The Struggle for the Soul of Social Work in England

There is a debate or struggle for the nature and future of social work in England. This tension is between a narrow or limited type of practice and a broader and emancipatory social work, grounded in the International Federation of Social Work and the wider conception of the profession in other European states. The limited model of social work seems to provide a dominant paradigm, which may result in the loss of a more visionary and humane social work. This is a qualitative study of an undergraduate social work programme in England. There were 48 participants, comprised of academics, students, service users and practice educators. Interviews and focus groups were used and a thematic analysis was undertaken. The key finding of this study is that the paradigm of state or statutory social work in England threatens to replace a broad conception of social work as understood in such definitions as the International Federation of Social Work and social work in other European states.     

Coordinating a three level supply chain with flexible return policies

This paper studies the coordination issue of a three level supply chain selling short life cycle products in a single period model. The manufacturer first negotiates the trade contract with the retailer, then with the supplier. We construct the so-called flexible return policy by setting the rules of pricing while postponing the determination of the final contract prices. With return policies between each pair of adjacent firms, unsold products or used modules dissembled from the unsold products are returned level by level from the retailer to the upstream firms and each firm shares in the loss due to the overstock. We show that the three level supply chain can be fully coordinated with appropriate contracts and the total profit of the channel can be allocated with any specified ratios among the firms.     

The Social Work Role in Reducing 30-Day Readmissions: The Effectiveness of the Bridge Model of Transitional Care

The hospital experience is taxing and confusing for patients and their families, particularly those with limited economic and social resources. This complexity often leads to disengagement, poor adherence to the plan of care, and high readmission rates. Novel approaches to addressing the complexities of transitional care are emerging as possible solutions. The Bridge Model is a person-centered, social work-led, interdisciplinary transitional care intervention that helps older adults safely transition from the hospital back to their homes and communities. The Bridge Model combines 3 key components—care coordination, case management, and patient engagement—which provide a seamless transition during this stressful time and improve the overall quality of transitional care for older adults, including reducing hospital readmissions. The post Affordable Care Act (ACA) and managed care environment’s emphasis on value and quality support further development and expansion of transitional care strategies, such as the Bridge Model, which offer promising avenues to fulfil the triple aim by improving the quality of individual patient care while also impacting population health and controlling per capita costs.     

Re B‐S: a glass half full? An exploration of the implications of the Re B‐S judgment on practice in the family courts

The family courts in England and Wales are being significantly reformed in line with the coalition government's aim to speed up the process and increase the numbers of children being adopted from care. In September 2013, the Court of Appeal handed down a judgment, Re B‐S (Children) [2013] EWCA Civ 1146, that has wide‐ranging implications for professional practice and decision making in care proceedings. The judgment challenges the policy direction and provides guidance about what is required before courts can make orders separating children from their birth families, particularly in cases of non‐consensual adoption. In this paper, we outline the changes occurring in the family justice system, some key elements of Re B‐S, and examine the challenges for implementing practice consistent with the requirements of Re B‐S. It is argued that the standards set by Re B‐S are unlikely to be fully implemented without much further attention to the complexities posed by the policy and practice context of social work with children and their families involved in care proceedings.     

The impact of health insurance cost-sharing method on healthcare utilisation in China

In current Chinese health insurance programmes, there are two types of cost-sharing methods: the time-of-service copayment policy and the reimbursement policy. In contrast to the copayment participants, reimbursement participants need to pay for all medical expenses in advance. We study the effect of the reimbursement policy on the utilisation of healthcare services in China. The theoretical analysis indicates that the medical consumption of low income households will be less than the optimal consumption level when enrolled in a reimbursement programme instead of a copayment programme. Empirically, using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), we find that the total inpatient expenditure of the reimbursement participants is 12.7% lower than that of copayment enrolees, and the reimbursement arrangement negatively impacts low-income and rural populations. Therefore, reimbursement participants, those who are financially constrained, are more likely to suffer the up-front payment burden and finally reduce their healthcare needs.     

Responsible pragmatism in Turkish social policy making in the face of Islamic egalitarianism and neoliberal austerity

Akan T. Responsible pragmatism in Turkish social policy making in the face of Islamic egalitarianism and neoliberal austerity Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 367–380 © 2011 The Author(s), International Journal of Social Welfare © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. Founded in August 2001, the Justice and Development Party of Turkey (JDP) has forged a brand new identity, the Conservative Democracy, and initiated challenging politico‐economic reforms since November 2002 when it came to power. Among these reforms, the social policies of the Conservative Democrats have intriguingly yielded mixed blessings of a strategic settlement between equality of outcome and opportunity. This article argues that such a result originated from the commodification by the Conservative Democrats of the Islamic egalitarianism of ‘the Just Order’, the politico‐economic programme to which the JDP's leaders were strictly committed before becoming the Conservative Democrats. Entitling the social policy strategy of JDP as ‘Responsible Pragmatism’, this article concludes that it was an unsustainable but flexible social policy strategy that has gone as far as it can, now, on the eve of the 2011 general elections.     

小组工作对学龄初期儿童的介入初探——以湖北省荆州市实验小学××班为个案

学龄初期是指儿童从六七岁到十一、二岁这一时期,这时儿童进入学校,开始以学习为主导的活动。它是儿童心理发展的一个重要时期。作为社会工作专业方法之一的小组工作能帮助学龄初期儿童树立团结互助与分享意识,培养他们团结合作的精神,提高他们独立自主的能力。笔者从小组工作专业视角出发,以湖北省荆州市实验小学××班作为个案,描述并分析了学龄初期儿童的特征,阐述了小组工作方法对学龄初期儿童介入的可行性,探讨了小组工作方法的介入、评估及个人反思。     

社会工作方法在社区工作中的应用-以合肥市标准化示范社区建设为例

从我国社区建设的实践来看,社区社会工作包括社区服务、社区社会救助、社区卫生、社区治安和社区教育等五个方面的主要内容.本文立足于标准化示范社区建设的实践,运用社会工作的理论与方法,对当前社区工作中的工作方法进行了探讨.虽然专业性社会工作服务机构相对缺乏,但是很多社区工作者已经运用了诸多社会工作方法与技巧,为社会工作的本土...     

社会工作实习联合督导浅析

社会工作实习联合督导是由社工院系与与专业机构或社区共同为学生提供集中实习训练和实习的督导制度,在美国已经相当成熟。在不同实习阶段的专业督导过程中,院系和机构的督导有不同的角色定位与工作内容,笔者对此进行了总结。     

名义群体法在社会工作实践教学中的应用

社会工作实践教学环节需要有意识引导学生主动参与计划设计、决策定向选择,培养和有效地激发学生的创造力和想象力,作为集体、定性决策的名义群体法能很好的调动学生的参与积极性以及提高他们的实际操作能力。