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Many famous people have disclosed their mental illness to erase the harmful effects of stigma. This study examines the relative impact of disclosure stories from people who are or are not celebrities. We expected noncelebrities would be viewed as more similar and likeable and therefore have greater effects on stigma change. Research participants from an MTurk panel viewed self-disclosure stories from celebrity, Mariah Carey, or noncelebrity, Malia Fontecchio. Participants completed the Difference and Disdain Scale prior to reviewing the vignettes and immediately after each one. Participants also completed scales representing perceptions of fame, dissimilarity, and likeability of the person in each story. Results supported hypotheses: Mariah Carey was perceived as more famous, more dissimilar, and less likeable than Malia Fontecchio. Reading the Malia Fontecchio story led to greater improvement in disdain stigma than the Mariah Carey story. Implications for the varied role of celebrity status in stigma change are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The burnout syndrome has traditionally been identified in the service sector professions, among which is Social Work. In order to determine this syndrome, different measuring instruments have emerged, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of this instrument and to find evidence of its validity (corroborating the original factorial structure and its convergent validity) and reliability (internal consistency). The Spanish adapted version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used. Four hundred social workers participated, randomly divided into two samples of 200 individuals (Sample 1: M = 43.06, SD = 9.04 and Sample 2: M = 40.89, SD = 8.78). We carried out principal components exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation. The results identified a factorial structure with four factors (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, Personal Realization, and Interpersonal Psychological Stress) (χ2/df = 1.73, CFI = 0.929, NNFI = 0.859, SRMR = 0.069, RMSEA = 0.061), different from that of the original questionnaire, which indicated three dimensions. The data also show a high internal consistency (α = 0.882). The four factors were directly and moderately associated with each other (r between 0.328 and 0.534). In conclusion, this study provides new data of a valid and reliable tool for evaluating professional burnout or exhaustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor neurone disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rapidly progressive terminal neurodegenerative condition caused by degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurones in the central nervous system of the brain. The effects of motor neurone disease are multifaceted, leading to many adjustments in everyday life. This literature review asked what the experiences of people living with motor neurone disease was before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in terms of their condition and the support they received from health and social care services. A key theme identified was lack of knowledge among professionals when they cared for people living with motor neurone disease and their families. This lack of knowledge often resulted in delayed diagnosis and poor standards of care. COVID-19 impacted on the care of people living with motor neurone disease and their families, and there is a paucity of evidence on how services were perceived by these groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiences of people living with motor neurone disease and their families are currently missing in the literature. In conclusion, further studies are required to include care of people living with motor neurone disease and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the moderating role of self-competence in death work, and the relationships of professional quality of life with personal well-being and self-competence in death work. Two hundred helping professionals (mean age = 40.43, 85.5% female) completed a questionnaire. Better professional quality of life (i.e., a higher level of compassion satisfaction and lower levels of burnout and secondary traumatic stress) was associated with better personal well-being and self-competence in death work. Self-competence in death work moderated the negative impact of a lower level of compassion satisfaction on depression. Implications on self-care of helping professionals doing death work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of 705 early-career child welfare workers, client-perpetrated violence (CPV), a form of workplace violence, was examined to determine whether CPV experiences differ by worker responsibilities and demographic characteristics and how CPV influences workers' intent to leave their child welfare positions. Results showed that protective investigators experienced more nonphysical violence (being yelled at or cursed at), while those providing longer-term case management services experienced more physical assaults. Analyses indicated no significant relationships between CPV and intent to leave, although there were significant differences in worker characteristics and the type of CPV experienced. Implications for training and organizational responses are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To systematically review international evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions targeting the mental health, wellbeing, and retention of child and family social workers and their impact on child and family outcomes. Method: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of quantitative comparative studies. Published or unpublished research was sought via 12 bibliographic databases, websites, contact with experts, and citation tracking. Studies in any language were eligible for inclusion. Quality was assessed using Cochrane appraisal tools. Results: Fifteen studies were identified from 24 papers. Three studies considered individual-level interventions, with mixed and inconclusive findings. Eleven considered organisational interventions, with mixed but more promising findings. One study considered community-level interventions, with positive findings but a serious risk of bias. Only one study considered costs. Conclusion: The quality of evidence overall does not warrant clear recommendations for services. Organisation-level interventions show some promise. Robust, high-quality interventional studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work professionals experience job-related stressors often associated with compromised mental health. In low-resource, conflict settings, such as the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), structural and environmental obstacles pose additional challenges. This qualitative study identified stressors faced by 237 Palestinian social workers, current organizational strategies to reduce worker stress, and recommendations for new strategies. Content analysis identified 12 categories of stressors within five domains: role-related, interpersonal, organizational, societal, and miscellaneous. Current stress reduction efforts are perceived as ineffective, but numerous suggestions were offered for new initiatives. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed. Practice Points Palestinian public sector social workers face a litany of stressors at multiple levels, including role-related, interpersonal, organizational, and societal. In addition to the types of workplace stressors typically associated with social worker burnout and secondary traumatic stress, Palestinian social workers must also contend with stressors related to operating in a low-resource setting and under Israeli military occupation. While the Palestinian Ministry of Social Development is limited in its capacity to address many of the structural factors that contribute to worker stress, opportunities exist to promote worker well-being at an organizational level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work can be a purpose-driven, fulfilling profession of helping others, creating change, and fighting against injustice. It can also include regular exposure to the pain and suffering of others, extensive documentation requirements, and crisis management. Often when social workers are feeling overly stressed, supervisors play a critical role in addressing their health and wellness. Supervisors use a variety of approaches to raise supervisees' awareness about the signs and symptoms of stress and burnout. They can make a positive difference in the lives of their supervisees by creating opportunities to discuss work-related challenges. There are both proactive and responsive options for supervisors to consider when cultivating resiliency with social workers. This exploratory study included 24 supervisors who described their approaches to addressing supervisees' stress, burnout, and resiliency. Findings highlight the importance of relationships, communication, self-care, work–life balance, and resources for well-being. Implications emphasize the supervisory process, intrapersonal and interpersonal capacity building, and the National Association of Social Workers' call to action in addressing self-care for those in the profession. The resiliency-focused strategies and suggestions offered are meant to support supervisors in their role of building and maintaining a healthy workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible summary: We wanted to find out what would help care staff to stay in their jobs.The most important thing for them was getting on well with the person they supported.The next most important thing was their pay.These results can be used to find ways to help staff stay in their jobs.This is important to make sure that people with a learning disability get good support. Background: High staff turnover presents a challenge to the provision of good quality community‐based support to people with an intellectual disability. While recent research has identified factors that are thought to be important for staff retention, their relative importance to social care staff is unknown. The aim of this study was to address this gap. Methods: 205 social care staff who worked in intellectual disability services completed an online questionnaire that asked them to: rank factors that had been previously identified as influencing staff retention in order of importance; identify the extent to which their most important factor was met by their organisation (fulfilment score); and rate their recent job‐seeking intentions. Findings: The most important factor overall was the relationship of the staff member with the person they supported. This was also identified as the most important factor by the most participants, followed by pay. All of the factors, with the exception of "benefits" (such as pensions), were rated by at least one person as the most important factor. A significant negative relationship was found between fulfilment score and job‐seeking score; that is, the lower the former, the more the person agreed that they had been seeking a new job. Conclusion: The results suggest that interventions to improve staff retention should take account of differences in staff views about which work‐related factors are most important to them; use multi‐component approaches where possible; prioritise staff pay; and help ensure that staff relationships with those they support are positive and fulfilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Scapegoating is a ubiquitous, yet pernicious, phenomenon in today's world. It manifests in innumerable ways. Social work, in line with its emancipatory value-base, seeks to engage with various scapegoated groups to challenge the experience. In this article, the authors draw on critical realism and mimetic theory to elucidate the causative mechanisms fuelling scapegoating. This is done in order to heighten social workers' insight into the process and empower targeted groups. Findings: Mimetic theory highlights that scapegoating is a product of desire, rivalry and deflection. These are deep-seated mechanisms that are compatible with critical realist ontology and its search for causative properties in the social world. It is argued that critical realism augments mimetic theory by setting it within a much wider and deeper context of understanding. As such, it emphasizes intersecting causes and contingencies such as the role of temporal and spatial factors shaping the scapegoating experience. Applications: Social workers can transform these theoretical insights into sensitizing constructs when they facilitate self-directed groupwork with scapegoated groups. Being theoretically informed, they can pose critical questions to group members to assist them to make the link between personal problems and political issues. The aim is to empower these groups so that they can embrace the sociological imagination and act for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refugee care in Lebanon: Understanding the lived experiences of social workers. Summary: This mixed methods study examines the status of social work in its response to the refugee crisis within Lebanon, a country with the highest per capita refugee population in the world. Findings: A structured interview guide and brief ordinal instrument were administered through interviews (n = 10) and 10 focus groups (n = 37) (N = 47). Participants were recruited with the help of Lebanese social work colleagues. We explored professional roles, greatest refugee needs, social worker coping, and recommendations for refugee social work trainers and educators. Qualitative results are presented as themes with examples of direct quotations. Culturally specific services accurately targeting needs are among the major themes identified. Quantitative results, primarily using descriptive statistics and one Pearson's r correlation statistic, report on participants' overall stress levels, sense of effectiveness in refugee practice, and connection of faith/religion to motivation for refugee work. Applications: This work is applied as best practice recommendations for social work education and for front-line training of those in social work roles working with refugees in Lebanon. This work also raises awareness about one of the most critical humanitarian crises in history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is often a superficial veil that divides those willing to discuss the construct of race and those participating in racial ambivalence or color blindness. Talking about race, racism, and the traumatic effects of racism is a discussion that society is still learning how to navigate. This qualitative study, utilizing the narratives of 13 social workers, was the first to question how social workers, in the role of justice system advocates, engage with the construct of racism-based trauma experienced by the incarcerated person. Data analysis revealed that participants conceptualized racism-based trauma as an often unbeknownst and persistently stressful reaction to a covert or overt racially oppressive situation potentially accentuated by place or locale. Results highlight the importance of increasing knowledge in the construct of racism-based trauma to be beneficial in practice while confronting white privilege and allyship were identified challenges. Participants, varying in their education, indicated having received no training on racism-based trauma. An engagement with one's racial identity before and during a critique of racialized systems was also posited as being beneficial. The aims of engaging with construct ultimately strengthen and diversify social work pedagogy, training, and policies regarding marginalized groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the indirect exposure to traumatic realities, social workers may experience emotional responses of vicarious traumatisation or vicarious resilience. Previous research indicated that risk factors (workload and trauma caseload) provoke vicarious traumatisation and that protection factors (recovery experiences and organisational support) can buffer this relationship. However, the empirical testing of these associations was scarce amongst social workers. This cross-sectional study aims to answer two main research questions: (i) can workload and trauma caseload predict vicarious resilience and vicarious trauma? (ii) Can recovery experiences and organisational support mediate the influence of risk factors on emotional responses? A sample of 373 Spanish social workers (87 per cent females) completed a questionnaire online. The structural equation modelling analyses showed that workload and trauma caseload make recovery experiences and organisational support less likely, facilitating the emergence of vicarious trauma. Recovery experiences and organisational support protect people from vicarious trauma and promote vicarious resilience, both directly and by limiting the influence of workload and trauma caseload. These results highlight the need for interventions enhancing recovery experiences and organisational support as a means to promote vicarious resilience and to decrease vicarious trauma. The need to reduce other risk factors, enhancing protective factors, is also noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on the interactions of a social worker with clients who are affected by the worker's unresolved problems. Deductive qualitative analysis was used in monitored supervision sessions, which enabled a case study to be made of the structural model of the worker's narratives of countertransference. Sources in the area of family relations are described, as are triggers in the social worker's actions and the actions of colleagues. Manifestations appear in relationships with clients. Consequences are captured as obstacles as well as opportunities for helping clients. Managing is described in the form of sharing with other persons, self-education, supervision and psychotherapy. Speaking is identified as a universal tool for managing the feelings and behaviours, which accompany the interaction between social worker and client. The process of free association, experimental interpretation and subsequent discussion about them in supervision constitute an appropriate procedure in this regard. The characteristics of countertransference in this process appear gradually, drawn in cycles from deeper in the social worker's consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, social workers face great at-work stress, job burnout and turnover. Determining how to prevent and alleviate their job burnout and improve their work enthusiasm and engagement has become urgent. Using the affective events theory and challenge stressor-hindrance stressor framework, this study explored the impacts of different types of stressors on job engagement and its associated mechanisms and then examined the protective roles of positive emotion and career resilience. A total of 430 social workers in Beijing were investigated. The unique and combined contribution of the stress components to job engagement has been examined. The results showed that both challenge stressors and hindrance stressors had significantly negative impacts on social workers' work engagement and positive emotion, and positive emotion had a significant positive influence on work engagement. Positive emotion fully mediated the negative relationship between challenge stressors and work engagement, and partially mediated the negative relationship between hindrance stressors and work engagement. Furthermore, career resilience can buffer the negative influence of challenge stressors on positive emotion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-cultural encounters pose challenges and ethical dilemmas for social workers. A common form of dilemma in these settings stems from the clash between the ethical requirement of cultural sensitivity and contradictory ethical principles. This article presents qualitative findings from an exploratory study of social workers (n  = 30) working with Jewish Ultra-Orthodox families and children who are at risk in Israel. Our exploration was guided by the following research question: What are the constructions, perceptions, beliefs and meanings associated with the dilemmas social workers face while working with the Ultra-Orthodox community in Israel around issues of child well-being, risk and protection? A thematic analysis of 30 in-depth interviews yielded three themes of dilemma: the collectivist nature of the Ultra-Orthodox community, religion and spirituality and gender and sexuality. Further analysis of the findings revealed a typology of three elements that constitute a culture-bound dilemma: laws, values and norms. This article, which also addresses limitations and recommendations for future research, suggests how the understanding of what components make up a specific dilemma can aid social workers in managing the dilemma and may require a different course of action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Rationale: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which causes impairment of the motor functions in the upper and lower limbs and bulbar muscles with a median survival time is three years from the first appearance of symptoms. There is massive psychological impact on health professionals to persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hence the work leads to multiple challenges and stressful and demanding situations with high risk of experiencing diminished personal well‐being including burnout, moral distress, and compassion fatigue. Aim: To investigate reflections and perspectives from health professionals working within palliative rehabilitation for elements of importance in relation to job satisfaction. Methods and Materials: The design was qualitative and based on the phenomenological‐hermeneutical methodology by Paul Ricoeur's interpretation theory. Data consisted of two semi‐structured focus group interviews with a total of 12 specialized health professionals: Nurses, Psychologists, Physicians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and Social workers, working within a hospital setting of specialized palliative rehabilitation for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their families. Results: The analysis revealed insight into four themes: fundamental drive, working conditions, value of collegiality and work‐life balance. Fundamental drive was deeply rooted in the professionals' sense of having a meaningful job. Working conditions such as self‐management were important for job satisfaction as were good collegial relations. Finally, a good balance between working life and private life was considered important for job satisfaction. Conclusion: Our study indicates that work within the field of palliative rehabilitation is experienced as enriching and beneficial under the right circumstances and in an appreciatory working environment. We found elements like autonomy, mastery, purpose, collegiality, and work‐life balance to be of great importance. Our findings can help guide managements and health professionals in other palliative rehabilitation contexts to ensure satisfied employees and to optimize the quality of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored counsellors' experiences with online therapy during the COVID-19 crisis, which presented an opportunity to examine how counsellors evaluated the drawbacks, benefits, and appropriateness of online therapy. Data collected through surveys from 114 professional counsellors, school counsellors, addiction counsellors, clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists in the United States were analysed. Results indicated the level of preparation for online therapy varied. The process was heavily impacted by technical functionality and perceived as more effective face-to-face. Counsellors found clients disengaged and distracted rather than comfortable and open. The effectiveness of online therapy was more strongly associated with client characteristics and treatment approaches than with diagnoses and treatment goals. Interpretations, clinical implications, and further research recommendations are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study, based on in-depth semistructured interviews conducted in Israel with 18 social workers (nine women and nine men), working as probation officers who diagnose and treat sex offenders, was twofold: The first goal was to examine how treating sex offenders affects the male and female practitioners' daily lives and specifically, their parenting. Second, in light of the claim that support of colleagues and family members is very important for coping with secondary traumatization, the study investigated how working with sex offenders influenced the practitioners' ability to share their experiences with their colleagues in the workplace and with their partners at home. The study findings, based on a phenomenological analysis, revealed that male and female probation officers working with sex offenders experienced anxiety, suspicion, and concern for their children's safety. Their spousal and collegial relationships were also affected by their work. In addition to not receiving support from their colleagues and partners, they experienced loneliness and attacks "from the inside and from the outside," expressed in criticism, loathing, and disgust in relation to their work. The findings reveal, for the first time, the common and the distinct effects of male and female practitioners' experiences on their spousal and parental relationships. It also expands the understanding of the connection between exclusion and loneliness experienced by them, due to their limited ability of sharing their experience with colleagues and family members. The discussion offers theoretical explanations for these implications and recommends how to provide relief for male and female practitioners, who work with sex offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers often address the emotional needs of family caregivers, which are particularly salient during the decision-making process regarding the choice of a living environment for a relative with dementia. In most home care settings, an assessment of caregivers' needs is not part of routine practices. This study aims to describe the intervention strategies adopted by social workers in relation to caregivers' emotions during their decision-making process. A qualitative research design was adopted. Seven social workers were recruited from three health and community service facilities in Montreal, Canada. One group and three individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data was analyzed using Miles, Huberman and Saldaña's method (2013). Seven intervention strategies were identified: investigating emotions, acknowledging emotions, encouraging caregivers to carry on their role, focusing on the rational aspects of the decision, mitigating prejudices against nursing homes, mediating family dynamics and acting upon families' needs. Some of these strategies are aimed at social workers meeting the demands of their jobs whilst others are centered around soothing caregiver emotions. These results can inform support services and future interventions by grounding them in the realities of service providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored whether license-holding mental health professionals exhibit comfort/discomfort in addressing religion and spirituality (RS) in practice. Through snowball sampling, 52 clinicians across different fields were recruited across Southern California. The participants were measured descriptively based on (a) comfort in their ability to integrate clients' RS in treatment and (b) their comfort discussing clients' RS strengths and struggles in treatment. Results revealed that, among practitioners, there was a 15–25% level of discomfort toward integrating and discussing RS in treatment. That is, between 75% and 85% of participants reported comfort in dealing with RS in practice. Licensed clinical social workers reported slightly lower discomfort level than other licensed professionals. However, Mann-Whitney U Test results revealed that field of practice (social workers versus non social workers) does not significantly correlate with comfort addressing and discussing RS in treatment. Implications of the findings were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six young Australians aged 18 to 30 who identify as Progressive Christians, exploring their experiences of belonging. Being true to one's own beliefs invariably brought change to relationships, with all participants reported seeking out new forms of community, either in person or online. However, some also continued their involvement in communities which did not accept their Progressive stance, citing a responsibility to support others on the margins of these communities. Social workers can support Progressive Christians through experiences of change, grief and loss associated with their involvement in a faith community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unique challenges exist for hospital social workers tasked with the care of patients experiencing homelessness. These challenges affect patient care, impact social work practice, and emphasize the need to better understand the experience of providing services to this vulnerable population. Research is limited and focuses upon the experiences of unhoused patients and of medical management, not upon the experiences of the social workers positioned to meaningfully impact care. To address this gap, the current study utilized Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to examine the lived experiences of hospital social workers providing services to homeless patients. Respondents identified fulfilling aspects of this work but also emphasized the deeply personal and professional challenges it engendered. Recommendations were offered for supporting hospital social workers' self-care, incorporating effective practice perspectives, and providing meaningful patient support. Alignment of respondent experiences with literature on compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, work life conditions, and burnout was considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored social service providers' perceptions of risk and resilience while caring for their vulnerable clients during COVID-19. Participants (N = 68) from two agencies completed an online survey. Over half of participants had shifted to virtual service delivery; about 30% continued to have direct contact with clients. Using regression modeling, we found that age, gender, confidence in providing COVID-related care, worries about spreading SARS-CoV-2, and information and supports explained 36% of variance (Adjusted R2 =.357) in provider resilience. Social service agencies need to address provider worries, which may contribute more to resilience than providing information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Working with abused children can have positive and negative implications for social workers. Some of these implications have been conceptualized as secondary traumatic stress and vicarious post-traumatic growth. The current study examined the question of whether these two phenomena share similar contributing factors. Based on the social-ecological theory and previous studies on secondary traumatic stress, we examined the contribution of personal factors and level of exposure to trauma (i.e. years of work experience, professional exposure to child abuse, mastery) and environmental factors (i.e. social support, supervision, and role stress) to the explained variance of secondary traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth, with the goal of understanding these two potential outcomes. This cross-sectional study comprised 255 social workers who worked with abused children. Findings: The results showed that despite the correlation between the two outcomes—post-traumatic growth and secondary traumatic stress—they shared only one common predictive factor: the extent of social workers' exposure to abused children. Role stress was correlated positively, and mastery was correlated negatively, with secondary traumatic stress only. Years of work experience was correlated positively with post-traumatic growth only. Applications: The current study shows the importance of continuing efforts to identify the factors that contribute to post-traumatic growth. At the same time, efforts should be made to foster certain personal and environmental factors to reduce secondary traumatic stress levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working in a stressful environment, child protection workers (CPWs) are often victims of psychological and physical acts of aggression perpetrated by their clients. This can be emotionally distressing for CPWs. Previous authors have suggested that this distress could place CPWs at greater risk for subsequent victimisation if they become emotionally unavailable to their clients. This study sought to investigate whether the distress experienced after an act of client aggression or other types of potentially traumatic events could indeed predict subsequent victimisation over time. Using cross‐lagged panel analysis, researchers administered standardised questionnaires to 173 CPWs who had experienced an act of client aggression or other type of potentially traumatic event in the month prior. Participants were asked to fill out additional questionnaires 2, 6 and then 12 months later. Researchers found that CPW distress did in fact predict subsequent victimisation at the 2‐month time point only. Researchers then conducted a generalised linear model analysis to test the influence of sociodemographic variables and the moderating influence of supervisor support. Supervisor support did not moderate the relationship between initial distress levels and increased aggression 2 months later. The study concludes by examining how the emotional distress of CPWs can negatively impact clients and how organisations can best provide support, in part, by rethinking aggression prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The backdrop to the Munro Review of Child Protection was a narrative propagated in the British national press, and perpetuated particularly by the then opposition Conservative Party, that the case of "Baby P" evidenced the English child protection system was "failing" and in need of reform. Subsequently, the review asserted that the system had become "over-bureaucratised" and "defensive" at the expense of social worker discretion in the interests of the individual child, highlighting the need for "radical reform". This paper aims to report on the extent of, and continued barriers to, social worker discretion within the contemporary English child protection. Design/methodology/approach: As an ethnographic case study of a single English child protection team, the study used a sequential and iterative mixed method design, encompassing observation, document analysis, focus groups, questionnaire, interviews and "Critical Realist Grounded Theory". Findings: The study found that social worker discretion was continuing to be undermined by the "Baby P effect"; not only in the sense of increasing numbers of children within the system but also by the perpetual fear of being "named", "blamed" and "shamed", akin to Peter Connelly's social workers. Originality/value: The paper considers how discretion is manifested in contemporary child protection, especially in the context of the "child-centred" system envisaged by the Munro Review. It concludes that the British media and politicians have a continued role to play in reducing the risk associated with the social worker's discretionary space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the association between role stress and depressive symptoms, as well as moderating effects of social support on the association between role stress and depressive symptoms. The data come from the baseline survey of the 'China Social Work Longitudinal Study' collected in 2019, which contains 5,965 social workers. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Role stress was assessed by using two standardised scales of role conflict (RC) and role ambiguity (RA). Workplace support included organisational support, supervisor support and co-worker support. Family support was measured by assessing family's attitude towards social work profession. Hierarchical regression analyses were employed. We found that after adjusting for covariates, RC and RA were positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas co-worker support, organisational support and family support were negatively associated with depressive symptoms. In addition, family support was found to significantly moderate the association between role stress and depressive symptoms. However, workplace support was not found to act as a moderator against the negative effect of role stress on depressive symptoms. Findings demonstrate social service agencies need to make efforts to assist social workers in recognising and utilising any existing social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moving to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and living apart together (LAT) as a repartnering form represent new late-life beginnings. A large study on LAT relationships constructed in CCRCs identified envy and jealousy, yet they were not examined in-depth. Envy is wanting something we lack, whereas jealousy is fear of losing something that is ours to another. These emotions are rarely explored in the context of older adults' relationships. Using Goffman's framework of (semi)-totalitarian institutions, our aim is to heuristically examine experiences of envy and jealousy from the perspective of residents and staff. In total, thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted in three CCRCs in Israel with ten LAT residents, ten non-LAT residents and ten CCRC staff members, including social workers. Findings refer to kinds of envy, ignoring envy and the development and consequences of LAT-related jealousy and/or envy in CCRCs. The discussion and conclusions address how semi-totalitarian CCRC features influence envy and jealousy experiences. They include implications for social work practice with older adults and their family members regarding adjustment to life in the CCRC and may assist CCRC management and social workers in addressing possible consequences of envy and jealousy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Social work best practices encourage empathy. However, empathy may both prevent and contribute to negative effects of work on worker well-being through emotional labor and spillover into home life. Theory and research suggest that work–family interaction (WFI) may mediate the relationship between emotional labor and worker well-being. The current work examines this framework using structural equation modeling. Authors hypothesized emotional labor to directly and indirectly relate to worker well-being through WFI. Data are from an online survey of 218 Pennsylvanian social workers. The structural equation model was a good fit: χ2(185) = 298.373, p <.001, comparative fit index =.940, Tucker–Lewis index =.926, root mean square error of approximation =.055, 90% confidence interval [0.044, 0.067], standardized root mean square residual =.050. Results show that emotional labor is directly associated with well-being. Negative WFI played a role in mediating the relationship between emotional labor and worker well-being. These results suggest that workplace policy and practice changes could improve worker well-being by adjusting both emotional labor and WFI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined posttraumatic stress (PTS), resilience, and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among social workers (SWs) in Israel exposed to trauma both directly and indirectly through their work. Two groups of SWs were examined: SWs with high exposure to rocket attacks (n = 50) and SWs with low exposure to rocket attacks (n = 52). Measures included objective, subjective, and professional exposure; PTS; vicarious traumatization (VT); resilience; and PTG. Differences between the two groups were found regarding objective, subjective, and professional exposure, as well as PTS, VT, and PTG. No differences were found regarding resilience. PTS and PTG were positively associated. An interaction between group and resilience in predicting PTS and PTG was found. In the highly exposed group, resilience was negatively associated with PTS and positively with PTG, whereas for the low-exposed group resilience was not associated with PTS and was negatively associated with PTG. The discussion focuses on the need to understand the role of resilience and PTG in the psychological reaction of SWs to direct as well as indirect trauma; it also weighs the possibility that PTG serves as a salutogenic variable under high-trauma exposure but as an illusionary means of self-enhancement under low-level exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to measure posttraumatic stress, grief, burnout, and secondary trauma experienced by employed social workers in the United States and to describe organizational support provided to social workers during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study used data from the first wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Emotional Well-Being Study, a prospective panel study examining the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes a sample of 181 social workers. We conducted univariate analyses. Over a quarter (26.21%) of social workers met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD and 16.22% reported severe grief symptoms. While 99.19% of the sample reported average to high compassion satisfaction, 63.71% reported average burnout and 49.59% reported average secondary trauma. Findings indicate that social workers are reporting higher than national estimates of PTSD, indicating a greater need for more emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the significance and severity of the pandemic, it is essential that organizations provide resources for both immediate and ongoing support for the emotional well-being of their employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected families who have children with intellectual disabilities (ID). Our aim was to explore the pandemic's impact on Dutch migrant families who have children with ID, by interviewing these families' support workers. A descriptive qualitative methodology was employed, which resulted in semi-structured telephone interviews with 34 support workers. We selected interview transcripts that pertained to 27 Dutch migrant families who have children with ID and identified themes and subthemes using thematic analysis. Two main themes related to the pandemic emerged: (1) Work of support workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and (2) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon migrant families who have children with ID. The present study demonstrates that support workers particularly struggled to stay in touch with migrant families who have children with ID during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, support workers should tailor their support to the needs of migrant families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with higher numbers of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been found to be overrepresented amongst users of social services. This poses challenges for service providers in seeking ways to incorporate knowledge about ACEs in the calibration of service provision, and for social workers as to how they might use such knowledge in their day-to-day practice. The key contribution of this article is as a position piece that aims to map out a possible response to the ACEs evidence from social work. Practice needs to be informed by an understanding of the causes and consequences of trauma in the lives of individuals and groups. Short-term interventions based on proximal causes have resulted in a fundamental misunderstanding as to the aetiology of the problems experienced and to the types of interventions required to facilitate their amelioration. ACEs research offers a new understanding of how connecting trajectories are formed and maintained in ways that integrate biological, psychological and sociological concepts. In this article, we have made selective use of key texts and studies in the social work literature to illustrate how relationship-based social work may be appropriated and repurposed to align with interventions to mitigate the effects of ACEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer-led interventions to address the opioid crisis are on the rise. This brief report discusses the historical and contemporary social work role and Peer Support Workers (PSWs) by exploring the literature. The authors illuminate the lack of social work addiction training within higher education, highlighting practical strategies that social workers can use as interventions. Moreover, the work explores social work's role in maximizing the PSW workforce to address Hispanic and Black communities most impacted by opioid overdoses. Combining PSWs with clinical social worker's roles will enhance recovery while addressing vital psychosocial issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Despite the importance of self-care to social work practice, misnomers about the construct persist. One misperception is that millennials are overly focused on self-care and engage in high-levels of self-care, to the detriment of performing work duties. This study examined the self-care practices of social work practitioners (N = 3079) in the United States. Researcher investigated self-care practices across five domains: Professional Support, Professional Development, Life Support, Cognitive Awareness, and Daily Balance. Findings: Overall, data suggest that social workers in all generations engaged in moderate amounts of self-care. Analyses revealed that millennials engaged in significantly fewer self-care practices related to Professional Support and Daily Balance, when compared to Generation X and Baby-boomer participants. While not statistically significant, millennials scored lower across all other self-care domains. Applications: This is the first known study to explicitly investigate generational differences in self-care within any professional discipline. Within the next five years, millennials will make up nearly 75% of the world's workforce. Findings from this research suggest the need to reshape prevailing anecdotes about self-care and millennials. Further, data offer insights to organizations looking to better support social workers of all generations in engaging in self-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social prescribing (SP) is increasing in popularity in the UK and can enable healthcare providers to respond more effectively to a range of non‐clinical needs. With the NHS commitment to establish an SP link worker in all GP practices, there is a rapid increase in the number of SP schemes across the country. There is currently insufficient evidence concerning the implementation and acceptability of SP schemes. In this paper, we report our analysis of the descriptions of the experiences of SP link workers, regarding the early implementation of SP link workers in two SP programmes in the South West. Data were gathered using the 'Researcher in Residence' (RiR) model, where the researcher was immersed in the environments in which the SP was managed and delivered. The RiR undertook conversations with 11 SP link workers, 2 SP link worker managers and 1 SP counsellor over six months. The RiR visited seven link workers at their GP practices (service 1) and four at their head office (service 2). The RiR met with the link worker managers at their offices, and the RiR spoke with the SP counsellor on the telephone. Data from these conversations were analysed using Thematic Analysis and six codes were constructed to advance our understanding of the components of early implementation of the SP programmes. Training (particularly around mental health), workforce support, location and SP champions within GP practices were found to be key strategies of SP implementation, link worker involvement acting as a conduit for the impacts of these strategies. This paper suggests that the implementation of SP programmes can be improved by addressing each of these areas, alongside allowing link workers the flexibility and authority to respond to challenges as they emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child protection social workers (CPSWs) are exposed to several workplace risks, often leaving them vulnerable for negative outcomes like burnout. Some CPSWs do well despite exposure to these risks, which could be described as resilience. This scoping review was guided by the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and the PRISMA checklist. Our findings, from analysing 13 articles on CPSWs resilience, are embedded in the socio-ecological model which reveals that the resilience of CPSWs in included studies was informed by intrapersonal resilience processes (e.g., agency, and having emotional intelligence) and interpersonal resilience processes (e.g., supportive relationships). It appears as if CPSWs mostly initiate and sustain resilience enhancing processes, although supportive ecologies also play a role. Most research on CPSW resilience between 1995 and 2020 was conducted in developed countries, with only three studies done in low-income countries. It is important to understand CPSWs' resilience in developed countries, but there is a lack of research on CPSW resilience in low-income countries, such as Nigeria for instance, where there are high rates of child abuse and a need for effective CPSW services. Continued explorations of CPSW resilience across the globe, is necessary to respect and give voice to individual experiences and diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of European Journal of Social Work is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this paper, I explore Fook's model of 'Critical Reflection on Practice' and how discomfort and vulnerability can become an impediment to authentic critical reflection and transformational learning. This paper is written from my perspective, as an emerging social worker to uncover how the integration of Boler's 'pedagogy of discomfort' and practices of self-compassion into Fook's model of critical reflection can heighten awareness, deepen reflective possibilities, and create more flexible selves. Including a 'pedagogy of discomfort' into critical reflection can serve to guide practitioners and students through the vulnerable process of uncovering cognitive, affective, and habitual patterns linked to dominant ideologies and hegemonic forces. The inclusion of self-compassionate teachings into the model of critical reflection better equips practitioners and students with tools to withstand the emotional labour that results from discomfort and reflection. With these tools, practitioners can reconstruct their experiences with new insights to engage in transformational change for personal and professional growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing home (NH) residents have many risk factors for suicide in later life and transitions into and out of NHs are periods of increased suicide risk. The purpose of this study was to describe NH social service directors (SSDs) roles in managing suicide risk and to identify factors that influence self-efficacy in this area. This study used data from the 2019 National Nursing Home Social Services Directors survey (n = 924). One-fifth (19.7%) of SSDs reported a lack of self-efficacy in suicide risk management, as indicated by either needing significant preparation time or being unable to train others on intervening with residents at risk for suicide. Ordinal logistic regression identified SSDs who were master's prepared, reported insufficient social service staffing as a minor barrier (versus a major barrier) to psychosocial care, and those most involved in safety planning for suicide risk were more likely to report self-efficacy for training others. Implications include the need for targeted training of NH social service staff on suicide prevention, such as safety planning as an evidence-based practice. Likewise, sufficient staffing of qualified NH social service providers is critically important given the acute and chronic mental health needs of NH residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the author presents her views on guidance and a small measure of comfort for both Roseline and the healthcare team. It mentions Samuel's care, the medical team should make a recommendation in the context of what was important to Samuel and his family; and also mentions fear that treatments would be stopped without having given their loved one a full chance at recovery because of limitations in resources.

Objective: To investigate the impact of COVID‐19 on the mental health and well‐being of rural paramedics, police, community nursing and child protection staff. Method: An online survey was distributed to investigate the sources of stress and support across individual, task and organisational domains. Setting and Participants: The survey was completed by 1542 paramedics, police, community nurses and child protection workers from all states and territories of Australia. This study describes the data for the 632 rural participants. Main outcome measures: The main measures of well‐being were the Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ9), the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD7), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), workplace engagement, intention to quit and COVID‐19–related stress. Results: The mean depression and anxiety scores were 8.2 (PHQ9) and 6.8 (GAD7). This is 2–3 times that found in the general community. Over half (56.1%) of respondents showed high emotional exhaustion (burnout). The emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment mean scores were 28.5, 9.3 and 34.2, respectively. The strongest associations with burnout and psychological distress were workload, provision of practical support, training and organisational communication. A significant proportion of respondents were seriously considering quitting (27.4%) or looking for a new job with a different employer (28.5%) in the next 12 months. Conclusions: COVID‐19 has increased the workload and stress on rural front‐line community staff. The major sources of stress were related to organisations' responses to COVID‐19 and not COVID‐19 per se. The data suggest the most effective mental health interventions are practical and preventive, such as firstly ensuring fair and reasonable workloads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Although job demands, supervisory support, and burnout have been identified as significant predictors of turnover intention, little attention has been paid to the mechanisms among these determinants. OBJECTIVE: Based on the job demand and resource (JD-R) model, this study examined the mediating roles of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. METHODS: Data were collected from private sector social workers in three metropolitan areas of South Korea (N = 316). Two serial multiple mediation analyses were conducted to examine the mediating effects of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization in the relationships between job demands and turnover intention and between job resources and turnover intention, respectively. RESULTS: Job demands and resources were associated with turnover intention both directly and indirectly, through emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Whereas job demands were positively associated with emotional exhaustion only, job resources were negatively associated with both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. The sequential link from emotional exhaustion to depersonalization was present in both job demands and in the resources models. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore the importance of addressing potential burnout to effectively reduce turnover intention among social workers in South Korea. Implications and strategies for developing interventions and policies to reduce turnover by improving work environments are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mixed economies of welfare have seen increasing numbers of service users funnelled into voluntary, rather than statutory sector services. Many service users with (complex) human needs now fall within the remit of ill-researched voluntary organisations that are rarely social work led. Voluntary sector practitioners comprise a large and rising proportion of the social services workforce, but their experiences have received minimal analysis. Despite the importance of emotions across the helping professions, voluntary sector practitioners' emotional experiences are largely unknown. We address this gap, using an innovative bricolage of original qualitative data from England and Canada to highlight how 'emotions matter for penal voluntary sector (PVS) practitioners across diverse organisational roles, organisational contexts, and national jurisdictions'. We examine the emotions of paid and volunteer PVS practitioners relating to their (i) organisational contexts and (ii) relationships with criminalised service users. Problematising positive, evocative framings of 'citizen participation', we argue that continuing to overlook voluntary sector practitioners' emotions facilitates the downloading of double neo-liberal burdens—'helping' marginalised populations and generating the funds to do so—onto individual practitioners, who are too often ill-equipped to manage them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to incorporate collective psychological ownership (CPO) as psychological resources into the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and investigate the impact of CPO on turnover intention among social service workers. Using an online survey platform, a sample of 761 valid questionnaires was collected from full-time social service workers from 40 social service organizations in Guangdong, a coastal province in Southeast China. Controlling for psychosocial correlates of turnover intention in the JD-R model (i.e. job demands, job resources, burnout, and work engagement) as revealed by prior studies, ordinal logistic regression analyses indicated that CPO was negatively associated with turnover intention. The effects of CPO on turnover intention may inspire more discussion on incorporating psychological resources into the JD-R model for explaining turnover intention in organizational contexts and have important implications for retaining manpower in value-driven human-helping professions in particular. (142 words) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore associations between psychosocial work environment factors and psychological distress in four groups of professionals in Norway. Eight hundred fifty‐six professionals participated in this cross‐sectional study 6 years after graduation. Data were analyzed with linear and logistic regression analyses. For the sample as a whole, higher psychological distress was associated with higher demands, lower support, lower job satisfaction, more work‐home interaction problems, and lower coping in the job. Work‐home interaction problems increased the likelihood of having case‐level psychological distress. The strength of associations between psychological distress and other factors, such as demands, support, and coping in the job, varied by professional group. In conclusion, problems concerned with work‐home interaction were generally associated with higher psychological distress. Between professional groups, other independent variables were differently associated with psychological distress. Work environment factors should receive continued attention in efforts to promote mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]