Håvard Aaslund

Bio: Håvard Aaslund is an academic researcher from University of Oslo. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social work & Population. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 8 publications receiving 10 citations.

Marginalised groups protest against social welfare and public health: conceptualising the challenge for social workers

Abstract: As neoliberalisation and other global disruptions change the understanding of human rights and social justice for social workers, how are protests organised by marginalised groups against social we...

Resident participation as learning and action – a participatory action learning project in social work education

Abstract: This article presents an innovation project in social work education carried out in collaboration between a university college, an organization for housing tenants, MSW students, social workers in ...

Compound loss, complex grief: Social work during a pandemic

Abstract: An editorial is presented to the article the profession of social work grief can be pathologized, medicalized, and manualized Topics include the illness, death, and disruption this virus has caused have the rightful subjects of sadness and suffering;and the pandemic has caused many different forms, and many layers of loss from personal to professional

In (and about) this special issue: Things are NOT normal

Abstract: An editorial is presented to the article the World Health Organization (WHO) starts timeline of events associated with the Covid-19 global pandemic with an entry on 31 December 2019 Topics include Chinese officials imposed a lockdown and surrounding areas in a desperate attempt to control the growing epidemic;and the final product imposed additional labor on wonderful production team in India

Ethos of science, pathos of war: Social work and pandemic rhetoric

Abstract: An editorial is presented to the article wearing face masks, declining a handshake, and keeping six feet apart have examples of altered behavior Topics include scientific knowledge has transformed into new rules about proper social etiquettes through political discourse;and scientific notions like "social distancing" or terms like "effective reproduction number" have infiltrated daily jargon

Challenging Codes: Collective Action in the Information Age@@@The Playing Self: Person and Meaning in the Planetary Society

Abstract: Introduction Part I. Theory of Collective Action: 1. The construction of collective action 2. Conflict and change 3. Action and meaning 4. The process of collective identity Part II. Contemporary Collective Action: 5. conflicts of culture 6. Invention of the present 7. The time of difference 8. Roots for today and for tomorrow 9. A search for ethics 10. Information, power, domination Part III. The Field of Collective Action: 11. A society without a centre 12. The political system 13. The state and the distribution of social resources 14. Modernization, crisis, and conflict: the case of Italy Part IV. Acting Collectively: 15. Mobilization and political participation 16. The organization of movements 17. Leadership in social movements 18. Collective action and discourse 19. Forms of action 20. Research on collective action.

Children’s Participation

Abstract: This thesis explores the field of Children’s Participation in Humanitarian Action. We examined participation rights as part of the United Nations Convention to the Rights of the Child, specifically in the non-governmental humanitarian response. Children are overrepresented as victims/survivors of humanitarian emergencies. By means of this thesis we tried to examine whether they are equally represented in the response to these emergencies. We tried to determine whether their ‘best interest’, ‘well-being’ and their ‘empowerment’, as stated in the preamble of the UNCRC, is served. Our main research question guiding this research was: To what extent is children’s participation in the humanitarian (non-governmental) response a goal in itself, and to what extent is it a means to an end? This thesis employed an extensive secondary literature review on the subject and complemented by interviews with informants in the field, specifically from humanitarian organizations in Yogyakarta and Banda Aceh, Indonesia and DG ECHO in Brussels, which is one of the largest humanitarian donor organizations in the world. Our research was guided by four sub research questions, moving from the international arena to field level and finally the overarching opportunities and challenges. The ultimate aim of this research has been to make a comprehensible, multi-facetted overview of all aspects of children's participation in the non-governmental humanitarian response. It can be used by practitioners and academics alike, with either little or greater knowledge of the subject. The research findings have indicated that humanitarian organisations do not share their power with children and even though they intent to use the ideas children have, they have failed to use the full potential children’s participation has to offer. The legal status of non-state actors, including (I)NGOs, has changed in recent years. However, this is not apparent from the accountability structures (I)NGOs employ towards their child beneficiaries. The obligation the humanitarian community has, to conform to the UNCRC, includes confirmation to its participation rights. (I)NGOs, especially child rights oriented ones, have started to implement children’s participation at a policy level. Although committing on paper, this does not seem to have changed institutional attitude. Children need to be recognized as competent right holders and therefore full stakeholders in the humanitarian response. This would mean a transformation of the status quo and a significant shift in the locus of power at the international, the regional or the local level.

Get up, stand up: We must stay united for change, says Zeba Arif

Abstract: I read a newspaper article recently that said the 'labor movement' in the United States - their version of trade unions - is being 'pummelled into insignificance by economic forces beyond its control'.

Job Stress and Burnout among Social Workers in the VUCA World of COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: This paper aimed to explore the changes posed by the new COVID-19 pandemic to the field of social work and its impact on social workers in terms of job stress and burnout in Romania. Two conceptual models were used to frame the discussion: the theoretical framework of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) to discuss the challenges that the unprecedented context of the COVID-19 pandemic has created for social workers; and the Job Demands and Resources model (JD-R) to understand job demands perceived as stressors and burnout. Based on convergent mixed methods, the study sample consisted of 83 social workers employed in statutory and private social services in Romania, from different areas of intervention. Results showed that social workers perceived a high level of job stress related to work during the pandemic, which was associated with higher levels of burnout in the areas of personal burnout (average score 55.9) and work-related burnout (average score 52.5). Client-related burnout was lower (average score 38.4), indicating that stress was generated mainly by organisational factors and work-related factors (workload, aligning to new legislative rules and decisions, inconsistency, instability, ambiguity of managerial decisions, and lack of clarity of working procedures) and less by client-related stressors (lack of direct contact with clients, risk of contamination, managing beneficiaries’ fears, and difficulties related to technology). High job demands and limited job resources (managerial and supervisory support, financial resources, and recognition and reward) led to a high to very high level of work-related burnout for 15.7% and an upper-medium level for 44.2% of respondents. A group of 27.7% reported lower to medium levels of work-related burnout, while 14.5% had very low levels, managing to handle stress factors in a healthy manner. Study results pointed to the importance of organisational support and the development of a self-care plan that help to protect against job stress and burnout. Recommendations were made, putting forward the voice of fieldworkers and managers fostering initiatives and the application of sustainability-based measures and activities designed to deal with the challenges of the VUCA environment.