Social Work Practice Approaches Research Articles

Social workers' historical and contemporary understanding of the social development approach

Colonialism and apartheid influenced South African social welfare policies. After South Africa gained political freedom in 1994, democratic social welfare laws like the White Paper for Social Welfare were implemented (1997). Despite democratic social development initiatives, poverty, unemployment, and inequality marginalise most South Africans. Eurocentrism dominates social work practice and education with significant proposals for higher education decolonisation and indigenisation. Participatory action learning action research approach was used for this study (PALAR). PALAR uses critical, transformational, and democratic research methods to build a social work practice approach for African social systems in South Africa. For this research, an Afrocentric social work practice model was co-constructed for South Africa by black social workers who were purposefully and conveniently selected. The objective was to understand social workers' historical and present conceptualisations of the social development approach. Preliminary findings imply that social development does not address structural inequalities in South Africa, such as race and the land question. For example, after a decade of its adoption, the approach has not significantly addressed large-scale poverty and unemployment. Social development in practice is welfarist, disempowering, not community-based, and insensitive to African culture. Social development services are not adequately integrated. Social development in South Africa towards social welfare is a miscarriage; lacks relevance and appropriateness outside the Euro-North American axis and remains Eurocentric in all aspects. The social development approach does not represent the African values system and nor relatable to the African social systems. South African social work needs to be reimagined. Indigenous knowledge systems need to take precedence to realise relevance of social work practice approaches in South Africa. An Afrocentric turn to social work practice for South Africa's relevance is a viable answer. How to cite this article using ASWNet style Ntloko, N. A. J. (2023). Social workers' historical and contemporary understanding of the social development approach. People centred – The Journal of Development Administration (JDA), 8(2), 48. Social Work and Development Student Conference (SWDSC), 16 June 2023. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jda.v8i2.6 Conference Abstract Social Work and Development Student Conference (SWDSC) Held on 16 June 2023, Day of the African Child (DAC) Organised by Africa Social Work and Development Network (ASWDN) Conference Organising Committee: Danzel Rademan, University of the Free State, South Africa (Chairperson); Atuhairwe Collins, Student, Master of Social Work, Makerere University, Uganda (ViceChairperson); Never Winnie James Sebit, South Sudan; Bachelor in Social Work, RCSS, India (Secretary); Tatenda Sukulao, Bachelor of Social Work, Midlands State University, Zimbabwe (Vice-Secretary); Norman T. Manyika, Student, Bachelor of Social Work, University of Zimbabwe (Committee member) and Takudzwa Banda, Bachelor of Social Work, University of Zimbabwe (Committee member). Visit journal website: https://jda.africasocialwork.net

Positioning structural social work in Indian context

Postmodern ideologies and human rights movements in the last quarter of the 20th century contributed to the development of a critical, radical approach in social work practice and education in North America. This ‘structural social work’ approach argues that social problems are largely the result of oppressive social structures, not individual deficiencies. Social workers are ethically obligated to change oppressive structures rather than simply helping clients to adjust to them. Structural social work, a transformative approach, can benefit Indian society. This article discusses introducing ‘structural social work’ into an Indian social work context and proposes a framework for its practice.

Person Centered and Trauma Informed Approach in Social Work Practice and Ways to Ensure Diversity in both Approaches

Person-Centered approach is an adapted work of Carl Rogers, where the focus was mainly on psychotherapy and counselling. Rogers believed, the basic nature of an individual is constructive and trustworthy – given that the individual is freely functioning. Person-Centered approach is the backbone of social work practice alongside trauma-informed approach. Any emotionally and physically daunting events that affects the response of an individual is trauma. Trauma damages the freely functioning state of an individual – emotionally, socially and behaviorally. By introducing an approach that is trauma-informed will help social worker to not only understand the emotions of the individual while working with them but also guide the social work practice in better understanding while working with the individuals.

Strengthening Social Welfare Administration Practice in India: A Context Centric Social Work Approach

Abstract This article explores the possibility of strengthening social welfare administration practice in social work training and education to respond to complex and varied issues located within Indian social reality keeping in view the people in concrete situations of vulnerabilities. Based on the case analysis approach, it situates the history of social work education and practice closely linked to the social welfare administration practice in Mumbai School of Social Work. The experience in this school reaffirms the contribution of social work administration practice towards welfare and development of people, and suggests the need for strengthening the practice suited to the changing needs of the time. Learning from this experience, this article argues for a positive recognition of context centric approach in social work practice.

Community-Care Approach for Social Work Practice: Learning from Community-Based Healthcare for Elderly in Yogyakarta

This article aims to demonstrate the application of a community-care approach in the provisioning of elderly social and health care services (hereafter, social-health care) through a case study at Elderly Family Development (Bina Keluarga Lansia–BKL) Mugi Waras in Sumbersari Village, Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta Province. This institution was chosen as a case study since it represents the best community-based long-term social-health care institution for the elderly in Indonesia. Based on the findings that have been analyzed, it was concluded that there has been shifting of institutional care provision in the community care regime towards more inclusion with mixed welfare features. This may have occurred because BKL was suffering from the lack of resources they have in dealing with the increased needs of the elderly and increased risk. Consequently, even though the influence of external stakeholders in this initiative appears quite strong, such a community-centered care initiative can be continually maintained and resulted in the hybridization model of a care regime. For social worker’s practitioner insight, the paradigm of program implementation in the BKL Mugi Waras can be adopted as a community-based social work practice that appears to fit developing countries, where elderly service intervention should be fine-tuned to the elderly residents’ living arrangements.

Strengthening the empowerment approach in social work practice: An EPS model

SummarySince the mid-1980s, social work has been recognised as an empowering profession. This article proposes that two more concepts, namely, participation and a strengths perspective, must be taken into account to strengthen and advance the empowerment approach. An integrated intervention model linking empowerment, participation and a strengths perspective, called the EPS model, is developed. Theoretical advances: Although the concepts of participation and strengths perspective have been mentioned separately in literature about the promotion of empowerment, discussion of the integration of all three concepts is limited. The EPS model goes some way to filling this theoretical and practice gap. It affirms that these three concepts are interrelated and must be closely interlinked. The model links the three concepts by proposing that practice should be based on a strengths perspective and use participation as the method to achieve the goal of empowering service users. The EPS model serves as a framework through which social workers can oversee the application and connection of the three concepts in practice.ApplicationsAs the EPS model incorporates the principles of the World Health Organization age-friendly cities initiative, it is suited to the implementation of a community project in Hong Kong aimed at enhancing the age-friendliness of the city’s transport system. This case study illustrates how the EPS model was applied and how the outcomes resulted in empowerment of the participants and realised benefits for older people in Hong Kong.

Towards Spiritually Sensitive Social Work in a Multi Ethnic Western World

Progressive secularisation of western societies connotes casualization of spiritual care and where presented it appears to be highly tentative. An acid test to confirm the futility of our current aptitude in social work skill emerges prominently as we deal with minority and ageing populations in western societies. Irrespective of culture into which people are born into there appears to be a recognition that spiritual concerns commence early in one's development, when life is full of zest, vigour and vitality and as a result of preoccupation with zestful life these spiritual concerns remain on a back burner. Whichever journey that a social worker partakes in, and whom is spiritually sensitive, it is not only productive for the client but is also especially rewarding for the social worker as it initiates their personal inward reflective journey. The concepts in this paper are conceived and situated from the western world's perspective, but it is possible to resonate equally with social work agenda for the East. In this paper I aim to deal with how we inform ourselves about concerns of spiritual nature amidst the challenges and opportunities that surround us as we live amongst a multitudinous ethnic western society. Furthermore, I will be discussing the efficacy of the strengths based approach in social work practice within the context of building a spiritual social work framework.

The Contributions of Applied Behavior Analysis and Behavior Theory to Innovative Research and Practice Cultures in Social Work

In this article the authors tie the emergence of an empirical practice research culture, which enabled the rise in evidence-based practice in social work to the introduction of applied behavior analysis and behavioral theory to social work practice and research. The authors chronicle the: (1) scientific foundations of social work, (2) influence and push by corporatized university cultures for higher scholarship productivity among faculty, (3) significance of theory in general, (4) importance of behavioral theory in particular as a major trigger of the growth in research on effective social work practice approaches, and (5) commonalities between applied behavior analysis and evidence-based practice. The authors conclude with implications for addressing the dual challenges of building an enhanced research culture in schools of social work and the scholarship of transferring practice research to adoption in real world practice settings.

Inabel Burns Lindsay: Social Work Pioneer Contributor to Practice and Education through a Socio-cultural Perspective

Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay (1900-1983), founding dean of the Howard University School of Social Work, was an early proponent for the consideration of race and culture in social work education and practice with racial and ethnic minorities. Using primary and secondary data sources, the authors trace the evolution of Dr. Lindsay’s thinking on the role of race, class, gender and ethnicity in the helping process and finally her development of a socio-cultural perspective. Particular attention is given to her persistent efforts to disseminate this information and incorporate it into the curriculum of the Howard University School of Social Work decades before the ideas were embraced by the profession as a whole. As a pioneer in the struggle for social justice, Dr. Lindsay’s philosophy on social work education and practice with racial and ethnic minorities informs contemporary social work practice approaches.

More than lost in translation? An exploratory study of social workers’ experiences working with Vietnamese wives in Taiwan

This article identifies the cultural differences and language barriers faced by Taiwanese social workers when working with families of cross-border marriages, and discusses the importance of adopting a multicultural approach in social work practice in order to cater to the urgent needs of an increasingly culturally diverse society.

AIDS and the Question of Culture: Focus on Social Cognitive Theory

Each of us has a variety of personal theories we use to explain physical, biological, and interpersonal phenomena. Also, our personal theories are our guides as we move toward greater meaning and belief in our lives. This writing shows the reason to utilize the new/recent theory approach in social work practice concerning the issue of AIDS in a cultural-based study on a micro level, though it may compete with macro-level values equally. The social work practice setting needs to open up for engaging dialogue with individuals and large groups within a safe environment and a positive attitude. Not only does this gate allow us to understand clients' and social workers' ways of doing, being, and saying but also ways in which our audience/player (client/we) can perform their/our power of talking about AIDS without fear, guilt, shame, and feelings of despair.

Building on Strengths: Intergenerational Practice with African American Families

Intergenerational kinship and multigenerational families (three or more generations) have been a source of strength for African Americans. This article presents a culturally responsive intergenerational practice model for working with African American families that draws on this legacy. The model looks at intergenerational kinship and multigenerational families through an Afrocentric, intergenerational solidarity framework. It provides a means to understand and support the strengths and resource richness of intergenerational relationships; the Afrocentric paradigm's affirmation of family and cultural strengths; and the power of intergenerational kinship, family solidarity, and support across generations.Building on the six solidarity elements of the intergenerational solidarity framework, this model provides an empowerment-oriented approach for social work practice with African American families that takes into consideration cultural values and practices.

Eugenics, “Degenerate Girls,” and Social Workers During the Progressive Era

The U.S. eugenics movement, which sought to encourage the “wellborn” to have children and actively discourage and even prohibit the “unfit” from having children, became increasingly popular and influential during the Progressive Era, shaping public discourse, emerging social work practice approaches, and state and federal public policy. This article details the eugenics movement; examines why young women, particularly those who were poor, non-Anglo-Saxon, and living in urban areas, were targeted as the key to preventing the unfit from propagating; and explores the relationship between eugenics and early social workers, focusing particular attention on their work with young women.

Power, status and marginalisation: Rural social workers and evidence-based practice in multidisciplinary teams

The present paper examines how evidence-based practice (EBP) is impacting on the professional status of social workers working in multidisciplinary health teams in rural Victoria. Questionnaires and interviews were used to investigate the use and perceived appropriateness of EBP and the implications for the professional status of social workers. The results indicated that social workers have the lowest levels of knowledge and application of EBP. The qualitative data revealed a fundamental incompatibility between social work practice approaches and the science of EBP. The key themes identified were: how undergraduate and professional training shapes practitioner perspectives around EBP; divergent knowledge of EBP and how this influences team perceptions around the validity of social work practice; the ways EBP validates and reinforces existing power hierarchies, frequently to the exclusion of social work practitioners; the power of EBP as a mechanism for practice legitimisation; the marginalisation of social work as a discipline resisting the science of EBP; and the way the rural context shapes the impact of EBP in the practice setting.

Cultural Divergence in Cross-border Marriage in Hong Kong: A Call for Culturally Sensitive Approach in Social Work Practice

The social phenomenon of cross-border marriages between Hong Kong men and Chinese women has contributed to the steady incoming immigrant women from the Mainland for family reunion. Despite the fact that both Hong Kong and the Mainland are Chinese societies, there exist a number of subtle differences in cultural practices and characteristics due to their different social, economic and political development. This paper would delineate the sources of influence affecting the cultural development of these two societies and the impact of the cultural variations on the daily life of the new immigrant women. Its implications are discussed in the context of the counselling process, hopefully to arouse more sensitivity to cultural issues in social work practice.

The Operationalization, Implementation, and Effectiveness of the Strengths Perspective

ABSTRACT Although the strengths perspective is pop u lar in so cial work, it is un clear how it var ies from traditional social work practice approaches. Studies of the effeetiveness of strengths-based inter ventions are reviewed to as certain: (1) how the strengths perspective is operationalized and im pie mented, and (2) the empirical support for its effeetive ness. Few evaluations of strengths-based treatment have been published. In those studies reporting positive outcomes, it is not possible to determine whether out comes are due to the strengths perspective or to the delivery of additional services. Moreover, results indicate that the directives of the strengths perspective are not adequately operationalized or measured. The strengths per spec tive is a value stance, but there is littie support for it as a distinct and uniquely effective prac tice model.

Empowerment in Residential Care for the Elders:

While empowerment is practiced largely in oppressed communities of minorities, women and the disabled, it is an extremely useful concept and approach for social work practice in residential settings that are under undue bureaucratic and professional control. This paper describes a pioneering empowerment project in an aged home in Hong Kong, which aimed at assisting residents to conquer their feeling of powerlessness and to speak up for themselves to improve their quality of life in the home. The authors argue that given the opportunity, residents of the aged home are willing and able to get involved, organized and mobilized to promote their own well-being, and staff are able to see the positive side of empowerment and not feel threatened.

From Band-Aids and Putting Out Fires to Prevention: School Social Work Practice Approaches for the New Century

From Band-Aids and Putting Out Fires to Prevention: School Social Work Practice Approaches for the New Century

Social Work Practice with Family Systems in Admission to Homes for the Aged

Family systems theory provides a conceptual framework for social workers practicing with elders and their families. Processes and techniques developed in family therapy can be incorporated into social work practice approaches. In this way all family members can be helped to preserve functional relationships and modify dysfunctional family patterns that currently exist as seen in admissions to long-term facilities.

A Comprehensive Approach to Working With Families of Alzheimer's Patients

Families who care for patients with Alzheimer's disease face severe psychosocial problems. This paper presents a comprehensive approach for social work practice with such families. The use of both clinical and social interventions is recommended to assist families in managing daily activities, alleviating stress, planning for long term care and coping with the emotional sequelae of the disease. Information-giving, teaching, and advocacy are stressed as a way of providing families with the tools they need to cope with the problems of caring for someone with a chronic, degenerative condition.