A Model for Implementing an Evidence-Based Practice in Student Fieldwork Placements: Barriers and Facilitators to the Use of “SBIRT”

ABSTRACT

This article reports on focus group data analysis that was used to understand initial, largely positive outcomes from a university-based initiative to disseminate and implement an evidence-based practice (EBP)—Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Substance Use (SBIRT)—into student fieldwork placements, which are usual care social work settings. Focus groups were conducted with three groups of stakeholders involved in the ongoing project: social work department faculty (n = 10), bachelor- and master-level social work students (n = 8), and social work fieldwork instructors (n = 6). Dimensional analysis of the focus group data yielded results indicating that dissemination and implementation of SBIRT was influenced by agency- and school-level factors and perceived fit between the EBP and individual professional identity, intrapersonal characteristics, and timing. The resulting model, developed through the focus group analysis, is offered and shows how these factors interacted and affected training, supervision, and use of the EBP. The model provides social work educational programs and agencies a working tool for diagnosing and proactively addressing barriers and breakdowns in the EBP implementation process. Future research that tests the model as a diagnostic tool and generates knowledge about its influence in developing competent evidence-based practitioners is indicated. Future focus groups in relation to this initiative are needed to better understand these barriers and facilitators in the EBP implementation process and their critical roles in the process of translating SBIRT into standard social work practice.     

Black cat,white cat: a pragmatic and collaborative approach to evidence‐based social work in China

Current thinking suggests that evidence‐based practice (EBP) is a key to unlocking the potential for social work development in mainland China. But Chinese social workers may be confronted by the challenges of EBP in using research evidence, exercising expert judgment, as well as considering client characteristics, as social work is a relatively new enterprise in China's unique social–economic–political context. There is little indigenous research evidence for Chinese social workers to refer to. There are few experienced social workers and researchers since social work practice, education and research were reinstated only in the late 1980s. Mainland Chinese may not be aware of what social workers can do and may prefer authority‐based practice. This paper aims to first review the definition of EBP, followed by a discussion of the challenges and opportunities in applying EBP to social work in China. It then highlights the usefulness of collaboration between academics, practitioners, and clients in implementing EBP. A recent research project on ex‐offenders and their family members in Singapore is used to illustrate the feasibility of collaboration between academia and the field.

当前的理论认为， 以证据为本的实践是一个解开中国大陆社会工作重新发展潜能的钥匙。 然而， 中国社会工作者在运用研究证据、行使专业判断及考虑服务使用者的特质时， 或许会遇到实证为本的挑战， 因为在中国独特的社会、经济及政治环境下， 社会工作是一个相对地新兴的专业， 没有太多本土化的研究证据可供中国社会工作者参考。 同时， 因为社会工作实践、教育及研究在1980年代末期才得以复苏， 也没有太多富有经验的社会工作者及研究人员。 中国内地民众或许未曾意识到社会工作者能够做什么， 宁可依据以权威为本的实践。 本文的主要目的首先是检视以证据为本的实践的定义， 然后讨论在中国应用以证据为本的实践的挑战及机遇。 文章突出了在引用以证据为本的实践时， 学术界、前线工作者及服务使用者相互合作的益处。 藉一项在新加坡进行的前刑事犯人及其家人的近期研究成果， 以说明学术界与社会工作界合作的可行性。     

International collaboration with China: a social work professional training programme for Civil Affairs officials

To enhance understanding of social work in China as well as international collaboration with China in the social work field, this paper reviews the history of social work in China and provides a case example of a social work training programme for Chinese Civil Affairs officials in a US social work school. The study examines the in-service training experiences of Civil Affairs officials and uncovers topics for social work professionalization in China from the officials' point of view. This paper then presents recommendations for future international collaborations with China.     

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.     

西部社会工作职业化进程中的五大问题

西部社会工作如何探索出一条既深入本土化又坚持专业化,既借鉴东部经验又具有西部特色的职业化发展模式,这需要明晰中国社会工作本土化进程中遇到的问题。笔者结合近年来社会工作本土化及职业化研究的一系列成果,总结出五大问题,分别从社会工作专业建立路径的中西比较、社会工作本土化的二元语境、社会工作专业化的结构性摩擦、社会工作发展模式的东部与西部比较、社会工作本土化发展模式的三大问责五个方面予以阐述。     

SPECIAL ISSUE： DIALOGUE,INTERACTION AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN PHILOSOPHY IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA- SPECIALIST FORUM ON CHINESE,WESTERN AND MARXIST PHILOSOPHIES：The current situation,problems and tasks before Chinese philosophy

当代中国哲学的发展机遇在于正确认识和解答中国社会发展的重大现实问题,为当今中国人提供正确的理性思维、价值理想和人生境界,发挥其指导、规范和推动社会前进的实践功能。为此,哲学需要实现三个转变：变“体系意识”为“问题意识”,实现哲学范式的转变;从“本土视域”转变为“世界视域”,扩展我们的哲学视野;从“中、西、马哲学”三个学科的分立转变为三个学科的“视域融合”,逐步确立“大哲学”的观念。     

“社会工作”在中国的认识发展历程

自1988年以来,社会工作学在我国获得了快速的发展,本文通过社会工作学专著的角度,回顾了“社会工作是什么”这一社会工作的核心问题在国内的认识发展历程,分两个阶段论述了不同时期的发展特征,指出社会工作是一门实践性很强的学科,对社会工作的认识也是在实践中不断完善的;只有努力理顺社会工作与相关领域间的相互关系,中国的社会工作才能得到长足发展,才能真正发展中国自己的社会工作理论、方法、实务,构建中国自己的社会工作框架和体系,建设有中国特色的社会工作学。     

An international definition of social work for China

There are differing opinions on how far the international values and internationally understood practice of social work, as epitomised by the international definition on social work, can apply universally to all countries, notably China. The lack of capacity in the Chinese social work community to develop evidence-based and adaptable practice has hindered the effective learning and systematic 'indigenisation' of overseas social work knowledge. This article argues that the international definition can serve as an active working platform where Chinese social workers and the international social work community can search for commonalities and facilitate mutual understanding. Social workers can only effectively respond to the trends towards globalisation by trying to find out more about their common identity and similarities through interactions, while at the same time showing more acceptance of the differences between countries.     

Participatory community organizing revisited: political involvement and social development in two post-socialist villages in north China

The paper, based on seven months of intensive ethnographic fieldwork in two neighbouring villages in north China, describes a more complicated relationship between members' political involvement and community social development than is generally perceived in literature. The intriguing mechanisms and contents of political participation presented call for a close examination of grassroots political economy, local authority, democratic institutions, and community organizing in the specific social contexts of post-socialist rural China under reforms. The study argues that a context-sensitive understanding of participatory democracy and community development is necessary for the success of macro social work practices, and therefore needs to be built into the curriculum of community organizing and international social work and addressed in social work professional training.     

Understanding how globalisation and restructuring affect women's lives: implications for comparative policy analysis

Globalisation and neo–liberal restructuring have transformed social policy and social services in many countries over the past two decades. Among the various impacts on different societies, one commonality is that many of the costs of restructuring are being picked up by women. In the last decade, feminist scholars have developed a critique of the effects of restructuring on the public and private lives of women, effects which are conspicuously absent from many discussions of restructuring. This article presents several conceptual ingredients for a framework that can facilitate a comparative understanding of restructuring and its effects on women at both global and local levels. Canada and China are used to illustrate the utility of such an approach to comparative policy analysis. The article contributes to a growing body of feminist literature on changing regimes of citizenship. It adds to the scholarship on comparative policy analysis by developing a research approach that is grounded in the experiences of women and is attentive to global and local politics. We argue that understanding just how restructuring affects different groups of women is essential for developing analyses that can cross national boundaries and challenge policies that reproduce conditions that oppress women.     

Access to social services as a rite of integration: Power,rights, and identity

Access to social services is a multifaceted and multifactorial process, involving social policy lines, services organization, and professional front line practices. It appears to have a crucial role in how personal social services work: depending on the way the process is handled, access to social services could provide a bridge to an inclusive and solidarizing community or worsen discrimination and marginalization. Many underline how studying the actual encounters between citizens and practitioners can provide a privileged site to highlight the interconnections between the abovementioned factors. This is the focus of our research that explored access in a specific Italian region using a case study strategy. After a pilot study, the main points of access to social services were identified, and three units were selected as best examples of different approaches. The three units were explored using mainly qualitative methods inspired by ethnography. We were able to gain in depth understanding of three cultural approaches to access, defined as the “ethical duty,” the “good organization,” and the “professional approach” and reach an in‐depth understanding of their impact on access. There is a vast literature on the power of street‐level bureaucrats, seen as similar to gatekeepers. However, our research suggests that specific organizational cultures also play an important part: different organizational cultures may impact the implementation of local social policy, the organizational procedures, and social workers' practices.     

文化对话与社会工作本土化

社会工作的产生和发展与特定的文化背景相联系,在中国发展社会工作一定要考虑中国的文化特点。但在这一过程中,我们也不应排斥外来文化和西方社会工作,而要在文化对话中,实现文化的交流和融合。中国在社会工作本土化的过程中,既要立足本土文化,也要吸收、借鉴西方的社会工作的优点和经验,最终形成具有中国特点的,适应中国本土文化的社会工作。     

审美文化视域下中日“风雅”观比较

汉文化深深影响着邻近诸国,日本文学在汉语文学的学习中继承、发展。两国在文学之道上都有＂风雅＂观,风雅由中国传入日本后发生了流变,日本沿用了＂风雅＂二字,但并没有完全接受,而是结合本民族的审美意识,形成了具有自己民族特色的风雅观,与中国重在发挥社会政治功用的中国风雅观截然不同,这反映了中日两国审美意识上的差异。     

Conjuncture and cultural reproduction in the process of embedding: social work practice in the context of government purchase of services in China

This paper focuses on the Chinese government’s policy of purchasing social services and discusses how relevant organisations provide social work and develop it within local socio-political and cultural contexts. An ethnographic research method was adopted for the study by the first author while participating in social work development in Q City. We argue that the policy of purchasing social services succeeded in achieving “embedded development” but also created a “conjuncture structure” in cultural reproduction. However, due toprofessional social workers in China have, in practice, passively responded to the conjuncture there has been a failure to reproduce professional values of social work in the Chinese cultural context. Therefore, further development of social work in China needs to strengthen cultural reflection in practical actions, focus on the exploration of cultural connections between social work practice and local communities, and enhance the cultural capacity of social workers in the local cultural context.     

努力创建中国实践、中国话语、中国立场的哲学社会科学创新体系

近几年,中央对哲学社会科学的繁荣发展作出了很多重要指示,这为中国哲学社会科学事业的繁荣发展指明了方向。而中国特色、中国风格、中国气派的哲学社会科学,从某种角度理解,其具体涵义可以理解为是中国实践、中国话语、中国立场的哲学社会科学。在新的历史时期,推动创建中国特色、中国风格、中国气派也就是中国实践、中国话语、中国立场的哲学社会科学创新体系和学术话语体系,应当坚持以马克思主义为指导,坚持"二为"方向和"双百"方针,坚持以中央关于繁荣发展哲学社会科学的有关指示精神为指导,为全面建设小康社会,加快推进社会主义现代化,实现中华民族的伟大复兴贡献智慧和力量。     

Viewing Spirituality in Social Work through the Lens of Contemporary Social Theory

This paper locates the social work literature on spiritualitywithin the broad theoretical and epistemological perspectivesof late modernity. It focuses particularly on the rise of individualismand its culmination in the theory of reflexive modernization—lifepolitics and subpolitics—and makes an appeal for an ‘ecospiritualsocial work’—one which would take social work awayfrom individualism back to its communitarian roots. The riseof spirituality in social work is linked to individualism. Bothresult from the depersonalizing and alienating effects of modernity:the detraditionalization and secularization of society; therise of science, rationality, the professions, and industrialand technological progress; and the decline in religion. Socialwork mirrors this process in that it has worked vigorously toshake off its religious, moralistic beginnings, and to embracethe secular trappings of professionalism in the process increasinglyembracing highly individualistic values and scientific explanationsof reality. The literature on spirituality in social work, inwhich the influence of New Age spirituality is strongly evident,tries to re-instantiate our search for quality and meaning.However, social work has yet to examine broader sociologicaltheory and the way in which it can deepen our understandingof the rise of spirituality in social work.     

Change for children? The challenges and opportunities for the children’s social work workforce

Children’s services are currently undergoing their biggest changes in a generation. The government is seeking to create a more coherent, seamless configuration of services, with a view to securing improved outcomes for all children. However, there is a current crisis in the recruitment and retention of a range of child welfare professionals, including children’s social workers, which must be addressed in order for this ambitious agenda to be achieved. This paper discusses the findings of a series of focus group discussions with social workers undertaking the London Post Qualifying Child Care Award in response to the Children’s Workforce Strategyconsultation process. These findings are then analysed within the context of the wider literature on social work practice and workforce development. It is argued that central to the debate on how to sustain a competent and stable social work workforce should be consideration of the consequences of initiatives to audit and assess performance; the promotion of relationship‐based social work; and the wider role of social work in preventative and protective services for children.     

The organizational formation of atmospheric science

In this paper, the history of atmospheric science is traced, from the earliest discussions from meteorologists, and the first meetings to describe this new research area. The development of atmospheric science proceeded in three phases with each phase being marked by the attempt to organize resources, and bring into the atmospheric science network, scientists from other fields. I argue here that this construction of a science provides evidence of the social nature of science as well as the importance of organizations to the creation of a science.     

Historical development and characteristics of social work in today's China

Social work education has experienced three stages since its introduction to China in the 1920s: introduction, abolishment and reinstatement. Theoretically, there are four types of social work in China: official–educational, official–practical, voluntary–educational and voluntary–practical. In practice, all four types of social work have not necessarily been embodied in each developmental stage, and the order of their historical development is not the same as the order of their logical development; i.e. some types are lacking in some of the stages. Each type of social work has its own characteristics, which are integrated into each development stage. Today, Chinese social work faces two major interrelated tasks: the professionalisation and the institutionalisation of social work. The former refers to the development of standardisation in Chinese social work; the latter has to do with the development of the social welfare institution in general and the development of institutional welfare in particular. In general, the dramatic development in Chinese social work largely depends on the accomplishment of the two tasks.     

社会工作研究的理念类型分析——基于《社会工作》下半月（学术）的文献研究

2006年起,我国社会工作开始进入了较快的发展时期,分析过去3年（2006～2008）的研究经验,将有助于探究如何在新条件下推动社会工作的发展。本文运用理念类型分析的研究方法,使用社会工作研究的理念类型分析架构,对近三年《社会工作》下半月的学术论文进行分析。研究发现：近三年的社工学术研究,研究内容偏向宏大叙述,轻视实务研究;研究的社会单元聚焦于宏观系统;研究对象较局限于儿童青少年、老年等传统领域;而我国社会工作研究的理念类型为：“社会问题—社群一儿童青少年”理念型。文章就社会工作的学科状态、研究使命、服务目标和介入取向进行深入探讨,并对今后社会工作的发展方向提出建议。认为要借鉴国际经验。建构本土特色;重视学科理论。强调研究方法;提升实务能力,强化证据为本。