Mothers ’ Voices: Hearing and Assessing the Contributions of ‘Birth Mothers’ to the Development of Social Work Interventions and Family Support
This article focuses on interviews with ‘birth mothers’ who experienced successive losses of their children to public care in one local area of London, England. Interviews were conducted during a project partnership between a London borough and university staff, aiming to provide a localised, pilot support initiative which responded t o mothers’ viewpoints. To ‘hear’ mothers’ own voices more clearly, we analysed interview transcripts using a methodology which separates out elements of how the interviewee tells her story, how she speaks about herself and about her relationships, taking into account surrounding s...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 18, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Epistemology, Social Work and Substance Use
This article makes a unique contribution to substance use literature by examining substance use from post-positivist, social constructivist and critical paradigms and by promoting a critical social work lens. A critical paradigm is particularly useful for questioning prevailing assumptions of substance use as a medical problem requiring professional treatment and for generating greater attention to structural policies that promote a more equitable society. Social work ’s commitment to human rights and social justice effectively positions the discipline to apply a critical paradigm to the field of substance use studies. (...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 10, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Back from the Ashes of Communism: The Rebirth of the Social Work Profession in Romania
This study used a seventy-three-item online survey tool to collect data from 1,057 social workers from across Romania using a quota sampling strategy. Romanian social workers skewed young, female and from the Romanian ethnic group. Whilst Romania has a large rural population, social workers primarily practiced in urban areas. Social workers had fairly high levels of job satisfaction and feelings of self-efficacy, and were most likely to be working in child and family protection using direct practice methods. Over one-fifth of social workers indi cated they were considering leaving the field in the next two years. Those wit...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 5, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Social Work Research in Chile: Tensions and Challenges under the ‘Knowledge Economy’ and Ma2854nagerialist Research Agendas
AbstractResearch has been a contested dimension of Chilean social work. An important turn occurred in 2008 when Chilean national research policies —highly influenced by managerialist approaches—increased opportunities for social workers to conduct research. Several efforts have been made by academics and professional social work organisations to encourage research as a means of gaining recognition as a discipline. Drawing upon a thematic l iterature review from a Chilean-based study on social workers’ research trajectories, this article contends that, despite the value of such efforts, there are some tensions related...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 2, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Recognition of Parental Love: Birth Parents ’ Experiences with Cooperation When Having a Child Placed in Family Foster Care in Denmark
This article draws on twenty-two in-depth interviews with birth parents to examine their experiences of cooperating with social workers and foster carers. Five patterns of cooperation are empirically identified in the parents ’ narratives: (i) constructive cooperation; (ii) ambivalent cooperation; (iii) improved cooperation; (iv) diminishing cooperation and (v) lack of cooperation. While there are key differences in the characteristics of each pattern, there is one central similarity: all the parents seek recognition o f their parenthood, especially their love for their child. Thus, actively recognising the role of paren...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 2, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Changes and Continuities in Adoption Social Work: Adoption in Scotland Since the 1968 Act
This article charts changes and continuities in the social work role in adoption since 1968. The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 established the Children ’s Hearing System, Scotland’s unique approach to child welfare in which lay volunteers make decisions on compulsory intervention relating to children. Although the Act was not intended to reform adoption practice, it has had two major impacts. First, as adoption moved from ‘relinquishment’ t o more complex and contested legal routes, the Children’s Hearing came to occupy an integral role in decision-making for children in need of care and protection. Secondly, s...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 2, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Overcoming Challenges in the Mental Capacity Act 2005: Practical Guidance for Working with Complex Issues, Camillia Kong and Alex Ruck Keene
Overcoming Challenges in the Mental Capacity Act 2005: Practical Guidance for Working with Complex Issues, KongCamillia and KeeneAlex Ruck, London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2018, pp. 176, ISBN 978 1 78592 259 6, £22.99(p/b) (Source: British Journal of Social Work)
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 2, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process, Cathy A. Malchiodi
Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process, MalchiodiCathy A., New York, The Guilford Press, 2020, pp. xviii + 406, ISBN 97 1 4625 4311 3, £29.99 (Source: British Journal of Social Work)
Source: British Journal of Social Work - September 2, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Birmingham Taking the Initiative: Changes and Challenges in Working Differently with Adults
This article considers the context, examines the nature of the change process and appraises the findings from the eighteen-month evaluation. All of these learning points and the process of change itself are eminently transferrable to other Local Authorities operating in the four countries which comprise the UK as well as to the international arena. (Source: British Journal of Social Work)
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 31, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Social Work Scholarship on Forced Migration: A Scoping Review
AbstractThis scoping review identifies and analyses historical to present –day contributions of social work scholarship on forced migration, with the aim of reviewing trends and identifying priority areas for the discipline moving forward. This review examined 331 articles related to forced migration published in 40 social work journals over four decades (1978 to 2019). Findings illustrate notable trends in temporal, methodological, topical and geographical dimensions and how those vary by first authors' locations, research sites and study populations. Temporally, the number of articles has been increasing, quadrupling b...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 31, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Deaths in Prison Custody: A Scoping Review of the Experiences of Staff and Bereaved Relatives
AbstractPrison populations are growing globally with an increase in older and infirm prisoners, as well as longer prison sentences, meaning more prisoners are likely to die while incarcerated. This scoping review explored the experiences of death in prison custody on staff and relatives. Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO were professionally searched, followed by a hand search. Empirical and non-empirical studies of deaths in prison custody were screened. Data extraction used Arksey and O ’Malley’s framework. Thematic analysis was underpinned by Braun and Clarke for identifying, analysing and reporting patterns....
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 31, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The Helpful Brain? Translations of Neuroscience into Social Work
AbstractWhat do the many translations of ‘the brain’ from the domain of neuroscience offer to social work researchers? Drawing upon disability studies and critical social work, this article examines trends and tensions across ‘neuro’ writing in social work journals and summarises some commonly recommended practices. Neuroscientific discourse has undeniable cultural influence and offers distinctive forms of evidence to social workers. Social work scholars have strategically translated neuroscience findings to access greater disciplinary status, to counter neo-liberal onslaughts on public services, to communicate on ...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 27, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Vulnerabilities and Inequalities Experienced by Women in the Climate Change Discourse in South Africa ’s Rural Communities: Implications for Social Work
This study adopted a qualitative methodology guided by a multi-case study design. A sample of twenty-five participants, including community members and social workers, participate d in the study. These participants were selected through simple purposive and convenient sampling techniques. Data were collected using focus group discussions and individual interviews. The thematic content analysis was followed to analyse the findings. The study established that rural women are im pacted by various vulnerabilities and inequalities in the climate change discourse, which serve as barriers to their effective adaptation. The vulner...
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 27, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Safeguarding Children and Young People Online: A Guide for Practitioners Claudia Megele with Peter Buzzi
Safeguarding Children and Young People Online: A Guide for PractitionersMegeleClaudia with BuzziPeter, Bristol, Policy Press, 2018, pp. x + 194, ISBN 978 1 4473 3182 7, £15.99 (pbk) (Source: British Journal of Social Work)
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 26, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The Clinician ’s Guide to CBT Using Mind over Mood, Christine A. Padesky with Dennis Greenberger
The Clinician ’s Guide to CBT Using Mind over Mood, PadeskyChristine A. with GreenbergerDennis, New York, NY, The Guildford Press, 2020, pp. v + 488, ISBN 978-1-4625-4257-4, £29.99(pbk) (Source: British Journal of Social Work)
Source: British Journal of Social Work - August 26, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
