Robust Responses to the Impact of Climate Change in Zimbabwe: Social Work’s Contribution

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatenda Goodman Nhapi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
The Impact

It has become important that social work confronts environmental challenges associated with climate change. Environmental social work is an approach to social work practice founded on ecological justice principles. A literature review was conducted to analyse social work’s contribution to robust responses to the impact of climate change in Zimbabwe. Despite an enabling legal and policy environment, the degradation of natural resources has become pervasive owing to Zimbabwe’s socio-economic dynamics. Institutions such as the Council of Social Workers Zimbabwe (Council of Social Workers), and the National Association of Social Workers Zimbabwe complemented by the four universities that offer social work training are found to contribute to social work when mitigating the impact of climate change in Zimbabwe. These strategies enrich social work’s responses to the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation. This is achievable by engaging in research opportunities of applied action that explore communities’ public and social spaces. The article concludes by offering pathways for more proactive social work contributions towards mitigating climate change impacts in Zimbabwe.

The Call of the Faithful: The Integration of Spiritual and Social Work Practice in the Time of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-392
Author(s):  
Shirley Newton-Guest ◽  
Claudia Sofia Moreno ◽  
Marla Coyoy ◽  
Roxanna Najmi ◽  
Tonia Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The Public ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Unaccompanied Children ◽  
The Impact

This has been a season of change worldwide. It has become virtually impossible to ignore distressing news about the state of our world. COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, how we think, and even how we grieve. Every day, Americans are bombarded with reports of rising death tolls, massive unemployment, economic turmoil, and dismal foreseeable predictions. This health crisis has put an enormous amount of pressure on the global community, and this is especially true for our clients who are new immigrants. This pressure has manifested in mental health challenges. Social workers have reported that for many clients the uncertainty and pressure are becoming too much to handle. Typically, clients are experiencing anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, and in some cases interpersonal violence (Brodhead, 2020; Endale et al. 2020; Saltzman et al.,2020). Now imagine the impact on unaccompanied minors arriving at our borders. Prior to the pandemic, the unaccompanied children were dealing with three crises simultaneously: 1) parental and home country separation; 2) trauma from a harsh journey; and 3) language barrier and cultural shock. These issues alone are overwhelming and cause powerful emotions such as anxiety in these children. So how can these emotions be managed, coupled with the dangers of COVID-19? How can social workers provide comfort and support when they may be experiencing the same emotions? This article brings this hidden reality into the public view and enrich the existing social work body of knowledge by demonstrating the restorative power of faith, spirituality, and self-care.      

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.

Environmental social work : accounting for women's tragedies in the face of climate change-induced disasters in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-217
Author(s):  
Frans Koketso Matlakala ◽  
◽  
Jabulani Calvin Makhubele ◽  
Louis Nyahunda
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Populations At Risk ◽  
Environmental Social Work ◽  
Strong Winds ◽  
Post Disaster

This paper aimed to explore the repercussions of Cyclone Idai on women in Chimanimani District, Zimbabwe. There is a ubiquitous consensus in literature on gender and climate change that natural disasters have a different gender impact on men and women. In 2019, Zimbabwe was hit by torrential rains coupled with strong winds that triggered floods and mudslides, which resulted in loss of lives, displacements, destruction of infrastructure and disruption of livelihoods. This unprecedented disaster left some footprints of psychosocial distress, trauma, emotional malaise and health repercussions in the lives of its victims in Chimanimani where women were the hardest hit. The daunting impact of Cyclone Idai on women in Chimanimani falls within the context of the environmental social work practice where social workers foster healing and recovery, effective coping mechanisms and assessment of the aftermath of disasters to individuals and communities. This study was qualitative in nature, guided by the multi-case study design which operates within the traditional framework of exploratory research. A total number of twenty-five participants from Nyatanda and Pondo Rescue Camps comprising of women survivors of the disaster and social workers were purposively sampled to participate in the study. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews were adopted as data collection methods. The findings were analysed through the thematic content analysis. This study established that the gendered impacts of Cyclone Idai on women received little attention in post-disaster assessment, recovery, evaluation and intervention. Nonetheless, this paper argues that in post-disaster analysis, women/girls should be identified as special populations at risk for disaster relief and recovery services and social workers have adequate expertise to execute such assignments.

scholarly journals SOCIAL WORKERS’ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF POPULATION’ MENTAL HEALTH PRESERVATION IN THE XXI CENTURY

2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 2823-2828
Author(s):  
Liliia Y. Klos ◽  
Mariana V. Shkoliar ◽  
Sofiya G. Stavkova ◽  
Olena P. Kokhanova
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

The aim: Social work is focused on overcoming inequality and social isolation of individuals and communities due to health conditions. Therefore, substantiating the activities of social workers to preserve mental health of citizens is an important component of the new strategy for the development of the profession in the XXI century. Materials and methods: The methodological basis of the study is a holistic approach to the interpretation of individual health in the unity of physical, mental, social, and spiritual components; ecosystemic approach assumes the impact of the environment on the social functioning of the individual; interdisciplinary approach identifies ways of dealing withmental health challengein the global context; social inclusion approach provides a basis for the practice of experts of the social spherein the XXI century. Conclusions: The article substantiates the need for social workers to maintain the mental health of the population under the negative impact of global factors within their own countries and internationally. The evolution analysis of the international experience of transformations of social work practice in the area of mental health preservation is carried out. Preserving the mental health of citizens under the negative effects of globalization processes depends on the concerted actions of states, international organizations, civil society, communities, and individuals themselves. This encourages social workers to work at regional and international levels with institutions interested in fair policies and practices in social and health services.

An Exploration of Issues affecting the assessment of social Work students on practice placement in England

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 68-82
Author(s):  
Bridget Caffrey ◽  
Helen Fruin
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Current System ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Field Education ◽  
Higher Education System ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training

The authors of this practice note acknowledge the centrality of practice learning in social work training in England. They recognise it is a defining feature of social work training. However they critically discuss the current model used to assess social work students on placement in England; a process prompted by research one of the authors presented at the 12th International Conference on Practice Teaching and Field Education in Health and Social Work, September 2018.The PN reviews persitant issues in the assessment of students on placement  and argues these have been exacerbated by changes to practice within the English  higher education system and social work practice. They argue the current system is fundamentally flawed and encourage the SW profession  to reflect using imagination and creativity to envisage alternative ways to assess students practice and to identify new ideas to pilot. 

scholarly journals Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy: The impact of culture, organization and education

2020 ◽  
pp. 146801732091987
Author(s):  
Alessandro Sicora ◽  
Wei Lu ◽  
Jie Lei
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Negative Outcomes ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Open Discussion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Professional Judgement

Summary This article reports the results of an exploratory comparative study that investigated errors made by social work practitioners. Two groups of social workers, one in Italy and one in Mainland China, answered questions about the causes and effects of mistakes, professional errors and reactions to errors committed by their colleagues, and the influence of intuition on the decision-making process that generates mistakes and errors of professional judgement. Findings The most salient differences between the Italian and Chinese respondents related to their willingness to talk about their mistakes and their confidence in the training received. A longer social work tradition in Italy helps practitioners in that country to feel stronger and to engage in a reflective learning process rather than defensive actions. As members of a new and not yet fully recognized profession, social workers in Mainland China are more likely to blame external circumstances for negative outcomes. Both groups shared the same positive consideration of intuition and the risk of losing service users’ trust. Applications The purpose of the article is to foster better understanding of errors and mistakes in social work, as well as more open discussion and reflection on social work practice and how to prevent negative outcomes.

Religion, spirituality and social work: an international perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth R. Crisp
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
International Perspective ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
International Perspectives ◽  
The Impact

Purpose While there has been the emergence of a substantial body of scholarship on the place of religion and spirituality in social work, the predominant voices in this discourse have primarily been authors from the English-speaking North Atlantic countries. The purpose of this paper is to redress this issue by exploring the impact of other national perspectives. Design/methodology/approach Using a post-colonial perspective, the author reflects on the issues which emerged in seeking to develop a truly international perspective on religion and spirituality in social work. Findings There are important historical and contextual differences between countries which influence how social work is practiced, as well as different understandings as to what social work is. These differences are reflected in social workers’ understandings as to how religion and spirituality can be utilised in social work practice. It is also noted that the growing enthusiasm of social workers to embrace religion and spirituality in their practice needs to be tempered by the realisation that religion and spirituality can be harmful in some circumstances. Originality/value This paper demonstrates how drawing on a wider range of international perspectives has the potential to enrich social work scholarship and practice.

scholarly journals Where Is Developmental Social Work as Social Work Practice Method in Tanzania? The Case of Dar es Salaam Region

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
William Manyama
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Social Service Agencies ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Social Work Training ◽  
Work Training ◽  
Social And Economic Development ◽  
Practice Method

There is a consensus that developmental social work method is increasingly gaining support as a panacea for social and economic problems facing the African continent. The main emphasis of the method is centered on pulling together community resources in addressing social and economic problems. The literature shows that the method is currently underutilized in Tanzania and the reasons propelling such a situation are not clear. This study has found that developmental social work is confronted with the following barriers in Tanzania: lack of resources, nature of social work training and curricula, organizational factors/nature of social service agencies activities, lack of innovation and absence of regulations/clear guidelines. The findings also suggest that in order to make full utilization of developmental social work, structural, institutional, professional and individual factors have to be addressed. The recommendations of this study are: developmental social work is very important so as to bring about social and economic development. The nature of economic and social problems facing vulnerable populations in Tanzania today requires a combination of different methods including that of developmental social work, if sustainable development has to be realized.

scholarly journals Policy Considerations for Geriatric Social Workers in Healthcare Settings During COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 382-382
Author(s):  
Terri Lewinson ◽  
Tiffany Washington
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Health Care Settings ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Social workers are essential to the delivery of health care with older adults the during COVID-19 pandemic. This paper focuses on the impact of policies in health care systems that affect geriatric social work practice. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 55 social workers from a variety of health care settings. Data were analyzed to identify the scope of social work practice in health care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how policies in their respective settings impacted their work. Conditions that impeded participants’ ability to provide quality care and work within their scope of practice included inconsistent expectations of interdisciplinary team members, disparate access to resources, restriction of opportunities to address emotional distress experienced by workers. Recommendations for policy enhancements in health care settings include interprofessional education on effective team communication, protocol development for the equitable distribution of resources among essential workers, and trauma-informed in-service trainings for health care administrators.

scholarly journals The ageing demographic transition: The impact on elderly and social workers

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Aldrich
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Demographic Change ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Severe Shortage

The issues associated with an ageing population pose substantial challenges for governments globally. Social workers are well suited to respond to the challenges of this demographic change. However, there is a severe shortage of social workers that are skilled in working in this field. This article looks at the ageing demographic transition, how support for the increasing older population will be a problem, and the issues that may impact older people,as well as social workers. How discrimination, culture and ethics inform social work practice, and the legislation and policies that are available for the aged. The article also looks at the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs and models of practice that are used by social workers in working with the older generation. 

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document