Editorial

We begin the introductory chapter by reviewing the current state of knowledge about care in social work. The historical and current concerns about the dangers of paternalistic and colonialist forms of care in social work are presented. This involves engaging with the critique that the contemporary discussions about care reflect a Western bias that ignores Indigenous and inter-cultural framings of care. We also interrogate the gender dimensions of care, moving away from essentialist views that posit natural differences between men’s and women’s ways of thinking. Drawing from wider interdisciplinary discussions and international research that focuses on creating critical and political forms of care, we develop a conceptual framework for new ways of thinking about and doing care in critical social work. We take a consistently anti-colonialist and intersectional approach to the development of a critical ethic of care in social work. The chapter concludes with a substantive guide to the reader in which we synthesise the contributions of the book’s authors, demonstrating what a critical ethic of care means in specific contexts and with specific forms of practice.

This qualitative study described the impact of mandatory professional development and school-based professional development as situated learning on English language and literacy teachers' professional knowledge and instructional practices in Qatar's middle school. A hermeneutic approach was used to determine the impact of both a school-based and mandatory professional development on teachers' instructional practices. The theory guiding this study was situated learning theory (Lave & Wenger, 1991) where professional learning is seen to be context related. Constructivism, andragogy, school leadership theory and reflective inquiry were used to inform this study. The study considered whether reflection and dialogue with other practitioners contribute to effective professional learning that improves English language and literacy pedagogical content knowledge. Data collection methods included individual interviews, a focus group, document analysis and journal writing to provide insight into teacher professional development. The results revealed that both mandatory (formal) professional development and school-based development (professional learning communities as situated learning) could help teachers make changes in their thinking and practice, which might have a bearing on results. However, with a few exceptions, most teachers found mandatory professional development less helpful. The results revealed that teachers need more comprehensive formal training in English language and literacy instructional practices. They also need more opportunities to experience school-based professional development as authentic learning. They also need to collaborate in professional learning communities and specific professional development programmes to assess students' English language and literacy deficiencies. These findings were of significance to both school leaders and teachers as they sought to increase meaningful professional development aimed at improving English language and literacy instruction in their schools. The study recommended rethinking the current mandatory English language and literacy professional development components within a constructivist framework and developing a set of clear guidelines for high-quality literacy professional development to improve teachers' professional learning.

Learning contexts

Background The challenges of providing care for the elderly are often underestimated by the general public. Informal caregivers for the elderly frequently require support, and this issue is the subject of much attention in developed countries worldwide. However, it remains a blind spot in post-Soviet countries, particularly Central Asia. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of informal care for the elderly by healthcare and social care workers in Kazakhstan. Methods Ten key stakeholders were interviewed using a semi-structured interview. The sample included three managers, two general practitioners, one district nurse, two social workers, and two psychologists. The thematic qualitative study was conducted between October and November 2021. The data analysis was conducted using MAXQDA 2022 software. Results Most of the interviewed workers believe that caring for elderly parents is the duty and responsibility of their children, which is in line with the norms of law and the culture of society. While there is a general understanding that caring for the elderly presents challenges for informal caregivers, there is no consensus among workers on the necessary support to provide them. It is important to note that informal caregivers for the elderly are not identified or registered, and medical services are only provided in response to complaints, without regard for their specific needs. There is also no assessment of the caregiver's burden or quality of life. Additionally, necessary psychological assistance and counseling are not provided. Conclusions To address these issues, it is necessary not only to change the legislative framework, but also to improve communication between services, as well as to conduct ongoing informational work with healthcare and social care workers about the needs and requirements of those who provide care for the elderly. Key messages • Legislation is needed in Kazakhstan to support informal caregivers for the elderly, including their identification and registration, and their inclusion in medical and social assistance programs. • Need train healthcare and social care workers to be attentive to the needs of both the elderly and their caregivers, including assessing their mental health and preventing psychological breakdowns.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic in early 2020. Due to the rapid spread of the virus and limited availability of effective treatments, health and social care systems worldwide quickly became overwhelmed. Such stressful circumstances are likely to have negative impacts on health and social care workers’ wellbeing. The current study examined the relationship between coping strategies and wellbeing and quality of working life in nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, social care workers and social workers who worked in health and social care in the UK during its first wave of COVID-19. Data were collected using an anonymous online survey (N = 3425), and regression analyses were used to examine the associations of coping strategies and demographic characteristics with staff wellbeing and quality of working life. The results showed that positive coping strategies, particularly active coping and help-seeking, were associated with higher wellbeing and better quality of working life. Negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, were risk factors for low wellbeing and worse quality of working life. The results point to the importance of organizational and management support during stressful times, which could include psycho-education and training about active coping and might take the form of workshops designed to equip staff with better coping skills.

Epilepsy remains one of the most prevalent neurological disorders affecting school-aged children, often accompanied by social stigma and misconceptions that can hinder their academic and social development. Background and Objectives: Given the critical role of teachers and school professionals in the daily lives of children with epilepsy, this study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of primary school teachers and professionals in Greece regarding epilepsy. The findings are intended to identify gaps and inform the development of targeted educational interventions that support managing epilepsy effectively. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 546 primary education teachers in Western Greece using a questionnaire adapted from a validated Italian study. This survey collected demographic information and assessed knowledge, attitudes, and school-related practices concerning epilepsy. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS, employing descriptive and inferential statistics to explore relationships between demographics and responses. Results: Although most participants were generally aware of epilepsy, considerable gaps persisted in knowledge about prevalence, causes, and proper seizure management. Notably, over half of the participants were unsure how to manage an epileptic episode, and misconceptions about the effects of antiepileptic drugs on learning and behavior were prevalent. Participants with special education experience displayed more accurate knowledge and greater confidence in handling epilepsy-related situations. Conclusions: This study underscores the need for enhanced epilepsy education among primary school teachers and school professionals in Greece to address knowledge gaps, reduce stigma, and better support the educational and social needs of students with epilepsy. Coordinated efforts with educational authorities and health organizations are recommended to implement specialized teacher training programs.

A response to L. Kemp, E. Harris &amp; E. Comino Changes in community nursing in Australia: 1995–2000. <i>Journal of Advanced Nursing</i><b>49</b>(3), 307–314.

This article reports part of an empirical research project investigating the professional development, knowledge and beliefs of a number of teachers working in primary schools throughout England who were identified as effective at teaching literacy. The larger study employed a range of approaches, including a survey, interviews and observation of lessons. The article presents a detailed case study analysis of the literacy‐related professional development experience of a subsample of the effective teachers of literacy. The case studies highlight the interwoven nature of experience gained within a range of professional contexts, including classroom, school, local education authority and national loci. The importance of meso‐level support for professional learning and development, such as that provided by local education authority advisers, is highlighted. The case studies indicate the importance of the affective and personal dimensions within longer‐term professional development, and also the creative interplay between autonomy and collegiality. The non‐linear, and often long‐term, nature of career development is also emphasised: particularly in relation to primary schools, where teachers may change subject or phase orientations over time. It is argued that the long‐term nature of professional development poses particular challenges for policies that focus increasingly on measurable impact and outcomes.

Summary To advance our understanding of how we can best evaluate strengths-based approaches, we aimed to establish: (1) What the relevant outcomes are in strengths-based approaches in adult social care and social work in England; (2) How feasible it would be to measure them; and (3) Which tools and methodologies may be used in outcome measurement and evaluation. We used a Delphi consensus exercise to refine and reduce the long list of outcomes which had been identified in previous work as potentially useful in the evaluation of strengths-based approaches. The Delphi process consisted of two rounds (Rounds 1 and 2). The strengths-based outcomes were divided into five levels of measurement: relevant for a person who accesses social care and social work; relevant for unpaid or family carers; relevant for the community; relevant for the workforce in adult social care or social work; and relevant for organizations in adult social care and social work. Findings Fifteen experts completed Round 1 and 11 completed Round 2. At the conclusion of the Delphi consensus exercise, the expert panel agreed that 26 outcomes (66.7%, out of 39 considered) were both relevant and feasible to measure as part of an evaluation of strengths-based approaches in adult social care and social work. The panel also identified eight outcomes as relevant but not feasible to measure. Application This study provides a set of outcomes that practitioners, researchers, and policy makers can consider when evaluating strengths-based approaches in adult social care and social work.

Background An increasing proportion of the population is living with dementia and need health- and social care. People with limited health literacy have difficulties with accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying health information to promote and maintain health. Knowledge about how to promote health literacy is limited among health- and social care providers although such knowledge is important to be able to work person-centered and to reduce the risk of unequitable health and health care. As a response to this, the Erasmus+ project Skills 4 Health Literacy is conducted in the period 2022-2025. The project's overall aim is to meet the needs of higher education institutions in training future and current health and social care professionals, through digital education technologies, to promote health literacy capacity-building when supporting persons at risk of dementia to deliver relevant and personalized interventions. Methods A review of research, policies, and curriculums, and four focus group discussions and 14 individual interviews with experts from with a wide range of social and health care sites in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. Results We developed a competence profile for health- and social care workers highlighting which knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to promote and take health literacy into account when working with people at risk of dementia and relatives to those. Thereafter, we developed, and pilot tested health literacy courses (1 classroom-based, 1 traditional online and 1 MOOC) based on this competence profile, in three of the Nordic countries. Conclusions There is a need for health literacy training among health- and social care workers in the Nordic countries. This project suggests a consensus-build competency profile to further develop the capacity building within health and social care and dementia with regards to health literacy training. Key messages • Health- and social care workers in the Nordics who meet elderly need training in health literacy. • A competence profile and health literacy courses have been developed to meet those needs.

Introduction: Lack of the end-user’s voice in electronic health record system EHR implementations has been regarded as one of the key issues behind failures of large-scale implementation projects REF. Procurement process of an information system can be considered as the first phase in the implementation process where the acceptance of end-users is crucial to be considered as a part of change management. We present how future end-users were involved in the procurement process of a fully integrated information system for specialized and primary health care and social care. Method/results: At the beginning of the procurement we formed a matrix of central IT functionalities needed in health and social care and future end-user roles. We involved 400 future end-users to take part in 22 workshops arranged around functionalities and various working environments they are used. In addition to taking part to the defining the requirements for the procurement nurses, physicians and social workers were chosen for the key end-user role in the selection process of the procurement. Selection process included e.g. a product evaluation with user scenarios. Results: Key end users formed the majority xx% of the participants of the selection process. Of the final selection criteria in the two-phased process, xx% and yy% of the points came from the assessments of the future end-users. As a conclusion, it is possible to say that health and social care professionals of various specialties were well represented especially in defining requirements. This proved to be a basis for a strong insight of clinical and social care content in the procurement process and helped to form an end-user’s perspective also to other modalities e.g. in technical issues Conclusions: We succeeded in recruiting the end-users and there were representatives from all the key specialties of social and health care. It is important to see participation of the end-users as a key element of the successful procurement process of electronic social and health care information system and to consider this phase as preparing to the actual implementation- and deployment of the system. Currently we are in the phase of implementation and the first deployment is in November 2018. We have continued the same emphasis off having a strong involvement of nurses, physicians and social care workers and until now found it a promising way of developing the content needed by the end-users and as a part of change management.

Objective This study explored factors predicting intention (predominant construct in social cognitive behavioral models) for smoking cessation (SC) counseling that may provide salient information for designing/targeting SC counseling training for physical therapists (PTs). Design: Cross-sectional questionnaire survey of PTs licensed to practice in Canada. Methods: Self-efficacy items and PT views were assessed for internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) and data reduced using principal axis factor analysis. Hierarchical linear regression modeling assessed predictors of intention to counsel for SC. Results: Internal consistency: self-efficacy and PT views: r = 0.937, r = 0.821, respectively. Factor structures from self-efficacy: “skills and knowledge” and “clinic incidentals” (57% total variance); from PT views’: “professional role” and “role modeling” (63.8% total variance). Significant predictors of intent to counsel for SC were “professional role” (β = 0.54, p ≤ 0.001), and “skills and knowledge” (β = 0.23, p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions: Physical therapists’ intent to engage in SC counseling increases when they consider it their “professional role.” Encouraging PTs to view SC counseling as a professional role as well as increasing SC counseling self-efficacy focusing on skills and knowledge to do so needs to be incorporated into entry-level academic physical therapy programs and continuing professional PT education.

This paper provides an account of an action-based study (Kemmis et al., 2014), which was conduct- ed with the purpose to develop teacher leadership in four schools in Kazakhstan. By drawing on a non- positional approach to teacher leadership (Frost et al., 2000), this study sought bottom-up approaches to educational reform, school leadership and professional development in schools in Kazakhstan. The nine-month intervention programme, which was called the Teacher Leadership for Learning and Col- laboration, introduced strategies and created conditions for teachers to lead educational improvement at classroom, school and system level. Teachers’ leadership projects had an impact on classroom and whole-school practices. The outcomes of this study indicate that there is a need for revisiting teachers’ professional roles in schools and transforming schools into a learning organisation. As such, educational reform and improvement requires building local capacity, which may involve creating conditions for leadership development and teacher empowerment within schools. Key words: teacher leadership development, school leadership, professional learning, school re- form, action-based research.

Pharmacists' learning needs in the era of expanding scopes of practice: Evolving practices and changing needs.

This final chapter outlines a framework for understanding, exploring and developing the possibilities for care in social work with families. The framework is centred on the concept of solidary authority and the relational, emotional, temporal and spatial dimensions of practicing care. This chapter also addresses how this conceptual framework can be used for identifying dilemmas, as well as possibilities for social change in discourses, policies and practices of care. An analytical and visualised model is presented, explained and operationalised in terms of how it can be used for exploring and discussing the possibilities for care in social work with families in research and practice. Moreover, suggestions for further research are made and discussed.