Team Training for Community Change: Concepts,Goals, Strategies,and Skills,by Eva Schindler-Rainman and Ronald Lippitt. University of California Extension,Riverside, California, 1973. $2.50. 83 Pages

Abstract

Social work education in Nigeria is taught only in polytechnic schools and in-service training institutes. Only recently have social work course units been introduced at the university level; no Nigerian university offers a degree in the field, yet. The social work courses available are offered toward degrees in sociology.

This paper describes how social work students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria, built a dispensary as part of their fieldwork in a newly-introduced social work methodology course. It discusses implications for social work education in Nigeria.     

Interpersonal Helping Skills,by Eldon K. Marshall,P. David Kurtz,and Associates. Jossey-Bass Publishers,San Francisco, 1982. $35.00. 682 Pp.

Abstract

Courses in international or comparative social welfare have many benefits, but require a framework for systematic comparisons between countries. This article presents an institutional political process model for studying social welfare policy comparatively. The principal elements of the model include each country's societal values, government institutions (operationalized as the role of interest groups), policy goals, and system implementation (type of welfare system). The model is demonstrated through a comparison of the dissimilar social welfare systems of Sweden and the U.S.     

Centrelink: how social workers make a difference for young persons. A model of intervention

It is mandatory for social workers at Centrelink to interview and assess under 18-year-old youth who are applying for the ‘Unreasonable to Live at Home’ (UTLAH) rate of Youth Allowance. The aims of this research project were to identify and describe social work models of intervention when interviewing young persons who applied for UTLAH payments and to examine the way in which social workers developed a response to organisational and legislative changes. The qualitative research consisted of two components: field observations of social work interviews with claimants and an open-ended questionnaire completed by social workers after the observed interaction. The research confirmed the hypothesis that parts of a number of social work interventions could be combined and used to effectively assess and assist clients within the prescribed short-term approach. In addition, it supported the researchers' belief that social work models of intervention could be adapted to organisational and environmental changes. A potential challenge for social workers at Centrelink is to produce a brief social work model of intervention that is flexible enought to be used by professionals across sectors.     

The Doctor and the Social Services. Huws Jones,University of London,the Athlone Press, 1971. 56 Pages. Hardbound

Values in social work are part of the instrumentality for service delivery and decision making.

As an outgrowth of modern science, a value conflict has emerged between humanitarianism (the rights and dignity of the individual) and individualism (the distortion of individual rights into an antisocial mode). Current interpretations of individualism challenge the social value of mutuality upon which the “social” in social work is based Values cannot be “proved” in a logical positivist model of truth.

One example of the inappropriate use of logical positivism can be seen in social science research. A recommitment to values in social work theory and practice is emphasized and alternative research styles, stressing values, are suggested.     

Graduate and Professional Education: 1980: A Survey of Institutional Plans,Lewis B. Mayhew. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1970. 48 Pages, $3.95 Hardbound

The field of social work reflects and often enforces a traditionally narrow view of women in the structure of its social service agencies and in the kinds of assistance they provide, and in social work education itself. This article discusses the rationale for attention to the ideas of the Women's Liberation movement and describes how they were incorporated into the social work curriculum at the University of Connecticut. The course offered was designed to help students examine the social, psychological, and sexual assumptions made about men and women and the implications of those assumptions.     

Fieldwork in Industrial Settings: Opportunities,Rewards, and Dilemmas

World of work field placements offer rich learning opportunities both for students interested in direct service and those pursuing planning, administration, and research specializations. Social work skills have become highly relevant to corporations and unions as they have expanded their function into the social welfare arena. Selection of appropriate sites requires an ability to make an assessment of organizational readiness. Careful selection of students and clarity of social work function at the field site contribute to successful outcome. In addition, back-up support from the school is essential to the smooth development of these innovative and stimulating placement opportunities.     

Vocational Rehabilitation: Profession and Process. American Lecture Series,John G. Cull,Richard E. Hardy,Publication 831. Charles C. Thomas,Publisher, Springfield,Illinois. 1972. 547 Pages. $18.50, Hardbound

As unionization of professional social workers increases, so will the demand to better prepare social work students for their roles as managers and employees in the collective bargaining process. This paper explores labor relations developments as they apply to the unionization of social work personnel. Current research is reviewed, and labor contracts representing personnel in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan are examined in order to identify typical contract clauses. Areas of needed research are outlined. Suggestions are made for introducing labor relations studies into the social work curriculum and a course taught at the University of Illinois is offered as an example.     

Thinking Like a Social Worker: Examining the Meaning of Critical Thinking in Social Work

This article proposes a model for interprofessional collaboration within the context and process of field experiences in public schools. The model evolved out of a collaborative venture between the schools of social work and education at Boston College. The placement of pairs of social work and education interns in urban schools provided an opportunity to identify the nature of collaboration that is transdisciplinary and not parallel practice. This transdisciplinary practice model is based on a common goal, discipline-specific objectives, and co-facilitated activities. The discussion includes issues of project design and implementation as well as the advantages and challenges of interprofessional field work.     

Co-supervision of social work students: A model for meeting the future needs of the profession

This article presents co-supervision as an effective and efficient model for field education of social work students. In our current climate of scarce resources and with a changing workforce that is increasingly feminised and part-time, this model provides a framework for efficient resource allocation by sharing the responsibility of field education among more than one social work supervisor. We will describe a model of co-supervision that we have developed over a period of 6 years. We will be using the findings from our own exploratory study for this model along with practice-based reflection to support our proposal that co-supervision is an innovative and beneficial model for field work education of social work students.     

Social Work Administration: Principles and Practices,Harleigh B. Trecker. New York: Association Press, 1971. 287 Pages, $9.95 Hardbound

Abstract

This paper reviews graduate applications/admissions data for 1975–84, and shows that as applications have decreased, the acceptance rate has increased. Referring to the NASW Code of Ethics, the paper suggests this trend raises a number of ethical issues with which the field should be concerned. Traditional alternatives to liberalized admissions are also reviewed and their perceived efficacy is examined. It is suggested that hold-harmless strategies are insufficient to counteract the societal trends which adversely affect graduate social work education and, further, that the field must begin to proactively plan for fewer, or at least smaller, graduate programs.     

Non-Professionals in the Human Services,Edited by Charles Grosser,William E. Henry,and James G. Kelly. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,Inc. Publishers, 1969.288 Pages, $8.50 Hardbound

As social work deals with human deprivation that is often a direct result of racism, social work educators need to be aware that Black students may approach the field with different insights and objectives than white students. Without understanding and appreciation for Black culture, social work educators may perpetuate racist policies and stereotypes of Blacks as clients. University and departmental policies that violate a student's right to grow and to assert a positive Black identity must be challenged. Social work educators should demonstrate a commitment to the development of future Black professionals.     

Basic‐Level Categories,Mirror Neurons,and Joint‐Attention Schemes: Three Points of Intersection Between G.H. Mead and Cognitive Science

Recent research in cognitive science has provided broad empirical support for the model of cognition and self‐development formulated by G.H. Mead. This is demonstrated specifically through three distinct cognitive mechanisms: basic‐level categories, mirror neurons, and joint‐attention schemes. These mechanisms illustrate a form of embodied sociality that underscores the intersubjective foundation of mind and self articulated by Mead. Research on basic‐level categories, mirror neurons, and joint‐attention schemes further extends Mead's relevance outside standard sociological and social psychological circles to the field of cognitive science and its emerging focus on sociality and social interaction.     

A Model for Developing International Student Exchanges

This paper presents a model of international student exchanges that considers the needs and expectations of both host and guest country. It draws on the literature on international social work in addition to the experiences of the authors, who have taught social work courses abroad and conducted numerous service projects in the Caribbean Islands. One author has been placing social work students in international field practica for the past 10 years.

This model of developing and maintaining international student exchanges suggests that communication is at the core of successful international work. The process of developing the exchanges should include the following communication steps for both host and guest nation: (1) establish a feedback loop with potential participants; (2) gain an overview of the other country; (3) provide orientation at micro, mezzo and macro levels; (4) identify gains; (5) consider costs; (6) clarify expectations; and (7) establish roles for the student, field liaison, and field supervisor. The aim is to enhance the quality of the experience for all by utilizing a strengths‐based approach. The model emphasizes long‐term relationships, mutual respect for diversity and commitment to reciprocity at all stages. Finally, the model presents principles that serve to maintain relationships internationally. Examples from the authors' experiences are presented throughout to illustrate the process.     

Halbwachs and Durkheim: a test of two theories of suicide

The social integration hypothesis forms the basis of this study. It was first asserted by Durkheim in late nineteenth-century France and many of his assumptions are based on a social disorganizational model. This model tended to equate social change with the breakdown of social control and many of Durkheim's notions about anomie are derived from this view of industrial society. Halbwachs, on the other hand, proposed a social psychological theory of suicide. His model specifies more clearly the conditions under which lack of social integration may induce suicide. This study shows that among a population in transition, the Alaska Natives, the suicide rate was explained by the Halbwachsian model at least as well as the Durkheimian one and sometimes better. The Durkheimian model is shown to reflect a Cartesian dualism, which accounts only for that which is observable, thus making for biased studies of suicide. Moreover, psychopathological research confirms the Halbwachsian model. These findings restore the social isolation theory, once long neglected, to its rightful place among theories of suicide and opens up an important field for researchers seeking to understand high rates of suicide.     

Field education in crisis: experiences of field education coordinators in Canada

Significant multi-layered challenges with delivering quality practicum experiences to social work students have led field education coordinators to release a joint statement that social work field education in Canada is in a state of crisis. This article presents the results of a two-year mixed methods study that sought to investigate and describe the challenges in order to enhance understanding of the crisis from the perspective of Canadian social work field education coordinators. The results indicate that social work education programs in Canada face four key challenges in regard to field education that can be further divided into two sections: (a) the social work practice field and (b) social work field education administration. The two key challenges associated with the social work practice field are: (a) social work practice contexts and realities and (b) practicum shortages and saturation. The two key challenges associated with social work field education administration are: (a) practicum procurement and field instructor recruitment and retention; and (b) expectations and workloads of field education coordinators. To address these challenges, collaborative development of a multi-level strategy aimed at moving beyond the current state of crisis toward a sustainable model of social work field education in Canada is recommended.     

Project for Return and Opportunity in Veterans Education (PROVE): An Innovative Clinical Social Work Field Education Model

Veterans transitioning from the military to college life and the unique issues impacting them are an area of clinical social work that has yet to be fully explored in the literature. Project for Return and Opportunity in Veterans Education (PROVE) is an innovative social work field education model that trains first year graduate interns to serve student veterans on college campuses in a non-traditional, milieu setting. PROVE uses a strengths-based, resiliency focus to emphasize the unique characteristics of the student veteran. The model affords the intern a clinical skill set applicable to working with veterans in various social work agencies. This article will discuss the history, framework and implementation of the PROVE model, use of Veteran-Affirmative Counseling (VAC) and the unique milieu setting. The article will conclude with implications for clinical social work practice field education settings and recommendations for replicability of the PROVE model.     

Bringing the Outside In: Field Interaction and Transformation from Below in Political Struggles

This article applies field theory in order to build an understanding of aspects of social movements practice. It argues that the way social movements are positioned within their various fields of practice and the way these fields inter-relate with each other can help explain how movements arrive at their strategies and ideologies. The relationship between the fields within which social movements operate also provides a means to explain how movement participants can become agents for change.

The article discusses the case of British Jewish Israel-critical groups, an example of a movement suspended between several different fields of practice – both local and distant. The internal movement debate around boycotting Israel illustrates how movement activities are channelled by the local fields within which they contend. Their relationship with the distant Palestinian field demonstrates the importance of the influence of external fields in forming social movement ideology. This model views social movement actors – especially those within distant issue movements – as translators between various fields of practice. This provides a mechanism to explain how challengers within a field can overcome the limitations of internal field habitus and become agents for field transformation.     

Theory and Practice of Social Planning and Studies in Social Policy and Planning, 2 Volumes,Alfred J. Kahn. New York,Russel Sage Foundation, 1969. Vol. I, 348 pp. $8.75 Hardbound. Vol. II, 324 pp. $8.75 Hardbound

Research on the values of social workers and the effect of education on professional socialization is examined with particular reference to self-selection, the role of age in openness to the changes required, the effectiveness of explication in communication of specific values, and the need for campus and field faculty to present compatible models to students. The writer's own research using the Varley Social Work Questionnaire is described and discussed. Implications for admissions and curriculum development are offered.     

The Role of the Graduate School of Social Work in Criminal Justice Higher Education

This article deals with the extent to which graduate schools of social work are providing education in the field of criminal justice. It raises the question of whether the two-year professional social work model can be adopted for graduate education in criminal justice. A detailed survey taken in 1972 revealed that graduate schools of social work provided insignificant course offerings in the broad field of criminal justice.

The article concludes by showing that graduate schools of social work are appropriate vehicles for criminal justice type offerings, while at the same time indicating that those concerned with criminal justice have the opportunity to experiment with the social work model.     

Preventive Medicine,Community Health and Social Services. J. B. Meredith Davies. Second Edition. London: Balliere Tindall, 1971. 331 pp. Paperbound. Published in the United States by the Williams and Wilkins Company,Baltimore. $7.75 Hardcover

Increasing attention is being given to social work practice related to death, dying, and survival. Effective practice in these areas requires not only knowledge of the problems associated with dying but also skill and sufficient comfort to extend appropriate help. The present article describes a module in the general social work practice sequence at the University of Hawaii School of Social Work that offers students an opportunity to develop both a skill and a knowledge base, as well as an exploration of their own personal experiences with—and reactions to—death.