Which Way for Social Work?

A Note From the Editor-in-Chief

Considering the intermingling of problems in today’s multi-crisis environment, this text explores the possibilities of intertwining social work and pastoral care. In the search for effective approaches, we find dynamic patterns in the activities of the Royová (Roy) sisters. Their diaconal work is an important source for social work history illustrating how social work took the form of diaconal (charity) work with a rich pastoral reach at the time. Their activities represent a natural link between Christian anthropology and social work. This study mainly investigates the Christian (spiritual) basis of the social and charitable activities of the Royová sisters, the beginnings of the institutionalisation of social and charitable work in Slovakia and Serbia through the organisations founded by the Royová sisters, the Christian-social interpersonal contribution of the Roy sisters to the development of Slovak and European social work personified by their cooperation with several personalities of social and charitable work at the international, national, and local levels, and the contribution of the Roy sisters in the creation of women’s, volunteer, and international roots of social and charitable work in Slovakia and Europe. In their responses to the needs of their environment, we find significant stimuli for pastoral theology, which is supposed to respond to the needs of the multi-crisis environment of today.

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.

Domestic violence and criminal justice training needs of social services workers

This article describes how social work and social group work strategies are used to enhance social work student participation in an interprofessional education program (IPE) that includes social work and five health care disciplines. Concurrently, social work students take part in a small group to assist them in the application of their social group knowledge to their IPE experience. Interprofessional collaborations between social work and health care can work toward alleviating health inequalities and poor access to health services. Social work has a crucial and significant role within these teams because of the profession’s focus on individual well-being, within the context of their social environment and support systems.

Previous articleNext article FreeThe Life and Career of Matthew O. HowardJeffrey M. JensonJeffrey M. JensonUniversity of Denver Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreMatthew O. HowardView Large ImageDownload PowerPointOn December 15, 2018, social work and the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research (JSSWR) lost one of its most prolific scholars, outstanding teachers, and thoughtful mentors in recent memory. Matthew O. Howard, PhD—the Frank A. Daniels Distinguished Professor of Human Services Policy Information and associate dean for doctoral education in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—passed away following a lengthy hospitalization. As an associate editor for JSSWR, Matthew had a significant impact on improving the quality and influence of the journal. He will be sorely missed by our editorial team.Matthew was a consummate scholar who possessed a singular ability to understand and conceptualize social problems of all types. His research contributed greatly to existing knowledge of the etiology, prevention, and treatment of substance abuse, alcohol dependence, and mental health disorders. And, Matthew’s provocative articles assessing the state of social work education, practice, and research set forth ideas that will affect the trajectory of social work for years to come. His passion for knowledge—conveyed quietly and effectively to countless graduate students—was felt deeply by the many lives he touched over the course of an academic career that included appointments in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, the Department of Psychiatry at the Oregon Health Sciences University, the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, the School of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Matthew’s training in social work coincided with my own enrollment in the University of Washington School of Social Work doctoral program in 1984. Matthew and I became immediate and close friends during our graduate studies in Seattle, and we spent hours discussing social work, class assignments, and the research projects we worked on as doctoral students. Many of these conversations occurred in an alley coffee shop in Seattle’s University District, just a stone’s throw from the School of Social Work. Known by the employees as “Matt and Jeff,” we were treated as regulars who would sit at our customary window table for what was likely far too long. It was a time of great intellectual pursuit, and I had found the perfect colleague and friend with whom to share ideas and discuss future plans. It was the beginning of a personal friendship and professional relationship that lasted 34 years.Matthew entered doctoral education with a well-developed interest in understanding the etiology of alcohol and other substance use disorders. Over the nearly four decades that followed, he devoted his career to conducting basic and applied research aimed at ameliorating substance abuse dependence and co-occurring problems associated with alcohol and drug abuse. He became particularly well known for his basic research and intervention studies addressing the vexing problem of inhalant abuse (e.g., Howard, Balster, Cottler, Wu, & Vaughn, 2008; Howard, Bowen, Garland, Perron, & Vaughn, 2011; Howard & Jenson, 1999b). Matthew’s innovative and rigorous research in this area led to three grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and to widespread recognition as one of the world’s foremost experts on inhalant abuse. In recent years, Matthew extended his work to testing mindfulness-oriented interventions for people with chronic pain and opioid misuse. His coinvestigator in much of this work was Eric Garland, professor and associate dean for research in the University of Utah College of Social Work. Eric, a former student of Matthew’s at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, describes some of the important lessons he learned under Matthew’s tutelage in an accompanying article in this issue (Garland, 2019).Matthew also made significant contributions to social work education and research. In the Aaron Rosen Lecture at the 2015 Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Matthew traced key developments in social work during the past 30 years and reflected on a vision of the field that stretched to 2044—30 years into the future (Howard & Garland, 2015). The ideas he shared in this lecture have provided a useful framework for assessing the relatively recent history of social work and addressing the challenges in educating master’s-level practitioners and doctoral students in the future. Matthew delivered a similarly thought-provoking lecture on the current state and future of social work doctoral education at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education. Ideas presented in his lectures were coupled with action. One such example is illustrated by Matthew’s early development of a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill doctoral-level course on conducting systematic reviews. Students in this class often produced publishable papers as a result of Matthew’s fastidious attention to breadth and quality. In earlier work at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Matthew and colleagues advanced the idea of evidence-based practice as a paradigm for training MSW social work practitioners (Howard, McMillen, & Pollio, 2003). Enola Proctor, the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor in the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, was a colleague of Matthew’s at the time. She remembers Matthew as… a brilliant scholar and dear person. Highly regarded for his excellence in the classroom at the Brown School, he was demanding yet was a frequent winner of student-elected teaching awards. Matthew used his seemingly boundless energy to better the fields of addiction research and social work practice. He had my highest respect and unending affection. His passing is a tremendous loss to our field and community of scholars [and] saddens me deeply. (E. Proctor, personal communication, January 9, 2019)In 1999, Matthew and I had the good fortune to guest edit a special issue of Research on Social Work Practice that explored the utility of clinical practice guidelines for social work practice (Howard & Jenson, 1999a). Collectively, Matthew’s lectures and published papers assessing the state of social work education and practice stimulated debate and produced tangible curricula changes in schools across the country.A prolific writer, Matthew published more than 250 peer-reviewed papers in his career. His written work also included 40 book reviews, editorials, and government reports. Matthew’s h-index of 55 and nearly 9,000 citations of his work to date illustrate just how much his scholarship was valued by colleagues. His written contributions will be recognized and used by practitioners, policymakers, and researchers for decades to come.Matthew was a fellow and a board member of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and a fellow of the Society for Social Work and Research. A proponent of interdisciplinary work, he also was a faculty research fellow in the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at the time of his passing. Matthew’s devotion to empirical research and scholarship is widely recognized. However, what may be most impressive about Matthew’s career is the recognition he received as both a scholar and a teacher. He was awarded eight outstanding teaching and mentoring awards from students and colleagues at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Two of Matthew’s doctoral students at North Carolina (Eric Garland, University of Utah; and Carrie Pettus-Davis, Florida State University) received Doctoral Fellow Awards from the Society for Social Work and Research. Matthew connected with his students by combining high scientific standards with a compassionate approach to helping people succeed. He was soft-spoken, but his ideas and words carried great weight and influence.Matthew’s service to the fields of social work and addiction was also exemplary. He reviewed manuscripts for more than 60 different academic journals in his career. He was on the editorial boards of more than 50 journals—including serving a JSSWR associate editor for the past several years—and he previously served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Social Service Research, Social Work Research, and the Journal of Addictive Diseases. Matthew also was vice president and served on the Society for Social Work and Research Board of Directors from 2005 to 2008.The task of summarizing the life and career of a prolific and impactful scholar, teacher, and mentor like Matthew is daunting. Mark Fraser, professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the founding editor of JSSWR, was a longtime friend, collaborator, and colleague. Reflecting on Matthew’s career, he recalls,As a scholar and a teacher, Matthew was eloquent and encyclopedic. Students flocked to his classes. A gentle spirit who treasured collaboration with others, his greatest joys came in exploring new ideas and reading recent research. In the profession as a thought leader, Matthew was a tour de force. At once, he was creative, insightful, sensitive, critical, and thorough. Matthew was—quite simply—incomparable. (M. Fraser, personal communication, January 8, 2019)Tangible accomplishments like those summarized here do not tell the complete story of a person. Matthew had an uncanny ability to effectively express his strong personal beliefs and ethical values in everyday interactions with friends and colleagues. He had a deep interest in applying the lessons gained from his own empirical work to promote fairness and equity for all people. Matthew’s invaluable input and feedback to students and colleagues about their ideas, papers, or projects came with great civility and kindness. He was an insatiable reader whose knowledge extended to topics well beyond social work or the addictions. In this sense, one could discuss a wide range of topics with Matthew with the preordained understanding that he had very likely already read much of what had been written on the topic. Matthew’s longstanding practice of underscoring written text with yellow highlighters was applied to thousands of empirical and conceptual articles and manuscripts during his career.On a personal level, Matthew enjoyed taking walks, listening to music, and reading novels and poetry. His wry sense of humor often left many of his closest friends and colleagues writhing in laughter. I was among them.JSSWR is proud to count Matthew as one of its most influential associate editors and contributors. His place as an important teacher and scholar in social work education and research is secure. Matthew’s many contributions will be discovered anew by emerging scholars for decades to come. His presence in social work and the broad field of the addictions will be missed by us all.NotesJeffrey M. Jenson, PhD, is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research and the Phillip D. & Eleanor G. Winn Endowed Professor Children and Youth at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.Correspondence regarding this article should be directed to Jeffrey M. Jenson, University of Denver, 2148 S. High St., Denver, CO 80208 or via e-mail to [email protected]ReferencesGarland, E. L. (2019). Standing on the shoulders of giants: Matthew O. Howard as a mentor and his influence on the science of mindfulness as a treatment for addiction. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. Advance online publication. doi:10.1086/702654First citation in articleGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O. (2016, March 31). Hot topics in doctoral education. Presentation at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education, Chapel Hill, NC.First citation in articleGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O., Balster, R., Cottler, L. B., Wu, L., & Vaughn, M. G. (2008). Inhalant use among incarcerated adolescents: Prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 93, 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.08.023First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O., Bowen, S., Garland, E. L., Perron, B. E., & Vaughn, M. G. (2011). Inhalant use and inhalant use disorders in the United States. Addiction Science & Clinical Practice, 6, 18–31.First citation in articleGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O., & Garland, E. L. (2015). Social work research: 2044. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 6, 173–200. https://doi.org/10.1086/681099First citation in articleLinkGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O., & Jenson, J. M. (1999a). Clinical practice guidelines: Should social work develop them? Research on Social Work Practice, 9, 283–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/104973159900900302First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O., & Jenson, J. M. (1999b). Inhalant use among antisocial youth: Prevalence and correlates. Addictive Behaviors, 24, 59–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0306-4603(98)00039-2First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle ScholarHoward, M. O., McMillen, J. C., & Pollio, D. (2003). Teaching evidence-based practice: Toward a new paradigm for social work education. Research on Social Work Practice, 13, 234–259. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731502250404First citation in articleCrossrefGoogle Scholar Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research Volume 10, Number 1Spring 2019 Published for the Society for Social Work and Research Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/702653HistoryPublished online February 04, 2019 © 2019 by the Society for Social Work and Research. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Introduction:This study aimed to assess the implementation of integrated social and health home care services (HCS) offered by the Government of Catalonia, and to identify the main barriers and facilitators of integrated HCS.Methods:Analysis of the degree of implementation of integrated social and health HCS perceived by social care services (SCS) and primary health care centers (PHCs) between December 2020 and June 2021 in two phases. First, the perception of integration by social workers within SCS and PHCs was assessed using a screening questionnaire. Then, SCS in counties with the highest integration scores received a customized questionnaire for an in-depth assessment.Results:A total of 105 (100%) SCS and 94 (25%) PHCs answered the screening questionnaire, and 48 (45.7%) SCS received a customized questionnaire. The most frequent barrier identified was the lack of shared protocols, with the most frequent facilitator being the recognition of the importance of integrated HCS.Conclusions:Our study showed that the degree of implementation of integrated health and social HCS offered by the Government of Catalonia was perceived as low. The identified barriers and facilitators can be used to facilitate such implementation. Further studies should include professionals other than social workers in PHC assessments.

Over past decade, there has been an increasing recognition that social work should be evidence based. The potential contribution of evidence-based practice (EBP) to effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of social work education and practice has been emphasized (Gambrill, 1999, 2007; Gellis & Reid, 2004; Gilgun 2005; Thyer, 2004). This article reflects on reasons, preconditions, and effects of adopting EBP in social work. These issues are important but are rarely examined. We find that proponents of EBP in social work are conservative toward problem that research evidence is not used by practitioners. They neglect preconditions for implementing EBP and are not sensitive to negative effects of adopting EBP in social work. MEANING AND PERFORMANCE OF EBP IN SOCIAL WORK In terms of meaning of EBP, many scholars in social work (for example, Gambrill, 1999; Gibbs & Gambrill, 2002; Gilgun, 2005; Thyer, 2004) follow definition of evidence-based medicine, such as the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values (Sackett, Straus, Richardson, Rosenberg, & Haynes, 2000, p. 1). Regarding performance of EBR five steps of evidence-based medicine formulated by Sackett et al. (2000) are also followed by social work scholars (for example, Gibbs & Gambrill, 2002; Thyer, 2004). The five steps are as follows: first, to covert one's need for information into an answerable question; second, to search best evidence to answer that question; third, to critically evaluate that evidence; fourth, to integrate critical evaluation of research evidence with one's clinical expertise and with patient's unique biology, values, and circumstances; and fifth, to evaluate one's own effectiveness and efficiency in undertaking previous steps and to strive for self-improvement. REASONS TO ADVOCATE EBP IN SOCIAL WORK A review of literature on EBP in social work reveals two fundamental reasons for academics to advocate EBP in social work. According to Gibbs and Gambrill (2002), Rosen (2003), and Crisp (2004), one obvious reasons to advocate EBP in social work is that social workers in service agencies have seldom applied research evidence to their practice. These academics all based their arguments on studies by Kirk and Rosenblatt (1981), Rosen (1994), and Rosen, Proctor, Morrow-Howell, and Staudt (1995), in which findings revealed that social workers rarely use and value research evidence in their decision making for interventions and other practices. Another reason is that EBP is believed to be able to promote utilization of research findings in social work education and practice. For example, to advocate EBP in social work education, Howard, McMillen, and Pollio (2003) highlighted importance of empirical research to effective social work practice; they argued that scientific findings should guide selection and application of social work practice and that social workers should remain current with a growing scientific database. DISCUSSION AND SUGGESTIONS EBP has potential benefits to social work. First, social work has been obsessed with professional status (O'Neill, 1999). The emphasis of research evidence in EBP social work can enhance credibility of social work profession. Second, it has been found that social workers seldom use research evidence in practice (Rosen, 1994; Rosen et al., 1995; Sheldon & Chilvers, 2000). The emphasis of research evidence in EBP social work can promote integration of research evidence into social work practice. However, realization of benefits of adopting EBP in social work is subject to many factors, such as relevance of evidence to social work practice. A reflection on reasons, preconditions, and effects of adopting EBP in social work indicates that present implementation of EBP may result in much harm. Reflection on Reasons to Advocate EBP A reflection on two fundamental reasons to advocate EBP in social work will reveal beguiling rationale when we make a simple comparison of it with consumers' neglect of industrial products or business services. …

本文目的在於以英國為例，嘗試著說明社會政策治理邏輯的改變如何影響其福利服務輸送體系，進而影響社會工作專業發展，藉此說明社會工作專業發展是如何鑲嵌於特定的國家文化、歷史脈絡和政治經濟脈絡中。在方法上，我們採取歷史追蹤分析方法。本文研究結果發現如下，在戰後福利國家的黃金年代，在以社會行政為基礎的科層治理形塑社會工作的專業主義上，社會工作者對於社會服務使用者的需求評估和處遇擬定都受限於科層體系的規範，也就是那些進入社會工作和社會服務體系的公民的社會權是被專業科層體系和法律所規範。在1980年代之後，西方福利國家立基於新自由主義，而使其治理模式轉往以管理主義以強調效率和選擇等價值，也影響社會工作轉向以管理主義為基礎，在論述上，強調透過個案管理、賦權和使能等概念以強化和正當化對於效率和個人責任的重視。但是，同時，新管理主義在過度強調效率和個人責任的情況下，反而削弱了社會工作者和接受服務者的自主性。2000年之後，社會投資政策理念興起，使得社會政策治理邏輯改以新公共治理為主，不再強調最佳模式，而必須反映了治理客體的現實，因此強調共同生產和網絡治理，且社會工作者可在其中扮演服務協調與創新的角色，而使得未來社會工作教育可能會進一步強調夥伴關係和社會創新等等價值與概念。我們認為本文也提出一些未來研究的可能性，認為未來可以更進一步強化社會政策與社會工作之間的連結，並將台灣的社會工作專業體系置於國際比較的脈絡中。This article aims to identify linkages between social policy and social work. Over the past few decades in Taiwan, social workers and social work educators have emerged as formal professions. However, the relationship between social policy and social work is often ignored, particularly how social work (education) is developed and shaped by social policy. This is because in the process of professionalization and specialization, social policy and social work are treated independently, and the linkage between them goes unacknowledged. Social work studies often focus on micro-level social work practices and methods, and social work is rarely seen as a type of policy model or regime at the institutional level. As a result, social work is often regarded as single undifferentiated policy model, with social work systems and education presented as identical across the world. However, a growing number of comparative studies have identified significant cross-national variations in national social work systems due to idiosyncratic historical, cultural and political economic contexts. This raises the need for additional research on comparative social work systems. In this study, we argue that the key to studying the linkage between social policy and social work is using models of governance to analyze and understand how social work systems are developed and understood. Models of social policy governance influence how social work is practiced and how social work curricula are designed. The remainder of this study is structured as follows: Section two focuses on how hierarchical governance and new public management shapes social policy and social work systems. Section three examines the impact of new public governance on social investment for social work systems. Finally, section four summarises the influence of various models of social policy governance on the development of social work systems, and propose issues for future research. We identify three stages of welfare state development. In the Golden Age of the welfare state, the logic of social administration underpins the model of social policy governance and broader hierarchical governance. The rights and obligations of welfare benefits as well as social work practices were legislatively regulated, along with the relationship between social workers and their clients, resulting in the professionalization of social work. In this stage, client assessments and treatments were be regulated to discipline client behavior and attitudes. However, with the neoliberalism of the Thatcher and Reagan governments, respectively in the UK and the USA, the welfare state shifted towards a workfare state, and the models of social policy governance shifted to a new public management paradigm. The welfare state discursively began to emphasize the role of the market in welfare provision, stressing values such as efficiency and choice, and embedding a managerialist approach in social policy governance. Social work practices and education were therefore transformed, and social workers were/are often regarded and trained as case managers, emphasizing concepts such as case management, choice, empowerment and enablement. Moreover, the relationship between social workers and clients was also transformed into a “manager-consumer” duality, in which the rights and obligations of welfare benefits are regulated by contracts and market mechanisms. This transformed the role of the client into that of the consumer. Third, after 2000, the emergence of social investment concepts has driven the emergence of a new approach to public governance in response to new social risks and the complexities of social problems, raising multiple obstacles to clients accessing welfare benefits. This new public governance pushes concepts of co-production and network governance to cope with social complexities and the emergence of new social risks. This has naturally changed the role of social workers in the provision of welfare provisions from case managers into coordinators of resources and services and policy innovators. The role of welfare beneficiaries is neither client nor consumer, but rather a stakeholder in the coordination and innovation of welfare provisions. In this study, we show that social work practices and education are not identical but are rather shaped by social policy governance and political economic contexts. We compare three models of social policy governance in terms of how social work practices and education are shaped, and propose issues for future research. First, additional attention should focus on the linkage between social policy and social work to provide a better understanding of the development of social work and social work education. Second, the development of social work in Taiwan should be examined in comparison to international practices.

The purpose of this study is to examine social welfare workers’ perception about the quality of life of adults with dwarfism. The subjects of the study were 246 social welfare related workers working in Y City, Jeonnam. The results are as follows.First, both male and female social welfare workers commonly perceived “family relation” was the most important factor in the quality of life of adults with dwarfism. Second, social welfare workers in 20s, 30s and 40s and 50s perceived respectively that “health”, “family relation”, and “interpersonal relation” were the most important factor in the quality of life of adults with dwarfism. Third, social workers, therapists and office workers and day-care teachers perceived respectively that “family relation”, “health” and “interpersonal relation” were the most important factor in the quality of life of adults with dwarfism.

Background: Social mobility workers play crucial roles in community-based activities aimed at societal development, yet their mental health and substance use patterns remain understudied. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and substance use among social mobility workers in Bangladesh to inform targeted interventions. Objective: To assess the prevalence and patterns of psychiatric morbidity and substance use among social mobility workers in Bangladesh. Method: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted across four divisionss of Bangladesh, focusing on reverse migrants—individuals employed in Dhaka, Sylhet, Rajshahi, and Chittagong for at least six months and currently residing in temporary shelter homes. A random sample of 100 subjects, aged 18 years or older, were enrolled. Data were collected through questionnaires covering diagnostic categories and substance use patterns, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential tests. Results: The study revealed significant demographic distributions among respondents, with 67.2% falling within the 21–35 years age range, 25.4% in the 36–50 years group, and 4.1% and 3.3% in the ≤20 years and >50 years categories, respectively. Employment duration showed the highest percentage for durations between 7 and 12 months (29.5%) and exceeding 60 months (23.0%), while marital status indicated a predominance of married respondents (78.7%), followed by single (20.5%) and separated/widowed individuals (0.8%). Among social mobility workers, Community Health Workers constituted the largest group (20%), followed by Social Workers (15%) and Education Volunteers (12%), with other categories ranging from 5% to 10%. Additionally, substance use patterns varied, with alcohol being the most prevalent (21%), followed by tobacco (35.5%), cannabis (2.5%), and cannabis-ganja/charas (0.7%) over a lifetime. Anxiety disorders were the most prevalent psychiatric condition (30%), followed by ..........

Journal Article Navigating Conflict: A Model for Nursing Home Social Workers Get access Priscilla D. Allen, Priscilla D. Allen Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar H. Wayne Nelson, H. Wayne Nelson Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar F. Ellen Netting, F. Ellen Netting Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Donna M. Cox Donna M. Cox Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Health & Social Work, Volume 32, Issue 3, August 2007, Pages 231–234, https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/32.3.231 Published: 01 August 2007 Article history Received: 15 March 2005 Revision received: 20 October 2005 Accepted: 16 November 2005 Published: 01 August 2007

The twin pressures of containment and change have plagued social work since its origins in the late 19th century. The profession can boast of a long history of progressive activism directed to individual and social change. At the same time, observers within and outside social work have often accused the profession of serving as a handmaiden of the status quo. This contradiction has made the social work profession a site of ongoing struggle. Although often difficult, the battles the profession has endured have ensured that social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities is neither handed down from above nor written in stone. Rather, the design of social work as we know it reflects internal and external political struggles. The presence of this tension becomes critically important, because with it comes opportunity for change. The centennial gives occasion to celebrations, critical reviews, and future visions for the profession. In this spirit, this article reviews the history of activism in social work in a framework of the relationship between social work and social reform as an arena of struggle. Most histories of social work present the story chronologically. I use the history to bring the activist struggles in social work into bold relief. More specifically, I have developed three parallel narratives centered on social work as an arena of struggle: (1) the largely untold history of activism in the profession during the 20th century, (2) the effect of the process of professionalization on social work activism, and (3) the ways the changing political climate shaped the relationship between the profession of social work and its impulse for social reform. The Prochange Mandate in Social Work Social work's commitment to both individual and social change stems from at least three sources: (1) the mandates of our professional organizations, (2) the professional literature, and (3) the long history of activism among social workers themselves. Professional Mandates Since the mid-1960s both the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) have recognized social work's role in social reform. The 1994 CSWE Curriculum Policy Statement (CSWE, 1994) and the 1996 NASW Code of Ethics continue to call for action to improve social conditions as one way for social work to honor its primary obligation to individual and community welfare. Review of the Literature Many social worker scholars have articulated social work's commitment to social reform (Galper, 1975; Haynes & Mickelson, 1997; Mahaffey & Hanks, 1982; Withorn, 1984). Systems, transactional, person-in-situation, empowerment, and other practice theories emphasize the relationship between social conditions and the quality of life for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. The theories assume that individuals grow, change, and develop a sense of mastery best when they can gain self-insight, have real choices, and secure access to the resources and power needed to realize these goals. The theories recognize that communities thrive when governments promote individual and collective responsibility, equal opportunities, and social solidarity. In brief, social work scholarship suggests that, although a focus on individuals is critically important, it may not be enough (Payne, 1991; Simon, 1994). History of Activism The third foundation of social work's commitment to social reform stems from the long history of activism among social workers themselves. Social work activism has had many strands. As is the case in any large group of people, the politics of social workers range across the political spectrum. During the past 100 years, the most visible and documented activism of the organized profession has tended toward liberal reform. The goals of the activist members, however, have ranged from liberal to radical, leading to both collaboration and conflict. …

The use of science and technology and ethical considerations have recently been applied to the field of social welfare, and professional ethics for social welfare workers is emerging as a major task. In order to actively reflect these changes of the times, the ‘Korean Code of Ethics for Social Workers’ was revised in 2023 to strengthen the scientific and technological ethical standards of social workers. This study explored the meaning and limitations of social worker professional ethics for dedicated social workers who provide ICT services, focusing on customized care services for the elderly. In addition, directions for the use of science and technology and the professional development of social workers were proposed. To conduct this research In-depth interviews were conducted with five social workers working in customized care services for the elderly and analyzed using a qualitative case study method. As a result of the study, it was analyzed that 1) “Recognition of the need for training related to the use of ICT care devices and insufficient ethics education system”, 2) “Ethical issues that prevent workers from developing expertise and expanding services related to the use of ICT”, 3) “Ethical issues due to the structure of ICT safety support services that require sacrifices of workers”, 4) “Ethical issues due to personal information protection infringement and absence of alternative services that occur when responding to safety support”, 5) “Providing ICT devices with low technological acceptability to clients It was analyzed as an “ethical problem that arises from its use.”Based on the results of this study, policy and practical approaches and alternatives were presented to improve social welfare expertise related to the use of science and technology.

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.