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The needs of disabled people are often insufficiently recognized by mainstream society, causing this population to be excluded from society and activities of daily life. This problem is clearly reflected in the obstacles that intellectually disabled people have encountered in their use of public services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this qualitative study, we conducted focus group sessions with 17 social workers and 12 carers supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities in Hong Kong. Using a thematic analysis, we found that (a) the social-emotional needs of intellectually disabled people were intensified by the disruption of social services; (b) they received limited benefit from the use of video conferencing services; and (c) they encountered significant difficulties in complying with preventive measures. To achieve equity in public service, universal design should be emphasized during the planning stage, and the experiences of disabled people should be carefully considered from the outset. Intellectually disabled people in Hong Kong experienced more difficulties using public services during the COVID-19 pandemic than before the pandemic. Apart from the social model of disability and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, critical disability theory can explain how society protects the rights of disabled persons pertaining to social participation. A sole emphasis on equality fails to facilitate effective planning of public services that address the needs of intellectually disabled people; the notion of equity must also be emphasized. The concept of universal design, which is often discussed in the context of the physical environment, can be meaningfully applied to the design of public services to alleviate problems of exclusion faced by disabled population. Policymakers and service providers must improve their awareness and knowledge of the distinct needs of intellectually disabled people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonprofit organizations faced enormous challenges in maintaining service operations and fulfilling their responsibilities to their communities during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Good leadership is key to ensuring effective responses and the survival of nonprofits during a crisis. Leaders must maintain the commitment, passion, and dedication of their teams even during uncertain and difficult times. Hence, this study explored the performance of nonprofit leaders during the COVID‐19 pandemic by focusing on the difficulties encountered by their frontline staff. In a qualitative paradigm, three focus group sessions were conducted with 23 social workers from child and youth, family, and elderly care services in Hong Kong. We generated four major themes related to the expectations of nonprofit employees on their leaders: (a) visionary direction, (b) compassionate respect and communication, (c) timely support and guidance, and (d) trustworthy relationship. Our findings revealed the frustration experienced by nonprofit employees and have significant implications for their leaders. Specifically, nonprofit employees expected to receive more guidance, protection, and understanding from their leaders. Using the transformational leadership model as a reference, this study provides suggestions on how nonprofit organizations can effectively address the concerns of their employees during a crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare the systems of social work education and training in Hong Kong and Australia according to three aspects: (1) the admission criteria for candidates of social work training programmes, (2) the quality of social work training and (3) the induction of novice social workers into professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the lens of the theory of planned behavior, this article explores how social workers adapt to a new situation due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three focus group sessions were conducted with 23 social workers from child and youth, family, and elderly services in Hong Kong. Three major themes were generated: (1) repositioning the social work profession, (2) renegotiating contracts with funders, and (3) exploring novel intervention methods. Implications of the findings are discussed. To ensure social workers can respond effectively in crises, an evolving nature of the profession is advocated to enshrine its spirit to serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of questionnaires completed by social workers (n = 276) working in 104 non-governmental organizations in Macao and the Social Welfare Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government, this study examined the role of collective psychological ownership (CPO) in the job demands-resources (JD-R) model in explaining social workers' work engagement. The results of a bootstrap test showed that CPO partially mediated the influence of job resources and job demands on work engagement when controlling for sociodemographic factors (i.e., gender, age, and educational attainment) and monthly income. The results of structural equation modeling suggested that CPO did not play a mediating role in the relationship between job demands and work engagement; the effect of job demands on work engagement was instead inhibited when controlling for job resources and CPO. The study sheds new light on the development of the JD-R model and on initiatives to enhance work engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the vital basis of the professional judgments made by social workers, this article proposes a framework with which to study the complex mechanisms involved in their judgments that considers three Ps: personal experience, professional training, and practice environment. Using a qualitative case study analysis, the authors apply the framework to examine the experiences of 20 Chinese social workers based in Hong Kong. Three cases have been selected to illustrate three trajectories as revealed from the 20 cases. Consistent with the notion of reflective practice, the analysis enhances the understanding of the forces behind the judgments that social workers make. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthy development of the social work profession rests on the public's understanding and trust. The media play a significant role in shaping the public image of social work. This article describes a focus group study that was designed to retrace the long-term impact of an iconic television series in 1976 on the public's reception of the nascent profession of social work amongst a group of social work practitioners. Four focus groups were conducted with thirty practicing and retired social workers. The content of the focus group discussions was coded and analysed to generate three major themes: (i) the television series gave a real-world articulation of the work of social workers and catalysed the profession's public receptivity; (ii) it inspired a call amongst conscientious young people to join the profession; and (iii) it contributed to the construction of social workers' professional identity. The findings demonstrate the contribution of this television series, hence the role of media, to the early development of professional social work in Hong Kong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk management and empowerment have become key features of social work practice. Despite their increasing salience, relatively little is known about the perspectives of mental health social workers regarding how they navigate competing risk management approaches in modern practice that supports empowerment. The socio-cultural influences on risk management have also received insufficient attention in social work research. Focusing on these issues, this paper explored the perspectives of social workers in two geographically and culturally distinctive settings (i.e. Hong Kong and Sydney). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with frontline social workers and were analysed using thematic analysis. Similar views were expressed by participants in both settings regarding assessment of clients' readiness for risk-taking. Differences were identified in their practices of negotiating the perspectives of other key stakeholders and can be attributed to the influences of distinctive cultural and socio-political contexts. These insights may contribute to the development of more systematic, localised and practice-based risk assessment guidelines for mental health practitioners working towards the empowerment of clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of the role played by the social work profession during the outbreak of COVID-19 is necessary. Although social workers have made efforts to address people's needs during the pandemic, it is worth examining the role they have played in safeguarding health equality. Focusing on the case of Hong Kong, we found that the profession was generally ill-prepared for the outbreak, and in particular, for confronting the attendant social inequalities. We identified three possible reasons for these findings: 1) non-governmental organizations were caught off-guard by the outbreak, 2) there was no clearly articulated intervention agenda to inform practitioners of the roles they should play in such a large-scale crisis, and 3) having become more formalized and standardized, social work services may have become less flexible in responding to emerging community needs. We conclude this article by suggesting three directions that could allow the profession to better pursue its mission during large-scale crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the employment of people with disabilities (PWDs) has been recognized as an important human right, it is seldom emphasized in current corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice. Based on experiences with a job training program in hospitality for people with intellectual disabilities or Down syndrome offered by a hotel in Hong Kong, this paper explores how socially responsible human resource (HR) practices can support the employment of PWDs. An A‐B‐C‐D framework is proposed by the author to explore what business enterprises can contribute through HR strategy. Based on the results of interviews conducted with the hotel staff and social workers involved in the program, this study suggests that socially responsible HR practices can play an important role in improving the employability of PWDs by providing workplace accommodations, business‐oriented settings, a caring attitude, and job demands, showing how CSR and PWD employment are intertwined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technical and procedural issues underlying social workers' practice dominate much of the discourse in social science, while relatively less attention is directed towards understanding the 'self' or person of the social worker. This study draws attention to social workers' personhood by examining possible relationships between their professional practices and their personal experiences, such as those that they might emulate from their family of origin. Within a qualitative paradigm, in-depth, repeated interviews were conducted with twenty Chinese social workers based in Hong Kong. Thematic analysis was employed, alongside member checks. Participants' personal experiences were found to be associated with their motivation to work with certain clients, in the way they practise, as well as the intervention goals they pursue. Their experiences challenge the appropriateness of the technical–rational model and the dualist view of the personal–professional relationship. Findings suggest that social work practitioners not only should be concerned with making use of formal knowledge, but also encouraged to critically and reflectively examine personal knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the benefits of music to people’s mental health have long been recognized, the process of how it works requires further investigation. This paper is based on the results of a community-based music project offered to a group of mental health service users by a Hong Kong social service centre. A six-dimensional framework, which contains emotional, psychological, social, cognitive, behavioural and spiritual dimensions, is constructed for understanding how musical activities may produce benefits for mental health service users. Through conducting 23 interview sessions with the participants (N = 47) this study examines the processes of change within musical activities. The participants suffered from mental health problems including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Feedback was solicited from them by listening to their first-hand experiences as service users of the musical activities. Recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed to generate themes that correspond to the six dimensions the researchers proposed. This study shows that the clinical effects elicited by the musical activities described fit closely with the needs of mental health service users. Its findings suggest that community-based musical activities have clear potential for supporting mental health service users in recovery, which deserve further promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigated on the emulsifying properties of natural low-methoxyl pectin (LMP) extracted from Green Jelly Leaf (GJLP) in stabilising lactoferrin stabilised oil-in-water emulsions. The emulsion stability of GJLP was compared to commercial pectins with different degree of esterification (DE) i. e. high-methoxyl pectin (HMP) and LMP. The influence of pH, pectin types and concentration on the stability and physical properties of emulsions were evaluated by determining zeta potential value, particle size, microstructure, rheological properties and creaming stability. Different types of pectin exhibited different mechanisms in providing the emulsion stability and the pectin effective charge was strongly dependent on its DE and pH of the continuous phase. The mechanism of actions of pectin and lactoferrin in the system were pH dependent for low molecular weight pectin, however not for high molecular pectin such as GJLP. The results showed that the complexes formed by pectin and lactoferrin at the interface were not sufficient to maintain the emulsion stability. This study also showed the important of unabsorbed pectin molecules in continuous phase in providing the physical stability of emulsion. These molecules formed a thick multilayers surround oil droplets. In addition, the incorporation of 0.2% w/w of GJLP could produce a stable emulsion, suggesting the potential use of GJLP to improve the stability of lactoferrin stabilised oil-in-water emulsions. • Pectin-lactoferrin complexes were able to enhance the stability of the emulsion. • Pectin with high molecular weight has a better emulsifying properties than low molecular weight pectin. • Incorporation of green jelly leaf pectin has developed a stabilised emulsion with small droplet sizes. • The stabilisation mechanism of green jelly leaf pectin is pH independent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]