Can complexity in welfare professionals’ work be handled with standardised professional knowledge?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Evertsson ◽  
Björn Blom ◽  
Marek Perlinski ◽  
Devin Rexvid
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Welfare States ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Professional Body ◽  
Problematic Situations ◽  
Use Of Knowledge

Complexity in professional work is often discussed in relation to the professional body of knowledge. There is a tendency to relate professional success, problems and shortcomings to flaws and limitations in the professions’ expert knowledge or use of knowledge. To reduce complexity, overcome problematic situations and achieve best practice, welfare states invest considerable resources in raising professional groups’ level of knowledge and use of evidence-based knowledge. Non-medical professions such as social workers are expected to adopt and implement the principles that underpin evidence-based medicine. However, based on two empirical studies of social workers within Swedish social services, this chapter argues that problematic situations and complexity in social work can have sources other than lack of knowledge or insufficient use of knowledge. The chapter argues that these complex and problematic situations cannot be solved by standardised professional knowledge about interventions and results.

scholarly journals From Generalist Approach to Evidence-Based Practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald E. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Effective Intervention ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Technological Society ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Objective Research

The generalist approach subscribes to the eclectic methodology for what Social Workers do. The application of the generalist approach is by nature nebulous. In an advanced technological society, practice technology is less forthcoming in the absence of technologically based skill. Evidence-Based Practiced entails a series of scientific research procedures. It is intended for the application of rigorous expertise to arrive at the most effective intervention based upon objective research findings. Subsequently Evidence-Based Practice is then critical to accommodate social services in the 21st century.

scholarly journals Non-problematic Situations in Social Workers’ and GPs’ Practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Devin Rexvid ◽  
Lars Evertsson
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Professional Knowledge ◽  
Intervention Process ◽  
Problematic Situations ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Professional Intervention

This study aims to describe and analyze written accounts of non-problematic situations by 28 social workers and 24 general practitioners (GPs). The results show that non-problematic situations were connected to professionals’ control of the intervention process. Non-problematic situations were described by social workers as situations where they had control of the relationship with the client either by the use of coercive means or by the client’s active cooperation. GPs referred to non-problematic situations as situations where they had control of the intervention process mainly by the use of professional knowledge. One main conclusion is that the ability to control the intervention process through control of the relationship with the client may be of significance to those professions where a central part of the professional jurisdiction involves changing clients’ behaviors. This conclusion means that professional knowledge is not the only way to control the professional intervention process.

An empirical review of gambling expansion and gambling-related harm

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 295-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debi A. LaPlante ◽  
Heather M. Gray ◽  
Pat M. Williams ◽  
Sarah E. Nelson
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Expansion Method ◽  
Responsible Gambling ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Empirical Comparison ◽  
Related Harm

Abstract. Aims: To discuss and review the latest research related to gambling expansion. Method: We completed a literature review and empirical comparison of peer reviewed findings related to gambling expansion and subsequent gambling-related changes among the population. Results: Although gambling expansion is associated with changes in gambling and gambling-related problems, empirical studies suggest that these effects are mixed and the available literature is limited. For example, the peer review literature suggests that most post-expansion gambling outcomes (i. e., 22 of 34 possible expansion outcomes; 64.7 %) indicate no observable change or a decrease in gambling outcomes, and a minority (i. e., 12 of 34 possible expansion outcomes; 35.3 %) indicate an increase in gambling outcomes. Conclusions: Empirical data related to gambling expansion suggests that its effects are more complex than frequently considered; however, evidence-based intervention might help prepare jurisdictions to deal with potential consequences. Jurisdictions can develop and evaluate responsible gambling programs to try to mitigate the impacts of expanded gambling.

scholarly journals Evidence‐based priorities of under‐served pregnant and parenting adolescents: addressing inequities through a participatory approach to contextualizing evidence syntheses

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Dion ◽  
Aime Klevor ◽  
Amy Nakajima ◽  
Neil Andersson
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Adolescent Mothers ◽  
Priority Setting ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Perinatal Outcomes ◽  
Health Inequities ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Perinatal Health ◽  
Evidence Based

Abstract Purpose This study describes an interdiscursive evidence-based priority setting process with pregnant and parenting adolescents and their services providers. Methods A mixed methods literature review identified studies reporting on perinatal outcomes and experiences of adolescents during pregnancy to 12 months post-partum published in Canada after 2000. We also calculated relative risks for common perinatal risk factors and outcomes for adolescents compared to adult populations from 2012 to 2017 based on data from a provincial database of maternal and newborn outcomes. Two trained peer researchers identified outcomes most relevant to their peers. We shared syntheses results with four service providers and 13 adolescent mothers accessing services at a community service organization, who identified and prioritized their areas of concern. We repeated the process for the identified priority issue and expanded upon it through semi-structured interviews. Results Adolescent mothers face higher rates of poverty, abuse, anxiety and depression than do adult mothers. Adolescents prioritized the experience of judgment in perinatal health and social services, particularly as it contributed to them being identified as a child protection risk. Secondary priorities included loss of social support and inaccessibility of community resources. The experience of judgment in adolescent perinatal health literature was summarized around: being invisible, seen as incapable and seen as a risk. Adolescent mothers adapted these categories, emphasizing organizational and social barriers. Conclusions Young marginalized women are disproportionately affected by inequities in perinatal outcomes, yet their perspectives are rarely centered in efforts to address these inequities. This research addresses health inequities by presenting a robust, transparent and participatory approach to priority setting as a way to better represent the perspectives of those who carry the greatest burden of health inequities in evidence syntheses. In our work, marginalized adolescent parents adapted published literature around the experience and consequences of social stigma on perinatal outcomes, shifting our understanding of root causes and possible solutions.

Modes of Relational Agency among Welfare-reliant Mothers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hagit Sinai-Glazer ◽  
Boris H J M Brummans
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
Relational Agency ◽  
Research Participants ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Depth Interviews

Abstract How do welfare-reliant mothers enact their agency in relationships with social workers and social services? The present article addresses this question by investigating how twenty Israeli welfare-reliant mothers expressed different modes of human agency in in-depth interviews. Results show how research participants enact agency through (i) expressing anger, (ii) seeking help, (iii) resisting and (iv) engaging in non-action. By highlighting the multidimensional and situational nature of agency, this article offers a new relational lens for conceptualising and empirically studying human agency in social work.

Parenting in migration: Critical aspects and challenges of “doing family” of refugee families and social workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 146801732110146
Author(s):  
Nadia Rania ◽  
Laura Pinna ◽  
Ilaria Coppola
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Cultural Barriers ◽  
Family Identity ◽  
Helping Relationship ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Migrant Families ◽  
Italian Context

Summary Although migrant families comprise a small number of immigrants, they present a significant challenge for the host community. In the Italian context, social services support migrant families through paths to autonomy and integration in the community. The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions that families and social workers have of “parenting” and “doing family” (training and management of family identity, roles and daily practices) in the complexity of migration. The study involved 15 immigrant parental couples, using family interview techniques and 12 social workers in 3 mini-focus groups. The collected materials were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using grounded theory. Findings The main results are identified and discussed as strengths, critical points and challenges. Some of the themes such as “willingness to work” or “lack of job opportunities” are common to both family members and social workers. Other themes are relevant to one group only. Among these, “availability and support of social workers” only emerged among families, whereas “education and respecting the rules” only emerged among social workers. Applications The results indicate that it is necessary for social workers to engage in a meaningful helping relationship with families, build networks of inclusion services, and also with the support of mediators overcome linguistic and cultural barriers. Social workers should involve families throughout he integration process. Furthermore, social services must also consider how families experience the difficulty of relating to social workers, which represents an obstacle to support for social integration.

scholarly journals “When we talk about intimate partner violence we talk in an adult way” – Social workers’ descriptions of intimate partner violence between teenagers

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110028
Author(s):  
Emmy Högström Tagesson ◽  
Carina Gallo
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Treatment Quality ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

This article examines how seven social workers within the Swedish social services describe intimate partner violence between teenagers (IPV-BT). The article adds to the literature by examining IPV-BT outside a U.S. context, where most studies have been conducted. Based on semistructured qualitative interviews, the authors analyze descriptions of IPV-BT in relation to Charles Tilly’s notion of category making through transfer, encounter, negotiation, and imposition. They also analyze how the social workers’ descriptions of IPV-BT relate to the intersection between age and gender. The results show that the social workers mostly described IPV-BT by referring to encounters with teenagers and by transferring knowledge and theoretical definitions from their specialized working areas, primarily intimate partner violence between adults (IPV-BA) and troubled youth. More rarely, the social workers based their definitions of IPV-BT upon negotiating dialogues with teenagers. Also, those who worked in teams specialized on IPV had the mandate to impose their definitions of IPV-BT to other professionals and teenagers. When taking age and gender hierarchies in consideration, the results show IPV-BT risks being subordinate IPV-BA on a theoretical level, a practical level and in terms of treatment quality. The study suggests that social work with IPV-BT needs to be sensitive to the double subordinations of the teenage girl and of the teenagers who do not follow gender expectations.

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