International Social Work

This article provides an overview of key ethical considerations for the adoption of technology in social work practice. A content analysis was conducted across nine professional social work associations’ Codes of Ethics. Although considered key reference documents to guide safe practice, this research found limited and varied coverage of technology and focused predominantly on social media use. In an increasingly Internet-based and technology-driven world, social workers must resist reactionary responses to rapid technological developments. Consulting multiple sources is vital to assess the advantages and limitations of technology use, and to mitigate risks to service users, their families, fellow practitioners and the profession.

The term golden opportunities to discuss with supervisees about social work values refers to the episodes of struggles and conflicts encountered by students in fieldwork. They are so-called golden opportunities to discuss social work values with students. Limited attention has been paid as to how to seize these golden opportunities. This study explores the causes of emotional disturbance and the methods applied by supervisors to discuss social work values with their students. In total, 22 Hong Kong students in Higher Diploma Social Work programmes at three higher education institutes were interviewed. Themes identified include ambivalent feelings, methods and expectations of students. An emotionally interactive approach which consists of 3Ps (‘perceived safe and trusting supervisory relationship’, ‘process of supportive supervision’ and ‘positive and accepting attitudes of supervisors’) is proposed.

There is a dearth of research concerning parental discourses on dyslexic children and the particular educational context in which they occur. Dyslexia can be viewed as a socially constructed condition, different from its medical definition. Critical realist discourse analysis (CRDA), which emphasises the discovery of the underlying structure and causation of observed events, can facilitate the exploration of its complexities and the multiple underlying mechanisms at work. This article reports on a study, using CRDA to reveal stories that are rarely heard, the interacting factors embedded in the school environment, and the implications for social work practices.

Social work interventions for families, individuals and communities should be comprehensive and sustainable. A social enterprise model with dual social and economic value creation provides a useful framework for such interventions. Through a qualitative research approach and case study design, three social enterprises were studied. The findings indicate that social enterprises pursue people-centred investment; engineer and promote social integration and equity in the local communities; and create employment and promote skill development for vulnerable groups such as women and youth. Thus, a social enterprise dual mission for accruing social and economic value aligns with the social work helping mandate, and therefore smoothly integrates.

Although Indonesia and South Korea have parallel narratives concerning their political-economic order that influenced social welfare arrangements, they have had different welfare outcomes. The main purpose of this study is to survey the possibility for Indonesia to adopt key features from Korea that can be applied to catch up in terms of its welfare outcome improvements. We argue that the key to the success of Korean social welfare development is closely related to the adaptive and responsive capacity of existing political institutions in responding to global changes, leading to a collaborative model of governance in welfare service.

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study combined data from an online survey with international social workers (N = 44), and key informant qualitative interviews (N = 6), to identify gaps and synergies between what is taught in graduate social work programmes and expected by employers. Findings suggested that although social work values align well with international social work, gaps exist between the macro knowledge and skills required for international work and that which graduate training offers. Findings further suggested that if unaddressed, these incompatibilities may contribute to the invisibility of social work as a viable training ground for practice in international aid agencies.

Empowerment is an often used concept and the work of Paulo Freire has helped to define the application and outcomes of approaches. The researchers visited Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, during periods of political activity which had previously resulted in violence. Community members identified strategies employed in an attempt to curtail heightened risk. These factors were analysed to evaluate whether empowerment, as espoused by Freire, was still relevant in community development work. Empowerment strategies were multi-faceted and highlighted that they had created new issues for the community to address, suggesting strategy and outcomes need to be strong considerations in future work.

International field education offers an exemplary means by which social work students can enhance cultural awareness and develop skills in working with diverse communities. This article describes an exploratory study using 14 key informant interviews to establish a social work group study program in Mexico. Findings illustrate how the incorporation of key academic and community-based stakeholders using an anticolonial/postcolonial framework in international field education can contribute to an enriched experience for all participants. Providing social work students with exposure to epistemologies and ontologies that may differ from the Western-dominated education are important in understanding the human experience in different contexts.

This research is aimed at examining the motivational elements that the social worker specialised in immigration considers as determinants of their job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. An instrument was designed and validated to collect these perceptions in quantitative and qualitative terms, among a sample composed of 100 social services professionals from 43 localities in Galicia, Spain. The findings report that, while labour satisfaction is associated with intrinsic aspects of their job (such as personal self-fulfilment and constant contact with clients), the main sources of dissatisfaction relate to organisational and extrinsic work aspects (like workload, lack of support or excess of bureaucracy).

Social work administrators may be receiving inadequate training due to the undervalued importance of formal education and professional development. This study employed a cross-sectional survey on a sample of 150 members of the Kentucky chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. The majority were women (81%). Most held an MSW degree (68.5%). Correlation analysis revealed: (1) perceived capabilities of social work administrators correlated with the perceived importance of formal educational qualifications and (2) perceived qualities, skills, functions, and practices correlated with the perceived importance of professional development/continuous education. Understanding this perceived link and the gaps presented is an important step toward developing better professional development/continuing education programs.

This study aims to fill the research gaps on the general and specific socio-cultural factors that influence social work curriculum design in Mainland China through semi-structured telephone interviews with 23 social work educators in 23 cities across different Chinese regions. They reveal the factors that influence the curriculum and measures that could be used to improve the existing curriculum for positive impacts. An influence map is proposed which provides the groundwork for further developments in social work education in Mainland China. This study also alerts social work educators to the importance of flexibility in adapting social work curricula to societal needs.

This article engages with International Social Work education. The subject is new, and in many countries, especially in India, content for teaching has only begun to be formulated. While many attempts are being made across the world to provide international social work with a sound theoretical base, these efforts are only beginning to take shape in India. This article traverses the thinking, experience, and insights of a social work educator who has engaged in such a process – the development and teaching of a course on international social work for postgraduate students of an institute in Mumbai.

Spain has experienced a major social transformation, which is the result of immigration. This article looks at the differences that occur in their trajectories of incorporation, taking into consideration the socioeconomic, migratory and legal variables. The results show the social stratification of the immigrant group and the differences in terms of internal inequality. Furthermore, it has been noted that while in a period of economic boom, human capital was the most important factor in explaining a rising incorporation, in the period of recession, duration of stay is the crucial variable, not so much for a rising incorporation, but to maintain the same socioeconomic status.

Student exposure to international contexts can support students to develop a variety of knowledge, values and skills for social work practice in a globalised world. While various models of internationalisation in social work education exist, semester abroad models have received scant attention in international social work. This article presents perceived learning outcomes for German social work students who participated in an integrated semester abroad programme within the European Union, that are comparable to other international pedagogies. The model showcases reciprocal study abroad arrangements between universities located in neighbouring countries that has implications for such internationalisation beyond exchanges between North-South countries.

The study explores the perspectives of social work students, faculty, and the main employer of social workers with regard to new graduates’ readiness for social work practice in Georgia. The results of focus groups and in-person interviews revealed significant gaps and tension between academic programs and professional practice contributing to students’ low levels of readiness for practice. Participants identified various concerns regarding academic program curricula, field education, and professional practice; although, reasons for new graduates’ lack of readiness for practice highlighted by the main employer and academic program faculty were conflicting and pointed need for further actions.

Poor health conditions such as diarrhoea are often associated with low- and middle-income countries. Diarrhoea in Nigeria contributes to an estimated 151,700 (16%) annual infant deaths, with a prevalence of 10–18 percent. With the high rate of diarrhoea-related infant mortality, it becomes important to investigate the barriers to its prevention. Data were sourced using five Focus Group Discussions involving 18 health workers and 30 nursing mothers. Findings show high prevalence of diarrhoea and identified ignorance, cultural/religious beliefs, and lack of funds as major barriers to its prevention. To address these problems, engaging social workers as welfare professionals is recommended.

This article examines older women’s experiences of searching for face masks and handling mask-related issues during COVID-19. Set within the context of the Hong Kong government’s policy reaction to the shortage of masks in early 2020, the article draws on interviews with 40 older women in Hong Kong to identify their various forms of vulnerability to welfare threats and their active and diverse responses in times of crisis. The findings reveal the implications of the government’s residual policy response for people’s vulnerability to welfare threats. They also carry practical implications for the support that social workers can provide.

Flash-flooding affected Iran in March 2019 causing the displacement of thousands of people. Social workers established a Child Friendly Space (CFS) and applied comprehensive case management to provide psychosocial support for people who were affected by flooding (PWAF) (n = 565) in a community in Poldokhtar, covering a period of 3 months. Outreach services, involving community-volunteers, providing counseling, establishing CFS, training PWAF for reducing violence, and preventing child abuse were essential social work post-disaster interventions to support vulnerable populations. The article reflects upon the often-neglected role of social workers in post-disaster settings, and brings new material for discussion from the unexplored field of Iranian social workers.

To analyse the effects of leisure-based community activities in improving neighbourhood support and social cohesion, data were collected in two neighbourhoods of Barcelona (Spain) through questionnaires and interviews. The results indicate that promoting neighbourhood support requires a different strategy from promoting participation in leisure-based activities aimed at developing social cohesion within a community. The study also suggests various useful strategies to strengthen the effects of leisure-based community activities. The strategies recommended revolve around networking, use of the public space, recognition of diversity and conflict management.

The global road safety crisis disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, with relatively low rates of vehicle ownership, Africa bears a disproportionate burden of annual road fatalities per population. Transportation and public health professionals have long been aware of the behavioral aspects of the global road safety epidemic. Successful collaboration of social work and public health in Africa is well documented. Road safety presents an opportunity for interdisciplinary research and practice with road safety professionals to bridge the know–do gap that continues to challenge progress toward reducing the burden of injuries and deaths attributable to crashes.

At the end of 2019, the presence of social workers became mandatory in Brazilian state-funded elementary schools. This brief note explores the challenges schools may have in translating the new legislation from paper to practice. The goal is to frame and advance the discourse of school social work in Brazil. Among other topics, this note discusses the role of social workers in educational environments in Brazil and identifies the barriers that may exist to the exercise of the profession in these institutional spaces. Ultimately, suggestions are made on how to develop effective social work interventions in Brazilian schools.