The group worker becoming: moving from anxiety to spontaneity with the guys

ABSTRACT

This narrative follows an ongoing open-form process group in an abstinence-based sober-living house as residents deal with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, interpersonal difficulties, and maintenance of recovery from Substance Use Disorder. The story illustrates the role development, role conflict, and role demand that group social workers experience and highlights a new social worker’s transition from professional anxiety and rigidity to spontaneity, nuance, and confidence in his practice.     

Preparing Social Work Students to Work with Grandparents in Kinship Care

Summary

Grandparents in kinship care represent an expanding population of older adults assuming primary parenting responsibilities for their grandchildren at a time when many grandparents may also be experiencing developmental changes accompanying their own aging process. Research documents a lack of social workers prepared to respond to the needs of an aging population in general, and grandparents in kinship care in particular, as curricular content on this population has been limited in undergraduate and graduate social work programs. This article describes an infusion model proposed for an undergraduate social work program's GeroRich Project designed to introduce content on an aging population in four foundation courses to expand students' knowledge of older adults and grandparents as kinship care providers.     

A green social work perspective on social work during the time of COVID‐19

COVID‐19 has challenged social workers to engage with health pandemics and provide essential services in conditions of uncertainty and high risk. They have safeguarded children, older adults and diverse adults in ‘at risk’ groups under tough conditions mediated by digital technologies, adhered to government injunctions, maintained social and physical distancing under lockdown and worked from home remotely. Social workers and social care workers have risen to the challenges, providing services with inadequate personal protective equipment and limited supervision and support. This article highlights the degraded physical environments, socio‐economic and political contexts that intensify precariousness and constraints that neoliberalism imposed on professional capacity before and during this health pandemic. It provides guidelines to protect practitioners and service users. It concludes that practitioners ought to understand zoonotic diseases, environmental concerns, acquire disaster expertise and training, widen their practice portfolio and value their contributions to this pandemic. Key Practitioner Message: ? Develop technological skills and innovate to support stressed individuals, safeguard children, adolescents and elders and deal with poverty and unemployment; ? Use digital technologies involving peers to explore tricky situations, examine ethical dilemmas through scenario building exercises, and tips for self‐care; ? Contribute to environmental protections that prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases like COVID‐19; ? Seek supervision and support for disaster‐based training from your line manager.     

Social work for vulnerable and marginalized people during COVID-19 in Japan

During the Coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19), working conditions became increasingly difficult for social workers, as they had to deal with new challenges and added workloads. This study describes the difficulties faced by social workers of the Self-Reliance Support System in Japan and clarifies the solution for each difficulty while conducting their duties to support vulnerable people during COVID-19. To this end, we conducted an open-ended questionnaire survey and an interview survey. The data were analyzed using qualitative coding. The results showed that the difficulties faced in consultation support work included supporting hitherto socially invisible groups such as sole traders and foreigners. Social workers also faced an ethical dilemma, as they could not provide support to clients who “did not try to solve their problems” or for whom “interventional attempts did not lead to counseling support” and who only sought benefits at the risk of becoming isolated and impoverished. Following this, consultants collaborated to resolve such difficulties while maximizing the use of various local resources. The study's findings clarify that it would be effective to understand the difficulties faced by social workers to obtain hints toward their resolution.     

To Coordinate Information in Practice: Dilemmas and Strategies in Care Management for Citizens with Dementia

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study, based on 19 interviews with care managers, explores the experiences of care-managers involved in assessing the need for social services for people with dementia. The study shows that social workers, as care managers, face several dilemmas in their practice concerning people with dementia, in relation to the exchange of information and in regards to conflicting interests between different actors involved in the assessment of the need for support for people with dementia. Strategies used to handle problematic situations that arise in their work are using other sources for information (e.g., relatives and actors from other professions), persuading, and pursuing creative forms of consent. However, the study shows that dilemmas and strategies used generate other, prominently moral, dilemmas for care managers in their practice, which relate to participation and self-determination by the person with dementia. The study shed light on the problematic situation for care managers in their work to coordinate information and further the new “realities“ that they encounter as well as on how to handle these new situations. This study suggests possible ways to improve the everyday work of care managers, as well as how policies concerning social work and people with dementia can be improved.     

COVID-19: Impact on children living in out-of-home care and their carers

Children enter out-of-home care (OOHC) having experienced significant childhood adversities and trauma. Little is known about the short-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on this vulnerable group. To gain some insights, we analysed the early impacts on the well-being and experiences of children in OOHC and their carers using the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study data prior to and post the first lockdown restrictions. A total of 862 children, young people and their carers were interviewed either pre-COVID-19 restrictions (n = 567) (April 2019–March 2020) or post-COVID-19 restrictions (n = 295) (June–December 2020). While the two groups showed no significant differences in socio-emotional well-being, both the pre- and the post-COVID-19 restriction groups of children in OOHC had slight reductions in socio-emotional well-being. The interviews with the post-COVID-19 group showed that the pandemic restrictions affected children's well-being and behaviour, education, social and physical activities, as well as time spent with their birth family. Likewise, interviews with carers post-COVID-19 found a negative effect on carers' well-being, their ability to manage financially and their capacity to care and access services and support. The article contributes new evidence to inform OOHC policy and practice to support service systems facing unique challenges arising from a pandemic.     

‘Disability is not a word we use’: Social workers' professional judgements about support for disabled young people leaving care

Disabled young people leaving care often experience a more complex transition to adulthood than other youths. Still, policy and services can fail to recognize the intersection between a young person's care experiences and disability. Drawing on data from a qualitative interview study with 14 social workers who work with aftercare in the Norwegian child welfare services, we investigate social workers' professional judgements about support for this subgroup of the leaving care population. Our analysis uses the theoretical construct of institutional logics and shows that social workers did not include concepts of disability in their judgements about support for these young people. Instead, the social workers' considerations were guided by three other organizing principles: a ‘medical logic’, an ‘activation logic’ and an ‘aftercare logic’. We discuss these findings in light of critical disability studies and argue for a more nuanced understanding of disability in social work practice with care leavers. Highlighting disability rights and going beyond diagnosis and categorisations of disabled people can challenge a medical model approach to service provision.     

Geriatric Care during Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned from Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

ABSTRACT

Geriatric care in public health emergencies is a serious concern, while, high case-fatalities among older adults across the globe in COVID-19 pandemic implies lack of preparedness. Most of the countries irrespective of developing and developed one enormously struggling because of an inchoate response system ignorant of geriatric health needs. Therefore, a robust approach is highly essential that requires an integrated emergency preparedness by addressing geriatric care.     

A Framework for Cultivating and Increasing Child Welfare Workers’ Empathy Toward Parents

ABSTRACT

Much emphasis has been placed on child welfare workers’ skills and attributes when working with parents involved in the child welfare system; however, few studies have examined the potential benefits of using an empathic approach to interacting with parents. Child welfare workers may have negative perceptions of parents involved in the child welfare system and might have a tendency to reflect these attitudes and value judgments in their practice. The lack of empathic understanding and communication between workers and parents impacts service implementation and the success of family interventions. Increasing the workers’ ability to empathize with parents can enhance their relationship while increasing parent participation in services and ultimately family reunification. This article will discuss specific ways to cultivate and increase child welfare workers’ empathy for parents by enhancing workers’ emotional response and self/other-awareness, ability to perspective take, emotion regulation, and their ability to make appropriate decisions. Implications for application to practice and training are discussed as is the need for future research to validate the proposed framework for increasing child welfare workers’ empathy toward parents.     

A family-centred practice supervision project conducted for a child welfare agency

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on a supervision project that aimed to enhance a child welfare agency staff’s professional competence in family-centred practice through a strength-based approach. A qualitative study was designed to explore the effectiveness and the change agents of the supervision. Purposive sampling was used. Two agency supervisors and two social workers participated the study voluntarily. The findings indicated that after the period of supervision, the staff had changed in three respects: their conceptualisation of the meaning of family work in the care context; their understanding of the importance of relationship-based interventions with families; and their development of alternative ways of practice. The agents of change from the supervision were the consultants’ modelling effect and the co-worker experience of the consultants and the social workers. This supervision approach can discern the synergistic effect of supervision on an agency’s routine supervision and balance the cultural beliefs in qing, yuan and ‘face’ embedded in the supervisory process.     

Building state capacity for welfare governance: The pathway and development of child welfare system and social work in China

ABSTRACT

China’s dramatic socioeconomic transformation after the reform and opening up, coincided with changes in state-family relationship, has resulted in a large number of children at risk of care. In the past three decades, child welfare has been highly concerned by the government and society, and the child welfare system has substantially developed in the direction of establishing a moderately universal system. In this process, the development of child welfare and social work has shown a mutually reinforcing trend. This includes the professionalisation of child welfare services, the professional training of child welfare workers and the advancement of child welfare policies. The governance of child welfare is an essential component of national social governance. Its future development should be oriented towards a developmental and holistic approach of governance, and social work as an important institutional actor plays a critical role in promoting good governance of child welfare and beyond.     

Transformation of a recreational youth group into community service group during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

This narrative is based on the solidarity of a recreational youth group during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Note: Youth refers to older adolescents and young adults, 17–28). The narrative describes the journey and transformation of the youth group from playing cricket to the engagement in community service during the lockdown period. This paper also presents how the presence of the group shifted from physical to a digital platform, and the focus turned from recreation to social support; with that change in the focus, how a small group of youths turned into a larger group to mobilize and utilize resources for community service during the crisis time.     

The unheard and forgotten warriors of pandemic in India

ABSTRACT

This narrative tells the story of two groups: Aanganwadi Group and the Nigrani Group. The former consists of women working under the ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme), a flagship program of the Government of India. The latter consists of local youth. The groups’ efforts, during the COVID-19 pandemic, are to ensure food security to migrants and other marginalized people. Despite the high risk of them becoming infected with the coronavirus, the Aanganwadi Group and Nigrani Group are working against all the odds. They are risking their lives to save lives, during the total lockdown in India. My story highlights the value of coordinated efforts between groups to optimize relief efforts for migrant workers during this unprecedented time of forced, sudden lockdown.     

Exploration of Choice for Older People with Daily Care Needs: Scottish Professionals’ Perspectives on Self-Directed Support

ABSTRACT

This article explores The Social Care (Self-Directed Support [SDS]) (Scotland) Act 2013 developments, influence’s on individuals informed choices for care decisions and implications for direct practice situations. The article discusses perspectives from 18 professionals and front-line care workers interviewed in Scotland on SDS policy changes. Barriers included attitudes on dependence, power and control, shortage of direct client contact time, clients becoming “employers,” and reductions in the number of qualified social workers. Some recommendations included allowing social workers freedom of creativity, sharing and application of practice experience. Findings revealed an outcome-focused, person-centered approach was utilized to support an independent living environment.     

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.     

COVID-19 pandemic and the determinants of depressive symptoms among senior citizens of India: An empirical investigation

The COVID-19 pandemic inflicted multiple threats to individuals' physical, mental, and financial health conditions. The pandemic-related restrictive behaviors pose serious consequences for public health and increase the risk of mental illness among individuals, particularly among older citizens. The combination of their pre-existing illnesses, social isolation, COVID fear, and financial adversity frequently aggravates their condition and leads to depression and mental illness. Thus, the present study investigates the mental health status and the determinants of depressive symptoms among older adults of Bhubaneswar during the COVID pandemic context. The study used the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) to measure their depressive symptoms. The social isolation parameter is measured with the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Financial self-efficacy, COVID-19-related psychological fear, and comorbidity health status are other determinants considered. A chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) models are adopted to find the probable risk factors that may influence depressive symptoms among older people. The results indicate that comorbidity health conditions, a social isolation mindset, and financial efficacy issues are the significant determinants that drive an older person towards different depression categories. The improvement of these influential factors can lead senior citizens to avoid any health emergency like COVID pandemic. In the event of a public health emergency, such as COVID pandemic, the government could use the study's findings to devise methods for assisting the elderly. Society as a whole should be aware of these findings, which can lead to depressive symptoms, and offer support to the elderly. Future research may concentrate on identifying the causes of depressive symptoms in different age groups or in the presence of specific comorbidity health conditions. Future research may also investigate the factors influencing depressive symptoms in a specific occupation.     

Support in the Workplace: Buffering the Deleterious Effects of Work–Family Conflict on Child Welfare Workers’ Well-Being and Job Burnout

ABSTRACT

We examined the impact of work–family conflict (WFC) on worker well-being and job burnout, as well as the role of social support in the workplace as a potential buffer against the influence of WFC. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses in a cross-sectional sample of 361 public child welfare workers indicate that WFC was related to reduced well-being and increased job burnout, whereas supervisory support moderated the relationship between WFC and well-being. Findings from this study hold implications to workforce management practices aimed at improving worker well-being in human service and child welfare organizations. Human resource management policies designed to manage worker schedules should aim to facilitate workers’ ability to meet work and family demands through programs such as flexible work schedules and telecommuting. Recommendations for future research on WFC and worker well-being are discussed.     

Creating a better kinship environment for children in Ghana: Lessons from young people with informal kinship care experience

Traditionally, the involvement of the extended family in nurturing children is seen as an essential cultural practice in most communities in Ghana. Though not formally regulated, often in the absence of birth parents, kin and kith continue to be involved in the care of children to promote family relations and culture. Yet there is little empirical evidence on how to improve the well‐being and safety of children in informal kinship care in Ghana. Thus, this study reports findings from in‐depth interviews with 15 young people, 18 to 23 years, from Banda—an ethnic group where informal kinship care is an accepted cultural practice. Data from the interviews were subjected to the constructivist grounded theory analysis. Adequate income for provision of basic needs, education and training, and supervision emerged as useful measures to promote the safety and well‐being of children in kinship care. It was recommended that informal kinship caregivers must be registered with the Department of Social Welfare to enable them access support and training. Further, social workers should create awareness among kinship caregivers in Ghana about their availability to provide counselling services for caregivers facing challenges.     

Commitment of Private and Public Agency Workers to Child Welfare: How Long Do They Plan to Stay?

ABSTRACT

Method: Child welfare professionals completing training to work in foster care were asked about reasons for taking their child welfare position, commitment to their agencies, and commitment to child welfare. Analyses compared responses from new public agency foster care workers (N = 100), public agency workers making lateral transfers to foster care (N = 64), and new private foster care workers (N = 105).

Results: Private agency foster care workers were less committed to their agencies and to child welfare and more likely to have taken the position because it was the only one available.

Conclusions: The practice by public child welfare of outsourcing foster care services to private agencies needs to be evaluated. This practice may not benefit children in care and may create organizational problems for agencies.     

Using Community-Based Participatory Research Strategies in Age-Friendly Communities to Solve Mobility Challenges

ABSTRACT

The number of older adults is steadily increasing in the United States and across the globe. Aging is linked to an increased risk of disability. Disabilities that limit one or more major life activities such as seeing, hearing, walking, and motor skills impact a person’s ability to drive a car. Low utilization of alternative transportation by older adults and people with disabilities may put them at risk for social isolation. Social isolation is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes. While communities are challenged to create available, acceptable, accessible, adaptable and affordable mobility options, there are widely held, inaccurate biases around older adults’ abilities to contribute to the development and improvement of alternative transportation options. Gerontological social workers are well-positioned to address this bias. This paper presents a case study of a large metropolitan county in the Midwest where community-based participatory research (CBPR) strategies were used to engage older residents to support the development of alternative transportation options supporting the tenets of environmental justice.