scholarly journals Studying social workers’ roles in natural disasters during a global pandemic: What can we learn?

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 456-462
Author(s):  
Claire Antonia Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Role ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Qualitative Researcher ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Recommendations

The author reflects on the convergence of her roles as a qualitative researcher studying social workers’ roles during Hurricane Harvey, a student of public health, and a hospital social worker in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarities are drawn between the social work role following a natural disaster and a pandemic disaster along with observations regarding core differences. Practice and research recommendations are provided for social workers in the domains of therapeutic interactions, social justice, and public health. While therapeutic relationships have often been far more difficult to achieve during the pandemic than Hurricane Harvey, the assistance of technology and proper personal protective equipment has been helpful in filling communication gaps. Both types of disasters are universal in their reach, impacting people of all backgrounds; the social work role has been to address differences in access to resources, including health care and financial assistance. Finally, social workers play a significant role in public health during disasters through disseminating reliable information about safety, resources, and opportunities to assist others. The author recommends the expansion of social work in the public health space to provide more insight about communicating with vulnerable populations during disasters.

Social Work and Public Social Services Practice: A Status Report

1996 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Gibelman ◽  
Philip H. Schervish
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Labor Force ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Status Report ◽  
The Public ◽  
Education Experience ◽  
The Social

The authors review the current status of the social work labor force within the public sector by means of an analysis of the National Association of Social Workers member data base for 1988 and 1991, with additional data drawn from a 1993 member survey. Changes in the proportion and composition of the public social services labor force are documented, including education, experience, gender, and ethnicity. The decreasing professional social work labor force within public social services is discussed within the context of the realities of public social services practice and social work's historic place within this sector. The authors encourage debate about the implications of these trends, focusing on whether social work should influence labor-force trends or be influenced by them.

Public Perceptions of Social Work in Nigeria: Does the Profession Has What It Takes to Address Nigeria’s Social Problems?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solomon Amadasun
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
African Continent ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Development Practice

Abstract The value of all hitherto existing professions stems from how the public in which they serve perceive the import of their services. This study examines the perceptions of a cross-section of Nigerians regarding their knowledge of the social work profession. Through a structured survey instrument, data were collected from a nationally representative sample of 350 Nigerians from the age of twenty years and above. Although the majority of the respondents were not familiar with the professional designation ‘social work’, they, however, demonstrated substantial knowledge about social workers’ roles, areas of practice and other measures. Since practitioners are actively involved in community organising and development practice across the country, more than two-thirds of the respondents believed that the profession has the potential to address social development problems not only in Nigeria but across the African continent.

scholarly journals Disrupting the grassroots narrative of social work in Aotearoa New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonya Hunt ◽  
Barbara Staniforth ◽  
Liz Beddoe
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Public ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Social ◽  
Economic Forces

INTRODUCTION: The Aotearoa New Zealand social work professionalisation project disrupted underpinning grassroots narratives of the profession and led to decades of debate and conflict. Social work emphasises egalitarian approaches and, during the 1980s and 1990s, social workers responded to internal and external challenges of elitism, racism, and sexism. However, the ongoing professionalisation project has been at times, at odds with social justice imperatives and undermined by neoliberal drivers.METHODS: This research investigated how political, sociocultural and economic dimensions impacted on the development and initial implementation of the Social Workers Registration Act (2003) and how key actors at the time were affected. A qualitative realist research methodology has been utilised, analysing qualitative interviews with 22 participants, policy documents and archival data to clarify discourses of power and capture the voices and rich stories of those involved in the debates at the time.FINDINGS: A sociological lens was utilised to focus and frame the coalescing political, socio-cultural and economic forces that contributed to the problematising of social work professionalisation and the determining of the need for registration. Insight from some key actors at the time, including educators, the profession, tangata whenua, employers, practitioners, the State, and the public were considered.CONCLUSIONS: Examining these forces behind the professionalisation project provides a platform to consider if social work in Aotearoa New Zealand has been strengthened with registration. There are ongoing challenges and threats to the independence and social justice focus of the profession that grew alongside the grassroots of social work.

scholarly journals Social work in the public services in Brazil - disclosing ruling relations in a local context

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-146
Author(s):  
Trond Heitmann
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Local Context ◽  
The Public ◽  
Professional Careers ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Relationship

This article about social workers in the public social services in Brazil explores professional social work practice through the subjective standpoint of the social workers. Inspired by institutional ethnography, this approach explicates how understandings of social work are interpreted and implemented in various contexts. The findings show that the formalization of the relationship with the employer through contracts of employment implicate that the disciplinary normative definitions of social work succumb to institutional regulations, which are not necessarily discipline specific. In addition, the temporary character of the contracts of employment makes the social workers align their practice to institutional frameworks and demands, as they are personally interested in renewal of the contracts and the maintenance of their professional careers. With this approach, disciplinary, political, ideological, legal and moral definitions of social work are not viewed as the essences of social work, but rather as contextual processes that are locally activated in different contexts. At the same time, it underscores social work as a political profession which should naturally include interventions on political, juridical, economic and organizational levels. Consequently, professional social work is not one thing, nor only one profession, but rather professional practices adapted to a variation of contexts. This perspective is significant to help detect areas of intervention for social change.

scholarly journals The Why, What, Where of social work: A personal reflection on the social work role over a thirty-year period

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 75-80
Author(s):  
Pam Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
50Th Anniversary ◽  
Work Role ◽  
Personal Reflection ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Social

As the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers celebrates its 50th anniversary it is timely to reflect on our personal and professional journeys. I present my reflections and then I consider why others may enter the profession and what literature tells us. I conclude with an encouragement for others. The ‘what’ and ‘where’ I briefly touch on but leave as a challenge for others to explore.

scholarly journals Crossing borders: key features of migrant social workers in New Zealand

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bartley ◽  
L. Beddoe ◽  
J. Duke ◽  
C. Fouché ◽  
P. Harington ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Border Crossing ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Key Features

The emergence of a mobile, professional social work workforce, successfully managing the demands of service-users, policy makers and the public at large in different countries across the globe, provides unprecedented opportunities for professional border-crossing. It is timely to generate New Zealand-specific data on professionals employed in the social services workforce in New Zealand so as to inform educational and institutional responses to this complex phenomenon. A study that seeks to develop a profile of migrant social workers in New Zealand and key issues experienced by these professionals, is underway. This article reports on the first phase of the project, comprising an examination of the key features of registered social workers in New Zealand with an overseas social work qualification and a review of issues and challenges faced by migrant professionals more generally, and by migrant social workers in particular. 

Social work, problem definition and policy change in the US: the case of sex-trafficked youth

2019 ◽  
pp. 37-52
Author(s):  
Lisa Werkmeister Rozas ◽  
Megan Feely ◽  
Jason Ostrander
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social

Critical theoretical frameworks are essential in helping social workers develop a comprehensive understanding of the manner in which political and social systems oppress marginalised populations. The central concern of critical theories is power and connecting the personal and the political, which can be accomplished by encouraging social workers and clients to use their life experiences to advocate for and change ineffective and outdated policies. This chapter presents two critical theoretical frameworks, structural social work and critical consciousness theory, to analyse the social problem of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and illustrate policy changes that were created to challenge this form of structural violence. Through a case example this chapter will demonstrate how social workers redefined a social problem and by doing so, facilitated the public participation in shaping social policies and institutions in the state of Connecticut to provide better outcomes for the victims of DMST.

scholarly journals The Challenges of Writing Opinion Pieces in Social Work: A National Online Survey of Swedish Social Workers’ Experiences of Influencing Public Opinion

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jörgen Lundälv
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Debate ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Treatment

Abstract Social workers have an important role to play and a voice to make heard in the public debate. They can make a difference both by working in preventive social work and by taking part in the shaping of public opinion. Being visible and active in the public debate about social work and social policy is a matter of democracy and participation, and provides many opportunities for social workers to explain different welfare terms, forms of support and new treatment methods. This article investigates the extent to which Swedish social workers make themselves visible in the public debate by writing opinion pieces in newspapers and social work journals. Publishing opinion pieces is only one alternative social workers have for contributing to public debate in society. A total of 1,583 social workers responded to an electronic online survey covering their experiences of active participation in the public opinion. The results show that only a limited proportion of these social workers participated in the public debate. Amongst those who had written opinion pieces, the emphasis was above all on the social workers’ own work environment and working conditions. Some of the survey participants had experienced disapproval, disparagement and threats directed at them.

scholarly journals Comparing public perceptions of social work and social workers’ expectations of the public view

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Staniforth ◽  
Kelsey L. Deane ◽  
Liz Beddoe
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
The Public ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
The Social

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have explored public perception of social work and social workers. There is little written about what social workers think about how they, and the profession of social work, are viewed by the public. This article explores the views of a sample of social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand about their beliefs around the public perception of social work and social workers.AIMS: This article aims to explore social worker views on the public perception of social work, and then compares these findings with a previous study which looked at the public perception of social workers.METHODOLOGY: An online survey was conducted with 403 social workers from the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Work, which asked them about their perceptions on how social work and social workers are viewed by the public. The results are then compared to a previous telephone survey, which asked 386 members of the public their views on social work and social workers.FINDINGS: Results demonstrate that the social workers generally had a poorer impression of what the public believed in most areas, compared to what the public had indicated in the prior study.CONCLUSION: Social workers, social work professional bodies and social work educators need to be proactive in promoting accurate information about social work and what social workers do.

scholarly journals Social work; neoliberalism; precarious workSosyal hizmet; neoliberalism; güvencesiz çalışma

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emre Özcan ◽  
Seda Attepe Özden ◽  
Arzu İçağasıoğlu Çoban
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Precarious Work ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual

Precarious work is a form of work that is widespread today with the influence of neoliberal policies. This form of work includes the lack of job security and some social rights, as well as the fear of dismissal an ongoing job, even if the employee has a job. In recent years, precarious work has begun to be seen in the field of social work as well as being seen in every area with the contraction of the role of the public in working life. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the insecurity that has become widespread in the field of social work in recent years, in the eyes of the social workers, working in this field.For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 14 social workers who were working without precautions.Interviews were subject to content analysis by the authors and gathered under three subtopics. As a result of the research, it has been seen that precarious social workers feel themselves in an ambiguity on the individual level and on the social level they are away from working for the benefit of the client. The effects of precarious work are not only effect on an individual level, but Precarious work has also affected the social dimension, and it has preventing services for individuals. It is necessary to investigate more precisely the effects of precarious work on employees and clients, and to prevent the loss of rights in social services. ÖzetGüvencesiz çalışma, neoliberal politikaların etkisiyle günümüzde yaygın olarak görülen bir çalışma biçimidir. Bu çalışma biçimi, iş güvencesinden ve bazı sosyal haklardan yoksun çalışmayı içerdiği gibi aynı zamanda çalışanın bir işe sahip olsa bile sürekli bir işten çıkarılma korkusu yaşamasını da ifade etmektedir. Son yıllarda güvencesiz çalışma olgusu kamunun rolünün daralmasıyla her alanda görülmekle birlikte sosyal hizmet alanında da görülmeye başlanmıştır. Bu araştırmanın amacı da son yıllarda sosyal hizmet alanında yaygınlaşmaya başlayan güvencesizliği, bu alanda çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanların gözünden değerlendirmektir. Bu amaçla güvencesiz çalışan 14 sosyal hizmet uzmanı ile derinlemesine görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Görüşme dökümleri, yazarlar tarafından içerik analizine tabi tutulmuştur ve üç başlık altında toplanmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda güvencesiz çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının bireysel düzlemde kendilerini belirsizlik içinde hissettiği, toplumsal düzlemde ise müracaatçı yararına çalışmadan uzaklaştıkları görülmüştür. Güvencesiz çalışmanın etkileri sadece bireysel düzlemde hissedilmemekte, toplumsal boyuta taşınarak bireylerin hizmet alma ihtiyaçlarının önüne geçmektedir. Güvencesizliğin çalışanlar ve müracaatçılar üzerindeki etkilerinin daha kapsamlı bir şekilde araştırılması ve sosyal hizmet alanındaki hak kayıplarının önlenmesi gereklidir. 

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