Social Work Model Research Articles

Social work practice during times of disaster: a transformative green social work model for theory, education and practice in disaster interventions

Social work practice during times of disaster: a transformative green social work model for theory, education and practice in disaster interventions

СОЦІАЛЬНА РОБОТА НА ПІДПРИЄМСТВІ: ОРІЄНТИРИ ДЛЯ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ АВІАЦІЙНОЇ ГАЛУЗІ

The relevance of the topic of this research is related to the problems of ensuring the sustainable development of society and consists in the need to direct the directions and methods of social work to achieve transformational changes in the enterprises of the aviation industry. Social work at enterprises in the context of this study is expressed as the organization of social support and assistance in solving complex social and environmental problems, since the implementation of its directions, methods and technologies should ensure social influence and a transformational shift towards social changes and social justice. It is assumed that the transformative model of social work at enterprises should be based on an eco-social approach to the practice of social work at enterprises, which will ensure the meaningfulness of social work through the combination of its main directions: social partnership, social leadership, social responsibility. The work defines the main tasks of social work at enterprises of the aviation industry: improving the efficiency of social management; development of social activity and competence of managers at all levels; creation of conditions for the development of leadership and professional qualities, manifestation of the innovative potential of specialists; improvement of the general system of social adaptation and continuous professional growth of specialists in aviation enterprises.The emphasis is on the activation of social partnership as an important tool for aviation industry enterprises to ensure aviation safety culture. Attention is focused on the fact that the promotion of initiatives for the formation of a safety culture in aviation requires the creation of a certain joint infrastructure based on the basis of safe partnership interaction of institutions of the educational and social spheres, state institutions and self-government bodies, business structures, non-state public and charitable organizations. In the future, this becomes an important moment for the preparation of future social workers to work at enterprises, in particular for the organization and functioning of social services at enterprises of the aviation industry, which should contribute to the development of aviation safety culture by implementing innovative directions and methods of social work and education among employees of these enterprises . Key words: social work at enterprises, social innovations, innovations of social work, goals of sustainable development, social development, social potential of the enterprise.

Environmental Social Work: African philosophies, frameworks and perspectives

Environmental social work refers to a collection of strategies and methods used by social workers to solve or prevent social problems or facilitate development using the environment in a reciprocal and sustainable manner. Issues of environmental social work have become very topical due to climate change and the need for environment-driven development. Climate change is an increasing global threat because it is contributing to catastrophic environmental crises such as floods, drought, veld fires, and extreme temperatures and hurricanes. These result in more social challenges, chief among these is poverty. This editorial provides three frameworks for environmental social work in the Africa: the indigenous, continental and grassroots. This is followed by a discussion of the environment in social work. The third section summarises the articles that are in Volume 13 issue 2. At the end, a model for environmental social work in Africa is offered. How to reference using ASWNet style: Mushunje, M. and Matsika, A. B. (2023). Environmental Social Work: African philosophies, frameworks and perspectives. African Journal of Social Work, 13(2), 48-56. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i2.1 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Technological approach as the basis of practice-oriented models of social work with the elderly and the disabled

The Department of Social Work at the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of Kostroma State University actively develops and updates scientific approaches in the practice of organizing social activities, focuses on the need to expand the potential of regional practices in promoting popular areas of social support for citizens, the elderly and the disabled. Scientific meetings held at KSU do not just summarize the existing experience, but consider social work as a comprehensive, helping direction that organizes its work in the context of the strategic vector of state development, aimed at mitigating risks, disadvantages and unlocking the potential of these categories of the population. As a result of six scientific conferences (2020-2022), one can see a trend in the formation of a technological approach as a scientific direction for the study of social work with the elderly and disabled, carried out by teachers of the Department of Social Work of the Institute of Pedagogy and Psychology of Kostroma State University. The teachers of the department scientifically generalize, systematize the best practices of social, pedagogical, psychological activity, methodically accompany the introduction of relevant technologies of social activity, form an emphasis on the inclusion of a wide range of young people in scientific understanding of the processes of social development of the country, region, municipality. Scientific meetings make it possible to unite the leading scientific schools of social work, formed both at the universities of the Russian Federation and abroad.

A bicultural model of social work with immigrants: Professional interventions, acculturation orientations, and burnout of social workers

Summary In the present study, we developed a bicultural model of social work with immigrants consisting of professional interventions rooted in the dominant and the immigrant cultures. We further developed scales measuring the two types of interventions and investigated their connections with acculturation orientations and burnout of social workers working with immigrants from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israel. The study was cross-sectional. The sample included 313 social workers, 254 Israeli-born and 59 born in the FSU. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings In their work with immigrants, social workers equally used interventions rooted in the immigrant and the dominant cultures, and the two types of interventions were complimentary. Stronger adherence to the acculturation orientation related to preserving the immigrant culture was associated with more frequent use of interventions rooted in the immigrant culture. In addition, more frequent interventions rooted in the immigrant culture were associated with a higher level of personal accomplishment. On the other hand, more frequent use of interventions rooted in the dominant culture was associated with a higher level of burnout. Immigrant social workers reported a higher level of personal accomplishment but also a higher level of burnout than their colleagues belonging to the dominant group. Applications The main conclusion of the present study relates to the importance of accepting the immigrant culture and learning to effectively apply professional interventions rooted in both the immigrant and the dominant cultures in social work with immigrants.

Generating inclusive services for children, youth and families: A shift to using complex systems theory

AbstractService systems for children and families have been shaped by standard approaches to knowledge‐building, which reflect a reductionist approach and assume linearity and/or that individuals and experiences are normally distributed. Yet, these approaches may be inadequate for clients most at‐risk, especially those who would be analytic ‘outliers’. A complexity lens focuses on the whole system and seeks to identify patterns, including the dynamic interactions between components of the system. Social work scholars have begun to apply complexity theory to social work research efforts, demonstrating the conceptual potential of incorporating this theoretical approach into social work theories and models such as the person‐in‐environment framework and the ecosystems perspective. Yet, frameworks informed by complexity theory may require ontological and epistemological shifts in thinking and new methodological approaches in order to fully embody a complexity approach. Complexity theory offers the opportunity to consider social work clients who are most at‐risk, as it is better suited for power law distributions. We can, therefore, reconceptualize the most ‘at‐risk’ clients as being in a state of transition, which is also the space of most creativity and possibility.

Practicing Social Work in Deprived Communities: Competencies, Methods, and Techniques. Ana Opačić

At glance, when I read the title, I was attracted to this book, because it aligns with my current PhD study, which discusses community development in Papua, Indonesia (an Indonesian province located in the eastern part of the country). Papua is designated as a 3T—Terdepan, Terpencil, dan Tertinggal (front, remote, and underdeveloped)—area and so has much in common with the way deprived communities are described in this book, as slums; ghettos; favelas; and low-income, remote, underserved, vulnerable, impoverished, underdeveloped, or less-favored communities. Since its inception, social work has been focused on assisting individuals in their surroundings. However, it was quickly discovered that this task cannot be completed if no attention is paid to the surroundings. Therefore, community social work practices are needed because these are macro practice interventions focused on specific communities or populations like deprived communities for the purpose of developing, preventing, or dealing with social problems. As Ramos (2022) argues, internal and external apathy and the structural analogs of nonanswers to critical problems soon meet idealism and proactivity in humanitarian circumstances. This dynamic is rarely more evident than when working with displaced and similarly vulnerable groups, who confront obstacles in obtaining even the most basic protections and ongoing attacks on their inherent rights. Where accountability is arbitrary, outcomes are likely to be as erratic. Therefore, systems must engage in continual, purpose-driven reflection and adherence to standards in an environment that encourages impression control rather than forthrightness as an effective survival strategy. The book Practicing Social Work in Deprived Communities can help us understand what competencies, methods, and techniques social workers and practitioners need when working in/for these communities. The editor notes that the purpose of this book is to describe the essential elements of a deprived community, how they came to be and the processes that underpin them, and show practical social work models in such communities.

School-based community mental health intervention: Partnership and social work model

School-based community mental health intervention: Partnership and social work model

Профилактика асоциального поведения молодежи: социально-педагогическая деятельность

Importance. The problems of youth antisocial behavior pedagogical prevention in the educational environment are described. Development issue actualization of a comprehensive, harmonious personality designed to resist destructive ideology is worked out. One of the important issues is the formation of the “right” social environment for young people. The purpose of the process is to bring up an educated individual with a positive civic position who is ready to become an active participant in society. Research Methods. The methodological basis of the research is philosophical-anthropological, axiological and personality-oriented approaches that determine the spiritual and moral education’s concept’s content guidelines. Within the framework of these approaches, scientific literature theoretical analysis, synthesis and generalization methods, as well as students’ personalized observation are used. Results and Discussion. The role of socio-pedagogical activity in antisocial behavior prevention context in the youth environment is substantiated. The characteristic of “social criteria” in determining the children and adolescents’ behavior is given. Antisocial behavior demonstration forms in the youth environment are clarified. Conclusion. The issue actualization shows the need to create a more advanced model of social and educational work on the antisocial behavior prevention among young people. Prevention should begin from early childhood. True upbringing, a positive parents’ example, caring for the child’s material and emotional satisfaction are the key to successful prevention of antisocial behavior. Not only educational institutions, but also federal and regional authorities should direct their efforts to achieve success in antisocial behavior prevention.

A Study Abroad Program in Tanzania: The Evolution of Social Justice Action Work

This article focuses on the evolution of our study abroad program to Tanzania, including the integration of three liberal arts disciplines and the foundational core that links together the three areas: social justice activism. More specifically, we explore the overall challenge of dismantling “us versus them” thinking and the interactive learning moments that allow this process to transpire. We narrate how what we learned on our 2008 and our 2010 trips led to our model of social justice action work, which we enacted on our 2012 trip. Our approach to social justice action work integrates experiential learning with Dan Butin’s concept of “justice learning,” or education that interrupts and complicates binary thinking. Our three-fold model encompasses teaching moments where instructors create the academic framework to facilitate change in our students, where students observe grass-roots organizations performing “traditional” social justice action work, and where on-site activities generate interactive experiential moments in which perceptions can be changed.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the systemic practice model of children’s social care – A pilot study on child- and family-level outcomes

The Systemic Practice Model (SPM) is a Finnish adaptation of the Reclaiming Social Work (RSW) model, which incorporates systemic ideas and practice into children’s social care. This study is the first attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the RSW model outside England. The study employed a quasi-experimental repeated measures design. Questionnaires assessing child- and family-level outcomes and the quantity (i.e., number of meetings) and quality (i.e., service user feedback) of the practice were administered to social workers, children and parents twice over a six-month follow-up period. Outcome data comprise 112 cases (SPM cases n = 56, service-as-usual cases n = 56) from 18 child protection teams (SPM teams n = 9, service-as-usual teams n = 9) at three sites. The overall need for child protection decreased across the sample during the follow-up period. While the intensiveness of practice was higher in the SPM group, no significant differences were found between the study groups in practice outcomes or service user satisfaction with child protection. The limitations and implications of the study for future research are discussed.

A transformative model for culturally-informed social work and health professions education

ABSTRACT This article introduces a curricular design that brought together faculty and members of local immigrant and oppressed groups to build, teach, and evaluate a culturally-informed social work course. Course design was grounded in multiple theories including transcultural competence theory, critical multicultural social work theory and transcultural perspective. Trauma-informed principles guided content and teaching methodologies. A culturally-informed survey was developed to measure learning outcomes and feedback was gathered from student focus groups. Survey themes indicated students benefited from learning with and from cultural stakeholders and valued the integration of cultural- and trauma-informed perspectives.

Social work in shelters for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors: challenging the traditional model of social work and the call for critical and political reflexivity

"Social work in shelters for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors: challenging the traditional model of social work and the call for critical and political reflexivity" published on Nov 2022 by Policy Press.

The potential of public administration in social work in military conditions in Ukraine

The development of modern society in Ukraine requires a certain model of social work, which must be able to meet the needs of a larger number of clients. Social work, like any other type of professional activity, requires appropriate management. In this regard, the question arises about the theoretical justification and practical material support of the social work management system to meet the specific clients’ needs. In modern conditions, the idea of introducing public administration into social work is becoming increasingly relevant. There is an urgent need to develop public administration in the social work to provide assistance to various categories of clients, and in the context of military aggression on the part of Russia, it becomes relevant to develop a model of public administration in the field of social work with the most vulnerable categories of clients under martial law. The article defines the potential possibilities of public administration in the system of social work in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine. The social efficiency of public administration in the field of social work at the regional and local levels and the level of UTC was revealed. The possibilities of public administration in the relevant areas of social work with vulnerable categories of the population are identified: social work with combatants, social work with internally displaced persons (IDPs), social work with families in the difficult life circumstance (DLC) (population of the occupied and front-line territories). The mechanisms of public administration in the system of social work under martial law are singled out: legal, material and financial, social and managerial, institutional, information and communication. A conceptual model of public administration in the system of social work under martial law in Ukraine has been developed, the structural elements of which are: levels of public administration; mechanisms of public administration, social subjects of public administration in social work, areas of social work with vulnerable categories of clients under martial law, functions of public administration in various areas of social work.

Nature-based interventions in social work practice and education: Insights from six nations

This paper presents findings from an investigation of nature-based practices, from the perspectives of 10 academics/educators from six nations. Participants engaged in a focus group exploring the prevalence and inclusion of nature in social work practice and education. While the study focused on individual members’ experiences and perspectives, the findings highlight important context-specific factors for including nature within social work to reconnect humans with nature for health, well-being, healing, and justice. An Integrative Environmental Model for social work is proposed to assist future practice and education.

Contextualising everyday ethics in social care work based on two case studies of Norwegian long-term care

The ageing population and long-term care policies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries have put pressure on social care work, creating patterns of difficult ethical situations. This article contributes to contextualising such situations by applying a ‘micro-ethics’ perspective and a theoretical framework that connects micro-ethics to macro-sociological contexts, and combines the concept of ‘moral distress’ (of healthcare professionals) with feminist ethics. Based on two case studies from an ethnographic study of Norway’s long-term care, findings demonstrate how ethically difficult moments connect with structural factors, including bureaucratic, managerialist and de-professionalised models of social care work, and new relationships between older people and their families.

Social Work Licensure Portability: A Necessity in a Post-COVID-19 World.

COVID-19 highlights the need for portability of social work licensure to be a priority. The Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) spearheaded some initiatives, such as the creation and promotion of the Social Work Registry and Model Social Work Practice Act, with the hope that these efforts would enhance the ability of social workers to be licensed in multiple states. Neither has solved the portability problem. Licensure endorsement, an approach historically supported by ASWB, does not have the advantages of mutual recognition that is being supported by other professions to facilitate interstate practice. This article, the first written on licensure portability in the social work scholarly literature, examines existing licensure portability models and supports the establishment of a social work interstate compact to overcome barriers to social work mobility and access to client care.

Social Work in Rural Communities – Particularities, Perspectives, and Directions of Interventions

At the international level, specialists in social sciences pay more attention to rural communities. The need for social work is more prevalent in these communities because of the social inequalities and the low access to social services. This article explores rural social work, social problems, and intervention models. It is a qualitative study based on eleven interviews with the local authorities and specialists about families, schools, institutions, rural communities, and the efficiency of intervention methods. The research is focused on five Romanian rural communities from Transylvania. We consider that to improve the situations of these rural communities the first step is to identify their needs, then to provide specialised support services that correspond to those needs to prevent and solve individual, family, and community-level problems. The last part of this article presents the main intervention areas in rural localities for social inclusion of those disadvantaged – reducing risks, inequalities, and improving the quality of life of those living in the rural communities.

A Social Work Model of Historical Trauma

Abstract This article introduces a Social Work Model of Historical Trauma. The model draws from social work perspectives (ecosystems theory and the life model, human rights philosophy, race-based traumatic stress injury theory and attachment theory), disparities research, social work issues and policy statements, social work ethics and epigenetics. Assessment and intervention in micro, mezzo and macro domains are discussed. The article concludes with a case vignette and model application.

PREPARATION OF FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS TO WORK WITH THE ELDERLY

The urgency of the problem of preparing future social workers for social work with the elderly in the local community is determined by the following factors: the reform of decentralization of power in Ukraine, which provides for changes in the administrative-territorial structure of the country and shifting the focus to address many social issues, social work with the elderly, on territorial communities; demographic trend of increasing the number of elderly people; the growing demands of the elderly to the conditions of their lives and ways of self-realization; shortage of professional social workers motivated to work with the elderly. The purpose of the article is to analyze the possibilities of the educational program "Social Administration in the Territorial Community" in the field of knowledge 23 "Social Work" Master's degree in social work with the elderly in a united territorial community with a focus on strengths perspective and the disclosure of the practical implementation of this task in the educational process of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University. The research methods are as follows: analysis of normative documents, scientific works in order to clarify theories, perspectives, approaches, models of social work with the elderly in the local community; systematization of theoretical positions, as well as generalization and correction of theoretical and methodological positions for scientific substantiation of theoretical and practical aspects of professional training of students of master's degree in specialty 231 "Social work" to implement an approach focused on community strengths in social working with the elderly. The article reveals the experience of teachers of the Department of Social Work and Management of Socio Cultural Activities of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University on the implementation of theoretical and practical components of training future professionals based on the prospects of strengths in social work with the elderly.