scholarly journals Online Social Work Practice: Issues and Guidelines for the Profession

10.18060/34 ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goutham M. Menon ◽  
Julie Miller-Cribbs
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Therapeutic Practice ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
New Form ◽  
Online Web

There has been growth in the utilization of information and communication (ICT) tools in the field of social work in recent years.While most of the work has revolved around community practice, some social workers have moved into the realm of online, web-based therapeutic practice. This paper discusses important issues emerging from this new form of social work practice and concludes with suggested guidelines for the use of ICTs in social work practice.

Development and Evaluation of an Innovative Web-based Training, Learning, and Sharing (i-TLS) Platform for Social Workers: Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link Project (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Man Tung Suen ◽  
Agnes Yuen Kwan Lai ◽  
Man Ping Wang ◽  
Sai Yin Ho ◽  
Tai Hing Lam
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Family Services ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Ict Use ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Jockey Club

BACKGROUND Information and communication technology (ICT) use may enhance social work practice and continuous professional development. Under the Hong Kong Jockey Club SMART Family-Link project, we developed an innovative web-based training, learning, and sharing (i-TLS) platform to support ICT and other learning needs of Hong Kong social workers in family services. OBJECTIVE We developed i-TLS with 3 major components (i-Training, i-Learning, and i-Sharing) and assessed the acceptability and impact on facilitating ICT use in family services. METHODS We described i-TLS development based on a 4-phase model from platform design, development, implementation to maintenance. We evaluated i-TLS via platform database, Google Analytics, a self-administered survey, and individual phone interviews 1 year after launching. RESULTS i-TLS was launched to 26 Integrated Family Service Centers (IFSCs) and Integrated Services Centers (ISCs) operated by 12 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on 1 July 2019. The outbreak of COVID-19 started in December 2019 limited face-to-face services, which catalyzed the urgent needs of digital transformation in social work practice. By 31 July 2020, 313 social workers (23 supervisors, 290 frontline workers) had registered with i-TLS. The platform database showed 79.6% (249/313) users accessed i-TLS at least once in the last 28 days, with on average 3.2 platform visits per day viewing 4.8 pages per visit. i-Training provided 41 training mini-modules in applying ICT to family services from counseling, program design, implementation to evaluation. Of 730 enrolments in total, 70.0% (511/730) completed the mini-modules and were awarded digital mini-certificates. i-Learning provided 112 items of learning resources centered around ICT use and family services and had nearly 4000 page views recorded from Google Analytics. i-Sharing had a total of 25 discussion threads with 59 posts. 53.7% (168/313) users completed the 1-year evaluation survey, including 12 who participated in the phone interviews. The mean i-TLS satisfaction score (out of 10) increased from light (4.99) to occasional (6.15) and frequent (6.31) users. Frequent users showed higher scores (out of 10) than light users for an increase in knowledge (5.84 versus 4.09; P<.001), self-efficacy (5.23 versus 3.96; P=.02), and knowledge application (6.46 versus 1.91; P<.001). From the phone interviews, users reported increased ICT use in family services, despite some practical barriers. i-TLS was perceived as an acceptable and supportive tool for learning and practice in family services, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS We have first reported the development and evaluation of a newly developed web-based learning platform (i-TLS) for social workers in family services. The results provided preliminary evidence of using i-TLS to support social workers’ continuous learning and ICT-enhanced services. Accessibility to self-directed and collaborative learning is essential for optimizing social workers’ learning. Further research on enhancing web-based platforms is needed to expand participation and capacity building of social workers and other related professionals. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04034420; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04034420

Participation in Child Welfare Services Through Information and Communication Technologies

2011 ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Susan Tregeagle
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Social Work Interventions

Case management systems were designed to open the way for increased participation of young people and their families in child welfare interventions, and, their standardised format provides a valuable opportunity to use ICT in social work practice. Existing research is unclear about how effectively case management affects participation, nor, the impact of ICT on social work interventions. This paper describes the findings of qualitative research with service users about their experiences of case management and how ICT could further their involvement in critical decisions for families. Service users are keen to use ICT and this could help overcome the limitations of paper-based case management systems and exploit the communication potential of the internet and mobile phones. However, before ICT could be used, the complex ‘digital divide’ affecting disadvantaged families would need to be addressed and social workers’ understanding and current use of ICT would need to be explored.

Community Development with Older Adults in Their Neighborhoods: The Elder Friendly Communities Program

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol D. Austin ◽  
Elizabeth Des Camp ◽  
David Flux ◽  
Robert W. McClelland ◽  
Jackie Sieppert
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Gerontological Social Work ◽  
Multicultural Practice ◽  
Development Practice

In this article, the authors report on lessons drawn from more than 3 years of experience with seniors-led community development at the neighborhood level, the Elder Friendly Communities Program (EFCP). Although community practice has a long history in social work, it has been largely neglected with older adults. Based on analysis of qualitative data, the authors discuss key themes that inform community development practice with seniors including (a) challenging the dominant paradigm of community-based service delivery, (b) efficiency and sustainability, (c) expectations and perceptions of expertise, (d) involvement and leadership, and (e) multicultural practice. With a growing and increasingly healthy elder population, it is time to expand the scope of gerontological social work practice beyond a focus on disability and dependency.

scholarly journals Clinical social work and community practice with children and youth through Carrier Sekani Family Services

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jeremy Bissett
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Clinical Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Family Services ◽  
Therapeutic Modalities ◽  
Practical Experiences

In this report I weave the practical skills and knowledge I gained from my practicum with Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) with theory related to child and youth mental health. I present human ecology as my grounding conceptual framework in my approach to wellness. I explore theoretical foundations for clinical social work, therapeutic modalities, rurality and cultural diversity through a literature review and build on these to support my practice experience. I include sections on youth mental health, Indigenous issues, ally-ship, trauma informed practice, attachment theory, connectedness, tele-mental health and rural social work practice. Services offered through Carrier Sekani’s counselling program that I have practiced include outreach, assessment, treatment planning, safety planning, referral and discharge. I connect practical experiences of working within Carrier culture as a mental health clinician to the literature and explore how I make sense of the shared and created knowledge.

Transforming Classroom Learning Through Community Study Projects in Macro-Social Work Practice Courses

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-210
Author(s):  
Madhavappallil Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Community Study ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
The Usa

This article describes the use of an experiential community study project in teaching a macro-practice course with focus on community engagement in an advanced generalist practice Master of Social Work (MSW) programme in the USA. Implemented in stages, this project is designed to provide students an opportunity to develop community practice knowledge and skills. Quantitative and qualitative data collected from students show how this project developed in them the ability to analyse community characteristics and problems as well as helped them become more culturally sensitive. In developing community profiles and assessing community needs, students could also enhance their analytical and critical thinking skills. These experiential projects are very relevant and useful for social work students and programmes which do not have an opportunity for community practice in their field placement as part of their education. The author argues that such initiatives are likely to reduce the marginalisation of macro-practice courses in social work programmes. Pedagogical and practice implications for macro-practice courses and social work education are also discussed.

scholarly journals Creative Writing and Decolonizing Intersectional Feminist Critical Reflexivity: Challenging Neoliberal, Gendered, White, Colonial Practice Norms in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Affilia ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 088610992110663
Author(s):  
Christine Mayor ◽  
Shoshana Pollack
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Creative Writing ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Warning Label ◽  
Therapeutic Practice ◽  
Writing Prompts ◽  
Critical Reflexivity

Creative writing during the COVID-19 pandemic can serve as a decolonizing intersectional feminist method for critical self-reflexivity. We share responses to the prompt: “If my therapeutic practice came with a warning label in COVID-19, what would it say?” and provide an analysis of the neoliberalism, whiteness, and colonialism embedded in our creative writing and practice. Engaging in critical self-reflexivity through metaphor carries potential for revealing hidden gendered, racialized, colonial, and neoliberal biases and norms related to social work practice, particularly when done in a collaborative, dialogic manner. We conclude by providing possible creative writing prompts that might be used in social work practice, supervision, and teaching to advance existing practices of self-reflexivity in social work both during and beyond the pandemic.

Identity Construction through Theatrical Community Practice

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy C. Hammock
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Dating Violence ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Construction Of Identity ◽  
The Social

Despite the longstanding use of theatrical techniques in community social work practice, the role of theater in the construction of identity is understudied in the social work literature. Drawing on over 100 hours of observation and 22 in-depth interviews with members of a theatrical community education troupe for youth, I describe how participation as performers in a play to prevent dating violence constructed youths’ identities as survivors of violence. Findings reveal that the process of identity construction through theatrical community practice occurred in three overlapping phases: first, learning the language to name the identity; next, embodying a character experiencing dating violence; and third, publicly claiming the identity in group interaction with audience members. Based on these findings, I draw implications for community social work practice with youth.

Educator and practitioner views of professional competencies for macro social work practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1169-1186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R Applewhite ◽  
Dennis Kao ◽  
Suzanne Pritzker
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Social Work Educators ◽  
Macro Practice ◽  
Management And Development ◽  
Macro Social Work

To effectively prepare students for practice, macro social work educators need to keep pace with employers’ demands. This article reports findings from a survey of social work educators ( n = 52) and macro practitioners ( n = 184) in Texas to assess congruence in competencies perceived as necessary for macro practice. Findings reveal that both groups prioritize competencies related to interpersonal dynamics and leadership, program management, and community practice, and view financial management and public relations as least important. However, findings identify differences in practice competencies (e.g. policy practice, organizational management, and development), suggesting a need to better align educational and professional priorities.

A case study of a grassroots truth and reconciliation commission from a community practice perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Androff
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Reconciliation Commission ◽  
Truth And Reconciliation ◽  
Practice Perspective ◽  
The U.S

Summary Truth and Reconciliation Commissions represent an innovative model for social work practice. The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a community-based intervention that sought to address lingering social trauma and tension from a 1979 incident of racial violence in North Carolina. This case study analyzes the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission from a community practice perspective by highlighting relevant aspects of the intervention for social work practice. The intervention is examined along the community practice dimensions of context, theoretical basis, practice model, framing, strategy, and tactics. Each dimension is presented and related to a specific aspect of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission case. Findings The historical context of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission includes legacies racism, labor exploitation, and violence that was pervasive in the U.S. south, as well as traditions of resistance to oppression. The theoretical underpinnings of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission include social constructionism and restorative justice. The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission falls within the community practice models of neighborhood and community organizing and community capacity development. The intervention was framed as a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and incorporated a strategy of inclusiveness. The community practice tactics of fundraising, outreach and recruitment, research and investigation, and public hearings were employed. Applications This article concludes with assessments of the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s impact and implications for community practice, including current applications of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission model in the U.S. Social workers working in communities can apply the Truth and Reconciliation Commission model and the specific community practice dimensions identified in the case study to empower communities and work to overcome legacies of social injustice, violence, and oppression.

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