Crisis intervention and social casework: Similarities and differences in problem-solving

Summary The similarities and differences between the traditional psychosocial approach to casework and that of crisis intervention have been discussed with the use of illustrative case material. It is important to recognize that while crisis intervention is justifiably subsumed under the generalist concept of social work theory and practice on the basis of their striking similarities, it is necessary for the sake of professional clarity to differentiate between the two forms of problem-solving treatment methodologies in terms of goals, process, and structure.     

A competence based approach to management education in social work: A discussion of the approach and its relevance

Over the past few years there has been developing interest in competence based approaches to training in many contexts. This interest is also evident in management development circles in the consideration of competence based models of management education and development. This development has been met with enthusiasm in some quarters and constructive criticism with reservations in others.

This paper seeks to consider some of the points about competence based training in general and apply them to social services management development/education/training in the light of papers from CCETSW on post-qualification courses and the management element that they may include. The article is selective rather than comprehensive in its use of reference material. It considers what competence based models are; what the implications of their use might be in management development and looks in some detail at the relevant proposals made by CCETSW which follow a competence based approach.     

The impact of the economic crisis on the practice of social casework

ABSTRACT

What is the impact of the economic crisis on the practice of social casework? How is the economic crisis reflected in the professional practice, when social services have to cope with depletion as a result of an increasing attendance pressure? This study analyses the way in which social workers in community services face the understanding of the problem situation jointly with their clients. The aim is to uncover the items that professionals prioritize when they formulate and analyse the problem situation together with their clients. Data show that there is a discrepancy between the intervention criteria that have been considered important and their level of accomplishment. This difference points out that the understanding of the problem situation seems superficial, showing a low level of practice of the intervention criteria that assess the meanings which clients give to the incidents, strengths, solutions attempted, and larger systems involved. Data show that the implementation of fundamental analysis instruments is not sufficiently trusted and the use of the professional’s own knowledge is not regarded as important. This situation does not provide a context of intervention that is suitable and consistent with the problem situation and, consequently, the interventions for change will probably not match the clients’ needs.     

Power,prosperity and social choice: A review

Mancur Olson's book, The Rise and Decline of Nations [45], used ideas from his earlier Logic of Collective Action [44] to argue that entrenched interest groups in a polity could induce economic sclerosis, or slow growth. These ideas seemed relevant to the perceived relative decline of the U.S. and Britain during the 1970's. Five years later, Paul Kennedy's The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers [27] proposed a more general “declinist” argument, that a great power such as the USA would engage in fiscal irrationality through increasing military expenditure, thus hastening its own decline. Neither of these two declinist arguments seem applicable to the situation of the new millennium. Olson's last book, Power and Prosperity [46], published posthumously in 2000, attempted a more general theoretical analysis of the necessary and sufficient causes of prosperity and growth. For Olson only “securely democratic societies” could be conducive to long-lived individual rights to property and contract, but democracy itself need not be sufficient for the protection of rights. This review attempts to further develop Olson's logic on the connection between prosperity and liberty, by exploring insights derived from William Riker's interpretation of U.S. federalism [51], from the contribution of Douglass North and Barry Weingast [43] to neo-institutional economic theory, and from recent work on war and fiscal responsibility by Ferguson [20, 21] and Stasavage [70, 71]. Received: 25 June 2001/Accepted: 29 January 2002 This review is one of a series of papers on constitutional choice based on research supported by NSF grants SBR 97 30275 and 98 18582. I appreciate the assistance of Diana Ivanova, Annette Milford, Andrew Rutten and Tsvetan Tsvetkov. Unpublished work by David Stasavage was very helpful.     

Mental health and the aging: A review of the literature for clinical social workers

This article is a review of the literature on recent trends in mental health services to the elderly. The focus is on clinical services to elderly living outside of mental hospitals but includes services to residents of community nursing homes and homes for the aged. It is concluded that there is currently a non-system of services failing to meet present mental health needs. Current restrictive government reimbursement policies and national health insurance proposals are focused on treatment for acute episodic illness. This orientation does not permit a broader preventive perspective or a comprehensive mental health care approach.     

Developing social robots for aging populations: A literature review of recent academic sources

The perception of aging populations is a major factor driving the social robot development movement. A growing body of research reflects the expanding interest in social robots. This paper synthesizes research on the development of social robots with a literature review of academic articles with publication dates ranging from 2006 to 2017. The review is divided into three themes: (a) robots as an aid in treatment; (b) robots as social assistants and home companions; and (c) robots as custodial caregivers that are viewed in terms of ethical implications. This paper outlines the issues surrounding social, commitment, assistive, and companion robots for use in medical treatment, mental health therapy, physiotherapy, care facilities, and private homes. It describes some of the ethical concerns raised by researchers and media, including questions of control, privacy, consent, and the issue of simulated versus human compassion in caregiving. The research also points out that a rhetoric of urgency concerning aging populations drives the development of robots, which frames citizens who will benefit from robots in reductive ways. We argue that the contribution of humanities and social science research, including age studies and critical gerontology, should be better integrated with discourses of social robot development, largely from technical fields.     

A decade of changes: Within-group analysis of LGBTQ individuals' perceptions of their community context and the relevance for social service providers

The previous decade has seen a drastic shift in the social environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. It is not surprising then to find that the perceived “best” and “worst” aspects of life for nonmetropolitan LGBTQ individuals have also changed. We use data from two cohorts of the Rainbow Illinois survey to examine differences between responses in 2000 and 2011. Furthermore, we examine demographic differences in the perception of what is “best” and “worst” among the 2011 cohort. Results suggest that although the general social climate has improved for some, it remains problematic for others. Implications for social service providers are thoroughly discussed.     

A review of the risks associated with children and young people’s social media use and the implications for social work practice

Abstract

This paper explores what the research says about the risks to children and young people of using social media. Taking a systematic approach this literature search identified 16 peer reviewed articles, written in English since January 2010. Four areas of risk were identified: cyberbullying and online abuse, exposure to negative forms of user-generated content, the converging of offline and online networks, and developing interpretations of privacy. The research also highlighted how the extent of the risk depends upon the developmental stage and social circumstances. This review provides several implications for social work practice. Social workers must develop their understanding of different social media platforms in order to identify risks and maximise opportunities. Assessment approaches must be tailored to ensure social media use and its effect on those of different ages and backgrounds is considered. Finally they need to consider their role in educating about the risks of social media use.     

The social world as will and idea: Schopenhauer's influence upon Durkheim's thought

The starting-point for this analysis is a remark made by André Lalande. that Durkheim was so enamoured with Schopenhauer's philosophy that his students nicknamed him ‘Schopen’. The intellectual context shared by Schopenhauer and Durkheim is explored, especially with regard to the opposition between the id-like ‘will’ and the mind. Schopenhauer's influence upon Durkheim's contemporaries is examined briefly. Then, this new context for apprehending Durkheim's thought is applied to selected problems in Durkheimian scholarship, problems that have to do with the dualism of human nature, perception, the unconscious and the unity of knowledge relative to the object-subject debate. The implications for sociological theory are also discussed.     

A review of social host policies focused on underage drinking parties: suggestions for future research

Underage drinking continues to be a public health concern, partially due to the ease in which adolescents obtain alcohol and consume it in private locations. States and municipalities have implemented strategies to counteract this, including adopting public policies called social host policies, despite limited evidence of effectiveness. Traditionally, these laws have held adults accountable for furnishing alcohol to underage drinkers. However, states and communities are using another policy, also called social host, to deter underage drinking parties where easy access to alcohol and high-risk use occurs. These innovative laws hold individuals who control the property accountable for underage drinking that occurs there, regardless of alcohol source. We conducted a critical analysis of social host policies focused on hosting underage drinking parties and constructed a conceptual model to understand their targeted factors. Future research recommendations are discussed.     

A literature review of overnight work travel within individual,family and social contexts

ABSTRACT

This paper presents results of a comprehensive literature review of empirical studies investigating travel for work and how it relates to individual lives. The paper presents information on how work travel has been operationalized in the literature. The paper describes findings concerning how feelings about travel, individual well-being, the work/family interface, family relationships and social connections have been found to be affected by work travel. The empirical articles on workers who travel have been conducted in multiple countries and via diverse methodologies, which provides richness to the findings. The lack of uniformity in how work travel has been operationalized presents challenges for drawing conclusions about the effects of work travel. Recommendations concerning how to move the field forward are presented, including uniting the employment-related literature with the family literature to provide more holistic and useful implications for the study of work travel.     

Transnational social workers in statutory child welfare: A scoping review

Internationally, child welfare services experience chronic workforce shortages and high rates of staff turnover. One strategy adopted to fill critical workforce gaps is the international recruitment of social workers. Child welfare employers in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom have a shared tradition of recruiting transnational social workers to address ongoing labour shortages in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. This raises questions about the impact of this practice for those migrating social workers and about practice with indigenous populations. This paper scoped publications to identify emerging themes about social work movement between these countries, with a focus on knowledge that can prepare transnational social workers for the unique Australian context, including working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The review found that international recruitment to statutory child welfare in Australia is not well researched, with limited evidence about the profile of recruits, the effectiveness of this strategy and retention rates. The demographics and experiences of overseas qualified social workers in child welfare over the past 40 years in the various Australian jurisdictions remain relatively unknown. There are major gaps in knowledge about the ways international recruitment affects outcomes for children, and their families, in Australia's statutory child welfare services delivery.     

Assessment methods in social work education: A review of the literature

Student assessment is an important component of social work education, and consumes considerable effort on behalf of both students and staff members. Social work educators in higher education face the challenge of constructing assessment methods, which encourage the development of reflective and critical learning, as well as enabling students to demonstrate acquisition of required knowledge and/or skills. While there is now a substantial literature on field education, the assessment of classroom-based units has warranted less attention. This paper examines the range of assessment methods reported in the social work education literature, the evidence which supports the use of these methods and issues associated with the identified assessment methods.