Transforming Well-Being for Refugees and Their Communities: Perspectives from Medicine, Nursing, Education, and Social Work

2020 ◽  
pp. 35-50
Author(s):  
Kim Griswold ◽  
Jessica Scates ◽  
Ali Kadhum
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being

scholarly journals Computational Social Welfare: Applying Data Science in Social Work

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Ren ◽  
Marla Stuart ◽  
Julian Chun-Chung Chow
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Computational Linguistics ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Computational Social Science ◽  
Computational Science ◽  
Computational Approaches ◽  
The Social

Computational social welfare, a powerful new science, combines a focal commitment to social justice and equity with adoption of computational modeling as an epistemological paradigm and with advanced data science skills as the methodology. As a science focused on learning from data, it mirrors the values and processes of grounded theory already well established in social welfare and it elevates the use of administrative data, which is so prevalent in the social settings of interest to social welfare scholars. As a science deeply rooted in complexity theory, it promises to produce new insights about the complex and adaptive social environments in which social workers practice and conduct research. As an inherently cross-disciplinary science, it welcomes new perspectives about how to understand and solve social problems. As a science led by innovations and one in use outside of universities with later adoption by academic researchers, it provides a template for social welfare to embrace an action-oriented research agenda led by practitioners and communities. In this way, it aligns well with the participatory paradigm already embraced by many social welfare scholars. As a science that promotes transparency and open access, it facilitates a critical paradigm that can challenge oppressive beliefs and practices embedded in traditional, historical, and legacy research traditions. Computational social welfare is situated within the umbrella of computational social science. It is analogous to computational approaches in other fields, including computational biology, computational linguistics, computational finance, and computational cognition. All computational approaches exist within the broader domain of computational science, understood to be a science that uses networks, computers, software, algorithms, and simulations to create new knowledge. Please refer to the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy article “Computational Science” for more information. Computational social welfare also benefits from technology development. Technology innovation provides a foundation for computational social welfare. However, computational social welfare focuses more on application and analysis than hardware development. Please refer to the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Social Work articles “Technology in Social Work” and “Technology for Social Work Interventions” for more information about technology in social work. Computational social welfare seems like a science well suited for solving modern social challenges. However, it has not yet been widely embraced and tested by social welfare scholars. Therefore, this article aims to introduce the various facets of computational social welfare to practitioners and scholars dedicated to social well-being with a goal of advancing its use and testing. It is generally focused on the field of social welfare but will be of interest to those involved in, and it draws citations from, fields that share a commitment to improving conditions for people, including but not limited to public policy, sociology, economics, nursing, education, criminal justice, public health, psychology, and political science. Social work practitioners can learn how data science is applied in other disciplines for social well-being, including trends, argument, methods, and analysis, that could inspire social welfare scholars to enhance the social work discipline.

A MODEL FOR MOBILE SOCIAL WORK WITH FAMILIES AT RISK

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 2067-2073
Author(s):  
Iliyan Rizov
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
Specific Activities

The report presents a model for mobile social work with families, which develops in Roma communities (Varna Municipality and Aksakovo Municipality) for 10 years. This model seeks to resolve the problem about inefficiency of institutions in their work to reduce the number of abandoned children and to increase child well-being in vulnerable communities. There are presented specific activities and results, what show a way of support of the process for deinstitutionalization of childcare.

Financial capabilities development: essential discourse in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Vulnerable Households ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.

‘She Made You Feel like There’s Hope’: Gaining a Better Understanding of How Children Negotiate Their Relationships with Social Workers from Their Own Accounts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Gorin ◽  
Mary Baginsky ◽  
Jo Moriarty ◽  
Jill Manthorpe
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Signs Of Safety ◽  
Relational Resilience ◽  
Children’S Accounts ◽  
Care Innovation

Abstract Recent years have seen a re-emergence of international interest in relationship-based social work. This article uses children’s accounts of their relationships with social workers to build on previous research to promote children’s safety and well-being. Interviews were undertaken with 111 children aged six- to eighteen-years old across ten different local authorities in England, as part of the evaluation of Munro, Turnell and Murphy’s Signs of Safety pilots within the Department for Education’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme. The interviews reveal four key findings: that children look for care and reciprocity in their relationships with social workers and this can be achieved through listening and small acts of kindness; that they are adept at recognising aspects of social workers’ verbal and non-verbal communications which indicate to the child whether they are listening and interested in them; that there are times in which children are particularly vulnerable especially if parents are resistant to engagement or children’s trust is broken; and that children actively use their agency to control their communication and engagement. The article concludes by highlighting children’s relational resilience and the importance of ensuring opportunities for children to develop new relationships with social workers when previous relationships have broken down.

scholarly journals Black women and COVID-19: The need for targeted mental health research and practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 247-255
Author(s):  
Quenette L Walton ◽  
Rosalyn Denise Campbell ◽  
Joan M Blakey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Black Women ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Health Research ◽  
Women’S Mental Health ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
Women's Mental Health ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Health And Well Being

COVID-19 has significantly impacted a substantial number of Black Americans. Black women, in particular, are facing challenges financially, physically, and mentally during this unprecedented time. Between serving as frontline workers, being concerned about contracting the virus, contributing to their families financially, and worrying about their loved ones’ health, Black women are experiencing great strain on their mental health and well-being. These stressors illustrate the need for social work researchers and practitioners to address Black women’s mental health. This paper presents our reflections, experiences, and response to COVID-19 as Black women and scholars. Guided by our reflections and personal experiences, we put forth suggestions and reflexive thoughts for social work researchers and practitioners to prioritize Black women’s mental health during and after these unprecedented times.

Calling Social Work to the Movement for Educational Justice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annahita Ball
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Educational Justice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Conditions For Learning ◽  
History Of

Abstract The persistent and systemic inequities within the U.S. public education system have grave implications for children’s and youth’s outcomes, yet these inequities go far beyond academics. Marginalized and vulnerable students experience injustices across the educational system, including disproportionality in school discipline, unequal access to advanced courses, and poor conditions for learning. Social work has a solid history of addressing issues that intersect across families, schools, and communities, but the profession has had little engagement in the recent educational justice movement. As educational scholars advance a movement to address educational inequities, it will be increasingly important for social work researchers to provide valuable insight into the multiple components that make up youth development and support positive well-being for all individuals within a democratic society. This article encourages social work researchers to extend lines of inquiry that investigate educational justice issues by situating social work practice and research within educational justice and suggesting an agenda for future social work research that will advance equity for all students.

Research End-User Perspectives about Using Social Work Research in Policy and Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare Tilbury ◽  
Mark Hughes ◽  
Christine Bigby ◽  
Mike Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
End Users ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Engagement Strategies ◽  
User Perspectives

Abstract Research funding and assessment initiatives that foster engagement between researchers and research end-users have been adopted by governments in many countries. They aim to orient research towards achieving measurable impacts that improve economic and social well-being beyond academia. This has long been regarded as important in social work research, as it has in many fields of applied research. This study examined research engagement and impact from the perspective of research end-users working in human services. In-person or telephone interviews were conducted with forty-three research end-users about how they used research and interacted with researchers. Content analysis was undertaken to identify engagement strategies and thematic coding was employed to examine underpinning ideas about research translation into practice. Participants were involved in many types of formal and informal research engagements. They viewed research translation as a mutual responsibility but indicated that researchers should do more to improve the utility of their research for industry. The findings highlight the iterative nature of engagement and impact and raise questions about the infrastructure for scaling up impact beyond relationships between individual researchers and their industry partners.

Indigenous social work across borders: Expanding social work in the South Pacific

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracie Mafile’o ◽  
Halaevalu F Ofahengaue Vakalahi
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Preservation ◽  
Current Status ◽  
The South ◽  
New Approaches ◽  
Work Education

Pacific indigenous social work has developed across borders reflecting the diaspora of Pacific peoples outside their homelands. It is proposed that the ‘next wave’ of Pacific social work be centred in Pacific homelands to invigorate new approaches that better address well-being for transnational Pacific peoples. The current status of Pacific social work education, professionalization and theory is discussed. It is argued that social justice, locally-led development and cultural preservation will be better realized with an expansion of Pacific social work across borders. The article reflects on decolonization, universalism–relativism, nature of social work, resourcing and collaborations for Pacific social work.

Recreational Drumming: A Creative Arts Intervention Strategy for Social Work Teaching and Practice

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Maschi ◽  
Carolyn Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Stress Energy ◽  
Msw Students ◽  
Interpersonal Connectedness ◽  
Diverse Groups ◽  
The Impact

Recreational music-making has been shown to decrease stress and increase feelings of well-being and empowerment among diverse groups. This study examined the impact of recreational drumming among social work students on measures of well-being, empowerment, and connectedness. It used a pretest-posttest design to evaluate outcomes among a sample of 31 participants in the 2-hour I–We Rhythm Program for recreational drumming. Results of paired t-test analyses revealed significant differences in levels of stress, energy, and feelings of empowerment and community. Using this creative-arts intervention can be an effective self-care strategy for BSW and MSW students, practitioners, and/or clients in educational or agency-based settings to increase feelings of well-being and interpersonal connectedness, which, in turn, may help to increase effectiveness in practice.

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