Perspectives on social workers from within an integrated setting

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-76
Author(s):  
Darryl James Phillipowsky
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multiple Realities ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis research explores community professionals' opinions concerning social worker's roles and statutory functions. It explores the perspectives of professionals and their understanding of collaborative and cooperative work; experiences of professional support; opinions on the aspects of anti-oppressive practices in social work; views on social work identity within multidisciplinary team structures; and perceptions regarding the challenges of cultural and contextual drivers of social work practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts an interpretivist paradigm and social constructionist epistemology in that there are multiple realities to be understood and different perspectives and perceptions to be explored. This study adopted a data collection approach of thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.Setting and participantsSocial workers and nurses working within an integrated social care and health NHS trust.MethodsSix respondents volunteered for interviews in 2017. Data were coded as follows using a multistage approach: (1) coding of comments into general categories (e.g. culture, models of practice), (2) coding of subcategories within main categories (e.g. values, knowledge and skills), (3) cross-sectional analysis to identify themes cutting across categories and (4) mapping of categories/subcategories to corresponding comparable research for comparison.FindingsMost interviewees (5) were social workers, with one from the nursing field. Respondents provided comments that fell under four overarching themes: cultural theme, the impact of economic austerity, organisational structures and the political drivers of integration.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the evidence regarding the role of social workers within integrated health and adult social care organisations (as opposed to mental health social work) and also contributes to the evidence around social work in times of austerity.

Religion, spirituality and social work: an international perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth R. Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
International Perspectives ◽  
The Impact

Purpose While there has been the emergence of a substantial body of scholarship on the place of religion and spirituality in social work, the predominant voices in this discourse have primarily been authors from the English-speaking North Atlantic countries. The purpose of this paper is to redress this issue by exploring the impact of other national perspectives. Design/methodology/approach Using a post-colonial perspective, the author reflects on the issues which emerged in seeking to develop a truly international perspective on religion and spirituality in social work. Findings There are important historical and contextual differences between countries which influence how social work is practiced, as well as different understandings as to what social work is. These differences are reflected in social workers’ understandings as to how religion and spirituality can be utilised in social work practice. It is also noted that the growing enthusiasm of social workers to embrace religion and spirituality in their practice needs to be tempered by the realisation that religion and spirituality can be harmful in some circumstances. Originality/value This paper demonstrates how drawing on a wider range of international perspectives has the potential to enrich social work scholarship and practice.

scholarly journals Policy Considerations for Geriatric Social Workers in Healthcare Settings During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 382-382
Author(s):  
Terri Lewinson ◽  
Tiffany Washington
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Social workers are essential to the delivery of health care with older adults the during COVID-19 pandemic. This paper focuses on the impact of policies in health care systems that affect geriatric social work practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 55 social workers from a variety of health care settings. Data were analyzed to identify the scope of social work practice in health care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how policies in their respective settings impacted their work. Conditions that impeded participants’ ability to provide quality care and work within their scope of practice included inconsistent expectations of interdisciplinary team members, disparate access to resources, restriction of opportunities to address emotional distress experienced by workers. Recommendations for policy enhancements in health care settings include interprofessional education on effective team communication, protocol development for the equitable distribution of resources among essential workers, and trauma-informed in-service trainings for health care administrators.

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.

scholarly journals Social work support for employment of people with learning disabilities: Findings from the English Jobs First demonstration sites

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Stevens ◽  
Jess Harris
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Active Labour Market Policy ◽  
Case Record ◽  
Wide Range

Summary This article brings together two key themes in recent public policy in England affecting social work practice: the value of having a paid job for social inclusion and increasing self-worth, and the personalisation of public services. The article draws on a mixed method evaluation of Jobs First, which was a government-funded demonstration site project that aimed to show how personal budgets (a key mechanism for personalisation) could be used by people with learning disabilities, often with their families, to purchase employment support. The evaluation involved secondary analysis of case record data and 142 semi-structured interviews with a wide range of participants (we mainly draw on 79 interviews with professionals for this article). Jobs First is placed within the frame of Active Labour Market Policy. Findings The attitudes of social workers to Jobs First were broadly positive, which was an important factor supporting employment outcomes. However, social workers’ involvement was often limited to a coordinating role, undertaking basic assessments linked to resource allocation and ensuring that support plans, which had often been developed by non-social work practitioners, were ‘signed off’ or agreed by the local authority. Applications The study points to important elements of the role of social workers in this new field of practice and explores potential tensions that might emerge. It highlights a continuing theme that social workers are playing more of a coordinating, managing role, rather than working directly with individuals to support their choices.

The impact of the institutional environment and experience on social entrepreneurship: a multi-group analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ezlika M. Ghazali ◽  
Dilip S. Mutum ◽  
Haleh Hakim Javadi
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study presents a framework for integrating distinct perspectives on social entrepreneurship by combining institutional theory with the social entrepreneurship intention model. The framework assesses the relationships between social support and the perceived feasibility and desirability of social entrepreneurship, the relationships between social support and the institutional environments of social workers, and the moderating role of prior experience of social work and volunteering.Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested using 266 validated responses from an online and paper-based survey distributed among social workers. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data, and multi-group analysis was conducted to examine the moderation effects.FindingsThe findings indicate that experience moderates the relationships between the regulatory and cognitive environments, cognitive environments and social support, and social support and perceived feasibility. Experience negatively moderates the relationship between the normative environment and social support.Practical implicationsActive government involvement in the form of incentives and financial support would encourage the creation of social ventures.Social implicationsEducational programmes are also necessary to help raise awareness and increase the familiarity and knowledge of potential social entrepreneurs.Originality/valueThe study analyses the effects of institutional environmental components, recognised as highly influential on the development of social entrepreneurship, as well as the impact of perceived social support on the antecedents of the perceived desirability and feasibility of social entrepreneurship. It also addresses how social work experience modifies these relationships. Contrary to previous studies, the findings suggest that increasing social work experience isolates entrepreneurs from their environment.

The Call of the Faithful: The Integration of Spiritual and Social Work Practice in the Time of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-392
Author(s):  
Shirley Newton-Guest ◽  
Claudia Sofia Moreno ◽  
Marla Coyoy ◽  
Roxanna Najmi ◽  
Tonia Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Unaccompanied Children ◽  
The Impact

This has been a season of change worldwide. It has become virtually impossible to ignore distressing news about the state of our world. COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, how we think, and even how we grieve. Every day, Americans are bombarded with reports of rising death tolls, massive unemployment, economic turmoil, and dismal foreseeable predictions. This health crisis has put an enormous amount of pressure on the global community, and this is especially true for our clients who are new immigrants. This pressure has manifested in mental health challenges. Social workers have reported that for many clients the uncertainty and pressure are becoming too much to handle. Typically, clients are experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and in some cases interpersonal violence (Brodhead, 2020; Endale et al. 2020; Saltzman et al.,2020). Now imagine the impact on unaccompanied minors arriving at our borders. Prior to the pandemic, the unaccompanied children were dealing with three crises simultaneously: 1) parental and home country separation; 2) trauma from a harsh journey; and 3) language barrier and cultural shock. These issues alone are overwhelming and cause powerful emotions such as anxiety in these children. So how can these emotions be managed, coupled with the dangers of COVID-19? How can social workers provide comfort and support when they may be experiencing the same emotions? This article brings this hidden reality into the public view and enrich the existing social work body of knowledge by demonstrating the restorative power of faith, spirituality, and self-care.      

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 The Impacts of Socioeconomic Crisis in Portugal on Social Protection and Social Work Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13198
Author(s):  
Inês Casquilho-Martins
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Social Intervention ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Structured Interviews

The effects of the international crisis brought economic and financial risks, as well as consequences for human, social and sustainable development. This study aims to analyse the effects of social intervention with families since the 2008 crisis in Portugal. Through a qualitative approach, we conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers (23), to identify the main impacts of the crisis and the adopted social intervention practices. We highlight a new increase in social problems and the growth of vulnerable groups facing an unprepared social protection system. The Portuguese case reveals that the effects of austerity have shown a decline in the welfare and benefits system, leading to worsened social problems, such as increased poverty and unemployment, as well as social inequalities. Social Work was required to respond to these consequences, although organisational contexts and austerity measures constrained practitioners’ autonomy. By reflecting on this critical period, we seek to contribute to better social protection and assistance models in the face of the current and future crisis. In this sense, Social Work practice ensures a means to guarantee fundamental rights and social justice, preparing social workers and social intervention for new challenges in crisis contexts.

Building resilience in retail supply chains: Lessons learned from COVID-19 and future pathways

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Saleem Butt
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Cash Flows ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study explores the countermeasures taken by retailers to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chain disruptions.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a multiple case study approach and undertakes 36 semi-structured interviews with senior management of the four largest retailers of the United Arab Emirates. The respondents were designated at different positions such as Vice President, Director and Project Manager.FindingsResults reveal that retailers are employing six countermeasures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chains. Particularly, retailers are securing required demand, preserving cash flows, redirecting inventory, adding capacity to their distribution centres, becoming more flexible with their direct or third-party logistics provider and finally widening delivery options for their suppliers to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the results of this study cannot be generalized to a broader population as it attempts to build an initial theory. Second, this study uses a cross-sectional approach to explore the countermeasures employed by retailing firms to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.Originality/valueA notable weakness in a supply chain disruption literature is an unfulfilled need for research examining the strategies employed by retailers to respond to/address the challenges posed by COVID-19. Our study fills this gap.

Radical Hope

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Krumer-Nevo
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Critical Social Work ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Impact

This book describes the new Poverty-Aware Paradigm (PAP), which was developed in Israel through intense involvement with the field of social work in various initiatives. The paradigm was adopted in 2014 by the Israeli Ministry of Welfare and Social Services as a leading paradigm for social workers in social services departments. The book draws from the rich experience of the implementation of the PAP in practice and connects examples of practice to theoretical ideas from radical/critical social work, critical poverty knowledge, and psychoanalysis. The PAP addresses poverty as a violation of human rights and emphasizes people’s ongoing efforts to resist poverty. In order to recognize these sometimes minor acts of resistance and advance their impact, social workers should establish close relationship with service users and stand by them. The book proposes combining relationship-based practice and rights-based practice as a means of bridging the gap between the emotional and material needs of service users. In addition to introducing the main concepts of the PAP, the book also contributes to the debate between conservative and cultural theories of poverty and structural theories, emphasizing the impact of a critical framework on this debate. The book consists of four parts. The first, “Transformation”, addresses the transformational nature of the paradigm. The second, “Recognition”, is based on current psychoanalytic developments and “translates” them into social work practice in order to deepen our understanding of relationship-based practice. The third, “Rights”, describes rights-based practice. The fourth, “Solidarity”, presents various ways in which solidarity might shape social workers’ practice. The book seeks to reaffirm social work’s core commitment to combating poverty and furthering social justice and to offer a solid theoretical conceptualization that is also eminently practical.

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