Context Of Social Work Practice Research Articles

Welfare regimes and social workers' conceptions of social problems and professional roles

This article compares social work in countries representing four different welfare regimes: Chile, the Republic of Ireland (refer to elsewhere as ‘Ireland’), Lithuania and Sweden. The aim is to examine how social workers in different contexts refer to families’ complex needs, how contextual factors influence social workers’ positions and actions, and how they make sense of their work. Social workers in 15 focus groups, 4 per country except for Chile with 3, were interviewed about their conceptions of ‘family’, ‘families with complex needs’, and reasoning about interventions in relation to a fictitious complex case vignette. The understanding of complex needs appears relatively individualized in Chile and Lithuania, while contextual factors were more pronounced in the Irish and Swedish material. Chile, exemplifying a familialized family policy regime, reflects a poverty-compensatory social worker role that also supports familial reproduction; Ireland, a partly de-familialized regime, reflects a supportive and risk-reactive role; Lithuania, a re-familialized regime reflects a patriarchal risk-reducing role and Sweden, a de-familialized policy regime, reflects a rights-oriented and technocratic role. Welfare regimes shape different social work practice contexts. However, to some extent, social workers around the world share a common work ethos in how they, for the best interest of the people they work with, deal with the cross-pressure from social problems and political-ideological priorities.

Swimming with the Current But against the Tide: Reflections of an Autistic Social Worker

Abstract Autism in social work generally focuses on working with children or adults who are users of services. This reflexive account focuses on the author’s lived experience as an Autistic social worker in the UK and why it is still important to inform the social work profession about autism. Using the creative and connective power of analogy, the author identifies the strengths Autistic social workers can offer within the trauma of the everyday as an Autistic person, locating this within the context of social work practice. The author challenges the deficit focus on autism within research and practice and offers opportunity to connect with your understanding of autism and what that may mean in terms of developing your own relational, anti-oppressive practice.

Shaping the Future of Social Work Practice in Healthcare: Addressing COVID-19 Needs through Integrated Primary Care.

COVID-19 has illustrated the urgency of promoting integrated healthcare as the model of the future, with social workers not only supporting the physical and mental health of providers and patients, but also leading efforts to transform systems, policies, and social work education. Primary care, where the role of social workers is continuing to grow, is a central location for integrating the treatment of medical, social, and behavioral problems. In these settings, social workers can take the lead to meet community needs, assist in public health efforts, and bolster the frontline medical workforce. The following article reflects upon what we as social workers have learned a year into the global pandemic and how we can apply this knowledge to shaping the future of social work in primary care. Authors consider how the multiple medical and psychosocial needs of patients affected by COVID-19 are addressed in primary care through three core functions of social work: providing behavioral healthcare, coordinating care, and undertaking population health-based interventions. Article ends with a discussion about how social work can respond to the urgent task of transforming health within the context of social work practice, policy, and education for the next generation of healthcare social workers.

A Conversation between Confucian Ethics and the NASW Code of Ethics in the Chinese context

Abstract Recent years have witnessed a growing scholarly interest in the development of professional ethics of social work in China. Confucian ethics is believed to be able to contribute to such development. This article explores Confucian ethics and its interaction with western ethics that underpins the United States’ National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. Particularly, it compares the two cultural contexts, western versus eastern, in terms of the ethical deliberation of two elements of Confucian ethics: Chinese people are embedded in a framework of complex relationality, and practical situations take precedence over abstract moral rules (action/practice-oriented situationality). This exploration can provide insight into the Chinese moral context of social work practice and the complex issues associated with formulating Chinese ethical guidelines for such a discipline adapted from the west as social work.

Politicisation processes in everyday practice with refugees: the experiences of Israeli and German social workers

ABSTRACT This article deals with the political context of social work practice with refugees. Specifically, it addresses the ways politics and policies that derive from them, interplay with social workers’ perceptions and constructions regarding their daily practice. It is based on findings from a qualitative study that included 22 in-depth interviews with Israeli and German social workers who work with refugees. Working in a ‘highly political’ field meant that practitioners encountered xenophobia and racism, reinforced by the negative public discourse surrounding refugees, and faced the outcomes of exclusionary state policies towards service users and social services. The article demonstrates that working under challenging political circumstances, enhanced social workers’ political awareness, termed politicisation, in that they became more attuned to their identities in relation to practice, to user-worker power imbalances, and to the ways politics and policies influence service users’ well-being. Politicisation included social workers highly emotional involvement, which motivated them to take action towards social justice, as well as enhanced the risk of being overwhelmed and experiencing ‘political fatigue’. The article discusses implications for the ‘re-politicisation’ of social work research, practice and education.

Be Like a Tree

Equity, diversity, and anti-oppressive practice and social work practice contexts.

Emotional Labour in Social Workers’ Encounters with Children and Their Families

The ways in which social workers experience a range of emotions that are evoked in their professional relationships with children and families is an area that is little focused upon and yet the processes involved in their expression and management can have profound implications for all involved. Theoretically informed by sociological concepts and combining data from a two-year, UK four-nation, ESRC-funded research project, ‘Talking and Listening to Children’ (TLC), this paper explores the ways in which social work organisational contexts and dynamics give rise to ‘feeling rules’ in the workplace and the impact of these on social workers’ relationships with children and families. Using Hochschild’s (1983) emotional labour analytical framework, the paper highlights that the management and expression of social workers’ feelings are filtered through personal, professional and organisational contexts. The implications of these pervasive and powerful processes are explored. The paper concludes by considering the significant, wide-reaching implications of this focus on the experience, expression and management of emotion for everyday social work practice in both children and families settings specifically and other social work practice contexts more broadly.

Field education in crisis: experiences of field education coordinators in Canada

Significant multi-layered challenges with delivering quality practicum experiences to social work students have led field education coordinators to release a joint statement that social work field education in Canada is in a state of crisis. This article presents the results of a two-year mixed methods study that sought to investigate and describe the challenges in order to enhance understanding of the crisis from the perspective of Canadian social work field education coordinators. The results indicate that social work education programs in Canada face four key challenges in regard to field education that can be further divided into two sections: (a) the social work practice field and (b) social work field education administration. The two key challenges associated with the social work practice field are: (a) social work practice contexts and realities and (b) practicum shortages and saturation. The two key challenges associated with social work field education administration are: (a) practicum procurement and field instructor recruitment and retention; and (b) expectations and workloads of field education coordinators. To address these challenges, collaborative development of a multi-level strategy aimed at moving beyond the current state of crisis toward a sustainable model of social work field education in Canada is recommended.

Promoting conscious competence by introducing mindfulness to social work students

Given the emotive context of social work practice, acquiring competence can be challenging. Professional aptitude involves prowess in analytical thinking and controlling emotions, however, this can create conflict within the therapeutic relationship. For trainees, analytical thinking and managing emotions are difficult skills to attain and are not always directly taught, leaving individuals to their own devices to develop possibly ineffective, strategies for dealing with complex emotions and resulting stress. As evidence suggests social workers are vulnerable to burnout, thus managing work-related stress becomes a career-long necessity and, if not managed, has serious consequences for organisations and service users and workers themselves. To address this gap, we piloted mindfulness sessions based on Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction programme (MBSR) with final year social work students. These sessions are being increasingly and successfully used in a wide variety of organisations across the globe and there is an increasing body of research evidencing numerous benefits for those involved. Feedback from our students suggests these sessions produced a number of personal and professional benefits and includes promoting their resilience and conscious competence.

University Community Engagement: Insights from Field Work Practices

Higher education cannot be enriched without active linkages with neighborhood. Community-university engagement is a reciprocal process which strengthens each other. Western world has accepted the said engagement as a means for aligning research with societal needs. Though, India is having a deep rooted history, legacy and various academic practices, only in the recent times University community engagement has acquired certain significance. For the promotion of new types of teaching and research the societal engagement need to be more deepened. In continuation to the recommendation and provisions earmarked in 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), the University Grants Commission (UGC) has also launched a new scheme to support setting up a Centre for Fostering Social Responsibility and Community Engagement (CFSRCE) in various universities. The appeal of Honble President of India for setting up Community Development Cell in Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) and Prime Ministers idea of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan envisages the same thrust. Engagement with a community is a pre-requisite for Social Work Education and practice. Present paper is highlighting the community field work practice of Department of Social work, Central University of Rajasthan. The components of university community engagement are discussed in the context of social work practice.

Autism, females, and the DSM-5: Gender bias in autism diagnosis

ABSTRACTAutism is a neurodevelopmental condition thought to occur predominantly in males. Despite limited research, there is evidence that criteria used to identify autism are gender-biased, leaving females with autism undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. This article provides a brief history of autism and an overview of research related to gender bias in autism spectrum diagnosis. In addition, research on DSM-5 autism criteria relevant to gender is reviewed, along with the role diagnostic screening instruments play in perpetuating gender bias. Finally, the sensitivity of DSM-5 criteria to females on the autism spectrum is considered within the context of social work practice and research.

The Duality of Continuing Professional Development in Mental Health Social Work: Voluntary and Involuntary Status

In recent years, regulation of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements of accredited mental health social workers (AMHSWs) in Australia has increased. AMHSWs are now obliged to do 10 hours of CPD in focused psychological strategies (FPS) each year to retain their accreditation status. CPD in FPS is often provided by psychologists and is not tailored to the broader context of social work practice. Given that AMHSWs are now mandated to undertake CPD in FPS it is essential that educational opportunities are provided that are appropriate to their ongoing needs. In this paper the findings of a 2010 national study of the CPD requirements of AMHSWs are presented. Just under 50% (n = 566) of social workers accredited with the Australian Association of Social Workers participated in this study. A main finding was that AMHSWs wanted a range of CPD courses offered at different levels that were accessible, affordable and tailored to the context of social work practice. Accessibility to appropriate CPD was particularly an issue for social workers in regional, rural, and remote areas. This was the first comprehensive study of the postqualifying educational needs of AMHSWs in Australia and lays the foundation for CPD development for AMHSWs and further research in this area.

Study Abroad Ghana: An International Experiential Learning

The global nature of social problems indicates how important it is for social workers to be involved in international issues. For example, overseas experience in social work programs is in consonance with the Council on Social Work Education's emphasis on global context of social work practice. In view of this, some schools of social work are facilitating international experience for their students and faculty. This article discusses the experiences of U.S. students who studied abroad in Ghana in summer 2010, under the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC). It specifically examines the impact the USAC Ghana program, the people and culture of the host country, intracountry trips/tours, and the social work courses had on the student participants.

Social Support Strategies for Immigrants: The Context of Social Work Practice in Lithuania

Intensification of migration flows makes Lithuania one of the immigrants host countries which, like other European Union countries, faces the challenge of integration of immigrants and in this process an important role has a social worker. The aim of research was to reveal the social support strategies used by social workers in solving social problems of immigrants during the process of their integration. The qualitative research using semi-structured interview method and content analysis method was done. The survey results suggest that immigrants during the process of integration face these social problems: the search for housing, employment, legal, financial, lack of access to relevant information. The results revealed that social workers, solving the social problems of immigrants, evaluate their nature and level and then apply the appropriate level of intervention. Social workers apply these micro level interventions: information and consultancy of immigrants, mediation and emotional support, which include individual social assistance. Social workers, solving the social problems of immigrants, apply these mezzo level interventions: development of social network of immigrants, organization of socio-cultural events, organization and coordination of volunteer activities. Social workers providing social assistance to immigrants' integration process, use the following macro level interventions: d issemination of information on immigrant issues , conduction and dissemination of researches based on immigrant integration issues, dissemination of best practice of social workers.

Locating Emotional Intelligence at the Heart of Social Work Practice

This paper considers the concept of emotional intelligence in relation to social work practice. An overview of the concept of emotional intelligence is offered to establish key aspects and themes, which are then linked to social work. It is noted that elements of emotional intelligence such as empathy and emotional regulation can be integrated into a model for practice that emphasises the centrality of seeking and using the views and perspectives of service users in social work practice. It is argued that emotional intelligence contributes to the development of the social work/service user relationship. Emotional intelligence is mapped against core practice skills and the synergies with reflective practice are explored. It is concluded that emotional intelligence has much to offer social work as a concept and raises the importance of considering the emotional context of social work practice more broadly.

Gerontological home health care: a guide for the social work practitioner

PrefaceAcknowledgments1. The Context of Social Work Practice in Home Health Care2. The Social Work Role in Home Health Care3. Culturally Competent Social Work Practice in Home Health Care4. Engagement of the Client in Home Health Care5. Social Work Assessment of the Individual in Home Health Care6. Social Work Assessment of Social Systems in Home Health Care7. Social Work Interventions with the Individual in Home Health Care8. Social Work Interventions with Social Systems in Home Health Care9. Evaluating Social Work Practice in Home Health CareAfterwordAppendix: Internet ResourcesWorks CitedIndex

Listening: A Psychosocial Intervention in an End-of-Life Case of Trauma and Emotion in the “Space” of a Residential Care Facility

ABSTRACT Interviewing and listening are important social work skills with which to address psychosocial concerns in end-of-life health care. This article examines the context of social work practice in end-of-life care through a single case study, drawn from social work palliative health care practice, which integrates both clinical/psychological and social theory understandings/insights for the social worker. For individuals at the end of life who experience hopelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts, psychosocial factors of their health care and even the arrangement of their living spaces in the hospice or residential care facility environment may contribute to their anxiety. The need for social workers in palliative health care to recognize the delicate nature of the relationship between hope, place, and trauma is emphasized in order to inform the provision of social work care for dying patients whom social workers seek to serve.

Social Work in Wales Since Democratic Devolution

The present paper considers what is distinctive about social policy and services in Wales and the context of social work practice. There is brief consideration of the social and economic character of the country, the challenge to social services and social work practice of a national minority language, and the relevance to social work of collective identities (national, local, and ethnic). An overview of relevant aspects of social policy in Wales since the establishment of democratic devolution in 1999 reveals that, although there are some distinctive aspects of social work in Wales, there is also a great deal of continuity with other parts of the UK, and England in particular, and that the potential for distinctiveness is just beginning to be realised.

Researching reflective practice: an example from post-qualifying social work education⊃[1

Recent concern over the standard of social work practice, as evidenced by inquiries into child abuse cases, have led to something of a crisis in trust in the profession. As a result, there is now an emphasis on increasing practitioners' competency to practice in complex situations. Critical reflection is seen as key to achieving this increase in competence, and is stressed in both professional guidance and educational policy. National standards for continuing professional development encapsulated in post-qualifying social work awards formalise the processes of reflection on practice and learning through reflection. While most literature concentrates on reflection within the context of educational courses, the research presented in this article describes the extent to which practitioners use reflective and critical thinking skills in everyday practice. Analysis of qualitative interviews reveal that practitioners value the opportunity that post-qualifying awards provide to step back and reflect in-depth on a piece of practice, but that there is neither the time or often the support, to transfer these skills to everyday practice. Reflection emerges as an important tool for learning, but given the complex context of social work practice, it is important that it continues outside of formal education programmes. Barriers and enablers of this process are discussed.

Research oriented community social work education: lessons from LjubljanaIzobraževanje za raziskovalno usmerjeno skupnostno socialno delo: izkušnje iz Ljubljane

The article gives an overview of teaching community social work in Slovenia, outlines the social context, the position of community social work within the curriculum and the importance of research in preparing and evaluating community field projects. Training students for undertaking proposed collective actions in a post-modern world of difference is a rather complex and long-term process which is hard to achieve in the framework of the recognized structure of a university study programme and in the existing context of social work practice. Students have to address concepts and issues of post-modern community work by researching within a broader social context and into community needs, and by establishing a ‘here and now’ working relationship with the community members. This method of teaching, alongside regular community social work, does not fit into the practice of the existing social services. Although the declared principles are to consider user perspectives, the users are subordinate to the professional power.