Knowing poverty: Social workers’ perceptions of poverty knowledge

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110321
Author(s):  
Roni Strier ◽  
Hani Nouman ◽  
Nurit Kantarovich
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Global And Local

Summary Given the global and local social inequalities and the complex life circumstances of people living in poverty, social workers are called upon to broaden their knowledge with the purpose of developing social services that respond to the needs of this growing population. However, very little research has been done on the kind of knowledge that social workers require in order to care for this population. The present article focuses on the epistemological aspects of service development for people living in poverty and reviews three main issues: What is “poverty knowledge,” where does it come from, and what are the barriers to and opportunities for its development? These questions are investigated through a qualitative paradigm among social workers employed in Israel’s public social services. Findings Findings reveal a profound epistemological controversy about what poverty knowledge means: Is it objective, consistent, readily available, and transferrable knowledge, or is it a dynamic and reflexive process affected by a great number of fluctuating contexts? Findings stress the dominance of positivist views of poverty knowledge, mostly derived from practice while other sources of knowledge development, such as service users’ local knowledge, theory, and research knowledge were seen as less relevant to their needs. Applications Practical recommendations are offered relating to the need for poverty knowledge development processes in social services as well as in social-work education through collaborative, contextual, and reflective learning with and from service users and other stakeholders.

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.

scholarly journals Applying the U.S. Model of Social Work Education Curriculum to Libyan Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Zeinab Abulhul
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Education Curriculum ◽  
Social Work Programs ◽  
Work Education

The Libyan government urgently needs a professional social workers’ mission to help decrease social problems that have emerged and been aggravated due to civil war and political conflicts. However, the present social work community in Libya cannot mitigate social problems or simplify social services effectively to meet people’s needs. Thus, teaching and learning methodologies need to be developed inside and outside educational institutions so that the challenges presently facing Libyan society can be overcome. The purpose of this paper is to suggest adopting an American social work curriculum experience in Libyan social work education according to Libyan ideology. The researcher depicts nine social work competencies (e.g., knowledge, professional values, skills, and professional processes and practices), as well as a set of behaviors that reflect social workers’ competencies that relate to the social work curriculum applied in colleges in the United States. The author’s goal is to encourage Libyan social work professionals to take advantage of this knowledge and these experiences to develop the Libyan social work education curriculum. This could ensure that graduates of social work programs are qualified to help people deal with social problems when they enter the workforce.

scholarly journals Pandemics and Social Work

2022 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Economic Security ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Aids Epidemic ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
Online Exchange

The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 confronted health and also social services globally with unprecedented challenges. These amounted to a combination of increased demands for support to individuals and families whose physical and mental health and economic security were threatened by the rapid spread of the virus and the imposed limitations to direct contacts with service users. This constituted a situation for which there was no immediate historical parallel but from which important lessons for better preparedness for future global disasters and pandemics can be drawn. There existed no specific introductions to or textbooks on social work responses to pandemics and the nearest usable references concerned social work involvement in the HIV/AIDS epidemic and in the aftermath of natural disasters. Frontline social workers were at first forced to improvise ways of establishing and maintaining contacts with service users partly through electronic means and partly by taking personal risks. This is reflected in an initial delay in the production of comprehensive theoretical reflections on the practice implications of the new situation. Practitioners resorted to pragmatism, which became manifest in numerous episodic practice accounts and brief statements in social work journals which nevertheless contain important messages for new practice developments. Notably, the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) opened an online exchange and advice platform for social workers globally and also hosted a series of webinars. Nevertheless, books with collections of contributions from various practice fields and geographical areas soon began to appear. In view of the interdisciplinary nature of social work responses required in the pandemic the use of publications from a wider range of academic disciplines and related professions was indicated for this review.

scholarly journals Redefining Borders between Communities and the Classroom: How Community-based Social Activists can Transform Social Work Education

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori Chambers ◽  
Sheila Cranmer-Byng ◽  
May Friedman ◽  
Meaghan Ross ◽  
Warimu Njoroge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Work Education

In the context of service restructuring that has gravely impacted quality of life for social workers and the people with whom they work, this paper considers the ways that social work education can better support social justice-based social work practices in urban communities in Canada. The paper’s authors attended a fall 2013 Ryerson University forum that brought together critical social work educators and community-based activist social workers struggling to bring social justice-based practices to their work within restructured social services. Examples of social service restructuring include cuts to services, labour intensification, and increased managerialism, processes known as neoliberalism that have shifted discourses away from quality of life toward a focus on economic markers and efficiencies. The purpose of our forum was to explore ways in which social work curricula and pedagogical practices can be challenged and redefined in order to better support those efforts by social workers to resist such processes and to enhance social worker and client quality of life. Our paper presents the findings of this forum, including the presentation and discussion of a series of recommendations to reconfigure social work education so that it is more congruent with the needs of social justice-based practice in social work.

Social Work in Islam, Socio-Religious Revelations, and Conflicts

2020 ◽  
pp. 187-200
Author(s):  
Naila Iqbal Khan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Client Characteristics ◽  
The Social ◽  
Muslim Communities ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Work Knowledge

To provide effective social services to different cultural groups requires cultural understanding which is often missed in recent social work education programs and textbooks. The use of fundamentally different social work knowledge and a different approach in every different cultural group is the key to effective social work in different areas. How to adopt social work in working with Muslim communities is an unresolved question so far. It can be done only by focusing on possible client characteristics, understanding the level of difficulties, and requirements from the perspective of the social workers. Issues of spirituality, different levels of understanding and working knowledge of working professionals, and understanding expectations of clients are relevant. All the educational institutions, agencies, and social workers must put up coordinated efforts to achieve the objective of localized social work for Muslim clients.

scholarly journals Social Workers under the Spotlight: An Analysis of Fitness to Practise Referrals to the Regulatory Body in England, 2014–2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 326-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Banks ◽  
Magdalena Zasada ◽  
Robert Jago ◽  
Ann Gallagher ◽  
Zubin Austin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Research Project ◽  
The Public ◽  
Case Files ◽  
Detailed Picture ◽  
Initial Triage

Abstract This article examines the nature of, and reasons for, the disproportionately high rates of fitness to practise referrals of social workers in England to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), compared with other professions regulated by HCPC during 2014–2016. In 2014–2015, the rate of referrals for social workers was 1.42 per cent of registrants, compared with an average for the sixteen professions regulated by HCPC of 0.66 per cent. Drawing on published statistics and unique analysis of a sample of 232 case files undertaken as part of a research project in 2016–2017, the article highlights relatively high rates of inappropriate referrals from ‘members of the public’ (mainly service users) particularly in relation to child placements and contact. A detailed picture is offered of the variety of referrals dealt with at each stage of the fitness to practise process (from initial triage to final hearings), with recommendations for how to prevent inappropriate referrals, whilst focusing concern on the most serious cases of incompetence and misconduct. This research is of significance at a time of increasing pressure for social workers, social services and service users under conditions of austerity and managerialism; on-going concerns about standards in social work; and recent changes in social work regulation.

Charting the Development of Spirituality in Social Work in the Second Decade of the 21st Century: A Critical Commentary

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 961-978
Author(s):  
Beth R Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Critical Commentary ◽  
Practice Models ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article provides a critical commentary on the place of spirituality in social work scholarship in the second decade of the twenty-first century. Compared with previous decades, the applications of spirituality within social work have expanded, and understandings of what spirituality entails have become more nuanced. In part, this reflects an intention and methodology which enabled scholarship from beyond the Anglosphere to be included in this commentary, including the perspectives of indigenous peoples. Three key issues were identified in the literature: a lack of consensus as to how spirituality is understood, including whether it can be measured; the broadening scope for spirituality in social work practice, including growing recognition that spirituality has a role beyond direct practice in social policy and advocacy work; and the impact on social workers or holistic practice models which acknowledge the spirituality of service users and consequences of this for social work education. Although there are many positives to have emerged from this growing acceptance of a legitimate place for spirituality in social work, social workers need to take care to ensure that the ways they incorporate spirituality into their practice is not harmful to service users.

‘Social work is not just a job’: The qualities of social workers from the perspective of service users

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Kwong Kam
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Social ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practice Skills

Summary The social work profession emphasises the development of the personal qualities of social workers in addition to requiring them to possess the necessary professional values, knowledge, theories and practice skills. Until now, we have tended to rely on the perspective of social work professional bodies, educators and employers to assess the personal qualities of social workers. We have seldom inquired about the views of service users on the qualities of social workers, thus disregarding their perspective. This article focuses on identifying the important qualities of social workers from the perspective of service users. Findings This paper reports on qualitative research on the personal qualities of social workers that service users value in Hong Kong. It draws on a diverse range of service users with direct experiences of the services provided by social workers. A total of 47 service users from 7 core social welfare service settings and 32 service units participated in an in-depth qualitative interview. Six significant personal qualities of social workers from the service users’ perspective are identified and discussed. Applications The findings have several implications for examining directions for development of the social work profession, the relationship between service users and social workers, effective ways to develop the personal qualities of students in social work education and ways to resolve the dilemma between service users’ expectations and the existing mode of social work service delivery. Issues of particular relevance to Hong Kong are highlighted in discussing these implications.

Social workers and refugee service users (re)constructing their relationships in a hostile political climate

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110097
Author(s):  
Lior Birger ◽  
Yochay Nadan
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Professional Boundaries ◽  
Informal Relationship ◽  
Therapeutic Outcomes ◽  
Relationship Structures ◽  
Work Education

Summary This article explores the relationship between social workers and adult Eritrean refugee service users in the context of a hostile political climate and restrictive state policies. It examines the implications of politics and policies on the formation of this relationship based on findings from a qualitative study conducted in Israel and Germany. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 38 participants – 16 Eritrean refugees and 22 social workers who work with refugees. Findings Despite different political, social and organizational contexts, especially in the asylum policies towards Eritrean refugees, our thematic analysis yielded two main themes common to both countries: First, changing relationship structures, in particular moving away from a ‘traditional’ conceptualization of the social work relationship towards ‘informal’ practices. These included modifications of the setting, of professional boundaries and of the therapeutic language. Second, shifting power relations, characterized by a friend-like dynamic, which enabled more egalitarian relations, and a parent–child dynamic, which included increased power imbalances and dependency. Implications An increased understanding of the role of restrictive policies, everyday racism and exclusionary political discourse in the reconstruction of the user-worker relationship dynamics could inform social work education and practice. Beyond the refugee arena, establishing informal relationship structures could help to reduce power differentials, increase trust-building and improve therapeutic outcomes with refugees and other service users. The possible risks of informal relations, such as misunderstandings or worker burnout, are also discussed.

scholarly journals Service users and carers as co-educators of social work students

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-112
Author(s):  
Rob Mackay ◽  
Margot Fairclough ◽  
Michael Coull
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Personal Narratives ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Service Users ◽  
The Social ◽  
Scottish Government ◽  
Work Education ◽  
And Training

This paper considers issues related to the requirement by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and the Scottish Government that service users and carers are partners and stakeholders in social work education. This requirement is one of many used by the SSSC in the approval of Scottish universities to deliver social work courses.This paper explains and reflects on the experiences of including service users and carers as co-educators with the social work courses at the Robert Gordon University (RGU) making particular reference to one module. It examines the issues around the process of their involvement with the education of social work students, and considers student evaluations of this module. Lastly it discusses the broader implications for partnership working in relation to the education and training of students for professional practice. The focus is on the role that service users and carers can play as partners in the classroom through the use of personal narratives. The experience of presenting as a service user or carer is discussed and the contributions highlight how such presentations can heighten student awareness as to the lived experience of a disability or a mental health problem.

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