Challenges of International Social Work Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learnt from A Bilateral Collaborative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on people’s lives around the world, has also affected international social work practice and research on social issues. This article explores how international social work research can draw lessons from bilateral research collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, an international collaborative research project was commenced to examine the practical experiences of social workers in Sri Lanka, with the overall purpose of contributing to development of socio-culturally relevant social work training. Trial semi-structured interviews were conducted using remote tools with five social workers in government or private organisations. The narratives of the interviewees were qualitatively analysed to identify their personal backgrounds of social work education and practice, their experiences of working during the pandemic and their perspectives and values as social workers. Lessons learnt were discussed focussing on the objectives and perspectives of the study, the preliminary arrangements for the research, the methods and considerations. In a context where it is important for social work researchers to promote international studies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides an example of a feasible international cooperative study.

The Menace of Drug Addiction in the Family: Challenges, Coping Strategies and Recommendations

Malaysia is witnessing a significant impact of drug use among its population which has seen an upward trend in the last decade. Family members of drug users and drug abusers have borne the heaviest brunt and therefore, this research examines how the family member cope with the latter’s’ addiction. Eighteen (18) family members of drug users in Penang, Malaysia were interviewed in this qualitative research. Primary data gleaned from these in-depth interviews were analysed, and findings showed that family members adopted many different coping mechanism and strategies, namely emotional, avoidance, controlling, inactive, assertive and supportive in dealing with challenges of intra family drug addiction. External and internal resources as well as support systems were also accessed. Specifically, close relatives and counsellors from National Anti-drugs Agency were approached for emotional support and practical guidance. This research found affected family members who formed self-help and support groups as part of their coping strategies were able to discover meaningful and useful ways to deal with the destructive effects of drug abuse. Government and non-governmental agencies also assisted affected family members in offering practical help. However, it is important both government and non-governmental agencies play a more proactive role. The National Anti-drugs Agency in particular, it is recommended provide tailor made programmes and coping skills in addressing these traumatic situations and enable families deal with this destructive habit of addiction.

Data Sources of Child Protection Program Development Planning in The Directorate of Social Rehabilitation for Children, Ministry of Social Republic of Indonesia

Efforts to protect children through social rehabilitation programs are one of the efforts to ensure that children's needs are met in order to realize good quality of the younger generation. Children's social rehabilitation programs have quite specific responsibilities, especially in ensuring that the tools or menus in the program are in accordance with the needs of children's growth and development which are also adapted to current developments, therefore concrete efforts are needed to be able to develop child protection programs in the environment. Directorate of Child Social Rehabilitation, Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. To answer these background conditions, the purpose of this study was to determine the source of data for planning the development of child protection programs at the Directorate of Child Social Rehabilitation. This research was conducted with qualitative methods and descriptive types. data collection techniques in the form of study documentation, observation and in-depth interviews. The number of informants in this study amounted to 5 informants with the sampling technique, namely purposive sampling. The results of this study indicate that the source of data for planning the development of child protection programs within the Directorate of Child Social Rehabilitation comes from several activities such as supervision, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and of course policy reflection.

Social Rehabilitation for Vagrants and Beggars Through Institutional Approach in Indonesia

The problem of vagrants and beggars is a fairly complex issue in big cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar. These big cities' charms have attracted the poor with low education levels and limited access to education, health, and skill development. Many service programs for the vagrants and beggars have been carried out, yet the problems related to the vagrants and beggars have never subsided. Quantitative and qualitative approach are used to determine how the condition of social rehabilitation services carried out for vagrants and beggars by the government and the community, the extent of their level of social functioning, and the role of social workers in social rehabilitation services. A population sample is a group of homeless people and beggars who receive social services in government institutions and community organisation. The sampling used was the purposive sampling method with a sample of 487 respondents in the six provinces, namely DKI Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Central Java, North Sumatra, and South Sulawesi. This research found that in the process of social rehabilitation services for vagrants and beggars, there are still differences in the service standards between institutions; limitations in human resources, including social workers; limited budget support; limited cooperation, and coordination between local government organizations at the provincial, regency/municipal, and central government along with related stakeholders. It conclude that the national policy platform related to the handling of vagrants and beggars needs to be the focus to overcome the complexity of the problems faced by this marginal group.

The Initiated of Formation of Linking Social Capital of Community in Creative Tourism Village Dago Pojok, Bandung, West Java Province, Indonesia

Poverty in rural areas is now reaching an alarming condition, according to the Central Statistics Agency at this time the poor in rural areas dominate the percentage of poverty in Indonesia by 60%. Efforts to improve the welfare of rural communities will not be separated from how people use and maximize their potential, especially in networking relevant to the issue of social capital. Based on the concept of social capital, there is currently a type of social capital linking, which means emphasizing how the community is able to build relationships with parties who have authority, especially in making policy. This is considered to be important to support the development of welfare for the community, especially in the Dago Creative Tourism Village. Based on this, the purpose of this study is how the community initiated the development of social capital linking in the community in Dago Creative Tourism Village. Therefore, based on these objectives, this study uses a qualitative approach with a descriptive type. The data collection is done by observation, study of documentation of relevant documents and interviews. In addition interviews were conducted on 15 informants obtained using purposive sampling technique to determine informants. The results of this study indicate that there are several ways in which people initiate government involvement in developing social capital linking, such as community legalizing organizations, people participating in activities organized by the government, and the community providing government opportunities to participate in every activity organized by the government

Impact of Supportive Resources on Middle-Aged Women's Self-Care Activities: A Study in The Vietnamese Context

Addressing the fact that studies on self-care of Vietnamese middle-aged women remain scarse, our presenting study aims to investigate the relationship between supportive resources utilized by Vietnamese middle-aged women and their types of self-care. Data were collected from survey interview with 512 middle-aged women (aged from 40 to 60 years old) in Hanoi city and Quang Ninh province. A series of linear regression was performed on the six types of self-care, including: physical care, supportive relationships, mindful awareness, self-compassion & purpose, mindful relaxation, and supportive structure. Three types of supportive resources and other covariates (age, education, and residence area) were entered into these models as key predictors. The study results show that the use of different level of resources was associated with different types of self-care practice. The use of micro-resource system significantly predicted all six types of self-care among Vietnamese middle-aged women. The mesenchymal and peripheral resource systems significantly predicted physical care only among Vietnamese middled-age women. The macro resource system was significantly associated with the practice of mind-relaxing and supportive structure. In addition, people who were older, had better education and lived in urban areas tended to participate more in physical care. Women with a higher education level and living in urban areas were predicted to utilize more supportive relationships and mindful relaxation. Women living in urban areas, having a higher level of education practiced mindful relaxation significantly more than their counterparts. Using more supportive structure was significantly more among women living in urban areas, in older age groups and having higher education levels. The key findings suggest the promotion of active support from the micro-level system, as well as advocate for social policy development to help less privileged groups of women access and use mezzo and macro resources more effectively.

Do Homeless People Giving Up Hope? A Qualitative Study in Penang, Malaysia

This qualitative study aims to explore the lives of homeless people around Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia especially in the social support aspect of their lives. Twenty (20) informants were involved in this study. Data obtained were analyzed using the content analysis method. The results showed that the homeless were classified as those who had given up hope. Lack of social support resources makes the homeless' lives to be drifted and then further triggers risky behaviour changes. The feelings of isolation and neglect caused the homeless to decide not to have any kind of relationship with their nuclear family. This study has the potential to contribute to the knowledge of social marginalization issues affecting homeless people in Malaysia in general and especially in Georgetown, Penang as well as its implications for the survival and sustainability of these minorities' lives.

Kurang Celik Akal Pencetus Kepada Penagihan Dadah dalam kalangan Remaja

Generasi muda merupakan modal insan yang amat penting kepada kesejahteraan dan pembangunan negara. Penglibatan golongan ini dalam aktiviti penyalahgunaan dadah telah mengancam keselamatan dan kemakmuran negara, malahan menjejaskan perkembangan sahsiah diri remaja ke alam dewasa. Oleh itu, kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk menganalisis sejauh mana tahap ‘celik akal’ terhadap pengetahuan dadah dan kesannya dalam kalangan penagih remaja. Pengkaji mengaplikasikan pendekatan kualitatif melalui temu bual separuh berstruktur untuk memperoleh data. Kajian kes digunakan untuk meneroka dan memahami fenomena yang berlaku berdasarkan perspektif peserta kajian. Seramai enam orang remaja yang dikenal pasti mempunyai rekod penyalahgunaan dadah dan berusia di antara 13-18 tahun telah dipilih sebagai peserta kajian melalui persampelan bertujuan. Dapatan diperolehi menunjukkan ‘celik akal’ terhadap dadah yang dimiliki oleh penagih remaja adalah bersifat umum iaitu sekadar cuma mengetahui dadah itu bahan bahaya, menimbulkan ketagihan serta memberikan kesan fizikal dan psikologikal. Sumber maklumat dadah berdasarkan pengalaman mereka sendiri sebagai seorang penagih dadah sebelum ini dan melalui kawan-kawan. Kajian ini memberi implikasi ke arah memperkasakan modul pendidikan pencegahan dadah dalam kalangan remaja oleh pihak berkepentingan dengan menyebarluaskan segala maklumat melalui percambahan pengetahuan dadah dan kesan yang tepat serta betul sebagai instrumen utama untuk membanteras masalah penyalahgunaan dadah di Malaysia.

Person Centered and Trauma Informed Approach in Social Work Practice and Ways to Ensure Diversity in both Approaches

Person-Centered approach is an adapted work of Carl Rogers, where the focus was mainly on psychotherapy and counselling. Rogers believed, the basic nature of an individual is constructive and trustworthy – given that the individual is freely functioning. Person-Centered approach is the backbone of social work practice alongside trauma-informed approach. Any emotionally and physically daunting events that affects the response of an individual is trauma. Trauma damages the freely functioning state of an individual – emotionally, socially and behaviorally. By introducing an approach that is trauma-informed will help social worker to not only understand the emotions of the individual while working with them but also guide the social work practice in better understanding while working with the individuals.

Strategi Daya Tindak Belia Pelbagai Etnik Dalam Mengatasi Penagihan Semula Dadah, di Sabah

Penagihan semula di kalangan bekas penagih dadah bukanlah suatu isu baru. Usaha ini telah lama giat dijalankan sejak penagihan dadah dianggap satu masalah serius bersifat epidemik sejak tahun 70-an lagi. Strategi daya tindak yang pelbagai di kalangan penagih dadah yang tidak dilakukan secara betul menyebabkan mereka tidak dapat mengelak dari terjebak semula dengan dadah. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui strategi daya tidak belia pelbagai etnik untuk mengatasi masalah penagihan semula dan melihat hubungan antara strategi daya tindak antara belia pelbagai etnik dalam usaha untuk mengurangkan penagihan semula. Kajian ini dilakukan secara tinjauan dengan menggunakan soal selidik. Subjek kajian adalah terdiri daripada belia yang pernah terlibat dengan pemulihan dadah di pusat-pusat pemulihan. Seramai 63 orang telah terlibat dalam kajian ini. Kajian ini telah dijalankan melibatkan bekas penagih di Papar dan Beaufort. Kaedah persampelan yang digunakan ialah sampel bertujuan yang melibatkan 63 orang belia berumur 18 – 35 tahun dari kawasan-kawasan yang terpilih sahaja seperti dari Papar dan Beaufort. Dalam kajian ini, alat kajian yang digunakan ialah ‘Drug Avoidance Sel-Efficacy Scale’ diasaskan oleh Martin (1992). Inventori yang digunakan dalam kajian ini menyenaraikan 16 soalan strategi daya tindak mengawal diri daripada terlibat dengan dadah. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa secara keseluruhan rata-rata sampel kajian mempunyai kemampuan strategi daya tindak positif yang agak tinggi dan tahap coping adalah sederhana. Kajian ini juga menunjukkan setiap etnik mempunyai cara strategi yang berbeza untuk mengatasi masalah mereka apabila berhadapan dengan situasi bermasalah yang mendorong mereka untuk mengambil dadah semula.