scholarly journals Theorising Social Work Sense-Making: Developing a Model of Peer-Aided Judgement and Decision Making

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Helm
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Continuum Theory ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Sense Making ◽  
Cognitive Continuum Theory ◽  
Further Development

Abstract This article addresses the challenges of sense making in social work practice and presents a descriptive model of peer-aided judgement to facilitate critical debate and knowledge creation. The model is founded in Hammond's Cognitive Continuum Theory and developed in direct application to social work practice. It seeks to expand currently available models of social work judgement and decision making to include processes and outcomes related to informal peer interaction. Building on empirical studies and multiple contemporary literatures, a model of peer-aided judgement is hypothesised, comprising four distinct and interacting elements. By modelling these fundamental aspects of the processes and outcomes of peer-aided judgement, this article provides a tool for illuminating the everyday unseen value of peer interaction in practice and a framework for critical debate of dilemmas and propositions for professional judgement in social work practice. This article concludes by examining some of the implications of the model and its potential use in the further development of theory, methodology and practice.

Purchasing Power and Self-Determination: Social Worker Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Bailey ◽  
Debbie Plath ◽  
Alankaar Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Purchasing Power ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Management Approaches

Abstract The international policy trend towards personalised budgets, which is designed to offer people with disabilities purchasing power to choose services that suit them, is exemplified in the Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). This article examines how the ‘purchasing power’ afforded to service users through individualised budgets impacts on social work practice and the choice and self-determination of NDIS service users. Social workers’ views were sought on the alignment between the NDIS principles of choice and control and social work principles of participation and self-determination and how their social work practice has changed in order to facilitate client access to supports through NDIS budgets and meaningful participation in decision-making. A survey was completed by forty-five social workers, and in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with five of these participants. The findings identify how social workers have responded to the shortfalls of the NDIS by the following: interpreting information for clients; assisting service users to navigate complex service provision systems; supporting clients through goal setting, decision-making and implementation of action plans; and adopting case management approaches. The incorporation of social work services into the NDIS service model is proposed in order to facilitate meaningful choice and self-determination associated with purchasing power.

Lessons from filial piety: Do we need ‘memorial social work’ for the dead and their families?

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Jae Park
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Cultural Importance ◽  
The Social ◽  
Further Development ◽  
Ageing Parents

Death is often a taboo topic and, consequently, there is a reluctance to address matters such as the cultural importance of after-life reputations and ancestor remembrance in the social work field. Reflecting on filial piety studies with Korean participants, this article aims to call attention to such death-related issues and their implications for end-of-life, palliative social work practice and research. The term ‘memorial social work’ is used to help practitioners broaden the scope and quality of social work associated with people who have died and their surviving families. The discussion in this paper includes issues related to filial piety and attitudes towards ageing parents, ancestor honour and remembrance and family continuity. The areas to which memorial social work are particularly pertinent are suggested for further development.

scholarly journals Embodied Social Work Practice Within Risk Society

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 673-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Smeeton ◽  
Patrick O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Risk Society ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Extreme Risk

This paper critically discusses the limitations of theorising social work from psychological and sociological perspectives and argues that phenomenology offers more opportunity to understand the embodied experiences of service users and social workers themselves. The paper argues that psychology and sociology have a limited analysis of being-in-the-world, which ought to be social work’s primary consideration. The paper offers an overview of the sociology of risk before embarking on an extensive description and discussion of Heidegger’s and Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology applied to the lived experience of child protection social workers working within risk society. The argument is put that phenomenology is a useful tool for understanding the lived experience of social work practitioners. Findings: The authors conclude that embodied social work practice containing fear and anxiety can be thought of as akin to taking part in extreme risk sports and that this is an unhealthy experience that is likely to skew decision-making and adversely affect the lives of social workers and service users. Applications: The authors argue that phenomenology can enhance understanding of practice and decision-making and offers insights into the lived experience of social workers. Phenomenology is useful for helping social workers negotiate risk-saturated environments, through a focus on meaning.

Family Group Conferences in Social Work

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Current Practice ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Family Group ◽  
Children And Families ◽  
Single Text ◽  
Effective Service

Family group conferences (FGCs) are a strengths based approach to social work practice, empowering families to take responsibility for decision-making. It is a cost-effective service, which is currently used by the majority of local authorities. This book discusses the origins and theoretical underpinnings of family-led decision-making and brings together the current research on the efficacy and limitations of FGCs into a single text. The book also covers topics such as the use of FGCs in different areas of children and families social work, uses case studies to illustrate current practice, and explores whether FGCs should become a mainstream function of children and families social work.

Social Work Core Competencies in Disaster Management Practice: An Integrative Review

2021 ◽  
pp. 104973152110554
Author(s):  
Timothy Sim ◽  
Minying He ◽  
Lena Dominelli
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Integrative Review ◽  
Competence Framework

Purpose: Though social workers are increasingly engaged in the disaster management, there has been a lack of professional guidelines for social work practice and training in this emerging field. This study aims to develop a rudimentary social work competence framework to plug this gap. Method: We conducted an integrative review of 183 international empirical studies and practice reflections, comprising a systematic search, selection, review, and content analysis, guided by ecological systems theory. Results: This rudimentary framework consists of 73 competencies, including 33 micro-level competencies, 18 meso-level ones and 22 macro-level ones, covering knowledge, values and skills in four disaster management phases. Conclusion: Compared to other competence frameworks, this framework further elucidated and classified the salient knowledge, values, and skills in disaster management training and practice for social work.

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