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Despite the known impact of exposure to adversity on academic outcomes, the role of adversity, particularly expanded forms of adversity, is overlooked within school discipline. Disproportionate application of exclusionary discipline is known to feed disparate educational and criminal justice pathways, particularly for Black and Indigenous males. The objective of this constructivist grounded theory study was to understand the experiences and needs of students who have been suspended or expelled, to inform practice and policy in education. The following research question was addressed: (1) What situations, supports or experiences have positively or negatively influenced the academic journey of students who have been suspended or expelled? Participants (n = 31) were recruited through suspension and expulsion programs in two school boards in urban and urban emergent areas of Ontario. Fifteen students, aged 14-19, were interviewed, (male, n = 11; Black, n = 10) and 16 multidisciplinary staff. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed through constructivist grounded theory methodology. Three interconnected themes, exposure to adversity, connection, and access to resources emerged as influencing students who have been suspended or expelled. Exposure to adversity negatively impacted school success, reinforcing biased perspectives of students, blocking connection, and influencing access to resources throughout students' education, including at the point of discipline. The findings point towards the importance of explicit trauma-informed and culturally aware policy that fosters connection and ensures adequate resources for schools, communities, and students most impacted by expanded forms of adversity.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted an abrupt shift in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in practice. The pre-pandemic use of informal ICT was already ubiquitous in social work practice. The purpose of this teaching note is to highlight that social work education must prepare students for practice using ICT during COVID-19 and beyond. Incorporated are findings from an international study on informal ICT use before COVID-19, which confirmed its ubiquity in social work, underscoring the need to educate and prepare social workers to use ICTs. Six knowledge areas important for social work education related to ICT use are discussed: integrating theoretical foundations; ethical considerations; confidentially and documentation; access and equity; risk assessment and management; and supervision and policy.

The objective of this constructivist grounded theory study was to understand the experiences of students who have been disciplinarily excluded from school. Fifteen students (male, n = 11; Black, n = 10; having special education needs, n = 9) and 16 multidisciplinary staff in Ontario participated. Students experienced high rates of expanded adversities, including school and community violence, systemic racism and inequity. The importance of connection wove throughout the data; however, three themes were found to block connection: unacknowledged impact of adversity, a climate of fear, and the disproportionate impact of limited resources. Trauma-informed culturally attuned approaches that focus on the disproportionate impact of adversity and school discipline at the point of a disciplinary response, and throughout a student's educational experience, are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing school violence can have a detrimental effect on learning. However, it is unclear whether different types of school violence have different impacts based on gender. Moreover, there is insufficient understanding of the direct and indirect effects of experiencing school violence on academic performance through perceived school safety concerns and student depression. Drawing on ecological systems theory and adversity literature, this study examined the direct and indirect effects by gender of three forms of experiencing school violence (physical fighting, threats of weapon-related violence, and bullying), through school safety concerns and depression, on adolescent academic performance. Cross-sectional data were drawn from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior System Survey, a national sample of students in grades 9-12. Multigroup path analysis was conducted to test direct and indirect associations and gender differences. Fighting, threats, and bullying were significantly associated with higher levels of school safety concerns and depression for students, which led to lower academic performance for both females and males. The majority of the effects, in both direct and indirect associations, were significantly greater among female than male students. The results of this study provide important insight into the complex relationships between experiencing school violence, perceptions of school safety, sadness and hopelessness and their relationship to academic performance.

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]

This paper focuses on how social group work is integral to teaching and learning about critical reflection on practice (CRoP), on three different levels. The paper provides an overview of the theory and practice of CRoP, followed by a description of group work in two MSW CRoP course sections at a school of social work in Ontario, Canada. The paper describes the process of integrating CRoP into practicum integration seminar groups to sustain skills in critical reflection, as well as our own group process in our small faculty research and teaching group. By integrating group work and critical reflection literature and by focusing on the development of critical acceptance and mutual aid, this paper will outline benefits, challenges, and opportunities related to the use of groups in facilitating the CRoP process, along with next steps and further discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on children are often misinterpreted in schools as misbehavior and can impact students' academic progress. We explore how the intersection of race and ACEs make students of color hypervisible and more likely to enter the school discipline pathway. Using tenets of critical race theory and the concept of the disciplinary gaze; we found that children of color, experiencing complex trauma, had 1.85 times the odds of receiving a call home (surveilled) for problems at school compared to their White counterparts. Implications for trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools from elementary to post-secondary suddenly shifted to remote learning, placing a heavy burden on parents and caregivers. Likewise, social work practicum placements pivoted to remote learning, compounding existing difficulties securing practicum opportunities. This article describes a response to these challenges. The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) practicum pilot program was developed through a community-university partnership between the King's University College at Western University's School of Social Work and the Thames Valley District School Board. SAFE addresses parental stress and mental health through free and immediate online counselling, while providing stable remote practicum placements. SAFE provides a model for increasing practicum opportunities while simultaneously supporting the needs of underserviced communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of informal information and communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed social work practice, yet the use of ICTs in practice is not commonly discussed in supervision. The aim of this sequential mixed methods study was to understand the factors associated with social workers' discussion of informal ICT use in supervision, and the considerations that influence these discussions. A logistic regression was conducted using data from Canadian #socialwork survey participants in organisational settings (n  =   958). Quantitative findings were integrated with the qualitative findings from a reflexive thematic analysis of participant interviews (n  =   22), some of which occurred during and were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our integrated findings, supervisory ICT discussion was highly dependent on organisational policy and supervisors' interpretation of these policies. The setting in which the survey participants worked was also associated with ICT discussion in supervision. In making their decisions to discuss ICT use, interview participants further highlighted the importance of the supervisory relationship based on supervisor qualities and availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global COVID-19 pandemic has created increased isolation and a need for connecting in new ways. As pre-tenured faculty members at a school of social work in Ontario, Canada, the need to connect and support each other has been particularly important. The challenges of balancing new faculty positions and the demands of teaching, service, and research became even more apparent with additional workloads, difficulties accessing overwhelming amounts of online information, and increased isolation resulting from the pandemic. In response, this narrative describes the process of developing a virtual "pre-tenured faculty" chat support group, and the unexpected source of support it provided. Drawing from group work literature and personal reflections, this paper describes the mutual aid that was developed throughout this process and offers recommendations for creating similar peer support chat groups in academic and other organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) permeated social work practice before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In addition to ICT-based formal services (e.g. e-counselling), social workers used ICTs informally as an adjunct to face-to-face practice. Building on our previous research, our cross-sectional online survey examined social workers' informal use of ICTs in four countries: Canada, the USA, Israel and the UK. The survey was administered through Qualtrics software among social workers across Canada (n  = 2,609), the USA (n  = 1,225), Israel (n  = 386) and the UK (n  = 134), and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. The findings substantiate the ubiquitous use of informal ICTs in social work practice, as an adjunct to face-to-face treatment, across the four countries. Given the current, unprecedented context of COVID-19, we discuss the meaning of our findings related to access, ethical considerations (e.g. professional boundaries) and supervision in the context of restricted face-to-face practice. We discuss the implications for social work practice, education and research, and conclude that in the COVID-19 context, there is an even greater need for research, clinical discussion, supervision and policy on informal ICT use in social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers engage with and hold the emotional context of clients, while managing their own cognitive and affective reactions. As such, the importance of attending to social work students' emotional reactions in the classroom to effectively prepare them for field education and practice has been recognized. A greater understanding of cognitive and affective processes and how to teach students to be increasingly self-aware can better equip future social workers with the necessary competencies for practice. The current exploratory qualitative study examined the role of affective and cognitive processes of MSW students in simulated client interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyze reflection questionnaires completed by MSW students (N = 57) after a simulated client interview in a voluntary educational activity (Practice Fridays). The perceptions of participants illustrated a range of emotional awareness, impact of emotions and emotion regulation which intertwined with their cognitive processes and enactment of procedural competencies. Themes identified included: awareness of emotional reactions, and client understanding; impact of emotions from enhancing to interfering; identification of coping, and connection between practice and emotion regulation. Simulation permits students to reflect on their emotional reactions and receive feedback which can heighten self-awareness, a precursor to developing effective strategies for coping with emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]