The Administrative and Posthospital Care Outcomes of Discharge Planning

Early and comprehensive discharge planning is a widely accepted and anticipated social work role. It is generally supposed that discharge planning has positive implications for both the hospital and the patient. A research project was designed to assess the effects of a staff development program aimed at instituting a comprehensive discharge planning model by social workers in a general hospital in Israel. One group of patients received social work services based on the discharge planning model. A comparison group of patients received the standard services provided by the department. No differences between the groups were found in time elapsed before first social work contact or in length of stay. However, patients in the study group were likely to be released to a more appropriate and stable setting than were patients in the comparison group. Furthermore, there was a greater likelihood that their posthospital care plans involved a combination of services from both formal and informal settings. Implications of the findings are discussed as well as the integration of research into ongoing social work practice.     

Socratic Dialogue and Self-Directed Group Work: Strengthening Ethical Practice in Social Work

Socratic dialogue is a practical method of philosophical inquiry used to develop ethical and critical thinking among participants. On the other hand, self-directed group work is a practical intervention model based on social justice principles aimed at empowering service users and clients in social work and community work contexts. This conceptual article aims to reflect on a combination of the two models, arguing that group work interventions inspired by Socratic dialogue and self-directed group work may represent a way for social workers to develop a better ethical stance in their practice.     

Evaluating a Scale to Measure Student Competencies in Macro Social Work Practice

ABSTRACT

This article outlines the development of an evaluation tool for measuring student competency in macrolevel social work practice. Researchers followed a multistage process that incorporated the wisdom of experienced field instructors in identifying key competencies for practice, ranking performance levels in each competency, and evaluating the reliability and validity of the scale. The resulting Macro Practice-Based Evaluation tool includes six skill domains (learning and growth; behavior and relationships; leadership; critical thinking, analysis, planning, and implementation; professional communication; and values and ethics), each of which has five levels of student competence ranging from unsuitable for practice to exemplary. Evaluation in an experimental setting, by comparing student evaluations on the new tool and previous tools, demonstrated promising reliability and validity. Implications for social work education and future research in actual practice environments are discussed.     

Nondeliberative Forms of Practice in Social Work: Artful,Actional, Analogic

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to explicate the features of a model of practice (and its theoretical supports) that characteristically employs processes other than those that are deliberatively thought out and processed verbally. The model, identified as a nondeliberative form of practice, has the capability of extending significantly the range of social work practice options. This article articulates the central features of nondeliberative forms of practice and provides a conceptual way of thinking about this modality for use throughout the profession, and in particular in social work with groups.     

Promoting Individual and Social Changes: A Hybrid Model of Social Work with Groups

Taking as a starting point two influential, yet different approaches in group work, that is, the self-directed group work and mutual aid models, this article examines a possible alternative for conducting social work with groups. Drawing from structuration theory, which makes a strong dialectical relation between agency and structure possible, this article highlights how our alternative model could lead to a greater integration of the micro- and macrodimensions in group-work practice. The Discussion section proposes three key principles for group work, namely, a belief in people’s strengths and capacities, a focus on critical thinking, and a concern for the development of a democratic culture in groups. These principles are conveyed through the group worker’s roles as consciousness raiser and process facilitator and provide a flexible and participatory process that can be used with a broad range of service-user groups. The article concludes with a discussion on the strengths and limitations of the model.     

我国专业社会工作在提供服务过程中的本土化特性

依据社会工作实务通用过程模式,结合一线社工的实务经验和相关理论研究,从接案、预估、计划、实施、评估和结案等六个方面,探讨我国专业社会工作在服务介入过程中,异于西方社会工作理论的独特工作方式及内容。以期深化我国社会工作本土化研究的领域,并为一线社工的实际工作提供经验借鉴。     

论社区工作三大模式在我国的适应性

社区工作模式是社区工作实务的提炼和总结。目前社区发展、社会策划、社会行动三大社区工作模式广受关注的同时也被不断延用。但由于这三大模式来自于美国学者罗斯曼1979年对美国的社区工作实践经验的总结,并不是一套可以应用于不同场合及环境的固定模式,而是一套供工作者灵活运用的工作技巧。社区工作者如何针对我国的实际状况运用不同模式,有必要对社区三大工作模式进行比较和分析。     

Western Theory,Eastern Practice

Aspects of western group work theory are identified wherein cultural mcompatibilities exist with Chinese social work practice. The effect these have on the worker and the group members and ways to overcome the differences in strengthening and encouraging fruitful group work practice are presented. Although based in Hong Kong the same general points could be made about working and teaching in any culture where professional constructs and theoretical material are imported. Modes of practice must be developed which do not do violence to accepted ways of thinking, feeling and doing and do not fight the cultural fabric in which they are enmeshed.     

在“项目为基础”的研究学习中成长

研究性学习是以问题为导向,通过学生自主解决问题的过程来学习的教学模式。本文以老年社工实务为平台,以“老年照顾与管理”为主题,组成了“研究性学习”团队,在教师的引导下相继完成四个优秀本科训练计划（SRTP）,并获得“云南省大学生创新实验计划”立项。在循环迁升和环环相扣的项目链上,不仅调动了学生学习的主动性和积极性,还激发同学们的创新思维和创新意识,对学生掌握思考和解决问题的能力具有积极的作用。     

优势视角:残疾人工作的新视角

在残疾人工作方面,存在着两种不同的工作视角,一种是问题视角也称之为缺陷视角,它是以问题为核心,强调将关注点聚焦在残疾人所面临的问题和困难上;另一种则是关注于挖掘残疾人优势的优势视角。优势视角及其工作模式,是当前推进残疾人工作的更为合理的视角和模式。     

GROUP WORK WITH ALCOHOLIC,POLY DRUG-INVOLVED ADOLESCENTS WITH DEVIANT BEHAVIOR SYNDROME

Trail-blazing efforts are now underway in social work treatment with adolescents who are involved with both alcohol and other drug abuse and who have been arrested for antisocial acts. These are young people who are caught in a pathological system which is spiraling them deeper and deeper into self-destruction, either by their antisocial acts leading to continuing conflict with the law and often incarceration, and/or to the breakdown of their physical system by the substance abuse. Traditional forms of social casework or psychotherapies are of little use since the young person is likely to deny vigorously that he has a problem and shrink from contact with the helping resources that are available. Whereas a psychodynamic orientation is necessary in order for the worker to provide the degree of understanding of the internal turmoil of these young persons, the focus of treatment must be upon problem solving and a peer support system that can sustain the faltering ego through the social hazards of adolescence and young adulthood. To understand the professional demands of this practice, we will describe the general characteristics of this special segment of today's youthful population, the social-psychodynamic factors involved, and the diagnostic issues raised. Several concepts for clinical practice with these young people will be discussed: enforced treatment, age-related differential planning, and group work as the optimal treatment modality. An actual group work practice situation will illustrate theorerical and technical issues raised in the treatment process.     

Judgements of Solomon: anxieties and defences of social workers involved in care proceedings

Evidence from focus group discussions with social workers in child care and child protection was collected for a research project exploring decision‐making in care proceedings and seeking a better understanding of the causes of delay in the process. Here this material is used to examine social workers' feelings about their work and to explore the anxieties they expressed. Isabel Menzies's work on containing anxiety in institutions is used to provide a conceptual framework for thinking about the ways in which individuals' unconscious defences against anxiety may affect the structure, policies and practices of the organization in which they work. It is suggested that this dimension needs to be taken into account in understanding difficulties which arise in putting policy into practice.     

The Faculty Meeting: Practicing Social Justice-Oriented Group Work

Social group work scholars and practitioners have begun to locate and recognize important sites for thinking about and practicing social group work as increasing evidence demonstrates its diminishing importance. This article identifies faculty meetings as a significant site for integrating social group work more fully into departments and schools of social work and helping to achieve the profession's social justice mission. Challenging the meaning of the faculty meeting and thinking of it as a faculty group is a necessary prerequisite to realize this goal. A set of principles is presented and next steps explored to reclaim and reinsert the value of social group work for the profession today.     

Social Change and Citizen Action

This paper explores the import of two selected philosophical/ theological perspectives, feminist theory and liberation theology, for social group work practice with citizen groups. Its purposes are to focus on the power of social beliefs and theoretical perspectives to shape the meaning of life circumstances and situations for populations, and either to provide support for group action, or engender resignation or cynical indifference. Social group work's philosophy of democratic participation and religious commitment to social justice produced a unity of purpose for practitioners. The identification and incorporation of facets of liberation theology and feminist theory offer more current and perhaps sophisticated frames for integrated practice. Both perspectives highlight the centrality of the participant's thinking, knowing and doing both for personal becoming and community renewal.     

The Essential Power of Group Work

SUMMARY

For almost two decades, leaders in the field of social group work have been warning that the foundational principles and practice of group work as a modality are in danger of being absorbed into generalist social work practice. This paper expands upon the appeal of leaders in the social group work field to generate an environment in which group work is recognized as an integral method in social work practice and education. This paper examines group work as a powerful methodology in social work practice with a specific theoretical framework and skill base that is fundamental to the social work profession. The characteristics of group work's strengths are explored with a comprehensive overview that inspires renewed commitment to preserving, practicing and promoting social group work as a viable and integral part of social work practice.     

Group Work Education: A Call for Renewed Commitment

Studies demonstrate steady decline in group work courses and concentration in graduate social work programs. This is attributed to the Council on Social Work Education’s recommendation, in 1969, for a generalist practice model; the growing interest of professional social workers in developing casework skills, including psychiatric casework; and the influence of perspectives from nonsocial work disciplines. This article proposes renewed efforts to strengthen social group work education and concerted collaboration between classroom and field. It focuses on essential course content, emphasizes social group work perspectives, and identifies core social group work concepts and tools for inclusion in curriculum and field education.     

Empowerment in social work practice with the psychiatrically disabled: Model and method

Empowerment of those clients disempowered by society is explored as both a philosophy to inform social work practice and as a continuing method of practice in itself. A three‐part model of empowerment at individual, interpersonal, and group levels is presented and is then illustrated by application to a case study of psychiatric disability. The generalist model of practice is seen as particularly suited to empowerment. New directions in serving mental health consumers are discussed, including participatory action research, the disability paradigm, and consciousness‐raising in relation to economic oppression. Egalitarian partnership between worker and client is seen as the future of social work practice.     

Instilling the Soul of Group Work in Social Work Education

This article addresses the process of developing an educational model for teaching social work with groups in an undergraduate social work degree program in Israel. The model was developed against a backdrop of decreasing status of social group work within the profession and the consequent loss of its unique identity and power in the social work field. The model's aims are to provide the students with the basic principles of social group work, to ensure its place in their professional identity, and to awaken curiosity regarding its use in their future practice as social workers.     

Preventive Intervention as a Working Concept in Child-Care Practice

Correspondence to: Rosalind Hargreaves, Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Social Work Studies, Keynes College, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NP. Summary Prevention persists in social work despite criticism of theterm. In 1975 and 1990 identical surveys were carried out todiscover what social workers were trying to prevent in sampledindividual pieces of work. The study elicits the assumptionsunderpinning their thinking about prevention and notes differencesbetween the two surveys. The findings are then discussed inrelation to the 1989 Children Act. A model for individual preventivepractice is presented and the discussion of issues concludesthat the usage of the term will continue despite a change offocus in child-care legislation. Prevention can provide a morevaluable framework for practice with the benefits of greaterspecificity and clarity of thinking on the part of practitioners.