Search

Recent World Health Organization records show that hypertension is more common in Africa than in other parts of the world, and remains a major common risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, stroke, renal diseases, and death. However, little is known about hypertension management strategies among people in rural areas. Therefore, this phenomenological study aimed to investigate knowledge of hypertension management strategies among middle-aged adults in rural areas of Anambra state. Focus group discussions were used to collect data from 40 middle-aged adults (20 males and 20 females). The data were analysed thematically. Results showed that the participants were all aware of hypertension but lacked in-depth knowledge of disease management strategies. Most of the participants did not believe that engaging in regular physical exercise/activity, and other factors like reduction in salt and alcohol intake could help in controlling high blood pressure. Social workers who are also social service providers are needed to raise awareness among middle-aged people in rural areas about hypertension management strategies. This can be done through the provision of social services like education, health services, and transport services, as this will go a long way in helping rural dwellers gain more knowledge of hypertension management strategies. With the provision of health services, the rural population will not only know management strategies for hypertension but will also be able to check their blood pressure regularly, while transport services will make it possible for the rural population who do not have health centres in their community and means of transporting themselves to the neighbouring community for treatment to do so. Future research should focus on the importance of welfare/home visits as an avenue for awareness creation on hypertension management strategies, as this will be an avenue for the provision of better social services for people in rural areas and an improvement in social service research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine the reasons for starting and continuing to use substances, the changes they experience in accessing and receiving treatment, and the changes observed in family and social support systems with a biopsychosocial approach. Qualitative research method was used in this study. In addition, it was conducted with women who received inpatient treatment at the addiction rehabilitation center of Manisa Mental Health and Disorder Hospital and who did not use substances in the last year. The research sample was determined according to the principle of maximum diversity. Data were collected through in-depth telephone interviews with 31 women. In addition, the data were analyzed by content analysis using the Maxquda is qualitative data analysis (MAXQDA) program. Most of the participants stated that their relationships with their families deteriorated during substance use; they faced economic problems, and they were stigmatized more deeply because they were women. The disadvantaged situations experienced by women within the scope of gender inequality are deepened by the phenomenon of addiction, making it difficult for them to access health and social services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

California is currently grappling with a severe homeless crisis, with Los Angeles and particularly Skid Row, harboring the largest homeless population in the nation. The escalating prevalence of homelessness necessitates evidence-based practices for effective intervention. Despite extensive research on homeless services, the issue's complexity leaves us without a definitive solution for addressing the diverse needs of homeless individuals. The spectrum of approaches, ranging from stringent criminalization to supportive services, poses a challenge for agencies dedicated to serving this population, requiring them to navigate conflicting ideologies. This study delves into the impact of collaborations between opposing service providers on homeless services, drawing insights from interviews with homeless service workers in Skid Row, Los Angeles. Situated within the institutional logics framework, the research theoretically explores how institutions with conflicting ideologies can collaborate. Furthermore, the study introduces the concept of adjacent logics as a novel way to understand collaboration amidst conflicting ideologies. This study contributes to our understanding of homeless services and provides a nuanced framework for comprehending collaboration in the face of conflicting ideologies. This study addresses a critical gap in our knowledge, offering insights that can inform scholars and practitioners on collaborative strategies and reforms to benefit individuals experiencing homelessness and similar interacting populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have resuscitated different mindsets in people. While much attention has been focused on the effect on health and the economic system, the study diverted attention to the disrupted social life and psychological trauma caused by the pandemic. This qualitative study explored people's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they will be leveraged to promote social service delivery through social work intervention in the post-pandemic era. The data were collected through phone interviews involving 12 participants, comprising both social workers and nonsocial workers within the Southeast geopolitical zone. The generated data were analyzed thematically and arranged in quotes. The study found that the pandemic has both positive and negative implications for the social and psychological well-being of people. However, there was no effective engagement of social workers' intervention amidst the need for social service during the pandemic. As a result, the level of preparedness of social workers for effective social service delivery in the post-pandemic era is not adequate. However, the finding reveals prospects for social work in Nigeria. The study suggests a swift government response, which will involve revitalizing the social work profession in Nigeria to enhance social service delivery. Also, social work, especially in the health care setting, should leverage this to make its voice heard in society through enhanced education and practice. However, future research should consider exploring new perspectives in social work education and practice based on the experience of COVID-19 to ensure better social service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a social service project for disadvantaged students through pretest–posttest study design and qualitative interviews. All students joining the service project were invited to participate in this study. Data on personal growth and academic performance (exam scores and class ranks) before and after joining the project were collected. Two focus group interviews were conducted to explore the strengths and limitations of the project. Paired t-test and generalized estimating equation model and content analysis were conducted to analyse quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. Results showed significant improvements in personal growth including self-esteem, academic performance, interpersonal relationship and personal goal setting (all p < 0.05); while exam scores and class ranks were not improved. 'Being empathic', 'self-awareness' and 'interpersonal relationship' emerged from the qualitative interviews as the strength of the project; short duration, lack of follow up and practical strategies in the service contents were concerned as limitations of the project. To conclude, this social service project was proven effective in empowering the personal growth of disadvantaged youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological Science continuously strengthens the development and construction of the journal, attaches importance to the cultivation and growth of young editors, enhances their publishing skills and social service awareness, and further enhances the academic level and social influence of the journal. The paper introduces the development status of Ecological Science in recent years and analyzes several effective strategies; illustrates the practical cases of the young editorial team of Ecological Science in providing scientific and technological social services to enhance their self-worth; summarizes the typical activities and work models of the young editorial team of Ecological Science in promoting ecological science. Finally, thoughts and prospects are given to the construction and cultivation of social service ability for the youth editors, in order to provide useful references. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: An interview study was conducted with persons receiving home care services and personal assistance in Sweden (13 individuals, 25 interviews) with the aim to analyze their experiences of managing personal and intimate care. The analytical approach was guided by phenomenologically informed research and Erving Goffman's theoretical work on self-presentation and social life as it differs in frontstage and backstage settings. Findings: A reflected approach to the complex challenges associated with becoming and being a person in need of personal and intimate care was revealed. This involved continuous adaptations and attuning to organizational and relational conditions of formal home care. Being a recipient of personal and intimate care does not mean being passive. It entails relating to and sustaining the care relation, where even choosing to accept suboptimal conditions is an act of agency. The recipients' private homes were hybridized, transformed both into a waiting room, with the recipient on standby and into a workplace. The homes thus partly lost their character as a backstage realm where one could avoid the gaze of others. This also led to a hybridization of the personal sphere, in the form of marginal scope for true privacy, necessitating strategies for protecting one's own space. Applications: It is important both to acknowledge the intrusive nature of personal and intimate care, which results in extensive hybridization of the home and personal sphere and to recognize care recipients' agency in the relationship that care establishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage. The lack of up-to-date basic knowledge of pain management, especially among healthcare professionals in Primary Health Care Facilities in Surabaya, often leads to the perception that pain is trivial and consequently inadequately addressed. The objective of this social service activity in pain treatment and basic pain management training is to provide appropriate treatment for the community's pain scale and impart current knowledge on pain management that can be applied in daily practice by healthcare professionals and the general public in Surabaya. This initiative involves two methods: treating pain in non-medical community members and providing basic pain management training for healthcare professionals. Examination and anamnesis are conducted for each patient according to the examination questionnaire, which includes the Pain Questionnaire for Laypersons, the Physical Examination Form for Pain Management Social Service, and the Quality of Life Scoring. The initial examination and anamnesis results will determine whether the patient falls into the acute or chronic pain category, allowing for tailored interventions based on patient grouping. As for the basic pain management training, it is conducted by a pain management consultant, comprising the Socialization of the Pain Management Center, a General Lecture on the New Paradigm of Pain Management in the Community, and a Hands-On Pain Management Workshop for patients in pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Individuals with intellectual disabilities who might have been previously placed into segregated institutions now live independently in the community, supported by the necessary community care services. Nevertheless, social inclusion can be deemed successful only if they can positively interact with the various microsystems of the community. The disruption of social service provision due to the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to evaluate other systems of support in the community. By adopting a bioecological perspective, qualitative methods are used to examine the interactions between people with intellectual disabilities and their social environment during the pandemic primarily based on focus group sessions with 17 social workers and 12 caregivers. Findings: Three overarching themes are identified through a thematic analysis: (1) limited social ties with the community that could provide support; (2) professional support as the main source of assistance; and (3) limited resources on how to care for people with intellectual disabilities. Applications: The results show that unilateral systems of support with limited participation of other systems lead people with intellectual disabilities to live segregated lives, even though they reside in the community. To fully realize the right of inclusion in society of all people with intellectual disabilities, further efforts are required to promote informal social care for people with intellectual disabilities. There is a need for a shared-care model that provides care in the community by the community through the establishment of neighborly relations and expansion of the social networks of people with intellectual disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment crosses all socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and educational boundaries; however, studies focusing on demographic characteristics of these children in Greece are scarce. Despite recent effort there is no national registry and the response system remains fragmented. Since the existing response system often includes hospital admission, this study aims to describe the characteristics of children up to 16 years of age with suspected maltreatment admitted to a tertiary children's hospital in Greece, as well as to describe the case management procedure and to calculate the length and baseline cost of hospitalization for this population of children. The socioeconomic factor most often recorded in the study participants was parental unemployment within the nuclear family structure. The main reason for referral to Social Services was neglect. The mean hospitalization duration was 28.5 days. The most frequent outcome was discharge to parental home under Social Services' supervision. The analysis of associations between gender, age, residence status and the referral reasons showed significant differences. Quantitative and qualitative descriptors of children with suspected maltreatment offer potential insights on the social determinants of health. Our findings have the potential of offering assistance to future interventions that aim to develop effective system responses and preventive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used convergent mixed approaches to contribute to local studies and provide a reflection that civic competence is an essential dimension of social service. Contextualized in a northern Luzon municipality, Philippines, the purposively selected 94 participants responded to the survey questionnaire and one-on-one interviews, anchored on the four domains of civic competence, such as civic rights, civic virtues, civic responsibilities, and civic participation. The quantitative findings revealed that among all the domains, only the civic rights were fully manifested, while the other three domains were all at a moderate level. Furthermore, the qualitative findings uncovered factors that possibly influenced the level of civic competence. In converging the findings from the two approaches, apart from the results of citizens' civic competence, this study mirrored experiences of how social services were delivered in a local community. The results suggest that the government may consider local experiences and civic competence levels to plan for policy enhancement for social services during a pandemic or any unprecedented encounters. Future research may use a grounded theory design to form a middle-range theory for civic competence as an essential social service dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study is an experience report that focuses on the Social Work of a tertiary-level public hospital in Fortaleza-CE, facing the Covid-19 pandemic, in which it had to draw on a whole human arsenal, theoretical/methodological and operational to meet the users' families. The general objective was to get to know the dynamics of the actions developed by the Social Service against the Covid-19 pandemic, mainly in a space called "Family Shelter" from May to July 2020. The methodology used was bibliographical research, documentary research and direct observation. The result of this study was the importance of the role of Social Work in a highly complex unit in the face of a pandemic, and mainly to understand that the Social Worker is that professional who deals directly with the user of the Unified Health System (SUS) and their social demands based on quality service. It is concluded that, in view of the public calamity that was installed, the Social Service experienced a unique moment in the history of the SUS, with the new demands imposed by the pandemic in Ceará. With effort, new practices were created in the work processes and to give new meaning to the way of service. So, the alternative was to reframe and turn the negative experience into something positive, based on the instrumentality and policy of humanization of health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary : Social work has long history with practice in diverse places. Indigenous social work traditions have long been grounded in place and land. There has been little attention to the role of place in Western and Northern social work practices. Place-based theories attend to the fundamental role of place in social work practice and provide principles that social workers can use to recognize place in their practice. There has been little practical guidance on how social workers can apply these principles to identify and modify place-based levers for improving practice and outcomes within Western contexts. To address these gaps and advance the use of place in practice, principles of place-based power dynamics are described here in relation to the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of the key areas of social work practice: assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Findings : Place-based principles of form, function, location, time, threshold, and relations, provide a framework that social workers can incorporate into social work practices at all levels and throughout social work practice phases. Application : Social workers can use these principles to examine how social work practice can better assess, intervene, and evaluate the role of place in the social environment and in the daily lives of the participants and populations they serve. Incorporating place-based principles can illuminate malleable place-based levers to fit the needs of service users. Attending to place in social work practice can also heighten practitioners' awareness of power and decision-making to identify and intervene at the root causes of social problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the attributes and religious, social and political activities of local religious groups in three Italian cities across all religious traditions. This is the first application of Congregations Study methodology in Italy to analyze the social composition, structure and activities of religious communities. The research was conducted between 2020 and 2021 with a total number of 877 communities mapped in the cities of Bologna, Milan and Brescia, and their surroundings. All local religious groups in three cities and their surroundings were counted and one key informant per group was interviewed (N = 566) with a Congregations Study questionnaire. Based on the results of the interviews, we found that, during the last decade, the dynamics of growth of adults' and children's regular religious participation was distinct within the Muslim and Christian Orthodox communities. Social service for elderly, environmental programs and political activity were found to be promoted by the Catholic communities to a stronger degree, while activities linked to the support of migrants were endorsed stronger by Muslim and Orthodox groups. Moreover, this study assessed the theological, ethical and political orientation of religious communities, highlighting different trends across religious traditions. The article discusses various configurations of urban religious diversity by bringing similarities and contrasts between communities of dominant religious tradition and minority religions, thus questioning the applicability of City Congregations Study (CCS) methodology to the analysis of configurations of religious diversity in Italy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article goal is to make considerations about the formulation of food and nutrition security policy and the function of intersectoriality as a strategy to make sure the expanded concept of health. The text, through bibliographical research, describes the complexity that involves the theme within the neoliberal logic, marked by the proposal of a minimal State in the field of social policies, performed from the counter-reforms of the State in Brazil. It concludes by pointing to a set of setbacks in the materialization of a public policy, both in the provision of services and in the ideological deconstruction of the recognition as a right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Whereas some studies have addressed the conditions and practices required to infuse critical notions into the organizational context of public social services, there is a paucity of knowledge on what a critical public service can look like in actual practice. This article explores the possibility of applying critical theory and practice at the organizational level of public social services. It focuses on one social services department in Israel that underwent a six-year process of learning and implementing the Poverty-Aware Paradigm. Findings: Based on an in-depth case study that combines ethnographic and participatory methods, we outline how critical ideas are translated to four organizational principles: developing a critical learning culture, acknowledging services users' knowledge and skills, leading a critical discourse in the community, and poverty-proofing services and allocating resources to tackle poverty. Each of these principles is presented with derivative organizational practices and a detailed account of their implementation. Applications: By broadening the framing of critical practice as an individual, street-level endeavor, the findings offer policymakers and public social services professionals an organizational model that mitigates the negative consequences of current neoliberal and managerial policies around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few empirical studies have examined the impact of the universal social services provided to ordinary youth on their resilience and psychosocial adjustment, especially youth from developing countries like China. Based on a sample of 857 high school students between the ages of 13–19 from Beijing, this article examines the pattern of social services provided to Chinese youth and the impact of these services on their resilience and positive or negative psychosocial adjustment (depression, delinquency, prosocial behavior). The results reveal that: (a) Chinese youth generally make very limited use of services but they report moderate satisfaction; (b) both frequency and satisfaction of service use significantly predicts resilience, and resilience significantly predicts lower depression and higher prosocial behavior; (c) resilience fully mediates the relationships between social service frequency/satisfaction and depression/prosocial behavior. The findings give support to the public health model of social services and reveal that building resilience is one mechanism that universal service contributes to youths' psychosocial adjustment. Future research may further investigate the relationships between social services, resilience and psychosocial adjustment in other geographical areas and time periods of China, and comparative studies between China and other countries may also be useful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A fast fake news detection model using deep learning • An intelligent semantic analysis approach for short texts • Graphic expressions for illustration of technical details • Simulative experiments on real-world datasets for evaluation With the prevalence of social network service in cyber-Physical space, flow of various fake news has been a rough issue for operators of social service. Although many theoretical outcomes have been produced in recent years, they are generally challenged by processing speed of semantic modeling. To solve this issue, this paper presents a deep learning-based fast fake news detection model for cyber-physical social services. Taking Chinese text as the objective, each character in Chinese text is directly adopted as the basic processing unit. Considering the fact that the news are generally short texts and can be remarkably featured by some keywords, convolution-based neural computing framework is adopted to extract feature representation for news texts. Such design is able to ensure both processing speed and detection ability in scenes of Chinese short texts. At last, some experiments are conducted for evaluation on a real-world dataset collected from a Chinese social media. The results show that the proposal possesses lower training time cost as well as higher classification accuracy compared with baseline methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, poverty is considered as a serious problem in both developing and underdeveloped countries. In this context, institutions such as the United Nations and the World Bank have published important research on poverty. It is a fact that children, who are the most vulnerable link in families struggling with poverty, are more affected by poverty than adults are. Children faced with poverty cannot access their basic rights and needs such as health, education and nutrition, so poverty is passed on to future generations in a cycle. In this respect, it is important to address and work on child poverty to break this cycle. In this study, the appearance of child poverty in society, street children, working children, delinquent children, causes and consequences of child poverty will be examined and suggestions for solutions will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary : While scholars have examined how neoliberal ideas and policies manifest at the front lines of the welfare state, far less is known about how the neoliberal approach prevalent in such states shapes decisions that senior state actors make about social welfare policy. The current study advances the literature by examining the processes and motivations behind the decision to withdraw from enacting a law designed to secure the social rights of all Israeli citizens. The study is rooted in a critical research paradigm, combining both inductive and deductive analyses of in-depth interviews with 15 senior officials and legislators in the field of social services. Findings : Despite their purported support for equality in the provision of social services, their acknowledgment of the shortcomings of current legislation in this respect, and their active role in promoting an alternative thereto, participants were persuaded to act in such a way as to support free-market measures. These findings illustrate an arena of policymaking wherein some state actors "purchase" other actors' cooperation and compliance with the neoliberal approach. Applications : The "behind-the-scenes" account of the legislative process, set against the backdrop of neoliberal welfare governance, provides insights useful to all those who seek to promote parity-enhancing legislation aimed at supporting marginalized social service recipients, in Israel and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research has the purpose of analyzing professional practice as a social service; by using personal efficiency as a strength of correct job performance. A case study is carried out at the National Penitentiary Institute (INPE) in Arequipa, Peru during the year 2018. The inquiry is applied with a non-experimental cross-sectional design, from a qualitative approach. The survey validated by the judgment of three experts is applied; The reliability measurement is carried out, which shows an acceptable index of 0.905. The results are shown using frequency tables adapted by the SPSS program. It is pointed out that personal values determine the best actions; when skills are conditioned to the reproduction of fair ways of life. That is, the relevant institutional practices are always subject to achieving social welfare; Only under the protection of this ethical requirement is it possible to use human resources to promote dignified coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research has the purpose of analyzing ethical training as a social service by presenting plural educational administration organizations. Therefore, it proposes a pedagogical management model that allows strengthening the quality of instruction at the Pedro Ruiz Gallo Military College. The methodology used is basic and has a descriptive, purposeful design; For the diagnosis of training quality, a data collection form validated by expert judgment is applied. It concludes that the best possible training changes the place of legitimation of educational practices from uncritical obedience to the ethical commitments that coexistence demands. In this sense, training is always committing oneself in solidarity with others; eventuality that requests the integration of communities to educational events with a view to achieving collective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the private attributions of social workers in the context of public calamity triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic whose main characteristic, in the social and economic sphere, was the deepening of social inequality. In this way, our objective is to bring to the debate the challenges posed to the profession through its private attributions in a context that also marked significant changes in performance through the new demands that required new skills from the professional, highlighting the need for continued education. From a methodological point of view, we rely on bibliographic references and on the main documents that support the profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to reflect on the processes of theoretical incorporation in the professional environment of Social Work and its consequences in contemporary training and performance. As well as reflecting on strategies for valuing the intention to break with the conservative tradition in which the profession was created. For this, we used bibliographic reference and empirical material from data collected in the last research of the Group of Studies in Social Work, Professional Formation and Social Policy (GEPSS/UFPA), of which we are part. The lines that illustrate our analysis come from semi-structured interviews with professionals trained under the aegis of the new Curriculum Guidelines at UFPA and at private universities both on-site and at a distance. We conclude this article with the definition that neoconservatism or postmodernity has significant influences on our formation, but that do not go beyond the need for knowledge and appreciation of the intention of rupture. This indicates the urgency of highlighting this antagonistic debate in the professional sphere in order to strengthen the profession, which has historically taken a critical position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This opinion piece discusses three aspects that can cause tensions for Christian social service practitioners who work in secular employment. We bring our observations as educators of social service practitioners in the vocational setting. Our specific geographic and historical context of Aotearoa New Zealand adds to the aspects presented. The training of social service workers necessitates covering values and ethical decisions that may be faced in practice. Codes of practice and societal norms may at times, be in conflict with the values held by the practitioner. There is growing awareness that the state in some Western democracies is less secular today and may be entering a post-secular age in which religious pluralism is the norm. How this impacts the Christian practitioner and their training is still under-researched. We add to the discourse by providing a unique context to issues already expressed by others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain insight into current use of social-media platforms in human services delivery, we systematically surveyed 172 social-service workers from six agencies in a Midwest US city to gather data about social-media usage among social-service providers, potential challenges and benefits of using social media, and whether a social-media-based informatics platform could be valuable. Quantitative analyses showed that approximately half of participants have used social media to collect client-related information; nearly one-quarter indicated "often" or "nearly daily" use. Adjusting for the effects of worker characteristics, social-media use was associated with the type of agency involved and with increased tenure in social services. Adjusted results also showed that participants' comfort with using the potential application was greater in those agencies substantially involved with investigative/legal work. However, trust in the information collected by the potential application was a stronger, independent predictor of comfort using the tool. Qualitative analyses identified numerous challenges and ethical concerns, and positive and negative aspects of a social-media-based informatics platform. If the platform is to be created, work must be done carefully, fully considering ethical issues rightly raised by social service workers, existing agency policies, and professional standards. Future research should investigate ways to negotiate these complex challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article demonstrates how decentralization can lead to development at the local level, albeit in moderate form. Analyzing data collected from 660 respondents based on face‐to‐face interviews, focus group discussions, and personal observations, we found that the transfer of power and resources to the district assemblies (DAs) has led to the provision of critical social amenities such as roads, education, health‐care facilities, and management of environmental sanitation at the sub‐national level. Respondents are satisfied with the provision of these social amenities because they have led to relative improvements in their basic social needs. Yet, delays and the accumulation of arrears associated with the transfers of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) have deprived the DAs of the needed revenue to deliver far‐reaching social services to the people. The grant of more financial autonomy to the DAs and measures to curtail the overbearing influence of the central government over the administration of the DACF will enhance their capacity to deliver substantial development projects to accentuate the transformation of the rural districts. Related Articles: Adams, Brian E. 2016. "Assessing the Merits of Decentralization: A Framework for Identifying the Causal Mechanisms Influencing Policy Outcomes." Politics & Policy 44(5): 820–49. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12172. Ayanoore, Ishmael, and Sam Hickey. 2022. "Reframing the Politics of Natural Resource Governance in Africa: Insights from the Local Content Legislation Process in Ghana." Politics & Policy 50(1): 119–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12449. Debrah, Emmanuel. 2016. "Decentralization, District Chief Executives, and District Assemblies in Ghana's Fourth Republic." Politics & Policy 44(1): 135–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12146. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In anonymous online text-based counselling provided by social services, counsellors face specific communicative and professional challenges. Among other things, they need to ensure that they have understood the chat users correctly in order to provide relevant information and advice. The paper studies how counsellors check their understanding of users' situations by using formulations, namely, summarising and rephrasing users' initial problem descriptions. The data consists of chat logs from 56 web-based counselling sessions provided by social services in Sweden. Conversational analysis is used to examine the functions of chat counsellors' formulations. Analyses show that counsellors reformulate users' initial requests to establish a joint understanding of the users' situations and help requested. Three distinct functions of the initial formulations are identified: recasting requests in the institutional terms of social services, clarifying ambiguity in the user's initial posts and affiliating with the user. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Public trust towards social workers is essential for legitimacy and accessibility of the social services, as well as for help-seeking behaviour. However, research on public trust towards the social services is lacking. The aim of this study was to describe the extent to which Swedish citizens trust social workers who work within the social services, and to explore patterns in level of trust based on demographic factors and history of service use. The analysis draws on survey data from 2010, 2014, and 2018 (total n = 4975). Logistic regressions were conducted to assess associations between predictor variables and trust. Findings: On average, 40 percent of the general public reported a high level of trust regardless of year. Approximately 20 percent reported a low level of trust. The results indicate a slight decrease in trust between 2010 and 2014 but not between 2014 and 2018. No gender or age differences were identified. Low income level, being related to a service user, and low level of education were all associated with low level of trust. Applications: Our findings provide new insights regarding variations in levels of trust in the general population. Economically and educationally disadvantaged groups as well as those related to a service user are more likely to report low trust than their more advantaged counterparts. To strengthen legitimacy and accessibility, these groups should be prioritised in trust-enhancing efforts. Still, reports of high trust were predominant, indicating that social workers are generally perceived as trusted providers of social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Given the global and local social inequalities and the complex life circumstances of people living in poverty, social workers are called upon to broaden their knowledge with the purpose of developing social services that respond to the needs of this growing population. However, very little research has been done on the kind of knowledge that social workers require in order to care for this population. The present article focuses on the epistemological aspects of service development for people living in poverty and reviews three main issues: What is "poverty knowledge," where does it come from, and what are the barriers to and opportunities for its development? These questions are investigated through a qualitative paradigm among social workers employed in Israel's public social services. Findings: Findings reveal a profound epistemological controversy about what poverty knowledge means: Is it objective, consistent, readily available, and transferrable knowledge, or is it a dynamic and reflexive process affected by a great number of fluctuating contexts? Findings stress the dominance of positivist views of poverty knowledge, mostly derived from practice while other sources of knowledge development, such as service users' local knowledge, theory, and research knowledge were seen as less relevant to their needs. Applications: Practical recommendations are offered relating to the need for poverty knowledge development processes in social services as well as in social-work education through collaborative, contextual, and reflective learning with and from service users and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Children of social service users are at risk for developing mental health problems as well as social and behavioral problems. Social service counselors should therefore be aware of service users' children and provide support for them. In fact, they are obligated by law to consider children's views and their best interests in cases affecting them. Despite this, little is known about social service counselors' child focus in their practice. In this study, self-reported survey data from 93 counselors working for the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration (NAV) were analyzed to explore their child focus. Findings: Findings suggest that a particular focus on children is no part of common practice among NAV counselors; nor is use or knowledge of The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Knowledge and use of the CRC may be a predictor of child-focused practice. The results showed a significant difference of medium effect size between NAV counselors who ask about children and NAV counselors who do not when it comes to knowledge and use of the CRC. Applications: Policy makers and practitioners should utilize NAV's potential as a preventive arena. For NAV counselors to be aware of and support children of social service users they need a stronger focus on children and hence know and use the laws concerning children's rights. Incorporating children's rights into social workers' education and internal training may strengthen the focus on children in NAV counselors' practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although its theoretical and methodological applications have been discussed since the 1970s, the theoretical framework of the four basic systems of practice has not been widely used to analyze or explain critical real-world social work practice problems. This qualitative study adopted and advanced the four basic systems of practice framework to analyze the current status and future directions of trauma-informed social work service among COVID-19-affected communities in Wuhan, China. Fourteen frontline social workers who directly served COVID-19 survivors were recruited and completed semi-structured interviews. The analysis revealed that COVID-19 survivors experienced physical and psychological posttraumatic stress from their infection and, after recovery, trauma from discrimination in their communities and on the job market. Interviewed social workers reported a lack of power and skills to provide efficient and adequate services. The roles of the acting parties in the action systems were also identified. Building on these findings, this article proposes several key objectives in the target systems that could contribute to the develop future trauma-informed systems of social service practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: There is broad consensus that COVID-19 has had a pernicious impact on social work, in general, and among social work practitioners, more specifically. However, at present, very few, if any, empirical examinations of this impact exist. This exploratory study examined peritraumatic distress among a sample of social workers (N = 3920) in one southeastern state in the United States. Findings: Analysis suggests that distress is impacted by several variables. In general, participants identifying as male, married, reporting good physical and mental health, working in microcontexts, and who were finically secure tended to experience less COVID-19 associated distress. In addition, social workers identifying as LGBTQ* and who had been working mostly remotely experienced higher levels of distress. Applications: Overall, findings indicate the need to provide adept support to social workers practicing during the pandemic. Data suggest the need for targeted support initiatives, typically for those who are from underrepresented groups (e.g., LGBTQ*) or experiencing financial or mental/physical health issues. Certainly, researchers should continue to examine the impact of COVID-19 on social work practitioners and service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study assessed how few community-based programs target older people living with HIV. Methods: We conducted four focus groups comprised of people 50 and older with HIV (N = 32; gay/bisexual men, heterosexual men, women, and Spanish-speakers) to inform HIV program development by exploring the services in which participants were actively involved, along with the services they wanted to receive. Results: Using inductive thematic qualitative analysis, four themes were identified pertaining to program development: (a) types of currently utilized HIV service organizations; (b) dissatisfaction with HIV programming and services; (c) participants' preferred programming, courses, groups, or activities; and (d) desire to serve as peer mentors. Conclusions: Results highlight the need for community-based organizations to address social engagement and isolation among older people living with HIV. Clinical implications: These findings exemplify the need for programs to be specifically designed for OPH, and created with the primary goals of socialization and helping develop social support networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the strategies that staff at two refugee-serving organizations found helpful in mitigating their increased distress from negative political rhetoric aimed at their clients. Results point to the importance of organizational acknowledgment of the distress. Additionally, staff perceived that intentionally focused organizational interventions can mitigate the emotional impacts of negative rhetoric. Finally, strategies employees used to lessen their distress and regain a sense of efficacy included recommitment to the mission, advocacy for refugees among family and friends, strong reliance on religious faith in coping, and an avoidance of the rhetoric by decreasing engagement with news and social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the consequences of domestic violence on the mental health of women monitored by the Psychosocial Care Center of a municipality in the interior of Ceará. A field research, exploratory type, qualitative approach, was carried out from September to November 2020 with women who are part of the mental health service. The collection took place alternately, virtual and face-to-face, in view of the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for a sample of six women over the age of 18 who participate in the institution's therapeutic group and experienced episodes of domestic violence. The research followed the ethical precepts n°. 4,255,824. The study showed a predominance of psychological, physical and sexual violence. The symptoms of mental illness found as a consequence of domestic violence were anxiety, insomnia, low esteem, panic syndrome and self-aggressive behaviors. Studies on this theme are suggested, in order to promote knowledge, develop care strategies, prevent and minimize damage related to domestic violence and encourage investments in protection mechanisms for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study has as its general objective to understand the perspectives of the social workers of the Expanded Nucleus of Family Health and Primary Care (NASF-AB) in the municipality of Iguatu - CE regarding the use of health education as a work tool for Social Work. The research process took place through field research with a qualitative approach; semi-structured interviews were used as a data collection technique; and the information collected was analyzed and systematized based on the content analysis technique. From the research findings, some potentialities regarding the use of health education are evidenced, such as: the fact that they constitute powerful spaces in the process of deconstruction of the medical-centric health model; to provide an environment for exchange and construction of knowledge with users regarding the various forms of care; their very important role in encouraging popular organization and participation, among others. With regard specifically to the use of health education as a technical political instrument of social work, it was seen that these practices dialogue directly with the pedagogical dimension of the profession, as well as with the ethical-political project of social work, insofar as which it seeks to build an emancipatory health education, based on respect for the autonomy of subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought disruptions and constraints to K-12 STEM education, such as the shortened classroom time and the restrictions on classroom interactions. More empirical evidence is needed to inform educators and practitioners which strategies work and which do not in the pandemic context. In response to the call for more empirical evidence and the need for cultivating responsible and competent 21st century citizens, we designed and implemented a transdisciplinary STEM curriculum during the COVID-19 outbreak. In order to facilitate the smooth delivery of the learning contents and authentically engage learners in the learning process, multi-model video approaches were employed considering the characteristics of three disciplines, STEM, social service, and writing, as well as learner diversity. Pre- and post-test results indicated that students’ transdisciplinary STEM knowledge improved significantly after completing the curriculum. The integration of STEM, social service, and writing disciplines promoted the growth of students’ empathy, interest, and self-efficacy. Consistent with the quantitative results, students responded in the interview that their STEM knowledge and empathy were both enhanced. Some implementation strategies introduced in the current study are also applicable when the standard teaching order is restored in the post-COVID-19 era. [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]

This paper aims at analyzing the professional and Institutional demands of the Social Work at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Espírito Santo, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, through revisiting the data of our master’s research (2017) – which was held from interviews with active social workers at the Student Assistance Policy of this Institute – in interface with the analysis of letters and notes produced in the pandemic context (2020) by students and workers from different professional categories. It was theoretically supported by Antunes (2018, 2020), Iamamoto (2015) and Yazbek (2009). We concluded that the qualified professional demand of Social Work differs from the institutional demand at Ifes, then (re) visiting the data contributed to resignify the way of understanding the social work demand, which is not solitary but powerful, because it makes it possible to build alliances with other workers and students who stand and fight for equity and social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores children's learning experiences from taking part in an educational intervention about social services in school. Data were collected from six group interviews with 27 children after they had participated in lessons about social services. Following a narrative evaluation approach, the analysis focuses on the narratives of change that are made visible through the children's shared reflections about their learning experiences.In their narratives of change, the children presented the educational intervention as meaningful for them because it increased their knowledge about social services as a possible support function for children and families. Some of the children related their previous more negative perceptions of social services to a collective story building on the idea that social services take children away from their families. Through the educational intervention, this collective story changed in part into another collective story building on the idea that social services help children and families to improve their relationships.The study shows that an educational intervention about social services in school has the potential to increase children's knowledge about social services and to influence in a positive direction the collective stories that shape public perceptions of social work. Although such changes in collective stories can be expected to benefit social work practice, welfare professionals must be careful to promote opportunities for children to share experiences of social services that challenge, as well as align with, any of these collective stories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes Head Start Impact Study data to examine whether Head Start is associated with teenage mothers' experiences. Among 3,576 participants, 579 mothers were identified as teenage mothers (under 19 years old). Research questions included (1) compared to nonteenage mothers, do teenage mothers have different maternal experiences such as informal social support, formal social service use, mental health, and child-rearing skills? (2) does Head Start have any association with the experiences of teenage mothers? Teen mothers had less education, lower family incomes, and were less likely to be married than nonteenage mothers. Teenage mothers were most likely to identify as black and least likely to identify as Hispanic. Teenage mothers were more likely to speak English at home and live in rural areas. Further, regression analysis indicated that teenage mothers used less formal social services and displayed less mental health problems than nonteenage mothers. There was not a significant association on parental experiences for teenage mothers participating in Head Start. Study implications include using teen mothers' voices to inform service needs, increasing strengths-based interventions, and raising awareness or creating nonstigmatizing programs for teen mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent times, fiscal austerity has driven many nonprofit organizations to transform into social enterprises. This study sought to explore the process that elderly educational organizations undergo when making this transformation. The 11 managers who participated in this study had guided the transformation of active aging learning centers into social enterprises and equipped with knowledge of the transformation experience. A qualitative method of phenomenological approach that included semi-structured in-depth interviews was adopted. The results indicated that the transformation process can be divided into four stages. The first stage is recognizing an organization's needs and desired change. The second stage is preparing for the transformation given the organization's existing foundation, which involves managers leveraging their older adult education talents and courses as niche points for the transformation. The third stage is overcoming transformational difficulties and developing coping strategies. The fourth stage is reaping post-transformation benefits, including the participation of individuals who can serve the organization internally or externally, and the resolution of community issues. Recommendations for future study is that, larger samples of participants from extended and wider elderly education organizations can be used to fully understand the transformation of elderly education organizations to promote social services in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than half of medical interns do not feel safe in Health Centers (HS), since there are records of violence mainly towards social service female medical interns (SSFMI) in HS. The objective of the study was to identify the type of violence exercised in a sample of 60 women between 22 and 24 years old. The survey helped to identify four risk situations: insecurity (30%), life in danger (50%), attempted break-in (20%) and attempted sexual harassment (30%). Results also show six different types of violence: psychological (42.17 ± 11.54), physical (94.86 ± 7.07), economic (83.45 ± 5.24), sexual (27.38 ± 3.53), work (53.13 ± 36.05) and educational (43.77 ± 23.49). Violent assaults are evident in the SSFMI, suggesting that the HS do not have appropriate security measures to protect the safety of the SSFMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The opioid crisis in Canada has led to over 9,000 opioid-related deaths. The impact of this crisis on frontline workers is poorly understood. We spoke to 14 frontline workers to explore the impact of the opioid crisis on their work, examine perceptions of supports in the workplace, and identify recommendations to mitigate overdose-related stressors. Findings suggest that workers are experiencing significant increases in stress/burnout. Perceived stressors included new/increased job duties, fear of deaths, inadequate staffing/training, heightened vigilance, and fears for safety. Additional counseling, debriefing, staffing, training, and recreation were recommended. Public policies favoring harm reduction are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an educator, the supervisor shares with the trainee the responsibility for the teaching-learning process, motivating and facilitating this teaching. The role of educator is the supervisor's primary and most significant role in carrying out his supervisory action. The other roles stem from and are auxiliary and/or complementary to it. In this sense, this article aims to discuss the supervision of internship in Social Work, understood as an educational practice in training and professional practice. We bring the partial results of a bibliographic research carried out in the doctorate, based on the dialectical historical materialism method, with a qualitative approach. Therefore, when analyzing an educational action in internship supervision, it is necessary to be attentive to verify to what extent such action serves for the emancipatory training of the popular classes, interns or for the conservation and maintenance of relations of domination and submission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: One major effect of the demise of the welfare state on public social services is increased heavy workload which leads to stress, burnout, and compromised well-being among social workers. Less explored are the ways in which heavy workload shapes the helping relationship between social workers and clients. Extrapolating from the narratives of 14 Israeli social workers who participated in an institutional ethnographic study, this paper offers a nuanced understanding of the toll that heavy workload takes on the helping relationship. Findings: Results showcase heavy workload as a ruling relation, an organizational reality outside the control of social workers and clients. The damaging effects of heavy workload on the helping relationship as well as on the social workers were apparent: social workers expected to slice themselves thin and deal with frustration and guilt in the face of an organizational reality that deters them from investing in their clients the time and energy required to cultivate helping relationships. Application: The helping relationship has been paramount to social work throughout the history of the profession. This research contributes to this longstanding focus with a renewed understanding of the helping relationship in public social services as a political and public encounter between social workers and clients, one that is governed by extra-local relations of ruling. Heavy workload is one such ruling relation that organizes the helping relationship. As such, this organizational reality can be reorganized to eliminate, or at least reduce, the toll that heavy workload takes on the helping relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Worker experiences of workload is a poorly understood component of health and safety practice in the social services sector. Job Demands-Resources theory is applied to explore how workload contributes to health and safety, workplace violence, and violence prevention. Data from qualitative interviews (n = 81) of workers in publicly administered social services in Western Canada were analyzed using analytic induction and constant comparison methods. Findings: Qualitative themes highlight the role of Workload Management, Equal Distribution of Workload, Stress Management, and Flexibility on worker experiences with workplace violence prevention. These themes are further elaborated on and contextualized within a Job Demands-Resources framework. Finally, a conceptual model of workload management and health and safety is presented. Applications: Findings highlight areas of workload development and innovation as a component of violence prevention interventions within social service workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Introduction frames a collection of papers that explore the roles played by women—as volunteers, organisers, bureaucrats, politicians and citizens—in shaping the emerging ideologies and structures of independent India. Although women's participation is both understudied and inadequately theorised in existing scholarship, the papers in this collection demonstrate that the decades following India's Independence witnessed the participation of women in every sphere of politics and nation-building. The introductory essay tracks the limits and possibilities of women's agency and gendered citizenship in these spheres to historicise the women's movement during the post-Independence decades, and to examine its fraught relationship with feminism, patriarchal society and state politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]