National Association Of Social Workers Research Articles

Cultural Competency: A Cardinal Force in Social Work Practice and Service-A Cultural Practice Guide for Human Services and the Helping Professions

Culture is a significant factor in human development, sustainability, and societal cohesion. It is greatly cherished and holds universal significance to individuals, groups, families, communities, societies, and nations. Culture affects how a victim, survivor, client, or family responds to life altering experiences such as domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and trauma. It also influences how a client or family deals with loss and grief, resilience, and recovery. Hence, understanding different cultures and cultural practices, symbols, artifacts, the meaning they hold, and respecting and operating within the confines of a set culture is very important. Cultural competency is a key medium through which this need can be addressed. Cultural competency is a core principle that should undergird a social worker’s service/practice with clients as enshrined in the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Failure to execute cultural competency is detrimental to the delivery of appropriate and effective services to clients, and a digression from the code of ethics and professional standard of practice within the profession of social work. The execution of cultural competency in social work practice fosters a positive and enduring therapeutic relationship between the social worker and client, and lays the foundation for productive engagement, interaction, and intervention. From this perspective, this article embodies a review of the research literature on the topic of culture and culturally competent practice from different disciplines. The review and analysis include a study this author conducted in Ghana-Africa that examined the significance of culture and its impact on individuals and their perceptions as well as behaviors within a cultural context. Specifically, the study focused on the cultural effects on learning and the transfer of knowledge, and this paper relates its significant implications for understanding culture and responsiveness to cultural practices within professional practice. The findings from this original study revealed that culture impacts an individual’s perception and behavior significantly. The implications for culturally effective social work practice were discussed and recommendations for cultural competence, responsive, and responsible practices including anti-oppressive intervention strategies at the micro, mezzo and macro levels were put forward. In addition, a cultural conceptual practice model called GACIE was proposed for use in assessing and intervening with culturally diverse ethnic minority clients.

Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care: Development and Implementation of a New National Training Program.

Background: Educating Social Workers in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (ESPEC) is a nationally scalable continuing education program designed to improve the knowledge and skills of frontline health social workers caring for patients with serious illness. Objectives: This article describes ESPEC's rationale, development, and initial implementation. Design: Following the creation of consensus-derived core primary palliative care competencies for health primary care social workers based on the eight domains of palliative care outlined in the National Consensus Project Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, an evidence-based curriculum was developed. This was used to develop a hybrid training model with a self-study component, synchronous instructor-led skills-based training, leadership training, and mentorship. The interactive curriculum incorporates patient scenarios highlighting the health social work role. Training targets high-impact skills-the biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment, advance care planning, family meetings, and interprofessional communication-and professional development. Settings/Subjects: ESPEC was launched in the United States in collaboration with the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN). Results: The preliminary launch demonstrated high user acceptability, positive ratings for content and format, and gains in knowledge and competence. Conclusions: Data suggest that ESPEC can increase health social workers' knowledge and confidence as providers of palliative care interventions. National dissemination is ongoing.

The shoe on the other foot: considering oppression for BIPOC social workers

ABSTRACT As the Social Work profession reconciles with the profession’s history of overt and covert harm toward people of color, it seems to have missed the crucial conversations surrounding the harm perpetuated toward BIPOC colleagues within its profession (National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2021). Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) are essential to the profession. BIPOC social workers have the ability to relate to clients who have been marginalized and systematically oppressed because they, in part, live it themselves. Within the profession, BIPOC social workers experience several racial and systemic inequities. With a projected faster than average change in employment from 2020 to 2030, the profession will be challenged with obtaining and retaining valuable BIPOC social workers. Therefore, it is essential to establish innovative solutions and preventative measures to ensure sustainability.

Buddhist principles that can inform social workers commitment to anti-racism and social justice

ABSTRACT Over the past several years, the media has given greater attention to unarmed Blacks murdered by members of law enforcement. Even though African Americans comprise 13% of the population in the United States, they are disproportionately more likely to die at the hands of police. Many scholars highlight racism is the root of this violence. The premature deaths of unarmed African Americans have resulted in increased attention on anti-racism and social justice efforts, particularly within many Social Work programs in the United States. Since social justice, dignity and worth of the person, and the importance of human relationships are core values within the field of Social Work (National Association of Social Workers), we will examine how social workers may perpetuate racism by engaging in practices that are harmful to oppressed populations. In addition, we will discuss SGI Nichiren Buddhist principles and practices that could be incorporated into social work education and training to lessen the likelihood that social workers will contribute to the problem of racism. Furthermore, we will discuss how social workers can help train members of law enforcement to engage in anti-racist practices. Ultimately, we will examine principles of SGI Nichiren Buddhism that can inform social work’s commitment to anti-racism and social justice.

아동청소년복지 종사자 역량에 관한 요구 분석

Objectives The purpose of this study was to provide basic data to explore the direction of practice of strengthen-ing the professional competency of child and youth welfare workers.
 Methods The subjects of the study were collected from 163 child and youth welfare workers from July 2022 to March 2023. The measurement tools were based on 14 standards of The NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Child Welfare of the National Association of Social Workers.
 Results As a result of the study, according to the method of deriving the priorities of Borich need and The Locus for Focus model, the common high needs were ‘Administration’, ‘professional development’, ‘qualification’, and ‘collaboration’. And the next needs were ‘advocacy’ and ‘supervision’.
 Conclusions Based on the research results, strengthening qualification standards for professional development and reinforcement, preparing a systematic supervision system, institutional reorganization to improve excessive workload and caseload, opening of essential courses in conservative education to create an appropriate horizontal communication system and flexible organizational culture, active advocacy activities was suggested.

Social Workers Should Stand against Physical Punishment of Children.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the leading professional organization for social work that established the Code of Ethics and sets the policy agenda for the profession. Guided by the Code of Ethics and the Grand Challenges for Social Work goal to "build healthy relationships to end violence," the NASW Social Work Speaks policy compendium should reassert its statement against the physical punishment of children. This recommendation aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and children's right to protection from violence; the rigorous empirical research base, which demonstrates that physical punishment has detrimental consequences to child well-being; and similar policy statements issued by allied professional organizations. The NASW policies can advocate for ending violence against children by providing guidance on disciplinary practices that are based on principles of nonviolence and that respect children's human rights. Practitioners can support caregivers through interventions that provide alternatives to physical punishment.

Bending toward Justice: Social Work Research Advocacy in Times of Political Turmoil

Research has never been free of politics. What we learned about the scientific method, making observations, developing theories and hypotheses, testing, and eliciting findings and drawing conclusions has never been the whole story. The truth is that politics, the political environment, and social policy may affect every aspect of research. This is especially true of social work research. Currently, with white nationalist rhetoric reaching the mainstream, with certain states restricting access to knowledge, with local and state politicians targeting the very individuals and communities that social workers serve, and in some cases, social workers themselves, how can we respond? Can social work research respond to this political landscape? Should there be a response at all? The National Association of Social Workers’ (NASW, 2021) Code of Ethics has specified social workers’ responsibility to the community and broader society since its adoption in the 1960s. In fact, two ethical principles of the code remind us that social workers challenge social injustice and strive to respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. These two principles alone place social workers at odds with a political system that targets marginalized members of a community and aims to impart further harm on those who have been historically and currently oppressed. It is a political system that threatens the civil and human rights of those whom social workers serve.

Internet Searching of Client Information by Social Workers: Reckless or Required in Today’s Online Society?

Telehealth and social media raise ethical issues for social workers, prompting the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) to revise ethical standards in recent years to address use of technology. Social workers are directed to avoid searching client information electronically but may do so with clients’ informed consent. Professional technology standards and directives from NASW indicate that the information gathered on the Internet about clients is distinct from that obtained from clients directly. While internet searching of clients is widely used in business and other professions, its value in social work has been largely unrecognized. This article lends support for viewing internet information on clients as critical data that should be routinely gathered by social workers in many instances, justifying its importance in light of the ecological perspective which is the foundation of social work practice. Gathering internet information on clients is valuable to understanding people in their environments, as much of daily life now takes place in the digital world. Recommendations assist social workers to responsibly engage in internet searching of client information so that it can be incorporated into social work’s standard of care. Keywords: Ethics, ecological perspective, technology, social media

Reflections on the Ethical Possibilities and Limitations of Abolitionist Praxis in Social Work

Since 2020, blatant forms of state violence within the United States have reignited attention in the field of social work, where numerous calls have been made to realign and reconsider our standing ethical values and principles. Individually, social workers are beginning to reckon with the field's role within the carceral ecosystem and reimagining practice outside the confines of the carceral state. Institutionally, however, social work's professional organizations have reacted in contradictory ways. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in particular has been overtly inconsistent; touting support for racial justice while also broadcasting long-standing support for and partnerships with police. Furthermore, the NASW purportedly upholds a set of professional ethics and values that center social justice while also supporting tactics that surveil and criminalize marginalized communities. This disconnect between espoused ethics and actuality of practice undermines the professional legitimacy of social work. The profession must either acknowledge the current Code of Ethics as performative or take action to bring practice into alignment with professed ethics that affirm abolitionist practices. Using institutional social work statements, this article presents a conceptual exploration of the ethical potentials and limitations of abolitionist praxis in social work, culminating with a call to action.

Anti-Transgender Policies and Practices in Social Work Education, Accreditation, and Licensing: A Call for Change

The social work profession is guided by the values of social justice and the dignity and worth of the person. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics requires that all social workers act in a professional manner consistent with these values. These values mandate that social workers “challenge social injustice on behalf of and in concert with vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups.” Yet, historically, and contemporarily, the social work profession and national professional organizations (i.e., NASW, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Associate of Social Work Boards (ASWB), Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), and the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASW) have failed to advocate for and work in solidarity with transgender and gender expansive (TGE) individuals and groups to advance social justice. This commentary will examine how the social work profession and its national professional organizations have not followed the NASW Code of Ethics as it relates to T E communities. Specifically, the article ill (1) unpack the ways in which explicit and implicit social work curriculum and standards in accredited US social work programs do little to equip students to effectively serve transgender clients and communities upon graduation, (2) discuss the lack of advocacy for and solidarity with TGE communities from professional social work organizations, and (3) review policies governing the licensure of social work practitioners related to culturally responsive social work practice with TGE clients and communities. This commentary provides a set of recommendations for countering and reducing transphobia in the social work profession in the areas education, practice, and policy. We conclude with a call for change for the social work profession that achieves the values of social justice and dignity and worth of TGE individuals, groups, and communities.

A Descriptive Account of the Practicum Experiences of Trans and Nonbinary Social Work Students

Current anti-transgender legislative activity necessitates social workers take action in solidarity with transgender and nonbinary (TNB) individuals and communities. Pervasive discrimination and marginalization of TNB people across multiple public domains, including education, is irrefutable (James et al, 2016). Social work education is no exception. Not only is there a documented lack of affirming educational and practicum opportunities for TNB social work students (Austin et al., 2016), social work students also report being ill-prepared to practice with TNB individuals and communities (Craig et al., 2015). Social workers are ethically obligated by their professional identification to demonstrate competency related to service provision with marginalized individuals and groups and to confront oppression and foster social justice, including related to gender identity (National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2021). Yet, social work educational settings must first reckon with their own cisnormativity and anti-trans bias. Scant research has explored the experiences of TNB social work students, particularly during the practicum experience, termed social work’s “signature pedagogy” (Council on Social Work Edu- cation [CSWE] Educational Policy 3.3, 2022). This paper reports on part of a multi-phase project examining TNB social work students' practicum education experiences.

An Exploratory Examination of the Effect of Self-Care Practices on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment

ABSTRACT Purpose The National Association of Social Workers encourages self-care among practitioners. Self-care may prevent secondary traumatic stress, however, research examining self-care and other employee-related outcomes is dearth. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment are important for client, employee, and agency outcomes, but self-care’s role is unclear. Methods The relationship between employee self-care practices, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment was considered among 137 practitioners from a single US state during the Covid-19 pandemic. Results Job satisfaction was positively correlated with tenure, caring workplaces, and professional self-care. Organizational commitment was positively associated with hours worked, caring work environments, and professional self-care. Discussion Professional self-care was the most important self-care domain for job satisfaction and organizational commitment, but the least utilized form of self-care. Findings suggest the need to nurture organizational cultures emphasizing the importance of professional self-care and climates emphasizing employee safety during pandemics. Conclusion Replication among larger samples with representation from gender diverse and BIPOC practitioners is recommended.

Social Policy Priorities to Promote Health and Social Work.

At the start of the Biden–Harris administration and the 117th Congress, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 2021) outlined critical policy recommendations across an array of topics in the 2021 Blueprint of Federal Social Policy Priorities. These resolutions were developed through an evidence-based lens closely aligned with the Grand Challenges for Social Work supported by the profession (American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare, 2017). These policy priorities recognize that social workers perform essential functions in mental, behavioral, and physical healthcare within varied settings and among diverse populations across the country. The 2021 blueprint frames health in a comprehensive manner wherein mental and behavioral health are regarded as essential elements in one’s overall health and wellness. From this all-inclusive perspective, the profession endorses a national health care policy that ensures access to a full, coordinated continuum of physical and mental health and social care services for all people. A single-payer system that ensures universal access to these services is the best means to achieve this goal, and the [Patient Protection and] Affordable Care Act (ACA) moves the nation in the right direction. The ACA should be preserved and expanded.” (NASW, 2021, p. 9)

Do we practice what we preach?: Exclusionary LGBTQ+ policy at religiously-affiliated institutions of higher education with CSWE-accredited social work programs

ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) has a longstanding practice of accrediting social work programs nestled within institutions of higher education that openly discriminate against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) faculty, staff, and students through harmful policies and procedures. Though these policies and procedures contradict the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, these institutions are deemed religiously exempt. In an effort to understand the breadth of this issue, this paper describes a qualitative study examining the presence and substance of LGBTQ+ discriminatory policies at religiously affiliated institutions of higher learning (N = 190) that contain CSWE accredited social work degree programs. Utilizing content analysis, 101 discriminatory excerpts were identified within the 299 publicly available student and/or faculty handbooks, representing 40% of the institutions. Excerpts were coded into three distinct categories: belief expression (66.3%), belief expression and offer of formalized religious or spiritual support (13.9%), and belief expression with punishment (19.8%). In order to attempt to increase trustworthiness, the researchers used coder triangulation, intercoder reliability, and researcher reflexivity. Implications for social work hiring, policy advocacy, education, accreditation, and research are discussed, highlighting the direct conflict between the profession’s standards and values and current accreditation practices.

Applying an Ecological Systems Framework: How a Historically Black University, a Predominately White Institution, and a Public School System Created a Collaborative Undergraduate Research Experience

Abstract Guided by the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics and measures of competence provided by the Council on Social Work Education, the social work field serves as a model for strategies that promote collaboration across difference, strengths-based advocacy with communities, and education through engagement. These values and perspectives are relevant beyond social work, as they are applied in various disciplines and settings including educational systems. In academic environments, social workers and educators work together to facilitate the development of knowledge, attitudes, skills, and interactions that are individualized, empowering, equitable, strengths-focused, and culturally responsive among all individuals serving children in the school setting, including volunteers from the surrounding community. Using an ecological systems framework to explore the bidirectional relationships between individual student experiences, peer interactions, university–community connections, and collaboration with a local public school district, this article identifies how an interinstitutional student-engaged research partnership between a historically Black university, a predominately White institution, and a local school district models the power of a diverse and equitable collaboration with each subsystem positively contributing to the realization of social work values and ethics. Implications for public school students, staff, and surrounding communities are discussed.

Social Workers as Potential Agents for Drug Policy Reform

There is a growing recognition that our society must address systemic racism, mass criminalization and violent policing with alternative responses to crises in communities. Reform advocates have increasingly proposed that social workers, equipped with the skills and training to de-escalate tensions and respond to mental health and substance use crises, should work in teams alongside police officers. Despite broad support by community stakeholders, law enforcement, and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), this approach remains fraught if we do not critically examine our role as agents of social control in such systems. A clear case study is the War on Drugs, wherein social workers have assumed the role of frontline enforcers through our employment in the criminal legal and child welfare systems, health care, and coercive drug treatment programs. The harsh and punitive laws stemming from the War on Drugs have contributed to the mass criminalization of people who use drugs, devastated communities, separated families, and so much more. Our focus should shift towards upstream advocacy for policies to reduce the scope of the criminal legal system altogether. We propose suggestions to re-envision social work’s role in less punitive and carceral responses.

Just Research: Advancing Antiracist and Antioppressive Social Work Research.

The Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) created its Research Capacity and Development Committee in 2017 to build research capacity across the careers of social work scholars. The committee has initiated multiple conferences and webinar sessions that have increasingly focused on antiracist and antioppressive (ARAO) research, including "Mentorship for Antiracist and Inclusive Research" and "Strategies for Supporting Antiracist Pedagogy & Scholarship: Reimagining Institutional Systems & Structures." This commentary integrates themes from these sessions and other discussions among committee members about strategies to advance ARAO research. Although SSWR board members reviewed and approved this submission, it is not an official statement of SSWR or its board of directors.

Navigating Political Disagreement in Social Work: An Analysis of Past Literature, Ethical Guidance, and Case Examples

Political advocacy is a core tenet of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. As a profes-sion, social work has the responsibility to remain aware of trends that threaten the well- being of diverse populations. Th e historic connection between oppression and policy is undeniable, and the standards and principles in the Code of Ethics require social workers to intervene and be aware of political trends. However, at times, social workers’ political views may not refl ect the clients’ views. Navigating situations in which a client expresses political content with the social worker requires careful consideration and improvements in the available guidance. Prior literature addresses the political confl ict in Israel, Palestine, and Northern Ireland during times of extreme tension in those cultures. Yet, stark contrasts between the United States and those cultures exist, thus justifying the need for specifi c guidance for U.S. social workers. Currently, the state of society and social work in the United States requires social workers to dedicate increased attentiveness to these types of situations. As such, the connection between social work and political action is undeniable and worthy of further investigation. To do so, two relevant case examples from a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) will be assessed in which guidance from the NASW Code of Ethics, existing approaches, and prior literature will be applied. Th e evaluation of these case examples is intended to inform the decisions of other U.S.- based social workers confronting political disagreement with clients in direct practice work.

The Use of Flipped Classroom Technology in Teaching Social Work Research: Promising Results

ABSTRACT Understanding and applying effective research methods in social work practice is a mandate from both the National Association of Social Workers and the Council of Social Work Education. While research courses are fundamental to ensure that students master the competency needed to meet these expectations, students frequently tend to dread them. The current study was an evaluation of an intervention that used flipped technology (FT). Following the pedagogical model present in the FT literature, students were required to watch videos on course content ahead of class sessions, which then were devoted to application of material via class exercises. Students in a Master’s of Social Work (MSW) research class that received the intervention were compared to those in two classes that did not receive the intervention. The goals of the intervention were to increase students’ 1) interest in research, 2) beliefs about the importance of research in social work, 3) plans to engage with research after graduation, and 4) research knowledge. The results demonstrated that students in the intervention group did better than the comparison group in all the areas above, except for interest in research (where no differences were found). Implications for social work education are discussed.

Collaboration Key to Meeting Demand for Mental Health Services

Collaboration Key to Meeting Demand for Mental Health Services