Professional Social Work Practice Research Articles

Learning from success in the supervision process

Supervision forms an essential component of professional social work practice. It supports the development of the capacity and skills of both students as emerging practitioners and of more experienced social workers. Reflection is a key part of supervision because social work practice is constantly evolving due to rapid change in society. Supervision provides social work practitioners and students with an opportunity to speak openly and honestly about their work, and the everyday feelings and emotions they face whilst in practice. This enables both improvement in practice and prevents the buildup of stress. In this article, we explore different methods of supervision utilised in social work and highlight implementation in Slovenia and England. We developed our own framework of supervision drawing on our knowledge of research from Slovenia and England; moreover, we engaged in informal discussion with colleagues in England, and a more formal process with supervisors in Slovenia, to inform the development of this model. This article thus reports the conceptual findings of a study and introduces our own model of reflective supervision, which is founded on the premise that we learn better from good experiences than from mistakes. We believe that through the proposed format of appreciative practice, we can move from deficit-based practice to strengths-focused practice. Key words social work; reflective practice; co-creation; group work; professional development

Conflicts Over Natural Resources and Gender-based Violence at Sialsui, India

This study explores how limited access to natural resources causes gender-based violence and what professional social work practice strategies can be employed to deal with it. Analysing 10 qualitative interviews with Gujjar women, it discusses how they have experienced violence while accessing firewood, water and grazing their cattle. It argues that along with gender, intersection of poverty, dependence on limited natural resources and socio-cultural norms and tribal identity further marginalise Gujjar women and their community in general. It proffers professional social work practice strategies to address gender-based violence. The analysis and suggested strategies are useful not only to Gujjar communities but also to other women and communities living in similar contexts.

Children’s rights in Bulgaria between theory and practice: The case of the deinstitutionalization reform

Like many post-socialist states, following the transition to democracy, Bulgaria had to close the large institutions for children in which orphans, children with disabilities and other types of children were being raised. The so-called deinstitutionalization reform has been an important part of introducing children’s rights legislation in contemporary Bulgaria. However, it is still unclear how the consequences of the reform relate to the normative framework of child’s rights. To address this problem, we present the results of a study conducted in 2020/2021 that explores the implementation of the reform through the approach of action research. We analyse interviews with children, social workers and public officials conducted in two big cities in Bulgaria. We outline the ways and extent to which children’s rights are integrated into the professional practice of social workers and in the lives of children that are part of the reform, as well as the reasons for their violation. We conclude that there are significant contradictions between the ‘theoretical framework’ of children’s rights and their implementation in relation to the deinstitutionalization reform. The former may be seen as ‘unintended consequences’ of the reform resulting from Bulgarian society’s socio-cultural specificities.

Implicación y afectividad en el ejercicio profesional del Trabajo Social y la Educación Social

When we talk about involvement and affectivity, we also talk about characteristics that are, a priori, intrinsic to the professional practice of social workers and social educators. These particularities are not integrated in the VERIFICA of university degrees, but they provide inputs to the professional performance of them. The use of these invisible competences that make up the curricula of the study plans are, however, visible in reality, as they help in the construction of the educational relationship with people at risk. The aim of this paper is to expose the theoretical and methodological origins that build both strategies and their implementation in daily professional practice with children, adolescents and young people at risk. The results deepen in a holistic theoretical understanding, which is determined by the helping relationship and the deepening in epistemological bases connected with Christian movements and community pedagogies of a preven- tive, participative, educational and communicative nature. The methodology also has an important impact, since the existence of isolated actions does not achieve the planned action objectives. Thus, the connection between theory and methodology constitutes a range of proposals and experiences to deepen itineraries, spaces where to implement competences and learning outcomes that guide through involvement and affectivity.

Directions in constructing a body of knowledge in eco-social work education and practice in Uganda: Actions, channels, and implications

In recent times, Uganda has witnessed human suffering resulting from the occurrence of environmental disasters thereby placing social work professionals, particularly those in civic organizations at the forefront of responses. As such, this article argues that the country’s largely agrarian welfare system and its pursuit of sustainable social development urgently necessitate reframing social work scholarship with an emphasis on eco-social theory for professionals to gain relevance and preparedness for actions and interventions that address environment linked problems. Through case analysis, the paper presents four recent cases of environmental natural disasters as a persuasion towards building an eco-social work body of knowledge. It then highlights the education and practice actions towards an eco-social work knowledge. The channels through which this action should take place are discussed and the implications of eco-social work thinking on professional social work education and practice are explored. It concludes by proposing a model for eco-social work education and practice that integrates formal public environmental safeguards and indigenous knowledge systems that champion protective and co-dependence approaches in people-environment interfaces. 
 How to reference using ASWNet style:
 Bhangyi, V. B. (2023). Directions in constructing a body of knowledge in eco-social work education and practice in Uganda: Actions, channels, and implications. African Journal of Social Work, 13(2), 70-77. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i2.3
 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Social Media Addiction and Healthy Lifestyle among Post Graduate Students: A Social Work Perspective

Digital Technology growth has unprecedentedly impacted daily life, providing opportunities and engendering challenges for professional social work practice. Social media, as an interactive technology, allows people to communicate and exchange ideas in the forms of images and videos with others not in their immediate vicinity. The present study aims to study the relationship between social media addiction and healthy lifestyle practices among postgraduate students from a social work perspective. The descriptive research design was used for this cross-sectional study conducted among 111 postgraduate students of Pondicherry University. The questionnaire includes a socio-demographic profile, a social media addiction scale, and a healthy lifestyle screening tool. According to the findings, most (66.7 per cent) respondents have a medium addiction to social media. Most (64.9 per cent) respondents follow a healthy lifestyle to a moderate extent. A significant association exists between social media addiction and a healthy lifestyle. The students are highly vulnerable, at the threshold of high addiction levels, and their lifestyle might become susceptible and precarious. Social workers may play a pivotal role in using Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) to bring behavioural change among the youth. 

Challenges of practicing professional social work in Bangladesh: perspectives from public sector service providers

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the challenges of professional social work practice in Bangladesh from the perspective of government social service providers. Based on the qualitative approach, the study findings highlighted that unfamiliarity with the social work discipline, lack of professional recognition, absence of specific employment for social work graduates, and limited understanding of social work among policymakers remain significant challenges for social work practice in Bangladesh. The paper advocates for concerted efforts by academicians, researchers, social service professionals and policymakers to overcome those challenges. The paper has insights for developing countries in addressing the challenges of professional social work practice.

Media Coverage of Child Welfare Social Workers and its Effect on Professional Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Family and Social Support

Abstract Negative coverage in the media of social workers employed in the field of child welfare frequently appears in the wake of tragedies within families. Though social workers cannot always prevent incidents of this kind, the media, and consequently the public, blame them for dereliction of duty, an attitude that can affect their professional self-esteem. The present research poses the question of how negative versus positive media coverage of social workers in the field of child welfare affects their professional self-esteem, and whether family and social support can moderate such an outcome. In order to examine this question, a controlled empirical study was carried out with ninety-nine social workers. The participants were divided randomly into three groups, each exposed to media coverage of a different nature: positive, negative and neutral. They were then asked to complete a professional self-esteem questionnaire. The results point to a significant relationship between education, professional seniority, family and social support and professional self-esteem. Thus it was found that family and social support moderated the effects of negative media coverage on professional self-esteem. The implications of the findings for the professional practice of social workers are discussed.

The wounded social work student: A strength-based enquiry of personal loss experience and its impact on social work students’ professional practice

INTRODUCTION: When working in the fields of loss, grief, bereavement and dying, the lived experience of the social work students, and their developing practice in the field, can be enhanced by awareness of the concept of the wounded healer. METHODS: This study sought to explore the wounded healer concept amongst Australian social work students who had experienced the death of a loved one. The project was underpinned by a phenomenological approach seeking to understand personal loss experiences in professional practice skill development. Using semi-structured interviews, final-year social work students were asked to reflect on the positive and negative impacts of their personal loss experience on their emerging professional social work practice. FINDINGS: An analysis of the data identified three main themes: (1) repeated triggers of loss and grief during field placement can occur; (2) students’ ambiguity and confusion of safe inclusion of lived experience in a professional setting was identified; and (3) learning can be impacted by wounded reflections. CONCLUSION: The study noted a lack of understanding among social work students on how to safely navigate their own woundedness and how to incorporate awareness into their professional practice skills. This may be addressed by responding to a current gap in the Australian social work curriculum. Future considerations for reflections on the effectiveness of field placement supervision and further guidance and education for wounded social work students at a university level may assist.

Obstacles to E-volunteering in the Fields of Professional Practice of Social Work in the Saudi Community: A Field Study

Obstacles to E-volunteering in the Fields of Professional Practice of Social Work in the Saudi Community: A Field Study

Neglect of normative principles by social work practitioners: Recommendations for social work education

Two hundred and four German social work practitioners were reviewed to what extent they neglect ethical and normative principles in their daily professional social work practice. The principles have been derived from the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), and the German Professional Association for Social Work (DBSH). Different from expectations, factor analyses led to a classification of these neglects into three areas: the neglect of goals of the profession (e.g., improving social work's public image), of guidelines for dealing with clients (e.g., not favoring one client over another), and regarding general regulations of careful work (e.g., documenting one's daily actions). Item analyses and scale formations for these three domains are described. In addition, correlation analyses with eight validity variables document convergent, discriminant and criterion validity of the elaborated scales. Finally, the meaning of the three dimensions and the consequences for educating ethical principles in social work are discussed. In addition, suggestions are given to improve the assessment instrument in further research.

Integrating religion/spirituality into professional social work practice

ABSTRACT Due to its significant influence on the human experience, acknowledgment of religion/spirituality has been recognized by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as a core component of diversity competence. Whether a client associates with a certain faith dogma or they identify with a more atheistic or agnostic lifestyle, exploration into the role of religion/spirituality in a client’s life can provide key insights into behavioral motivators, root causes of problems, and important sources of strength and resilience. In spite of this, research reveals that a majority of practicing social workers report little-to-no educational or professional preparation around religion/spirituality, leaving them unprepared and therefore unlikely to incorporate these factors into the therapeutic process. This article aims to outline the important impacts of religion/spirituality on micro, mezzo, and macro levels, explore the social worker’s professional mandates around inclusion of these elements into clinical work, and then offer recommendations for how to effectively and ethically integrate religion/spirituality into professional practice. The four main principles of knowledge, awareness, education, and use of decision-making models can be applied to a wide range of ethical practice dilemmas and should be incorporated into any professional social work repertoire.

Social Work Education and Practice Learning at a Crossroads: Challenges

This article is based on a relatively small-scale qualitative research study for the Greater Cambridgeshire Social Work Teaching Partnership (GCSWTP) and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), the aim of which was to identify the core quality components of social work practice learning in order to achieve excellence, in preparation for frontline professional social work practice. The research took a broadly phenomenological approach to describe and interpret the participants’ lived experiences of social work practice learning. A purposive sample of 35 participants, which included: practice educators (local authority, voluntary and independent), service users (adults only, via ARU’s social work service user group), frontline social work practitioners, both experienced and newly qualified (adult and children’s services), frontline team managers (adult and children’s services), children’s guardians, final and second year social work students (ARU’s BA and MA) and ARU social work academics. The findings therefore represent the perspectives of a wide range of professionals involved, both directly and indirectly, in practice learning. Data was obtained using semi-structured, open-ended one-to-one interviews, which were audio-recorded. The research highlighted a gap between academic input and the realities and challenges of current social work practice, particularly in terms of depth and complexity of the knowledge and skills needed for frontline practice.

Influence of the occupational burnout syndrome on the work attractiveness among social workers

The objective of this article is to study and analyze the influence of burnout syndrome on the "work attractiveness" in social workers. For the purposes of the analysis, an empirical study was conducted among 170 social workers from 142 social services in Bulgaria. The data from the study confirmed though partially but statistically significant, the dependence of work attractiveness on the parameters of the occupational burnout syndrome in the professional social work practice. The following tendencies have been outlined: - Influence of the “occupational burnout syndrome” in the part of emotional exhaustion on the work attractiveness. The high level of emotional exhaustion does not presuppose low work attractiveness, just the opposite. - Influence of the “occupational burnout syndrome” in the part of emotional exhaustion on the probability of leaving. The dependency between the high emotional exhaustion and the low work dissatisfaction precondition a higher probability of leaving. - Influence of the “occupational burnout syndrome” in the part reduction of personal achievements on the work attractiveness. The high reduction determines the higher level of occupational dissatisfaction. Our study shows that specification of social work depends both on the conditions of labor and the personal qualities of the social workers.

Social work education and practice in Africa: the problems and prospects

ABSTRACT This article identifies some of the key challenges hindering effective social work education and practice in African nations. These problems include an orientation that is remedial or curative, involvement of non-social work graduates in social work posts, lack of a regulating or coordinating body, and an overall dependency on extrapolated curricula and Western methods among others. Most African nations although with huge wealth are wallowing in abject poverty resulting in various social maladies such as kidnapping, child abuse, substance misuse, corruption, lack of organised social welfare institutions, unsustainable development, human trafficking, unemployment, lack of leadership and social injustice, as resultant effects of exploitative colonialists and/or imperialists. These call for holistic practice interventions to solve these social ills. This paper strongly advocates that social work in the African continent should be given legal backing to ensure professional social work education and practice. The social work education curriculum should be developed to reflect African social contexts and its approaches to social work practice and not just be restricted to Western approaches alone. On this premise, this paper proposes ‘cultural humility’ and ‘transaction between individuals and environment (TIE)’ frameworks that would enhance social work education and practice in Africa.

Activating the Practice of Social Work in Confronting Intellectual Extremism of University Youth

The study aimed to Determine the level of the professional practice of social work in confronting the intellectual extremism with university youth. determine the relation between the level of professional practice of social work in confronting the intellectual extremism for university youth and variables (gender, geographical territory of faculty, specialization of faculty, age, qualification, training courses), And Rais a group of procedural suggestions to activate the professional practice of social work in confronting the intellectual extremism with university youth, The study used the descriptive method through a social survey applied in youth welfare departments in faculties of Al – Azhar University in all governorates a questionnaire was applied on (128) social workers, The results showed that level of social workers’ practice at Youth Care offices, Al Azhar University from perspective of the generalist practice in dealing with intellectual extremism phenomenon reached 60.14% which is a medium ratio that reflects weakness of familiarity with knowledge and skills of generalist practice of social work and hence weakness of ability to employ social work profession in dealing with various systems related to intellectual extremism phenomenon.

Creating a corpus of sensitive and hard-to-access texts: Methodological challenges and ethical concerns in the building of the WiSP Corpus

Corpus linguistics is increasingly employed to explore large, publicly-available datasets such as newspaper texts, government speeches and online fora. However, comparatively few corpora exist where the subject matter concerns sensitive topics about living individuals since, due to their highly personal and confidential nature, these texts are hard to access and raise difficult ethical questions around secondary data analysis. One exception is the Writing in professional social work practice (WiSP) corpus, comprising texts written by UK-based professional social workers in the course of their daily work and now available to other researchers through the ReShare archive. This paper focuses on the challenges involved in building the WiSP corpus and the epistemological and ethical issues raised. Two key aspects of research practice are discussed: data anonymisation and dataset archiving. Specifically, the paper explores decision-making around anonymisation and an ethically-informed rationale for treating some texts as ‘not for sharing’, leading to the decision to create two corpora: one for the research team and a further anonymised and slightly reduced version for archiving. The paper explores what the WiSP corpora (Corpus 1 and Corpus 2) contribute to understandings about social work writing, the extent to which the two corpora enable different analyses and whether the existence of two corpora is problematic from a corpus linguistic perspective. The paper concludes by considering how the ethical decisions around corpus creation of sensitive texts raise questions about key principles in corpus linguistics.

Authenticity, power and the case record: A textual analysis of the participation of children and young people in their child protection conference

AbstractThis paper adds to the limited evidence base around documentary representation of the wishes, feelings and views of children and young people involved in the child protection system. It presents the findings of a critical discourse analysis of 114 documents relating to 28 children and young people in the North of England who were the subject of a child protection conference (CPC) due to having experienced significant harm or the high likelihood of significant harm occurring. Three dominant and interlayering discourses were identified: a discourse of childhood, a discourse of participation and a discourse of professional social work practice. While some children and young people came to life in the reports and were afforded a unique identity, others were invisible and their views were marginalized. The findings support a dominant discourse of the unseen and unheard child, with participation normally mediated by power relationships between adults and children, and which marginalizes the experiences of children through a structurally constructed lens of risk and vulnerability. The findings signify the need to establish assessment practices and case reporting systems in which children are heard themselves as well as reported on by others.

A Qualitative Analysis of the Coping Strategies of Female Victimisation After Separation.

Victims of high-risk domestic violence in Malaysia return to their husbands if they lack the necessary support to face life challenges, especially after separation. Violence against women is part of the violation of human rights. Therefore, several action strategies are essential to counteract the various pressures of the social injustice they have endured. This qualitative study identifies how victims of domestic violence use coping strategies to face various challenges and pressures after deciding to break up with their spouse. In-depth interviews using purposive sampling and snowball techniques were conducted on 15 female respondents in Penang, Malaysia. Actions including filling in time, positive thinking, seeking formal services assistance, religious approaches, and sharing problems with informal systems successfully reduced the stress and concerns of victims of domestic violence. Enhancing and empowering domestic violence victims about their rights is vital for them to exit the abusive cycle. It is hoped that by understanding their rights as a person, they will be able to resort to better social support systems to overcome their current challenges to better social functioning. Hence, social workers must continuously provide the source of support, including empowering/allowing victims to continuously aware of their rights, which are the most fundamental elements of professional social work practice.

Türkiye'de sosyal hizmetin tarihsel gelişimi: Cumhuriyetten günümüze

Dans cette étude, les pratiques de travail social menées en Turquie après 1923 seront systématiquement discutées dans une perspective chronologique. Il y a deux points importants qui distinguent cette étude des études précédentes. Le premier de ces points est que cette étude est traitée dans une structure chronologique différente et discutée avec une perspective critique. Un autre point est que cette étude est rédigée en français, contrairement aux langues précédemment publiées (turc, anglais ou allemand). Dans cette étude, le développement historique du travail social en Turquie est divisé en certaines périodes et discuté comme suivant; (1) Entre 1923-1945: période du parti unique en Turquie, (2) Entre 1946-1979: période initiale de pratique professionnelle du travail social en Turquie, (3) Entre 1980-2000: Transformation néolibérale et pratiques d'institutionnalisation, (4) Les années 2000 et au-delà: le processus de candidature de la Turquie à l'UE, les efforts de regroupement de toutes les pratiques de travail social sous un seul ministère et la folie de la formation des travailleurs sociaux.