Whiting & Birch (E-Journals)
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The Professional Capabilities Framework and contemporary debates: Implications for social work education in England
Get PDFAbstract: The social work reform agenda sought to transform social work education. The aim was to make qualifying social work education effective at producing social workers fit for practice. A number of reforms have been implemented. These include among others the Professional Capabilities Framework. This framework provides a single set of standards for all social workers from initial qualification to advanced practice. The problem for social work reform and the Professional Capabilities Framework is that elements of the reform remain contested. Despite the implementation of the reforms in 2013 differences continue to exist about the nature and purpose of social work. The key message of this paper is that reconfiguring the Professional Capabilities Framework within Sen’s capabilities or human development approach will provide social work education with a more comprehensive foundation with which to engage effectively with contemporary debates about social work education.Keywords: professional capabilities framework; Sen; Naussbaum; capabilities approach; human development mode
Development, delivery and evaluation of a social work elective offered in a hospital setting
Get PDFAbstract: This paper describes a qualitative study about a Master’s level elective course offered on-site at a Canadian pediatric hospital and delivered by frontline hospital social workers. Ten social workers and four students participated in the study which captured their experiences in the course. A grounded theory approach guided this study. Social workers discussed an enhanced sense of professional self, impact on their daily roles and various opportunities resulting from participation. Students discussed diversity, development of a realistic understanding of the social work role and the unique format of the course. Implications for future course development and university-agency partnerships are discussed.Keywords: social work; education; pediatrics; hospital; teachin
Vertically integrating professional competencies in general education through service-learning
Get PDFSystems of practice teaching strive for mutually beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders. Knowledge, skills, and behaviors necessary for successful functioning in future field settings must be consciously addressed at the beginning of a curriculum. Thus, in this grounded, a priori, qualitative study, we attempted to determine what competencies students might build through a service-learning project incorporated into a second-year undergraduate writing course. We studied the post-project reflections of students participating in a course with a service-learning project and of those participating in a course with a traditional, class-based project. We noted differences in how the students in the service learning project approached the assignment, the outcome, and the collaboration in a manner that is much more reflective of the kinds of professional behaviors they will use in the field than the students who participated in the class-based project. Linking professional practice to the early stages of curriculum provides students with practice thinking critically, problem solving, and building constructive communication. By nature of the recursive service learning project, students began making vertical moves toward bridging general education and professional practices and are, thereby, more likely to engage in more sophisticated professional behaviors once they enter their field environments.
Group Proposal: Hybrid Group for Direct Support Staff Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full text The purpose of this paper is to explore the many challenges that face direct support staff that work with individuals with autism spectrum disorder and provide a comprehensive outline for a combined psychoeducational and process group, which addresses the needs of this population. The overarching goals of the group are to decrease staff stress and burnout and improve client quality of care overall. A 10-week agenda with resources and handouts as well as guidelines for ethical, cultural and group selection concerns are provided and ready to be implemented with this population. Keywords: direct support staff, autism spectrum disorder, stress, burnout, client care, group therap
Strengths-based services offered to the homeless by non-governmental and faith-based organisations in Tshwane Region Three, South Africa
Get PDFHomelessness is a global phenomenon that is escalating for economic, social, structural and political reasons. Many organisations render services to the homeless in the inner city of Tshwane (Region Three), but these services have not been explored. This article discusses a qualitative research study focusing on the social services rendered to the homeless in Tshwane Region Three. Beneficiaries of the services include men, women and children. Individual, family, group and community services are rendered. Services focus on basic needs, skills training and socio-emotional needs and are rendered from a strengths perspective. Research results indicate that the homeless are often involved in planning, assessing and implementing services. Service-rendering may be hindered by poor funding opportunities and ignorance of service providers regarding the content of policies and guiding documents. The lack of coordinated efforts can be ascribed to unawareness about the services rendered by other organisations. Recommendations include fostering collaboration between the government, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs). Specific policy related to the homeless must be formulated to guide service providers to provide a legislative framework for funding, service delivery and the development of training and financing for staff and volunteers of NGOs.Keywords: homelessness; social services; strengths perspective; developmental welfare approac
‘We definitely need more SLTs’: The transgender community’s perception of the role of speech and language therapy in relation to their voice, language, and communication needs
Get PDFAccording to Sydor (2013), it is critical to include all vulnerable, hard-to-reach groups in research in order to identify their specific needs. Transgender individuals can be considered as belonging to such groups. Speech, language, and non-verbal communication are often strongly related to gender. For transgender individuals experiencing mismatches between existing communication behaviours and their true gender, changes to these aspects of communication can help improve quality of life and mental health. Research has indicated that speech and language therapy (SLT) can successfully support the transgender (TG) community’s communication needs but, internationally, this intervention is under-utilised (Gelfer and Tice 2013; Hancock and Garabedian 2013). This qualitative study aimed to investigate the TG community’s understanding of the role of SLT in relation to their voice, language, and communication needs. It also explored how the TG community access the available care pathways and what factors are considered when making decisions relating to their participation in SLT. Two main themes, communication and SLT were identified. This study identified a continuing need to raise awareness of the breadth of the role of SLT within the TG community. As there is no defined referral pathway to SLT services, the research highlighted a need for the SLT profession to provide details of all trans-competent clinicians and to ensure that other members of the medical profession who interact with the trans community utilise this information to provide appropriate referrals.Keywords: transgender; communication needs; speech and language therapy; qualitative research; hard-to-reach; thematic analysi
Looking at field through a structural lens
Get PDFMany objectives of the Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) Accreditation Agreement (CASWE, 2013) relate to the field component of social work programs. Among these objectives are the promotion of human rights and social justice; the support and development of diversity, a consideration of the structural sources of inequalities and the application of critical thinking within the framework of the profession. Many of these objectives are related to a structural approach. As suggested by Drolet et al. (2012) it is crucial that students learn to make links between theoretical approaches studied in the classroom and their experience while in placement. While in placement, students need to understand how theories inform their actions (Drolet et al., 2012)
Editorial: Group Work Camp
Get PDFWelcome to this special issue of Groupwork, which features papers on the International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) sponsored Group Work Camp. Before beginning my thoughts on the historical relevance of summer camps and their importance to modern groupwork practice, I must note that this editorial is decidedly American. The camp history I present is closely related to the development of the recreation movement in the U.S. during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This history highlights the relationship between summer camps and groupwork and the important role groupwork played, and continues to play, in summer camps. In many ways this analysis is apropos as the IASWG Group Work Camp originated in the U.S. and is deeply indebted to this history
Reflections on the IASWG European Groupcamp in Birštonas, Lithuania
No full textAbstract: This article is written by multiple authors all of whom participated in a ‘Groupcamp’ (a residential experience for groupworkers about groupwork) in Birštonas, Lithuania, in October 2015. The purpose of the camp was to bring groupworkers together from various countries and with many different group approaches, but with a common desire to share their practices and to experience them directly. The Groupcamp in Lithuania honoured the work of Ann Bergart and her colleagues who have established an experiential Groupcamp in the US. Groupcamp allows those on the ‘factory floor’ to exchange knowledge directly through practical group experiences that transcend language and culture. The purpose of the paper is to give the reader a flavour of these experiences and to pass on some practical group exercises – their purposes, how they might be used and the reflections of those who experienced them. The paper reflects on the journey made by the various participants over the three days of the camp.Keywords: group work; groupwork; Groupcamp; IASWG; experiential learning; activities; improvisatio