'Reading' in Professional Practice: How Social Work Practice Assessors Access Knowledge and Information

This paper presents the results of a survey of the reading habitsof 184 social work practice teachers/assessors in 2005. Newtechnology has transformed the availability of information,but in the UK, social workers, from whom Practice Assessorsare drawn, have been found to have relatively poor access toelectronic resources. The literature also highlights deficitsin social workers’ reading, but suggests that there isa strong oral tradition which may compensate for this. The surveyaimed to show the choices this group of staff makes betweendifferent media and different types of knowledge. It was foundthat oral sources were the most used resource, but that habitsof internet use were also very well developed. Respondents’reading, and particularly their use of the internet, appearedto be strongly influenced by organizational priorities and statutoryroles. Clinical and therapeutic texts and specialist knowledgewere also important to respondents. Books and journals werehighly valued but cost was in many cases a barrier to access.Findings from this survey suggest that Practice Assessors area relatively well resourced group and that the internet is ofgreat importance as a source of information for them.     

Developing Practice Tools for Social Workers in End-of-Life Care

Abstract

This article describes the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) strategies for providing social workers with important practice and policy information about palliative and end-of-life care. With funding from a Soros Foundation's Project on Death in America grant, NASW developed practice standards, a Web-based continuing education course, and drafted a new policy statement to guide social workers in end-of-life care practice. The article provides an in-depth view of the development and scope of these resources for professional social workers.     

Social Work Gerontological Practice: The Need for Faculty Development in the New Millennium

There is a pressing need to upgrade the gerontological knowledge and skills of practicing social workers. Geriatrics and gerontology, as specialized fields of knowledge, have not been sufficiently integrated into formal academic training programs. There are major trends in the health care environment which impact on social work education, including technological advances, a shift from inpatient to outpatient and community care settings, increasing diversity of the older population, and client and family participation in decisionmaking. These trends necessitate social work education to emphasize new content areas in gerontology and the development of new skills in clinical, case management, care coordination, and teamwork. A significant obstacle to the preparation of future social workers to deliver the complex services needed by older adults and their families is a serious shortage of social work faculty in gerontology. Sustained and broad initiatives, such as the John A. Hartford Foundation funded Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program, are needed to develop academic and practice-based faculty in gerontology. This is crucial if social work is to maintain an important service role in the new millennium.     

Social Workers and Policy- Practice: The Role of Social and Professional Values

ABSTRACT

Although policy practice is regarded as an essential component of social work, the actual involvement of social workers in policy practice is apparently very limited. This article presents the findings of a study that seeks to explore the role of social and professional values in support by social workers in Israel for engagement in policy practice and their actual involvement in this type of practice. The findings indicate that socioeconomic orientations and professional values have an impact on social worker's perception of policy practice and the degree to which they are actually involved in the social welfare policy process. In particular, it was found that attitudes toward social justice played a major role in the social worker's perceptions of, and involvement in, policy practice.     

The Trajectory of Post-communist Welfare State Development: The Cases of Bulgaria and Romania

Governments of countries undergoing a post‐communist transition face the dilemma of balancing conflicting demands for greater economic efficiency (to achieve a successful transition to a market system) with demands for enhanced social protection (to legitimize regime change through a visible improvement in living standards which includes vulnerable groups). This paper analyses the transition in Bulgaria and Romania. Unlike other European countries, these countries did not embark on retrenchment policies until the mid‐ to late 1990s, so convergence with policies of spending constraint elsewhere in Europe was belated and partial. The social problems created by strict economic policies, exacerbated by a determination to reorganize the post‐communist welfare states along the lines promoted by international organizations, are now being recognized. Post‐communist governments in South‐eastern Europe have belatedly started to address the social aspects of transition to democracy and the market. This probably reflects the process of regime change in Bulgaria and Romania, which has been characterized as a “two‐step transition to democracy”, with liberal governments only succeeding transformed communist elites in power after a protracted transition.     

Grading Gems: Appraising the Quality of Research for Social Work and Social Care

The impetus towards basing practice and policy decisions moreexplicitly on sound research requires tools to facilitate thesystematic appraisal of the quality of research encompassinga diverse range of methods and designs. Five exemplar toolswere developed and assessed in terms of their usefulness inselecting studies for inclusion in a systematic review. Thewidely used ‘hierarchy of evidence’ was adaptedand used to appraise internal validity. Four tools were thendeveloped to appraise the external validity dimensions of generalizability(two scales) and methods of data collection (two scales). Methodsof combining the scores generated by each tool were explored.Qualitative and quantitative studies were appraised, not separatedinto two spheres but by using complementary tools developedto appraise different aspects of rigour. There was a high levelof agreement between researchers in applying the tools to twenty-twostudies on decision making by professionals about the long-termcare of older people. The scales for internal validity and generalizabilitydiscriminated between the qualities of studies appropriately.The two tools to appraise data collection gave diverse results.Excluding studies that scored in the lowest category on anyscale appeared to be the scoring system that was most justifiable.This approach is presented to stimulate debate about the practicalapplication of the evidence-based initiative to social workand social care. This study may assist in developing clearerdefinitions and common language about appraising rigour thatshould further the process of selecting robust research forsynthesis to inform practice and policy decisions.     

Social Work Practice for Social Development in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges

Social work addresses social issues that constrain the betterment of a community. However, social work practice is struggling to deal effectively with the development challenges of Bangladesh. Based on a literature review and the experiences of the authors, this paper explores the emerging issues where social work practice is anticipated as a promising alternative for bringing sustainable social development in Bangladesh. Simultaneously, the paper discovers the limitation of social work practice in Bangladesh addressing these challenges.     

Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Education and Direct Practice at the Millennium: A Survey of UK Social Workers

Correspondence to Dr Leola Furman, 1201 Yale Place, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55403, USA. E-mail: furmanlfurman{at}aol.com Summary In recent years, an expanding body of social work publicationsand professional conference presentations has materialized inthe United States due to a resurgence of interest in spiritualityand religion. In order to explore the level of interest in theUnited Kingdom, a random sample of 5,500 practising social workersfrom the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) membershipwere mailed a questionnaire that examined religious and spiritualbeliefs, practices and affiliations. A total of 789 BASW membersin direct practice from England, Scotland Wales, and NorthernIreland returned questionnaires, a response rate of 20 per cent.The majority of respondents believed that spirituality was afundamental aspect of being human. More than three-quartersof the sample reported little or no content on religion andspirituality in their training programme. Respondents stronglyapproved of raising the topic of religion and spirituality withclients who are experiencing terminal illness or bereavement.This also held true in matters of adoption and foster parenting.Approximately 47 per cent of all respondents believed that includingreligion and spirituality in direct practice was compatiblewith social work’s mission. This sample may representthose social workers with a stronger interest in religion andspirituality than a random sample of the general populationof UK social workers. These findings, nevertheless, raise concernabout the availability of practice models and training curriculafor social work practitioners and students.     

In Search of a Professional Supervisory Practice: External Social Work Supervision in China

This article examines the importance of supportive and educative functions in the practice of social work supervision and identifies the common features of external social work supervision. Using a qualitative study design, the author explores social workers’ need for professional supervision and support, and the functions and roles commonly played by external supervisors. A mixed model of internal and external supervision is used in some countries; however, such a method is not commonly used or discussed in the literature in Asian regions. The findings of this study suggest that the practice of external supervision should be considered by social work agencies in China. Arranging appropriate external supervisors and establishing a supportive supervisory environment at an agency level are recommended to facilitate the professional growth of social work practitioners.     

Advancing Hospice and Palliative Care Social Work Leadership in Interprofessional Education and Practice

The importance of interprofessional collaboration in achieving high quality outcomes, improving patient quality of life, and decreasing costs has been growing significantly in health care. Palliative care has been viewed as an exemplary model of interprofessional care delivery, yet best practices in both interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional practice (IPP) in the field are still developing. So, too, is the leadership of hospice and palliative care social workers within IPE and IPP. Generating evidence regarding best practices that can prepare social work professionals for collaborative practice is essential. Lessons learned from practice experiences of social workers working in hospice and palliative care can inform educational efforts of all professionals. The emergence of interprofessional education and competencies is a development that is relevant to social work practice in this field. Opportunities for hospice and palliative social workers to demonstrate leadership in IPE and IPP are presented in this article.     

A Camel's Nose Under the Tent? Some Australian Perspectives on Confidentiality and Social Work Practice

This article examines contemporary meanings attributed to theethical principle of confidentiality—a core practice dimensionfor social workers—in the context of current practicerealities and legislative requirements. The meanings usuallyattributed to the term, together with Code of Practice requirements,are considered alongside the organizational and legal ridersso frequently used to justify a stepping away from what clientsmay consider confidentiality to require. The particular difficultiesassociated for those in practice with families and children,and the implications of attention to best interests and paramountrights notions, are examined. The article concludes that, inlieu of a misleading commitment to confidentiality, the practitionerrather needs to commit to respectful and open dealing with clientinformation.     

Social Work Education in Mainland China: Development and Issues

The present paper gives an overview of the current trend of social work education in Mainland China, a fast-expanding academic subject of higher education in Mainland China during the last 20 years. This rapid development was brought about by the increasing recognition of the use of social work knowledge in tackling some of the social problems arising from the social and economic changes induced by the open door policy of China. New initiatives were undertaken by government departments, academic institutes and service providers, to explore possible reform of service delivery models in serving the elderly, children and youth, women and other vulnerable groups. It thus creates demands for personnel with new skills and knowledge. It has also led to the promulgation of government policies in 2006, in establishing a strong work force of social work, by setting up an accreditation system for social work as a vocation, making available funding for service development and setting up of NGOs. This paper also highlights some of the imminent issues that cause concern, such as the search for a theoretical model of social training and practices suitable for Chinese society, standardization of curriculum design, teaching and learning, consolidation of accreditation examination and career structure, and creation of a working environment conducive to the professionalization of social work in terms of motivating and retaining social work graduates to stay in the service sector.     

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。     

国内社会工作专业实践教学引入服务学习的思考

目前国内社会工作专业实践教学面临着独特的本土化处境,在国外及我国港台地区适用的社会工作专业学生到社会工作专业机构参加实践的教学模式在国内基本上无法照搬使用。由于我国社会工作的发展属教育先导型,国内社会工作实践教学与服务学习具有高度的契合性,可引入服务学习,增强实践教学实效,为此需要创造相应的条件。     

国内社会工作专业实践教学引入服务学习的思考

目前国内社会工作专业实践教学面临着独特的本土化处境,在国外及我国港台地区适用的社会工作专业学生到社会工作专业机构参加实践的教学模式在国内基本上无法照搬使用。由于我国社会工作的发展属教育先导型,国内社会工作实践教学与服务学习具有高度的契合性,可引入服务学习,增强实践教学实效,为此需要创造相应的条件。     

Ego Psychological Contributions to Understanding Psychopharmacology and Clinical Practice in Social Work Education

Due to increasing evidence that supports the efficacy of combined pharmacology and psychotherapy in the treatment of multiple psychiatric disorders, an educational focus on integrated approaches is growing in social work and related fields. However, there are few guiding clinical theoretical models that can help students integrate pharmacology and clinical issues. The authors propose that ego psychology can advance clinical knowledge by helping students understand pharmacological issues and integrate pharmacotherapy with psychotherapy. Assessing ego functions in response to medication referral and use contributes to enhanced assessment and treatment.     

The Transformative Potential of Social Work's Evolving Practice in Dementia Care

Social workers in diverse service systems throughout the United States encounter many opportunities for improving quality of life for people with dementia and their families. Yet practice with this population is unclearly defined and a core set of competencies for such practice does not yet exist. Instead, it is shaped by roles within aging and health systems. These roles are informed by a biomedical disease model of dementia. This article examines social work practice and its connection to evolving views on aging and senility throughout the 20th century. New directions for practice are recommended to improve services for individuals with dementia.     

实践的合理调控：可持续发展的另一种视角

可持续发展的实质在于人类对自身实践活动进行合理调控 ,即对过去的实践观念和行为方式进行反思、批判和重建 ,对未来的实践活动进行必要的规范和控制。实践合理调控的实现需要具备主体、客体、中介和社会历史等方面的条件 ;实践合理调控的实施是一个从实践反思、实践理念的重构到实践过程中的反馈调节 ,再到对实践效果进行评价的动态过程。     

The Influence of Professional Identity and the Private Practice Environment: Attitudes of Clinical Social Workers Toward Addressing the Social Support Needs of Clients

This study uses focus groups and follow-up interviews to explore how clinical social workers in private practice settings address the social support needs of their clients. Findings indicate that the social workers understand the importance of addressing these needs; however, because of concerns about status, identity and reimbursement, they tend to avoid case-management-like tasks despite their intrinsic understanding of the social support value of these services. Recommendations for practice follow the discussion of these findings.     

Inter-agency Information Sharing in Health and Social Care Services: The Role of Professional Culture

This article uses a literature review to examine the ways inwhich professional culture might shape inter-organizationalexchange of personal information in a health and social carecontext. The aim is to explore a simplified model of possibleinformation-sharing behaviours (‘ideal’, ‘over-open’,‘over-cautious’ and ‘chaotic’) and tosuggest that patterns of information sharing may be influencedby a number of factors. It is proposed that these factors includenot only inter-professional differences in the approach takento information sharing but also the ways in which the professionsinterrelate.