Social Work Degree Research Articles

ZELENI SOCIJALNI RAD I EKOLOŠKA SVIJEST IZ PERSPEKTIVE STUDENATA SOCIJALNOG RADA

Social work students are an important segment of the future of the social work profession, therefore investing in their education brings multiple benefits to social work practice. The aim of this paper wasto gain insight into the level of environmental awareness of social work students as well as into their attitudes on green social work. A quantitative research was conducted with 349 participants, among whom there were the students of the bachelor’s and master’s degree program in social work and the students of the master’s degree in social policy and social work. The paper presents the key concepts which are the focus of this research: green social work, environmental awareness and the role of students. The results indicate that students are generally not familiarized with green social work during their studies and that more than half of the students have not heard of the term green social work at all. Environmentally friendly behavior is often present among social work students, but there is room for adopting a more favorable attitude towards water consumption and electronic devices, as well as paper products usage, recycling and the use of long-lasting products. The role of higher education in educating and awareness-raising among students about this issue is becoming a topic of interest for the development of curricula. Key words: green social work; environmental awareness; students

Autoethnography as a Tool for the Achievement of Deep Learning of University Students in Service-Learning Experiences

This exploratory study was carried out within the framework of a pilot learning and service experience in the subject of Qualitative Research Tools in Social Work, where the autoethnographic field journal was used as a tool for the development of deep learning competency in a group of third-year university students undertaking a degree in Social Work and fourth year students undertaking a double degree in Social Education and Social Work in the Social Work, at the University of Deusto. The authors hypothesized that this qualitative research tool could help students develop their ability to critically reflect on their experiences, identify their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to deep learning competency, and establish goals to improve their learning. The service-learning methodology experience proposed for the students involved to participate in a program aimed at the transition to adulthood of young people in situations of vulnerability, where they were required to record in a field journal the emotions, interpretations, and contradictions that the experience of meeting and living with unaccompanied migrant minors using the program could evoke. The results of the qualitative study showed that the autoethnographic field journal was an effective tool for developing deep learning competency in the students participating in the pilot service-learning methodology experience. The results concluded that the autoethnographic field journal could be a valuable tool for promoting reflection, self-awareness, and critical thinking.

Challenges and Opportunities to the Profession of Social Work in Pakistan: A Review

Social work education at the postgraduate level is faced with various academic and non-academic issues. Despite the compatibility of these methods with our culture, the paucity of local research and knowledge related to our community which are necessary for the uplift of the profession is impacting its progress. So far, Pakistan has no national and provincial council of social workers that could link them with the international social workers’ Federation whereby it could build their professional competence and capacity. This gap between theory and practice can be filled by developing a link between the two domains. Lack of public awareness regarding the field and the deteriorating role of inadequately trained field supervisors working for different organizations are other contributing factors. The study suggests that professional social workers should be inducted into all the social welfare organizations so that the new undergraduate students could be interested in taking admissions in BS social work degree.

My Journey from being a Social Worker, to a service user, to an expert by experience

Abstract This reflective piece is an autoethnographic account of transitioning from being a social worker to being an expert by experience on a social work course. I undertook an undergraduate degree in social work eight years ago and was an enthusiastic newly qualified social worker. Sadly, shortly after graduating I became very unwell, and I became disabled. I was no longer well enough to work as a social worker. I was devastated and it had a significant impact on my mental health as I went through a process which felt akin to grieving for my old life. I will reflect upon theories and models, which have helped me to understand this process and transition including theories of loss and a model of recovery. Involving people with lived experience of social work services (otherwise known as experts by experience) has been a mandatory requirement in social work education since 2003. I contacted my previous university and enquired how I could become an expert by experience. This was a pivotal moment both in acceptance of my disability and in connection with my ‘previous’ life. What struck me about becoming a service user was that it wasn’t the theories or the interventions that I came away from an appointment remembering, it was the felt experience, did I feel heard? Did I feel cared for? Did I feel empathy? Those elements were the most important, the foundation of the relationship is what made the intervention successful. So, now I promote a relationship-based approach being at the core of good social work practice. Becoming a service user deepened my understanding of what social work really should be.

California university receives multimillion dollar grant to develop BH workforce

Palo Alto University (PAU) has been awarded two workforce development grants from the state of California totaling $6.7 million, according to an April 4 university news release. The grants address the significant behavioral health workforce shortage. The first grant is a “Social Work Education Capacity Expansion Grant” in the amount of $1.5 million from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information. The grant aims to increase the supply of staff trained to provide behavioral health care through the development of new social work programs, especially programs aimed at training students to serve children and youth. The funds will support the expansion of PAU's degree offerings to include a prospective master's degree in social work. Grant funds will support the hiring of qualified faculty and staff to start developing the program. The second award is a $5.2 million five‐year contract from the California Mental Health Services Authority to prepare and educate 50 current [Palo Alto] county employees to earn a mental health counseling degree from PAU. There will be two cohorts of county employees who will be selected from rural counties with exceptionally inadequate mental health services and from underrepresented communities to support the goals of diversifying the mental health profession.

Preferences and perceptions of students about the degree in Social Work

ABSTRACT The Social Work Degree prepares students for their future professional practice. Considering the students’ point of view helps to gather their impressions. It also makes it possible to improve and make teaching and institutional decisions. The aim of this study is to explore the perceived quality of the students of the Degree in Social Work taught in the Public Universities of the Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Spain). For this purpose, we have chosen to carry out an exploratory study with a qualitative approach. A non-probabilistic sample of 73 participants made up of students from various courses was used. The instrument used was a questionnaire of open questions elaborated in Microsoft Forms and distributed telematically. The results show a high level of satisfaction with the Social Work studies received. The opinions have made it possible to extract categories of analysis on overall satisfaction, methodology, content, teaching staff, and the link between training and professional practice. The study show which dimensions they consider to contribute quality to their studies, showing a preference for practical issues. They emphasize their interest in participatory teaching methodologies, updated content and teaching staff who are involved in their teaching practice that will enable their future professional practice.

Lessons learned from an in-house social work placement: practicum students’ views about a stress reduction peer support pilot project

ABSTRACT Securing social work field placements is increasingly becoming a challenge for social work education around the globe. In response to an unexpected and sudden shortage of field placements in a small primarily undergraduate university near Toronto, Canada, the authors developed an in-house Stress Reduction Peer Support (SRPS) pilot project to provide 12 third-year undergraduate students with the 240 placement hours required to complete their Bachelor of Social Work degree. In-depth interviews with eight of the 12 practicum students revealed support for the idea of the in-house SRPS placement. However, practicum students also expressed the need for improvements if such an unconventional placement were to be offered again. These included the importance of advanced planning for in-house placements, ensuring students do not have unrealistic expectations about placements, allowing students to choose whether to participate in unconventional placements, ensuring the educational content of the placement aligns with what students are learning in their courses, being clear about how each component of the placement aligns with social work anti-oppressive practice, and ensuring sufficient social work-specific supervision. The use of real-plays as opposed to role-plays was questioned, especially regarding students’ discomfort with sharing personal and sensitive information and submitting video-recordings via the Internet.

‘A significant positive impact’: delivering the End Point Assessment for the social work degree apprenticeship

ABSTRACT Social Work Degree Apprenticeships were launched in England in 2019 as a pathway to professional qualification, which offered an alternative to the established Undergraduate and Post graduate social work training routes. The first apprenticeship cohorts have now completed their End Point Assessment (EPA) but with formats having been disputed from the inception of the English Degree, the pressure on institutions and staff delivering the EPA remains considerable, particularly with modifications already planned. Apprentices who experienced this process for the first time may also have faced greater uncertainty, than peers on traditional qualifying programmes. The University of Chichester was one of the first English universities to offer the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship and accordingly, one of the first to complete the EPA. This article, authored by the Lead Assessor and the Employer Relationships Manager for the Social Work Degree Apprenticeship describes the process of delivery, as well as discussing lessons learned and areas for development. A review has found no existing literature on the EPA and this article is thereby intended as a contribution to knowledge, as well as an opportunity to share lessons from the experience with those who may be delivering the EPA in the future.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Academic Life of Social Work Students: Resilience as a Mediating Variable

ABSTRACT Purpose The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between emotions and concerns stemming from COVID-19 and the academic engagement of social work students, taking into account the mediating role played by resilience Method We carried out a cross-cutting quantitative study by means of an online questionnaire. The participants comprised a total of 474 students currently enrolled on the Degree in Social Work at the University of Valencia (Spain) Results The results show that the effects of emotions and concerns stemming from COVID-19 on student engagement were fully mediated by resilience. Indeed, positive emotions and concerns about the future had a positive impact on student engagement through resilience. Discussion Resilience stands as a potential protective factor against the social and academic challenges generated by COVID-19. The pandemic could therefore be seen as a real opportunity for sweeping change in the teaching and practice of social work.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and qualitative tools in Social Work

ABSTRACT The following article is part of the teaching innovation project entitled ‘The use of life history through ICTs for “conceptual teaching” in Social Sciences’, carried out at the University Pablo de Olavide (Seville, Spain) between September 2021 and March 2022, with a sample of students of Social Work (n = 110) and Double Degree in Sociology and Social Work (n = 52). This article consisted of the analysis of life history, taking as a reference Pierre Bourdieu’s book, ‘The “Misery” of the World’, as well as the development of the biographical or semi-structured interview. The main objective was to examine the potential of the life history and the biographical interview through ICTs for conceptual teaching in Social Sciences in Social Work students. For this purpose, we applied a posttest of satisfaction after the teaching innovation project, with a double quantitative and qualitative approach, ad-hoc with open questions and a Likert scale. The main conclusions were the students’ satisfaction with the use of the life history and interview as a didactic resource, as well as a satisfactory acquisition of sociological skills and knowledge, such as critical thinking, micro/macro connections and the interaction between structure and agency, among others.

Psychosocial Services for Students in Metro Manila Universities Offering Social Work Degree Programs

The state of mental health among Filipino college students remains a major concern, especially in the context of the pandemic. Cases of mental health-related problems have been seen to have risen, particularly among tertiary-level students. Fortunately, academic institutions are working to address these ongoing issues that hinder students' social functioning. However, there is a need for further research on the actual presence of psychosocial support services in universities to know and understand how school systems address the concerning problem about the mental health of their students. Identifying and discerning these support systems, as well as the gaps that come with them, is crucial in providing relevant knowledge and information for the students, faculty, and university administrators alike, to be more aware of the pressing need to come up with strategies and plans in the form of equipping more effective and more efficient psychosocial support systems to ultimately help college students in need. This paper identifies the psychosocial support systems in place among Metro Manila universities that offer social work degree programs, including the benefits, opportunities, risks, and challenges they have come across, to provide a background of what is happening and what is needed to attain social functioning, all for the students’ well-being.

Evaluating shortlisting methods for admission into the social work degree: personal statement versus psychological test

ABSTRACT Oversubscribed social work (SW) courses and a workforce review in Northern Ireland prompted a review of admissions, to ensure recruitment of applicants with strong core values. Concerns regarding authorship, plagiarism and reliability of personal statements, and calls for values-based recruitment underpinned this research. This study evaluates psychometric properties of an SW specific personal statement (PS) and a values-based psychological screening tool, Social Work Match (SWM). Social Work students (n = 112), who commenced the 3-year undergraduate route (UGR) or the 2-year relevant graduate route (RGR) were invited to participate. Their PS scores and SWM scores permitted investigation of scoring outcomes and psychometric properties. Statistical analysis was conducted using Minitab 17. Forty-nine participants (5 male, 44 female) completed SWM on two occasions (October 2020 and January 2021). Findings provide practical, theoretical, statistical, and qualitative reasons for concluding that the PS has substantial limitations as a measure of suitability. It does not compare well with international test standards for psychometric tests. In contrast, SWM is a valid and reliable measure with good discriminatory power, standardized administration and consistent marking. SWM is a viable alternative to the PS for assessing suitability/shortlisting applicants for social work interviews.

Can a licenced community worker qualify as a professional social worker?—Evidence from China

Abstract China has long suffered from a critical shortage of qualified social workers. To compensate for the inadequacy of formally educated social workers, a number of workers employed in the community neighbourhood committee were granted a social work licence and became registered social workers when they passed licence examinations regardless of whether they had a social work degree. Nevertheless, they are often criticised for a lack of professional competence—they are just registered social workers rather than professional social workers. This study identifies whether licenced community workers have a higher level of professional competence than non-licenced community workers in urban China. Based on a sample of 4,013 participants and the extended regression model, the findings show that the licence promotes the professional competence of community workers, but such promotion is achieved through professional knowledge acquisition rather than professional skills acquisition. Licenced community workers probably perceive stronger professional competence through professional knowledge acquisition, but their professional skills might be inadequate. The findings suggest several implications for the social work licence system.

A DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK INCREASES FAMILY ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

Abstract This mixed-methods presentation will examine the role of social services directors in supporting the family members of nursing home residents. A logistic, hierarchical regression (n= 924) found a positive association between the social services director having a degree in social work and strong agreement with "family members regularly engage the expertise of the social services department." A qualitative analysis of written-in comments to the question, “What do you like about your job?” identified 234 comments that described directors’ view of the importance of working with and supporting families. A content analysis revealed that two types of support are provided to families, instrumental and emotional. Instrumental support includes connection to resources for adjustment, financial needs, and discharge planning. Emotional support includes activities such as helping people through transitions, and coping with grief and loss. Appropriately trained social services directors can offer different types of support and be valued resources for families.

Reimagining Social Work Education: A Systems-Thinking Approach to a BSW/MSW Program for Community College Students

ABSTRACT Community college students are an untapped reservoir of talent and including them in social work education aligns with the values of the profession. Yet these students encounter formidable obstacles on the path from a 2-year degree to an affordable social work degree. In this article, we describe the systems thinking underlying a newly instituted Bachelor of Social Work completer program and how this approach was used to address barriers posed by the transfer process. Such an analysis reveals ways to intervene and simplify the process. As our case illustrates, systems thinking sets the stage for social work education to be re-imagined as a national workforce pipeline rather than a collection of accredited programs at independent colleges and universities.

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

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

Laboratory as a tool for innovation in social science teaching

This article analyzes the results of a teaching innovation project developed during the academic year 2021-2022, whose main objective was to assess the need to in- clude a compulsory subject of mediation and collaborative conflict resolution in the degree in Social Work at UCM. To this end, an international working group has been formed in the form of an Ideas Lab that has developed a research combining quan- titative (questionnaire) and qualitative (Design Thinking) tools, whose results have allowed to develop a proposal that has been submitted to the dean's office for consideration in the future modification of the degree. But undoubtedly, the most remarkable thing is that through the laboratory it has been possible to guaran-tee essential elements for the quality of the training of our university community: transversality, transdisciplinarity, internationalization and transfer of knowledge.

Teaching about selfcare to social work students. A necessary action

ABSTRACT Learning to take care of oneself in order to be able to take care of others is key to the future of Social Work practice. This article analyzes how self-care is taught to and learned by Social Work students. We approach it through the experiences and discourses of students and professors from the Social Work degree course at the Rovira i Virgili University (URV), in Tarragona, Spain. The methodology used was mixed. Data was collected during 2019 through 143 Social Work student online questionnaires, two student focus groups, two in-depth interviews with students, and 13 social work faculty online questionnaires. The results highlight the lack of specific training in self-care and the demands of both groups to have better access to this training. Some proposals to introduce content related to self-care programmatically into Social Work university studies are also presented.

Exploring the Gaps, Barriers and Challenges to the Implementation of Interventions for Child Survivors of Intimate Femicide: A Case Study of Mochudi, Botswana

Background: This paper is a product of a Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a master’s degree in Social Work in 2017. The main objective of the study was to explore the gaps, barriers and challenges to the implementation of interventions for child survivors of intimate femicide (IF) in Mochudi, Botswana.Methods: The study utilized a qualitative exploratory design. In-depth interviews were conducted among 15 service providers that provide services to child survivors of IF. Thematic content analysis was employed to analyse the data.Findings: This study found that there were no interventions currently being implemented that specifically addresses the needs of the child survivors of intimate femicide. A number of challenges were identified, including; (i) service providers lack of knowledge, skills and competencies to provide services to child survivors of IF, shortage of referral systems, lack of knowledge on the existence of a network of services that exist in the community (iii) lack of collaboration and coordinated efforts by the service providers (iv) inadequate professionalised services offered to child survivors by different organisations.Conclusions and recommendations: That the “best interest of the child” be the guiding principle in provision of services to child survivors. That service providers receive professional training, parental support and coordination of services be promoted to assist child survivors.

RESEARCH ARTICLE: Ethical challenges faced by community mental health workers in urban Chennai.

Delivery of mental health interventions to youth in schools requires a cadre of community mental health workers (CMHWs) in addition to psychiatrists. Literature is sparse in the India context on the ethical and professional challenges faced by CMHWs, especially those working with youth. Hence, the aim of the study was to understand these challenges faced by CMHWs working in schools in urban Chennai and explore ways to overcome them. A qualitative study was done with CMHWs involved in the delivery of youth mental health (YMH) interventions, including mental health literacy, screening for mental disorders and mental health support to youth in schools in urban Chennai. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with the study participants and audio recorded. Transcription of the recording was done verbatim and coded for themes using a thematic analysis approach. Two FGDs were conducted with a total of eight participants. The mean (± standard deviation) age of the participants was 27 ± 3.7 years; all having a master's degree in either psychology, social work, or public health. The major themes that emerged were the meaning of ethics and professionalism, confidentiality, dilemma in decision making, incongruence between the requirements of student and school administration, and personal and professional challenges faced by CMHWs. Recommendations to overcome these challenges were also explored. The results indicate CMHWs face significant ethical challenges with confidentiality, and decision making while delivering YMH interventions in schools, highlighting the need for designing and implementing a framework to address these challenges.