{"title":"Beyond the classroom: Practitioner reflections on fieldwork placement models in Zimbabwe’s social work education","authors":"Bhekinkosi Thumani Nyathi","doi":"10.1177/00208728261453254","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261453254","url":null,"abstract":"Fieldwork placement models are essential in social work education in Zimbabwe and abroad, as they initiate social work students into the social work profession. This practice note explored fieldwork placement models in Zimbabwe’s social work education. The paper was based on the author’s social work practice experience, which was triangulated with the literature. It was revealed that the fieldwork placement models most prevalent in Zimbabwe were block, in-service and rotational fieldwork placements, while concurrent fieldwork was more prevalent in Western countries.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"134 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285773","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forthcoming study on participation in the age of AI","authors":"Sergei Zelenev","doi":"10.1177/00208728261453729","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261453729","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"146 1","pages":"433-435"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Mission of Social Work: Stepping forward for the unheard, unseen, and forgotten people","authors":"Patrick O’Leary, Ming-Sum Tsui","doi":"10.1177/00208728261443902","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261443902","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"1 1","pages":"307-309"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285785","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Climate change, disasters, and global events: Prioritization of communication, practice education and student mental health in social work disaster frameworks","authors":"Elba Figueroa, Maurya Glaude, Joan Blakey, Leia Saltzman, Lauren Terzis, Tonya Hansel","doi":"10.1177/00208728261434984","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261434984","url":null,"abstract":"Social work has a long history of responding to disasters, crises, and wars, leading both national and international efforts, with schools of social work playing a key role in training future professionals. However, most research focuses on preparing students for disaster relief work, rather than educating them during disasters. This article introduces the Social Work Educators Disaster Framework, allowing educators to integrate their unique experiences, resources, and lessons learned. Key contributions include an evidence-based framework that incorporates student feedback and emphasizes continuous quality improvement. The framework is designed for global partners to enhance lessons and best practices for future disasters.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Gaspar Di Paolo, Pablo Álvarez-Pérez, Fernando Relinque-Medina
{"title":"Digital transformation in social work: Technological integration, ethical challenges, and research trends","authors":"Elizabeth Gaspar Di Paolo, Pablo Álvarez-Pérez, Fernando Relinque-Medina","doi":"10.1177/00208728261431506","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261431506","url":null,"abstract":"This article presents an overview of scientific production in social work, social services and digitalisation, categorising publication trends through a bibliometric analysis that examined 577 articles published in the Web of Science database from 1974 to September 2024. On international comparison of institutions and countries, the United States of America leads with most publications and citations and the University of South California is the most cited organisation. One of the main results of the study is a thematic group identified that is centred on social services, technology and COVID-19, highlighting their relevance in the recent context, while technological solutions, such as artificial intelligence, present few links to the research topic. In addition a documental analysis is provided that illustrates the evolution of digital tools in social services, emphasising the need to reconcile technological innovation and ethics. This research advocates interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous professional development to improve the effectiveness and humanisation of social work practice and identifies gaps and opportunities for future studies in areas such as data management and the use of artificial intelligence to improve the personalisation of services in social services.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148285811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Should there be international standards for qualitative social work research? A commentary on utility, contradictions, and reframing to principles","authors":"Margaret G Janse van Rensburg","doi":"10.1177/00208728261435378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261435378","url":null,"abstract":"This commentary critically examines the promise and contradictions inherent in developing international standards for qualitative social work research. It contributes by proposing that ethics guided by epistemic freedom and epistemic justice can act as a foundation for flexible principles enhancing qualitative social work research on an international level.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147743934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karla Astudillo-Reyes, Ana I Sánchez-Gómez, María Luna-Adame, M Pilar Martínez, Lucas Muñoz López
{"title":"A coding system to interpret prisoners’ perceptions and attributions, associated with psychological distress and the type of crime","authors":"Karla Astudillo-Reyes, Ana I Sánchez-Gómez, María Luna-Adame, M Pilar Martínez, Lucas Muñoz López","doi":"10.1177/00208728261427719","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261427719","url":null,"abstract":"This study proposes a reliable coding system to interpret the perceptions and attributions of the prison population and relate them to psychological distress and type of crime. A total of 281 men from the Granada Penitentiary Center participated and completed the Writing Processes Evaluation Battery free narrative test and the Symptom Checklist. The results show that personal perceptions and psychological distress vary according to the type of crime, which helps social workers and prison psychologists design tailored interventions that address prisoners’ emotional needs, promote rehabilitation, and reduce recidivism.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147578413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Conceptualization of child safety and mental health by parents in two Global South contexts of disadvantage","authors":"See Heng Yim, Sadiyya Haffejee, Sajida Hassan, Michelle O’Reilly, Panos Vostanis","doi":"10.1177/00208728261427724","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261427724","url":null,"abstract":"Children in resource-constrained Global South settings face safety and mental health risk factors, often with limited access to support. Forty-four parents in South Africa and Pakistan conceptualized vulnerabilities and required support. Thematic analysis of focus group data resulted in three themes of contextual influences, child rearing practices and joint care pathways. The findings highlight the importance of integrated child protection and mental health awareness and interventions, and interdisciplinary training. In Global South countries, social workers are ideally positioned to drive partnerships between structural and informal community-based support systems, and thus continuously align policy, protocols and interventions with local sociocultural values.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"19 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147524050","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Listening to the child: Lessons from Estonia’s ‘Out of the Circle’ restorative practice model","authors":"Maria Merila, Karmen Toros","doi":"10.1177/00208728261428937","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261428937","url":null,"abstract":"This practice paper draws on focus group interviews with Estonian child protection professionals implementing the Out of the Circle model, a restorative, trauma-informed, and child-centred approach to working with at-risk youth. The findings indicate that the model enhances meaningful youth participation by shifting young people’s role from passive recipients to active partners in decision-making, particularly through co-creation of personal plans and trusted-adult relationships. It also strengthens interprofessional collaboration by clarifying roles, improving communication, and fostering shared responsibility across sectors. However, implementation is constrained by limited time, uneven institutional support and inconsistent network engagement. These findings offer transferable insights for international child protection systems seeking more participatory and integrated responses to complex youth cases.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"60 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147489887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining studies conducted with LGBTIQA+ individuals in the field of social work in Turkey between 2015 and 2025: A systematic review","authors":"Ezgi Arslan Özdemir, Veli Duyan","doi":"10.1177/00208728261422429","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00208728261422429","url":null,"abstract":"This study reviews social work research on LGBTIQA+ issues in Turkey over the past decade, identifying 14 studies–9 quantitative and 5 qualitative – with a total sample of 2383 participants, including 1214 LGBTIQA+ individuals. The findings reveal both increased academic interest and a critical gap in intervention-focused research. In a context of political homophobia, social discrimination, and limited institutional support, LGBTIQA+ rights violations remain widespread. The study underscores the relevance of rights-based, inclusive, and context-sensitive approaches for social workers operating in restrictive environments, contributing to global dialogues on social justice, minority rights, and structural inequality in social work practice.","PeriodicalId":47606,"journal":{"name":"International Social Work","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2026-03-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147454644","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}