Social Work, Inter-Disciplinary Cooperation and Self-Neglect: Exploring Logics of Appropriateness

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 664-681 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Mason ◽  
Tony Evans
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social

Abstract Working in a cooperative manner with other disciplines or agencies is often cited as an essential element of social work with adults who self-neglect. Cooperative working is now a legal requirement for agencies involved in adult social care in England. However, little is known about how social workers engage cooperatively with other disciplines in practice. This study sets out to explore this issue, employing the ‘Logic of Appropriateness’ perspective to theorise the ways in which social workers talked about working with other disciplines in self-neglect casework. The article presents a qualitative study, which was undertaken through semi-structured interviews with eleven social workers in an urban, adult social care team in an English local authority. Thematic analysis was not only used to draw out four key logics used by the social workers—leadership, joint-working, conflict and proxy—but also highlighted the ways in which social workers moved between different logics when talking about inter-disciplinary cooperation and working with adults who self-neglect. The results highlight the complex dynamics of cooperation and suggest that these dynamics need to be understood in assessing the implementation of integrated policies for social care in this area.

Being a social worker in the unrecognized villages in Israel

2020 ◽  
pp. 146801732095856
Author(s):  
Nuzha Allassad Alhuzail ◽  
Mahajne Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Minority Population ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Institutional Aggression

Summary This qualitative study presents the experiences of social workers whose clients are the inhabitants of unrecognized Bedouin Arab villages in Israel. Bedouin Arabs are an indigenous people, a minority population residing throughout Israel. Half of those in the south of the country inhabit villages that are not recognized by the authorities. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted over two years by both researchers with 25 social workers, recruited by the snowball method. The interview guidelines included one open-ended question and 10 more-specific questions. Findings The findings provide perspectives on postcolonial social work and social work with indigenous peoples. The social workers report that they are caught between their personal values and professional values, between Israeli law and the institutional aggression against their clients –which greatly limits their ability to fulfil their professional role. They say they are working in a “grey area” in which the policy is unclear. This adds another layer of complexity to their work but also allows for freedom and creativity. The findings point to a lack of suitable intervention programs. Applications Learning about the experience of social workers in conflict areas Learning about the experience of social workers in a clash of values Learning about the significance of unclear policy and its implications for the functioning of social workers in conflict areas.

scholarly journals The Use of Metaphor as an Important Tool for Understanding Oppression

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Hillock
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Written Assignments ◽  
Systems Of Domination

Using an anti-oppressive practice (AOP) theoretical framework and an exploratory qualitative research design, featuring semi-structured interviews and written assignments, a group of ten social workers were asked to describe their understandings of the concept of oppression. The study found that, in the case of these particular social workers, they used metaphor as a key conceptualization process to more vividly describe and understand the concept of oppression within their social work practice. This article analyzes eight categories of metaphor themes the participants used to explain their understanding of oppression: (a) pressure; (b) earth; (c) quest; (d) nature of society;  (e) seeing; (f) building; (g) dancing; and (h) water. The research findings are intended to open up dialogue and thinking about the concept of oppression, increase our knowledge base and understandings of oppression within social work practice, and assist the social work profession to build a stronger conceptual framework for understanding and naming oppression with the end goal of assisting social workers to better respond to and resist systems of domination.

scholarly journals Researching home in social work

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1095-1110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole Zufferey ◽  
Nilan Yu ◽  
Tammy Hand
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
Supportive Family ◽  
Cultural Self ◽  
Sense Of Home

Home and belonging are emerging areas of social work research. Very few studies in the social work discipline critically examine how home is broadly experienced or understood. Whilst the notion of home is contested, social work researchers can explore meanings of home in their quest to understand how social workers can contribute to developing a sense of community and belonging. This article presents the findings of an intersectional qualitative study that explored meanings of home in a capital city of Australia, drawing implications for social work. A thematic analysis of 13 semi-structured interviews found that home was experienced as both a material and emotional place. Home was associated with (1) the material security of housing, including homeownership and the safety of suburbs and neighbourhoods; (2) a connection to multiple homes and the making of home in migration, such as when re-settling in a new country; (3) belonging to a family, including emotional connections to lost family members or acknowledging a supportive family and (4) religious, ethnic and cultural self-expression. This paper argues that researching meanings of home is relevant to social work as a discipline that espouses human rights and social justice because a sense of home is central to the politics of belonging to a safe community and society.

Social work interventions for human trafficking victims’ in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 002087281990116
Author(s):  
Solomon Amadasun
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Human Trafficking ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The Social ◽  
Trafficking Victims ◽  
Social Work Interventions

Human trafficking victims require holistic and long-term services if their social conditions are to be improved. This study aims to explore the nature of social work services for human trafficking survivors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cohort of social workers in a statutory anti-trafficking organization in southern Nigeria and the results were analyzed using thematic analysis. While the social workers reported providing services to trafficking survivors, these services were mainly rehabilitation-driven and short-term-focused. Although the research relates to a small-scale study, it has far-reaching implications for social work professionals and the Nigerian political leadership.

scholarly journals Empathy: Challenges Experienced by Social Workers in the Healthcare Sector on the Island of Crete, Greece

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-52
Author(s):  
Trigoni Maria ◽  
◽  
Mikits Militsa ◽  
Mpanagi Evaggelia ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Healthcare Sector ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Prior Experiences

Introduction Empathy in social work is one of the most important factors that can bring change in the patient, by developing a productive relationship. The purpose of this study is to explore empathy in the practice of social work, as it is used by professional social workers. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 social workers in public health services in Crete. Responses were recorded, and content analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings There were differences in the way that social workers perceive the concept of empathy, depending on their prior experiences. It was also found that they are more “sensitive” when patients have a common problem with them. Among the difficulties that prevented them from being empathetic was having “a difficult personal period” that affected their work. This study has also identified the importance of professional training for the development of empathy skills, and the key-role of work experience. Moreover, it highlighted the importance of co-operation between the researchers and the social workers for generating efficacious and valuable information. Conclusion This study emphasizes the importance of empathy as a necessary skill in the relationship between social workers and patients, and the need for in-depth scientific research and analyze on this issue in Greece.

scholarly journals Conceptualization of Culture and Ethnicity within Social Work in Two Indigenous Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-30
Author(s):  
Reidunn Håøy Nygård ◽  
Merete Saus ◽  
Shanley Swanson Nicolai
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Us

This qualitative study compares social work in Sami communities within Norway and Native American communities in Montana in the US. A total of 39 social workers were interviewed. We investigated the conceptualization of culture and ethnicity, as well as the implications of these constructions for a culturally adequate social work practice. We find that social workers in Sápmi conceptualize culture and ethnicity as hybrid and fluid, while the social workers in Native American communities have a more fixed and static conceptualization. When working in Native American communities, social workers’ theme of inequality among groups, and the continuing effect of assimilation on family life. Among social workers in Sami communities in Norway, little attention is given to power relations among ethnic groups. These differences in construction affect both the framing and the legitimacy of culturally adequate social work within these two contexts.

Activation work as professional practice: complexities and professional boundaries at the street level of employment policy implementation

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urban Nothdurfter ◽  
Søren Peter Olesen
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Labour Market Policy ◽  
Employment Policy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Market Policy ◽  
Professional Boundaries ◽  
The Social ◽  
Policy Arena

In several European countries there is an increasing trend within social and labour market policy to implement employment-oriented policies. In some countries, this turn towards employment has opened up a new professional arena for social workers, so called employment-oriented social work. The chapter examines the challenges that this development has brought to the social work profession, especially in regard to how knowledge and decision-making is negotiated in relation to clients and other professions within the same policy arena. The chapter is based on Danish, Italian and Austrian data including register data, semi-structured interviews, observations and sound recordings.

scholarly journals A discursive approach to bullying from the perspective of Social Work

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 281
Author(s):  
Laura Domínguez ◽  
Mario Millán-Franco
Keyword(s):  
Social Issue ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Prevention Programs ◽  
Social Intervention ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Strategies

The objective of this study was to explore the social framework of bullying using the discourse of the different agents involved. A qualitative method was used (i.e. thematic analysis). We collected information from 25 semi-structured interviews. Four themes were identified: “Descriptive elements of bullying”; “Bullying is a social issue”; “Normalizing bullying hidden behind other types of violence”, and “An integrated struggle against bullying”. This study shows that bullying is a social problem associated with other types of violence. Bullying should also be studied from the perspective of Social Work to generate new strategies and effective social intervention and prevention programs.

scholarly journals Interprofessional supervision: a matter of difference

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allyson Mary Davys
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Professional Responsibility ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
Line Manager ◽  
Social Work Supervision

INTRODUCTION: With its origins grounded in the apprenticeship tradition it is perhaps notsurprising that social work adheres to a model of supervision where both supervisor and supervisee are social workers and where it is common for social workers to be supervised by their line manager. Interprofessional supervision, where the participants do not share the same profession, and which is frequently external to the social worker’s organisation, therefore presents a challenge to traditional social work supervision practice.METHODS: Expert stakeholders were interviewed to explore their experiences ofinterprofessional supervision. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and topdown analysis employed to identify themes. The views of nine supervisees and nine supervisors are reported.FINDINGS: The participants represented a range of professions but the data collected revealed common themes. Participants highlighted the importance of being able to choose a supervision partner and to establish a contract where lines of accountability were explicit. Knowledge about supervision was considered vital and supervision competence was expected of the supervisor.The key benefits were a greater understanding of one’s own profession and an appreciation and respect for difference. Lack of clinical accountability was considered a limitation but not an obstacle.CONCLUSION: The reports of these participants indicate a shift from supervision as an in-house process to one which is chosen, negotiated and collaborative. Through their awareness of the need for professional development and accountability, the participants demonstrated a depth of professional responsibility and an ability to stand alongside their profession in the presence of ‘other’.

Constructions of young migrants’ situations in kinship care in a Swedish suburb by social workers in a non-governmental organisation mentoring programme

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 901-916
Author(s):  
Maria Moberg Stephenson ◽  
Åsa Källström
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Kinship Care ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Social ◽  
Youth Centre

Young migrants defined as ‘unaccompanied’ tend to be constructed as a homogeneous group with specific vulnerabilities and strengths in social work practice. ‘Unaccompanied’ young migrants placed in kinship care in Sweden are constructed with further vulnerabilities. Such constructions of these young people and their situations may have consequences for how social support for them is designed. The aim of this study is to explore how the social workers employed at a non-governmental organisation mentoring programme construct young migrants’ situations in kinship care in a Swedish suburb, and if and how these constructions change during the course of the programme. Methods used are semi-structured interviews with the social workers at the youth centre where the mentoring work takes place and analysis of the non-governmental organisation’s policy documents. The results consist of three constructions of situations the young people are in: (1) loneliness and (a lack of) support in the kinship homes; (2) alienation in the local neighbourhood and the kinship home and (3) social, cultural and family contexts creating a sense of safety. The results show variation in how the mentors describe each situation with both vulnerabilities and strengths. This highlights a complexity in the constructions that contests the image of young migrants in kinship care as merely vulnerable. These results reveal consideration of individual differences and contexts, and are used to discuss how people’s struggles and resources can be dealt with in social work.

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