Core Values Of Social Work Research Articles

The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning in social work practice

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into social work practice is transforming the landscape of service delivery and decision-making. This paper explores how these technologies enhance case management, predictive analytics, and resource allocation in critical areas such as child welfare, mental health, and substance abuse treatment. Key trends highlighted include the use of AI-based predictive analytics to identify at-risk populations and facilitate early interventions, as well as the deployment of chatbots and virtual assistants for providing accessible mental health counselling and social support. Furthermore, the paper addresses ethical considerations and challenges associated with AI implementation, particularly the potential biases in algorithms that may affect the assessment of social needs. Additionally, the integration of AI tools into social work education and training is examined to prepare future professionals for a technology-driven environment. By analysing the current applications of Natural Language Processing (NLP) for client data analysis, AI-powered software for predictive risk assessments, and automated case management systems, this paper advocates for a balanced approach to AI adoption, ensuring that the core values of social work, such as equity and social justice, remain central to practice. Ultimately, this exploration underscores the potential of AI and ML to enhance social work outcomes while also emphasizing the necessity of ethical frameworks and ongoing training for practitioners.

Reclaiming Social Justice

Abstract: A central tenet of the social work profession is its commitment to social justice. This commitment is outlined by the major governing bodies across social work education and practice, intra- and internationally. However, clinical social work has historically been influenced by the evidence-based movement and broadly adopted medicalized models of practice by focusing on treatment model adherence and symptom reduction. Consequently, clinical practitioners have been criticized for not adequately addressing systemic oppression and social injustices affecting vulnerable and historically marginalized populations. The absence of a social justice orientation to clinical practice not only lacks alignment with social work's core values but, in the current socio-political environment, may further perpetuate oppression. Clinical supervision, a staple in developing professional skills for graduate students and novice clinicians, offers an ideal pedagogical space for developing the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral skills and competencies needed to engage in social justice-focused practice. The aim of this article is to offer a supervisory framework, the Critical Relational Model (CRM), grounded in a metatheory that integrates principles from critical theory, critical pedagogy, and anti-oppressive and decolonizing frameworks, applied through a relational lens. A second aim is to demonstrate how the CRM can be immediately applied to practice with novice clinicians, graduate students, and any other clinical practitioner wishing to enhance their effectiveness and participation in creating a more equitable and just society for all.

Toward more ethically oriented humanitarian logistics operations: An exploratory research

Ethical standards in humanitarian logistics have been frequently overlooked in the literature. This research aims to explore the interaction between logistics decisions and ethical standards implementation in the context of humanitarian relief operations. The paper adopts a data triangulation approach to collect and validate the primary and secondary data through a literature review, focus group, and interview. The results revealed that logistics decisions and processes affect the implementation of ethical standards. These decisions are physical distribution, facility location, procurement, outsourcing, deprivation cost analysis, visibility and information flow, supply chain collaboration, staff selection and training, types of relief items, staff security, and localization of logistics activities. This research can provide practitioners with insight into a complete set of ethical standards and inform their understanding of which factors affect their implementation. The novelty of this research comes from combining two disciplines, humanitarian logistics and social work, to compile a complementary list of ethical standards in humanitarian operations. It shows how logistics decisions can affect implementing ethical standards and hence achieving core values of social work.

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

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

Designated officials’ approaches to judging serious incidents: an analysis of incident reports in care for older people, disability services and family services in Sweden

ABSTRACT There are various systems for reporting incidents that have harmed service users depending on the country and legislation. In Sweden, the duty of staff to report mistreatment covers three areas: care for older people, disability services, and individual and family care. This study examines Designated Officials’ judgements concerning reported incidents of serious mistreatment in social services in Sweden. A qualitative analysis of incident reports covering all three areas shows that investigators used five approaches to judge the seriousness of an incident. The ‘individual approach’ is seen as a blaming strategy of individual staff, and the ‘quality development approach’ highlighted systematic failures, with little focus on protecting individual service users. The ‘medical approach’, predominantly used in care for older people, measured physical injuries but neglected service users’ own experiences. The ‘empathic approach’ incorporated service users’ perspectives as interpreted by staff, often resulting in service users being stereotyped as victims. The ‘legal and human rights approach’ was least common in the analysis, despite echoing the core values of social work that are highly important for social workers. We conclude that the assessment process for reports needs to be reconsidered and the meaning of harm in the context of social work re-evaluated.

Awareness of Racism Among Social Work Students in a Challenging Era

This study focused on understanding individual (e.g., political identity and alignment of social work core values with the Black Lives Matter movement and the All Lives Matter argument) and social environmental correlates (e.g., social network composition) of awareness of racism among social work students. A convenience sample of social work students (n=98) recruited from a major Midwest land grant university completed an online anonymous survey with questions covering individual characteristics, social network information, and attitudes toward social phenomena. The Color-Blind Racial Attitudes Scale was used to assess overall awareness of racism, White privilege, institutional racism, and blatant racism. Regression models were conducted to identify correlates of these domains of racial attitudes separately. Liberal political view identification and alignment of Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement with social work core values were associated with better awareness of racism across all domains; aligning All Lives Matter with social work core values was associated with unawareness of overall racism, institutional racism, and blatant racism. Finally, discussion on racial issues with network members was associated with better awareness of overall racism, White privilege, and blatant racism. Social work programs should facilitate inter-group dialogues to build consensus on countering racism. Discussions on the mission and the context of BLM and its opposition efforts should also be incorporated in the curriculum. Finally, more emphasis on the impact of institutional racism should be included into course activities to further discussion on such topics within students’ network.

Policy response for disadvantaged groups during the COVID-19 pandemic: Vietnam experiences

This article aims to describe the Vietnamese Government’s policy response to support disadvantaged groups affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the relief package. The Vietnamese policy response is characterized by rapid response, priority for disadvantaged groups in communities, social work core values in the policy, openness, and transparency. We hope the experiences from Vietnam could be helpful for similar settings in the world.

Racial and Age Disparities in Licensing Rates among a Sample of Urban MSW Graduates.

Forty-five U.S. states require social workers to pass an examination for entry-level MSW licensure, with all 50 states requiring it for clinical practice. All states use examinations created by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) for this purpose. There has been concern that these exams may contribute to racial bias in social work licensing, as ASWB has historically not reported passing rates by demographic groups. In the present study, New York State licensing rates of over 5,000 graduates of three MSW programs of the City University of New York were analyzed according to race, gender, and age. Although passing rates on ASWB exams were not specifically examined, this study analyzed demographic disparities in licensure. In bivariate and multivariate analyses, White graduates had significantly higher rates of licensure than those who identified as Black, Latinx, Asian/Pacific Islander, mixed, or other. Furthermore, older Black and Latinx graduates had far lower rates of licensure than their younger counterparts. As a core value of social work is social justice, the results indicate the need for far more investigation into racial and age disparities in social work licensure.

Anti-racist Social Work Practice in India

The article explores how radical social work can educate communities about human rights and eliminate oppressive attitudes and practices which nurture inequality and intolerance. The sustained institutional denial of racism in India that is abnormally normalised is problematised. The article advocates for an institutional acknowledgement of racism in India so as to allow for both institutional and non-institutional measures against racism. With social action as a method of intervention and human rights as a core value of social work, the social work profession has the potential to achieve social justice through advocacy.

Social Justice Through the Lens of the Cross

The profession of social work esteems the value of social justice, as social workers promote the well-being of society and the rights every individual holds. Although social justice is a core value of social work, it is necessary to address the foundation of social justice within its secular context, and questioning the “why” behind social justice calls for a deeper understanding of social work. Using the “Inside-Out” apologetic approach demonstrates how the secular grounding of social work neglects to provide the foundation required to make claims on the necessity of social justice. A Christian foundation, however, offers the grounding needed to support the values and mission of social work, and it is valuable to support a Christian understanding of social work.

#Metoo. Motståndsberättelser om sexuella trakasserier i(nifrån) socialt arbete i Sverige

#MeToo has become a global digital feminist resistance movement where sexual harassment and sexualized violence have been made visible in different situations and occupations. In Sweden the hashtag #orosanmälan (English: #ReportingWorries) was created in 2018 for social workers. Very few studies have been conducted on sexual harassment in social work, a gap that this study aims to fill. The aim is to make visible, analyze and critically reflect on resistance stories about sexual harassment from within social work in Sweden. The study applies an analytical framework of gender and heteronormativity, age and racialization, emphasizing Butler’s key analytical concepts performativity, heteronormativity and subversion. The method is a narrative analysis of “small stories” (Georgakopoulou 2015) based on the first one hundred entries on the Swedish website #orosanmälan for social workers (https://www. metoo-orosanmalan.nu). The analysis shows how sexual harassment occurs in contexts of unequal power relations constituted through performative acts of speech against women social workers, students and girls who are clients, and focuses on pregnant, young, racialized, and lesbian bodies. Findings demonstrate how both men and women as leaders and colleagues participate in sexual harassment to devaluate women’s competence, and how threats of punishment are used to subordinate and objectify women social workers. #ReportingWorries challenges the discourse of Sweden as a country of equality and the core values of social work as a discipline and profession based on human rights, social justice, respect, and dignity when sexual harassment is investigated from within social work.

Social Representation of Social Work in the Canadian Healthcare Setting: Negotiating a Professional Identity

AbstractOur article concerns the social representation of social work held by professional social workers in a Canadian healthcare setting. While there have been extensive theoretical debates on the professional identity of social workers, little is known about the representation of social work held by practitioners themselves. To better understand the viewpoints of practitioners, we performed an integrated content analysis of 30 semi-directed interviews focussing on the question of professional identity with clinical social workers practicing in three Canadian cities. The analysis identified four elements organising the social representation of social work: ‘counselling for support’, ‘empowerment and respect’, ‘social justice’ and ‘compassionate vocation’. Each element has implications for the daily practice of the profession, the cultivation of resilience and the core values of social work. This article further discusses the respondents’ perception of outside views of the profession and explores the tensions between the values of social work and its implementation in an institutional setting. This research seeks to open new lines of inquiry about social work based on the experiences and points of view of front-line practitioners. In proposing our representational analysis of the professional identity of social workers, we hope to further the understanding of social work in general.

Who owns the case record? Client access to case records in Canadian social work practice

This study looked into client access to their case records routinely maintained by social workers in the course of professional practice. An online survey and semi-structured interviews were undertaken with Canadian social workers. The study found that while the majority of the participants indicated that they granted clients access to their case records, clients were not effectively granted such access in practice. Client access to their case records is a core issue in social work, and social workers need to proactively grant such access if they are to live by the core values of social work.

Undergraduate students’ perception of their own strengths and weaknesses as potential social workers

This article offers some insight into how undergraduate social work students perceive their own strengths and weaknesses. This qualitative research study explored responses from 51 s-year students. Participant responses revealed five main themes in strengths and weaknesses categories: characteristic features, client work related, communication skills, expert-centred approach and problem-focused approach. In order to teach students social work core values and perspectives, it is crucial for the educators themselves to explore their own approaches related to the strengths perspective vs deficit-based approach and their willingness to change their own views and teaching methods to prepare future professionals.

Optimistic but Confused: Perceptions about the Mission and Core Values of Social Work in Vietnam by Vietnamese Policy‐makers, Social Work Faculty and Practitioners

In 2010, the Vietnamese government officially recognized social work as a profession. This study explores whether key stakeholders in the development of social work in Vietnam (i.e. policy‐makers, pioneering educators, and practitioners) had reached a shared understanding about the mission and core values of Vietnamese social work by the end of 2015. An exploratory survey was conducted with 65 participants representing key stakeholders of social work in Vietnam. Participants had a shared but rather generic, at times vague, and overly optimistic view of the mission of Vietnamese social work as a “helping profession” that would be able to solve every social problem and present in all areas. There was a strong, unanimous desire for Vietnamese social work to focus on human dignity, social justice, and individuals’ rights, mixed with the preservation of Vietnam's collective, community‐based culture under the central guiding role of the state.

Social workers' attributions towards individuals with dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and mental illness.

The present study aimed to explore the applicability of the attribution model to social workers' attributions towards clients with dual diagnosis of intellectual disability and psychiatric illness. Specifically, the study examined the relations between social workers' attribution of responsibility, causality, stereotypes of dangerousness, their emotional reactions and behavioural reactions towards clients with dual diagnosis. Social workers (N = 279) completed questionnaires measuring attributions of responsibility, causation and dangerousness, and reported on their emotional and behavioural reactions to clients diagnosed with DD. Most social workers reported high levels of helping behaviours. The strongest predictor of discriminatory behaviours was the stereotype of dangerousness. Social workers who reported feeling less anger and more pity towards clients with DD tended to report higher levels of helping behaviour. But contrary to attribution theory, fear and anger did not predict discriminatory behaviours. The results are discussed in relation to the core values of social work and to professional identity.

Importance of social care in promoting personalised end-of-life planning

I have worked in social care for the past 36 years. I started my professional life working with children, before transferring to the adult world in 2000. In my new role I started to have frequent involvement with people who were dying. I became aware of the variable practice that existed within the social care profession in relation to supporting people's end-of-life experience. I also became aware of the accepted view that end-of-life care was solely the responsibility of the medical and nursing professions and that social care had very little to offer. That is clearly not the case. In fact, social care has a great deal to offer people, particularly in relation to facilitating their preferred place of care and death. Social care practitioners are experts in the field of personalised care. The concept of ‘personalisation’ means recognising people as individuals who have strengths and preferences and putting them at the centre of their own care and support. It is based in the core values of social work—respect for the individual and self-determination (Social Care Institute for Excellence 2010). Putting People First (HM Government 2007) aimed to transform the way in which adult social care is delivered to people within the community. It is time that as social care practitioners we build on that success in relation to end-of-life planning and enabling people to have choice and control over their lives and place of death. My journey in promoting end-of-life care within adult social services started 7 years ago when I was the main family carer for my dad George. George had clear views about how and where he wished to die when the time came. Unfortunately, he very nearly did not achieve his desire. Despite wanting to die in his flat, George was admitted to hospital when he became poorly …

Teaching Note—Integrating a Social Justice Assignment Into a Research Methods Course

Although social justice is a core value of social work, it can be more difficult to integrate into a research methods class. This article describes an assignment developed for a BSW one-semester research class that served the dual purpose of educating students about social justice as well as qualitative research. Students were instructed to identify a social norm and then breach it for 1 hour. They then wrote about their experience and their insights in a paper using thick description, analyzing themes and reflecting on insights into social justice.

Obstacles in Formulating a Code of Ethics for Social Workers in Jordanian Institutions

The major purpose of the study was to examine the obstacles in formulating a code of ethics for social workers in Jordanian institutions and to identify the personal characteristics and professional behaviours of social workers in Jordan. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to achieve the objectives of this study. A survey with open and closed questions was distributed randomly to 95 social workers The study found that a substantial numbers of social workers in Jordan (78.6%) from the sample did not belong to any social work associations. The majority of male and female social workers (29.5%) have a BSW degree. The research also revealed the obstacles in formulating a code of ethics for social workers in Jordan; those obstacles are the clients, social work institutions, the experience of social workers, weaknesses in the research, and the cultural obstacles in local communities in Jordanian society.A recommendation arising from the study is that all professional social workers in Jordan need to formulate a national social workers code of ethics as a guide for practice. The code of ethics would have general ethical principles that are based on the core values of social work to be used as a guide for professional behaviour.

Obstacles in Formulating Code of Ethics for Social Workers in Jordanian Institutions

The major purpose of the study was to examine the Obstacles in Formulating Code of Ethics for Social Workers in Jordanian Institutions and to identify the personal characteristics and professional social workers in Jordanian social institutions. A cover letter explained the purpose of the survey distributed on social workers. A qualitative and quantitative used to achieve the objectives of this study by distributing randomly a survey included open and close questions to 95 social workers throughout the Jordanian institutions by researcher. The study finds that the vast majority of social workers in Jordan (78.6%) from the sample did not belong to any membership associations of social work. Also, it shows that the majority of males and females social workers (29.5%) have BSW degree. Moreover, the study categorizes the obstacles in formulating code of ethics for social workers in Jordanian institutions into: clients, social work institutions, experience of social workers, weakness of research and the local community culture obstacles in Jordanian society. The study recommended that all professional social workers in Jordan have to formulate a national social workers code of ethics as a guide for practice and it presents general ethical principles that are based on the core values of social work that consulting social workers to use the code of ethics as a guide for their professional behavior.