Showing papers in "British Journal of Social Work in 2009"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the different terms that have been used in British social work, including "client", "customer", "consumer", "service user", and "expert by experience".
Abstract: This article challenges the terms we use to describe the relationship between those who assess and commission services and those who are the recipient of those services. In particular, the article identifies the different terms that have been used in British social
work, including ‘client’, ‘customer’, ‘consumer’, ‘service user’ and ‘expert by experience’, highlighting their assumptive worlds and the relationships the terms suggest and signify. Service user (the most popular term at present) is highlighted and critically analysed
and found to be increasingly problematic and unable to describe the complexities of the service–recipient relationship. Alternative terms are discussed and found
wanting, whilst a possible way forward is suggested to avoid the negative connotations of any one particular term.
340 citations
TL;DR: The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as mentioned in this paper is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral, which is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate "early intervention", reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of a common language amongst child welfare professionals.
Abstract: The Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral. The CAF is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate ‘early intervention’, reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of ‘a common language’ amongst child welfare professionals. This paper presents findings from a study, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council's e-Society Programme. Our purpose in is not primarily evaluative, rather we illustrate the impacts of CAF as a technology on the everyday professional practices in child welfare. We analyse the descriptive, stylistic and interpretive demands it places on practitioners in child welfare and argue that practitioners make strategic and moral decisions about whether and when to complete a CAF and how to do so. These are based on assessments of their accountabilities, their level of child welfare competence and their domain-specific knowledge, moral judgements and the institutional contexts in which these are played out.
209 citations
TL;DR: How these technologies are being utilized by older adults and barriers to their use are described, and what is known-based on scientific studies-about the utility and effectiveness of the technologies are identified.
Abstract: While the ageing of the population around the world raises serious concerns about social security, pensions, long-term care, health care and family systems, digital-age tools have been proposed as possible resources to improve outcomes. Considerable literature has appeared suggesting that Assistive Technologies (ATs) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) may improve quality of life, extend length of community residence, improve physical and mental health status, delay the onset of serious health problems and reduce family and care-giver burden. The goal of this review is to separate the evidence base for these claims from simple optimism about the ultimate value of technology-based tools. This is accomplished through an extensive examination of the empirical research literature in the field of ATs and ICTs as they relate to older adults and ageing populations. In this review, we describe how these technologies are being utilized by older adults and barriers to their use, and we identify what is known-based on scientific studies-about the utility and effectiveness of the technologies. Appropriate social work practice in the digital age requires knowing what tools are available and their documented effectiveness and limitations. This review will thus consider the implications of current research knowledge for social work practice, education and research.
205 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined professional interactions with, and response to, changes in their work after the introduction of new technologies, focusing on the shift of accountabilities from professional values and identities to organizational and bureaucratic accountabilities.
Abstract: A key feature of new public management is the tendency to equate quality and accountability with documentation (Tsui and Cheung, 2004). Human service organizations increasingly rely on computer databases to compile and record client information and to demonstrate outcomes for quality assurance and accountability purposes. This has resulted in substantial changes in work practices, processes and relationships for social workers. This paper draws on interview data from social workers in several Australian agencies to examine professional interactions with, and response to, changes in their work after the introduction of new technologies. It particularly focuses on the shift of accountabilities from professional values and identities to organizational and bureaucratic accountabilities. The paper recognizes that while social workers have always been subject to organizational accountabilities, due to the changes in social service delivery and limited practitioner input into the implementation of new technologies, tensions between professional and bureaucratic accountabilities have intensified.
136 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline selected central results from a formative evaluation of four pilot sites in England and Wales of the Integrated Children's System (ICS) and recommend a review of the ICS on the grounds that the difficulties are inherent rather than transitory.
Abstract: We outline selected central results from a formative evaluation of four pilot sites in England and Wales of the Integrated Children’s System (ICS) – one part of the UK’s eGovernment strategy. We concentrate on the aspiration of the ICS towards ‘integration’ and ‘systematization’ of services within children’s services, at local and national levels. We look in turn at, the use of the ICS as a foundation for aggregate statistical profiles; the experience and views of the social workers; and the implications of ICS for social work practice as exemplified in social workers’ use of time. The evidence suggests substantial problems in accomplishing government policy aspirations in each of these areas. We review the likely reasons for these problems, and recommend a review of the ICS on the grounds that the difficulties are inherent rather than transitory, and have arisen at least in part from uncertainty as to whether the ICS is fit for purpose. The authors seek to promote the open and thoughtful debate that a major innovation of this nature requires.
133 citations
TL;DR: Faye Mishna, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Research at the FactorInwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, and the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family.
Abstract: Faye Mishna, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Research at the FactorInwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, and the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Chair in Child and Family. Peter A. Newman, Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto and RBC Chair in Applied Social Work Research. Andrea Daley is a PhD Candidate at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Steven Solomon is a School Social Worker and a PhD Student in the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.
117 citations
TL;DR: This article explored openness in adoption on two levels: what contact children were having with their birth family (structural openness) and the openness of adoptive parents when it comes to thinking and talking about adoption (communicative openness).
Abstract: Summary This paper explores openness in adoption on two levels: what contact children were having with their birth family (structural openness) and the openness of adoptive parents when it comes to thinking and talking about adoption (communicative openness). Children placed for adoption under the age of four years were followed up an average of six years postplacement. In-depth interviews were carried out with adoptive parents and parents completed the child behaviour checklist (CBCL). Children having face-to-face contact with their adult birth relatives were compared with those where the contact plan was letterbox contact. The communicative openness of adoptive parents was rated using a qualitative coding system. Adoptive parents involved in face-to-face contact arrangements were found to be more communicatively open than parents involved in letterbox contact. Children’s emotional and behavioural development was not related to either the type of contact that they were having with their birth families or the communicative openness of their adoptive parents. It is suggested that further follow-up of this sample in adolescence (using a range of outcomes) is required. This research suggests that social workers need to remain open-minded about the possible impact of contact on children, resisting blanket predictions of either help or harm.
108 citations
TL;DR: However, these problems are not unique to child welfare: retention problems have also be found in other areas of social work as mentioned in this paper. But these problems have not only been found in child welfare, but also in other fields.
Abstract: Child welfare agencies in many rich countries are having difficulty recruiting and retaining social workers. However, these problems are not unique to child welfare: retention problems have also be ...
95 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study aimed to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms and vicarious traumatization (VT) versus posttraumatic growth (PTG) among Israeli practitioners who shared war-related reality with their clients during the Second Lebanon-Israel war (2006).
Abstract: This study aimed to assess post-traumatic stress symptoms and vicarious traumatization (VT) versus post-traumatic growth (PTG) among Israeli practitioners who shared war-related reality with their clients during the Second Lebanon-Israel war (2006). In addition, the contribution of potency (one's personal resource) and the role of peri-traumatic dissociation (the emotional detachment activated during or immediately after a traumatic event) were examined. Two months after the war, a convenience sample of 204 practitioners (seventy-six nurses and 128 social workers), all residents and employees in the Haifa area, were administered a self-report questionnaire. Findings showed that nurses had higher post-traumatic growth (PTG) compared with social workers. Personal resource (potency) was found to contribute to the reduction of vicarious traumatization (VT), whereas peri-traumatic dissociation was found to contribute to both PTG and VT in the group of social workers.
94 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the verandering van a digitale kloof ook de bijhorende sociale interventies moeten wijzigen.
Abstract: Dit artikel gaat in op de zogenaamde digitale kloof en beschrijft hoe met de verandering van die digitale kloof ook de bijhorende sociale interventies moeten wijzigen.
94 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative study examines the distribution of power in the working relationship between child welfare workers and parents mandated to services due to child abuse and/or neglect in the US.
Abstract: This qualitative study examines the distribution of power in the working relationship between child welfare workers and parents mandated to services due to child abuse and/or neglect.
TL;DR: Both family and professional care-givers agreed that the decision on tracking dementia patients should be an intra-family issue, thus emphasizing that the tracking device must be considered by them as ‘user-friendly’.
Abstract: This study examined the attitudes of family and professional care-givers towards the use of advanced electronic tracking such as GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) for elderly people with dementia. The study revealed four principal findings. First, care-givers' views ranged from feeling obligated to use the tracking device for the sake of patients' safety through support of the use of the device for the sake of the care-givers' peace of mind and restricted support, to objection to the use of the device and respect for a person's autonomy. Second, family care-givers showed higher support for the use of GPS and RFID both for their own peace of mind and for the safety of the elder in their care. Professionals attached higher value to respect for a person's autonomy and restricted support for using GPS and RFID. Third, both family and professional care-givers agreed that the decision on tracking dementia patients should be an intra-family issue. Fourth, family care-givers attached more importance to the tracking device's characteristics and design, thus emphasizing that the tracking device must be considered by them as ‘user-friendly’. The implications of the results for social work are also discussed.
TL;DR: The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is an electronic system for assessing children and sharing information between child welfare professionals, which is at various stages of pilot and implementation in England and Wales as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is an electronic system for assessing children and sharing information between child welfare professionals, which is at various stages of pilot and implementation in England and Wales. Research by the authors in England (Peckover et al., 2008a, 2008b; White et al., 2008) and in Wales (Pithouse et al., 2004; Pithouse, 2006) informs this paper in order to compare CAF as implicating a number of policy ‘goods’, with CAF as a set of worker and organizational accomplishments.1 Our interest here is that in the course of implementation, policy aims have become submerged in day-to-day practice and that, analytically, there are differences between the ‘CAF of policy’ and the ‘CAF of practice’; in brief, there are, conceptually, two CAFs, the formal construct of policy and the applied CAF as constructed by multiple organizations across Wales and England, wherein there is no singular model. Indeed, we demonstrate that there are all manner of common assessment designs operating in the world of practice. Rather than rehearsing our research findings (the above sources offer an abundance), we use this opportunity to develop and synthesize our arguments about key assumptions and conceptual properties that underpin the CAF of policy and practice and which may have wider provenance in respect of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in child welfare.
TL;DR: This paper reviewed the core issues of these debates, noting that they are important because they show the inevitably contested nature of social work and arguing for a breadth of vision in discussions about this, suggesting that by considering a common thread but, at the same time, recognizing diversity, the profession will be able to maintain and further develop a coherent broad identity.
Abstract: Throughout its history, social work has been marked by disputes about its identity, especially in the ‘global North’. The question of where boundaries, if any, should be drawn around the profession is one that apparently has not been resolved. In particular, should the focus of social work be on ‘micro’ or ‘macro’ issues and what problems are at stake in such debates? As professional social work continues to develop in many countries, these questions continue to be posed and to be contested. This paper reviews the core issues of such debates, noting that they are important because they show the inevitably contested nature of social work and arguing for a breadth of vision in discussions about this. It suggests that by considering a common thread but, at the same time, recognizing diversity, the profession will be able to maintain and further develop a coherent broad identity. In particular, it is suggested that countries of the ‘global North’, where modern social work first began to professionalize, can gain by considering development of different ‘authentic’ forms of social work in the ‘global South’.
TL;DR: In this article, an ecological model is presented to conceptualize risk of sexual violence against people with learning difficulties, which takes account of the complex social processes involved in the creation of risk.
Abstract: This paper presents an ecological model approach to conceptualizing risk of sexual violence against people with learning difficulties, which takes account of the complex social processes involved in the creation of risk. The concept ‘vulnerability’, often assumed to be a risk-creating characteristic of people with learning difficulties, is too simplistic to take account of all the processes involved in the formation of risk of sexual violence. Risk is influenced by personal attributes, self-defence skills, environments and socio-cultural factors. These risk factors are closely interlinked and constantly interact with one another. The ecological model provides a tool for examining the impact that interactions between individuals and social environments have on an individual’s learning and the development opportunities that have the potential to increase self-defence skills.
TL;DR: Social work researchers are encouraged to test competing models, to make model modifications only when theoretically justified, to detail the process of making modifications and to use estimation procedures appropriate to the data.
Abstract: Baorong Guo is in the social work faculty at the University of Missouri–St Louis and she is a faculty associate at the Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St Louis. Her current research focuses on inclusion of the poor in asset-building, human service non-profits and socio-economic development. Her recent research projects include the effects of household assets on material hardships, funding streams for human service non-profits and evaluation research on asset-based policies in the USA and China. Brian Perron studies services for persons with serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders, with an emphasis on comorbidities. Dr Perron has a range of teaching interests, with his primary interests relating to his practice experience in community mental health. His training in services research was supported by fellowships from the National Institute of Mental Health (T32) and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (F31). Other areas of research/scholarly interest: treatment processes, service access and utilization, evidence-based practices. Professor Gillespie is a national expert in the area of disaster preparedness and mitigation, specifically the integration of social work and social services with emergency management. Professor Gillespie teaches social measurement and structural equation modelling at the doctoral level and organizational dynamics and disaster preparedness at the master’s level. Professor Gillespie is a member of the FOCUS St Louis Regional Disaster Preparedness Task Force—a cross-section of 30 citizen leaders representing a range of perspective and skills charged with
TL;DR: For example, the authors evaluated the impact of a degree-level qualification in social work on those entering the workforce, using focus groups with stakeholders and a three-year evaluation of the implementation of the degree.
Abstract: After many years of debate in the UK about the need for a degree-level qualification in social work, the arguments for a minimum degree-level qualification were accepted. The requirements for the degree in England were developed drawing on work from a number of sources, including a benchmark statement for undergraduate degrees in social work and focus groups with stakeholders. The new degree in England, launched in 2003, involves one extra year’s study; improvements in the qualifying standard for social work; and specific curriculum and entrance requirements. At the time of launching the degree, the government department responsible for funding (Department of Health) commissioned a three-year evaluation of the implementation of the new degree to establish whether the new qualifying level leads to improvements in the qualified workforce. The aim of the evaluation is to describe the experiences of those undertaking the degree, collect the views of the various stakeholders about the effectiveness of the degree and measure the impact of a degree-level qualification on those entering the workforce. This article, written by the team undertaking the evaluation of the England degree, explores the reasons for the methodological approach adopted and the issues that have arisen in setting up the research.
TL;DR: The authors deconstructs the power relations of race, ethnicity, and sexuality in the discourse of spirituality in social work and destabilizes the assumption of spirituality as non-sectarian and inclusive Contrary to many social work authors and educators' best intention of inclusivity, they contend that the "spiritual-but-not-religious" discourse may have inadvertently reproduced the process of colonial othering and further marginalization of racialized ethnic groups.
Abstract: This paper attempts to make visible the invisible Euro-Christian ethnocentrism and individualism in the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse in social work A critical analysis of the current literature on spirituality and social work, intertwined with the authors' personal narratives of spirituality and religion, calls into question the subject positions of social work authors who argue for differentiating spirituality from religion We ask: From whose vantage point is the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse produced? What gets legitimized and who gets excluded from this particular construction of spirituality? This paper deconstructs the power relations of race, ethnicity, and sexuality in the discourse of spirituality in social work It destabilizes the assumption of spirituality as non-sectarian and inclusive Contrary to many social work authors and educators' best intention of inclusivity, we contend that the ‘spiritual-but-not-religious’ discourse in social work may have inadvertently reproduced the process of colonial othering and further marginalization of racialized ethnic groups who are more often represented as ‘religious’
TL;DR: In this article, the pernicious problem of several abuses of children and the lack of professional social work programmes to address the problem in three West African countries of Ghana, Nigeria and Togo is discussed.
Abstract: This article discusses the pernicious problem of several abuses of children and the lack of professional social work programmes to address the problem in three West African countries of Ghana, Nigeria and Togo. Despite inaccurate statistical data, available public information reveals an alarming ascendancy of the problem in the region. Abuse and neglect of children in the sub-region has become a very serious issue of violation of human rights, social justice and violence against children, which demands a call for action on behalf of the children. The article outlined the various incidents of child sexual abuse, child trafficking, child marriage, Trokosi and neglect of disabled children in the sub-region. Poverty and traditional cultural practices have been discussed as the main causes of this phenomenon. The implications for social work education, policy, research and practice have been discussed in addition to a call for enforcement of legislations and mass education of citizens in the sub-region. Language: en
TL;DR: The English Department of Health initiated a pilot form of personalised support for adults (Individual Budgets) in 13 local authorities that aimed to extend opportunities for users of social care services to determine their own priorities and preferences in the expectation that this will enhance their wellbeing as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Cash for care or consumer-directed services are increasing in scope and size in Europe and North America. The English Department of Health initiated a pilot form of personalised support for adults (Individual Budgets) in 13 local authorities that aimed to extend opportunities for users of social care services to determine their own priorities and preferences in the expectation that this will enhance their well-being. This article reports on and discusses interviews undertaken with adult protection leads in the 13 Individual Budgets sites about the linkages to their work, their perceptions of the launch of the pilots and the policy s fit with safeguarding and risk agendas. The interviews were undertaken as part of the national evaluation of the pilots, which aims to evaluate outcomes and identify the contexts and mechanisms of those outcomes. Findings of this part of the study were that the adult protection leads were not central to the early implementation of Individual Budgets and that some of their concerns about the risk of financial abuse were grounded in the extent of this problem among current service users. The implications of their perceptions for the roll out of Individual Budgets are debated in this article with a focus on risk and the policy congruence between potentially competing agendas of choice and control and of protection and harm reduction.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compared Global Assessment of Function (GAF) and Client Satisfaction Survey scores for clients receiving either face-to-face or online counselling for clients were assessed by phone and then assigned to one of the two modalities.
Abstract: This article compares Global Assessment of Function (GAF) and Client Satisfaction Survey scores for clients receiving either face-to-face or online counselling. Clients were assessed by phone and then assigned to one of the two modalities. Analyses of variance were conducted with a ¼ 0.05, to examine differences between counselling modalities. No significant differences were found for degree of change in GAF between assessment and closing between the two modalities. Some differences were found in Client Satisfaction Scores. Implications for screening and social work practice are discussed.
TL;DR: In this paper, a clinical sample of 147 Australian men who were sexually abused in childhood, of whom thirty-nine also gave open-ended interviews, and comparisons are made with a community sample of 1,231 men.
Abstract: In the Western world, men are particularly vulnerable to suicide, so it is important to undertake research that helps explain the manifestation of suicidality. This is one of the few studies to date that have researched men who were sexually abused in childhood and their presentation of suicidal ideation, much of the previous research with this focus having been restricted to women. The study draws on a clinical sample of 147 Australian men who were sexually abused in childhood, of whom thirty-nine also gave open-ended interviews, and comparisons are made with a community sample of 1,231 men. It was found that the sexually abused men were up to ten times more likely to report suicidal ideation than the controls. To understand risk factors for suicidal ideation, a predictive regression model was constructed, the most important variables in this model being self-blame, isolation and physical injuries sustained from the abuse. These variables are further explored and illuminated from the qualitative data. Key implications of the study for social work practice include the need for screening and assessment of men in clinical populations as well as in other vulnerable populations. Limitations of the study and future areas of inquiry are also outlined.
TL;DR: The authors assesses the consequences and impact of SUCP within social work and social care, and suggest that SUCP serves the interests of government, affiliated organizations, and, perhaps more generally, the disparate needs generated by the neo-liberal-inspired social care market.
Abstract: This critical commentary assesses the consequences and impact of forms of seemingly widespread, constructive and altruistic service user and carer participation (SUCP) within social work. In particular, and whilst drawing from Gramsci's understanding of hegemony and Levitas's critical interpretation of social exclusion, it is proposed that SUCP serves the interests of government, affiliated organizations, including those within social work and social care, and, perhaps more generally, the disparate needs generated by the neo-liberal-inspired social care market. Arguably, there are also related substantive aspects of SUCP that are problematic on ethical grounds—including the possibility that participation inadvertently increases social inequalities by justifying and promoting hegemonic agendas. Some suggestions are briefly made regarding how to move SUCP forward, including difficult questions that must be asked about whether or not SUCP can confront forms of structural disadvantage and oppression.
TL;DR: Two new concepts - the post-caring trajectory and the ‘serial carer’- were developed to reflect the findings of this qualitative study on post-Caring life for former carers.
Abstract: Summary This qualitative study was informed by grounded theory and data were gathered primarily through semi-structured in-depth interviews with thirty-seven theoretically sampled former carers. They were all white British, lived in the East Midlands and were predominately over sixty (68 per cent) and female (70 per cent). With the exception of one, all had cared for a close relative, 65 per cent having cared for a partner/spouse. Most of their dependants were older adults and each case the cessation of caring had coincided with the death of the dependant. The findings showed that post-caring life for the interviewees had an identifiable trajectory with three phases—the ‘post-caring void’, ‘closing down “the caring time”‘and ‘constructing life post-caring’. Each of these phases involved a distinct set of experiences. In addition, the study established that 70 per cent of those in the sample had cared more than once. Thus, two new concepts—’the post-caring trajectory’ and the ‘serial carer’—were developed to reflect these findings. Suggestions are made about ways in which policy, practice and further research can be developed in order to ensure there is effective provision for those who have ceased caring.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors draw on recent research findings from an independent evaluation of the Family Intervention Projects (FIP) 'Signpost' to offer a new insight into our understanding of FIPs.
Abstract: Family Intervention Projects (FIPs) provide intensive support to ‘problem families’ and are a core element of the Government's Respect Action Plan (2006). Drawing on recent research findings from an independent evaluation of the FIP ‘Signpost’, this paper aims to offer a new insight into our understanding of FIPs. The paper draws attention to two key points. First, the organizational context within which Signpost has emerged is one dominated by a social work ethos. It is suggest that the FIP has been implemented in a way which has provided social work professionals with an opportunity to engage in the kind of creative practice that proceduralization, bureaucracy and managerialism have made impossible to achieve in mainstream social work arenas. Following on from this, the paper emphasizes the limitations of evaluating anti-social behaviour policy effects without due consideration of the local policy and practice context within which policies are embedded. The paper is not intended to discount important critical reflections on FIPs, but seeks to illustrate the gaps that can open up between political rhetoric and policy effect, demonstrating why we should not be too quick to foreclose the possibilities afforded to vulnerable families by this type of intervention.
TL;DR: The findings suggest that IBs have the potential to be innovative and life-enhancing, however, achieving this potential in practice depends on a range of other factors, including changes in the routine practices and organizational culture of adult social care services and ensuring users have access to appropriate documentation and support.
Abstract: Within the context of modernization, there has been a trend towards 'cash-for-care' schemes designed to bring choice and control closer to the service user. In England, Individual Budgets (IBs) are being piloted, with the aim of promoting personalized support for disabled people and other users of social care services. This paper reports on the experiences and outcomes of early IB users two to three months after first being offered an IB. The users included adults with physical/sensory impairments, learning difficulties, mental health problems and older people. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine service users and five proxies. The findings suggest that IBs have the potential to be innovative and life-enhancing. However, achieving this potential in practice depends on a range of other factors, including changes in the routine practices and organizational culture of adult social care services and ensuring users have access to appropriate documentation and support. Any conclusions drawn from the experiences of these early IB users must be treated with caution. The findings nevertheless indicate some of the issues that will need to be addressed as IBs are implemented more widely to replace conventional forms of adult social care provision.
TL;DR: The authors explored the initial impact on one group of generalist social workers in working in the Australian income support agency-Centrelink, and found that the associated policy developments have the capacity to seriously destabilize social work, particularly in that they promote values and rationalities at odds with those assumed by the profession.
Abstract: Contemporary policy development via various nationally contingent processes of welfare reform poses significant challenges to social work. This paper explores the initial impact on one group of generalist social workers in working in the Australian income support agency-Centrelink. Positioning welfare reform within a theoretical framework of institutional change, the authors suggest that the associated policy developments have the capacity to seriously destabilize social work, particularly in that they promote values and rationalities at odds with those assumed by the profession. These assumptions are explored through exploratory empirical engagement with the Centrelink social workers, the results of which suggest that all social workers in those national contexts experiencing the same policy orientation have significant reason to be concerned.
TL;DR: In this article, a review of digital inclusion strategies put in place by several East Asian countries and discusses a framework for tackling the digital divide, and examines pertinent policies, using Hong Kong as an example.
Abstract: The emergence of an information society has created new social exclusions and aggravated old ones by creating digital exclusion. Many countries have explicit policies about turning themselves into the leaders of such transformations or about catching up with the changes made in other countries. Nevertheless, little is known about their efforts to bridge the gap between the digital ‘haves’ and the digital ‘have-nots’. Governments in East Asia are good examples of those who work on improving their society's digital capabilities. They top most of the related international comparison tables. It is, however, not clear what they have done to bridge the new digital exclusion gap or what the effects of such efforts have been. This paper reviews the digital inclusion strategies put in place by several East Asian countries and discusses a framework for tackling the digital divide, and examines pertinent policies, using Hong Kong as an example. This paper argues that while improvement in information communication technology (ICT) accessibility and knowledge is important, the promotion of community-based ICT user networks for certain disadvantaged groups is crucial to enhance their participation in the information society.
TL;DR: In this article, an exploratory study of evaluation data collected on the virtual communities of practice (VCoP's) is presented, which includes quantitative analysis of secondary data and survey data on usage patterns of VCoP members.
Abstract: The advent of technology has been instrumental in creating access for social workers to research on evidence-based interventions. However, for many social problems there remains a gap in the availability of proven evidence-based strategies (Rosen et al., 1999). For social workers facing problems for which there is a lack of research evidence, the solution is to develop practice innovations that can be evaluated (Sabah and Cook-Craig, 2008a, b). Virtual communities of practice (VCoP's) are a promising venue for housing reviews of research evidence and engaging social workers to share tacit knowledge and invent practice innovations. During the past two years, the Israeli Ministry of Social Affairs has developed eighteen VCoP's social work practitioners. Those communities are designed to enable practitioners to review and use multiple sources of professional relevant knowledge in user-friendly repositories and to facilitate a collaborative inter-organizational learning and innovativeness. This exploratory study reviews evaluation data collected on the VCoP's. It includes quantitative analysis of secondary data and survey data on usage patterns of VCoP members. Findings related VCoP usage, the impact that organizational endorsement of organizational learning has on worker involvement in the community, and the development of weak professional ties between members were evaluated.
TL;DR: In this article, a filtering system has been developed by social workers to address perceived child protection risks within CCP cases, which leads to early closure of the more concerning cases, with service provision largely confined to the least concerning.
Abstract: Some 10 years ago one of the authors embarked on a research study examining the potential for social workers to shift from a child protection to a child welfare practice orientation (Spratt, 2000; 2001; Spratt and Callan, 2004). The research reported here develops that work; examining how social workers respond to ‘child care problems’ (CCPs). The results indicate that Northern Irish Health and Social Services Trusts (equivalent to Local Authorities in England and Wales) have responded to social policy goals to balance the protection of a lesser number of children whilst meeting the welfare needs of the greater by reducing the number of referrals designated ‘child protection investigations’ (CPIs) and increasing the number of CCPs. Closer analysis reveals, however, that a filtering system has been developed by social workers to address perceived child protection risks within CCP cases. Paradoxically, this leads to early closure of the more concerning cases, with service provision largely confined to the least concerning. The authors argue that the ways in which social workers balance social policing and supportive functions in practice may indicate possible responses to an increase in referred families anticipated within Every Child Matters (Chief Secretary to the Treasury, 2003)