Perceptions Of Social Workers Research Articles

Changing children's public perception of social work: A narrative evaluation of an educational intervention about social services

Summary This article explores children's learning experiences from taking part in an educational intervention about social services in school. Data were collected from six group interviews with 27 children after they had participated in lessons about social services. Following a narrative evaluation approach, the analysis focuses on the narratives of change that are made visible through the children's shared reflections about their learning experiences. Findings In their narratives of change, the children presented the educational intervention as meaningful for them because it increased their knowledge about social services as a possible support function for children and families. Some of the children related their previous more negative perceptions of social services to a collective story building on the idea that social services take children away from their families. Through the educational intervention, this collective story changed in part into another collective story building on the idea that social services help children and families to improve their relationships. Applications The study shows that an educational intervention about social services in school has the potential to increase children's knowledge about social services and to influence in a positive direction the collective stories that shape public perceptions of social work. Although such changes in collective stories can be expected to benefit social work practice, welfare professionals must be careful to promote opportunities for children to share experiences of social services that challenge, as well as align with, any of these collective stories.

Addressing the social determinants of health: social workers as key players in integrated care

Organizing health care requires addressing the social determinants of health, broadly defined as the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health outcomes. However, this is often beyond the scope, expertise, and time of medical professionals. As a result, there is an increasing tendency towards interprofessional collaboration in general, with the involvement of social workers in specific. Given the profession’s expertise in ameliorating social problems with respect to different areas of life, social workers are well-equipped to address social determinants in health care settings. In practice, however, the position, roles, and added value of social work are still rather ambiguous and unclear. It is therefore necessary to generate theoretical grounding and empirical evidence on the role of social work in diverse health care settings. The aim of this workshop is twofold. First, we will present the current state-of-the-art in the literature. Second, we will initiate a dialogue to reflect on the meaning and potential of social work in diverse health care systems. In this way, we want to establish an international dialogue aimed at the exchange of differences and similarities. We would like to engage with both healthcare providers (general practitioners, paramedics, …) as well as policy makers and researchers.
 The workshop consists of three parts. First, the researchers will introduce the topic. Second, participants will be divided into groups and provided with questions related to a case study. The researchers will join these groups to facilitate and summarize the discussion. Third, the researchers will briefly present their own research findings on the following subthemes:
 1) The perception of social work and search for collaboration according to general practitioners in Flanders (Nele Feryn)
 Through semi-structured interviews, general practitioners were asked about the impact of social problems in their practice, their views on social work, collaboration and perceived barriers to shape this cooperation.
 2) The transformative potential of social workers in Doctors of the World (Didier Boost)
 Based on a critical realist evaluation, the role of social workers in Doctors of the World is explored in Antwerp, Belgium. Doctors of the World, an international humanitarian NGO, aims to realize the right to health(care) for vulnerable communities without access to regular care. In addition to the direct provision of emergency and long-term medical care, the organization strives for structural change and advocates for social justice. This practice can potentially provide an ‘enabling niche’ that aligns with the rights-based focus of the social work profession.
 3) The involvement of social workers in Flemish palliative care settings (Brent Taels)
 Through survey questionnaires and focus groups, social workers in Flemish primary and secondary care settings were asked about their involvement in palliative care and the level of appreciation they receive from other care professionals. These findings form the basis for the future development of an intervention to extend the role of social workers in this field.
 Time schedule: 10 min. introduction + 15 min. of groupwork + 10 min. plenary discussions + 20 min. presentations of the subthemes + 5 min. closing discussion
 

High-quality patient-centered palliative care: interprofessional team members’ perceptions of social workers’ roles and contribution

ABSTRACT A core tenet of interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is that efficient and effective teams are critical for the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care. Although palliative care has a history of excellent care, increasing demands and larger patient loads are challenging teams to adapt and strengthen team functioning in hospital settings. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the IPCP contributions of advanced palliative social workers (PSWs) through the eyes of their colleagues. Twenty-four interprofessional palliative care (IPPC) team members from other professions (i.e. nurse practitioners, physicians, physician assistants) from 16 hospitals across the U.S. participated in 20-minute semi-structured interviews. The Patient-Centered Clinical Method (PCCM) was used as a conceptual model to aid in the interpretation of the data. This model illuminated the centrality of PSWs’ role in building and sustaining a therapeutic alliance between the patient and the IPPC team, through assessing and promoting care that centers the patient’s experience with illness, creating space to initiate, process and revisit difficult healthcare conversations and helping to modulate the pace and intensity of emotionally laden discussions. PSWs also support the therapeutic relationship with the IPPC team by providing continuity and connection across and during the hospital experience and supporting the well-being of the IPPC team. This study offers novel insights into how PSWs contribute to patient-centered IPPC and furthers the articulation of the role of PSWs in hospital settings.

A New Management da intervenção social: perceção dos riscos psicosso-ciais e ambientais no acolhimento social e os fatores de bem-estar para os interventores sociais

This article presents an analysis of the relationship between psychosocial risks, highlighting the management of the intervention, a theoretical framework that underpins some of the factors analysed in the doctoral research, which aims to assess the working conditions in the context of the action of first-line interveners in social reception. To obtain these data, a questionnaire was applied to obtain information on the perception of social workers in the various aspects of their professional daily lives that influence their health and well-being. It is concluded that it is necessary to enable professionals with stress-coping strategies, such as engagement - by analysing positive experiences and conditions favourable to well-being in the workplace (Extremera et.al., 2005; Gonçalves, 2020); coping (adaptation to circumstances and situations); supervision; triggering (good) social support; as well as working and applying in practice individual characteristics and physiological release mechanisms, complemented by a resilient posture and locus of control, adaptation to change, overcoming obstacles and resistance to pressure (Gonçalves, 2020, p.28; Fernandez-Barrocal, 2021).

Single Moms, absent Dads: neglecting fathers and burdening mothers in social work practice with separated families

ABSTRACT The low participation of nonresident fathers in family- and child-oriented social work interventions is well documented, as are the adverse effects of their absence on the outcomes of these interventions and the welfare of their families. However, research on the reasons for this low participation tends to focus on the views and perceptions of social workers and fathers. We propose a systemic approach focusing on families rather than fathers, and institutional aspects of the welfare system, such as workplace culture and administrative barriers, rather than social workers' views. Using an institutional ethnography in six Israeli Departments of Social Services, we examined work procedures and routines with regard to separated families in Israel's social welfare and child protection system. Our findings show that social workers often fail to include nonresident fathers in their interventions with separated families. Using the theoretical framework of the mother-based intervention, we show how the organisation of services promotes a focus on mothers. These findings, we claim, have dire consequences for both fathers and mothers. Fathers are denied the opportunity to take an equal part in the lives of their children, while mothers are expected to bear the entire burden of the intervention's requirements.

Social Work and Domestic Violence in Croatia Through a Gendered Lens

This article examines the gender-blind perception of the social work profession in Croatia and its relation to domestic violence cases. In the past few years, the media and the public have routinely expressed outrage at social workers for not preventing severe cases of violence against women and children. The shift from state socialism to capitalism in Croatian society has considerably affected the profession of social work and facilitated the defunding and understaffing of the welfare sector. I argue that a more nuanced, gendered approach is needed in demanding prevention work from social work centres (SWC). Most studies on the causes of burnout in social workers have ignored the feminisation of the profession and the gendered implication of their precarious professional position and responsibility to protect and help the most vulnerable members of society. The perceptions of social work by other experts working with cases of domestic violence and social workers themselves are important to comprehend a bigger picture of professional judgment and attributions of blame. In-depth interviews were conducted with experts working with domestic violence, including the police, judges, prosecutors, social workers, feminist NGO coordinators, and women’s shelter workers. The feminisation of social work and systemic undervaluing of care work contribute to the easy targeting of social workers while leaving the patriarchal institutionalisation unexplored. For this reason, I conclude that social workers would benefit from class and gender solidary with their clients to fight patriarchal biases.

How/if the Future Changes the Professional Field of Social Work?

The authors aim to discuss the changes in the professional field of social work, the future scenarios and the role of social work in the future society, and to present the views of social workers themselves on the future and the expected changes. The authors provide an overview of the trends in the development of social work profesion and outline the important changes in the professional field based on litearture review. The paper presents a quantitative survey of social workers in Lithuania, which aimed to uncover their attitudes towards new developments, the impact of technology and social innovation, and the future competences of social work.
 The results of the study reveal that employees see changes in the field of social work, but that these changes are marginal. Not seeing change and a negative public perception of social work are also associated with a willingness to move to another field of work. Leadership and professionalism of managers and more cohesive teamwork would encourage staff to stay. The study did not show that working for any institution (municipal, governmental, non-governmental, etc.) determines social workers‘ attitudes. Social workers‘ attitudes and evaluations were more influenced by their demographics: place of residence, age, education, but even these correlations were rather weak. A large proportion of respondents were not familiar with the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD2030) or had only participated in a few sustainability initiatives, but the importance of innovations in social work practice was identified by 58% of respondents, compared to 72% of those aged between 18 and 35 years. When talking about the future competences of social work, the traditional micro-level competences of social work are highlighted: empathy, emotional intelligence, interpersonal communication and working with a group, less importance is attached to innovative, managerial or macro-level competences.

INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM MEMBERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PALLIATIVE SOCIAL WORKERS’ CONTRIBUTIONS TO PATIENT-CENTERED CARE

Abstract Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) is fundamental to the delivery of high-quality patient-centered care. An IPCP core tenet is that efficient and effective teams are crucial for the delivery of care that achieves patient satisfaction as well as positive patient-level outcomes. Although a growing number of IPCP studies explore how IPCP professionals work collaboratively, the vast majority focus on the interactions of physicians and nurses, few consider other professions or simply lump them into an “other” category. This qualitative study addresses this knowledge gap through the exploration of how hospital palliative care teams utilize the skills of advanced hospice and palliative care certified (APHSW-C) social workers to increase teams’ overall effectiveness. A two-step recruitment process was used to create matched samples of 17 palliative social workers and 24 interprofessional team members (i.e., physicians, nurses, physician assistants, chaplains). Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed. Analysis revealed six themes surrounding other profession's perceptions of social workers’ contributions: 1) providing continuity during and across admissions, 2) assessing and promoting the patient’s bio-psychosocial needs, 3) offering clinical expertise and support to patients with complex psychosocial needs, 4) allocating time to initiate, process and revisit difficult conversations with patients and families, 5) modulating the pace and intensity of emotionally laden conversations, and 6) supporting team well-being. Findings underscore that interprofessional team members view social workers as playing a significant role in developing, building, and sustaining a therapeutic alliance between the patient and the team.

The complex encounter of Israeli social workers with the legal arena on the issue of confidentiality

ABSTRACT Social workers are bound to maintaining confidentiality of information provided by service users. The client provides information on the assumption that the social worker will maintain his privacy even in legal proceedings. However, sometimes social workers are forced to break the boundaries of confidentiality in accordance with legislation, such as in reporting harm or injury to a minor by his/her guardian, even if the latter is the social worker's client. This study examined the attitude of Israeli courts toward the limits of maintaining confidentiality in social work, using a quantitative-descriptive research of documents - judgments selected for this study. In the social work cases presented, the court outlined the boundaries of confidentiality and its perception of social workers’ professional work. The findings revealed that social workers’ clients rarely filed personal claims against them. The main legal issue raised in the judgments was the removal of confidentiality; most of the judgments found that the breach of confidentiality claim between social worker and client was unjustified. The study concludes by offering several courses of action to help educate social workers in dealing with the desire to maintain confidentiality in daily practice.

Perceptions of Social Workers in the School Social Work Project: The Need for Multicultural Education

Multicultural education is the key to the development process of culture of living together, emphasising human rights. In the legal sense, the study underlines the importance of school social work practices in terms of ensuring Syrian children to have unrestricted access to education in addition to providing them with equal opportunity in education. In the light of those practices, the motivation of the study is to discover social work academics’ perceptions of the path to multicultural education in Turkey and recommendations on how to integrate it into the current educational structure. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with ten social workers who took part in the “School Social Work Project”. The education structure in Turkey, the attitude towards Syrians, the problems experienced by Syrian individuals and their perspectives on education are summarized as risk factors that affect the participation of Syrian children in education. This study emphasises the importance of establishing cooperation with teachers and non-governmental organisations. With this cooperation, it seems possible to develop multicultural education by integrating the human focus of social work. Therefore, the use of development resources and social work resources together in the context of school social work practices will provide the change that will show the way to multicultural education. The findings point to recommendations such as ensuring family-teacher interaction, adding classes on culture of living together, and integrating non-governmental organisations systematically in the process of multicultural education.

The Nature of Social Work: An Ecocentered Analysis of Key Social Work Statements.

This article addresses references to people's natural environments in some of the central declarative statements that shape social work worldwide. Four types of documents were analyzed, including statements associated with the Global Definition of Social Work, the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training, the Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles, and the Grand Challenges for Social Work initiative. The analysis was driven by a critical-interpretive approach, seeking explicit and possibly implied references to nature and the environment across documents, with special attention to themes concerning the relationship between micro and macro perspectives, disciplinarity and inter- or transdisciplinarity, and relations between humankind and nature. In general, direct references to social work's possible intersections with issues related to nature and the natural environment were scarce in the materials examined. That having been said, our analysis did find that ecocentered interpretations enable locating prospective "bridges" for the incorporation of deeper ecological perceptions of social work into statements. Such findings constitute a call to action, and the possible implications of continuing to broadly disregard ecological aspects of social work in core materials published by influential professional institutions are discussed.

Examining Social Workers’ Experiences With Offering a Social Work Field Placement: A Program Evaluation

ABSTRACT Providing field education for social work students requires intensive support from field instructors. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the effects of an educational program developed to better support social workers providing a student placement in a community-based hospital. This study examined the attitudes, beliefs, needs, and perceptions of social workers around offering a field placement, and the potential changes in these after implementing the increased educational supports. Thematic analysis of preintervention and postintervention data resulted in four themes, with subthemes: (1) Facilitators to be a field instructor; (2) Barriers to be a field instructor; (3) Implications of increased supports; and (4) Suggestions for creating a more supportive atmosphere for field instructors. The clinical implications are discussed.

사회복지사의 성년후견제도 인식을 통해 본 전문후견사회복지사의 역할과 과제

This study attempted to explore the roles and tasks of professional guardianship social workers as human rights advocates through a survey on the perception of social workers on the adult guardianship system. The research method used a method similar to the snowball sampling with the SNS questionnaire. The survey was conducted by 454 social workers working in the field. Ninety-four percent of respondents were aware of the need for adult guardianship and public guardianship. They also showed their positive attitude towards the expected effect of the guardianship system but had little understanding (58.2%) of the types of adult guardianship system and the procedure for selecting a guardianship system. Regarding the roles of professional guardianship social workers, most social workers recognized the importance of providing adult guardianship and finding guardians, and 63.1% answered that they were willing to act as professional guardians. Based on the above research results, the roles and tasks of professional guardianship social workers as human rights advocates in the field of social welfare practice can be summarized as follows. First, it is required to establish the role of a professional guardianship social worker as an advocate for the people with mental disorders and with limited decision-making capacity Second, social workers who are experts in protecting the confidentiality of clients are also required to be treated and supported equally as other professional guardians, such as lawyers and legal officers. Third, there is a need to improve the contents of in-service education for social workers, such as corporate guardianship services and public guardianship support programs at the level of the Korean Social Workers Association.

"Could We Just Breathe for 30 Seconds?": Social Worker Experiences of Holistic Engagement Practice Training.

Given the still emerging evidence base about the effectiveness of practices, such as mindfulness, somatics, and integrative body-mind-spirit social work, there is a need to know more about the impacts that training in such areas can have on social workers and their professional work. This mixed-methods article reports on a pilot study that explored practitioners' perceptions regarding the impact of learning holistic engagement practice (HEP) skills on their service delivery and well-being. The research inquires into the perceptions of social workers who received the training, particularly in relation to their quality of presence and the therapeutic relationship; HEP as a form of self-care and a facilitator of compassion satisfaction; the impact it has on social work practice and settings; and the facilitators and barriers to using holistic engagement. Implications from the findings focus on the need for additional research, training, organizational change, and communities of practice to facilitate changes that could promote more effective social work practice, greater levels of empathy, and compassion satisfaction.

Promoting resilience for children of parents with opioid use disorder: A pilot study of a directed intervention.

Having a parent with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) is a childhood adverse experience (ACE), magnified by other accompanying ACEs. Outcomes for these children tend to include developing mental illness and/or Substance Use Disorders themselves. Few studies address these children's experiences and needs. Without child-focused interventions to foster their resilience, generational ramifications of the OUD crisis will persist. Nine children (ages 12-17), in Department of Social Services' custody, participated in this pilot study. The intervention delivered was Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration's Children's Program Kit (CPK): Supportive Education for Children of Addicted Parents. Measures included OUD knowledge pre/posttests and the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS-2). Findings from paired-samples t tests showed a significant increase in youth OUD knowledge from pre to posttest. Affective strength on the parent version (foster parent or social worker's perception of participant) and overall strength index on the youth's version BERS-2 increased significantly from pre to posttest. Career strength, a separate strength index, showed significant increased scores on both youth and parent BERS-2 versions pre to posttest. Results support Psychiatric Mental Health nurses to lead development and implementation of interventions, such as the CPK, with a strength-based approach to promote the knowledge and resilience of these children.

What creates the public’s impression of social work and how can we improve it?

This paper presents results from a study in Aotearoa New Zealand 1 which explored the ideas of social work practitioners on public perceptions of social work and how to improve them. This qualitative research was part of a Master’s project for two of the authors and followed on from two previous quantitative studies on this topic in Aotearoa. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 social work practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to create themes concerning what the perceived public perception was, what contributed to it, and how to improve it. The findings have implications for being better able to understand factors that contribute to the public perception of social work so that it may be improved, for increasing the public’s understanding of social work, and for recruitment of students into the profession.

Social Workers and Families: An Italian Perspective on the Family-Centered Approach

Purpose: The present work addresses the transformation process occurring within the services for minors regarding the relationship with families. This qualitative study aims to explore family-centered practice (FCA) by analyzing the practitioner's perceptions of social work with families in daily practice in the context of Italian social welfare. Methods: The authors conducted six focus groups with 38 social services workers and used grounded theory methods to elicit perceptions of the meaning and complexity of the transformation based on the statements of those performing social work with families. From the textual data, codes were identified and grouped into conceptual categories. Results: The authors defined two macro-categories called “Aims in practitioner's work with children and families” and “Tools in work with children and families”, which reflect the participants' attitudes and behaviors. Conclusion: Professionals and service providers can use our findings to reflect on current conceptualizations of family involvement and FCA in their work and to recognize possible psychological barriers to achieving family participation.

A Qualitative Study: Who are the Social Workers?

Bu çalışma, sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının devlet tarafından algılanmasına dayalı bir sosyal politika eleştirisidir. Sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının, sosyal politikaların uygulanmasında önemli bir rol ve yetkiye sahip olduğu görülmektedir. Çalışmada, Türkiye'de çalışan 21 sosyal hizmet uzmanıyla yapılan görüşmeler sonucunda, rolleri ve yetkileri hakkında veri toplanmıştır. Görüşmeler, derinlemesine görüşmeler şeklinde yapılmıştır. Çalışma, İstanbul Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırmalar Proje Birimi tarafından desteklenen yüksek lisans tezinin bir parçasıdır. Çalışma boyunca devletin sosyal hizmet uzmanlarını nasıl gördüğüne dair anlatılar tartışılmıştır. Sosyal hizmet uzmanları, devletin kendisini bir arabulucu, pasif politika uygulayıcısı ve muhalif olarak gördüğüne dair anlatıları paylaştı. Ancak sosyal hizmet uzmanları mesleki oluşumları nedeniyle uygulanacak politikalara yön verecek donanıma sahiptir. Siyasette aktif olmaları gerektiğini iddia etmelerinin yanı sıra sosyal refahı artırmayı hedefledikleri bu çalışmanın önemli bir sonucudur. Bu bağlamda, Türkiye'deki sosyal hizmet uzmanlarını ortaya çıkaran sıçan yarışını ortaya koyan bu çalışma, sosyal refah politikalarının revize edilmesi gerektiğini savunmaktadır.

Complexities in the Case Management of Unaccompanied Minors: Perceptions of Social Workers Practicing in the Polokwane Child and Youth Care Centres

Post-apartheid South Africa has become a preferred destination for migrants and refugees from across different parts of the globe, particularly the African and Asian continents. The influx of foreign nationals into the country has contributed to an increase in the number of unaccompanied minors as they either travel alone or become separated from caregivers or parents once they entered the country. This situation has complicated the management aspects of the cases of unaccompanied minors at the local level. The purpose of this article is to explore the experiences of social workers in the management of the cases of unaccompanied minors in the Children and Youth Care Centers (CYCCs) in Polokwane area. Qualitative data were collected by employing face-to-face interviews as well as observation techniques and data were analysed applying qualitative thematic approach. The finding highlights that most of the unaccompanied minors were in dire need and lack proper documentation. It was also revealed that a number of perilous child protection challenges existed in the management of the cases of unaccompanied minors. A limited capacity of social workers, lack of intersectoral integration and collaboration, and insufficient allocation of resources to tackle the multiple dilemmas that affect unaccompanied minors in the CYCCs. It is concluded that despite the solid international legal framework and South Africa having a relatively well developed legal and policy framework governing child protection, there are a number of critical child protection gaps that exist in terms of the implementation of these frameworks for unaccompanied or separated foreign children by government officials.

Nursing Home Social Workers Perceptions of Preparedness and Coping for COVID-19

Social work has a long history of responding to the needs of vulnerable populations during times of crisis and disaster. Social workers are working at the front lines responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of health care practice settings, including nursing homes, however it is unclear how social workers perceive their preparedness during this time. This study employed a cross-sectional survey to nursing home social workers via social media on feelings of preparedness for COVID-19, what has been most professionally helpful for social workers during these times in their role in COVID-19, as well as demographic questions. Demographic data were analyzed using SPSS and qualitative data were analyzed using the rigorous and accelerated data reduction (RADaR) technique. Data are based on a sample of 63 (N=63) nursing home social workers. Findings revealed that while some social workers felt prepared for the coronavirus, many respondents stated that they were unprepared to meet the demands and challenges they were facing. Moreover, participants shared that professional support was critically important to get through COVID-19. These findings are important, as social workers are tasked with ensuring each resident attains their highest level of psychosocial well-being, which can be achieved only when nursing home staff are supported. Findings from the present study suggest that additional support for nursing home staff ought to include peer mentoring and mutual support. Additionally, improved leadership across health care settings is worth assessing.