The Role of Education in Developing Students’ Professional Resilience for Social Work Practice: A Systematic Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Hitchcock ◽  
Mark Hughes ◽  
Lynne McPherson ◽  
Louise Whitaker
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Contextual Influences ◽  
Educational Processes ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

Abstract Social work practitioners are called on to be resilient in an increasingly complex and challenging human service environment. This study presents the results of a systematic scoping review aimed at understanding the role of social work education in developing students’ professional resilience in preparation for their future social work practice. The application of a comprehensive search strategy resulted in the inclusion of thirty-two articles, published between 2008 and 2018. A descriptive thematic analysis highlighted the political and contextual influences on this recent and emerging body of literature, together with three key themes. These themes centred around education building resilience through screening social work applicants, targeted knowledge provision and inclusive educational processes. The findings draw attention to the emphasis on social workers being individually responsible and accountable for their professional resilience, with this potentially reinforced and facilitated through education processes. The findings identify the need for future research to investigate environmental influences on social workers’ resilience, including how educators support students to understand and shape them.

scholarly journals Emotional intelligence as a part of critical reflection in social work practice and research

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110247
Author(s):  
Mari D Herland
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Emotional Aspects

Social workers often experience higher levels of burnout compared with other healthcare professionals. The capacity to manage one’s own emotional reactions efficiently, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of social workers. This article highlights the complexity of emotions in social work research and practice by exploring the perspective of emotional intelligence. The article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s. The analysis contains an exploration of the researcher position that illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects that took place within this interview process. Three overall themes emerged – first: Recognising emotional complexity; second: Reflecting on emotional themes; and third: Exploring my own prejudices and preconceptions. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need to understand emotions as a central part of critical reflection and reflexivity. The argument is that emotions have the potential to expand awareness of one’s own preconceptions, related to normative societal views. This form of analytical awareness entails identifying and paying attention to one’s own, sometimes embodied, emotional triggers.

Beyond the Code of Ethics, Part II: Dual Relationships Revisited

2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Freud ◽  
Stefan Krug
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Legal Protection ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Dual Relationships ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Social Work Practitioners

The authors, both social work educators, serve on an ethics call line committee that provides insights on how the provisions of the (United States) National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (NASW, 1996) interface with the ethical dilemmas encountered by the social work community. In this paper, the authors highlight aspects of social work practice that they consider ethical, yet not easily accommodated by the provisions of the current Code. They also question the 1996 introduction of the concept of dual relationships into the Code and suggest that the Code adopt the less ambiguous term of boundary violations. Also recognized by the authors is the need for clear boundaries for the protection of clients against temptations that might arise in a fiduciary relationship, and for the legal protection of social workers. But, the authors argue, social work practitioners in certain settings, with particular populations, and in certain roles, inevitably face multiple relationships as an integral aspect of their work. The authors conclude that social work's adoption of the psychoanalytic constrains of anonymity, neutrality, and abstinence has detoured the profession from its original double focus on individuals and their society.

A review of research about the transition from student social worker to practitioner: Exploring diversity

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 834-857
Author(s):  
Lana M Battaglia ◽  
Catherine A Flynn
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Student Mobility ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Transition To Practice

Summary With increasing student mobility to and from western host-universities, newly qualified social workers are more likely to enter the field in an unfamiliar context. To examine whether current knowledge appropriately informs education and support for a diversifying cohort of newly qualified social workers in the Australian context, a scoping review was conducted on 53 articles investigating the transition to social work practice. Research conducted over a 45-year period from a broad range of international contexts was included in the review. Findings Findings suggest that current understandings do not reflect the needs or experiences of the present cohort of newly qualified social workers as they transition to social work practice. Rather, study samples, mostly derived from western contexts, are notably homogenous, with most participants described by researchers, as ‘white’. Additionally, there is an assumption that students transition to practice within the same context as their education. Current knowledge therefore does not capture the various ways internationally mobile, newly graduated social workers may transition to practice, or how it is experienced. Applications Findings suggest that further examination is urgently needed on the pathways navigated to practice by diverse and mobile early career social workers. Further consideration of the influences of diversity and mobility on experience is needed, using more inclusive research methods, to capture the variability and complexity of the transition to practice as the profession diversifies and mobilises.

Older people, pensions and poverty: An issue for social workers?

2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 344-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Foster
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Eu

Poverty is encountered by the majority of users of social services but is often overlooked in social work practice. This article explores the relationship between poverty in older age, pension receipt and the role of social policy formulation in the UK with particular reference to New Labour governance. It also briefly explores the EU context before considering the implications for social work.

A Scoping Review of Contemporary Social Work Practice With Veterans

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-53
Author(s):  
Katharine J. Bloeser ◽  
Margaret Bausman
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Publication Type ◽  
The Social

Objective: Social work served U.S. veterans and service members throughout its history as a profession. Social workers continue to support the physical and psychological health of veterans in both the public and private sectors. This scoping review sought to characterize the social work research on practice with veterans. Methods: Both academic sources and gray literature were reviewed. Results: A total of 536 items were reviewed to determine methodology, sample, social work’s role in the research, content area, and publication type. The largest category of research methodology was descriptive studies (50%). An additional 9% of studies were experimental in nature. Most of the peer-reviewed empirical literature came from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs settings. A slight majority, 58% of peer-reviewed articles, identified a social worker as an author. The most frequently used key words in social work journals reflected mental health (33%), most focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (41%). Conclusions: Characterizing the social work literature continues to be a challenge. Social workers practice in a variety of arenas with veterans and should be afforded opportunities to engage in research especially endeavors that focus on marginalized populations of veterans.

scholarly journals Social Inclusion of Disabled Persons: Role of a Professional Social Worker in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 643-649
Author(s):  
Syeda Mahnaz Hassan ◽  
Aliya Khalid ◽  
Muhammad Arshad ◽  
Shajiah Qursam
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Disabled Persons ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The Social

This paper aims to explore the role of professional social workers in the social inclusion of disabled persons in Pakistan. This paper highlights the present scenario of social work practice with the disabled community and how professional social workers are bringing social inclusion of disabled persons by working effectively in the field. The data for this study was collected through qualitative approach. The semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data through in-depth interviews from thirteen professional social workers who are working for the social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Pakistani community. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The data revealed that social workers have enough abilities to create a bridge between disabled persons with their community. There are different sources present in the community which can be utilized by professional social workers to enable disabled persons to live a normal life. Unawareness of common people and government towards the roles of social workers has been observed in this study. Enhancement and encouragement of social work practice in the field of disability is particularly needed.

scholarly journals Social Work and the Cultural Dialogue

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Blair
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Control ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Anthropological Perspective ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Cultural Dialogue

This article presents an overview of traditional sociological approaches to the role of social work in society and offers an alternative perspective that draws upon anthropological concepts of culture and specifically the conceptualization of American culture as a form of dialogue between dominant and non-dominant groups in American society. Traditional approaches to the sociology of social work have focused on the concept of social workers as intermediaries. Intermediaries convey messages between groups and seek to resolve conflicts and reach agreements. Incorporating anthropological concepts of cultural dialogue, transmission, and reproduction enables a more in depth analysis and understanding of how this intermediary function plays out. It offers the ability to analyze the content of the messages and to create a better understanding of the tension between social change and social control that are part of social work practice. The intermediary approach to social work’s relations with society results in viewing social work as contradictory and somewhat ambiguous in its relationship to society. This ambiguity, in both theoretical and practical terms, has been difficult for the profession to resolve. By incorporating the concepts of cultural dialogue, transmission, and reproduction, it is argued that the role of social workers in society can be more clearly viewed as that of cultural agents engaged in the processes of dialogue, transmission, and reproduction. From this anthropological perspective, it may be possible to resolve the ambiguity between social work as a form of social control and social work as social change.

scholarly journals Restorative Justice: A Systematic Review of the Social Work Literature

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward J. Gumz ◽  
Cynthia L. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
Distribution Of Resources

Restorative justice is an alternative paradigm for dealing with the effects of crime and wrongdoing that seeks to bring healing to victims, offenders, and the community. Although a key element of social work's ethical code is the obligation to work toward social justice, this has been viewed primarily as efforts to ensure a fair distribution of resources and opportunities. Yet justice is also restorative in nature–-seeking to restore and enhance victims, offenders, and communities to fuller functioning. This article systematically reviews 80 social work peer-reviewed articles dealing with restorative justice. The role of social workers in restorative justice programs remains largely unknown. Suggestions are made for enhancing social work practice in the restorative justice arena.

Pride and Shame in Child and Family Social Work

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Institutional Processes ◽  
Leadership Management ◽  
New Framework

This book reports on the first study into the role of pride and shame in social work practice. The concepts of pride, shame, guilt, humiliation, and embarrassment are outlined and analysed, providing a new framework for understanding and researching these emotions in professional practice. It is argued that these emotions are inherently part of practice, influencing what social workers do and how they do it. Such emotions are considered in the context of wider institutional processes that construct ideal forms of practice, which are then used to evaluate social workers’ actions and praise, shame, or humiliate them accordingly. The threat of shame, and promise of praise, influence most social workers to enact or conform to the standard, thereby regulating their practice. These emotions can, therefore, be considered to be strategically used as a mechanism of control by constructing contextually specific boundaries for shameful and praiseworthy behaviour that are policed within the organisation. While some social workers feel proud to act in such a manner in some contexts, often resulting in a difficult experience for the parents, many social workers feel constrained, believing they are no longer doing social work. Indeed, some social workers feel ashamed or guilty of what they are doing and seek to resist these attempts at control through acts of compromising, concealing, and influencing. This book provides a new theory for pride and shame in organisations and specifically outlines a theory for the role pride and shame play in leadership, management, and individual social work practice.

scholarly journals Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy: The impact of culture, organization and education

2020 ◽  
pp. 146801732091987
Author(s):  
Alessandro Sicora ◽  
Wei Lu ◽  
Jie Lei
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Open Discussion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Professional Judgement

Summary This article reports the results of an exploratory comparative study that investigated errors made by social work practitioners. Two groups of social workers, one in Italy and one in Mainland China, answered questions about the causes and effects of mistakes, professional errors and reactions to errors committed by their colleagues, and the influence of intuition on the decision-making process that generates mistakes and errors of professional judgement. Findings The most salient differences between the Italian and Chinese respondents related to their willingness to talk about their mistakes and their confidence in the training received. A longer social work tradition in Italy helps practitioners in that country to feel stronger and to engage in a reflective learning process rather than defensive actions. As members of a new and not yet fully recognized profession, social workers in Mainland China are more likely to blame external circumstances for negative outcomes. Both groups shared the same positive consideration of intuition and the risk of losing service users’ trust. Applications The purpose of the article is to foster better understanding of errors and mistakes in social work, as well as more open discussion and reflection on social work practice and how to prevent negative outcomes.

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