Social Work Knowledge Research Articles

The sprawling thicket: Knowledge and specialisation in forensic social work

This exploratory study uses a post-modern framework to investigate and map aspects of the (re)emerging occupational area of forensic social work, broadly defined as practice, which in any manner may be related to legal issues and litigation, both criminal and civil. The study is the result of each author asking questions about the nature of our professional experience in the field and then testing our thoughts against those of other social workers in the field. Our aim was to initiate discussion about the nature of forensic social work and to question whether our work called upon skills and knowledge that differed from those of social workers in other (specialised) fields. We used a cooperative inquiry method and significant themes and issues were raised with agreement for much of the discussion. The most lively dialogue centred upon the benefit or disadvantage of specialisation, with tensions evident around the perceived elitism some participants attached to the specialist title. The initial investigation raised several issues for further investigation.

The Future of Social Work in Aging: “Everything Old is New Again”

With the aging of the baby boom generation, the number of older adults in the US will increase substantially. Using a biopsychosocial framework, this article presents cutting-edge of older adulthood and considers emerging roles of social workers with older adults and their families. Research, education, and policy perspectives that will advance social work knowledge, skills and resources in aging are proposed. Social work as a profession is challenged to lead the way in making “everything old new again.”

Social Work with Muslims: Insights from the Teachings of Islam

Social work knowledge and skills are socially constructed. Professional social work was initiated in the Western world in the early twentieth century on the basis of a secular, euro-centric worldview (Graham, 2002, 2005). Thus, social work is shaped by the European and North American (hereafter the West) socio-cultural contexts in which it originates (Payne, 1997). However, multicultural sensitivity has been a value held by the social work profession for decades (e.g., Latting, 1990). Additionally, as professional social work is internationalised, its indigenisation has been gaining more acceptance lately world wide (Hokenstad, Khinduka, & Midgley, 1992; Hokenstad, Midgley, 1997). As well, as more and more models of social work emphasize the importance of understanding clients’ worldview for effective social work, integration of spirituality in social work is increasingly being called for. As Van Hook, Hugen, and Aguira put it, “as wholistic, empowerment-focused, and culturally appropriate approaches to social work practice become more widely adopted, the ability to integrate spirituality and religion into practice will become a critical professional skill.” (2001, p. 3). However, since Islam is a complete way of life, spirituality is viewed in Islam as uniquely comprehensive (e.g., Abdalati, 1986; Barise & France, 2004; Haneef, 1999; Lahkim, Barise, & Boukhobza, 2004; Zaid & Barise, 2004).

Realism as a Foundation for Social Work Knowledge

Could a philosophical position called ‘realism’ act as a foundation for social work knowledge? Social work is a phenomenon consisting of three parts: research, education and professional practise. The aim of social work is to alleviate social problems – and this task can be fulfilled through all the three parts of social work. Research must help not only the professional practise, but also the teaching of social work methods. When speaking of research methodology, social work research should overcome the pitfalls of empiricism, inductivism and relativism, and take into consideration of the powers of societal structures, history and nature. The ideas of realism can help in the realization of this task.

THE COMPLEXITY OF INDIGENIZATION OF CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE

Indigenization of clinical social work knowledge and practice is inherently a cultural encounter that entails a complex and evolving process. Neither a universalistic nor a culture-specific position can fully capture the complexity of such a process. The discussion examines clinical social work practice knowledge and its implicit values as originated based on Eurocentric experiences and values. Such knowledge is used to compare with cultural values and practices of viewing, expressing, and resolving problems of living among Chinese populations in Hong Kong in the context of continuity and change. Social workers and educators of the receiving culture would have to reflexively examine the attitude of cultural encapsulation, develop cultural self-knowledge, move beyond dualism, develop contextualized understanding, recognize the complexity of such a process, and develop research and practice models that gear toward these dimensions in their quest for developing culturally appropriate and viable modes of treatment for clients and families.

Do Social Workers Integrate Sociocultural Issues in Mental Health Session Dialogue?

ABSTRACT Empirical research has not adequately examined whether social workers and clients discuss sociocultural issues when addressing mental health problems, nor the quality of the interaction when such discussion occurs. This exploratory mixed-method study examined the interactional process associated with discussion of sociocultural issues in the first three counseling sessions with four white social worker/client of color dyads. Findings showed that productive cross-cultural interactions were associated neither with specific sociocultural content nor client-worker composition, but rather with the social worker's perception and skill. Analysis differentiated one worker/client dialogue from the others, highlighting the importance of training practitioners to apply social work knowledge and skills in a synthesized manner.

In the Eyes of Hong Kong Chinese Female Drug Offenders

The rehabilitative model of probation with its inherent social work values, knowledge and methods of intervention remains the dominant approach to the supervision of offenders in Hong Kong. The major aim of this paper is to look at the perceptions and experiences of 10 female drug offenders aged from 19 to 30 of their one-year community probation sentence, using a gender analysis of criminality and drug misuse. Allowing female offenders to speak is essential not only in understanding their problems and needs related to their offending behaviour but also to empower them to inform practitioners what in practice will work best with them. According to data generated from in-depth face-to-face interviews, females used drugs as a means of coping with relationship breakdowns and their complex lifestyles, and preferred being treated as friends rather than criminals who required close supervision. These women also quoted the support of their family, and their own determination as being the most important factors to bring about change in their offending behaviour. In relation to the Chinese culture, it is argued that a concern for personal relationships is an important part of probation work in order to reduce the risk of reoffending.

Social Work Field Education as Social Development

SUMMARY This article will discuss social development models and their application to the establishment of social work field education in Lithuania. A model of field education as social development is presented and discussed, with reference to promoting core social work knowledge, values and skills, establishing relationships between educational and social welfare institutions, and identifying the impact of field education programs on community well-being. Examples from the authors' experience in educational program development and implementation are presented, along with implications for international social work education.

Between Women: Gender and Social Work in Historical Perspective

This article discusses a growing body of knowledge concerning the intersections of women’s history and gender history in American social work and related social reform movements. The authors explore current themes and conceptual frameworks that characterize this new scholarship, including professionalism, maternalism, and race relations. They also discuss how this literature challenges traditional interpretations of social work history, suggest that this scholarship should be more fully integrated into the social work knowledge base, and recommend promising directions for historical inquiry in the social work field.

Spirituality-Based Social Work Values for Empowering Human Service Organizations

This paper is based on three premises: (1) Spirituality is seen as an asset from which the client system draws its innate strengths to empower itself, (2) Just as it is important for social work clients to build on individual spiritual strengths to overcome personal challenges, it is equally crucial for human service organizations to implement spirituality-based professional values in organizational contexts, and (3) Spirituality issues need to be examined from the perspective of macro social work education. Based on these premises, the goal of this paper is to construct a conceptual framework that links spirituality-based social work values to empowerment strategies that can be employed in macro social work practice. Adding to the existing dimensions of social work knowledge relating to spirituality, this paper examines spirituality as empowerment issues. Also, the author explores spirituality-centered social work skills, focusing on organizational management and leadership skills.

How international is the social work knowledge base?

The global community has long been recognized as influencing and being influenced by United States social work education, research, and practice. Schools of social work and social services organizations in many countries as well as the United States have sponsored study trips outside of their borders for students and professionals for decades, activities sometimes referred to as cross-national learning (Askeland & Payne, 2001). Social workers often look to other countries for ideas about how to tackle local problems and to help new client populations. Successful national social policies, particularly from Europe, have been viewed as ripe for imitation in the United States, just as social work interventions initiated in the United States have been adapted elsewhere. Caveats always exist regarding the relevance of applying social work principles from one country to the next, particularly in relation to Western and non-Western countries (Al-Krenawi & Graham, 2001). But has this long-standing and irrefutably sound attempt to learn more about other countries been reflected in the articles published in key U.S. social work journals? The answer, increasingly, is yes. Method To learn to what extent contributors outside of the United States (as designated by their professional affiliation) publish in U.S. journals, seven major social work journals were reviewed for the 24 months leading up to September 11, 2001 (July 1999 through June/July 2001). Those seven journals were then reviewed for the same years one and two decades earlier (June/July 1989 through June/July 1991 and June/July 1979 through June/ July 1981) to see to what extent there had been a change in the past 20 years in the number of articles contributed by authors outside the United States. For this count (1,715 publications), only articles, regardless of length, were considered. Book reviews, letters to the editor, editorials, point and viewpoints discussions, author debates, columns, and nation-specific conference proceedings and reports were excluded. The seven U.S. journals have been used in the past for studies of trends in social work literature (for example, Quam & Austin, 1984; Van Voorhis & Wagner, 2001). The journals are Child Welfare, Families in Society, Health & Social Work, Journal of Social Work Education, Social Service Review, Social Work, and Social Work Research. Two observations are relevant that make a definitive count problematic. First, a few U.S. authors wrote about experiences in other countries. As a result, a more global perspective may be present in the journal than may be counted. Second, and contradicting the first, a few contributors from outside of the United States used U.S. data for their research. Thus, it should not be assumed that a contributor was necessarily writing about issues specific to the author's country of origin. Patel and Sumathipala (2001), two British psychiatrists, reviewed three U.S. and three European psychiatric journals for the years 1996-1998 to learn to what extent authors from non-Western countries were represented in the publications. In their methodology, they considered contributions from Western Europe (not Israel) and the United States as Western. The U.S. journals were much less likely to have contributions from the rest of the world than European journals--non-Western contributors accounted for between 1.3 percent and 2.5 percent in the three U.S. journals, compared with 6.1 percent to 15 percent in the three European journals. Cetingok (1999) reviewed 33 social work journals between 1977 and 1996 for foreign contributions and content. He found that 6.4 percent of the articles were contributed by authors outside of the United States, with Canada, Israel, Australia, and Great Britain the most frequently represented. Overall, foreign contributions more than doubled between 1977 and 1981 and 1992 and 1996. Findings For the most recent years reviewed, 1999-2001, 90. …

Defining Social Work for the 21st Century

The IFSW recently adopted a new joint international de.nition of social work, together with the IASSW. The de.nition embraces both traditional social work activities and social development, and addresses social work knowledge, values and practice in an age of globalization. This article analyzes the concepts selected and explains their meaning and signi.cance for the profession.

The Social Construction of Child Maltreatment

• Summary: This paper explores how medical knowledge in child protection practice operates, in conjunction with social work knowledge and legal knowledge, as a social process of constructing meaning as ‘maltreatment’ (or not) in which the physical body of the child and perceived abnormalities represent ‘evidence’. Through discourse analysis of two case studies, this paper makes explicit and problematizes the social processes by which meanings are given by medical practitioners, social workers, police and parents to material experiences, the preference given to some meanings over others, and the econsequences of particular meanings for children and families and social work practice. • Findings: Medical, social and legal knowledge are not neutral but embedded in power relations. The case studies show, through a sociological analysis of professional practice in child protection, how preferred versions of knowledge and meaning may override or dismiss alternative meanings, with particular consequences for parents and children and for practice outcomes. • Applications: The case studies offer opportunities by which critically to engage with child protection knowledge, policy and practice in keeping with contemporary approaches that advocate dialogue, critical reflection and reflexivity, so that professional knowledge and professional power may be deployed constructively rather than oppressively.

A Poetics of Social Work: Personal Agency and Social Transformation in Canada, 1920-1939

In A Poetics of Social Work, Ken Moffatt considers the epistemological influences in the field of Canadian social work and social welfare from 1920 to 1939. Here, modernist constructs of knowledge are explored through the analysis of the thought of leading social welfare practitioners, namely Dorothy Livesay, Carl Dawson, Charlotte Whitton, and E.J. Urwick. These four figures represent a wide cross-section of Anglo-Canadian social thought at two of Canada's most influential universities (McGill and Toronto), and Moffatt's study of their thinking reveals the presence of a diversity of approaches to social work and social change during this period. By challenging the notion that human values and humanitarian concerns were abandoned in favour of science, empirical findings, and technical interpretation of authoritative knowledge, the author attempts to expand the concept of the social work knowledge base and explores how social work emerged as a profession in Canada. Moffatt's study presents a broad context for analysis, and provides fascinating reading and source material for those interested in history, philosophy, literature, and biography, as well as social work and the social sciences.

Mapping Comparative Empirical Studies of European Social Work

This paper reviews the scope of currently published materials about comparative empirical social work research within Europe, published in English over a two-decade period (1980–2000). To this end, the paper is divided into four sections. First, an account of the scope and methods used to conduct this review. Second, a brief analysis of non-empirical published materials. Third, in the bulk of the paper, identified comparative studies are discussed in depth, with a particular focus upon methodological issues. Finally, by way of a conclusion, comments are made about the state of contemporary empirical studies within European social work, and the relationship of these studies to the construction of social work knowledge. In addition, some suggestions of possible sites for improvement in respect of comparative empirical research about social work in Europe are made.

Towards a Professional Identity and Knowledge Base

* Summary: In the context of wider debates about the future of social work, it may be timely to reappraise the role of residential child care in the profession. This article raises the question of whether residential child care can achieve a professional identity or status within social work. It outlines the development of services for children and young people in Scotland and highlights some of the tensions apparent in efforts to conceptualize residential child care within the social work knowledge base and identity paradigms. * Findings: The likely setting of registerable qualifications for workers in residential child care at Vocational Qualification (VQ) level calls into question an erstwhile consensus favouring parity with other areas of social work. This may merely expose more fundamental structural and pedagogical differences between residential child care and the social work profession as it has developed. * Applications: Possible routes through which residential child care might achieve a professional identity and knowledge base, and some of the requirements for this to come about, are considered.

A Solution-Focused Approach to Cross-Cultural Clinical Social Work Practice Utilizing Cultural Strengths

A major challenge faced by clinical social work practice today is how to apply clinical social work knowledge and practice theories to ethnic and racial groups who have diverse cultural values and practices. A solution-focused approach that incorporates the premises and techniques of social constructivism, empowerment-based practice, and a strengths perspective is well suited for responding to the needs of these groups with respect for their values and practices. With its focus on pragmatic change and encouraging clients to create solutions for themselves, in addition to avoiding the shame that clients in these enthnic and racial populations feel in seeking professional help, this approach fits cultural approval to seek support and advice.

Practitioners as Rule Using Analysts: A Further Development of Process Knowledge in Social Work

A new paradigm of ‘process knowledge’ has emerged in recent years, distinct from the dominant ‘product knowledge’ paradigm in social work. While the latter refers to existent knowledge, which may be applied, the former refers to the development of knowledge about the ‘methodology of practice decision making’, focusing on the processes by which judgements are made. At its heart is the emerging idea of a reflexivity for practice, but studies have been, until recently, theoretical. A very small number of empirical studies have begun to identify some key elements of process knowledge. These have developed a range of concepts relating to critical appraisal, hypothesis development and hypothesis testing which characterize social work process knowledge. These include, for example, focused attention, querying information, causal inferences, partial case, procedural, and speculative hypotheses. A process of quasi triangulation is characteristic of social work practice methodology, together with a combination of inductive and deductive thinking. This paper seeks to develop our understanding by focusing on how social workers develop and appraise hypotheses, and in particular how the substantive content of hypotheses emerges (these enable social workers to make sense of, define, and respond to, situations). To understand this, the notion of rules is used, and social workers emerge as analysts employing three types of rules: substantive, application, and practice rules. A significant link between process knowledge and the content of product knowledge is identified in the form of technical language. The concept of ‘probabilistic causation’ is identified as a key epistemological dimension in the conduct of rigorous practice.

Transferable and Negotiated Knowledge

• Summary: This article explores the knowledge of community-based social workers in the context of an action research project aimed at exploring the practitioners’ own descriptions of their knowledge and expertise on the theme of spatial marginalization. • Findings: The knowledge of social workers seemed to be based on service users’ experiences and case examples, on value and moral constructions, and it was created from experience, by doing and in action. It was local and contextual, in some sense silent but shared through a discussion process. It was not based on empirically based scientific research understood in the traditional sense; rather, social workers resorted to practical knowledge in its various forms. • Applications: The sharing of individuals’ social work knowledge, both ‘knowing that’ and ‘knowing how’, with other social workers and reflecting together on the knowledge and tradition that social workers carry serves to define, study and promote the transferability of common and shared knowledge.

Fuerza Unida

Affilia 's commitment to feminist social work knowledge and practice includes ongoing dialogue among scholars, teachers, and community practitioners and activists whose work is challenging gender oppression, changing women's lives, and shaping the future of feminism. As part of our new Women Creating Change column, we are bringing their stories to our readers. In October 2001, members of the Affilia board were challenged and inspired by the work and words of Viola Casares and Petra Mata, organizers with Fuerza Unida in San Antonio, Texas. We launch Women Creating Change with their story, written by Janet L. Finn, column editor.