scholarly journals The Discursive Struggles of the Client–Worker Relationship in the Social Services

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Nykänen ◽  
Leena Mikkola
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Interpersonal Relationship ◽  
Relational Dialectics ◽  
Relational Dialectics Theory ◽  
Service Workers ◽  
Relational Frames ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Ideal

This study examines how disability service workers identify the discourses of the client-worker relationships. We studied the clientworker relationship from the perspective of the relational dialectics theory with a focus on relational contradictions and the meanings created within discursive struggles. We analyzed the interview data from 22 social workers using contrapuntal analysis. According to the social workers’ perceptions, two discursive struggles exist in client-worker relationships: i) the struggle of integration, consisting of the contradiction of the ideal and the real and the contradiction of closeness and reservedness and ii) the struggle of certainty, consisting of the contradiction of predictability and novelty and the contradiction of openness and closedness. These struggles and contradictions arranges on the societal and relational frames to fully depict the nature of social work. Overall, our analysis shows that the client-worker relationship is both bound to the norms of a professional and a close interpersonal relationship, making its study particularly interesting.

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.

scholarly journals METHODS OF SOCIAL WORK MANAGEMENT IN THE ACTIVITIES OF A SOCIAL WORKER

2021 ◽  
pp. 51-61
Author(s):  
Maryna Lekholetova
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Management

The article presents an analysis of different approaches of domestic scientists to the interpretation of the concept of «social work management». The author surveys the features of management as an object of governance in the activities of a social worker. Features include the social nature of management information; the need for motivation methods that effectively influences and motivates professionals to better results in social work; availability of social workers' professional competence; the presence of problems with forecasting the results of management in the social sphere; the importance of current and final management results. The author proves the necessity of social workers' self-management skills (time management, motivation, stress resistance and recuperation, development of emotional intelligence) for the effective performance of management tasks in professional activities.  The article highlights the principles that should be followed in solving organizational and managerial tasks in social work management (purposefulness, ability of realization, adaptability, efficiency). The researcher presents the structure of social work management methods in the study (economic, administrative, social counselling, psychological and pedagogical influence, social influence). Research characterizes the methods of social work management while working with recipients of social services (methods of individual social work, methods of group social work, methods of community work, methods of social service design).

Social Work in Funeral Homes, a Unique Chinese Practice?

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-499
Author(s):  
Yunxian Huang ◽  
Weijia Tan ◽  
A. Ka Tat Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Funeral Home ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Funeral Homes ◽  
Death Care ◽  
Further Development

Social workers were introduced to funeral homes in China amid the transition and expansion of both the funeral home industry and the social work profession and are proving to play a valuable, though under-researched role in serving not just clients but also communities and funeral home staff. Funeral home social work fills gaps in after-death care and mental health and is distinct from palliative, hospice, end-of-life, and bereavement social work. Based on the experiences of funeral homes that employ social workers, this article argues that this innovation may bring new ideas to bridge some of the service gaps in after-death care in China and globally. This article outlines the support that will be needed from funeral homes, social work service agencies, and educational and research institutes to facilitate further development of funeral home mental health and social services and to promote the professionalization of funeral home social workers in China.

scholarly journals Preference of Methods and Goals of Further Education from the Social Workers‘ Point of View

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-241
Author(s):  
Gabriela Ježková Petrů
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Educational Goals ◽  
Educational Methods ◽  
The Social

Further education of the employees in the field of social work is one of the future challenges. The goals of further education are constantly changing with regard to the changes in society and the requirements of the clients of social services. Social work represents a multidisciplinary conception of the performed work and a continual need for further education. In organizations, further education is implemented through various educational methods, which are also evolving. The article aims to identify which educational methods in the field of social work are preferred, both within the leading managerial positions and within the ones of social workers, and to describe the goals of further education in both groups. The goal was achieved through the quantitative research conducted in both groups – i.e. the managers and the social workers. Using the Survio platform, the research addressed organizations providing social serviced according to the Register of Social Service Providers of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. The results were processed using descriptive statistics, and conclusions were drawn based on the results. The results showed different preferences of educational goals for managers who prefer the expansion of competencies and for social workers who prefer development. Research into the preference of educational methods has found that managers and employees prefer professional lectures, self‑education and Internet resources.

Linking the Social Services and Criminal Justice Systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 145-158
Author(s):  
Leon Ginsberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Clinical Services ◽  
Criminal Justice Program ◽  
Criminal Justice Systems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Justice Program

This chapter covers the criminal justice program structures and services and the ways in which social workers are involved in them. Social work’s involvement in the complex criminal justice system is extensive and varied. Direct or clinical practice with individuals, groups of individuals, and their families, are the primary activities of social workers in criminal justice. Social work, among the human services professions, is broader in its approaches than are most others. The social work profession not only focuses on direct or clinical services to clients and their families, but it also involves itself in larger system concerns, such as public policy and research. These nonclinical functions are included in the National Association of Social Workers’ Social Work Code of Ethics, social work licensing standards, and in programs of education for social workers.

scholarly journals Knowledge Management and the Sustainable Development of Social Work

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Colnar ◽  
Vlado Dimovski ◽  
David Bogataj
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
Work Settings ◽  
The Social

The growing shortage of skilled social workers, accompanied by an ageing population and the increasing number of fragile, elderly individuals that require social services, poses a serious challenge for our society. The magnitude of this problem is seen in the various predictions hypothesizing that, globally, there is likely to be a shortfall of millions of social workers for the successful provision of social services. To make matters worse, there are not enough social work students to fill that void, whereas the existing employee turnover is another serious concern for the social work field. Policy makers in many countries do not yet understand the pattern of growing needs and have no tool to forecast the future increase in educational requirements for creating a pool of adequately skilled social workers. In addition to this, understanding the patterns of workforce entrance and exit for social workers and the dynamics of transition becomes important for national policy and decision makers. In our paper, we build on current research about knowledge management in social work settings to demonstrate that knowledge management can have a positive impact in helping to fulfil the important role of social work in any ageing society. With our research, we contribute to the underdeveloped literature about knowledge management in the public sector and especially in social work settings and to the knowledge-based view of the organization. We present a multiple decrement model of social workers’ entrance and transition from social work student and social worker trainee to fully productive social worker, to their exit, whether by changed profession, retirement or death. We argue that the availability of social workers in a national economy depends on the development and operationalization of appropriate policies, where knowledge management can be influential. Our model allows measuring the quality of the national policy system related to the social work profession, something which has not been achieved yet, and shows how knowledge management solutions can positively influence the whole field of social work. We apply an objective measuring tool, grounded in an already developed actuarial–mathematical method. Our case relies on the collection and analysis of relevant data found in publicly available statistical reports for Slovenia. Existing data enables us to provide assumptions on how to better forecast the transition of social workers.

Asylum Seekers in Israel: Challenges to Social Work

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 2283-2298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orit Nuttman-Shwartz ◽  
Ofer Shinar Levanon
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Current Article ◽  
Migration Crisis ◽  
The One ◽  
Global Agenda

AbstractThe challenges facing social workers in addressing the migration crisis are myriad and complex. Against this background, the current article presents a case study on the response of Israeli social work to the asylum seekers, which allows us to identify gaps between the social work profession’s global agenda and its implementation. The article examines how recent immigration policies have impacted Israeli social workers’ responses to these challenges. Following a brief description of Israel’s policies for controlling and limiting the entrance of asylum seekers to the country, the article offers insights into social workers’ involvement in some of the main social services that aim to assist asylum seekers in Israel. Insights are also offered into the response of Israeli social workers to the community of asylum seekers, which focuses on individual needs and on urgent needs. Several explanations for these emphases was offers, noting that they may reflect a more general gap between repeated statements about the significance of human rights for the social work profession on the one hand and the professional reality on the other. Finally, several strategies for social work in the community of asylum seekers and in society as a whole are recommended.

scholarly journals Social Work with Families in Special Distress: Collaborative Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Tatiana Casado ◽  
Joan Albert Riera ◽  
Josefa Cardona
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Active Listening ◽  
Collaborative Practices ◽  
Helping Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Social Work Interventions ◽  
Level Of Importance

Collaborative practices have emerged as an effective approach for conducting social work interventions with families in special distress. This study aimed to ascertain the perspective of the social workers located in basic community social services, in relation to the development of a collaborative approach with families in special distress. The main objective was to find out the level of importance and the level of implementation that participants (N = 121) gave to the different intervention criteria included in an Inventory of Collaborative Practices. The results indicate that criteria related to basic issues in social case work (active listening, respect, and empathy) as well as the management and bureaucracy of the specific case are the most valued and performed by social workers. The least valued and performed criteria have to do with issues that involve reflective processes in the helping relationship, both with the family and with the rest of the professionals. Implications for practice and quality enhancement are discussed, as they are key aspects in the development of collaborative interventions in social work.

scholarly journals Receptivity and Readiness for Cultural Competence Training Amongst the Social Workers in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent W P Lee ◽  
Daniel W L Lai ◽  
Yong-Xin Ruan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competence Training

Abstract This research examined understandings of cultural competence of social workers in Hong Kong, their needs and challenges in serving culturally diverse groups, and their willingness and receptivity to receive cultural competence training by using constructivist grounded theory. Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with thirteen frontline and managerial practitioners and educators in training institutions in the social work profession. Data were analysed by identifying major themes. The findings show that social workers in Hong Kong tend to encounter language barriers and various forms of cultural shocks in serving ethnoculturally diverse clients. The professional code of practice is not sufficient in promoting culturally competent practice and there are institutional barriers to the enhancement of cultural competence of the social services. Mainstream social work units are generally not well prepared to provide services to non-Chinese communities. In response to these obstacles, professional training should provide future Hong Kong social workers with opportunities to interact with ethnoculturally diverse communities through service-learning. To tackle institutional racism, leaders should have cultural awareness and promote culturally inclusive practices. Inclusion of staff members from diverse cultural backgrounds would increase the capacity of the organisations to better serve clients of diverse needs. Anti-racism training should be made as an essential professional development component for social work students, practicum students, practitioners and managers.

scholarly journals COMPETENCE-BASED APPROACH TO TRAINING SOCIAL WORKERS IN WORKING WITH CHILDREN FROM FAMILIES IN DIFFICULT LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES

2020 ◽  
pp. 177-182
Author(s):  
Olesya BIK ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Security ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Deviant Behavior ◽  
Family Counseling ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Family ◽  
Different Types

The family is recognized in the international community as the best condition for the survival, protection and development of children, the main center of society, the natural environment for humans. As has been repeatedly noted, the efforts of the state and the public should be con-centrated at the well-being of the family, creating conditions for the protection of its rights in society and the rights of family members. Today, there is an urgent need not only for social support for a family that has certain problems in its life, but also for special work with families who find them-selves in difficult life circumstances and have more serious psychosocial problems, such as systematic violations of human rights. Such families are traditionally dealt with by law enforcement agencies, human rights are protected by law, but prosecution cannot be the only approach, since our main goal must be to preserve the integrity of the family (its family feelings, ties). First of all, long-term socio-pedagogical work aimed at re-education, training of its members in new techniques and methods of interaction should be carried out. International experience shows that majority of govern-mental social programs are focused on families. Existing family life adaptation programs in the United States are designed for families at different stages of development, each targeting different types of family issues. One more program - "Intensive course for adults on raising children”. In England there is a John Barnes program, which aims to work with children in families experiencing a crisis. The job of a social worker or a teacher is to study such a family, tosimulate the change in relations between its members, tohelp in adaptation, to train parents in self-control. Teach them and their children how to set strategic and supporting goals. Help to overcome obstacles without corporal punish-ment. In Croatia, children, who exhibit deviant behavior, are engaged in “peer-to-peer” school mediation programs, while specialists work with parents, revealing the shortcomings of family psycho-emotional and educational dynamics. Professional social activity is currently intensifying and improving in Ukraine. Therefore, the social education sys-tem must be flexible, mobile, respond quickly to changes in social policy and the social sphere, the needs of individuals and society as a whole. The education of students majoring in "Social Work" at the National University "Lviv Polytechnic" is determined by the Canadian-Ukrainian model of training of social workers, adapted to national conditions and needs. In terms of pro-fessional competencies in working with children and fami-lies, such training includes the acquisition of knowledge and practical experience. This further gives the opportunity to develop their own innovative programs, based on experi-ence gained on the problems and needs of the client. The most widely represented is the cycle of profession-ally oriented disciplines, which includes a 90-hour course "Social work with children and families." The content of the discipline covers all the main aspects of the social worker's work with this category of clients: from the concept of fami-ly, its functions and role in the child's life and identifying aspects of family risk of crisis, to the processes of interven-tion and improvement of children's social security. Particu-lar attention in the subject is paid to topics of deviantology, causes, manifestations and types of deviant behavior. The section "Interventions" covers such topics as: the functions of a social worker; theoretical principles of family counseling; methods and forms of family counseling; pro-fessional intervention focused on the family; institutional model of care for abused and neglected children; preventive measures. The study of the "Improvement of children's social security service" topic includes a mandatory study of possible changes in the system of services and possible ways of policy formation in the field of social security. A characteristic feature of the training of social workers according to the Canadian-Ukrainian model is the teaching of professionally-oriented disciplines in the form of integrat-ed classes, which are divided into two main categories: lecture-practical and lecture-laboratory. Students' educational activities are diversified by excur-sions to social services, video classes, participation in vol-unteer actions, educational conferences, trainings, work of the international scientific-practical seminar organized at the Department of SR, meetings with well-known experts in the field of social work, etc. According to the concept of training specialists in the field of social work, the leading place in this process is occupied by practical training of students. The cycle of practical training of students includes different types of practical educational activities of students: internships within the semesters, organized by "blocks", and educa-tional and research workshops conducted on the basis of social services, lasts 4 semesters (years of study 3rd and 4th) and occurs once a week during a full working day. The workshop aims, in particular, to develop students' skills to carry out scientific research, during which they have the opportunity to collect the necessary empirical material to perform individual tasks in professionally-oriented disci-plines that have a research nature, and writing term papers and dissertations. When performing the tasks of educational practice and educational-research workshop, students have a real oppor-tunity to apply the acquired knowledge, skills and abilities in professionally- oriented, fundamental and other disci-plines.

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