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COVID-19 changed the context for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use globally. With face-to-face practice restricted, almost all communication with clients shifted to ICTs. Starting in April 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers from four agencies serving diverse populations in a large urban centre, with the aim of exploring social workers’ informal ICT use with clients. Approximately 6 weeks after the cessation of face-to-face practice in March 2020 due to COVID-19 measures, we re-interviewed social workers (n = 11) who had participated in our study. Second interviews were based on a newly developed interview guide that explored social workers’ use of ICTs with clients in the context of COVID-19. Analysis of transcribed interviews revealed that the context of COVID-19 had generated two main themes. One, a paradigm shift for social workers was characterized by (a) diverse ICT options, (b) client-driven approach, and (c) necessary creativity. The second theme entails the impact of this transition which involved (a) greater awareness of clients’ degree of access, (b) confidentiality and privacy, and (c) professional boundaries. We discuss these themes and sub-themes and present implications for practice and research in a Post-COVID-19 world.

Integrating contextual competency frameworks into health social work education and practice can bolster student training and staff supervision strategies. This article describes the iterative devel...

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed social realms and professional fields of practice including social work. Research is lacking on informal ICT use and its impact on clinical social work. The purpose of the current study was to examine social workers’ informal ICT use with clients between sessions as an adjunct to face-to-face practice, and thus contribute to the paucity of literature on this phenomenon. An online survey, #socialwork, was distributed among social workers with direct client contact, across Canada (n = 2609) and the U.S. (n = 1225), to capture informal ICT use. Findings indicate that informal ICT use by social workers is ubiquitous and consistent across both countries. Older and more experienced practitioners, and social workers in private practice settings and who provide psychotherapy were among the highest users. The findings related to social media and increased interaction outside of work hours reveal that ICTs are impacting the working relationship. Many of the social workers were not aware of a workplace policy on informal ICT use and report that they do not talk with either their supervisors or peers about their informal ICT use with clients. Given the frequency of informal ICT use within social work practice, significantly more attention is required in research, education and practice.

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.

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is a powerful tool for social work education, preparing students to practice in integrated health care settings. In an educational environment addressing patient health using an integrated care model, there is growing emphasis on students developing clinical competencies prior to entering clinical placements or clinical practice settings. This article highlights the importance of SBL in the development of the clinical competencies of graduate social work students enrolled in a Social Work Practice in Health course. The development and implementation of an educational initiative using a family-based simulation scenario to enhance classroom learning for health social work practice is described, and recommendations for future educational initiatives using SBL are provided.

To strengthen students’ preparation for engaging in field learning, an innovation was implemented to teach and assess foundation-year students’ performance prior to entering field education. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination informed the final evaluation of students’ performance in two companion courses on practice theory and skills. The evaluation was used by field instructors and students to develop the field learning plan. This article reports on a qualitative study that examined field instructors’ and faculty field liaisons’ experiences and reactions to using this new approach and its impact in shaping students’ field learning goals. Implications for supporting adoption of innovations that strengthen the link between classroom and field teaching are offered, including new institutional policies that resulted from ongoing evaluation.

Two Special Issues of the Clinical Social Work Journal have been dedicated to building on the social work discipline’s tradition and commitment to the supervision of staff and field education of students. These issues bring together contemporary theorizing, clinical supervisory and field education practice experience and wisdom, and research studies to contribute to the knowledge base for practicing supervisors and field educators. As the first of the Special Issues, this issue has been dedicated to the supervision of staff. In this Introduction, we share the salient aspects of the articles published, as they relate to contemporary social work supervision, relational considerations within the supervisory dyad, models of supervision for fields of specialization, as well as measurement and evaluation. Implications are shared, with highlights and connections for practicing supervisors made throughout.

Professional judgment in complex clinical situations such as the assessment of suicide risk encompasses a multifaceted cognitive understanding of the substantive issues, technical expertise, and emotional awareness. This experimental design study investigated the degree to which the previous work-related experiences of clinicians and their preexisting emotional state influence professional judgment regarding acute risk in patients presenting with suicidal ideation. Experienced social workers and social work students conducted suicide risk assessments on 2 standardized patients performing in scenarios constructed to depict individuals presenting with suicidal ideation. This study revealed significant variations in clinical judgments of practitioners assessing suicide risk. While scores on standardized risk assessment measures were the strongest predictor of judgments regarding the need for hospitalization to ensure the safety of the patient, other influences included clinician age and levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Mental health clinicians and organizations that employ them should be aware of possible individual influences on professional judgments related to suicide risk.

The digital age has revolutionized how individuals interact. The number of computer users has increased exponentially, along with expanding local and global networks and opportunities for learning,...

Simulation-based training is often used to prepare health practitioners and is increasingly employed to train child welfare workers. This scoping review systematically searched the published and grey literature for studies that evaluated training for child welfare practitioners and used simulation methods that included standardized actors. Three studies met inclusion criteria, all documenting improvement in participants' use of specific skills. Other outcomes were mixed, possibly reflecting the heterogeneity of samples, study methods, measures, training of actors, theoretical frameworks, and content areas. Though results were mostly positive, the small number of studies indicates a substantial need for further research.

Government plans to reform social work in England, led by the Social Work Reform Board, have resulted in far-reaching changes to social work education. These include establishment of The College of Social Work and adoption of its Performance Capability Framework, and transfer of regulation to the Health Care Professions Council whose Standards of Proficiency competences gate-keep the threshold to practice. A critical scrutiny of the literature on competence and capability used by the architects of change provides a lens with which to explore findings from a content analysis of the new standards. Comparisons are made with the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) competences approved by the American Council on Social Work Education. Fault lines are identified that might seriously jeopardise the future of social work education in England and ways forward are explored to address these. First, given the importance of making what's important assessable, the choice is presented between opting for ‘wicked competences’ or investing in the design of complex assessment models and their operation. Second, the priority of building robust partnerships to contain different stakeholder objectives is underlined. Both are essential to prevent fault lines developing into a perfect storm.

Although a growing literature examines competencies in clinical practice, competencies of students in macro social work practice have received comparatively little attention. A grounded-theory methodology was used to elicit field instructor views of student competencies in community, organization, and policy contexts. Competencies described by field instructors encompassed 2 broad dimensions: meta competencies and procedural competencies. Meta competencies included characteristics such as self-awareness, compassion, motivation, and commitment to social justice. Procedural competencies included project management and presentation skills, and the ability to articulate and implement steps to attain goals. These identified competencies provide a basis for development of a tool to assess student performance of competencies in macro practice.

Today’s generation of youth and adults relies on communication technologies for entertainment, information, and social connections and more and more, for personal help and advice. With cyber technology having permeated the ways in which individuals seek support for a wide range of issues, the purpose of this paper is to report on a study that examined practitioners’ experiences and views of whether and how online communication has entered their face-to-face practice and of the implication for the therapeutic work. Using qualitative methodology, 15 social work practitioners participated in focus groups and interviews exploring their perspectives about the impact of cyber technology on their traditional face-to-face social work practice. The prevailing finding was that cyber communication has dramatically changed the nature of professional relationships. This key finding was supported by four major inter-related themes arising from the data: (1) client driven practice; (2) Pandora’s box; (3) ethical grey zone; and (4) permeable boundaries. Implications for practice are provided.

This article outlines the development of an evaluation tool for measuring student competency in macrolevel social work practice. Researchers followed a multistage process that incorporated the wisd...

Objective: This paper describes the development of a practice-based evaluation (PBE) tool that allows instructors to represent their student’s clinical performance in a way that is sufficiently authentic to resonate with both instructors and students, is psychometrically sound, and is feasible in the context of real practice. Method: A new online evaluation tool was designed to address several of the problems associated with previous methods of evaluation, and was tested on 190 field instructor—student pairs. Results: Results demonstrated feasibility of the tool, high acceptability from students and faculty, high internal consistency, and clearly reduced ceiling effect, when compared with a traditional competency-based evaluation (CBE) tool. It did, however, continue to result in a strong skew toward positive evaluation and did not increase the identification of students at risk. Conclusions: The online PBE tool demonstrates promise in redressing some of the evaluation issues posed by the previous CBE model of evaluation.

This study explores the experiences and perceptions of clinicians from a range of professions to articulate general principles for clinical supervision in mental health. Seventy-seven volunteer clinicians participated in 14 focus groups in 2008–2009. They discussed their perceptions about clinical supervision, facilitators, and barriers. Discussions were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim, and qualitative analytic methods were used to identify themes and exceptions. The study found frontline clinicians identified interacting factors they associated with quality clinical supervision. Themes related to the structure, content, and process of supervision and contained common elements across professions and those that were specific to nursing. Considerable agreement exists regarding principles for interprofessional supervision in mental health; that it is available on a regular and crisis-responsive basis, and that supervisors are expert in clinical interventions for specific populations and have the ...

Research has identified high levels of trauma exposure and PTSD in professionals responsible for assessing children at risk for abuse. An important question arising is the influence of stress and trauma on professional judgment. This study examined the association between critical incident exposure, PTSD and workers' judgments of child risk. Ninety-six child protection workers participated in 2 simulated clinical interviews and subsequently completed standardized risk assessment measures. Workers reported high levels of exposure to critical events in the workplace and high levels of traumatic stress symptoms. Number of prior critical events encountered was negatively associated with assessment of risk. Level of traumatic stress symptoms was negatively associated with risk on one, but not other measures of risk. It is concluded that standardized measures for assessing a child's risk of abuse may be influenced by previous exposure to critical workplace events and levels of traumatic stress in workers.

This study contributes to the emerging knowledge base of child welfare supervision. An exploratory study examined the beliefs, practices, and experiences of 51 child welfare supervisors in Ontario, Canada. Eight focus groups were held with supervisors from a range of settings cross the province. The study identified a number of interwoven factors at the organizational, supervisory, and practice level that affect the nature of supervision offered. Implications are drawn for child welfare practice, models of supervision which integrate administrative, clinical and educational features, organizational culture, and training new supervisors.

Recent studies on group supervision in social work and psychology have begun to build a systematic knowledge base on the benefits and challenges of group supervision from the perspective of students. Missing from the empirical data are supervisor perspectives on group supervision. In an attempt to address this gap, this qualitative exploratory study reports on the experiences of five field instructors who offered group supervision to 20 social work students. Although primarily focused on field instructors' perceptions, students' perspectives are also included especially when the two groups either strikingly paralleled or differed from one another. The study findings identified a number of related factors that affect the creation of a productive learning environment including: (1) extragroup factors such as students' previous histories with each other, and varying times for beginning the practicum, (2) managing difficult group member behaviours such as “the non-reflective students,” “the consultan...

This article relates the evolution of field-related accreditation standards since the 1982 Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Curriculum Policy Statement to the changes that have occurred in agencies, students, and educational institutions. It demonstrates how CSWE modifications helped solve some problems while creating new ones. The authors argue that radical approaches to field education must be explored in order to overcome the roadblocks to high-quality field experiences. The discussion includes a report of a meeting attended by 33 directors of field education who met to engage in such a problem-solving process. A plea for continuing such dialogue and action is urged.

The purpose of this study was to further understanding of group supervision in field education. The goal was to illuminate factors that students identified as important for a group climate that facilitated learning. A qualitative interview methodology was used to explore the experiences of 18 MSW students who received group supervision as the primary method of field instruction. Numerous factors influence students' ability to participate in group learning, such as their previous experiences with each other, level of competence, and skill as a group member. The respondents also described specific behaviors of the field instructor as group supervisor that they valued.

Social workers are essential to successful field education in their roles as field instructors. They link the student, the agency, and the school; teach practice knowledge and skills; and serve as mentors and role models (Bogo & Vayda, 1998). The field instructor and student relationship has the power to affect the student's learning positively or negatively and predicts satisfaction with field education (Alperin, 1998; Fortune & Abramson, 1993; Raskin, 1989). This important educational role, however, is rarely institutionalized as a formal part of a social worker's role. Rather, many social workers voluntarily provide field instruction while maintaining their regular workload. Two recent studies reported that in one-third of the field agencies surveyed social workers received no workload credit for student education (Bocage, Homonoff, & Riley, 1995; Bogo & Globerman, 1999). Furthermore, in the health field, with the shift to programmatic hospital organizations and the lack of professional departments, social workers must obtain the support of interdisciplinary teams. In these settings the social workers must negotiate their time allocations with their program directors and teams before they can volunteer to become field instructors (Globerman, 1999; Levin, Herbert, & Nutter, 1997). Only a few studies shed light on the motivations of social workers to serve as field instructors, and all studies were conducted in an era of greater public support for social and health services. These studies found that intrinsic factors, such as enjoying teaching, contributing to the profession, and professional development and challenge through teaching, were primary motivators. Extrinsic factors, such as support, expectation, and recognition by the university and the agency, although significant, were less important to the social workers studied in the 1980s (Bogo & Power, 1992; Lacerte, Ray, & Irwin, 1989; Rosenfeld, 1989). During the past decade, massive changes have occurred in the funding and organization of social and health services, such as decreased funding for welfare and human services, downsizing and restructuring in health services, increased privatization, and the proliferation of managed care. Social workers are expected to increase productivity and accountability in their practices while handling their own anxieties about their professional careers (Globerman, 1999; Jarman-Rohde, McFall, Kolar, & Strom, 1997). The commitment of agencies and the motivation of individual social workers to continue to collaborate with schools of social work in field education occur in this complex and unsettled context. Concerns exist about the likelihood that social workers will be able to continue to offer field instruction in this climate, but factors that contribute to their decisions to continue are not known. The purpose of this study is to understand the nature of social workers' motivations in the context of current organizati onal pressures. The findings can help agencies, schools, and the profession to better support those contributing to the preparation of the next generation of social work practitioners. Method To ensure the maintenance and development of quality field education programs in the context of current dramatic and significant changes to organizations, we undertook a multimethod exploratory study. The study tested our analytic framework for studying interorganizational relationships (Bogo & Globerman, 1995) and identified the significant components of these relationships for field education (Bogo & Globerman, 1999). Field instructors' and educational coordinators' experiences of relations between the university and the field were explored. One of the objectives of the research was to identify the factors that motivate field agencies to collaborate with universities. This article reports on an aspect of this research--the motivations of social workers to offer field instruction. …

Accompanying the multiple benefits and innovations of social media are the complex ethical and pedagogical issues that challenge social work educators. Without a clear understanding of the blurred boundaries between public and private, the potentially limitless and unintended audiences, as well as the permanency of the information shared online, social work students who use social media can find themselves in difficult situations in their personal and professional lives. In this article, we present three scenarios that illustrate issues and complexities involving social media use by social work students, followed by a discussion and recommendations for social work educators.

In planning for the future, schools of social work need good-quality information about current and future anticipated changes which affect the nature of social work practice. A wide variety of methods are available to conduct “futures studies” to assist schools with this planning. This article reviews the international literature on futures studies in social work and concludes that a high-quality study requires substantial funding, the meaningful participation of multiple constituencies, and the use of multiple methods for data collection and action planning.

Factors associated with effective interorganizational relationships between a school of social work and field agencies were explored in a survey of 62 randomly selected field educators. The study examined the relationships between three categories of agencies and the university on four dimensions: commitment to education; organizational supports and resources; interpersonal relations; and collaborative and reciprocal activities. Findings revealed that agencies with formal agreements with the university had more complex student programs and more reciprocal activities than other types of sampled organizations. Strengths and distinctive contributions of the different types of organizations to the university and to field education are illuminated.

The principles of bureaucratically organized hospitals are counter to the values of social work. In a move to new integrative hospitals, social work can be the champions. The values of the social work profession that emphasize negotiation, change, flexibility, relationships, choice and control, the right to exercise autonomy, and participatory decision-making, are congruent with the principles that form the foundation for the new integrative models for hospitals. A model for the organization of social work practice, continuing education, standard setting, research and the student program. The Professional Standards Group, is proposed for the new hospital age.

In an effort to address the dynamics between university and field settings this paper presents a conceptual framework that can be used to explore the differences between inter-organization models for field education. The framework includes four key components. These are ensuring a commitment to education, offering strong organizational supports and resources, building effective collaborative relations, and developing effective communication and reciprocity. Utilizing this framework, the paper examines its usefulness for future research by qualitative comparing the current and prevalent model, the Field Setting with a new model, the Teaching Centre, to determine whether the differneces between modes can be illuminated.

To explore the influence of social work education on students' professional identification and practice interests (and to examine recent concern that students' career goals no longer match social work's traditional mission), authors of this study surveyed 180 graduate students at one school of social work at the beginning and end of the 1991-92 academic year. Analysis focusing on the students' interest in 12 practice areas was undertaken for three cohorts: beginning MSW students, second-year MSW students, and BSW graduates who entered directly into the second year of MSW study. The results indicate that most students are still attuned to social work's traditional mission, and that graduate education does have significant influence on practice interests and self-identification, especially for beginning students. Implications for the design of graduate programs are also explored.

Substantial organizational change in many health institutions has eliminated profession-based departments and replaced them with program management structures. This article aims to explore practitioners' perceptions of their professional work in a large urban centre for addiction and mental health that has undergone such change. Seventy-six practitioners from six professions participated in focus groups that were transcribed and analyzed. Practitioners' perceptions about their professional competence, performance, development, and job satisfaction were affected by three interrelated factors: available supervision from experts who validate practitioners' subjective work experiences and provide population-specific knowledge for effective interventions; teams that provide a home base and support through positive interpersonal relations, collaboration and informal feedback; and organizations and managers who provide assistance and training while expecting quality performance and productivity. Effective clinical and organizational leaders manage tensions between providing supportive environments and expecting accountability throughout the workplace.

Evidence indicates that the turnover of field instructors is high, thus threatening the quality and costs of social work education. To determine the factors that contribute to the high turnover rate, the authors surveyed new field instructors. The authors examined the influence of institutional supports offered by the practice setting and by the university on intention to continue and actual continuance, as well as intrinsic rewards and personal issues. The results contribute to an understanding of the career path of field instructors and suggest new short-term strategies to increase retention of field instructors. The authors conclude that the voluntary and somewhat precarious nature of university—agency partnerships for social work education needs to be reconsidered.

In schools of social work, specializations frequently provide an organizing philosophy and structure for program delivery. Health specializations increasingly are being offered. Components for a curriculum in health have been addressed by educators and practitioners, but the focus for discussion has primarily been on course content with little attention to a curriculum for the practicum. This paper addresses the gap in the literature by presenting a framework for such a curriculum relevant to practica in other specializations. This framework is based on the roles associated with three domains of practice in hospitals. Each practice role serves as a broad objective for the student's knowledge and skill to be learned. In addition, the paper discusses educational issues that commonly arise in hospital practicum.

Research into patient recovery and relapse indicates that many high-risk patients and families do not receive the services they need both in health care settings and in the community (Coulton, 1985). Health care professionals have become increasingly cognizant of the psychosocial risks of illness for patients and their families, and of the impact of family structure and support systems on patient compliance and rehabilitation. The identification of factors that predicate differential responses to illness and the modification of the underlying risks are effective ways to prevent psychosocial breakdown. A review of the recent empirical literature reveals a growing interest in efforts to improve the identification of patients and families in need of social work services and to develop screening mechanisms for use on hospital admission. Although the focus on the individual patient remains paramount, the role of the family is receiving increasing attention. The research to date has been performed primarily by hospital social work departments in collaboration with health care professionals and hospital administrators. Social Work in Health Care Social work practice in health care settings has been recorded since the early 1900s. However, changes in disease definition and treatment, in social and organizational concerns, and in service and professional orientation have created new and different demands for social work services (Bailis, 1985; Bergman, Contro, & Zivet, 1984; Hatfield, 1983; Rehr, 1984; Shevlin, 1983). Traditionally, social workers in health care settings have depended on referrals, primarily from physicians, to provide direct services to patients and their families (Shevlin, 1983). Until the mid-1900s, the major health concerns included infectious and contagious diseases, which often resulted in death. Today, chronic illnesses and their consequences, as well as a variety of psychological ailments including emotional disorders, social diseases, and stress, appear as the major personal and social-health problems encountered by health care professionals (Rehr, 1984). Although the physician maintains the traditional image as the key professional in the health care system, the treatment needs of patients often require the services of a variety of professionals. In addition to shifts in health concerns, such issues as fiscal restraints, technological advances, moves to community-based care, and demands for accountability have created severe tensions in modern health care settings (Rehr, 1984). The rapidly escalating costs of health care have created demands for restraint and have resulted in concerns about service access and equity and continuity of care. Technological advances have created changes and uncertainties leading to ethical questions for which professionals, patients, and families have not yet found answers. Increasing emphasis on community-based family care has sparked changing roles for hospitals and a necessity for not only fiscal, but also need-based criteria for admission, discharge, and linkage with family members and community services. Finally, as uncertainty and costs increase, the public, the government, and private interests have begun to demand proof of quality, rationale for decisions, and clear guidelines for practice. The crisis in health care--the new demands, and the need for answers--clearly points to the need for a redefinition of services. The impact on social work will be great. There has often been a lack of understanding of what social workers do as well as a lack of acceptance of the profession. Today, it is possible to predict the need for more, rather than less, social services in large medical institutions and community hospitals (Bergman et al., 1984; Rehr, 1984; Shevlin, 1983). Social workers must document their service effectiveness to gain more acceptance. They must objectify services, define expectations, clarify "what" and "for whom," and demonstrate that interventions are cost-effective. …

This article describes and analyzes the development of a collaborative research model by one university faculty of social work and 10 health care settings. Established working relationships for educating students were the foundation of a research partnership formed to study questions of mutual interest. This article discusses the developmental stage of the research consortium, including needs assessment, workshop, identification of a common theme and research topic, preliminary funding, and literature review. This stage resulted in the decision to develop and test an instrument to screen for high social risk that would be capable of identifying the need for social work involvement with families to provide effective and efficient management of patients. The Delphi methodology was chosen in the first phase of the research design, and reasons for the choice of this methodology, the results from the two Delphi rounds, and a preliminary screening instrument are presented. Finally, issues in collaboration, such as institutional factors, dynamics of the working group, and leadership roles, are analyzed to identify facilitating features and problematic issues in such partnerships.