advance social work knowledge for practice and social change.

The production of knowledge in social work and the relationship with the ethical-political project: the field's confrontation with conservatism

The production of knowledge in social work and the relationship with the ethical-political project: the field's confrontation with conservatism

Social work ethos in indigenous Shona music: a qualitative content analysis of the song Mugariro (Ephat Mujuru, 1994) through Ubuntu philosophy and Ukama construct in Zimbabwe

Several analysts working within the dominant Western paradigms are unwilling to evaluate and examine their indigenous perspectives as they find their structures to be culturally dependent rather than logical. Inspired by the principles of decolonial social work, this article analyses the song Mugariro (a way of living) by Ephat Mujuru, 1994, through the African philosophy of Ubuntu and its construct of ukama (relatedness/ relationality). Utilizing qualitative content analysis, this paper latently explores the song Mugariro and reflects on themes such as a good way of life, Ukama (relatedness/ relationality), an extension of Ukama to non-humans, global citizenship and spirituality in social work. The paper calls for social workers willing to work towards decolonial social work to tap into the knowledge in their localities and integrate it with social work knowledge were possible. How to reference using ASWNet style: Chigangaidze, R. K. (2023). Social work ethos in indigenous Shona music: a qualitative content analysis of the song Mugariro (Ephat Mujuru,1994) through Ubuntu philosophy and Ukama construct in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Social Work, 13(6), 285-293. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i6.2 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

“Unless we are Native, we are all immigrants to Canada”: Tensions between multicultural inclusion and settler-colonial consciousness among Canadian social workers

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a discourse analysis of how social work values, knowledge, and attitudes toward immigrants are represented in 173 open-ended responses to a national survey (n = 1125) of Canadian social workers attitudes toward immigrants. Through discourse analysis of social workers’ commentary, we discuss notable tensions between social workers’ affinity for multicultural inclusion and their critiques of Canadian settler-colonialism. While respondents broadly emphasize “respect for diversity” and the need to advocate for immigrants as expressions of their Canadian and social work identity, some suggest that inequalities facing Indigenous communities should be addressed before Canada continues to increase its investment in immigration. We consider how dichotomizing concerns for Indigenous and immigrant communities reflect the limits of multicultural inclusion and the need to further decolonize social work education and practice. Paper to be submitted to Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work

Optimizing the utilization of maternal and reproductive healthcare services among women in low-resourced Nigerian settings

IntroductionQuality care delivery is an essential lifesaving interventions for maternal healthcare and reduction in mortality from preventable reproductive conditions. In African countries like Nigeria, numerous perceptions and militating factors present unique challenges in optimizing the utilization of maternal and reproductive healthcare services. As women continuously evolve away from the utilization of healthcare services, achieving universal health coverage for all emerges as a matter of concern.MethodA phenomenological and descriptive research design was used. The study participants comprised a total of 38 women selected from primary and tertiary healthcare institutions. They were purposively selected from four healthcare institutions in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria.ResultFindings revealed that most rural women at the prenatal stage, utilize maternal healthcare services, but at the postnatal stage, they reject reproductive healthcare services owing to certain perceptions. Concerns about sub-optimal utilization of maternal and reproductive healthcare services were found under enabling, predisposing and need factors. Evidence-based interventions included instituting health insurance policies, improving the healthcare sector, personnel, collaboration among stakeholders, and grass-roots community education. Participants showed little knowledge of social workers’ engagement in healthcare institutions.ConclusionFunctional network of care between private and public healthcare system is the key to optimizing maternal and reproductive healthcare utilization. The study recommends stakeholder and community engagement in achieving functional networks of care, strengthening relational linkages between frontline health workers and equip rural women with better knowledge. All these are geared toward achieving optimal utilization of maternal and reproductive healthcare services among women in low-resourced Nigerian settings.

Professional intervention strategies of social work students in practice situations

ABSTRACT Training students to approach practice situations professionally is crucial in social work education. Universities adopted different approaches in their curricula to equip students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills for social work’s demanding situations. However, there is little evidence on how social work students implement the knowledge acquired into practice. This study utilises the grounded theory methodology to conduct an in-depth analysis of social work students’ strategies throughout practice situations. Using simulation with a trained actress, we stipulated students´ engagement with a client during the initial stage of an assessment. 25 social work students from four different universities of social work in Germany participated. Our findings reveal the most challenging aspects for students: developing a working relationship with the client and processing professional problem-solving. With these results, we present a model representing students´ intervention strategies as a continuum varying between patterns of co- and mono-construction. The results highlight the importance of offering students opportunities to practice assessment and reflection about professional attitudes as a way to enhance professional competence.

Poverty metaphors: An autoethnography in three parts

This autoethnography seeks to open up for re-interpretation and debate three topics that feature within social work practice, research, and education: firstly the value and use of metaphor in understanding practice, secondly approaches to social work reflective writing, and thirdly the issue of poverty and its significance and impact in child and family social work. Metaphors can be valuable in framing understanding of issues within social work practice and advocating for change. Three metaphors have been particularly used in understanding the relationship between social work practice and poverty: The Invisibility of Poverty, The Elephant in the Room, and The Wallpaper of Practice. The three Parts of this autoethnography each adopt a different approach to autoethnographic writing and addresses and unsettles one of these metaphors. The first part adopts a narrative-reflective-analytical approach conventional to reflective writing in social work. The second and third parts adopt poetic and post-humanist approaches, respectively. It is proposed that adopting autoethnography as a methodology challenges the uncritical application of metaphor to situated practice and thereby prevents interpretive foreclosure. ‘Writing against’ objectified social work knowledge may assist in opening up practice to more challenging critical reflection and re-interpretation. Juxtaposing these three parts demonstrates the potential of non-conventional autoethnographic approaches to provide opportunities for deeper reflection on the experiences of doing social work within the context of poverty than conventional approaches to reflective writing. Furthermore, they indicate a need to reconsider how well these metaphors reflect social work practice experience with poverty.