Schools Of Social Work Research Articles

Integrating human rights in social work education in Europe

ABSTRACT The engagement of social workers with human rights is deeply embedded in the history of the profession and discipline. Therefore, incorporating human rights into social work curricula is paramount. However, comparative research on the integration of human rights in Europe is largely missing. This article addresses the gap by analyzing curricula in eight European countries. It is based on a symposium organized by the Special Interest Group on Human Rights in Social Work within the European Association of Schools of Social Work in 2022. The article focuses on three questions: What explicit references to human rights can be found? How are human rights linked to political and structural aspects? In what form is the significance of human rights for social work practice considered? The analysis encompassed the curricula of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and Finland. It shows that human rights are an integrated component within all degree programs in these countries, albeit in different forms and to different extents. However, the critical analysis also shows significant shortcomings, e.g. missing emphasis on human rights topics within the curriculum and insufficient consideration of the practical applicability of human rights.

“Striving Toward Equity for All”: Social Work Faculty and Staff Define Social Justice

ABSTRACT Purpose The guiding documents of the social work profession establish social justice as central to the discipline and practice of social work, yet there is little consensus on the meaning of the term. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine how faculty and staff in one school of social work defined social justice. Methods Data for this study were drawn from a school climate survey distributed within one school of social work with an explicitly stated commitment to social justice. Ninety-three staves and faculty responded to the open-ended question: How do you define social justice? Findings Three themes were identified in how participants defined social justice as a form of evidence-based meaning making: (1) equality, (2) equity, and (3) advocacy and action. Discussion We conclude this article by discussing implications for how social workers can incorporate a critical approach to defining social justice that extends beyond equality and equity. Specifically, we recommend that the profession work toward a common, evidenced-based understanding of social justice to effectively educate current and future social workers to dismantle systems of oppression at all levels of social work.

A study of school systems practising case management to address non-attendance and other issues in Japanese elementary and junior high schools

ABSTRACT This study examined a teacher-centred school system in Japan that promotes case management, alongside its influencing factors and improvement areas. A survey involving semi-structured interviews was conducted with 12 school counsellors, school social workers, and coordinator teachers with three or more years of experience in assisting children in public elementary and junior high schools. Results showed that information consolidation within each school, case assignment, monitoring, and evaluation differ between schools and that no school has a clearly defined system. Having a key person for case management in schools and identifying improvement areas for shaping the school system are necessary.

Untapped potential? a scoping review exploring school social work in Norwegian primary schools

ABSTRACT The Norwegian Education Act safeguards children’s right to a supportive psychosocial school environment, increasingly recognized as a pivotal arena for early intervention. In this endeavour, interdisciplinary collaboration plays a crucial role, and school social workers have recently emerged as important professionals in this regard, although their roles lack clear definition. This scoping review, guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the PRISMA checklist, explores the terminology describing school social workers’ position in Norwegian primary schools, and their roles and responsibilities, and potential impact. Both published and grey literature were included as relevant data material, supported by stakeholder consultation. We comprehensively searched 11 databases, in addition to government websites, resulting in the inclusion of 14 research reports, 4 research articles and 12 master’s theses. Our findings reveal the complexity of school social workers’ roles, hampered by the absence of legal mandates. This ambiguity leads to role variability, hindering the full utilization of their competences and fostering person-specific positions. Consequently, the psychosocial support provided in Norwegian primary schools lacks consistency and optimization. Clearer delineation of school social workers’ roles and responsibilities is imperative to unlock their full potential in creating favourable psychosocial school environments.

A community-engaged interprofessional project led by medical students, school of social work students, and resident physicians: lessons learned and recommendations for success

ABSTRACT Addressing health disparities through community engagement and interprofessional partnerships is increasingly critical. However, learner-led approaches that integrate medical students, resident physicians, and social work students are not well-studied. We designed a learner-led, interprofessional, public health campaign for a majority Hispanic community, with the goals of building interprofessional leadership skills, engaging learners to address COVID-19 inequities, and disseminating lessons learned. Faculty and students from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Schools of Medicine and Social Work partnered with community leaders to pilot an interprofessional project supported by the American Association of Medical Colleges’ Nurturing Experiences for Tomorrow’s Community Leaders (AAMC NEXT) Award. We describe the process of selection of a 12-member learner team of medical students, resident physicians, and social work students, and how we enacted the project from December 2020 to June 2021. Lessons learned in implementing our learner-led, community-engaged, interprofessional approach included: building interprofessional leadership skills, setting member roles and responsibilities, instilling requisite knowledge and skills, engaging with the community, and disseminating research findings. These lessons can guide other institutions seeking community-engaged interprofessional projects with learners.

Noticing ‘them things that may have gone amiss otherwise’: exploring social work placements in schools in England

ABSTRACT Schools play a crucial in the lives of children, families and communities and are increasingly used by social work programmes in England for practice learning. This qualitative study involved in-depth semi structured interviews with ten social work students who had undertaken at least one placement in a school in England. The aim of this study was to understand social work students’ experiences of placements in schools and to explore the benefits and challenges associated with school-based placements. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, manually coded and analyzed for broad themes. The findings indicate a lack of clarity about the roles and tasks expected of student social workers in schools and highlights some benefits for children and families. Implications for social work education and practice are identified.

The Influence of “The Little Prince” on Communication Between Asylum-Seeking Children and Their Host Community Peers

Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Syrians have sought refuge in various nations, with Türkiye notably emerging as a prevalent destination. Due to Türkiye’s “open door” policy, rougbly 3.5 million Syrians have been conferred temporary protected status, with nearly half being children. Given the recent mass migrations, enduring migration flows, and substantial numbers of asylum-seeking children, fostering respect for diversity among children has become crucial. This research, therefore, was conceptualized to offer solutions within school social work aimed at promoting peace for asylum-seeking children facing segregation/discrimination. The study focuses on transforming the attitudes of host community children toward asylum-seeking children through literary works specifically “The Little Prince.” Utilizing a Parallel Mixed Methods Design, 30 participants were selected via purposive sampling. The study investigated: “How does the implementation of school social work through literary works influence respect for differences, tolerance and love among children?” The findings suggest that integrating school social work practices with artistic mediums, particularly literary works, should be considered for social work interventions targeting children and their social environments within educational programs in Türkiye.

Student mental health outcomes of a clustered SMART for developing an adaptive implementation strategy to support school-based CBT delivery

PurposeMost youth experiencing anxiety/depression lack access to evidence-based mental health practices (EBPs). School-delivered care improves access, and various support can help school professionals (SPs; school social workers, counselors) deliver EBPs, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Understanding implementation strategies' impact on downstream mental health outcomes is crucial to scaling up EBPs to address the treatment gap, but it has rarely been assessed. MethodsThis paper compares implementation strategies' impact on change in student outcomes, collected as exploratory outcomes from a type III hybrid implementation-effectiveness trial. A clustered, sequential, multiple-assignment randomized trial design was used, which embedded four implementation supports that differentially sequence three implementation strategies, Replicating Effective Programs (REP), Coaching, and Facilitation. Prior to the first randomization, N = 169 SPs from 94 Michigan high schools each identified up to 10 students whom they believed could benefit from CBT and facilitated student survey completion. Changes in students' depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, modified for teens) and anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) over 10 months were compared across the four sequences of implementation support using a generalization of a marginal, weighted least squares approach developed for a clustered SMARTs. ResultsSmall, non-clinically significant reductions in symptoms over the study period were found. Pairwise comparisons found no significant differences in symptom change across the four implementation strategies. The difference in the estimated mean PHQ-9T/GAD-7 scores between the least and the most intensive strategies (REP vs. REP+Coaching+Facilitation) was 1.04 (95%CI = −0.95, 3.04) for depression and 0.82 (95%CI = −0.89, 2.52) for anxiety. DiscussionNo difference in symptom change was found across the four implementation strategies. Multiple forms of implementation support may be useful for improving student mental health outcomes. Trial registrationNCT03541317—Registered on 29 May 2018 on ClinicalTrials.gov PRS.

Is it safe enough to be brave?

This qualitative study aimed to discover what students need for a positive learning experience on an international online platform. An elective international online course created by two social work schools, in Israel and Germany, was followed by an online questionnaire using SoSci Survey. The findings of a three-stage qualitative content analysis indicated that a safe space was generated throughout the course but that no brave space was created, because students avoided stressful issues. The study contributes to ISW educators worldwide by highlighting the need to create international safe spaces for students, but that these need not always be brave spaces, which might hinder students’ ability to study.

Integration of ADEI Competencies in the Specialized Practice of Social Work Students and in the Act of Professionalization of Social Work

Considering the set of key competencies supported by social work organizations in the development of the social work profession at the global level, we aim to analyze from a theoretical point of view those competencies that presuppose the involvement in professional practice of attitudes and behaviors that support non-discrimination, cultural diversity, equity and inclusion in the training of social work students. The student in the field of social work here can be both the one who benefits from training and continuing education, and the one who in turn perpetuates future practices and balanced client-professional relationships, after being integrated into specific social work organizations. The analysis starts from how the professionalization of future social workers is correlated with their guidance and involvement in practices based on anti-racism/non-discrimination, equity, equal opportunities, cultural diversity and inclusion. The objective of this paper is to draw, at a theoretical level, lines of connection between professionalization practices at the international level - as formulated by the Boston University School of Social Work in agreement with the Council on Social Work Education, the national association that represents education of social work from the United States, with Romanian national norms - adopted from European and international practices - the National College of Social Workers in Romania (NCSWR/ CNASR - the acronym in Romanian language), in agreement with UNICEF and ISCO.

School Social Work in Vietnam Theories and Practice

School social work is a profession formed and developed from very early in many countries around the world. In Vietnam, this profession is quite new, although the school problems still occur daily at schools such as school violence, sexual abuse, drug abuse, prostitution, game addiction, alcoholism, gambling, truancy, etc. To solve the emerging problems, building a network of school social work to manage the school problems is required. In addition, training of Social work in schools are rapidly developing in Vietnam and it is facing new challenges as it blends the historical, political and cultural influences. This article shows an overview of the theory and practice of school social work in general and training social work school in particular. Especially the challenges and development orientation of this sector in the process of international integration in the current period.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Perspectives Across the Explicit Curriculum: Insights and Efforts from a School of Social Work

ABSTRACT Principles of diversity and difference are and have historically been, essential to social work education. However, preparing students with the knowledge, awareness, and skills of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices has been less central in social work education until recently. In June 2022, the Council on Social Work Education issued new Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) guidelines. Most notable was the addition of EPAS 2.0, requiring social work programs to integrate anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) approaches throughout social work programs’ context and learning environment. Responding to EPAS 2022 and our program’s commitment to social and racial justice, this article presents our school’s process for critically assessing and revising how our explicit curriculum integrates critical ADEI perspectives. We highlight the findings from a rapid scoping review of ADEI content in the social work literature. Additionally, we discuss the revisions and recommendations used in our school to ensure the intentional integration of ADEI critical perspectives in our curriculum and the future efforts our school is making to support ADEI perspectives.

Indicators of Wellness Among Social Work Students within an Urban Setting During Times of Crisis

ABSTRACT The emergence of a global emergency, Covid-19, forced social work programs to shift to virtual teaching, disrupting students’ learning abruptly. Social work students reported negative impacts from the pandemic on academic functioning as well as financial and emotional wellbeing. This study examines the relationships between demographic predictors (age, race, type of social work program, caregiver status, first-generation college student, household size) and challenges (emotional, academic/professional, financial, technological) social work students experienced during the pandemic. Participants included 332 BSW and MSW students from an urban university. Binomial regressions were conducted to determine the significance between student demographics and types of challenges. A Poisson regression was performed to determine the significance between student demographics and the total number of challenges. Students living in larger households, students with greater caregiver demands, BSW students, and students of color reported a greater number of challenges related to juggling school with caregiver demands, job searching, managing finances, food and housing, coping with grief and loss, and feeling disconnected with school (ps <.05). These findings contribute to the emerging body of literature on the impact of COVID-19 by informing ways social work schools can better address students’ educational, professional, financial, and emotional wellbeing during times of worldwide crisis.

Human rights integration in Ethiopian social work education: a study on curricula and students’ understandings

ABSTRACT Focusing on the integration of human rights into the Ethiopian Bachelor of Social Work programme, this paper presents a study of students’ understanding of human rights by employing a mixed-methods research design. Qualitative content analysis and survey study were utilized to assess the extent of human rights infusion into the undergraduate curriculum and examine students’ understanding of human rights conventions. The qualitative content analysis revealed a non-explicit infusion of human rights content into the social work curriculum. Human rights were indirectly applied and referenced in the human rights themes, e.g. for refugees and migrants, showing a lack of explicit and direct integration of human rights in the curriculum. The survey study also showed that, of the 201 participants, a significant majority (77%) lacked awareness of the human rights documents pertinent to social work. A discernible augmentation in the familiarity with the human rights conventions was observed among students as they progressed through higher levels of study. Hence, the study posits that Ethiopian social work schools should consider revisiting their curricula and give due attention to the human rights infusion into their social work programmes.

Evaluating two academic programs of social work: a comparison between the United Arab Emirates University and the Al-Quds University in Palestine

ABSTRACT The accreditation of social work education is a vital issue, given its strong connection to the outcomes of social work education and effectiveness of social work practice as a whole. Thus, this study evaluated the documentation of bachelor’s programs in social work at the United Arab Emirates University and Al-Quds University in Palestine. Such documents are typically required in the initial stages of an accreditation process. Specifically, we evaluated the programs against nine criteria that constitute the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training adopted by the International Association of Schools of Social Work. Based on the findings, compliance with the majority of the main standards is satisfactory but less than satisfactory for most of the subcriteria. The shortcomings at both universities are primarily related to their failure to clearly articulate the substandards in their respective descriptions of the programs. Another key finding is that both universities are still pursuing a Eurocentric approach to their social work curricula and have made limited efforts to localize them. Thus, both social work programs are in the pre-candidacy phase, with areas that must be improved if they aim to prepare for a formal third-party assessment of their courses.

Social workers in schools: A feasibility study of three local authorities

Summary This study evaluated the feasibility of ‘Social Workers in Schools’, an intervention that involved social workers being based within schools across three local authorities in England (SWIS). Schools make a large number of referrals to Children's Social Care and play an important role in recognizing risks to children and protecting them from harm, but it is unusual for social workers to be based in schools in the U.K. and to do statutory work. We evaluated the pilots on the basis of the feasibility of implementing SWIS, how promising it was in terms of reducing the need for statutory intervention, and the extent to which it be scaled. We used a mixed methods approach, with a process evaluation and a difference in differences analysis of indicative impact on key social care outcomes. In addition, we estimated the cost of implementing and maintaining SWIS. Findings We found high levels of acceptability among those involved, and examples of how SWIS enhances the way safeguarding issues are addressed. There was also some evidence that it may reduce the need for social care interventions, though this needs ratifying with more and better data. Applications The study suggests that SWIS is a promising intervention. Both the qualitative and quantitative findings suggest it may have the intended policy impact, but this needs to be tested on a larger scale and with a more rigorous counterfactual comparison. Such a study—a randomized-controlled trial involving 21 local authorities—was commissioned in 2020.

Reconciling the past and shaping the future: The importance of social work history in the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism

ABSTRACT Social work is a discipline guided by ideologies and aspirations for equity and racial justice; yet, a review of documented history on its founding and founders reveals a narrative that is confoundingly different than its ideas. Social work programs share a ubiquitous narrative that white founders were the cornerstone images of the discipline, describing these individuals as revolutionaries who were ahead of their time. White founders Jane Addams and Mary Richmond have been lauded countless awards and recognition for their progressive works of service, and nearly deified postmortem. Schools of social work and initiatives have been named after them and hosts of scholarly materials and documentaries are created to herald their works. Yet, scholars are now challenging such notions and questioning why they were deemed historical heroes and the current day effect their images have on the discipline moving forward. Such revolutionary thinking questions why social work has only embraced white founders and suggests that BIPOC contributions to social justice are as remarkable and noteworthy in helping establish the discipline. As social work begins to revisit and reconcile with its past, refining how the discipline tells its history is needed to build a future that truly embraces and activates equity and social justice.

Exploring Latin American Organizational Social Work (OSW): a primary analysis of the conceptual, epistemic and methodological bases of OST in Latin American schools of social work

ABSTRACT Despite the prevalence of social workers working in the organizational field, there is no consensus in the literature on what Organizational Social Work (OSW) is and how it is understood from a Latin American perspective. This greatly hinders undergraduate and graduate education in the area and the training of new professionals. The objective of this article is to identify the theoretical, conceptual, epistemic, and methodological bases underlying the practice and teaching of OSW in Latin America, and to reveal the challenges and shortcomings present in teaching. A grounded theory approach was used to conduct 12 in-depth interviews with social workers to explore their definitions of OSW from an academic perspective. The results indicate that OSW taught in universities does not have a precise definition, which is linked to deficits in the available literature. OSW is an interdisciplinary field that arises from practice rather than theory, and its great challenge is the establishment of research and structured academic education.

Nexus between environmental justice and social work education: perspectives from the School of Social Work, McGill University, Canada

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the imperative for social work educators and professionals to integrate environmental dimensions into curricula and field practice purposefully. Advocates argue that this integration is vital for the profession to effectively contribute to social and environmental justice. Despite these calls, there is a paucity of scholarly attention to the extent of environmental justice considerations in social work curricula. In response, this study employs in-depth interviews with program directors and curriculum content analysis at McGill University’s School of Social Work to assess the inclusion of environmental justice issues. The findings reveal that these issues are marginally and superficially integrated into the curriculum. Despite this, interview participants express confidence in social work students’ ability to support clients facing significant environmental challenges. This study suggests broadening the traditional ‘person-in-environment’ concept in social work education and practice to encompass the physical environment.

Applying the extension for community healthcare outcomes (ECHO) model to promote collaborative and effective school mental health services.

School staff increasingly seek to implement evidence-based school mental health services to promote student mental health. However, barriers to accessing programming and support mean that implementing these programs is difficult. Popular strategies to address these challenges, like one time professional development, often fail to be effective or sustainable. This study used mixed methods to evaluate how a set of training activities-sequential online learning modules combined with interprofessional telementoring, following the extension for community healthcare outcomes (ECHO) model-influenced provision of school mental health services. School counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers (n = 46) participated in training activities, which included nine, cohort-based ECHO sessions and 12 modules. We used a concurrent mixed methods design in which quantitative (implementation data and pre-post surveys) and qualitative (posttraining focus groups with a subset of participants, n = 11) data were used to evaluate training. Quantitative results indicated statistically significant pre-post improvements in participants' clinical self-efficacy (d = .83) and knowledge of evidence-based practices (d = .37). Qualitative data corroborated quantitative results. Post training, focus groups described positive reactions, learning, and behavior change, particularly with respect to equitable service provision and interprofessional teaming. ECHO appeared to facilitate the application of evidence-based strategies to real-life practice and improved participants' understanding of effective coordination of services. Taken together, findings suggest that group-based telementoring may be a high-impact strategy for supporting the implementation of effective, culturally specific, and collaborative school mental health services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).