scholarly journals Mötet mellan klient och system - om forskning i socialt arbete

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaretha Järvinen

Margaretha Järvinen: The meeting between clients and the system: on research in social work This article is based on the inaugural lecture by the first professor of social work in Denmark. Although coming later than in many other countries, the professorship symbolizes the fact that the field of social work is about to develop into a scientific field of research. The article focuses on social work as a meeting between clients and social welfare institutions. Although it has become popular to describe citizens who come into contact with social welfare institutions as “comsumers” or “users”, this article argues for retention of the idea of client, since these are people with limited freedom of action. Social workers are described as representatives of the welfare state, not as representatives of, or advocates for clients, as they sometimes describe themselves. The article discusses three aspects of the meeting between the client and the system, and is inspired by the work of Pierre Bourdieu. The first is how the system creates the client. Social work is constructed as a field in which clients and their problems are constructed in accordance with the system and its doxa, rather than the other way around. The second aspect is the janus face of help. The article questions the idea that social workers “help” their clients. The traditional helping relation between social workers and their clients is described as a relationship of symbolic power that tends to underline rather than relieve the client’s ‘otherness’. Finally, the article discusses Bourdieu’s concept of practical reason. The field of social work represents rituals, routines and rationalities that may be difficult to put into a neat scientific formula. It argues though, that this concept should not be used (as some social workers have done) as a bulwark against scientific inquiries into the doxa and symbolic power mechanisms of the field.

Author(s):  
Timo Harrikari ◽  
Marjo Romakkaniemi ◽  
Laura Tiitinen ◽  
Sanna Ovaskainen

Abstract This article addresses the experiences of Finnish frontline social workers during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. Two questions are addressed. First, ‘what types of challenges social work professionals faced’ in their everyday, ‘glocal’ pandemic setting and, second, what types of solutions they developed to meet these challenges. The data consist of 33 personal diaries that social work professionals created from mid-March to the end of May 2020. The diaries are analysed by a thematic content analysis and placed within the framework of a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis. The results suggest that the pandemic challenged social work at all levels, from face-to-face interactions to its global relations. The pandemic revealed not only the number of existing problems of social work, but also created new types of challenges. It demanded ultimate resilience from social workers and a new type of adaptive governance from social welfare institutions.


1968 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 23-24
Author(s):  
H.R.H. Krommun Narathip Bongsprabandh

Social work representatives from eleven Asian nations participated in the first regional International Federation of Social Workers Conference for Asia, November 6-10, 1967. The theme was "Action Programmes in Social Welfare and their Impact on a Changing Asia." His Royal Highness Krommun Narathip Bongsprabandh opened the Conference with the statement presented here. In addition, the three position papers of the Conference are reproduced in this issue of INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK. One of the background papers for the Confer ence and a report of the work groups appeared in the April 1968 issue of the Journal.


2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumi Takeda ◽  
Naoko Ibaraki ◽  
Eise Yokoyama ◽  
Takeo Miyake ◽  
Takashi Ohida

Author(s):  
Yolanda Ealdama

Petra de Joya (1913–1987) was an eminent educator and social administrator. She spearheaded the professionalization of social work in the Philippines by advocating for the passage of laws that were instrumental for the development of social work in the country. The following laws were enacted as a result of her advocacy: (a) Republic Act regulating the social work profession in the Philippines and requiring social welfare agencies to hire professional social workers; (b) a Republic Act elevating the Department of Social Work to the Institute of Social Work and Community Development at the University of the Philippines; and (c) a Republic Act transforming the Social Welfare Administration (SWA) into the Department of Social Welfare (DSW). She was appointed as one of the first board of examiners for social work.


2020 ◽  
pp. 146801732095513
Author(s):  
Joakim Finne

Summary The aim of this study is to analyse attitudes towards and the utilisation of evidence-based practice among social workers in Norway. The data were collected in 2014–2015 from social workers in four Norwegian counties. The sample consists of 2060 social workers registered as members of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers. Findings The main findings in this study indicate that social workers in child welfare are generally less critical of evidence-based practice than those within social welfare. Higher education and knowledge about evidence-based practice are seen as predictors for less critical attitudes towards the concept. The findings further suggest that social workers who use manuals and standardised procedures are less critical of evidence-based practice. Applications Understanding social workers’ attitudes towards evidence-based practice is important in order to facilitate the best possible practices. This study emphasises the importance of increasing knowledge of evidence-based practice in the social sector, and the need to further investigate how research methods and evidence-based practice concepts are translated into practice.


Author(s):  
Jean K. Quam

Benjamin Emanuel Youngdahl (1897–1970) was a public welfare administrator, educator, and lecturer. He influenced the social work profession during his career as president of the American Association of Schools of Social Work, the American Association of Social Workers, and the National Conference on Social Welfare.


Author(s):  
Maryann Syers

Donald S. Howard (1902–1982), an eminent social work educator and administrator, became the first dean of the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, in 1948. Later, he served as president of the American Association of Social Workers.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin Lawrence

[Para. 1 of Introduction] "Encourage people to learn their own indigeneity, whatever that is. And to be encouraged to go into that. That's part of their healing journey. And that is their responsibility in doing social work because they're doing that for their identity, for their space…" (Stacy). Social work has had a tenuous relationship with Indigenous peoples in Canada. Looking at various periods historically and currently, social work has positioned itself as an alleged ally of Indigenous peoples and yet it is a perpetrator of the horrific conditions and strife that Indigenous peoples face. Issues like cultural erosion, the breakup of families and language loss are all traced in part to residential Schools, 60's scoop and the millennial scoop- which social workers have and continue to play a role in executing (Alston-O’Connor, 2010). On one hand, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) has prioritized "developing stronger connections with Indigenous social workers and communities to better support their issues and pursue shared advocacy goals" (CASW Reconciliation Hub, n.d.). However, Indigenous children continue to be overrepresented in child welfare institutions (Ontario Human Rights Commission, 2018).


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