scholarly journals From Social Worker to Social Worker: MSW Mentorship Outcomes

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Jessica Nestelroad ◽  
Wendy Ashley
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Mentorship Program ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Professional Social Worker ◽  
Msw Student

Students returning to graduate school after years in the workforce face multiple challenges, including reviving dormant academic skills, juggling multiple roles and role alterations, and navigating academic structures and procedures. Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Children’s Social Workers (CSW’s) returning to school to obtain a Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree face additional unique challenges, including graduate level writing expectations, learning to be a professional social worker as dictated by the standards of the discipline, and making a paradigm shift from social work employee to social work student. A mentoring project was developed to assist students employed as CSW’s in successfully transitioning from employee to MSW student, and aimed to strengthen the public child welfare employee students to ensure that they are better equipped to successfully achieve their MSW, develop strategies to effectively integrate their skills into the DCFS system following graduation and ultimately increase proficiency to effectively serve vulnerable children and families. The purpose of this research study is to explore how the implementation of a mentorship program for CSW’s obtaining an MSW contributed to professional success post-graduation, when social workers returned to their positions with DCFS. This qualitative study was developed using detailed oral interviews with five participants. This research reveals mentorship programs can be both personally and professionally successful, identifying needs germane to this population of students and suggesting a specialized approach to educating current CSW’s to cultivate the skills essential for effective social work practice.

Art of Becoming a Social Work practice educator

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1-2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shabnam Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Doctoral Student ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Supervisory Relationship ◽  
Reflective Supervision

      Through this practice note, I share some of my reflections and learning of becoming a practice educator.  The experience has enhanced my skills as a social worker and team manager and now as a social work doctoral student.  Based on my observations of supervision as a practice assessor and my experience of having many different managers throughout my career, I have noticed when social workers move into management without a practice educator qualification, the supervisory relationship experience is a different one than that of a practice educator – turned manager.  I question why this is.  Is reflective supervision only reserved for students? I am suggesting that it should not be.  Each supervisor should be supported and enabled to connect with their Art, as supervision is a form of Art.   

3. Social work with individuals and families

2015 ◽  
pp. 34-57
Author(s):  
Sally Holland ◽  
Jonathan Scourfield
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Context ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Therapeutic Intervention ◽  
Case Manager ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Working Relationship ◽  
The Social

Much professional social work practice is carried out with individuals and their families. Social workers aim to attend to the person’s social context rather than only the specific problem being presented, and they work in a manner that is relationship-based. It is also generally accepted that using a strengths-based model approach produces a more productive working relationship. ‘Social work with individuals and families’ considers the origins of social work; the different ways of directly providing practical help or therapeutic intervention to individuals and families; how the social worker as case manager will be responsible for overall planning, co-ordination, and reviewing service provision; and how social work has become more client-centred and citizen-directed.

Bartlett, Harriett M.

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatrice N. Saunders
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Functioning ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
American Association ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Central Focus

Harriett M. Bartlett (1897–1987) was a social worker and theoretician who served as president of the American Association of Medical Social Workers from 1942 to 1944. She highlighted social functioning as a central focus of social work practice.

The Migrant Family: Some comments on Social Work Practice with non-English speaking migrants.

1976 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Snyder
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Central Focus ◽  
The Social ◽  
Migrant Family ◽  
English Speaking

The description of the P. family — their anxieties, hardships and frustrations will be a familiar story to social workers working with non-English speaking migrant clients, regardless of whether the social worker is employed by ethnic or sectarian agencies or the wider general agencies such as government departments, municipal councils or independent organizations. This attempts to investigate some of the ways in which social workers can attempt to help and support the migrant client from a different ethnic group in his struggle to create a new life in Australia. The P. family's story will be used to illustrate some of the major areas of difficulty faced by a migrant family and a number of social work roles and strategies are suggested which might be employed in seeking to bring about social change. The implications of ethnicity for social work practice in a multi-cultural society form a central focus of concern. Finally, general comments and suggestions will be made about the role and responsibilities of the social worker in the multi-cultural society.

scholarly journals The Digital Exclusion of Vulnerable Children: Challenge for Sustainability Issues in Czech Social Work Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 9961
Author(s):  
Soňa Kalenda ◽  
Ivana Kowaliková
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Ecological Problem ◽  
Vulnerable Children ◽  
Digital Exclusion

The aims of this study are (1) to draw attention to the digital exclusion of vulnerable children as a systemic (socio-ecological) problem that is gaining momentum during emergencies; (2) to reflect the subjectively perceived readiness of social workers as one of the actors in the system, whose task is to contribute to the mitigation of risks arising from digital exclusion of the target group and to ensure the sustainability development of society; (3) from the position of the target group, to reflect the situation of their digital literacy and thus exclusion; and (4) to make recommendations to public policy makers and social workers to mitigate these risks and to promote sustainability. We draw on the socio-ecological model of social work which views a person in the context of their environment. The aim of the research was to analyze the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in social work with vulnerable children and their families and to detect system deficits contributing to digital exclusion. Based on a questionnaire survey (N = 105), interviews with representatives of the target group (N = 20), and expert interviews (N = 4), both the main shortcomings in the digital skills of employees and the needs of the target group were identified and systemic measures were proposed.

The Dynamics of Secondary Victimization: When Social Workers Blame Mothers

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 515-523
Author(s):  
Andrea Fleckinger
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Secondary Victimization ◽  
Starting Point

The article describes the main results from a qualitative research project, which analyzes the relations between mothers exposed to gender-based violence and child protection social workers, looking at the risk of secondary victimization. The issue emerged from 10 years’ experience as a social worker at a women’s shelter where I was required several times to mediate the difficult relationship between child protection social worker and mother. The starting point was a preliminary field research with peers (staff members of women’s shelters) and women who had been blamed for the violence by their child protection social worker. These results formed the basis for the interviews held with child protection social workers. The analysis shows how victim–offender dynamics might also influence social work practices and illustrate the connections between dynamics of secondary victimization and the expectations regarding mothers and victims. Furthermore, some positive examples of support emerged which could be used as a basis for developing targeted methods for social work practice.

scholarly journals The Social Worker in the Nursing Home: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 2010 to 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 960-960
Author(s):  
Vivian Miller ◽  
Tyrone Hamler ◽  
Susanny Beltran ◽  
Jacquelyn Burns
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Rapid Review

Abstract Social workers have an integral role in health care and a long-standing history in nursing homes. The novel pandemic, COVID-19, has disproportionately adversely affected nursing home residents, bringing to the fore the importance of practice in this setting. However, the role of the nursing home social worker is often ambiguous. The objective of this study is to (1) identify existing research studies that discuss the role of social work and nursing facilities, (2) synthesize findings to determine what is most often reported in the literature, (3) present recommendations for practice and implications for research and policy change. This rapid review used the PICO framework and PRISMA guidelines to systematically search for articles published in English between 2010 and 2020 across 11 databases. A final sample of 23 articles met inclusion criteria. Relevant details were extracted from these articles, and the following 3 categories emerged as broadly describing the literature: (1) elements of social work practice in NHs, (2) social worker responsibilities, (3) policy impacts on practice. Findings highlight that the literature on NH social workers is limited and outdated, despite the 2016 federal rule requiring increased consideration for resident quality of life, quality of care, and behavioral health, all features of social work practice. The nursing home social work role warrants greater attention, with an emphasis on how to support residents during the current pandemic to ensure the development and implementation of person-centered care. The literature points to research priorities including involving families and residents in data collection efforts.

scholarly journals Practice in a Pandemic: School Social Workers’ Adaptations and Experiences During the 2020 COVID-19 School Disruptions

2021 ◽  
pp. 104438942110098
Author(s):  
Michael S. Kelly ◽  
Rami Benbenishty ◽  
Gordon Capp ◽  
Kate Watson ◽  
Ron Astor
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
School Social Work ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Virtual School ◽  
School Social Workers ◽  
Traditional Practice

In March 2020, as American PreK-12 schools shut down and moved into online learning in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, there was little information about how school social workers (SSWs) were responding to the crisis. This study used a national online survey to understand how SSWs ( N = 1,275) adapted their school practice during the initial 2020 COVID-19 crisis. Findings from this study indicate that SSWs made swift and (relatively) smooth adaptations of their traditional practice role to the new context, though not without reporting considerable professional stress and personal challenges doing so. SSWs reported significant concerns about their ability to deliver effective virtual school social work services given their students’ low motivation and lack of engagement with online learning, as well as significant worries about how their students were faring during the first months of the pandemic. Implications for school social work practice, policy, and research are discussed.

scholarly journals Death, dying and bereavement care during COVID-19: Creativity in hospital social work practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 131-137
Author(s):  
Mim Fox ◽  
Joanna McIlveen ◽  
Elisabeth Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Hospital Setting ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Bereavement Support ◽  
Hospital System ◽  
Hospital Social Work ◽  
Complicating Factors ◽  
Bereavement Care

Bereavement support and conducting viewings for grieving family members are commonplace activities for social workers in the acute hospital setting, however the risks that COVID-19 has brought to the social work role in bereavement care has necessitated the exploration of creative alternatives. Social workers are acutely aware of the complicating factors when bereavement support is inadequately provided, let alone absent, and with the aid of technology and both individual advocacy, social workers have been able to continue to focus on the needs of the most vulnerable in the hospital system. By drawing on reflective journaling and verbal reflective discussions amongst the authors, this article discusses bereavement support and the facilitation of viewings as clinical areas in which hospital social work has been observed adapting practice creatively throughout the pandemic.

scholarly journals Emotional intelligence as a part of critical reflection in social work practice and research

2021 ◽  
pp. 147332502110247
Author(s):  
Mari D Herland
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Social Work Research ◽  
Emotional Aspects

Social workers often experience higher levels of burnout compared with other healthcare professionals. The capacity to manage one’s own emotional reactions efficiently, frequently in complex care settings, is central to the role of social workers. This article highlights the complexity of emotions in social work research and practice by exploring the perspective of emotional intelligence. The article is both theoretical and empirical, based on reflections from a qualitative longitudinal study interviewing fathers with behavioural and criminal backgrounds, all in their 40 s. The analysis contains an exploration of the researcher position that illuminates the reflective, emotional aspects that took place within this interview process. Three overall themes emerged – first: Recognising emotional complexity; second: Reflecting on emotional themes; and third: Exploring my own prejudices and preconceptions. The findings apply to both theoretical and practical social work, addressing the need to understand emotions as a central part of critical reflection and reflexivity. The argument is that emotions have the potential to expand awareness of one’s own preconceptions, related to normative societal views. This form of analytical awareness entails identifying and paying attention to one’s own, sometimes embodied, emotional triggers.

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