Social Work Today Research Articles

SOSYAL HİZMETİN BİLGİ TEMELİNDE GÜNCEL GELİŞMELER: NÖROBİLİMİN KATKILARI

In the early days of its emergence, the social work profession was seen as a social assistance profession. The profession, which has developed mostly in the focus of poverty, has started to benefit from the theories, approaches and models of different disciplines such as psychology and sociology and has an eclectic knowledge base. Social work, which evaluates human behavior, needs and problems with a biopsychosocial focus, continues to benefit from different disciplines. One of these disciplines is neuroscience, which facilitates our understanding of the brain's function and life-long processes. Studies showing the connection between social work and neuroscience are increasing, albeit slowly, around the world. This study aims to reveal the role of neuroscience in understanding the factors that affect the social behavior of individuals within the framework of the "person in environment" approach, which is one of the dominant paradigms in social work today.

NATIONAL MINORITY AS AN OBJECT OF SOCIAL WORK: THEORETICAL ASPECT

Ukrainian social and political events taking place in the current conditions laid the foundations for fundamental changes in the process of regulating the ethnic and political life of society. The process of European integration, which acquired clear outlines after the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, strengthened the process of rethinking the forms of international relations in the country on the basis of a liberal-humanist paradigm based on personal freedom and ensuring the full status of each individual. The implementation of these ideas in real life involves the development and implementation at the national level of a set of organizational, legal, informational, technical, political and other measures to improve the situation of national minorities. The purpose of the article is to analyze the basic characteristics of the concept of "national minority" and to emphasize the main tasks of social work in the process of improving the well-being of clients of other nationalities. Research methods used in this study can be characterized as analytical, systematic analysis, historical, comparative method. The conducted theoretical research allows us to draw the following conclusions. The issue of terminology in the field of studying national minorities is quite seriously developed in Ukraine. Taking into account the achievements of domestic and foreign scientists, we can talk about a thorough study of the current state of international relations. Social work plays an important role in solving issues related to improving the well-being of national minorities in Ukraine, as one of the means of solving the multifaceted problems of representatives of national minorities and a tool for implementing social policy. Expanding the knowledge and practical skills of specialists in the field of social work, revealing their main characteristics, introducing advanced methods into practice is one of the urgent problems of social work today.

Edukační paradigma v sociální pedagogice a sociální práci – historie, současnost, perspektivy

The aim of this study is to analyse in a diachronic and synchronic perspective the way in which the educational paradigm of helping (helping to self-help) influences the relations between social pedagogy and social work as sciences and as practical helping disciplines interacting in a common professional field. The referential frame constitutes of the thesis that, as sciences and as helping practices, both social pedagogy and social work today are based on the values of human dignity, justice, and equality and on a developmental approach to helping. The conceptual similarities and differences between social pedagogy and social work in terms of their historical development, scientific, and practice-professional profile are discussed.

Social group work in Germany: the rise and fall of the Hanseatic Youth Association (HJB) in Hamburg

ABSTRACT This paper presents Hanseatic Youth Association (HJB) in Hamburg as case study in the history of social group work in Germany. During the Nazi era, youth groups of the Wandervogel movement of the 1920s were assimilated by the Hitler Youth, and democratic traditions were replaced by authoritarian approaches to group work that persisted for decades after the war. In 1947, Elisabeth Sülau revived participatory social group work in Hamburg when she founded the Hanseatic Youth Association (HJB), which grew from an initial group of seven girls to social clubs and friendship groups that served up to 400 children and young adults per year. Social group work in the HJB was based on democratic principles and situational equality for all members. Following the closure of the HJB in 1967, social group work was subsumed by a clinial professional model that distinguished between social education and therapeutic group work. Implications are drawn for social group work today.

A LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVE ON THE CONCEPT OF "RESEARCH-BASED SOCIAL WORK"

Research in social work today is extensive and diverse, which is why it is justified to illuminate the concept of "research-based social work." Since different connotations — that is linguistic meanings — can be attached to the concept, it needs linguistic clarification. In this paper, the concept is outlined from a linguistic point of view by specifying its intensions. In conclusion, research-based social work is proving to be a key concept in modern social work, for which the meanings associated with the concept vary under different contexts. A kind of universal view of the concept is to understand it to refer to the acquisition and application of research-based information and the adherence to a style of working in accordance with scientific conventions to ensure the quality of good practice in social work.

Spoprijemanje s političnim konfliktom v socialnem delu danes in v bližnji prihodnosti

Spoprijemanje s političnim konfliktom v socialnem delu danes in v bližnji prihodnosti

Social pedagogy vs social work in Poland

This article is a descriptive review of the historical and theoretical conditions of social pedagogy and social work in Poland. It pertains to the definition, tradition and development of social pedagogy and social work in Poland. Using the insiders’ expert overview of the latter, it identifies the disciplinary boundaries, commonalities and differences that shape both social work and social pedagogy today. The authors present the academic roots, methodology, research scopes, theoretical framework for practitioners and finally, the practical application for both disciplines. The discussion is based on literary sources and extensive experience in the field presented by an associate professor of social pedagogy and a qualified social worker, both employed at a social pedagogy department. This combination ensures scientific honesty and a double-screening procedure of the content from the perspective of practitioners representing both disciplines. This approach provides a balanced view, since the interdependency and separation of the two fields may be seen as an area of potential negotiation.

Expediting Human Dignity in Social Work Practices

The authors explore the complexities of human dignity, analyze human dignity as a concept and its position within the framework of today's social work practices. In this regard, the authors ponder upon diverse understanding of human dignity, including human dignity as a socio-legal value and its importance to social work in general and to other principal values relevant for social work. They examine the evolution of social work approaches towards human dignity while focusing on social work related international organizations and their national members' and partners' work to promote and uphold human dignity in delivery processes of social services.

Clinical intuition and the non-material: an argument for Dual Aspect Monism

ABSTRACTA small set of studies have investigated the use of intuition among therapists, including clinical social workers. These studies identify intuition as an important adjunct to clinical skills. The studies’ participants understand and describe their experience of intuition in terms of energy and related terms. This explanation is not consistent with the dominant ontology in academic social work today, which blinkers non-material aspects of reality. Dual Aspect Monism offers an ontology that renders intuition and related spiritually sensitive means of practice legitimate. The profession of social work, and the clients social workers serve, may benefit from adopting a paradigm that values the non-material to the same degree as the material. This new paradigm would allow for greater understanding and the adoption of many spiritually-sensitive practices. This, in turn, would require mastery of specific practice capacities.

The Sixties Scoop

This paper examines issues concerning First Nations peoples and the child welfare system, and their implications for social work today. It explores the Sixties Scoop to illustrate the devastating impact such policies and practices had on Aboriginal children, families and communities. Cultural genocide is part of this legacy. To deliver more culturally appropriate services, awareness about and acknowledgement of these mistakes can assist social workers to incorporate a social justice perspective into their practice with Aboriginal clients. As well, implications for social work education regarding professional training, curriculum content and course delivery by Aboriginal faculty members are highlighted.

Street level society

This paper aims to reflect on research findings from different empirical studies of social work with young drug users and socially excluded young people in Copenhagen. In the paper we account for historical changes in social policy and interventions into young people's drug taking in Copenhagen, and we discuss some of the most central dilemmas in today's social work with young drug users. Among other things, we identify pervasive marginalizing dynamics in the social system that result partly from the deep-rooted cultural dichotomy between stigma and taboo that organizes the drug issue, and partly from the decentralizing and specializing efforts characteristic of the Danish welfare state and its institutions. We discuss a general turn towards street level interventions to address the problems of social exclusion, as well as different attempts to create what we term street level heterotopias - sites of alternate ordering - where issues of drug use and other social problems can be dealt with and objectified in more flexible ways and handled as part of ongoing social practices of everyday life.

Editorial: Elder Abuse and Social Work: Research, Theory and Practice

This Special Issue of the British Journal of Social Work is dedicated to arguably one of the biggest challenges facing social work today: violence and abuse of older people. Despite increasing acceptance of elder abuse as a global public-health issue and violation of human rights, research, policy and practice in this area remain fragmented and there are serious gaps across all three areas. This Special Issue is devoted to examining the international development of research, theory, policy and practice in relation to elder abuse and domestic violence affecting older populations.

Realizacja fundamentalnych cnót moralnych gwarancją skutecznej pracy socjalnej

Praktyka pracy socjalnej wskazuje dziś na ogromną rolę cnót moralnych w spełnianiu zadań życiowych. Dlatego celem niniejszej publikacji będzie ukazanie z perspektywy etycznej fundamentalnych cnót, które są imperatywem owocnej i skutecznej pracy socjalnej. Do najważniejszych cnót moralnych należy zaliczyć: poszanowanie godności człowieka, odpowiedzialność, miłość bliźniego, miłosierdzie, sprawiedliwość, uczciwość, prawdomówność i sumienność. Wśród innych również znaczących cnót moralnych można wymienić: lojalność, szacunek, życzliwość, mądre rozsądzanie, wielkoduszność i solidarność. Wszystkie te cnoty, które stoją u podstaw skutecznej pracy socjalnej, będą przedmiotem niniejszych rozważań.

Grand challenges for social work

As the current UK government ‘dismantles for improvement’ as part of the neoliberal project (Tunstill, 2016), this article introduces the concept of the Grand Challenge Initiative, which seeks to identify ambitious yet achievable goals for society that mobilise the profession, capture the public’s imagination and require innovation and breakthroughs in research and practice to achieve change and real transformation. This article outlines a clear rationale for a Grand Challenge Initiative approach within the UK, draws upon the experience from other professions and social work within the US, and finally calls for broad and deep participation of social work thought leaders and practitioners to participate in and identify the Grand Challenges facing our society and social work today.

Translations in social work

ABSTRACTThis article is concerned with the relation between classical texts within social work and the interpretation of these classics in contemporary literature. It aims to explore how classical texts influence and work in our perception of, and writing about, our history, but also how they influence our perception of social work today. A study is made of Mary Richmond’s classic text Social diagnosis [1917. Social diagnosis. New York, NY: The Russell Sage Foundation] and later interpretations of her text in secondary literature. Through this analysis, a grand narrative within the effective history of social work: social work as a ‘borrowing field’ is questioned. Using translation theory as an alternative to the borrowing metaphor, I analyze the transference of ideas and concepts from other disciplines into social work and how these processes have been perceived. The dynamic processes of translation places social work within an interdisciplinary field, where ideas and concepts are continually exchanged between disciplines. It is the thesis of this article that research into authorities within the discipline and early contributions to the development of social work strengthen the discipline’s insight into past and current theoretical contributions within the discipline itself and the knowledge base of social work.

Clement Attlee and the Social Service Idea: Modern Messages for Social Work in England

Clement Attlee is most famous for being the Labour prime minister of the UK after the Second World War. It is less well known that he was a social worker and a social work lecturer on either side of the First World War, before he was elected to parliament in 1922. He had even written a book about it: The Social Worker, published in 1920. This paper describes Attlee’s time as a social worker and social work lecturer, setting his experiences and the book in the context of the times, especially the tensions and overlaps between ‘individualist’ and ‘collectivist’ understandings of society. It outlines Attlee’s vision of social work, and considers the ongoing relevance of his understandings of social work and society. In particular, the paper highlights Attlee’s notion of ‘the social service idea’. This brings together four essential elements of social work—that it should be radical, relationship-based, realistic and reciprocal. Attlee’s social service idea, and his individual example, still offer guidance and inspiration for social work today.

Lessons from the First International Conference on Social Work

This article presents the history of the First International Conference on Social Work in 1928 and explores five themes from the conference proceedings: cross-disciplinary collaborations, international activity that respects national identities, increasing professionalism in social work education, personal relationships, and a sense of both urgency and optimism. Implications for international efforts in social work today are briefly explored.

Reconsidering Social Work 100 Years Post-Flexner: Where Are We Now, Where Are We Headed, What Has Been Gained, What Has Been Lost?

ABSTRACTA century has passed since Abraham Flexner deemed social work not to be a profession, and the field finds itself once again in a moment of questioning and redefining its nature, objectives, methods, and standing among the professions and in the academy. In this introduction we revisit Flexner’s influential speech, review some of the critical issues facing social work today, and highlight the contributions of the 15 social work educators from schools all across the country, experts in social work research, practice, policy, and education, as they consider what social work has been, where it stands today, and what it should be as we look to the future.

Strengths-based group supervision with social work students

This paper integrates the theoretical models of the strengths perspective with narrative theory and reflective practice, while incorporating the concepts of parallel process and the Socratic method into the group supervision of social work students. With the strengths perspective as a unifying model in social work today, it is suggested that this model also can reflect the supervisory parallel process. Thus, just as we strive to work with clients in a cooperative partnership that emphasizes their strengths and abilities, empowerment, resilience, and diversity, so, too, we need to bring these concepts into the supervisee-supervisor relationship.

Complex issues, complex solutions: applying complexity theory in social work practice

High-profile service failures in social work have ensured that the demand that practitioner decision-making be both accurate and transparent has never been as vocal or persistent. Such expectations undermine both trust and legitimacy, and how best to respond represents perhaps the most challenging issue facing social work today. Of necessity, practitioners must make judgements in circumstances characterised by uncertainty and ambiguity, while the complexity of this undertaking is routinely cited as a confounding variable in efforts to generate and apply generalisable knowledge in a technical fashion. Here, we aim to utilise developments in complexity theory to elaborate on why this might be the case, but also what, practically, social work might do about it. In particular, we will respond to Eileen Munro suggestion that it is possible to differentiate areas of social work which can be proceduralised from those which should be judgement based. Utilising recent developments in complexity theory, we aim to explore whether this can be undertaken on the basis of a ‘complexity continuum’ which enables classification of roles and tasks on the basis of inherent certainty or uncertainty. In providing a reflexive account of the development and application of the continuum, however, the relationship between theory and practice is to some extent problematised. The findings demonstrate that although complexity theory can provide useful insights, it also has evident practical limitations. In turn, these limitations have implications for discussions regarding the real-world relevance of complexity theory, and for sociological theorising to social work more generally.