Validating a model for indicating the professionalisation of social work in China

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110102
Author(s):  
Jie Lei ◽  
Mengsha Luo ◽  
Yean Wang

Summary The social work profession has developed at an unprecedented rate in the past decade in China. This article addresses the much-debated question of whether the international standards of social work can be applied in the Chinese context. Employing Weiss-Gal and Welbourne’s conceptual framework of the professionalisation of social work, this study aimed to identify validated indicators to define social work professionalisation in China. A questionnaire with 11 indicators was designed, and responses were received from 748 social workers in Guangzhou. Formative measurement was adopted as an analytic strategy. Findings Five of the 11 indicators were validated: perception of public recognition, perceived adequacy of the knowledge base, involvement in professional organisations, congruence with ethical standards, and perception of professional autonomy. Contrarily, six indicators had no significant impact on social work professionalisation in China: public recognition in terms of qualification levels, professional education, satisfaction with professional organisations, monopoly (self-perception and entrance criteria) and prestige and remuneration. Applications This study extends the application of Weiss-Gal and Welbourne’s conceptual framework to China. Utilisation of this framework suggests that social work professionalisation in China may diverge from international standards in social work, while the professionalisation measures for social work implemented by the Chinese governments may be ineffective. In particular, this study highlights the continuing challenges for the development of social work in China and provides evidence of the need to strengthen the professional power of Chinese social work.

1979 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-33
Author(s):  
Allie C. Kilpatrick ◽  
Gary L. Shaffer

Baccalaureate social work personnel in the United States have gone through a significant transformation during the past decade. Always a significant part of the social work labour force, they are now being prepared to assume a profes sional role. The two studies discussed in this paper highlight some of the current trends in Batchelor of Social Work programmes which have been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education since 1974. As this transition continues into the 1980's, the Baccalaureate practitioner will play an increasingly important role in the delivery of social services in the U.S.


Author(s):  
Kazimiera Wódz ◽  
Krystyna Faliszek

This chapter examines how regulation from the state can shape conditions and practices for welfare professions. New members of the European Union, such as Poland, often lack a tradition of social work as an integral part of the welfare state. Challenges for these countries are both to educate social workers and to create legislative solutions stipulating the responsibilities and professional jurisdiction of the social work profession. In the chapter, it is argued that strong regulation and control from the Polish government has resulted in the standardisation of social work. This has curtailed professional autonomy in a manner that is unfavourable to social workers as well as to clients.


Author(s):  
John Chandler ◽  
Elisabeth Berg ◽  
Marion Ellison ◽  
Jim Barry

This chapter discusses the contemporary position of social work in the United Kingdom, and in particular the challenges to what is seen as a managerial-technicist version of social work. The chapter begins with focus on the situation from the 1990s to the present day in which this version of social work takes root and flourishes. The discussion then concentrates on three different routes away from a managerial-technicist social work: the first, reconfiguring professional practice in the direction of evaluation in practice, the second ‘reclaiming social work’ on the Hackney relationship-based model and the third ‘reclaiming social work’ in a more radical, highly politicised way. Special attention is devoted to a discussion about how much autonomy the social workers have in different models, but also what kind of autonomy and for what purpose.


2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 566-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaime Marcuello-Servós

The aim of this article is to analyse and describe social work education and its professional context in Spain. Specifically, it analyses new degree implementation as a consequence of the Bologna Process over the last 10 years. It posits some ideas about the social sciences beyond the dominant paradigms with the aim of overcoming corporatism. It concludes that social sciences could be used as a toolkit where several instruments and techniques may be useful in tackling social problems in a transdisciplinary way and in systems thinking. What one is able to solve and learn in the present is more interesting than remaining in the past and asking about one’s background.


Author(s):  
Grace Christ

The ability of medical technology to prolong life over the past century has forced an examination of the experience and care of the dying. Many diseases that once were expected to follow a sloping illness trajectory with predictable deterioration and ultimately death are now more commonly experienced as chronic illnesses. They require more medical and other resources and challenge the family's ability to cope for much longer periods. The knowledge, value, and skill base of social work, and its broad range of practice sites make it uniquely suited to contribute to the movement to improve the care of the dying. The Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network were formed in 2007 to advance and give voice to social work's expertise in this area and to promote its development in practice, education, research, and policy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 587-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Boddy ◽  
Patrick O’Leary ◽  
Ming-sum Tsui ◽  
Chui-man Pak ◽  
Duu-Chiang Wang

Hope has dynamic features that look to the future and motivate people. Yet despite being synonymous with social work, psychological terms have tended to define hope’s perimeters. Its role in social work is often heralded, yet its unique, critical and temporal role has not been well mapped in social work theory. This article explores the use of hope in social work practice. A conceptual framework highlights the richness of hope, its application in social work practice and its position in social work relationships. The implications for direct practice, further research and professional education are also discussed.


Social Work ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Pritzker ◽  
Katie Richards-Schuster

Abstract In the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics, social workers are called on to promote meaningful involvement in decision making among vulnerable populations. The ethical imperatives and social justice implications associated with unequal participation suggest that the field of social work is uniquely situated to lead research and practice in the area of youth civic engagement. This article examines the current state of the social work literature regarding how young people participate civically. Authors identified 113 articles on this topic published over the past decade in journals with a large presence in social work or by social work authors. They present the findings of their exploratory research, with a focus on describing where this research is being published, the range of research foci, and the terms used to describe this work. Increased attention to promoting youth civic engagement is needed in the profession’s core journals. Based on the analysis of this literature, they recommend moving toward a cohesive body of social work scholarship that includes increased collaboration among scholars, more unified terms and language, increased range of research foci and methodologies, and more rigorous and comparative testing of strategies by which youths participate civically.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 158-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josh MacAlister

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to expose and dispel some outdated dilemmas and straw men that have drawn attention away from debates of substance in social work. The paper presents what Frontline believes to be the substantive dilemmas facing the social work profession, as it looks into the future. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on the insights and experiences of the past four years during which Frontline has been innovating in the field of social work education and leadership development. Findings Building a better social work system requires addressing several important questions, namely, whether social work; first, is a practical or intellectual task; second, is a generic or specialist profession; third, focuses on social or therapeutic change; fourth, requires bureaucrats or change agents; and fifth, involves measuring inspections or measuring outcomes. Originality/value The paper sets out the key dilemmas facing the social work profession, which must be debated and addressed in order to build a better social work system.


1953 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26
Author(s):  
Katherine A. Kendall

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 (01) ◽  
pp. 41-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
继 同 刘

中 国 内 地 社 会 工 作 教 育 的 恢 复 和 发 展 已 走 过 年 辉 煌 历 程, 取 得 令 人 注 目 的 成 就。 在 经 济 市 场 化 和 福 利 社 会 化 处 境 下, 中 国 内 地 社 会 工 作 教 育 发 展 面 临 诸 多 争 论 议 题 和 两 难 选 择。 本 文 从 文 献 回 顾 角 度, 明 确 提 出 中 国 内 地 社 会 工 作 教 育 发 展 的 十 个 重 要 课 题, 简 要 回 顾 每 个 重 要 课 题 的 历 史 发 展, 客 观 描 述 各 种 重 要 课 题 中 的 争 论 议 题, 全 面 分 析 不 同 重 要 课 题 面 临 的 两 难 选 择, 理 论 概 括 中 国 社 会 工 作 教 育 发 展 基 本 关 系 的 理 想 类 型。 本 文 的 主 要 结 论 是, 中 国 社 会 工 作 教 育 应 更 为 及 时 有 效 地 回 应 独 特 的 中 国 社 会 环 境 和 变 迁 的 社 会 需 要, 建 立 与 政 府 决 策 部 门、 正 规 社 会 福 利 服 务 机 构 和 非 政 府 组 织 之 间 的 制 度 性 伙 伴 关 系。 The revival and development of the social work education in China underwent a brilliant process and attained evident achievements in the past 20 years. In the contextual moves towards market orientation and welfare towards socialisation, the social work education faces debatable issues and dilemmas. In terms of literature review, the article clearly shows ten critical issues on the social work education development in China, briefly review their historical development, objectively describes all kinds of the debatable issues about them, comprehensively analyses the dilemmas in dealing with them and theoretically summarises the ideal category for them. The conclusion of the article is that the social work education in China must timely and effectively respond to the special environments and varying needs of Chinese society and establish the partnership with the policy-making governmental departments, official welfare organisations and NGO in Chinese society.


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