Field Of Social Work Research Articles

Consequences of forced conjunction: Social work’s struggles for independence from sociology in mainland China

This article critically reviews the relationship between social work and sociology in mainland China, focusing on the reconstruction period from 1988 to the present. The forced conjunction of social work and sociology, initiated by governments and sociologists, has created significant barriers for social work education, research, and practice. Given the proliferation of the field of social work in mainland China, and sociology’s substantial influence on social work, this article emphasizes the crucialness of discipline autonomy of social work and sheds lights on potential solutions including strengthening social work practices at multiple levels and making efforts in promoting social work science.

Improving field education for social work in Vietnam: Intern supervisors’ perspectives of the current state and potential solutions

Research has identified challenges associated with the implementation of competency-based social work field education in Vietnam. However, there is limited information available from intern supervisors, who have unique perspectives at the crux of social work training and service delivery. An exploratory phenomenological qualitative approach was used to explore their experiences and perceptions through online interviews. Four categories were identified: diverse implementation of a common framework, rudimentary expectations and activities, challenges to implementation, and opportunities for improvement. These findings suggest that a multidimensional approach is needed, including improved collaborations between field agencies and universities to empower students, intern supervisors, and faculty.

How Academic Social Workers Negotiate Their Direct Practice Skills and Qualitative Research Techniques.

The field of social work has been invested in assessing the alignment between direct practice skills and qualitative research techniques. Nevertheless, some of the debates surrounding this relationship have not been attended to recently-and less so in empirical ways. This qualitative study aimed to assess the relationship between practice and research skills with the goal of enhancing training in our field. Twenty academic social workers who conduct qualitative research participated in semistructured interviews. Thirteen were female, 13 were White, 11 had a doctoral degree, and their ages ranged from 27 to 65 years. Autoethnography and constructivist grounded theory approaches guided the analysis. Findings were contained in three themes: transferable techniques, bidirectional benefits, and pedagogical possibilities. Data underscore the role of reflexivity and boundaries in forging spaces amenable to appropriate data collection. Findings also supported a nuanced assessment of how qualitative research in social work may deliver benefits to both researcher and interviewee. Respondents suggest guidelines to ensure that training opportunities are ethically sound and consistent with social work values. Findings from this study may inform innovative enrichment opportunities for the field of social work across both research and practice.

Nineteenth-century narratives of addiction: Relational harm and the child as witness

Through close reading of medical and cultural texts, this article demonstrates how the narrativisation of relational harm underpinned the emerging categorisation of ‘addiction’ in the 19th century: excessive consumption was conceived through its detrimental impact upon others, and more specifically, upon the family. The problem was portrayed as physiological, psychological, and social: ‘addiction’ could not be located securely within a single individual, nor was it conceived simply as a social vice. While other societal themes emerge in the medical writing of the period, such as the relationship between drinking and criminality, and the visibility of drinking in the working-classes, these are not presented as proto-diagnostic criteria in the same way as relational harm. In theorising addiction, medicine relied upon rhetorical devices and narrative modes, and authors and artists took an active role in defining the terms of the debate around drinking, drug use, and gambling. Charles Dickens and George Cruikshank represent childhood through the adult's compulsive behaviour, which the child witnesses, while the adult's behaviour itself is conceived as harm directed towards child. The article demonstrates how 21st-century attitudes, particularly located in the fields of psychiatric diagnosis and child protection social work, echo debates established by 19th-century narratives, arguing that that the disease model of addiction was closely associated with the medico-legal production of childhood. Nineteenth-century narratives of addiction therefore anticipate late 20th- and 21st-century attitudes regarding the impact of parental substance use upon children.

THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF THE COURSE "INNOVATIONS IN SOCIAL WORK" (FROM THE TEACHING EXPERIENCE)

The topic relevance is determined by the requirements for the training of social work specialists for innovative activities in conditions of modern challenges. The article aims to characterize the structure and content of the course "Innovations in Social Work" for the 2nd (master's) level of higher education, specialty 231 "Social Work" (from teaching experience). Scientific methods applied: generalization, abstraction, explanation, systematization, system-structural, and descriptive analysis. The author notes the importance of a systematic approach to the development of the general concept of the training course. It is justified by taking into account not only theoretical and practical aspects of innovative activity, but also regulatory and legal ones. The structure of content modules tested in the teaching process is proposed: 1) theory of innovative activity; 2) regulatory and legal support of innovations; 3) innovation as a factor in overcoming social problems of our time. A brief overview of the lectures and recommendations for seminars are provided. Considering the absence of thematic sections on innovations in the field of social protection of the population in cross-sectoral normative documents, special attention is paid to the Plan for the implementation of the Ukraine Facility 2024-2027. The reforms for the next 4 years are presented in this document. It is emphasized that some of them are considered in the module No.3 ("Social work in multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams", "Implementation of the veteran's assistant institute", "Evolution of the deinstitutionalization reform in Ukraine") with logical transition to module No.3. The proposed structure and content of the course "Innovations in Social Work" can contribute to the formation of program learning outcomes defined by the educational standard., Special emphasis is placed on the challenges of teaching innovative activities: taking into account the requirements of the standard of higher education and the professional standard, the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge, the incompleteness of legal support for innovative activities in the field of social work. Both the theoretical and legal and educational issues of teaching the course "Innovations in social work" are among the directions of further scientific research.

The Experience of Birth Professionals Who Witness Obstetric Violence During Childbirth

Research The experience of obstetric violence is well documented. However, the impact on and experience of doulas and midwives who witness OV deserves more attention. The research questions that guided this study were: What types of harm are doulas and midwives witnessing, what factors influence their decision to intervene, and what impact does this experience have on their professional career and well-being? Methods This exploratory study used semi-structured qualitative interviews to understand how doulas and midwives navigate the experience of witnessing OV. The data analysis included reflexive thematic analysis. Feminist standpoint theory was employed to center the lived experiences of women and other individuals from marginalized groups in the research and in the knowledge acquisition process. Key contributions This study found that independent birth professionals like doulas and midwives are struggling with how to navigate their roles in the obstetric system. They find creative ways to advocate yet are often met with mistreatment themselves. This work is a call to action to the field of social work to engage in issues related to perinatal health and reproductive justice.

Socio-pedagogical tact in familial contexts: from empty space to teaching space and the handling of symbols and things1

ABSTRACT This paper informs about a specific German concept in Pedagogy, the concept of “tact”.Following an initial discussion of the particularities of the concept of (socio-) pedagogical tact, including its ethical and moral self-positioning and current demands for its operationality (1); will come the presentation of an empirical examination of the opportunities and limits to the feasibility of meeting these demands, based on a current example from the field of social work: ‘integrated family support’ (2); finally, options for further investigation of the potential effects of ‘socio-pedagogical tact’ will be identified (3).

Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale: Validation of a Short Instrument for the Assessment of Intrafamily Relations.

Most available scales for assessing family relationships are lengthy. Our aim was to develop and validate the Family Functioning and Cohesion Scale (FFCS), a self-reported, short instrument consisting of 14 items. The FFCS was validated through its administration to 481 subjects via an online platform. Cronbach's alpha was 0.85 (ranging from 0.83 to 0.86 if any one item was deleted), signifying high internal consistency. The scale can be considered as a sole factor based on its high consistency, while factor analysis produced three factors corresponding to "communication", "anger/resentment/aggression", and "values and beliefs". The test-retest reliability correlation coefficient was found to be 0.88 at a 2-week interval. Regarding external validity, the correlation coefficient of the FFCS with the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) was 0.83. The high measures of consistency, reliability, and validity of the FFCS, combined with its short length, make it a most valuable tool for use by researchers as well as by professionals dealing with families in psychiatry, psychology, social work, or other related fields.

Maida Herman Solomon (1891–1988): an invisible forerunner in the field of clinical social work

Purpose This paper aims (1) to create a sense of resonance with Maida Herman Solomon and her ideas, (2) to inspire a reconsideration of current management history (the unquestioned block box of dominant figures, dominant foci and dominant practices), (3) to bring Solomon’s contributions to clinical social work into present discourse in management and organizational studies and (4) to foster recognition for Solomon in her own field of social work, as forerunner in a developing profession. Guiding this study is the question: “What are Solomon’s key contributions and why is she overlooked?” Design/methodology/approach This paper features a novel methodology, ficto-feminism. The feminism in ficto-feminism is presented as ontology, epistemology, method and mode of writing. Ficto-feminism combines polemical (or prowoman writing) with aspects of collective biography, autoethnography and fictocriticism. As such, the paper contributes to the emerging feminist tradition of writing differently. The approach is an embodied and reflexive approach that engages with history to investigate the absence of women. Findings Maida Solomon was an educator, researcher, practitioner and advocate. Her contributions to the development and practice of clinical social work spanned over 60 years, and yet, she is little more than a footnote in the history of the field. Her contributions include authoring and implementing graduate programming, which continues to be the taken for granted training; penning some of the most seminal works and advancing theory; introducing academic and scientific approaches, which saw the field professionalize and adopt new standards; and helping to change the way that society thought about mental health and sexual health. A confluence of factors contributes to her marginalization and neglect: gender, ethnicity, the feminized field of social work and the stigmatized focus for her practice. Originality/value The paper combines assertive autobiographical and literary strategies to foreground an overlooked female leader in the field of clinical social work, namely, Maida Solomon. Drawing on biographical material, literature, media and archival material, this paper features a fictional but truthful conversation between the present-day author/writer/historian and the posthumous, historical protagonist (Maida Solomon). In so doing, the engagement with history is both one that deconstructs while reconstructing a historical account with both aesthetic and political implications.

Supervising social work students in field placements during COVID-19: Recommendations for future delivery during a pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic induced a marked transformation in higher education worldwide in the wake of social distancing. From course delivery to pedagogical style and student assessment, the educational landscape has altered, necessitating more creative and compatible approaches to support student learning. Intertwined with this phenomenon are the systemic, pedagogical, and technological challenges for the faculty supervising field students in the digital environment. Social work education is no exception. This article offers a brief overview of pandemic and post-pandemic related literature of online social work field education, shares faculty field educators’ reflections on challenges and opportunities associated with remote field supervision, and offers recommendations for future delivery during a pandemic or natural disaster, such as using a trauma-informed lens and Spiritually Informed Pedagogy for teaching and field supervision.

The Impact of Trauma-Informed Training for a Youth Residential Center on Staff Attitudes and Behavior

ABSTRACT Purpose Children with behavioral issues in residential care settings have high rates of trauma, with a range of trauma experiences such as abuse and neglect, issues with attachment, and multiple disruptions in placements. Staff in these settings should have an understanding of trauma, its impact, and how to engage in trauma-informed practice. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a trauma-informed training, developed specifically based on the identified needs of a residential group care facility, had an impact on future staff attitudes and behaviors. Materials and methods A 3-h training was delivered by the researchers. Three identical sessions were provided to all 48 staff, regardless of education and role, across a 3-day period. Prior to the training, staff were given a pretest survey measuring components of trauma-informed (TI) practice that indicated how often the staff members engaged in TI practice. Thirty days later, the same participants completed a posttest survey to gauge if the training had an impact on their subsequent attitudes and behavior. Results There were improvements in many of the trauma-informed practice areas on the posttest survey. T-test analysis revealed five trauma-informed practice areas had improvements that were statistically significant from the pretest survey. Discussion The findings present the opportunity for recommendations for trauma-informed training development and delivery, as well as providing implications for the field of social work. Conclusion This study demonstrates the feasibility of administering a trauma-informed training program and observing relatively rapid improvements in future attitudes and behavior among staff.

Social Work Field Practicum in the Time of Social Distancing: A Case of Bangladesh

Field practicum is an integral part of social work education. Social work students are typically placed with social service organisations to put into practice what they have learned in the classroom and to acquire new skills in the practice setting. However, the COVID-19 pandemic limited face-to-face communications, which affected on-site internships. The purpose of this article is to examine the difficulties in conducting social work field practicum during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh. Based on the in-depth interviews with purposively selected three social work academics, five field practicum students, and three field placement agency supervisors, this article identified the challenges of conducting field practicum during the pandemic. The implications of analysis include creation of a regulatory body and the development and adoption of innovative strategies by social work educators and schools.

Expansion of Digital Technology Use in the Korean Social Work Field

This study aims to examine the status of digital technology utilization in diverse social work facilities and to understand practitioners’ perceptions of digitalization in the social work field in South Korea. To achieve this, focus group interviews were conducted with a total of 32 social work practitioners from various social welfare organizations in South Korea. The results of thematic analysis revealed that there are four main factors affecting the usage of digital technology, five main types of digital technologies, four principal outcomes, and five challenges. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the digital transformation that has occurred in social work, it is suggested that future in-depth studies should be conducted from the client’s perspective and that future quantitative research should include more cases. Altogether, this study contributes to establishing a foundation for future research to determine the directions of and challenges involved in social work practice in the digital age.

Interpreter mediation in statutory mental health assessments: A scoping review

This interdisciplinary scoping review addresses the involvement of spoken and signed language interpreters in statutory mental health assessments. Specifically, this inquiry seeks to identify and review pre-existing literature concerning the barriers to and facilitators of effective practice in interpreter-mediated statutory mental health assessments, and the extent to which interpreter mediation supports or impedes a person’s legal rights and best interests in this context. An interdisciplinary team applied the revised Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review framework to review 44 items, including empirical and grey literature covering relevant aspects of the available body of knowledge across the fields of social work, mental health, and interpreting studies. The review concludes that there is a lack of direct evidence on interpreting practice in the context of statutory mental health assessments, which is significant considering the high-stakes scenarios that may lead to the deprivation of liberty. The findings suggest that there is insufficient evidence regarding necessary modifications to standard interpreting practices for such assessments, as well as how assessors should adapt their own practice in response to the need for interpreting. This work highlights the need for more focused research on good practices for interpreting within this context and calls for guidance to facilitate effective interprofessional collaboration between interpreters and other professionals engaged in these assessments.

Defending Discomfort: A Critical Social Work Case Against Trigger Warnings

ABSTRACT Trigger warnings have become a hotly contested practice in higher education, including within the field of social work. Learning to become a social worker can be a demanding process that requires in-depth study about often socially taboo and traumatic topics. The learning process can, understandably, cause discomfort that may result in a disconcerting or anxiety-provoking experience for social work students. However, the inclusion of challenging topics in social work education, including human rights violations, domestic violence, sexual abuse, racism, sexism, and many other social injustices is essential in the development of competency in social work practice. What remains unclear is the role and responsibility of universities and subsequently educators, in how we include or exclude trigger warnings, their relevance to social work education, and how we manage the expectations of students and their responses to the exposure of sensitive material. This article argues that trigger warnings may contribute to the pathologization of the experience of discomfort while simultaneously silencing oppressed students who may not identify with the language or experience of being triggered. This article investigates trigger warnings from a critical social work perspective and considers if the use of trigger warnings may potentially be more harmful than helpful.

Adaption and validation of a quantitative measure for associational social capital among Chinese parents in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This study investigates the reliability and validity of the Associational Social Capital Scale (ASCS) among the parent population. Participants were Chinese parents (N = 577) residing in Hong Kong. Both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to explore the factor structure of ASCS. EFA yielded a new threefold factor structure (i.e. social cohesion and relationship, common value, and position) with 10 items, which was supported by the CFA and explained 75.469% of the total variance. The CFA findings endorsed that the goodness-of-fit indices were statistically acceptable, indicating a good fitting model. The internal consistency reliability and construct validity of the scale were also examined. Considering this evidence, we concluded that the new version of ASCS is a valid and reliable measure for assessing parental associational social capital. The results also shed light on parenting interventions in the social work field.

Methodological Planning and Data Collection. Ensuring a Valid and Credible Research of a Questionnaire Survey in Social Work

The validity and credibility of scientific research are determined by the strictness of planning and elaborating each stage of the research, by correlating the purpose of the research with the chosen research method, by avoiding methodological planning errors, as well as by carrying out each research stage in a manner that excludes errors in data collection, processing and interpretation. In the field of social work, par excellence, the value of an empirical research is conferred, among other things, by the possibility of extrapolating the conclusions of that research to similar situations in the practical activity of social workers, in case work with the beneficiaries of social work services. Due to the close connection between research and practice in this field of social sciences, the methodological design must be transparent and convincing, so as to give practitioners a high degree of confidence in the conclusions of the scientific study, as well as the possibility to capitalize on its informative benefits. So, methodological errors of research projects carried out in the field of social work can have a much wider and more tangible negative impact than in the case of other fields of science, at least from a pragmatic point of view, when theory is translated to practical applicability, and the scientific study is implemented in case work performed with the beneficiaries. This study aims to analyze the questionnaire survey in social work, by highlighting the main methodological errors that can affect the validity of such an empirical study, in order to identify the optimal solutions for a correct planning and methodological development of the scientific study.

Psychological Aspects Regarding Intercultural Transformation Through Communication – Elements of Interest in the Practice of Social Work

When a foreign group that wants to relocate comes into contact with the culture of the host group, the process of intercultural adaptation of both groups is set in motion. The process starts and continues through communication, regardless of its form. During this process, individuals undergo a certain degree of intercultural transformation, corresponding to the degree of communication they have had. Transformation is bilateral and occurs naturally and inevitably, even when foreigners do not seek to adapt and want to maintain their individuality, even if they do not have a proactive attitude in order for adaptation to occur, even when there is no desire to effectively participate in communicative activities with the hosts and the foreigners choose to mainly become implicated in superficial contacts with the natives. Even in extreme conflictual situations, such as war or the crisis of refugees, the individuals who came into contact with the culture of the states where they took refuge, upon returning to their own country, no longer have the same cultural traits as when they left their native country. The purpose of this article is to theoretically analyze the psychological mechanisms that are of interest in the field of social work regarding the process of intercultural transformation that takes place through communication between the host group and the foreign group in the clash of two different cultures.

‘A home to dream love into’ – An autoethnographic analysis of mothering with mental illness

This paper examines the links between mothers, mental illness, estrangement from children, and systemic power and control, through a critically creative autoethnographic methodology. A historical and contemporary discursive analysis of two kinds of documentation is made. Firstly, my great-grandmother’s psychiatric hospital records from almost one hundred years ago are analysed, incorporating parts of my own story, as well as the personal account of a family member. These are then contrasted against four Family Court Judgement, where mothers have been found to be incapable of caring for their children. ‘Found poetry’ is then created from the documents presented, to elucidate the argument that a century since my great-grandmother’s forced separation from her children, women with mental illness still face stigma, marginalisation, and hopelessness in the face of outdated, narrow constructions of mothering. Implications for those who work in forensic social work fields are noted in terms of addressing systemic abuses of power against mothers.

Don Quixote and the Green Army: Lessons from Australian Environmental Workfare

AbstractAustralia’s unique history of national environmental youth workfare programs over three decades offers insight into youth work responses to climate change. Drawing upon Bourdieu’s use of ‘hysteresis’ and the ‘Don Quixote Effect’, this paper presents three key findings from research conducted in the wake of the most recent incarnation of these programs, the Australian Government’s Green Army. As the final Green Army projects were being delivered, interviews and focus groups were independently conducted with former team members and supervisors who had exited the program and its predecessors. The Green Army was presented for political purposes as action against climate change despite no specific climate mitigation outcomes being identified. Supervisors, predominantly trained in the environmental sciences, given charge of teams of young workers, reported the double binds from the competing fields of ecological work and social work. Team members, faced with resistance to their efforts, reconciled their situation with a ‘double language of disinterest’. The analysis of their accounts illuminates potential challenges facing the future for young people and for youth work.