Working and learning from home during COVID-19: International experiences among social work educators and students

2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282110514
Author(s):  
Michael Wallengren-Lynch ◽  
Lena Dominelli ◽  
Carin Cuadra
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
International Survey ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Personal Boundaries ◽  
International Experiences ◽  
Survey Sample ◽  
Education Administrators ◽  
The Impact

This research seeks to explore the experiences of social work educators and students working and learning from home. The findings, from an international survey sample of 166 educators and students, showed that the respondents faced issues with private and personal boundaries, felt the impact of working and learning from home on both physical and emotional levels, and experienced challenges to what was expected of them. The respondents primarily used two types of coping mechanisms to manage these challenges. These findings contribute to a broader discussion of the impact of working and learning from home and are relevant for education administrators responsible for their employees’ and students’ well-being.

Recreational Drumming: A Creative Arts Intervention Strategy for Social Work Teaching and Practice

2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Maschi ◽  
Carolyn Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Creative Arts ◽  
Stress Energy ◽  
Msw Students ◽  
Interpersonal Connectedness ◽  
Diverse Groups ◽  
The Impact

Recreational music-making has been shown to decrease stress and increase feelings of well-being and empowerment among diverse groups. This study examined the impact of recreational drumming among social work students on measures of well-being, empowerment, and connectedness. It used a pretest-posttest design to evaluate outcomes among a sample of 31 participants in the 2-hour I–We Rhythm Program for recreational drumming. Results of paired t-test analyses revealed significant differences in levels of stress, energy, and feelings of empowerment and community. Using this creative-arts intervention can be an effective self-care strategy for BSW and MSW students, practitioners, and/or clients in educational or agency-based settings to increase feelings of well-being and interpersonal connectedness, which, in turn, may help to increase effectiveness in practice.

Does Slow and Steady Win the Race? The Impact of Block versus Concurrent Field on BSW Students' Professional Development and Emotional Well-Being

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 203-217
Author(s):  
Matthew T. Theriot ◽  
Toni K. Johnson ◽  
Mary Mulvaney ◽  
Jane A. Kretzschmar
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Field Instructors ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
Social Work Programs ◽  
The Impact

Despite their immense popularity and widespread implementation, research has yet to compare block and concurrent models of field. In filling this gap in the literature, this study evaluates the impact of each model on undergraduate social work students' professional development and emotional well-being. Sixty-eight students in BSW field placements at one large university participated in this study. Students were able to select which model of field to undertake, and, in general, most students selected block field placements because they wanted to graduate early. Conversely, students in concurrent field reported having more obligations outside of field, including family and other employment. Utilizing data collected from students and their field instructors, statistical analyses showed no differences in measures of professional competence, depression, assertiveness, or self-esteem between students in the two field models. In light of such findings, the authors discuss the implications of this study for social work programs and outline suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals Working With Refugees in the U.S.: Trauma-Informed and Structurally Competent Social Work Approaches

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Ostrander ◽  
Alysse Melville ◽  
S. Megan Berthold
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Macro Social Work ◽  
The Impact

Social workers, government, and non-governmental organizations in the United States have been inadequately prepared to address the impact of trauma faced by refugees fleeing persecution. Compounding their initial trauma experiences, refugees often undergo further traumatic migration experiences and challenges after resettlement that can have long-lasting effects on their health and mental health. Micro and macro social work practitioners must understand the impact of these experiences in order to promote policies, social work training, and clinical practice that further the health and well-being of refugees and society. Social workers are in a unique position to provide multi-dimensional, structurally competent care and advocacy for diverse refugee populations. The experiences of Cambodian refugees will be used to examine these issues. We will explore the benefits of an ecological perspective in guiding interventions that support refugees, and will apply the framework of structural competence to highlight multidimensional implications for social work with refugee populations.

scholarly journals Social distancing and social work field placements

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-56
Author(s):  
Prospera Tedam
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Field Placements ◽  
United Arab Emirates University ◽  
The Impact

The impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on social work practice placements around the world and in the United Arab Emirates is of concern to students, social work educators and service users. In this practice note, I focus on the impact of the interruption to social work practice learning for students at  the United Arab Emirates University and reflect on the introduction of 'social distancing', a health and safety strategy aimed at reducing the likelihood of the spread of the coronavirus. I propose ways in which students in school placements can continue to develop their social work knowledge and skills ‘from a distance’ and while physically absent from their practice learning settings

Children: paying the price of Bolsonaro’s social policy reform in Brazil

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael da Silva Barbosa ◽  
Gary Spolander ◽  
Maria Lúcia Teixeira Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Policy Reform ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Life Journey ◽  
The Impact

The impact of social inequality on children has enormous implications for young people throughout their life journey by negatively impacting their health, well-being and life chances. Following the democratisation of Brazil, significant change resulted in improvements to the social welfare and health care systems, which had begun to address long-standing social and health problems. This article critically explores the implications of current retrograde right-wing populist political government policies for Brazilian children within the context of efforts to reduce income inequality and improve the life chances of children. While recognising the enormous challenges of poverty, racial discrimination, precarity and socio-economic conditions, social work has recognised that the enactment of the profession requires political engagement and action against all inequality in professional practice. The implications of retrogressive policy are explored, and the authors call upon the profession globally to recognise these structural socio-economic challenges and question whether social work can afford not to be engaged in seeking change.

Neoliberalism and Australian social work: Accommodation or resistance?

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Wallace ◽  
Bob Pease
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Welfare State ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Western World ◽  
Everyday Activity ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Critical Social Work ◽  
State Regime ◽  
New Institutions ◽  
The Impact

• Summary: Since the mid-1970s the Australian welfare state has faced a continuing crisis of resourcing and legitimation. Social work as a central entity within the welfare state has been challenged in terms of to its value base and relevance. As with much of the Western world, this challenge has been heightened with the rise of neoliberalism, which has pervaded most aspects of Australian society. Neoliberalism has consequently had a profound effect upon Australian social workers. The challenges to the Australian welfare state and social work are from without and within, by neoliberal ideas and its practices. • Findings: While neoliberalism’s relationship to social work as a broad theme is explored in the literature, the complexity of marketization and inclusive aspects have not been considered in any detail in relation to social work. The evidence in the Australian context is even slimmer, and as a consequence the particularity of the Australian welfare state and its relationship to neoliberalism, and the consequences for Australian social work, remains largely untested. Furthermore, while there are some indications of the day to day impact on social work in the context of a post-welfare state regime, little work has been conducted on the capacity of neoliberalism to infiltrate social work through its new institutions of the social and thus become embedded in social work. • Application: This article lays the foundations for a research project to examine the extent to which neoliberalism has become embedded in Australian social work and how social workers and social work educators are responding to these hegemonic influences. What are the ways in which social workers have become complicit in neoliberalism? Is Australian social work part of the neoliberal project to the point where neoliberalism has become part of its understandings and everyday activity? It is hoped that through this research, a more sophisticated understanding of the impact of neoliberalism on social work will contribute to the revitalization of critical social work in Australia and forms of resistance to the neoliberal project.

scholarly journals Impact of caring for people living with HIV on the psychosocial well-being of palliative caregivers

Curationis ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lavashni Valjee ◽  
Alta C. Van Dyk
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Coping Mechanisms ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
The Impact

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continues to be a serious public health issue, and it is often the caregivers who carry the brunt of the epidemic. Caregivers of people with AIDS face distinctive demands that could make them more prone to occupational stress, with serious consequences for their psychosocial well-being. The impact of caring for people living with HIV infection on the psychosocial well-being of palliative caregivers was investigated using in-depth interviews and questionnaires in 28 participants. The results indicated no burnout, but occupational stress was prevalent. Factors impacting negatively on well-being were stressors inherent in AIDS care, such as suffering and dying of the persons being cared for, work-related stressors such as heavy workload, lack of support and ineffective coping mechanisms. Positive aspects of caring such as job satisfaction, holistic palliative care, effective coping mechanisms and psychosocial support were identified. Recommendations to curb the negative effects of caregiving are provided.

Registration and social work education: A golden opportunity or a Trojan horse?

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate van Heugten
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Academic Discipline ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Status ◽  
Distribution Of Power ◽  
The Impact

• Summary: The Social Workers Registration Act (2003) introduced a system of voluntary statutory registration of the social work occupation in Aotearoa New Zealand. This was hailed as a measure that would protect the public from unsafe practices, and enhance the status of the profession. More recently, however, commentators have noted that these positive effects may not necessarily be forthcoming. This article explores the impact of registration on educational programmes, by placing regulation of the occupation in the context of hegemonic neoliberalism. • Findings: Neoliberal approaches to social care not only constrain the delivery of services, but attempt to shape the perspectives of the social care workforce. Education is a potentially powerful tool for achieving that shaping. Where statutory regulation of social work is in force, competency based training threatens to supplant critical analysis, which is a hallmark of higher education. To retain viability as an academic discipline, social work educators must champion social work’s continuing role in analysing and theorizing the distribution of power in social welfare and social care. • Application: Social work educators have a role in supporting practitioners, who struggle to maintain disciplinary integrity whilst employed within 21st-century human services, by continuing to engage in critical debates, and advancing knowledge about the theory—practice nexus. In advancing such knowledge, they also have much to offer other disciplines in institutions of higher education that are looking to explicate their utility in the ‘real world’.

scholarly journals ‘Resilient when it comes to death’: Exploring the significance of bereavement for the well – being of social work students

2020 ◽  
pp. 147332502096773
Author(s):  
Denise Turner ◽  
Marie Price
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Free Association ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Wellbeing ◽  
Qualitative Research Study ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Training And Support ◽  
The Impact

This article describes a pilot qualitative research study, exploring the impact of bereavement experiences, on pre-qualifying social work students in two UK Universities with diverse demographics. The research study took place in the context of general concern about the mental health of UK University students and suggests that social work students may be at particular risk of developing emotional wellbeing issues linked to bereavement. Interviews followed a free association narrative technique, with analysis of the data highlighting four main themes. Firstly, bereavement is associated with practical problems which may trigger wellbeing issues. Secondly, there is an increased need for specific bereavement training and support to be embedded within social work programmes, alongside skills and knowledge of cultural diversity and the part this plays in the bereavement process. Lastly, the study demonstrated that bereavement experiences are not isolated but linked to other losses and therefore students may need effective support to process these before they can effectively support others. The study appears to be distinctive in its focus on the impacts of bereavement on social work students and has significant implications for the ways in which students are supported by social work education programmes, as well as paving the way for further research in this area.

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