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INTRODUCTION: Environmental and sustainable social work is gaining momentum in social work due to the rising concern of climate change and environmental degradation. Despite the social work profession being committed to social justice, the perspectives of social workers practising in Aotearoa New Zealand on environmental/green social work are yet to be explored. This study explored social workers' attitudes and beliefs on environmental justice and sustainable practice. It also examined what factors support them to consider environmental issues in social work practice. METHODS: A survey using an online portal was conducted with qualified social workers to assess their attitudes and knowledge. Descriptive, correlation and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: A total of 102 questionnaires were analysed. The results indicated moderate levels of pro-ecological perspectives and awareness of sustainability attitudes, high level of agreement including Māori and other indigenous tradition and wisdom in ecological justice, strong belief in climate change and the importance of factoring environmental issues in social work practice. While over 80% of the participants thought that environmental issues should be part of social work practice, there are still gaps in translating these into practice. Participants would like to see more environmental issues being integrated into social work education to better prepare graduates entering the profession. CONCLUSIONS: Social work education is urged to incorporate the natural environment, environmental justice and values and skills across the curriculum to advance the social justice mission to reduce the disparity among those who are vulnerable and marginalised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: This article presents the findings of an exploratory international survey on supervisees’ and supervisors’ experiences of cyber-supervision during the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey aimed to establish a baseline of these experiences. METHODS: An online survey of 195 respondents was conducted. Demographic data and the supervisees’ and supervisors’ views were analysed descriptively. Spearman’s Rho correlations were undertaken using IBM SPSS 28 to examine the associations between supervisees’ and supervisors’ ratings of their situation, views and experiences of cyber-supervision, and overall satisfaction and evaluation. FINDINGS: The results showed that the respondents’ supervision changed to online supervision, with video conferencing as the primary method. The supervisees and supervisors shared similar views about online supervision. Items that indicated a constructive view of online supervision correlated positively with overall satisfaction and evaluation. In contrast, items less favourable of online supervision correlated negatively with overall satisfaction and evaluation. Overall, it was found that the attitudes and perspectives of supervisees and supervisors about online supervision were related to their overall satisfaction and evaluation. CONCLUSION: The practice implications for supervisees and supervisors using online supervision are that they discuss their attitudes and cultural perspectives about online supervision early in the relationship, particularly if they plan to use this medium regularly or in conjunction with face-to-face supervision. Further research is recommended on the influence and impact of supervisee and supervisor attitudes and cultural perspectives on online supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model by exploring the relationship between user acceptance attitude and actual usage behaviors of technological tools in telesupervision among supervisors in international societies. Specifically, the age of supervisors is examined to see whether it mediates the relationship between acceptance attitude and usage behavior. Survey data were collected from 194 supervisors in international societies using online Survey Monkey. The results indicated a significant relationship between user acceptance attitude and actual usage behaviors of technological tools in telesupervision. Implications of these findings for supervision training and further telesupervision development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing a conceptualization of the supervision relationship that can successfully encourage cultural relevancy and the pursuit of social justice is a challenge facing social workers today. We propose that a social constructionist perspective invites social work supervisors influenced by Euro-Western discourse to (1) seek understanding about differences rather than strive to achieve some preconceived notion of cultural competence, and (2) seek opportunities to advocate for cultural community "insiders" to develop their own configuration of social work supervision. Supervision examples from Aotearoa New Zealand are presented and discussed for potential transferability to other countries such as the United States and Canada.

Developing a conceptualization of the supervision relationship that can successfully encourage cultural relevancy and the pursuit of social justice is a challenge facing social workers today. We propose that a social constructionist perspective invites social work supervisors influenced by Euro-Western discourse to (1) seek understanding about differences rather than strive to achieve some preconceived notion of cultural competence, and (2) seek opportunities to advocate for cultural community 'insiders' to develop their own configuration of social work supervision. Supervision examples from Aotearoa New Zealand are presented and discussed for potential transferability to other countries such as the United States and Canada. KEYWORDS social work supervision, culturally relevant supervision, social constructionism, anti-oppressive practice, social justice DOI: 10.1080/15313200902874979

In older people with diabetes, multimorbidity is highly prevalent and it can lead to poor quality of life. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the association between the social environment, psychosocial support and constraints, and overall quality of life among older people with and without with diabetes and multiple chronic illnesses. Self-reported data from participants in a cohort study of older New Zealanders was analysed. Responses from 380 older people diagnosed with diabetes and multiple chronic illnesses were compared with 527 older people with no health issues on indicators related to the associations of neighbourhood, health and ageing, using structural equation modelling. The final model suggests that social provision, purpose in life and capabilities mediated between the social environment and quality of life, indicate that older people with positive social environment (i.e., neighbourhood advantage, residential stability) are much less likely to experience depression due to having good social support, meaningful life purpose and opportunities to engage. Perceived neighbourhood advantages, such as positive neighbourhood qualities, social cohesion and housing satisfaction, along with the focus on increasing social support, enhancing purpose in life and supporting one's capability to achieve, may serve as protective factors against depression. Environmental and personal circumstances can contribute to quality of life among older people with diabetes and multimorbidity. By providing older people with diabetes and multiple chronic illnesses a socially just environment that challenges ageism and other forms of oppression, this could reduce social disparities in health, improve inclusion and access to resources. Social and healthcare professionals are encouraged to design clinical care guidelines and rehabilitation goals from a wholistic and person/client centred approach to support older people with diabetes and multiple chronic illnesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]