Showing papers in "Journal of Social Work in 2009"
TL;DR: For example, this article found that people with drug addiction are viewed as more blameworthy and dangerous compared to individuals with mental illness who, in turn, are viewed more harshly than those with physical disabilities.
Abstract: • Summary: Previous research has shown that people labeled with drug addiction are viewed as more blameworthy and dangerous compared to individuals labeled with mental illness who, in turn, are viewed more harshly than those with physical disabilities. Endorsement of such stereotypes often lead to less helping behavior and more avoidance of people with drug addiction compared to those with mental illness. In this study, attribution and dangerousness models are tested on a stratified random sample of the US population. The sample was recruited from a national online research panel (N = 815). Research participants read a vignette about a person with one of the three health conditions (mental illness, drug addiction, or physically handicapped in a wheelchair) and were asked to complete items representing attribution and dangerousness judgments about the person.• Findings: Results are consistent with our hypotheses. Addicted to drugs was seen as more blameworthy and dangerous compared to mental illness.• Appl...
316 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors identify important challenges facing social work supervision as a result of social, political and economic changes that have characterized the last two decades in most of the world.
Abstract: • Summary: This article identifies important challenges facing social work supervision as a result of the social, political and economic changes that have characterized the last two decades in most...
168 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined organizational commitment and professional commitment among a sample of social workers and empirically explored the relationship between social workers commitment and nine work environment variables (collegiality, promotional opportunity, job security, organization and profession-specific skills, autonomy, legitimacy of promotions, distributive justice and supervisor recognition), six demographic, relationship status, age, employment status, years in social work (profession tenure) and years employed in the current organization (job tenure).
Abstract: • Summary: This study examines organizational commitment and professional commitment among a sample of social workers. It empirically explores the relationship between social workers’ commitment and nine work environment variables (collegiality, promotional opportunity, job security, organization and profession-specific skills, autonomy, legitimacy of promotions, distributive justice and supervisor recognition), six demographic or background variables (gender, relationship status, age, employment status, years in social work (profession tenure) and years employed in the current organization (job tenure). It also includes 16 organizational variables (organizational auspices, organizational type, job position, yearly earnings and various types of job benefits, that is, medical, dental, vacation time, sick leave, flex-time, child care, maternity/paternity leave, disability insurance, life insurance, university education/degree programs, employer-paid professional development opportunities and other benefits....
102 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a qualitative study of social workers' experiences of receiving care from their clients to present a case for a re-examination of the social worker-client relationship and found that there is a serious disconnection between social work training and standards, and the ways social workers practice in the field.
Abstract: • Summary: In this article we report the findings of a qualitative study of social workers' experiences of receiving care from their clients to present a case for a re-examination of the social worker—client relationship. • Findings: Participating social workers describe their awareness of the mutuality within their relationships with clients, including an awareness of the care their clients have and express towards them. However, participants report that this openness to mutuality and reciprocity in their relationships with clients is subversive of social work practice norms, which warn against dual relationships. These findings indicate that there is a serious disconnection between social work training and standards, and the ways social workers practice in the field. This puts workers in a potentially untenable position caught between ideals of professional behaviour and their relationships with their clients.• Application: The findings of this study suggest the need for potentially radical shifts in ho...
66 citations
TL;DR: The qualitative findings were summarized into five broad themes: organizational culture and function; control; lack of resources; responsibility for people; and the rate and pace of change, which were incorporated into a model as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Summary: This article explores working conditions and quality of life in social services. The article focuses on the qualitative findings generated throughout a phased study comprising: in-depth interviews (n = 8) used to develop an original questionnaire; a large survey (n = 1237) of staff in two social service departments in the UK; and focus groups (n = 4) used in Children and Families Division to develop a better understanding of the difficulties experienced and develop context-specific interventions aimed at reducing or eliminating these stressors. It also reports quantitative findings in respect stress (measured using the General Health Questionnaire – GHQ-12).
Findings: The survey findings indicated that 36 percent (n = 392) of the respondents were considered to be suffering from mental distress. Children and Families Division was worst affected, reporting the highest levels of absenteeism and poorest well-being. The qualitative findings were summarized into five broad themes: organizational culture and function; control; lack of resources; responsibility for people; and the rate and pace of change, which were incorporated into a model.
Application: The article suggests that during times of change a thorough understanding of working conditions in the public sector are a fundamental prerequisite to developing interventions aimed at improving them. Additionally, the model clearly identifies a number of factors that are‘organizational’, rather than being intrinsic to working in social services.
62 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship between college stress, coping strategy, and psychological well-being has been discussed in the academic literature, and the authors present a study that describes the relationship among college stress and coping strategy.
Abstract: • Summary: College stress and psychological well-being have been widely recognized in the academic literature. The present study describes the relationship between college stress, coping strategy a...
60 citations
TL;DR: Findings of a quantitative study that illuminates the sense of competence of American social workers practicing in a new financial reimbursement and treatment health care system called `managed care' found that social workers who felt competent in their abilities to practice in a managed care environment also reported lower levels of role stress and burnout.
Abstract: • Summary: This article presents findings of a quantitative study that illuminates the `sense of competence' of American social workers practicing in a new financial reimbursement and treatment health care system called `managed care'. Questionnaires completed by 140 social workers provided data about the relationships between self-perceived competence and outcome variables including burnout and role stress.• Findings: A central finding was that social workers who felt competent in their abilities to practice in a managed care environment also reported lower levels of role stress and burnout. Other findings included that those working with clients with severe and persistent mental illness reported lower levels of sense of competence and higher levels of role stress and burnout symptoms.• Applications : Potential implications for research, education, and practice with the focus of increasing workers' knowledge and skills when providing services in a managed care environment are addressed. Future research i...
50 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that well-developed adult protection procedures identify many more cases than previously estimated, and further research is needed to explain the low level of referrals from mental health services and variation between territories.
Abstract: • Summary: This study focused on the incidence of adult protection referrals, the people involved as victims, perpetrators and referrers and the type of abuse in two local authorities in the south-...
44 citations
TL;DR: In the UK, health and social care services in the UK have been in the process of modernization since the New Labour government came to power in 1997 as discussed by the authors, and a central feature of modernization has been the...
Abstract: • Summary: Health and social care services in the UK have been in the process of modernization since the New Labour government came to power in 1997. A central feature of modernization has been the...
36 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that evidence-based knowledge does fill a purpose, but is not sufficient on its own for social work, and argue that social work should focus on evidence based knowledge.
Abstract: • Summary: A present trend in social work is the focus on evidence-based knowledge. This kind of knowledge does fill a purpose, but is not sufficient on its own. The article argues that social work...
34 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the results of a qualitative research project that was carried out in a social service agency in central Israel and identify essential features of the social service agencies.
Abstract: • Summary: This article describes the results of a qualitative research project that was carried out in a social service agency in central Israel. The aim of the research was to identify essential ...
TL;DR: This paper found that despite the obvious ambiguities of many cases, much of the time social workers often feel very sure of their formulations and viewed the acknowledgement of uncertainty as a hallmark of professional competence.
Abstract: • Summary: In a recent issue of this journal, Marlee Spafford and her colleagues reported on a Canadian study of social work, medical and optometry students. One of their findings was that the novice social workers viewed the acknowledgement of uncertainty as a hallmark of professional competence. Drawing on data from UK-based studies of professional reasoning, this article challenges the notion that social work has embraced and engaged with uncertainty.• Findings: Despite the obvious ambiguities of many cases, much of the time social workers often feel very sure of their formulations. This is because social work takes place in the terrain of human relationships about which we all, qua human beings, routinely make moral evaluations in everyday life. Rhetoric of complexity and reflection should not be confused with uncertainty.• Applications : This article endorses Spafford et al.'s respect for uncertainty and tentativeness, but argues that it is folly to think that we already have it in social work. A ten...
TL;DR: In this paper, the implications of the Nigerian Child Right Acts, 2003 on checking the proliferation of street children in Nigeria, focusing on such government institutions as the police and Social Welfare Department using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.
Abstract: Summary: The study examined the implications of the Nigerian Child Right Acts, 2003 on checking the proliferation of street children in Nigeria, focusing on such government institutions as the police and Social Welfare Department using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings: It is clear that the street children are the major targets by the government agencies but these children have no cordial relationship with the police. Their vision of the police is that of 'punishment' rather than 'help'. Also, the government through the Social Welfare Department provides some assistance to street children, but their programmes were not attractive enough to the children, hence, the street children's concept of approved schools is that of a typical 'Nigerian prison yard'. Applications: It is argued that the global paradigm shift from eradication of street children to providing support for street children has a very weak root in Nigeria. Therefore, there is the need for proper implementation of the Nigeria Child Rights Act promulgated in the year 2003, which could improve the standard of practice presently obtainable in Social Welfare Department and in other government agencies such as the Police Department as a possible solution to this social menace.
TL;DR: In this article, the aim of the study was to deepen understanding of the context of vulnerability which is associated with drug-taking behavior and addiction, and the researchers sought to identify recurrin...
Abstract: • Summary: The aim of the study was to deepen understanding of the context of vulnerability which is associated with drug-taking behaviour and addiction. The researchers sought to identify recurrin...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In the UK, the outcomes of former ''Looked-After-Children' (LAC)1 as young adults have generally caused concern, especially those highlighting their relatively high involvement in crime as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: • Summary: In the UK the outcomes of former `Looked-After-Children' (LAC)1 as young adults have generally caused concern, especially those highlighting their relatively high involvement in crime. Y...
TL;DR: Despite the marginalization of Marxism with social work, Karl Marx's Capital still provides a devastating critique of capitalism and remains a vital resource for social workers seeking to understand and develop strategies of resistance to neoliberalization as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: • Summary: Despite the marginalization of Marxism with social work, Karl Marx's Capital still provides a devastating critique of capitalism and remains a vital resource for social workers seeking to understand and develop strategies of resistance to neoliberalization.• Findings: Marx provides a number of `reminders' or `coordinates' which might help us to make sense of transformations taking place within the `world of work' today. More fundamentally, he illuminates aspects of `actually existing capitalism'. Furthermore, focusing on the first volume of Capital helps us to think about a constellation of connected factors, loosely referred to under the headings of time, toil (or labour) and technology, underpinning the `modernization' of social work and related areas of activity. The book also remains important because it reminds contemporary readers that capitalism is an exploitative economic system which damages bodies and minds. In this context, it is significant that Marx was perturbed and outraged by ho...
TL;DR: This article examined the nature of social work administration, including the core concepts, context and content as well as the ways it differs from business administration, and examined the differences between the two domains.
Abstract: • Summary: This article examines the nature of social work administration, including the core concepts, context and content as well as the ways it differs from business administration.• Findings: T...
TL;DR: It is simplistic to portray the Royal Commission report as progressive or reactionary but that one lesson from history may be that practitioners and other stakeholders should continue to contribute to policy debates at national levels since such discussions shape services and practices for long periods.
Abstract: • Summary: Fifty years ago a Royal Commission report was published that has had an enduring legacy in mental health policy and practice in England and Wales. Known as the Percy Report, after the man who chaired this Royal Commission on the Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency, the Report made a series of recommendations, most of which were adopted and enacted in the Mental Health Act 1959. This article draws on parliamentary records and debates of the time to consider the context of the Royal Commission. It sets out the recommendations, particularly in respect of hospital admission and community care, and considers them in light of commentary about policy and practice in mental health services in the ensuing 50 years.• Findings: The Royal Commission's recommendations for wider local authority responsibilities and resources to implement community care services for people with mental illness were not adopted with consequences for the role of social work in mental healthcare.• Application: Th...
TL;DR: The authors reviewed some of the lessons I have learned from the research I have undertaken over the last two decades, including those associated with, getting started; creating a focus; acquiring the requisite resources; using theory; using supervision; handling ethical dilemmas; writing up; and finishing the research.
Abstract: • Summary: For new social work researchers — especially those committed to using research to create a better society — research can entail a daunting series of challenges. In this article I review some of the lessons I have learned from the research I have undertaken over the last two decades, including those associated with, getting started; creating a focus; acquiring the requisite resources; using theory; using supervision; handling ethical dilemmas; writing up; and finishing the research. • Findings: Knowledge creation activities involve many potential opportunities and stumbling blocks. Emotions and politics are part of the process. Appreciating some of the easily overlooked dimensions of the research process may help new researchers avoid some of the problems. • Applications: This article is dedicated mostly to new researchers hoping to avoid commonly experienced problems associated with undertaking socially just and politically sensitive research. More seasoned researchers might use the article as guide to re-evaluate their own research histories.
TL;DR: In this article, an alternative to proceduralized child protection practice informed by the risk paradigm is explored, by expanding the repertoire available to practitioners through combining features of risk paradigm with social constructionism.
Abstract: • Summary: This article discusses research that explored an alternative to proceduralized child protection practice informed by the risk paradigm, by expanding the repertoire available to practitioners through combining features of the risk paradigm with social constructionism. This approach incorporates three dimensions: theories of knowledge and power, related professional roles, and practice skills. In this article, we discuss and critically evaluate only the first dimension: theories of knowledge and power. Through dialogue facilitated by semi-structured questions, we explored practitioners' perspectives about the relevance and appropriateness of the alternative approach for practice.• Findings: The practitioners' participation and feedback offer insights into complex connections between `theory' and `practice' with the practitioner as a positioned subject and mediator of practical meanings of formal concepts. • Applications: 1) Recognition of each practitioner's interpretation of formal concepts and ...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used the systems theory of Niklas Luhmann to provide a concise description of the evolution of the forms of social help from the level of interaction (archaic society) to that of modern society.
Abstract: • Summary: The author uses the systems theory of Niklas Luhmann to provide a concise description of the evolution of the forms of social help from the level of interaction (archaic society) to that...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: One hundred graduates of Shanghai Psychological Consultants Training Center are randomly sampled in this study as discussed by the authors to investigate their motivation for participating in the psychological consultants training and whether they are actually doing the required study by a survey and personal conversations.
Abstract: One hundred graduates of Shanghai Psychological Consultants Training Center are randomly sampled in this study. The study is to investigate their motivation for participating in the psychological consultants training and whether they are actually doing the required study by a survey and personal conversations. From the study, we assessed and analyzed the actuality of the training and put forward relevant suggestions for improvement.
TL;DR: In this paper, two groups of social workers (n = 19, n = 13) carried out two different forms of assessment session, one involving an ASI (Addiction Severity Index) interview and onewithout.
Abstract: • Summary: Two groups of social workers (n = 19, n = 13)carried out two different forms of assessment session, one involvingan ASI (Addiction Severity Index) interview (n = 40) and onewithout (n = ...
Journal Article•
TL;DR: Through survey of older people's leisure situation, the author was attempted to reveal its inner relationship and put forward the suggestion on how to improve the quality of life for elderly people.
Abstract: As of the end of 2008, the country has a 1.6 billion population aged 60 years or above, accounting for 12 percent of the whole population. the arrival of the rapid aging made the whole pension problem focused, through many years of exploration, testing, demonstration, the most thought that community-backed family aged-care network was the best way to deal with the challenges of population-aging. After retirement, many elderly people are basically at the leisure status. So, whether the inherent relationship between older people's leisure activities and community-level services will affect the mode's implementing or not? Through survey of older people's leisure situation, the author was attempted to reveal its inner relationship. Besides, trying to put forward the suggestion on how to improve the quality of life for elderly people.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The drain of social workers influences the further development of the social work, and the social worker is the safety valve and the stabler in the modern society,and the powerful support of the harmonious society as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The talented persons of the social worker is "the safety valve" and "the stabler" in the modern society,and the powerful support of the harmonious society.The drain of the social workers influences the further development of the social work。The social work specialty is a emerging specialty ,so its social identity is lower。Social work's occupation localization is the biggest bottleneck to restrict its development 。 Many social workers flow to some professions or occupation with high capital income 。Whether the university student can lay down the Posture of "the God's favored one" to devote himself to the social worker profession,The transformation of the values is a huge challenge。
TL;DR: The Mental Capacity Act 2005 as discussed by the authors provides a clear and logical structure to the chapters and their contents, enabling readers to see at a glance where different aspects of the legislation are addressed, and an accessible style of writing, balancing readability with attention to relevant details.
Abstract: This book aims to provide qualified social workers, together with student social workers, other professionals, service users and carers, with an accessible text on the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Design features of the book combine to achieve this aim, including a clear and logical structure to the chapters and their contents, enabling readers to see at a glance where different aspects of the legislation are addressed, and an accessible style of writing, balancing readability with attention to relevant details. There are also aids to learning at the end of chapters, and a number of useful appendices, including the provisions of the Act itself and various guides to good practice from the Code of Practice to the Act (Department for Constitutional Affairs, 2007). The initial chapters provide a useful context, enhancing readers’ understanding of the detailed provisions of the legislation. The first chapter provides a background to the Act; the second, a very helpful overview of its key features; the third introduces the Code of Practice, and the fourth discusses the principles of the Act. The book continues systematically with chapters on each of the areas of the Act identified in Chapter 2, including the definition of incapacity; best interests; protection for decision-makers; Lasting Powers of Attorney; deputies and declarations; advance decisions; Independent Mental Capacity Advocates; the Court of Protection and the Public Guardian; ‘other issues’ including provisions for ill-treatment, neglect, exclusions from the Act and research. In these chapters the provisions of the Act are discussed comprehensively in relation to the operation of its principles and the guidance supplied by the Code of Practice. Discussion of the provisions of the Act in these chapters is also contextualized with background material regarding legislation they replace or amend and practise issues they have the potential to resolve, thus enhancing the reader’s appreciation of their significance. Possible controversies which could arise in implementing provisions are also helpfully outlined – for example, in applying criteria involving a definition of mental incapacity at odds with the principles of the Act, in deciding whether ill-treatment or neglect by a carer constitutes an offence under the Act. Later chapters deal with the links to other legislation, and the ‘Bournewood’ provisions in the Mental Health Act 2007 amendments. The first of these contains a wealth of important material including, for example, the distinction between mental disorder definitions in the mental health legislation and mental Reviews