scholarly journals Surviving or thriving? Enhancing the emotional resilience of social workers in their organisational settings

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Rose ◽  
George Palattiyil
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Stress Management ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Emotional Resilience ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Face ◽  
As Stress

Summary High rates of absence due to stress, and issues with recruitment and retention of staff suggest that social work is a challenging profession. Despite this, many social workers gain a great deal of satisfaction from their role. Various studies have focused on stress management in social work. Less attention has been paid to how social workers maintain resilience in the face of challenges and thrive in their role. Drawing on a social constructionist approach to explore how social workers conceptualise emotional resilience in the context of their profession, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 social workers employed in local authority teams. Findings The findings highlight how emotional resilience tended to be associated with stress management by the social workers interviewed. Organisational and structural factors were felt to threaten resilience more than the emotional intensity of working with service users. Application When resilience is conceptualised as stress management, sources of adversity need to be addressed to enable social workers to survive. Resilience needs to be reconceptualised as positive adaptation to the challenges of the social work role in order to promote factors that enable workers to thrive. The insights from the study exhort us to re-examine the scope of social work organisations to enhance the resilience of their workers.

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.

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 Māori social work views and practices of rapport building with rangatahi Māori

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 49-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Community Mental Health Services ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Ethical Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Rapport Building

This article presents the results of a qualitative study that explored Māori social workers’ perspectives of working to establish rapport with rangatahi Māori in community mental health services. The research was conducted using a social constructionist perspective, informed and guided by Māori-centred research principles. Six Māori social workers from different parts of the country volunteered to participate in semi-structured interviews. These face-to-face interviews were designed after reviewing current literature and were guided by a practice framework that enabled the voices of the Māori social workers to be heard, eliciting in detail where their views have come from. The findings from the research showed that Māori social workers view rapport as essential in their practice and therefore they practise in a way that facilitates this. They utilise values and beliefs in their practice, integrated with a Māori worldview, that contribute towards rapport building with youth and also with their whänau. Reflective practice is used constantly in order to maintain ethical practice. The practice implications are also discussed; that an understanding of how Māori social workers view and practise rapport can be beneficial, that there is a need for whānau involvement and that this can enhance rapport with rangatahi, that an inherent valuing of rangatahi is key and finally that reflective practice is essential for Māori social work professional and personal development.

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 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.

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 Social Workers’ Management of Child Interpreting: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siân E Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Social Constructionist ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract Spoken language interpreters are commonly used to facilitate communication for emergent bilingual service users in social work. Children often have greater English language proficiency than their parents and may interpret for family members in a variety of contexts, including social work. This article approaches the topic of child interpreting from social workers’ perspectives and presents findings from in-depth interviews about child interpreting. Social constructionist theories are used to examine the way social workers manage child interpreting. The findings indicate that social workers manage child interpreting by monitoring, scaffolding or stopping encounters. Through talking about child interpreting, the social workers conceptualise children as passive, vulnerable or untrustworthy. Social workers recognised the potential contributions that child interpreters offered but remained concerned about their ability to translate technical and emotionally laden messages. Given that child interpreting was found to be unavoidable in social work, there is scope to develop a framework for safe and effective child-interpreting practice. Future research directions include an exploration of children’s perceptions about interpreting in social work contexts.

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