Social Work Skills Research Articles

Strengthening Social Work Skills and Competency Through Exposure to Diversity

ABSTRACT One hundred and fourteen (N=114) Master of Social Work students completed an online survey to explore whether demographic characteristics, prior international travel, and learning abroad program experience were associated with levels of CSWE competencies, racial attitudes, and attitudes toward mental health. Results indicate that multilingual students and students with prior international travel experience self-reported lower levels of policy skill development and lower overall competency development. Age and race were associated with students’ attitudes toward those experiencing mental health concerns, with younger or non-Hispanic White students reporting lower stigma toward those with mental health concerns. No association was found between demographic characteristics, learning abroad participation, prior international travel, and racial attitudes. Implications for social work education, practice, and research are offered.

The Impact of Experiential Learning on Professional Identity: Comparing Community Service-Learning to Traditional Practica Pedagogy

Community service-learning (CSL) has been referred to as a “pedagogy for citizenship,” as it enhances ethical behavior and social responsibility among student participants. It represents a pedagogical and philosophical approach that promotes experiential learning by incorporating intentional course-based lessons with service in the community. Despite the numerous studies outlining the benefits of CSL initiatives, there is a dearth of research on how CSL courses can impact students already in the “helping professions.” More specifically, there is very little research on the benefits of CSL in social work field education courses. For this study, the researchers found that developing a CSL practicum led to a substantive shift in professional understanding for the students who participated in a CSL learning opportunity. Although the traditional and CSL groups began their practicum experiences believing the primary role of a social worker was to build and maintain healthy relationships with service users, the CSL group saw their primary role switch from a “micro practice” to a “macro practice” worker. CSL offers social work education additional unique opportunities to support the development of student's social work core values, knowledge, and skills.

Wie gut und auf welche Weise lernen Studierende der Sozialen Arbeit im Praktikum sozialarbeiterische Fertigkeiten?

ZusammenfassungSozialarbeiterische Fertigkeiten stellen gezielte Verhaltensweisen von Sozialarbeitenden in den Handlungsfeldern der Sozialen Arbeit dar und können als eine bedeutsame Teilkomponente der Professionalität verstanden werden. Das Praktikum gilt als eine wichtige Phase im Studium der Sozialen Arbeit und bietet Studierenden die Möglichkeit, erworbene Theoriekenntnisse in der Praxis anzuwenden, zu reflektieren und zu vertiefen, um an sozialarbeiterische Fertigkeiten zu gewinnen. In der vorliegenden Studie wird anhand von Selbsteinschätzungen der Studierenden die Entwicklung von sozialarbeiterischen Fertigkeiten im Praktikum untersucht. Das Ergebnis ist, dass aus der Perspektive der Studierenden die wahrgenommenen Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten im Praktikum im Zusammenhang mit der Entwicklung ihrer sozialarbeiterischen Fertigkeiten stehen.

Teaching Forensic Social Work: Innovative Education through Service-Learning

The high impact, experiential education of service-learning was utilized in a Forensic Social Work class to enhance students’ social work skills. Students and faculty, along with another community partner provided animal-assisted grief support groups to individuals who were incarcerated. Two support groups were provided to individuals who suffered a recent or unresolved loss, one with women and one with men. Social work skills of empathy, professional boundaries, social justice, group facilitation, and applying theory to practice were greatly enhanced through this service-learning, high impact practice. The added value of therapy dogs in enhancing the therapeutic process was also noted.

Ethical Challenges in Forensic Social Work

Many social workers become involved in legal proceedings on their clients’ behalf. A subset of practitioners identify themselves as forensic social workers. Forensic social work is typically defined as the application of social work knowledge and skills to questions and issues relating to law, legal institutions, and legal proceedings. This social work specialization often entails collaboration with other professionals, especially attorneys, on clients’ behalf. This collaboration sometimes leads to ethical dilemmas, especially related to commitment to clients; informed consent; client confidentiality and privileged communication; conflicts of interest; and interdisciplinary collaboration. The purpose of this article is to identify common ethical challenges in forensic social work; apply relevant social work ethics standards; discuss risk management models and protocols to protect clients and practitioners; and discuss potential ethics challenges when forensic social workers are subpoenaed during legal proceedings.

사회적 재난에 있어 사회복지실천에 대한 체계적 문헌고찰

This study aims to identify the social welfare practice in social disasters through the systematic literature review of qualitative research in Korea. Of the 157 academic papers related to social disasters that were published between 2001 and 2020, 16 qualitative studies were selected for analysis. The selected papers were analyzed according to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research(COREQ). Results were determined by qualitatively synthesizing the topic of the selected studies, and the following five domains were derived: (1) ethics and values; (2) social work skills; (3) service coordination and cooperation; (4) professional development. It also derived 4 categories, 8 themes and 13 sub-themes. The results of this study reported the quality of qualitative research reviewed in this study and suggested social welfare practical implications for social disasters.

The Practice of Congregational Social Work in the Four Spheres of Congregation: Worship, Christian Education, Community & Fellowship, and Missons

A congregational social worker has a vital role in effectively engaging a congregation to develop a healthy and loving community that brings God glory. This article discusses the practice of social work skills and values in various areas of church life based on the author's experience. The areas of focus in practicing congregational social work are based on Garland and Yancey's (2014) definition of the four functions of a congregation: worship, Christian education, community and fellowship, and missions

Book Review: An A-Z of social work skills by Michaela Rogers and Dan Allen

Book Review: <i>An A-Z of social work skills</i> by Michaela Rogers and Dan Allen

Seeing Infrastructure, Interrogating Infrastructure: Making explicit the implicit of LIS education and learning environments

Seeing Infrastructure, Interrogating Infrastructure: Making explicit the implicit of LIS education and learning environments

Teaching Social Work Practice Skills: A Collaborative Autoethnography Identifying Key Practice Skills and Modes of Delivery in the Art of Social Work Practice

Abstract Social work students must advance their social work skills gaining practice competencies. And, whilst practice learning takes place in field education placements, social work students often also enrol in a dedicated unit/ course whereby the teaching of practice skills is facilitated in class. A practice skills class is another learning space to imbue practice wisdom. Adjunct teaching staff are often employed on short-term university contracts to teach social work students in the area of practice skills. Whilst these practitioners can bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the under-graduate classroom, it cannot be assumed that adjunct teaching staff have formal training in curricula development nor pedagogical delivery. The goal of this article is to identify the critical elements of teaching practice skills and to examine the ways in which teaching content is delivered. This article presents the ‘teaching the teacher’ experience of three social work educators at an Australian university. A collaborative autoethnography identified three themes from the inductive analysis: (i) teaching best practices, (ii) teaching role and (iii) teaching practice skills. Finally, implications for social work are discussed and recommendations shared.

Social worker decision‐making in court

AbstractThe current study aimed to explore the factors that influence how social workers make decisions and develop their decision‐making skills in care proceedings, and to identify effective support and intervention to develop social worker decision‐making skills. The study employed a mixed thematic approach across two phases of study: an initial inductive thematic analysis of responses to an online qualitative questionnaire and then a mixed thematic analysis of follow‐up focus groups and interviews with social workers working in various social work roles within England and Northern Ireland. The findings identified a number of themes that help to understand the decision‐making skills of social workers; thorough assessment skills, relationship‐based anti‐oppressive practice, being mindful of the lived experience of the child and using critical reflection to make complex decisions. Wider structural factors that support or hinder decision‐making, particularly in respect of organizational support and management supervision were also identified. Social workers can be supported to develop decision‐making skills through additional training, reflective learning and management support to develop their practice wisdom within this field.

Collaborative assessment as a learning tool for social work students

ABSTRACT Despite the body of evidence demonstrating learning gains in both knowledge and engagement for higher education students, social work educators appear to have been slow to incorporate collaborative assessment in undergraduate and graduate courses. This is disappointing given collaboration is an important practice skill and is a common graduate attribute required by accreditation bodies. In this exploratory study, the learning gains and experiences of a group of Bachelor and Masters level Social Work students are explored. In addition, the experiences and opinions of the academic staff involved in administering the assessment are analyzed to inform design and implementation considerations. Results show that, on average, students improved their results on the assessment by around 9% when completed collaboratively. Both staff and student participants saw collaborative assessment as an effective and engaging learning strategy. Positive results are seen not only in grade performance but also in classroom dynamics with students practicing some core social work skills, including clear articulation of ideas, effective listening, negotiation, and managing conflict.

Developing Knowledge and Skills for Child and Family Social Work, Barry Fearnley

Developing Knowledge and Skills for Child and Family Social Work, Barry Fearnley

Effectiveness of an Integrated Simulation in Teaching Clinical Social Work Skills: Geriatric Mental Health Proficiency

ABSTRACT Nationally, social work students face limited access to clinical education that examines the intersection of older adults, chronic disease, and mental health. This is critical due to a rapidly aging population and a shortage of geriatrics trained social workers. Scant data exists on the effectiveness of clinical simulations to prepare social work students in geriatrics and mental health specialties. In this study, 118 MSW students completed a simulation through the Standardized Patient (SP) Program consisting of a gerontology course, patient interview, debriefings, self-efficacy and counseling skill outcomes, and qualitative surveys. Students reported gains in knowledge, counseling self-efficacy, and clinical skill competency. Simulations assess students in clinical scenarios to improve counseling skills towards achieving clinical competency.

Social Work Practice in the Time of Quarantine

Using quantitative, qualitative, and photographic data that were collected early in the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examined the reflections of ten U.S. social workers on their experiences migrating to remote service delivery. Participants were asked to share strategies, opportunities, coping mechanisms, self-identified professional values, and predictions for the future of social work. Three primary themes - professional flexibility and creativity, connection, and recentering general-ist social work skills – emerged with numerous additional subthemes. The study’s findings underscore the critical importance of contextualizing service delivery mov-ing forward – neither adopting a one-size fits all approach for the sake of financial efficiencies nor failing to incorporate the lessons learned during the pandemic. As such, service delivery systems should adapt in such a way as to incorporate in-creased flexibility in meeting client needs.

Exploring the Potential Mechanisms of Action of the Mindfulness-based Social Work and Self-care Programme

AbstractThe mindfulness-based social work and self-care (MBSWSC) programme was created in order to support social work students and practitioners to develop enhanced social work and self-care skills. This programme was found to improve feelings of stress, anxiety, mental well-being and burnout of thirty social work students. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was chosen in order to generate a comprehensive understanding of what the potential mechanisms of action of MBSWSC might be. Data were collected using validated quantitative measures and through an open-ended qualitative questionnaire. The quantitative data were analysed using regression analyses. The qualitative data were thematically analysed. Though this study contains limitations, it’s results suggest that social work student stress, feelings of burnout, anxiety and wellbeing can be improved by supporting students to develop approach-oriented stress coping skills and capacities in acceptance, mindfulness, self-compassion, non-attachment, attention regulation/decentering and non-aversion. This study suggests that these skills and capacities can work individually or collectively to directly improve these outcomes and also indirectly by reducing a student’s tendency to think negatively when they are stressed. The results provide some preliminary evidence on what the mechanisms of MBSWSC might be, enhancing our understanding of how mindfulness-based programmes might achieve positive outcomes.

The roles of clinical social worker in facing rumors regards vaccines coronavirus (Covid 19): دور الأخصائي الاجتماعي الطبي في مواجهة الشائعات الموجهة ضد اللقاحات المضادة لفيروس كورونا المستجد (كوفيد19): دراسة وصفية مطبقة على الأخصائيين الاجتماعيين بمستشفيات بمدينة مكة المكرمة

The current research aims to identify the roles of the medical social worker in facing rumors directed against COVID-19 vaccines. The descriptive research relied on the social survey method by complete census of all female and male social workers in Makkah hospitals, whose numbered (94) individuals. Data were collected by the questionnaire from (90) individuals. The results showed the vast majority of respondents indicated that social media such as WhatsApp and Twitter have clearly contributed to spreading these rumors. The most common forms of rumors circulating about vaccines are: (blood clots and sterility). The results also showed that the most important roles of the medical social worker are educating customers about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines, correct misconceptions and ideas related to vaccines. The results also showed that the most important skills used by the social worker were forming a professional relationship, giving them the necessary awareness to confront rumors. The research recommended that Clinical social workers should pay attention to conducting awareness to educate patients, their families, and the local community about the danger of rumors. Moreover, Clinical social workers should motivate people to take vaccinations to achieve health security in the community. Also, developing the knowledge and skills of social workers about the vaccinations and the methods of confronting rumors and paying attention to the media in spreading and educating citizens about the importance of taking vaccinations.

Exploring Family Support Work and Its Staff in Children’s Therapeutic Residential Care

ABSTRACT This is a small-scale case study set out to explore a unique role within children’s residential care in England, that of the Placement Family Support Worker and the family support work they conduct for the children in placement. This subject was explored through semi-structured interviews with seven Keyworkers and two Placement Family Support Workers in a children’s therapeutic residential care service consisting of four children’s homes. It was found that not every home had a Placement Family Support Worker, often due to staff resources and funding, and so often the children’s Keyworker would manage the family support work themselves. In either case, family support work was seen to be highly valuable and significant for the children’s development and relationships. It was found, however, that it would be more beneficial to have an independent Placement Family Support Worker managing family support work for each child in the home rather than Keyworkers for objectivity, healthy relationship management, organization, workload, multi-agency manageability, and the specific skills required. In addition to this, it was felt that emotional and practical support from the other staff in the home and management improved the quality of this work. Practice Implications Children’s residential care homes are recommended to employ a dedicated placement family support worker to manage family support work and contacts for children in placement. Independent placement family support workers will be a resource in developing, maintaining and strengthening relationships between children in placement and their family, alternatively, through objective observations of contact they can advise on continued contact as beneficial or detrimental or even reunification. There needs to be a drive toward consistent practice (initially through standardised data collection methods) and appropriate training for those conducting family support work (including social work skills or prior experience in social work). Due to the complexity of the role and relationship management involved, dedicated spaces for reflection are needed for those conducting family support work.

Envisioning the future of (techno) social work education: perspectives of Japanese and Lithuanian social work educators

ABSTRACT The aim of the article is to present the perceptions of social work educators from Lithuania and Japan, on the role of technologies in the development of the profession. Qualitative research was based on 18 interviews. The place of technologies in the social work profession and the implications that these technologies may have on social work values, knowledge, skills and SW identity are discussed from the perspective of B. Latour, specifically, his two practices of knowledge generation—purification and translation. The article contributes to the discussion on the role and integration of technologies into social work education and practice.

Ghelani A. (2021). Knowledge and Skills for Social Workers on Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams. “Clinical Social Work Journal”: 1–12

Ghelani A. (2021). Knowledge and Skills for Social Workers on Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams. “Clinical Social Work Journal”: 1–12