Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
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Collaborative autoethnography and social work
Get PDFLike autoethnography, (AE), collaborative autoethnography (CAE) results in highly personalised narrative accounts of the researcher’s engagement with specific sociocultural contexts. CAE adds a collective interpretation to that engagement. While CAE has thus far been little used in social work practice and education, it is an emerging methodological approach that offers new and different insights and opportunities. This paper discusses CAE and its relationship with social work practice and education. In it I discuss how CAE allows for a collective exploration of an individual experience and how these explorations, and the process of obtaining them, have many benefits for social work practitioners and social work students alike. The similarities between CAE and social work are highlighted, by focussing on some of the very core skills and values that lie at the heart of social work, such as listening, collaborating and showing empathy, CAE would seem a natural progression for inquiry within social work. This contribution to the special issue has implications for both social work practice and social work education
Young people and perceived achievements on social media: the needfulness of social work services in Nigerian tertiary schools
Get PDFMaterial and non-material achievements are replete on social media, and they are perceived differently by people. We sought to provide evidence on how young undergraduates relate with these perceived achievements on social media, the prospects and problems associated with such perceptions, and the implications for psychosocial support services in higher institutions in Nigeria. Guided by phenomenology, 30 young undergraduates across two universities in Nigeria were interviewed. Elicited data were analysed in themes, and identity theory provided the conceptual framework. Despite the positives taken from the perceived achievements on social media, there were considerable negative influences, affecting the character and esteem of young people. The students expressed interest in seeking psychosocial services, which were unavailable. Our study buttresses the need to mainstream social work and other psychosocial services in Nigerian tertiary schools for the comprehensive development of students
Why Autoethnography?
Get PDFAutoethnography addresses the need and desire to make the human sciences more human by writing in ways that are more poignant, touching, vulnerable, and heartfelt. Since social work is a field not only of facts but also of meanings and values, researchers should not be obliged to cling to a narrow range of methodologies and writing genres that may be scientifically acceptable but poorly suited to the broad objectives of the field. Concerned more with evocation than information, autoethnography enables researchers and practitioners to address what it feels like, and what it can mean, to be alive and living in a chaotic and uncertain world, and to show others how they might endure it and move forward. As we developed evocative autoethnography, we not only questioned the boundaries between social sciences and humanities, we tried to stretch and cross them in ways that would create new practitioners and new genres for representing lived experience appealing to the hearts and senses of readers as well as their intellects
“After 25 years of democracy we are still stigmatized and discriminated against…”: Health care experiences of HIV positive older black gay men in a township in South Africa
Get PDFOlder gay black men living with HIV and AIDS have been and continue to be an invisible part of the research landscape in South Africa, with the focus being on the younger LGBTQI+ cohort. Furthermore, aging and health care concerns of this population are ‘swept under the carpet’ due to stigmatization and homophobia. This qualitative study explored the aging and health-care experiences of older gay black men in a selected township in the Cape Metropole, with the purpose of finding strategies to deal with their real life concerns. The first author utilized in-depth interviews with 15 participants, 10 of which were a sample of self-identified gay men, aged between 43-77 and drawn from a selected township in the Cape Metropole in South Africa. Five health professionals working at the local clinic were also interviewed. Interviews were audio-recorded in the language of the participants (isiXhosa) and transcribed verbatim. They were then translated from isiXhosa to English before a thematic analysis was undertaken. One of the key findings of the study was that health-care professionals, particularly nurses at a local clinic, are stigmatizing older black men who are living with HIV and AIDS. This is exacerbated by the rejection by their families and the death of their life partners which leads to isolation, loneliness and depression. Due to comorbidities, COVID-19 has led to some participants passing away. Training of health-care professionals should be prioritized by social workers and workshops should be held in the township to educate families of older LGBTQI+ people on their aging concerns
Participatory Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A Critical Methodological Approach for Urban Social Work Research
Get PDFThis paper explores the utility of participatory GIS as a methodological approach for urban social work research focused on socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and resident health and well-being. The discussion begins with a brief overview of social work’s person-in-environment framework and the historical use of mapping in social work research and practice. Participatory GIS is then outlined and evaluated in the context of social work values and critical social work scholarship. Finally, consideration is given to the steps social work researchers can take to develop GIS skills and integrate participatory GIS into their community-based scholarship
Challenges faced by people living with HIV/AIDS during COVID-19 pandemic in India: Implication for social work practice
Get PDFHIV/AIDS is considered as one of the most demanding public health problems faced by the country. It is a public threat and needs collective efforts in addressing the issue. In this line, a study was conducted among 30 people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India to study the challenges faced by women living with HIV/AIDS during the lockdown COVID 19 Pandemic in India. The data was collected with the support of the International Alliance for the Prevention of AIDS (IAPA) India, Chennai. In this study, descriptive research design and Simple random (lottery method) sampling technique was adopted. The researcher designed a questionnaire comprising both structured and semi structured questions along with “Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) – 21 item” standardized scale to obtain the data. The study shows that 76.7 percent of the respondents felt depressed because they do not have income to support their family needs and 53.3% shared that they are living in fear of HIV/AIDS and now during lockdown fear of survival is another painful one. Social work revolves around service, but is inherently interdisciplinary in nature. In this study Seven-Stage Crisis Intervention Model by Albert R. Roberts and Allen J. Ottens, was used for intervention. It was found after intervention that the p value of Depression, Anxiety and Stress is 0.00, which is less than the significance level of 0.05, hence the null hypothesis is rejected. Thus the results after the intervention showed that there was a visible decrease in their depression, stress and anxiety level.
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, COVID 19 Pandemic, Depression, Social Work Intervention
What is known about Black African pre-registration social work students who have additional support needs in England? - A scoping review
No full textThis paper is a scoping review which seeks to understand the knowledge and evidence which exists in literature and research to support black African social work students who have additional support needs in England. The topic is interested in discovering what constitutes good practice for supporting black African students who have additional support needs as they navigate their academic journey and on placement with a view to create new knowledge and inform practice. A thematic analysis from chosen relevant articles is used to undertake in-depth explorations and navigate the discussions before conclusions and recommendations for social work education are drawn. 
Practice Education in Wales: progress and limitations
Get PDFIn this paper I discuss the role of the Practice Educator and the need for further exploration of research in Wales. I explain in this paper that there is a 'role' conflict between practice assessor and 'educator'. The literature that is currently available on Practice Education includes the perspectives of Practice Educators in England. I therefore argue that a 'body of knowledge' is required to better understand the role of the Practice Educator in Wales.