Abstract
Summary
This study investigated the frequency and patterns of technology use among 200 Israeli social workers in their practice with service users, colleagues, and other professionals. The study employed a cross-sectional descriptive quantitative design and an online survey to gather data on social workers’ use of technology, their sense of safety, and the training they received on technological and information security issues.
Findings
The results showed that text messages, instant messaging, and phone calls were frequently used by social workers in their practice. A higher sense of safety in using technology was associated with a higher frequency of using video calls, text messages, instant messaging, and email. Over half of the participants (57%) received training on technological and/or information security issues from their employer, and those who received training felt significantly safer using technology compared to those who did not.
Applications
The findings suggest the importance of providing training programs to enhance social workers’ proficiency in using technology effectively and safely. Policies should prioritize funding for technology training initiatives within social work education and professional development programs. The implications of this research offer valuable insights for social work practice, education, and policy worldwide, emphasizing the need to implement safety protocols and guidelines for technology use in social work settings.
Introduction
Integrating technology in social work practice has significantly benefited both service users and social workers. Technology facilitates greater availability and accessibility of social work services, breaking down barriers of distance and time. Additionally, it provides flexibility in service delivery, accommodating diverse needs and schedules. Enhanced communication and collaboration between service users and social workers foster more service user-centered approaches, improving the overall quality of care. Studies have found that technology integration leads to measurable improvements in service quality and effectiveness through multiple pathways. However, issues including ethical concerns, communication limitations, and technological access inequalities remain significant considerations (Afrouz & Lucas, 2023; Voigt et al., 2016).
Recent studies have shown that social workers exhibit a high degree of technological acceptance. However, demographic factors such as age, education level, ethnicity, and geographic setting influence the extent of technology utilization (Barrera-Algarín et al., 2023; Mishna et al., 2022).
While the integration of technology in social work has gained widespread attention globally, studies examining its adoption in specific regional contexts remain scarce. In Israel, Cwikel and Friedmann (2020) found that only 4% of social workers in their sample had experience with e-therapy. Key barriers to adoption include a lack of training and technological skills, concerns about confidentiality and ethics, and challenges in understanding nonverbal communication. However, the benefits are significant, including increased access for underserved populations, greater scheduling flexibility, and improved access to evaluation tools and forms. Building on the limited research in this area, this study aims to deepen our understanding of how technology is utilized within the Israeli social work context, addressing critical gaps in knowledge.
Specifically, this study examines the frequency of different technology use (video calls, text messages, instant messaging, emails, and social media) among Israeli social workers in their work with service users, colleagues, and other professionals. It also seeks to assess social workers’ sense of safety in using these technologies with different groups and to investigate whether receiving training on technological and information security issues is associated with social workers’ sense of safety in using technology.
Methods
The study employs a cross-sectional descriptive quantitative design to collect data from social workers regarding their use of technology in their professional practice.
Participants
Two hundred Israeli social workers were recruited using convenience and snowball sampling. The mean age of the participants was 40.7 (SD = 9.47), ranging from 24 to 71 years. The majority were women (87%). The majority of social workers were Jewish (94.5%), the remainder were Muslim (2.5%), Christian (1.5%), Druze (1%), and other religions (0.5%). More than half (62.5%) of the participants held an MA degree, 35.5% a BA and 2% a PhD degree. The mean seniority of the social workers was 13.10 years (SD = 9.85), the minimum was one year and the maximum 41 years.
Measurements
Sociodemographic questionnaire
The sociodemographic questionnaire consisted of 13 questions for gathering information about the participant's background and demographics. Questions were related to personal characteristics such as gender, age, religion, religious affiliation, education level, marital status, income level, place of work, job title, population served, seniority in the profession, seniority at the current workplace, field of occupation, and type of workplace. The associations between background characteristics and technology use are presented as supplementary material.
Social workers and technology use
The social workers and technology-use questionnaire, developed for the purpose of the current study, gathered information on social workers’ use of technology in their practice. The survey was administered online and relied on self-reported responses from participants.
The questionnaire included several queries related to the use of technological means in social work, including the frequency of their use with service users, colleagues, and other professionals; training on the use and security of information; and feelings of safety and confidence in using technology with service users, colleagues, and other professionals.
Procedure
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Tel-Hai College (14-6/2002). The online survey, which took approximately 5 min to complete, was distributed via professional social network sites using Qualtrics software.
Data analysis
Data analysis involves descriptive statistics, correlation, and t-tests conducted through SPSS software.
Results
Frequency of technology use in Israeli social workers’ practice
Table 1 presents the frequency of technology use (low, medium, and high) in social workers’ practice with service users, colleagues, and other professionals.
Technology use among Israeli social workers with service users, colleagues, and professionals (N = 200).
As shown in Table 1, text messages or instant messaging and phone calls on cell phones are in highly frequent use in social workers’ practice with service users, colleagues, and other professionals. Video calls are more frequently used with colleagues than service users and other professionals. Connection via e-mails is more frequent with colleagues and other professionals than with service users. Connection via online social media with service users, colleagues, and other professionals is low.
Correlations between sense of safety in using technology and usage
Half of the participants (50%) stated that they feel very safe using technology in their practice with service users. Sixteen percent reported not feeling safe. However, in their practice with colleagues, 78% reported feeling very safe using technology. In their practice with other professionals, 63.5% stated they feel very safe using technology.
The correlation analysis revealed that a higher level of sense of safety in using technology with service users was associated with a higher frequency of using video calls (r = .23, p < .05), text messages or instant messaging (r = .16, p < .05), and email (r = .23, p < .001).
In addition, a higher level of sense of safety in using technology with colleagues was associated with a higher frequency of using video calls (r = .16, p < .05), text messages or instant messaging (r = .14, p < .05), and email (r = .15, p < .05).Finally, a higher level of sense of safety in using technology with other professionals was associated with a higher frequency of using video calls (r = .17, p < .05) and email (r = .22, p < .01).
Training and sense of safety in relation to technology use
Over half of the participants (57%) stated they received training on technological and/or information security issues from their employer. Social workers who received training felt significantly safer using technology with service users (M = 3.67, SD = 0.89; t(160) = 3.50, p < .001), with colleagues (M = 4.18, SD = 0.72; t(197) = 2.76, p < .01), and with other professionals (M = 3.98, SD = 0.84; t(179) = 2.95, p < .01) compared to those who did not (M = 3.16, SD = 1.08; M = 3.86, SD = 0.94; M = 3.62, SD = 0.86 respectively).
Discussion
Consistent with previous studies that documented high levels of technology acceptance among social workers (Barrera-Algarín et al., 2023; Mishna et al., 2022), our findings among Israeli social workers confirm this trend. This study contributes to the literature by establishing the connection between social workers’ sense of safety and their technology use, and identifying how training is associated with safety perceptions when using technology with service users, colleagues, and other professionals. These findings can be explained by the self-efficacy theory.
Self-efficacy theory posits that individuals’ beliefs in their capabilities strongly influence their behaviors, motivations, and outcomes. According to this theory, self-efficacy beliefs are shaped by four main sources of influence: mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and interpretations of somatic and emotional states (Bandura, 1994). Recent applications of this theory in social work education have demonstrated its relevance to technology adoption, showing how structured learning experiences can significantly increase social workers’ confidence and competence in using technology for practice (Wilkerson et al., 2021).
The association between social workers’ sense of safety in using technology and their actual usage can be understood through the lens of self-efficacy beliefs. When social workers feel safe in relation to information security, it indicates a high level of confidence in their ability to navigate technology without adverse consequences. This sense of safety enhances their perceived self-efficacy regarding technology use, as they interpret any stress or tension associated with technology as manageable challenges rather than indicators of potential harm or failure. Consequently, social workers who feel safe are more likely to use technology more frequently and effectively in their practice. In addition, training programs provide social workers with mastery experiences by offering structured learning opportunities to develop their technological skills. Successful learning experiences contribute to developing a resilient sense of efficacy as social workers become more confident in their ability to navigate technology and manage potential challenges. Training also provides vicarious experiences by exposing social workers to successful models demonstrating effective technology use. By observing experienced colleagues or trainers confidently navigate technology, social workers perceive themselves as capable of similar technological proficiency. These vicarious experiences enhance social workers’ beliefs in their own capabilities and contribute to their sense of safety in using technology. Furthermore, training programs often involve social persuasion, as trainers and supervisors verbally encourage and support social workers in their technological endeavors.
This study revealed that many social workers do not feel adequately secure in their digital interactions. Furthermore, a significant number have not received sufficient training on technological and information security issues from their employers. Future research could explore the specific reasons behind these feelings of insecurity and identify barriers preventing adequate training.
Additionally, studies could examine how social workers integrate technology into their practice, including the timing and nature of technological interventions and their impact on service delivery outcomes. Research should also investigate the factors influencing technology adoption, such as organizational support, implementation challenges across different practice contexts, and its overall effect on service quality.
Social workers should be encouraged to use technology to enhance the quality of services provided to service users, as it facilitates greater availability, accessibility, and flexibility in service delivery, fostering more service user-centered approaches (Afrouz & Lucas, 2023). There is significant importance in providing training programs aimed at enhancing social workers’ proficiency in using technology effectively and safely. Policies need to prioritize funding for technology training initiatives within social work education and professional development programs to ensure that practitioners are equipped with the necessary skills to navigate technological tools efficiently. Additionally, consideration should be given to implementing safety protocols and guidelines for technology use in social work settings.
Limitations of the study
It's essential to consider the study's limitations, such as using a nonrandom sample and a cross-sectional design, which make it tough to establish cause-and-effect relationships.
Conclusions
This research underscores the high level of acceptance of technology among Israeli social workers and sheds light on the link between their sense of safety and technology use. It extends the existing literature by elucidating how training contributes to social workers’ confidence in utilizing technology effectively and securely. The findings suggest patterns that could inform future research on technology adoption in social work practice.
Supplemental Material
sj-docx-1-jsw-10.1177_14680173251351263 - Supplemental material for Technology use among Israeli social workers: A brief report on patterns, sense of safety, and training
Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-jsw-10.1177_14680173251351263 for Technology use among Israeli social workers: A brief report on patterns, sense of safety, and training by Ayelet Gur, Omer Lanes and Michal Segal in Journal of Social Work
Footnotes
Ethical approval
Ethical approval for this project was given by: The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Tel Hai University on the Rize, number of approval: 14-6-22.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of conflict of interests
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Supplemental Material
Supplemental material for this article is available online.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
