Life Span: Overview

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lani V. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Sociocultural Context ◽  
Social Tasks

This entry provides an overview of the life-span perspective focusing on biological developments and social tasks all of which are embedded in a larger sociocultural context from birth to old age within diverse environments, cultures, and historical eras. This section will also focus on how the life-span perspective succeeds traditional life course models that assume to be universal, sequential, and predictable. The life-span perspective of social work departs from approaches based on traditional models that are narrow and focuses on personal deficits, pointing instead to strengths, continued growth, and environmental resources for individuals, families, groups, and communities. Finally, this entry will discuss how the life-span perspective shows great promise for encompassing theory of human development for the purpose of expanding knowledge, promoting “best practice” service delivery, policy regulation and research to enhance the lives of people with whom social workers come into contact.

scholarly journals Practising social work

Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 97-114
Author(s):  
Guy Shennan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Science Knowledge ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Interviews ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Work Knowledge

The chapter considers changes and developments in the content of social work education under the three headings of social science disciplines, understanding human development and relationships, and theories, approaches and methods for practice. At the start of the period under review, social science knowledge (primarily from sociology and social policy) and human development theories predominated, but as their research base and published literature have expanded, theories and methods for practice have become more prominent. The contribution to knowledge from research conducted by social workers themselves is acknowledged, as is the contribution made by experts by experience, both directly and through research interviews. The prominence of sequences on law for social workers is noted. The chapter concludes by asserting that the broad partnership of interests which should determine the content of the social work knowledge base is threatened by Government's much-expanded role, but that most social work programmes continue to ensure a balanced curriculum.

scholarly journals Challenging ‘ableism’ and teaching about disability in a social work classroom

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Micheal Shier ◽  
Carole Sinclair ◽  
Lila Gault
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Training Module ◽  
Direct Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Work Programs ◽  
Work Education

Social work programs in Canada teach emerging generalist practitioners about the consequences of oppression in the lives of the clients they work with. More emphasis within social work education could be placed on practical ways of contextualizing forms of oppression as each relates specifically to practice. The following provides a description of the oppression of ‘ableism’, and offers an applied training module to help prepare generalist social workers (i.e. current students or direct practitioners) to work with issues of disability as they emerge in their direct practice with clients. The training module helps to facilitate learning specific to the leading theoretical discussions and the social context of disability within society. Through these discussions students might then become more aware of their role as practitioners in challenging the oppression of ‘ableism’, rather than maintain outdated modes of service delivery and intervention with those people disabled by the social environment.

scholarly journals Does reflective supervision have a future in English local authority child and family social work?

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Underlying Assumption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reflective Supervision

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the underlying assumption that social workers need reflective supervision specifically, as opposed to managerial or any other form of supervision or support, and to consider whether our focus on the provision of reflective supervision may be preventing us from thinking more broadly and creatively about what support local authority child and family social workers need and how best to provide it. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides an argument based on the author’s own research and a selective review of the literature. Findings Reflective supervision has no future in local authority child and family social work because: first, there is no clear understanding of what reflective supervision is; second, there is no clear evidence for its effectiveness; and third, sizeable proportion of local authority child and family social workers in England do not receive reflective supervision and many never have. Originality/value The paper challenges the received wisdom about the value of reflective supervision and advocates exploring alternative models for supporting best practice in child and family social work.

The lived experiences of social workers working with refugees in Lebanon

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110083
Author(s):  
David P Cecil ◽  
Rachel J Hagues ◽  
Rania Mansour ◽  
Aimee Ghanem ◽  
David E Robbins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
The Status ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Work Education

Refugee care in Lebanon Understanding the lived experiences of social workers. Summary This mixed methods study examines the status of social work in its response to the refugee crisis within Lebanon, a country with the highest per capita refugee population in the world. Findings A structured interview guide and brief ordinal instrument were administered through interviews ( n = 10) and 10 focus groups ( n = 37) ( N = 47). Participants were recruited with the help of Lebanese social work colleagues. We explored professional roles, greatest refugee needs, social worker coping, and recommendations for refugee social work trainers and educators. Qualitative results are presented as themes with examples of direct quotations. Culturally specific services accurately targeting needs are among the major themes identified. Quantitative results, primarily using descriptive statistics and one Pearson’s r correlation statistic, report on participants’ overall stress levels, sense of effectiveness in refugee practice, and connection of faith/religion to motivation for refugee work. Applications This work is applied as best practice recommendations for social work education and for front-line training of those in social work roles working with refugees in Lebanon. This work also raises awareness about one of the most critical humanitarian crises in history.

Who's left holding the woman?: Practice issues facing hospital social workers working with women who have infants removed at birth by NSW Department of Community Services

2009 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Wickham
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Hospital Social Workers ◽  
Hospital Social Work ◽  
Supportive Counselling

Over the past three years, there has been a significant change in the focus of hospital social work intervention with pregnant women–from supportive counselling relating to motherhood, to systems advocacy within the child protection context.Hospital social workers in this field have frequently been faced with the inevitable conflicting interests of supporting parents and protecting infants. However, the recent changes have thrown up various ethical questions, and issues of integrity and advocacy, in what is a complex area of practice.This paper seeks to examine some of the current practice issues for social workers in this area. By examining the current context and literature, several practice themes will be considered and explored. In examining this issue at both the micro level of current hospital social work practice and the macro level of legislative and systemic issues, several best practice suggestions are considered within the context of the author's current workplace.

scholarly journals The Professional Capabilities Framework and contemporary debates: Implications for social work education in England

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-23
Author(s):  
Martyn Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Advanced Practice ◽  
Reform Agenda ◽  
The Social ◽  
Development Approach ◽  
Work Education

Abstract: The social work reform agenda sought to transform social work education. The aim was to make qualifying social work education effective at producing social workers fit for practice. A number of reforms have been implemented. These include among others the Professional Capabilities Framework. This framework provides a single set of standards for all social workers from initial qualification to advanced practice. The problem for social work reform and the Professional Capabilities Framework is that elements of the reform remain contested. Despite the implementation of the reforms in 2013 differences continue to exist about the nature and purpose of social work. The key message of this paper is that reconfiguring the Professional Capabilities Framework within Sen’s capabilities or human development approach will provide social work education with a more comprehensive foundation with which to engage effectively with contemporary debates about social work education.Keywords: professional capabilities framework; Sen; Naussbaum; capabilities approach; human development model

Resilience and levels of reserve capacity in later adulthood: Perspectives from life-span theory

1993 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 541-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula M. Staudinger ◽  
Michael Marsiske ◽  
Paul B. Baltes
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Reserve Capacity ◽  
Second Line ◽  
First Line ◽  
Selective Optimization With Compensation ◽  
The Face

AbstractThe goal of this article is to explore the utility of integrating two lines of research on questions of modifiability or plasticity of human development. The first line, dealing with the notion of resilience, originated within the field of clinical developmental research. The second line, concerned with developmental reserve capacity, evolved primarily within the field of life-span developmental psychology. Resilience addresses questions of maintenance and recovery of adaptation in the face of stress. In addition, ideas about levels of reserve capacity, rooted in life-span developmental psychology, emphasize the potential for growth. A review of research in the areas of cognitive and self-related functioning provides evidence for resilience as well as developmental reserve capacity in adulthood and old age. It is argued that across the life span reserve capacity is increasingly allocated to resilience-related processes (maintenance of functioning and recovery from dysfunction) rather than growth. A model of successful aging is discussed which suggests that, by means of selective optimization with compensation, old age nevertheless continues to hold the potential for selective growth.

Psychotropic Medications and Contemporary Social Work

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kia J. Bentley ◽  
Christopher P. Kogut
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Psychiatric Medication ◽  
Drug Companies ◽  
The Future ◽  
To Come

To advance the discussion of the interface between psychopharmacology and contemporary social work practice, we present a brief primer on the different types of medications used in psychiatry and our current understanding of how they work. We also discuss how decisions are made about psychiatric medications in the real world to treat some of the more common mental illnesses. Along the way, we will also present some of the recent research in psychopharmacology of particular interest to social workers and the clients they serve, as well as some of the future directions we can expect in the years to come. From that foundation, we review major activities of social workers in psychiatric medication, address some of the key controversies centering on issues of access, the role of drug companies, and especially medication for children. We conclude with brief reflections on what is “best practice” and notions of the future of interdisciplinary practice in health, mental health, and beyond.

Financial Capability

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Sherrard Sherraden
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Financial Education ◽  
Financial Capability ◽  
Household Finances ◽  
Financial Products ◽  
Ability To Act ◽  
Large Numbers

Financial capability combines the ability to act with the opportunity to act in ways that contribute to financial functioning. As large numbers of people struggle to manage their household finances, financial capability has become increasingly important. Improving financial capability requires financial education and guidance as well as improved access across the life span to appropriate and beneficial financial products and services. Examples of policies that promote financial capability across the life span include Children’s Development Accounts and myRAs, long-term investment vehicles that build financial capability. Social work can play a key role in building financial capability through interventions in households, communities, and policies. However, these contributions require practice and research to develop and test interventions. They also require financial education for social workers.

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