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Summary: In response to historic and ongoing devaluation of certain people, and concurrently, the places they live, many communities are grappling with how to respond to place-based harms. This has produced a wide range of responses, such as calls for "Land Back," reparations programs, arts-based neighborhood regeneration, and local history initiatives. This paper explores the potential roles community practitioners can play in these contested places. Drawing on a review of the literature, this paper offers an emerging typology for responding to place-based harms. Findings: The proposed typology includes six place-based approaches: Reparation, Remembrance, Regeneration, Resistance, Harm-Reduction, and Repatriation/Rematriation. The authors distinguish each approach by its target and temporal focus, common strategies, primary change agents, and vulnerabilities. While drawing on transdisciplinary scholarship, authors also describe social work's engagement with each approach. Applications: This emerging typology may assist social work practitioners, scholars, and students as they study and employ strategies for intervening in contested spaces. It also suggests areas for future research in conjunction with responses to place-based harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Social workers, alongside many professionals in "caring" domains, often feel they are poorly represented in television dramas. This study draws on a 172-million-word database to consider how social workers and seven other professional groups (cop, doctor, nanny, nurse, priest, teacher, and therapist) are portrayed in English-medium TV programs in the period 2010–2017. IMDb plot summaries are analyzed, and 200 examples per profession (n = 1,600) are classified as negative, positive, or neutral. Employing the methodology of corpus linguistics, the study contrasts with previous research as the focus is on the language surrounding mentions of professionals rather than on visual depictions or characters' actions. Findings: The study evidences the prevalence of negative societal discourses around social workers as either judgmental bureaucrats or uncaring "childcatchers," contextualizing the findings through comparison with other professionals. The analysis also suggests that social work characters on TV—in common with those from other female-dominated professions such as nanny or nurse—are frequently referred to in terms of their sexual availability or physical appearance. Applications: Findings will have practical relevance for those interested in the recruitment, job satisfaction, and retention of practitioners, and in reducing the stigmatization of social workers and their clients. The innovative methodology employed in the study offers particular insights for social work researchers and also scriptwriters. The study evidences the ongoing need to support media professionals and the general public to better understand the challenges facing the profession and thereby reduce the tendency toward a culture of blaming individuals for society's failings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article explores children's learning experiences from taking part in an educational intervention about social services in school. Data were collected from six group interviews with 27 children after they had participated in lessons about social services. Following a narrative evaluation approach, the analysis focuses on the narratives of change that are made visible through the children's shared reflections about their learning experiences. Findings: In their narratives of change, the children presented the educational intervention as meaningful for them because it increased their knowledge about social services as a possible support function for children and families. Some of the children related their previous more negative perceptions of social services to a collective story building on the idea that social services take children away from their families. Through the educational intervention, this collective story changed in part into another collective story building on the idea that social services help children and families to improve their relationships. Applications: The study shows that an educational intervention about social services in school has the potential to increase children's knowledge about social services and to influence in a positive direction the collective stories that shape public perceptions of social work. Although such changes in collective stories can be expected to benefit social work practice, welfare professionals must be careful to promote opportunities for children to share experiences of social services that challenge, as well as align with, any of these collective stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study evaluated the feasibility of 'Social Workers in Schools', an intervention that involved social workers being based within schools across three local authorities in England (SWIS). Schools make a large number of referrals to Children's Social Care and play an important role in recognizing risks to children and protecting them from harm, but it is unusual for social workers to be based in schools in the U.K. and to do statutory work. We evaluated the pilots on the basis of the feasibility of implementing SWIS, how promising it was in terms of reducing the need for statutory intervention, and the extent to which it be scaled. We used a mixed methods approach, with a process evaluation and a difference in differences analysis of indicative impact on key social care outcomes. In addition, we estimated the cost of implementing and maintaining SWIS. Findings: We found high levels of acceptability among those involved, and examples of how SWIS enhances the way safeguarding issues are addressed. There was also some evidence that it may reduce the need for social care interventions, though this needs ratifying with more and better data. Applications: The study suggests that SWIS is a promising intervention. Both the qualitative and quantitative findings suggest it may have the intended policy impact, but this needs to be tested on a larger scale and with a more rigorous counterfactual comparison. Such a study—a randomized-controlled trial involving 21 local authorities—was commissioned in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The James Lind Alliance (JLA) is a nonprofit United Kingdom (UK) organization that builds a set of research priorities for any given topic through the systematic involvement of practitioners, service users, carers, and stakeholders. In 2021/2022, we reviewed the impact of the JLA priority setting partnership (PSP) on adult social work research (2018). Our research question was "How has social work research responded to and changed since the 2018 JLA priority setting report; and where do we need to focus now?" We searched for research which aligned with the published priorities. We then interviewed 23 social work researchers to learn if/how they had engaged with the JLA PSP and what might be needed for future PSP exercises and research. Findings: We discuss our findings with reference to other reviews of JLA PSPs. We conclude that the JLA PSP for adult social work was uniquely suited to the field given the history of person-centered practices, and this may account for some of the positive reviews of the report. The JLA process and ethos were respected and the report potentially raised the profile of adult social work research, while highlighting unaddressed questions. Applications: Though there are many JLA PSP reviews, this study is one of the few to consider impact, we propose a review process could be applied to PSP exercises more regularly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent public health restrictions caused an unprecedented impact on long-term care services in the United Kingdom (UK). A qualitative study was conducted in the East Midlands, UK, to explore how home care provision was perceived and experienced, by those organizing, commissioning, or providing care, and those receiving care, during the pandemic. Fifteen semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted between September to December 2020 with people who organize, commission, or provide home care (n = 9), recipients of home care (n = 3), and their informal carers (n = 6). Findings: Three broad themes were constructed through a thematic analysis: (1) positive about home care; (2) fear of infection; and (3) social isolation. In addition to these overarching themes, specific group themes were identified amongst group one: those organizing, commissioning, or providing care, and group two: those in receipt of the care and informal carers. Those in group one spoke about the pandemic creating stressful working conditions, regardless of whether organizing, commissioning, or providing care. Despite working throughout the pandemic, they felt a forgotten part of the essential workforce, when compared to those employed in the National Health Service and institutional care. Those in group two experienced a loss of control with visits cancelled or frequently occurring outside of scheduled times. Dissatisfaction with the visits was directed at the management level, rather than at the staff visiting the homes. Applications: Awareness and understanding of the experiences of home care will provide useful knowledge when commissioning future services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing scale of human suffering in the world caused by disasters, wars, violence, conflicts, old age problems and other physical ailments has led to a high demand for care providers. Similarly, the demand for care providers in India is no different and arises from poverty, violence, communal riots, ethnic conflicts, development-induced displacements or climate change disasters. The problem of care has penetrated even into the domain of the private life of the family. Social practices associated with caring are highly valued in the sociocultural milieu. It is a new way of thinking about care that can be incorporated into the conception of social pedagogy. This study highlights the absence of intimate parental care due to many sociopolitical circumstances, which creates a vacuum in fostering early childhood care. The objectives were to determine the dilemmas faced by care providers in the limited resources division between their own and their kin's child and the invisible social stigma associated with the tag of orphans. Kinship care practices among the indigenous Poumai Naga tribe involve alternative relational care to institutional care for children. The descriptive research design involved in-depth interviews with the elders, care receivers and care providers in the community. The article concludes that relational bonds, rather than obligatory senses, are the guiding factor for keeping children with them despite hardships and natural allure of sending them to institutional care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social 1 work was reintroduced to Hungary during the third wave of democratization in Europe. As an academic discipline, it is in a disadvantaged position: the domestic academic traditions prefer strict disciplinary boundaries to inter- or transdisciplinary integration. Ongoing reforms in the country highlight the economic gains and the societal mission of higher education, with a strong focus on internationalization and direct connections to professional practice. Unfortunately, in this new framework, social work is understood as an auxiliary profession. This, in combination with female academics' unfavorable position in Hungary, establishes a situation in which gender-based and disciplinary disadvantages result in a negative synergy. To explore the potential impacts, we maintain a dual focus throughout the paper and analyze academic women's position and the position of academics in social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article explored Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of Complementary and Alternative Interventions (CAI). Method: We utilized a cross-sectional online survey among a sample of 193 LCSWs. Results: Approximately 60% of LCSWs assessed for and utilized CAI professionally, and 90% personally utilized CAI. LCSWs had moderately positive beliefs, neutral attitudes, and high baseline knowledge of CAI. Age and years of practice were the only significant correlates, and the only significant predictor for assessment and utilization of CAI was positive attitudes. Discussion: As the largest group of mental health providers, we found that it is vital for LCSWs to have a solid understanding of CAI to provide effective and safe services to the clients they serve. It is hoped that the results of this study will serve as a starting point for future research on CAI among social workers, with the goal of enhancing client-centered practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this scoping review is to systematically scope the literature on social work, the COVID-19 pandemic, and health policy. The research question guiding the scoping review is: What are the policy issues emerging during the COVID-19 pandemic that are of importance for social workers working in health and mental health? Method: Scoping review methodology following Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework. Results: A final sample of 191 articles were included in the scoping review. The five themes identified are: (a) strengthening social work's capacity to address structural issues in practice, (b) gaps in social work education, (c) need for new and updated standards and guidelines, (d) need for professional clarity and professional supports, and (e) inadequate government response. Conclusions: By strengthening uptake of the policy-practice framework, social work practitioners concurrently address immediate client issues and address upstream factors perpetuating inequities emerging during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The use of humor in social work is an underrecognized and underexplored area of practice despite its potential to heal, harm, and complicate communication. To date, very minimal scholarship has been published on humor in social work. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to examine how social workers use, perceive, and experience humor. Data were gathered from 22 participants who identified as social workers via an online survey. Data also included learning artifacts (e.g., discussion board posts, humor therapy treatment plans) from 19 graduate-level social work students who completed a humor in social work course in the northeast region of the United States. Both datasets were analyzed thematically. Findings: Participants perceived social workers as using humor in clearly distinct ways, as a tool to promote generative growth, and as a weapon to harm already marginalized populations. In total, participant responses highlight the complexities of humor, including its subjective and dynamic nature, which can lead to multiple and sometimes conflicting experiences. Applications: The findings suggest that social workers view humor positively, yet they engage in its use without adequate training, strategy, and reflection, sometimes violating professional ethics. Results further indicate that social workers will continue to employ humor in their professional work to the benefit and detriment of those around them. To support reflective and informed practice, additional research is needed on the use and misuse of humor in social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study contributes to the ongoing efforts to address systemic inequality within social work by examining Canadian social workers' attitudes toward immigrants who are permanent residents (PR), refugees, temporary residents (TR), or undocumented immigrants. Using a cross-sectional design with a convenience sample (n = 653), we explore how social workers' attitudes toward immigrants vary in relation to (a) respondents' demographics, (b) contact with immigrants, (c) perceptions of equal opportunities among immigrants, (d) perceptions of deservingness for immigrants with different legal statuses, and (e) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these attitudes. Findings: While Canadian social workers generally express positive attitudes toward immigrants, there is a slightly stronger endorsement for PR and refugees to access public services compared to nonstatus (NS) immigrants and TR. Social workers who identify as conservative or have limited contact with immigrants are more likely to perceive NS immigrants as potential criminal threats or burdens on the healthcare system. Significantly, a majority of respondents feel that their social work training inadequately prepares them to work effectively with immigrants. Applications: Canadian social workers advocate for principles of diversity, inclusion, and commitment to social justice. However, perceptions regarding which immigrants deserve access to social services vary based on legal status, suggesting a limitation in social workers' professional mandate. The study discusses implications for social work education and training, emphasizing the need to address and unsettle systemic racism within the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The indirect exposure to patients' traumatic experiences may generate contrasting reactions in helping professionals, such as vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience. Theoretical models predict that job stressors facilitate vicarious trauma and reduce vicarious resilience and that personal resources may mediate this relationship. However, there is little empirical research linking some of these variables. This study aims to test: (a) Whether job stressors (family-work conflict, work-family conflict and role conflict) predict personal resources (coping strategies and self-care practices) and reactions to indirect exposure to trauma (vicarious trauma and vicarious resilience); and (b) whether personal resources predict these reactions and mediate their association with job stressors. A convenience sample of 448 social workers from Spain completed an online questionnaire between October 2020 and January 2021. Findings: Structural equation modelling revealed that job stressors generally hindered problem-focused coping and self-care and enabled emotion-focused coping; only vicarious trauma was directly associated with role conflict. Primarily, personal resources predicted the reactions to indirect exposure to trauma and mediated the influence of job stressors in these reactions. Applications: In line with previous research, results support the need for personal and organizational interventions to decrease vicarious trauma and promote vicarious resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: It is widely recognised that young people in out-of-home care are often involved in a complex process of culminating disadvantage and exclusion. Investing in the core ingredients of social inclusion (participation and interpersonal relationships) while still in care can counterbalance ongoing exclusion processes. In this article, we explore how early work experiences (before the age of 18) can play a role in this. Findings: A thematic analysis was performed on interview data from 74 young adults in six countries. Several elements promote community participation (gaining financial autonomy, gaining a feeling of independence, and being able to contribute as a worker) and help to develop a sense of belonging (striving for normality and building long-lasting social connections). Early work experiences also contribute to personal growth (building capabilities and shaping the future). Applications: This article highlights how early work experiences have the potential to promote social inclusion for out-of-home care-experienced young people and serve as gateway experiences for both educational and work trajectories. Entry into the world of work should not be postponed until the age of 18. Caregivers can play a role in motivating young people to work while still being in care and helping them to find a job. The experiences gained during these early work experiences can also have a place in the care process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The complexities of refugee resettlement are difficult to comprehend, and alternative approaches to education may enhance empathy. Puppetry's art form often engages broad audiences, allowing puppets to tell important stories. This project developed a research-based educational puppet show to increase understanding of refugees in the United States (US). Using a mixed-method approach, this exploratory study (1) interviewed eleven refugees from five origin countries; (2) analyzed the interviews for salient themes; (3) developed a "master" play based on emergent themes; (4) delivered the play through puppetry; and (5) empirically assessed the efficacy of puppetry in disseminating information about refugees. Findings: Five overarching themes regarding refugee resettlement emerged from the interviews, namely, (1) economic concerns; (2) language barriers; (3) socio-cultural differences; (4) misperceptions; and (5) altered family dynamics. Almost all 107 respondents who completed a pre- and post-show survey evidenced having gained new knowledge about resettlement in the areas of (i) refugee status; (ii) the arrival process; (iii) economic realities; (iii) adaptation issues; and (iv) refugee perceptions of opportunities in the US. Applications: The salient findings of the interviews were consistent with extant literature on refugee resettlement and the 40-min research-based puppet show confirmed that puppetry can be an alternative, or supplementary, training tool. Puppetry brings life to didactic presentations for social workers and other service providers through effective portrayals of difficulties faced by both refugee and host in the adaptation process. It also suggests that puppetry can sensitize and educate practitioners on issues that can be controversial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: It is widely accepted that honor-based violence is a lived reality and a serious problem. However, honor-based violence is also a contested academic and political field, characterized by a polarized debate about whether or not the violence comprises stereotyping images of immigrants. This article asks how honor-based violence can be understood in light of this polarization, and what consequences it may have for clients and social workers. It is based on interview data with 235 adults with either professional (n = 199) or personal experiences (n = 36) of honor-based violence in Sweden. The data has been thematically coded and analyzed using the concepts of culturalization and intersectionality. Findings: Honor-based violence is simultaneously a lived reality and teeming with stereotypes that are constructed by culturalizing images of nation, gender, age, religion, and sexuality. These stereotypes constitute forms of violence themselves and decrease clients' trust in society and its institutions. Hence, the stereotypes become obstacles to social workers' capacity to support those exposed to violence. At a general level, the stereotypes contribute to retaining the exposed in violence. In contrast, intersectional approaches to understanding honor-based violence have the potential to capture clients' self-perceived and complex formulations of the causes of, and the character of, their situation, and thus increase the possibilities for adequate support. Applications: The article's findings can support social workers' understanding of the complexity of honor-based violence and strengthen their possibilities and capacities to develop antiracist and nonviolent communicative practices and, thus, acknowledge clients' varying experiences and individual needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study is focused on the reentry/resettlement problems that are faced by ex-prisoners in the Czech Republic (CR). Findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 26 ex-prisoners and 30 social workers who provide social services in prisons and after the release. Based on the data, which were coded inductively employing qualitative content analysis, several post-prison issues emerged: (1) material deprivation and insecurity regarding housing, subsistence, and stable employment; (2) debts and enforcement proceedings; (3) prisonisation effect; (4) health issues; (5) relationships with family and significant others; (6) drug abuse; (7) meaningful leisure time. Particularly, more attention was given to housing, subsistence, stable employment, and debts and enforcement proceedings because, compared to other countries, these issues have their specifics in the CR. Findings, interpreted through the optics of intersectionality, suggest that the Czech social policies regarding ex-prisoners are focused on a one or selection of factors, instead on the complex interplay of them, as well as not properly targeted and delivered in the right time. To improve the situation, the better system of social services financing that would address the ex-prisoners' complex needs must be implemented along with the housing first policy and more accessible personal bankruptcy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study draws on research that investigated transformative learning with reference to complexity theories. It describes the use of dance-informed performative autoethnography employed to analyze and interpret participants' experience of crisis in research conducted within a disability service system in Italy during COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, the use of this method of inquiry after the initial data collection was useful in deepening the crisis experience. Secondly, the representation of the data through dance performance fostered new interpretations of the crisis situation that further validated the presentation of the data and had the secondary advantage of reinterpreting the entire experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death may be the only certainty in life, but for palliative care patients and their carers, it is anything but. How long is there left? Will a hospice bed be available? What new loss (big or small), will tomorrow bring? Research suggests that the poor management of uncertainty in palliative care can significantly impact patient outcomes as well as the experience of bereaved families. Social workers cannot mitigate this uncertainty, but they can support individuals to recognise and engage with it. Often, this can create tensions with their personal instinct to remove distress, as well as their professional drive to 'fix things'. By overcoming these challenges and embracing their ability to find ways forward 'in the midst of the messy stuff', they model a constructive mode of behaviour that patients and other multidisciplinary professionals can then mirror. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced welfare states are under pressure to customize services, promptly enough to prevent a cascade of harms. With these goals, the Netherlands in 2015 decentralized social care services to municipalities, and within municipalities to neighborhood teams in continuing contact with clients. The overall results have been disappointing. But the experience of Utrecht, the Netherlands' fourth-largest city, has been strikingly different. By using hard-to-resolve cases to signal conflicts in rules, obstructive jurisdictional boundaries, and the shortcomings of private service providers, Utrecht is learning to customize and speed delivery of social care through incremental steps. This article explains how Utrecht's success addresses apparently intractable limits to the adaptability of the rule-bound welfare state, such as the problem of low-level discretion or street-level bureaucracy and the division of services into silos, in the process bridging, and perhaps effacing, the gap between the Habermasian life world and the system world of formal rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In Western welfare states, public and non-profit service organizations are increasingly looking for ways to combine the efforts and expertise of professionals and volunteers to provide support and services to vulnerable target groups. However, little is known about how professionals and volunteers collaborate to provide these social services and support. The aim of this qualitative study is to analyze how professionals support volunteers in a befriending project, where volunteers provide support to people after they are released from prison. Therefore, we interviewed social workers (n = 4) and volunteers (n = 13). Findings: Our results show that professionals provide tailor-made support to volunteers through different interventions: they share their knowledge and expertise, provide emotional support, and advise and coach the volunteers. Furthermore, in complex cases, professionals intervene to access appropriate social support and realize the rights of those involved. Applications: Our findings provide a comprehensive perspective on how complementarity is constructed in the daily practice of collaboration between volunteers and professionals. Although professional interventions and support are necessary to address the needs of vulnerable people, volunteers offer a wider range of support than professionals alone can provide. Consequently, close collaboration between volunteers and professionals can result in a valuable response to the needs of people who have recently left prison. However, when a client's situation becomes complex and volunteers lack the skills, experience, and status to deal with it, professionals are advised to take over. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In a time of increased social division, overt bigotry, and pervasive structural violence, social workers have an opportunity to lead the helping professions in meaningful social transformation. Social work supervisors play a central role in developing and guiding ethical social work practice. Yet, little empirically driven scholarship exists providing supervisors with strategies for disrupting racism and bias in the practice of their supervisees. This exploratory qualitative study employs a grounded theory approach to unearth such strategies. Fifteen participants with social work supervisory experience, who identified as anti-racist, offered insights into in vivo approaches to disrupting racism in social work practice. Findings: The findings from this study emphasize the importance of a strong supervisory foundation, comprised of centering race and being in authentic relationship with staff. Further, strategies such as assessing the race consciousness of staff create the foundation to employ competencies for efficacious anti-racist supervision including taking space versus pausing, providing incremental pedagogical scaffolding, and leveraging a foundational supervisory skillset. Applications: These strategies represent tangible approaches social work supervisors might employ when engaging in anti-racist practice with their staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Burnout has become an increasingly prevalent condition, especially affecting professionals in direct contact with clients. Human service workers (HSWs) have quite emotionally taxing jobs supporting vulnerable groups. In developing a close relationship with the communities they work with, it could be possible that community-related variables have an impact on HSWs' burnout. We aim to analyze the prevalence of burnout in a sample of HSWs from Portugal and the role of community resilience as a predictor of their burnout, as well as explore if their subjective well-being and community attachment could explain the relationship between community resilience and burnout, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected through an online questionnaire between August 2020 and January 2021 (N = 598). Findings: Results indicate that HSWs presented medium to low levels of burnout, although 8.9% presented high levels. Those who reported lower levels of burnout perceived higher community resilience and had much higher well-being and community attachment. Findings point to community resilience having a significant direct effect on burnout and also an indirect effect, which was explained by subjective well-being and community attachment. Applications: Results seem to suggest that this sample's low-medium levels of burnout could be linked to the benefit of experiencing high community attachment and working in communities with high resilience, which consequently impacted their well-being and burnout. This highlights the crucial role of the work context in professionals' mental health, showing that a broader context needs to be considered in professional mental health promotion programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In response to the so-called "refugee crisis," the Catalan regional government set up experimental services for children migrating without guardians, with the explicit aim of safeguarding their rights. With their continued arrival, however, overcrowding in the facilities and the youths' educational and life prospects have become topics of fierce debate. This article investigates whether young migrants can live in the educational centers that host them. Basing ourselves on the distinction between occupying and living in a place, we call into question the conditions of non-life that, from the educational perspective, the reception system offers migrant youth. A qualitative study was undertaken to gather and triangulate the views of the young migrants (n = 42), and that of their social educators (n = 15), and of the management of the reception centers (n = 2). Findings: Despite efforts to put in place policies affording quality attention, a series of contradictions cause the system to favor the homogenization of outcomes rather than adequately acknowledging and addressing the youths' individual needs. This added to the lack of resources mobilized, has yielded the result that the system that supposedly provides protection for minors, rather than being a lived-in place, has become a classical example of a non-occupied space. Applications: Providing a habitable place depends on the pedagogical commitment of social educators and managers to offering these children the chance to build emotional ties with the center, so that it may become a proper place in the world despite the bureaucratic and structural hurdles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: There is limited literature of the usage of Theatre of the Oppressed within Social work practice. In this study, a group of youth offenders (n = 9) and three social workers known to a Social Service Agency participated in a 9-week Theatre of the Oppressed workshop, consisting of activities aimed to raise critical consciousness. The workshop eventually culminated in a Forum Theatre performance, put up to an invited audience (n = 17). Data was collected throughout the workshop and performance and analyzed using an arts-based method. A focus group discussion was also held with the youths and the social workers separately at the end of the program. Findings: Data revealed that the Theatre of the Oppressed games and activities built solidarity among the youths, although the cultural subgroups of the youths played a part. There was also a general increase of awareness and understanding of power and privilege, and an ownership of the issues that they were experiencing. While the youths felt empowered by the process of designing the script and sharing their stories, the actual medium of performing in front of a group and the power differential with the audience members was seen to have created a negative experience for them. Applications: This study provides an idea of the impacts of Theatre of the Oppressed within group work settings, for marginalized youth offenders. Through the carefully curated activities, social workers may be able to tap on Boal's techniques as a way to build rapport, raise critical consciousness, and empower these youths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Results of our previous research indicated that older adults believe that there's a lack of sufficient social support from informal sources available to them in difficult situations they face. In follow-up research, we found that older adults defined limitation in their self-sufficiency in daily activities to be the most significant difficult situation for them. This paper disseminates the results of the research seeking to answer the research question: According to older adults, can family be a source of social support in a difficult situation of limitation of self-sufficiency in daily activities? Social support theory is the used theoretical basis. Using the method of qualitative content analysis we analysed 23 semi-structured interviews with older adults. Findings: We found that if two conditions, that is, geographic proximity to individual family members and the quality of relationships with family members, are ensured, family can function as one of the informal sources of social support according to older adults. In case that older adults prefer a formal source of social support, they consider their family as a source of social support only in an extreme situation of limited self-sufficiency. Applications: This study provides social workers with a better understanding of the difficult situations of older adults and what kind of social support older adults prefer. This study also provides an argumentation about the importance of gerontological social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This study focuses on the narratives of participants of a long-term expert-by-experience training programme for people with a history of crime about their past, and how they use their life experience in their work as experts by experience. The research data was collected during interviews of respondents with a history of crime (N=19). The interviews were analysed using a narrative identity framework, and the data further examined in light of various studies focused on a desistance from crime. Findings: The transformation process from service user or client to expert by experience provided people with a history of crime with a chance to come to terms with their past, and to and gain a sense of closure. Expertise by experience gave their difficult life experiences a new meaning, and thus promoted their overall rehabilitation and offered them opportunities through which they could gain the appreciation and acceptance of other people. The new relationships presented to them as experts by experience also paved the way to a new kind of self-concept that strengthened the desister's self-confidence and optimistic outlook on the future. Applications: This study offers perspectives on how people with a history of crime can re-enter society. Through their survival stories and their journey to become experts by experience, desisters can earn the acceptance and approval of others and gain a more positive perception of themselves. The new identities of people with a history of crime are dependent on society's approval as they continue to desist from crime and re-enter mainstream society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Migration has always constituted a meeting point of opportunity, risk, and vulnerability. Concerns surrounding the sex trafficking of women have caused moral panic since the mid-1800s and led to social workers' preventive initiatives and interventions in Europe and the United States. This article explores a historical moment in which Henrietta Szold, who headed the Social Welfare Department in Mandatory Palestine in 1934, decided to send social workers to the Jaffa and Haifa ports to welcome young, single immigrant women from Germany in the light of rumours of the moral dangers they faced upon entering the country. This feminist historical study of social work employed qualitative analysis of archival texts to investigate the professional decision-making processes involved in sending a social worker to the Jaffa port and the results of the decisions that were made. Findings: The findings trace the course of events that took place in 1934 using three categories: the rumours, their investigation, and the results and implications of the investigations. The findings point to intersections of nationalism, gender, and professionalism in social work. Applications: This article contributes to the evolving knowledge on moral panic in social work and reveals the historical practice used in social work policy and interventions in facing moral panic regarding young women immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created a unique opportunity to evolve an interdisciplinary palliative care seminar (IPC) into a virtual platform. This seminar provides foundational palliative and hospice concepts, introductions into palliative care disciplines, integration of teamwork, and incorporates interdisciplinary student led patient encounters. Traditionally, this experience had been in person, however during the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare restrictions transitioned the educational delivery to a virtual platform. Methods: To assess the knowledge gained from this novel experience, the Palliative Care Knowledge Test (PCKT) was administered before and after the IPC Seminar. A 1-year follow up survey was also administered to evaluate how the IPC Seminar was applicable to the students' clinical experiences and practice. Results: The virtual didactics and virtual student led patient encounters significantly improved learners understanding of palliative and hospice care. This gain of knowledge was noted across undergraduate and graduate programs, which highlights the need for and benefit from foundational concepts. Furthermore, a 1-year follow up survey noted the IPC seminar was applicable to their practices and suggests that this experience will impact future patients. Discussion: Many of the students practice in rural areas where access to palliative care services is limited or non-existent. This experience exponentially impacts the growth of palliative and hospice care understanding and access to care across the region. Conclusion: Evolving our IPC Seminar has shown to significantly improve knowledge, foster collaboration of student led interdisciplinary teams, and increases capacity to meet the needs of more learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing emphasis on research across disciplines, and higher educational institutions' research productivity (RP) is a matter of serious consideration. However, a knowledge gap exists in RP in social science disciplines in India. In this context, the present study aimed to (1) understand the RP of social work and psychology schools at publicly funded central universities (CU) in India, (2) evaluate the RP and research impacts of faculty members in these schools, and (3) identify the publishing trends and patterns in social work and psychology disciplines. Using the Scopus database, we collected bibliometric information on publications of 19 social work and 16 psychology schools and their faculty members. The results indicate that schools' research productivity remained unpromising, constituting many faculty members (Social work 51.08%; Psychology 43.4%) with no publications. Although the average RP of social work (M= 16.0, SD = 17.40) and psychology (M= 45.63, SSD = 61.08) schools differed, the difference was not statistically significant (t = 1.88, p = .078). An increase in the publication was evident after 2016, indicating positive-policy impacts. A difference in RP across professional ranks was evident for social work (p\.05) but not for psychology (p>.05). For research impact, a difference existed based on ranks for academicians from psychology only (p\.05). Publications in high-impact journals and an output of international collaborations remained low in both disciplines. Implications point to developing appropriate workshops and training to provide hands-on experience to improve quality research among academicians. Further policy changes are also essential to enhance research culture and productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the early 2000s, Turkey's youth justice system has undergone extensive reforms. However, it is centred around high-security remand imprisonment. Based on the research conducted between 2014 and 2015 to comprehend how high-security remand imprisonment has acquired such a central role, this article provides an analysis on the ways in which the system has diverted into a peculiar 'managerialism'. Certain themes emerged revealing the turn to 'managerialism': (1) lack of coordination between different professional units and lack of evidence-based policymaking, (2) prioritization of speed and technology, (3) peripheral role of social work officials and (4) the importance of prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Many young orphans in Zimbabwe grow up in residential care facilities, but according to governmental policies and literature in this field, these children should be transitioned to extended families to ensure optimal development. Thus, semi-structured interviews was conducted with a social worker, two residential care administrators and five extended families; whereas the participating orphans were asked to draw and narrate their lives in RCC and their extended families. This article provides empirically derived insights to the inner experiences of the transition processes of five young orphans and their extended family members, two residential care administrators, and one social worker. The theoretical approach taken to analyze the data consisted of the inductive data analysis. Findings: Although transitioning to a family is deemed ideal for orphans it was apparent in this study that most of the orphans found their new family life challenging and stressful. Several themes emerged from the data, namely financial constraints hindering the transition experiences in families; lack of training of family members on how to support orphans in their families, as well as emotional and cognitive challenges faced by orphaned children. Application: The insights of this study can be used to improve the transition experiences of young orphans, especially in Zimbabwe. Future practical and policy changes are also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Efforts to assess the risk of criminal legal system involvement among people with serious mental illness (SMI) often rely on strategies that locate the risk at the individual level. The present study examines environmental factors that contribute to criminal legal involvement for people with SMI in mental health treatment settings. Thirty-one people with serious mental illness and prior criminal legal involvement were interviewed in this qualitative study. Interviews focused on factors that contributed to and protected against criminal legal involvement. The research team engaged in inductive thematic analysis of interview data. Findings: Findings reveal that understanding of physical, social, and treatment environments is critical to risk assessment with this population. In highlighting the role of the environment, we offer findings that may lead to improved strategies for service delivery with this population. Complicating contemporary approaches to risk assessment, our findings suggest that mental health treatment systems that serve individuals with serious mental illness should engage in meaningful consideration of environmental factors. Applications: Identification of protective and risk factors in clients' physical, social, and treatment environments is critical for social work practice with individuals who have a history of criminal legal involvement and serious mental illness. Treatment settings can create opportunities for the development of protective factors by integrating wrap-around services, treatment services that follow an empowerment-participation strengths model, and post-incarceration services with clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary : This article examines the role of social workers involved in a pilot home care project undertaken to attend to the social needs of people at the end of their lives and their carers. Mixed methods approach and evidence-based, constructivist, and comprehensive evaluation were chosen to achieve this aim. Analyses are based on 235 responses from a survey addressed to professionals working in the project, 22 in-depth interviews with a selected group of these professionals, and 114 semi-structured interviews with the sick people and their caregivers. The analysis of the data has considered the theoretical development and professional experience systematized in the Spanish and international literature on social work in end-of-life care. Findings : The results highlight the relevance that professionals, patients, and carers attribute to social care at the end of life and to the role, skills, and qualities of social workers. Their contribution has been valued in terms of the management of services and supports (speed, availability, kindness, sensitivity), the establishment of teamwork (coordination, facilitation), and the recognition of the basic principles of the care process (individualization, respect for privacy, confidentiality). Applications : Findings demonstrate that social work is a profession well placed to help in the recognition of people's dignity at the end of life, in the exercise of their self-determination, and in the humanization of the care process. Some challenges facing consolidation of this professional practice are also indicated within a framework constrained by a predominantly biomedical culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ever since the pandemic first broke out in 2020, there has been a swift shift from offline to online mode of education. The present study is aimed at examining the online learning experience among a sample of social work students in India (n = 202) in order to understand the crucial factors that can help improve their learning experience and so that they become effective social workers in the future. Findings: The results have highlighted several independent factors such as the mode of connecting to the internet, number of hours of online classes per day, type of field work, rural/urban location of the students, and hours of sleep, among other variables, that are significantly associated with important indicators of the online learning experience of students. Applications: The results point to the urgent need to reduce the number of hours of online classes, educate students on the importance of sleep, improve internet accessibility along affordability of learning tools such as laptops, especially for those residing in rural areas, and promote classroom discussion during online classes, so as to improve the online learning experience of social work students in India and to produce effective social work practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Accumulating evidence indicates the multifaceted nature of social support. Although support seekers may receive help, they may also encounter upsetting responses. It remains unclear how seeking and receiving social support, when differentiated, are associated with individuals' strengths and well-being. This study collected survey data from 357 adults recruited from the southeastern United States. We classified participants using the factors of support seeking and support received into four groups: Interconnected (high on support seeking and receiving), Tended (low on support seeking, high on support receiving), Rebuffed (high on support seeking, low on support receiving), and Isolated (low on support seeking and receiving). We then examined the differences among groups. Findings: The study found significant differences among the four groups in measures of regulatory strengths, meaning-making strengths, interpersonal strengths, and perceived well-being. In general, the Interconnected group scored highest among the four groups, followed by the Tended group, the Rebuffed group, and lastly, the Isolated group. Applications: The finding that the Rebuffed group did not score significantly lower than the Isolated group underscores the importance of support seeking. Individuals may benefit from the support seeking process even though they do not obtain the support needed. Social work practitioners should facilitate and optimize their clients' support seeking, including removing clients' barriers to support seeking and addressing clients' negative experiences in the support seeking process. Social work researchers should measure multiple aspects of social support, including support received and support seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This article concerns interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act (MHA) (1983) assessments where either a signed or spoken language interpreter is required. It reports data from 132 Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) in England who have direct experience of such circumstances addressing expertise, training, readiness, and potential influences on the outcome when interpreters are involved. Quantitative data were collected by means of an online survey analyzed descriptively with additional open-ended qualitative responses analyzed thematically. Findings: More interpreter-mediated MHA assessments were reported as occurring in hospital than in community settings. Although AMHPs were confident in their expertise, nearly two-thirds felt they were less effective when an interpreter was involved. The vast majority had received only minimal training on how to work with an interpreter. Recording of language and interpreter use in the assessment was revealed as inconsistent. Most AMHPs thought incorrectly that interpreters were subject to mandatory registration with assured minimum standards of qualification and expertise. Practical problems associated with the timeliness of access to interpreters and complexities of using telephone interpreters instead of face to face were raised. AMHPs expressed a wish for more training and guidance including expectations of the interpreter role. Applications: Consistent standards of formal recording of interpreter use as part of annual monitoring of the MHA are required to understand any potential inequities of outcome resulting from language mediation. Joint training with interpreters is desirable with more specific guidance and resources for working AMHPs and interpreters to promote best practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Gangs are commonly presented in research as an attractive alternative for those who feel excluded and unrecognized in "ordinary" society. Gang life is volatile, however, and violence (open or suppressed) is more or less omnipresent. Exiting a gang seems to be motivated by both thoughts of a better life and disappointment in the gang's failure to meet hopes and expectations. Findings: From an analysis of former gang members exit processes, this article investigates what about gang life was stressful and motivated participants dropout, how they coped with tensions, and elaborates how social work could use this tension productively to support people exiting gangs. The data consist primary of interviews with 20 former gang members and 42 professionals. Organizational theory was used in combination with theories on liminality and identity reformation to understand how tensions occurred in gang life, how they were managed, and what caused exit. Applications: Social workers may help members exit from gangs by supporting and strengthening their motivations to leave, stimulating their self-reflection, and reminding them of their past transformative. Most important, gang members should be helped to recognize the positive urges that drew them towards gangs and refocus those wishes for community to general society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) pilot program was developed through a community–university partnership to support parents of elementary students in Ontario, while providing stable practicums for social work students in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to examine the feasibility of the SAFE pilot program as a mental health support to families by examining three feasibility objectives: demand, acceptably, and implementation. Method: Qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and qualitative surveys involving service users, social work students, referring school board and university professionals (n = 37) were examined. Results: Demand for SAFE extended beyond the pandemic. A high-level of acceptance of SAFE was identified. Areas of success and considerations for implementation are outlined. Discussion: This study provides practice guidance on implementing this unique program, with potential to address gaps in service provision and the ongoing crisis in field education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is significant literature on the existence and adverse effects of social isolation and depression among the elderly, exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A literature review indicates no studies of how the Medicare home health benefit addresses social isolation and depression, including no studies of home care social workers' perceptions of the nature and consequences of Medicare coverage. This article summarizes an initial, exploratory study to address the literature gap, based on interviews of a convenience sample of 44 home care social workers from 5 different home health agencies in the New York City metropolitan area between November 1, 2021 and May 31, 2022. Six themes emerged from the study. Social workers believe: (1) extensive social isolation and depression exist among Medicare home health beneficiaries; (2) Medicare home health policy provides no systematic measure to detect or monitor social isolation and a limited measure for depression among the homebound elderly; (3) Medicare home health policy provides no coverage to treat either depression or social isolation; (4) effective interventions are available to prevent and treat depression and social isolation. Social workers also believe that: (5) the lack of social isolation and depression coverage results in additional mental and physical health conditions; (6) lack of social isolation and depression coverage exacerbates existing mental and physical health conditions. Policymakers are urged to modify the Medicare home health benefit to improve detection and monitoring of social isolation and depression as well as coverage of appropriate evidence-based preventative and treatment interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Queer has existed in academia since the late twentieth century and has developed into a prominent theoretical orientation and subject of academic inquiry. Although queer theory originates within critical spheres of the humanities, social work has tepidly adopted it and subsequently domesticated it. This paper considers what might be dangerous about a tamed, academic queerness. Equally, what might be exciting for social work about a combative and wholly unknowable version of queer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Social workers are at the front line of helping individuals experiencing alcohol usage, due to their professional duties, ideology and values that underpin it. In Lithuania, where social work still continues to develop in both practice and education, it is crucial to supplement with relevant information to strengthen social work's response to issues with alcohol usage. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore social workers' attitudes towards individuals with alcohol usage problems. Methods: In total, 149 Lithuanian social workers completed a web survey that gathered information about education, work experience and workplace, and filled in the Short Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire (SAAPPQ) to measure their attitude towards individuals with alcohol usage problems. Results: The social workers showed a positive attitude towards individuals with alcohol usage problems (mean 35.81 [SD 4.8]). Attitude domain analysis revealed Role Legitimacy (91.3% above the midpoint) to reflect the most positive attitudes and Work Satisfaction (24.2% above the midpoint) to reflect the least positive attitudes. Those with master's degrees scored higher on the total SAAPPQ (t = −2.44, p = 0.016) and its subscales Work Satisfaction (t = −2.52, p = 0.013) and Therapeutic Commitment (t = −2.21, p = 0.029). Having 6–13 years of work experience (mean SAAPPQ = 37.02 [SD 5.11]) was associated with a more positive attitude compared to those with less than 5 years of experience (mean SAAPPQ = 34.08 [SD 3.87]). Conclusion: Although social workers understand their professional responsibility to work with individuals with alcohol usage problems, their dedication to work, motivation and task-specific self-esteem are low. The results also support education, as those with master's degrees showed more positive attitudes. This study further encourages support for social workers just beginning their career, who might report lower attitudes towards individuals with alcohol usage problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Mindfulness and cognitive training interventions are promising models to address impacts (e.g., anxiety and stress) of cognitive impairment among older adults. Combining strategies may yield better outcomes than models offered in isolation. However, there are numerous uncertainties about these interventions, potential for combination, and implementation. Social workers are well placed to offer these interventions. Findings: From an initial search of 3,538 records, 13 studies were included in the final review. Mindfulness studies focused on stress reduction or cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive training studies applied stimulation or activity approaches. Results indicate that the field is still emerging, as most studies were pilot or feasibility trials. A combination of mindfulness-based stress reduction and brain training activities may offer the most promising model for older adults with cognitive impairment, based on outcome assessments and other factors. A common limitation among the reports was detailed on engaging older adults with cognitive challenges in the design and implementation of these interventions. Applications: This realist review deepens the understanding of how, why, for whom, and in what circumstances a combination of mindfulness and cognitive training could be most successful for social workers to address intersecting cognitive and aging needs of older adults. Building evidence on combining mindfulness-based stress reduction and brain training activities among older adults with cognitive impairment could yield promising results, and this review identifies implementation considerations. The review also found a need for psychometric scale development on the benefits of brain training activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The rise in anti-Asian hate since the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the challenges that Asian Americans in the United States (U.S.) experience with xenophobia, racism, and the "model-minority stereotype." The model-minority stereotype is a misleading myth that has been pervasively attached to the Asian American identity and experiences. Thus, it can serve as a useful framework to understand experiences in the current anti-Asian hate climate. In this exploratory qualitative study, the investigators interviewed Asian American social workers (N = 17), highlighting their perspectives and experiences during the anti-Asian hate climate, with attention paid to how the model minority stereotype was contextualized among participants. Findings: The resounding tone underlying participants' model-minority stereotype-related discussions was the need to counter the model minority stereotype. Notably, the model-minority stereotype was contextualized differently for participants and three themes were identified: (1) limbo between model minority and perpetual foreigner status; (2) impacts on the social worker role and in the organizational setting; and (3) impacts on advocacy work. Applications: Study findings suggest a need for continued support and opportunities to unlearn and relearn the purpose of the model-minority stereotype and its broad sweep and attacks on various health dimensions (physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually) across Asian Americans ethnic groups. Countering the model-minority stereotype can play a pivotal role in transforming the narratives surrounding Asian American's identity and experiences in the U.S., in addition to organizational culture and dynamics to support Asian Americans social workers practice and advocacy work across practice levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The present U.S.-based study adds to the ongoing discourse on the ethical use of digital technology in social work practice, made more urgent by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Following the achievement of Human Subjects approval, we obtained a stratified, random sample of 150 institutions of higher education with Council on Social Work Education-accredited undergraduate and graduate social work programs. Prior to COVID-19, we administered a 61-item, Likert-scale survey to social work program directors via email, who then communicated this information to student listservs. A total of 430 social work student responses were retained for analysis. The survey instrument included items related to the students' social media use, their attitudes toward social media, and their knowledge of social media's impact on society. Rao-Scott chi-square tests for independence were used to ascertain statistical relationships between U.S. social work students' responses to the survey item, social media should be used as a treatment modality, and student demographic variables that include: Age, program level, course format, and social media use. Findings: Statistically significant relationships were determined to exist between social work students' endorsement of social media as a treatment modality and: (1) Age and (2) program level. Conversely, no significant relationships were found regarding (1) course format and (2) social media use. Applications: Implications for social work professional education are discussed. Recommendations for future social work research are provided: (1) A national replication study; (2) qualitative studies; (3) a comparative study with social work educators and practitioners; (3) a global study; and (4) ongoing evaluation of direct practice methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The field of social work has seen increased recognition across many sectors in recent years. Evolving racial, political, and medical paradigms and the COVID-19 pandemic have shown the importance of a person-centered approach to health and mental health. One such area of practice is neurology, specifically work with people with Parkinson's disease (PD), which is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, currently impacting more than 10 million people worldwide. While social workers have long played key roles in multidisciplinary teams in PD care settings, research and literature offering assessment and evidence in this area remain limited. This research study used a mixed-methods approach with additional in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 11 social workers. This article presents findings from the 11 interviewees who are presently working with people with PD using thematic analysis. Findings: Themes emerging were an in-depth detailed role of the social worker, the importance of strong relationships working with people with PD and their families, multidisciplinary teams, and the community. Institutional challenges were highlighted concerning supporting social work positions and encouraging social work intervention from the beginning of diagnosis to the end stages of the disease. COVID-19 proved very challenging for social workers, multidisciplinary teams, and families, and yet positive practices were identified as well. Applications: The impact of this study reinforces the essential role specialized PD social workers play in multidisciplinary PD teams and recognition needed to increase their role through early intervention reflected in increasing social work positions in neurology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Social workers have had a pivotal role in handling the challenges faced by people dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Supporting clients who have undergone traumatic experiences during a global pandemic may increase the risk of experiencing secondary traumatic stress. This study examined two protective factors that may be key in the association between stress and social workers' secondary traumatic stress: Psychological capital (internal protective factor) and satisfaction with supervision (external factor). The study sample included 104 Israeli social workers who worked in their profession during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A regression-based path analysis was conducted to test the moderation model with the PROCESS software. Findings: Self-efficacy significantly moderated the association between perceived stress and intrusion; increasing self-efficacy decreases perceived stress's effect on intrusion. Although no significant moderating effect was found for the existence of supervision, the interaction between perceived stress and satisfaction with supervision was significant in predicting secondary trauma. Applications: Social workers' unions must work to improve the quality of supervision and raise awareness of the importance of supervision in general and particularly during times of crisis. Manageable workloads, a reasonable balance between work and home, and verbal and financial encouragement to seek professional psychological assistance would all be to the advantage of social workers at risk for secondary trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Drawing on historical constructions of Indigenous peoples, this paper analyses the continued impact of settler discourses of Indigenous families, parenting, and children on child welfare policy in Canada today. Findings: In this work, two provincial children's Advocate reports on the deaths of Indigenous children in care, Tina Fontaine and Alex Gervais, are critically assessed in order to explore the processes through which these colonial constructions operate to create adverse outcomes for Indigenous people. Through this analysis, a number of contemporary colonial narratives are made visible, including the belief that Indigenous parents are inherently incapable of caring for their children, and the gendered construction of Indigenous men and boys as criminal and deviant and Indigenous girls as sexually exploitable. Application: These findings suggest that greater critical reflection is needed when working with Indigenous peoples, including greater awareness of the ongoing impact of settler colonialism and the necessity of engaging in anti-colonial work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Unpaid carers were profoundly impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and public health responses. In the UK, in March 2020, people identified as clinically extremely vulnerable and their household members were advised to "shield" for an initial 12-week period, which meant minimizing all contacts from outside the household and not leaving the house at all, unless in an emergency. In a modified form, shielding guidance remained in place until August 2020 and was reinstituted from December 2020 until April 1, 2021. This article, reporting on qualitative interviews with 47 unpaid carers in Wales, thematically analyzed using a coding framework, explores the experiences of unpaid carers affected by this shielding guidance and their wider implications for social work with unpaid carers in the future. Findings: Participants in our study described ways in which their caring role expanded, due to the need to provide additional practical and emotional support for loved ones who were shielding, and who lost access to other avenues of support. Some also described their caring role as becoming more involved and complex due to the declining health or self-care capacity of the person cared-for as a direct consequence of shielding restrictions. Alongside the increase in their caring responsibilities, carers reported losing access to important avenues of support for their own well-being. Applications: We draw on ecological systems theory to highlight the importance during care planning and management of exploring the carer's mesosystem to identify and optimize sustaining forces, and of attending to the microsystem involving the carer and person cared-for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: When elderly patients are admitted to a hospital, they may require support from medical social workers during hospitalization. This study examined the association between patient characteristics and support provided by medical social workers in applications for social welfare benefits during hospitalization. We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients aged 65 years or older between October 2018 and September 2021 who had involvement by a medical social worker during their hospitalization at a tertiary care hospital in Japan. We evaluated associations between background factors and support in applying for social welfare benefits by medical social workers using logistic regression analysis. Findings: Among 485 eligible patients, 79 (16.3%) received support from a medical social worker in an application for social welfare benefits. Early elderly age (65–74 years) and living alone were independently associated with receiving support from medical social workers (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.16–3.37, P =.012; 3.86, 95% CI 2.26–6.62, P <.001, respectively), regardless of sex, activities of daily living before admission, and presence of a regular doctor. Application: The findings suggest that early elderly individuals who live alone may not be able to utilize the available welfare benefits and not have adequate support from family members when admitted to a tertiary care hospital, even if they have adequate activities of daily living and a regular doctor. Early intervention to improve social vulnerability may be required for early elderly individuals who live alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]