Exploring the Nexus Between Social Work and the Environment

Abstract

Within social work discourse, “the environment” seems inevitably to refer to the sociocultural environment. Such a focus reflects the domain that social work has defined for itself through various codes of ethics, as well as the theory and practice focus of social workers. Over a long period of time, doubt has gradually been dispelled about the effect that humankind has had on the environment, and it is now largely accepted that global warming has an anthropogenic basis. The present paper examines the place of social work in a world that is trying to come to terms with various ecological disasters, not the least of which is climate change. Social work is cast as a profession that needs to become more aware of the ways in which society is embedded in the natural world and our physical environment as a whole. The issue of social sustainability is explored as a focus for the relevance of social work knowledge and practice in this time of environmental crisis.     

Reimagining social work case studies: a social work—creative writing collaboration

This paper describes a joint social work and creative writing project which analysed case studies from textbooks on reading lists for the Bachelor of Social Work course at Edith Cowan University. The textbook case studies were analysed from the perspectives of both social work and literary craft and it was found that they presented simplified scenarios which were limited in terms of diversity and rarely portrayed depth or complexity. The case studies were also often bereft of information about social workers’ or service users’ human qualities and frequently portrayed service users in terms of the problems they presented to the social worker. The authors argue that depicting social workers and service users in this way can create the impression that social work is a distanced procedural activity and can also serve to distance service users’ lives and experiences from social work students. Drawing on research in creative writing craft, as well as analysis of the textbook case studies, principles for writing engaging text-book case studies were developed and the paper concludes by arguing for the use of these principles when crafting social work case studies.     

Interprofessional Education for Practice: Some Implications for Australian Social Work

Abstract

Social workers work with many other professionals in the workplace and being able to work in a team is both a practice standard for professions and a desirable graduate attribute of most universities. However, student learning about teamwork is often inconsistent and serendipitous, albeit some attention may be given to it as part of field education and work preparation. Students and new graduate social workers usually adopt the teamwork approach that prevails in the agency in which they work and teamwork behaviour is often a result of socialisation and acculturation. Internationally, over the last two decades, interprofessional education for interprofessional practice has achieved prominence in social work curricula. This article covers recent Australian initiatives in interprofessional education and the involvement of the social work program at a leading Australian university in an interprofessional education project. Implications for social work student education and social work practice are discussed.     

The Place and Relevancy of Practice with Couples in Graduate Social Work Education

Social workers often provide services and therapy for couples; however, little literature has been published that suggests models for teaching—from a social work perspective—marriage counseling or social work with couples. This article reports the results of a survey that examined how faculty in graduate schools of social work are teaching practice content in marriage counseling and their perceptions of its relevancy to social work practice. Findings indicated that some content on social work practice with couples is evident in most master of social work programs. Moreover, faculty perceived social work practice with couples as moderately relevant to all practice settings listed in the survey.     

The social reality of youth and social work: between visibility and invisibility

ABSTRACT

Social work has a long history of study and intervention in at-risk or vulnerable groups. Due to their diversity, the visibility or invisibility of such groups has varied over the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The work presented here is focused on determining the place youth occupies in social work as a field of study and intervention. Demographic reality has shown a decreasing attention to young people when compare to other age groups, while its social relevance has been maintained or even increased. However, their social situation does not seem to be in accordance with this statement. Such imbalance may be the baseline of the actual-limited recognition of youth in current welfare policies, and with them, of Social Work. To confirm this loss of representation, International Social Work conferences were examined. Research lines, thematic areas and intervention models on youth were gathered as well as scientific work from two databases. The presented results show how social work, without losing its primary focus on social exclusion maintains a line of work with youth, but still understanding it as a problem rather than a resource.     

Increasing spiritual diversity in social work discourse: a scientific avenue toward more effective mental health service provision

The costs associated with mental disorders are substantial, yet treatment efficacy is still in its infancy. Drawing from key concepts in the philosophy of science literature, this paper argues that increasing spiritual diversity in social work discourse represents one important avenue to increase the effectiveness of mental health service provision. Toward that end, the role that cognitive diversity plays in scientific advancement is discussed. Demographic data is related suggesting most social workers hold secular values and, consequently, secular perspectives enjoy a privileged status in professional discourse. The effects of the lack of spiritual diversity are delineated on disciplinary discourse, interventions, and service provision. Islam is used as an example to illustrate how effectiveness can potentially be augmented by incorporating the voice of Muslims and other people of faith into disciplinary discourse.     

Teaching critical self-reflection through the lens of cultural humility: an assignment in a social work diversity course

Social workers engage with marginalized groups in society. However, many social workers are of privileged groups and have not personally experienced social exclusions. This study explored social work graduate students’ evaluation of an assignment designed to encourage critical self-reflection as part of a required diversity course. The assignment approaches diversity using a cultural humility lens, which seeks to remove historical, unidimensional approaches to teaching about diverse populations. Data were collected from 47 MSW students enrolled at an urban, Midwestern university in the United States. Thematic analyses of students’ critical self-reflections revealed positive experiences regarding the influence of personal histories, development of professional identity, and importance of cultural humility.     

Social work education in Zimbabwe: Strengths and weaknesses,issues and challenges

Social work education in Zimbabwe began with the establishment of the School of Social Work in 1964. Prior to this, the country relied on social workers trained in Britain, South Africa and Zambia . The initial focus of social work education was on training cadres who would work with groups of unemployed youths and women in urban areas. Thus, the programmes were introduced to address urban social ills. The major strengths of colonial social work education were that it provided the foundation for professional social work practice and it responded effectively to the practice needs of social work agencies. There were, however, some weaknesses such as dependence on Western literature and expatriate teachers and an orientation towards curative social work instead of developmental social work. Since the attainment of independence, the School of Social Work has endeavoured to make social work education more responsive to the development needs of the country. Great strides have also been made in developing indigenous teaching materials. The challenge facing social work education in Zimbabwe is to make it relevant and appropriate, particularly in terms of preparing social workers to address structural problems in society.     

Vorking mothers and the family

Social work tends to develop interest in law and legal development, particularly in family law, juvenile crime and social welfare fields. Social workers are often the closest observers of such laws in action, and naturally wish to help administer and amend them. My impression is that they are often inadequately prepared to do so—but not in the way they may think. Some sociology of lawyers may be more important than a mastery of technical law.     

The Lies That Bind: Heteronormative Constructions of “Family” in Social Work Discourse

The social work profession has an enduring history of commitment to American families; in fact, it has often led the way in embracing alternative family arrangements. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) families are gaining more political visibility and lobbying for rights and protections from which they were previously excluded. Therefore, this study is an analysis of social work's contemporary, defining representations of LGBTQ families. Twelve LGBTQ “family” research studies were culled from the database Social Work Abstracts, and subjected to queer discourse analysis in order to illuminate how these alternative family forms are being constructed within the discipline. This analysis details the multiple ways in which heterosexual norms are privileged throughout the research studies. For example, the heterosexual family is often constructed as an unchallenged index for psychological health, appropriate partnering, and child rearing practices, social acceptability, and general normative behavior. LGBTQ relationships often earn their “family” designations by their ability to approximate these legible, heteronormative “family” characteristics. As such, this queer discourse analysis indicates that LGBTQ families are ultimately invited to join, but not to change, the traditional terms of “family,” thus making the social work research less of an exploration of alternative family forms and more of an endorsement of same-sex, nuclear families.     

Dating and Sexuality among Minority Adolescents with Disabilities: An Application of Sociocultural Theory

Adolescents with disabilities, American Indians, Hispanics, and African Americans are more likely to experience victimization and pregnancy as teens. This study explored ethnic and racial minority youth with disabilities’ dating and sexual experiences from the perspectives of social workers using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted with master’s degree–holding high school social work practitioners. Social workers described family beliefs and practices, socioeconomic status, special education, historical influences, and resiliency as aspects of adolescents’ lives that impacted their dating and sexuality. Social workers’ dialogue concerning family beliefs and attitudes toward abusive relationships were interpreted as internally oriented signs used by adolescents with disabilities to navigate their dating and sexuality. Socioeconomic status, family practices, and special education were interpreted as externally oriented meditational tools. Social workers reported that many adolescents experienced a history of violence, but that some adolescents adapted their cultural heritage by creating new values for themselves and engaged in healthier dating and sexual behaviors than their peers. Finally, although social workers were a source of support to adolescents with disabilities, they were also at times a portal for ethnocentric discourse.     

The Effect of Social Work Education and Self-Esteem on Students' Social Discrimination of People with Disabilities

Social work education on disability content has become more important due to political changes in the last two decades. The United States protected people with disabilities from discrimination in community and employment settings with the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These changes have empowered people with disabilities to become more independent; however, social workers primarily fulfill roles as case managers, and often make decisions for people with disabilities. This is not consistent with the empowerment perspective embedded in the disability movement. Most social work schools have minimal courses covering disability content. Previous research and the Self-Esteem Hypothesis indicate that social work education, social proximity to people with disabilities, self-esteem and other demographic characteristics are associated with social discrimination, or attitudes, toward people with disabilities. Social work students (n = 73) participated in a survey in the last semester of their program to assess how these characteristics were associated with their attitudes towards people with disabilities. A multiple linear regression revealed that social work education preparedness to work with people with disabilities, an MSW education, self-esteem, and having a friend with a disability were significantly associated with students' social discrimination towards people with disabilities.     

COMBINING HUMAN DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Social work education has not yet formulated an explicit educational framework that combines diversity and oppression, but academicians are examining new approaches (Van Soest, Canon, & Grant, 2000). This article presents a conceptual framework for culturally relevant practice that integrates a human diversity and social justice focus within the context of our program's Human Behavior and Social Environment, or HBSE, courses. We believe this framework effectively synthesizes the ideas of scholars who have preceded us in a manner that consistently supports students as it challenges them to actively engage with topics that can initially make them feel uncomfortable. The overall purpose of our framework is to teach students how to work for social justice goals using a continuum of phased actions.     

Sustaining and Strengthening a Macro Identity: The Association of Macro Practice Social Work

Macro practice focuses on community-level interventions, such as management, organizing, research, and policy advocacy. Despite social work's deep roots in this type of work, macro practice and macro practitioners often practice without support or connections with other macro practitioners, and are underrepresented in the profession. In 2006, a group of social workers, including academics and practitioners, formed the Association of Macro Practice Social Work (AMPSW). AMPSW works to strengthen the professional identity of macro practitioners, elevate the status of macro social workers, and address common concerns within the social work profession.     

Human rights at the heart of the social work curriculum

ABSTRACT

Social work policy and practice all over the world continue to face the impact of the neoliberal agenda. Similarly, social work education has been subject to the economic and political changes, with an increasing emphasis on a discourse of ‘evidence-based practice’. However, it is the core of social work programs in higher education to initiate students in the fundamental values of social work, as they are recognized in the global definition of social work. In order to prepare future social workers for their assignment, human rights should be given an explicit place in the social work curricula at Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences.

For human rights to gain more attention in social work programs in higher education, a Manifesto was written by lecturers’ social work in the Netherlands and Flanders, with a 5-point program to include human rights in the social work curricula. In this article, we elaborate on the five objectives that are presented in the Manifesto. Throughout the paper, we introduce small ‘case examples’ of how human rights can be integrated in education. These experiences show the importance of developing a particular social work perspective on human rights that is found in the idea of ‘human rights from below.’     

Research Note Social workers in Greece: How they spend their working hours

This paper explores the nature of the daily work of social workers in Greece. A postal survey with a multiple-choice questionnaire was conducted on a 20% sample of the 1,815 members of the Hellenic Association of Social Workers, with a response rate of 40%. The results indicate that pressure of time dictates a 'first-aid' pattern of working which does not include activities related to planning, research or supervision, and does not often encourage multidisciplinary work, nor consistent record-keeping.     

From these roots: The role of historically Black colleges and universities in preparing the nation’s gerontologists for an aging society

ABSTRACT

The aging of the United States population is creating an increased need for social workers and other helping professionals with training in gerontology. Recent estimates indicate that less than 3% of MSW students are enrolled in an aging concentration, as compared to 19% enrolled in children/youth concentrations. In addition, the phenomenon of a diverse baby boomer generation joining the ranks of persons age 65 and older has created a plethora of scholarship and curriculum development aimed at readying the aging network for the unprecedented growth of older persons. Social work can make unique professional contributions to the field of gerontology and older persons. This study asserts, however, that social work is not adequately prepared to practice in an increasingly diverse aging society. The social work profession has articulated commitments to acknowledging and affirming how diversity and culture shape the human experience and to developing social workers who can competently engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. However, there remains a need in social work education for more widespread use of culturally relevant pedagogies that can help achieve these goals. Informed by both the Afrocentric and Black perspectives, this study presents a content analysis of the curricula infused at two historically Black universities. The nature and extent of the contributions of historically Black universities to social work education is the focus of this article. The scope of this investigation also includes the identification of prominent Black social work educators and discusses the implications of these perspectives for more culturally informed gerontology curricula that promote culturally competent gerontological social workers.     

Service User Involvement in Social Work Education: A Case Example

The financial resources provided by the General Social Care Council (GSCC) which supports the education and registration of social workers, has allowed for an increase in user involvement in social work programmes in England and Wales. This article discusses the sources of knowledge appropriate for social workers and social care workers including the significance of the service user knowledge base for social work theory and practice. A project is described which involved students in a consultation process with service users whose role it was to contribute to the students' learning in a particular area, specifically understanding their experience of social workers and the issues of discrimination which they faced and the processes which were helpful in resisting oppression.     

Genetic counseling: Implications for social work practice

Considerable advances have been made in recent years in medical genetics. These advances have led to a better understanding of the inheritance of disease. Social workers involved in schools, child welfare, medical, and other institutional settings often work with clients who have genetically inherited disorders. Consequently, there is a growing need for social workers to increase their knowledge of genetics and genetic counseling. In this article, the authors discuss the emerging field of genetic counseling and its implications for social work practice.     

Working with young people from refugee backgrounds in Australia

Social workers who are new to working with young people who are refugees may feel overwhelmed, out of their depth and inclined to defer to powerful psychiatric discourse. Arguing a role for social work engagement with young people as they face the personal, social, communal, cultural, political and economic challenges of settlement, this paper proposes a reflexive, deconstructive and dialogical approach within a broadly ecological model. All settlement tasks require mediation through the powerful discourse (language, values, constructs, social practices) of both the young person's own community and those of the new context. Creating spaces where young people can identify and negotiate the forces vying to shape them underpins and complements the urgent task of combating ethnocentricity in Australian institutions.