An investigation of gender inequality in the social work field in Hong Kong

1993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuk-lung, Eric Yuon
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
The Social

Looking Back, Thinking Forward: How a Television Series Facilitated the Development of the Social Work Profession in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Kin Kwan ◽  
Oi Ngor Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Public Image ◽  
Television Series ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Work Practitioners ◽  
Long Term Impact

Abstract The healthy development of the social work profession rests on the public’s understanding and trust. The media play a significant role in shaping the public image of social work. This article describes a focus group study that was designed to retrace the long-term impact of an iconic television series in 1976 on the public’s reception of the nascent profession of social work amongst a group of social work practitioners. Four focus groups were conducted with thirty practicing and retired social workers. The content of the focus group discussions was coded and analysed to generate three major themes: (i) the television series gave a real-world articulation of the work of social workers and catalysed the profession’s public receptivity; (ii) it inspired a call amongst conscientious young people to join the profession; and (iii) it contributed to the construction of social workers’ professional identity. The findings demonstrate the contribution of this television series, hence the role of media, to the early development of professional social work in Hong Kong.

Social workers’ adaptation in times of pandemic crisis: A Hong Kong case

2021 ◽  
pp. 002087282110645
Author(s):  
Henry Wai Hang Ling ◽  
Michelle Shum ◽  
Chi Kin Kwan ◽  
Mingdie Xu
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Theory Of Planned Behavior ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Planned Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Group Sessions ◽  
New Situation

Through the lens of the theory of planned behavior, this article explores how social workers adapt to a new situation due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three focus group sessions were conducted with 23 social workers from child and youth, family, and elderly services in Hong Kong. Three major themes were generated: (1) repositioning the social work profession, (2) renegotiating contracts with funders, and (3) exploring novel intervention methods. Implications of the findings are discussed. To ensure social workers can respond effectively in crises, an evolving nature of the profession is advocated to enshrine its spirit to serve.

Mechanisms of Gatekeeping in the Social Work Profession: Lessons Learned from Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miu Chung Yan ◽  
Jinah Lee ◽  
Edward Ko Ling Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Registration System ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Usa

Abstract Striving to be a full-fledged profession with statutorily delegated self-regulatory authority has been a goal of the social work profession in many countries since Abraham Flexner’s (1915 ‘Is social work a profession?’, Paper presented at the Forty-Second Annual Session of The National Conference of Charities and Correction, Baltimore, MD, pp. 581, 584–8, 590. denial of its professional status in the USA. A full self-regulation requires two gatekeeping mechanisms: professional education and registration. Whereas professional social work education has been in place in many parts of the world, the establishment of a mandatory registration system is still limited to a few countries. Although two mechanisms share the same mandate and function as self-regulation, they tend to be discussed separately in the literature. How they connect and work with each other is seldom explored. In this article, by examining the development of these two mechanisms in Canada, Hong Kong and South Korea, we present three different ways of how these mechanisms are connected and discuss observations of those connections.

scholarly journals Receptivity and Readiness for Cultural Competence Training Amongst the Social Workers in Hong Kong

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent W P Lee ◽  
Daniel W L Lai ◽  
Yong-Xin Ruan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Cultural Competence ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competence Training

Abstract This research examined understandings of cultural competence of social workers in Hong Kong, their needs and challenges in serving culturally diverse groups, and their willingness and receptivity to receive cultural competence training by using constructivist grounded theory. Individual qualitative interviews were conducted with thirteen frontline and managerial practitioners and educators in training institutions in the social work profession. Data were analysed by identifying major themes. The findings show that social workers in Hong Kong tend to encounter language barriers and various forms of cultural shocks in serving ethnoculturally diverse clients. The professional code of practice is not sufficient in promoting culturally competent practice and there are institutional barriers to the enhancement of cultural competence of the social services. Mainstream social work units are generally not well prepared to provide services to non-Chinese communities. In response to these obstacles, professional training should provide future Hong Kong social workers with opportunities to interact with ethnoculturally diverse communities through service-learning. To tackle institutional racism, leaders should have cultural awareness and promote culturally inclusive practices. Inclusion of staff members from diverse cultural backgrounds would increase the capacity of the organisations to better serve clients of diverse needs. Anti-racism training should be made as an essential professional development component for social work students, practicum students, practitioners and managers.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Inequalities in Frailty in Hong Kong, China: A 14-Year Longitudinal Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby Yu ◽  
Cecilia Tong ◽  
Jason Leung ◽  
Jean Woo
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Status ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Subjective Social Status ◽  
Socioeconomic Groups ◽  
The Social ◽  
Logistic Regressions ◽  
Stratified Analysis ◽  
Objective Socioeconomic Status

The prevalence of frailty varies among socioeconomic groups. However, longitudinal data for the association between subjective social status and frailty is limited. In this study, we examined whether subjective social status was associated with incident frailty. Data were obtained from a 14-year cohort of Chinese men and women (n = 694) aged 65 years and older who participated in the MrOs study—a longitudinal study on osteoporosis and general health in Hong Kong. Subjective social status at baseline (2001–2003) was assessed using a 10-rung self-anchoring scale. Incident frailty at the 14-year follow-up (2015–2017) was defined as proposed by Fried and colleagues. Ordinal logistic regressions were used to examine the association between subjective social status (high, middle, or low) and incident frailty. After adjustment for age, sex, marital status, objective socioeconomic status, medical history, lifestyle, mental health, and cognitive function, subjective social status at baseline was negatively associated with risk of developing frailty over time (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2–4.6). In sex-stratified analysis, the social gradient in frailty was only found in men. Social inequality in frailty in men but not in women supports interventions specific to gender inequality and frailty.

Calibrating field practicum assessment in social work education with a competency-based evaluation tool in Hong Kong

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther OW Chow ◽  
Chau-Kiu Cheung ◽  
Gloria Hongyee Chan
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Field Instructors ◽  
The Social ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
Field Practicum ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Work Education

As social work is an international profession, it is necessary to establish the validity of assessment of the field practicum of students for the purpose of professional accreditation. This study calibrates an indigenous assessment tool, the Social Work Practicum Assessment (SWPA), developed in Hong Kong with a competency-based evaluation (CBE) tool popularized in North America, using data collected from 171 social work final-year undergraduates. The results demonstrate convergence between the SWPA and CBE when rated by field instructors and were greater when the student-assessed CBE was higher. Alternatively, the student-assessed CBE displayed greater convergence with the instructor-rated CBE when the indigenous assessment was higher. The positive results imply the generalizability of the assessments across places.

‘Social work is not just a job’: The qualities of social workers from the perspective of service users

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Kwong Kam
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
The Social ◽  
Personal Qualities ◽  
Work Education ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practice Skills

Summary The social work profession emphasises the development of the personal qualities of social workers in addition to requiring them to possess the necessary professional values, knowledge, theories and practice skills. Until now, we have tended to rely on the perspective of social work professional bodies, educators and employers to assess the personal qualities of social workers. We have seldom inquired about the views of service users on the qualities of social workers, thus disregarding their perspective. This article focuses on identifying the important qualities of social workers from the perspective of service users. Findings This paper reports on qualitative research on the personal qualities of social workers that service users value in Hong Kong. It draws on a diverse range of service users with direct experiences of the services provided by social workers. A total of 47 service users from 7 core social welfare service settings and 32 service units participated in an in-depth qualitative interview. Six significant personal qualities of social workers from the service users’ perspective are identified and discussed. Applications The findings have several implications for examining directions for development of the social work profession, the relationship between service users and social workers, effective ways to develop the personal qualities of students in social work education and ways to resolve the dilemma between service users’ expectations and the existing mode of social work service delivery. Issues of particular relevance to Hong Kong are highlighted in discussing these implications.

scholarly journals Tumbler in Tidal Wave: The Professional Stance of Social Workers under Managerialism

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Hung Sing Lai
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Work Values ◽  
Tidal Wave ◽  
Social Work Values ◽  
Social Welfare Services ◽  
The Social

<p>Since the concept of Managerialism has been introduced to the social welfare services in Hong Kong, the ecology of social welfare sector has changed drastically. The operation of most organizations adopts a business inclined practice to run their services under the new competitive environment. Consequently, management that is originally supposed to be an auxiliary servant to facilitate the delivery of services has eventually become the master to be served. Most social workers working under such climate find it difficult to exercise their professional functions as they are demanded to fulfill a great deal of managerial duties. Worse off, some appear to have lost their professional identity. This paper is to reveal the struggles of social workers under Managerialism and explore strategies for social workers to live with Managerialism in a way without losing their professional stance through conducting a qualitative research in Hong Kong. The result of this research identifies eight strategies: “reasserting the professional identity”, “realizing the social work values”, “discerning the first and foremost tasks”, “actualizing professional integrity”, “evoking team solidarity”, “exercising personal influence, “performing collaborative resistance”, and “practicing self-reflection”. Since the core of social work is the social work values and to sustain such values demands social workers having a solid professional stance, the suggested strategies derived from this research can be served as a reference for social workers to withstand the assault from the tidal wave of Managerialism and stand firm again on their professional stance, like a tumbler!</p>

Reshaping the social work education system toward cultural competency: The Hong Kong case

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 316-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gizem Arat ◽  
Narine Nora Kerelian
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Culturally Competent ◽  
Social Harmony ◽  
The Social ◽  
Work Education

Hong Kong is a self-branded international city in Asia. Culturally competent service delivery for ethnic minorities is a nascent arena in the social work profession within the territory. This article attempts to depict the ways in which ethnic groups are situated within local social work practice, reviews the Hong Kong context of a culturally responsive social work profession, and proposes a framework for a more inclusive social work curriculum. In this framework on culturally competent social work education, the authors argue that social harmony and social justice are not mutually exclusive, calling for a (re)conceptualization of social harmony inclusive of social justice.

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