Understanding a non-causality crisis response: Examining the Florida Panthers response to Hurricane Irma

Much of the crisis response literature focuses on an organization deemed to be responsible for the occurrence of the crisis. For a crisis without a singular organization causality, such as a natural disaster, any organization can proactively initiate actions to address the situation. This article contributes to the understanding of a non-causality crisis response by identifying the capabilities that an organization needs to effectively assist with the response. An organization must possess the requisite resources, have developed key stakeholder relationships, and be driven by its own values and sense of responsibility. A sports team is well-positioned to assist with a non-causality crisis response. A sports team creates a feeling of community identity, has a vast array of resources, and has many critical stakeholder relationships. This article examines the NHL’s Florida Panthers relief efforts in response to Hurricane Irma, a storm that created a complex community crisis with residents in need of essential supplies and assistance.     

Child Protection Social Workers' Engagement in Continuing Professional Development: An Exploratory Study

This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study into the nature of child protection social workers' engagement in, and understanding of, continuing professional development (CPD) in Ireland. Qualitative methods were used given the exploratory nature of the research. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight child protection social workers from a community-based child protection department in Ireland. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. A review of the literature is provided and key findings are outlined and discussed. These findings relate to the nature and frequency of participation in CPD, perceived motivators and barriers to participation in CPD, and social workers' views on the potential impact of statutory registration of Irish social workers (which was implemented in the months after this study was carried out) on CPD participation. Research limitations and suggestions for future research are considered, along with the implications of this study for social work practice.     

The reform of the welfare services in Norway: one office – one way of thinking?

This paper discusses the professional role of social workers in the new Norwegian Nav system. The Nav reform merged the state social insurance office, the state employment office and components of municipal social services. The aim is to include clients in the work force by making the services more holistic and efficient. The paper presents a discussion of the introduction of the ‘Nav reform’, drawing on a qualitative multi-method study. The material sheds light on a social worker's role under pressure to work in a more standardised and ‘simplified’ way. Social workers at the Nav offices must adjust to expectations that require a general, basic and common competence for all employees, as one type of comprehensive, but simplified and non-specialised, approach. The study describes the dilemma of how to combine one-stop service and specialist principles. The paper attempts to criticise ‘the flexible system’ related to Whole of Government perspectives and one-stop service principles as a generalist ‘light’ approach, as opposed to the generalist approach in social work. The findings provide a basis for raising questions about the development of the social worker's role in light of the post-New Public Management (NPM) reforms and the potential threat to the professional basis of social work.     

Theory of change models deepen online learning evaluation

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have gained traction as resources for professional development. This article presents the method that we used to evaluate a professional development MOOC for postdoctoral trainees that was created by a university consortium in the US. Most approaches to evaluating MOOCs focus on analysis of participation, outcomes from course assignments, self-reported learning outcomes, course completion and user pathways through the online content or clickstream data. Few published evaluations describe in detail how learning happens within online courses and the anticipated medium and longer term cognitive and behavioral outcomes on participants. This work aims to guide those who are designing, implementing and evaluating MOOCs through applying theories of change to focus evaluation on the process of learning. This approach can be used as a complement to traditional approaches for evaluating MOOCs. We described how we worked with the MOOC team building the content to develop a theory of change for each module (or lesson) within the MOOC and used the theory of change to guide evaluation of short and medium term participant cognitive, affective and attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes. Finally, we share lessons learned and suggestions for implementing theories of change in both the design and evaluation phases of MOOC development.     

我国专业社会工作在提供服务过程中的本土化特性

依据社会工作实务通用过程模式,结合一线社工的实务经验和相关理论研究,从接案、预估、计划、实施、评估和结案等六个方面,探讨我国专业社会工作在服务介入过程中,异于西方社会工作理论的独特工作方式及内容。以期深化我国社会工作本土化研究的领域,并为一线社工的实际工作提供经验借鉴。     

Building Resilience in Social Workers: An Exploratory Study on the Impacts of a Mindfulness-based Intervention

Burnout is a frequent and well-documented consequence of social work practice. The literature suggests that mindfulness-based interventions might help develop the mental states and emotional skills that are indicators of resilience. This mixed-methods, non-randomised controlled, exploratory study with 14 social workers in Canada investigated differences in social workers’ levels of stress, resilience, and burnout after a mindfulness-based intervention, compared to a waitlist group. The intervention group was also interviewed about changes in their relationships within the workplace, their perceived sense of mental health, and wellbeing. Results suggested that the mindfulness-based intervention significantly decreased the treatment group’s perceived stress compared to those on the waitlist and continued to decline for 26 weeks post-intervention. Intervention participants reported positive changes in attitudes, perspectives, behaviours, and energy in relation to their workplace relationships with peers and supervisors. Mindfulness-based interventions for reducing stress and building resilience to burnout in social workers and other helping professionals hold promise, and invite further research.     

Engaging through Learning—Learning through Engaging: An Alternative Approach to Professional Learning about Human Diversity

This paper presents an alternative framework for construing learning about human diversity as an ongoing, socially constructed, contextual process based in relational learning. The approach enables shifts in understanding for teachers, students, practitioners, client groups and organizations. Conceived to strengthen professional social workers' capacity for on the job learning, this approach provides another entry point for social work faculty to conceptualize the learning process as relational, contextual and process based. It seeks to capitalize on the learning process itself as a mechanism through which learners simultaneously engage one another around issues of culture, identity, and difference and learn through the engagement. The approach is guided by four conceptual touchstones, 14 years of social work practice in a global context, and eight iterations of teaching a masters level diversity course. Eight constructs animate this process approach. They include: exposure, engagement, emotion, empathy, narrative, personal disposition, the learning environment, and a sense of ‘self‐in‐relation’. In addition to illuminating the social structures and social processes that construct diversity, the approach can also engender the sense of relational solidarity among learners necessary for prolonged commitment to social change.     

Challenges of Critical Reflection: ‘Nothing Ventured,Nothing Gained’

This paper arises from the experiences of the authors in providing critical reflection training to social workers and health professionals. It examines the cultural challenges involved in undertaking critical reflection, and how such challenges may contribute to learning. We examine the nature of some of these risks and what might be at stake, and how we as educators might manage these in the interests of better learning. First we discuss the concept of critical reflection and the particular approach we take. We then analyse the nature of some of the risks involved by examining the cultural challenges that are at stake. Lastly we posit some strategies to reduce risk and maximise learning.

We outline three major types of cultural assumptions which are challenged by critical reflection. These include assumptions regarding interpersonal communication and dialogue, professional helping and workplace cultures, and regarding knowledge, learning, research and the place of emotions. The implications of these challenges include: the appropriateness of critical reflection for all types of learners; the need for emotional preparation for the critical reflection process; the need to emphasise the professional learning purposes; the need to clarify the use of self‐disclosure; and the need to set up an appropriate alternative cultural environment for the purpose of critical reflection.     

A team approach to practice teaching

The ideas presented in this paper were originally generated in a workshop at an NSPCC conference on Practice Teaching in March 1996. In this article we wish to develop some of these ideas further and explore the idea of a team approach to practice teaching. This is not some radical new notion, but an acknowledgement of the reality of many placements. Although a student will be allocated a practice teacher (and possibly an off-site practice teacher) he or she will not function by themselves but will be part of an organisation. It is this wider structure and its effects on the student that we feel needs closer scrutiny. Firstly, we believe that not enough attention has been given to the power that organisations can have over an individual (particularly one whose stay is only short-term and possibly part-time). Secondly, we believe students can obtain benefits from the wealth of knowledge existing in any team, drawing on the skills and expertise of all team members. When team learning works well we feel that it provides benefits for all parties - the student, the practice teacher, the team and service users.     

Confidence Bands for ROC Curves With Serially Dependent Data

We propose serial correlation-robust asymptotic confidence bands for the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and its functional, viz., the area under ROC curve (AUC), estimated by quasi-maximum likelihood in the binormal model. Our simulation experiments confirm that this new method performs fairly well in finite samples, and confers an additional measure of robustness to nonnormality. The conventional procedure is found to be markedly undersized in terms of yielding empirical coverage probabilities lower than the nominal level, especially when the serial correlation is strong. An example from macroeconomic forecasting demonstrates the importance of accounting for serial correlation when the probability forecasts for real GDP declines are evaluated using ROC. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.