{"title":"In search of social work's post-risk paradigm","authors":"Joe Smeeton","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1281","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1281","url":null,"abstract":"This paper describes a paradigmatic shift in child protection practice within the UK, arguing that there is a move away from the risk paradigm but that its replacement is not yet defined. The paper draws upon the critical literature to elucidate this shift and to give examples and arguments for why the risk paradigm is unsustainable and how this has created an essential tension within the profession. The paper finds that while the case against the risk perspective is strongly argued there is not yet a coherent perspective to replace it. The author suggests that this is problematic as practitioners are left with a toolkit of technical interventions to guide their practice but what is missing is the capacity to develop an ethic of practice due to a failure of social work in the UK to engage with philosophical questions about its remit. The paper concludes that social work education needs to focus more on ethical fluency rather than being stuck on statistical understandings of practice and policy in order to achieve a shift in paradigm from ‘risk’ to ‘ethics’.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"22 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82030562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Hiding and being hidden: The marginalisation of children’s participation in research and practice responses to domestic violence and abuse","authors":"R. Eliffe, S. Holt, Carolina Øverlien","doi":"10.1921/swssr.v22i1.1438","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/swssr.v22i1.1438","url":null,"abstract":"his group is known within the literature to be a hard to reach population. This is namely due to their perceived vulnerability, as well as efforts to protect them by adult gatekeepers, and rigorous ethical procedures that make recruitment efforts often challenging. Consequently, this group, sometimes for their own protection, remain hidden in the shadows when it comes to research and practice responses that continue to operate from an adult-centric lens when children’s agency is not fully acknowledged. This paper sets out to discuss the multiple ways by which children who experience domestic violence both hide and are hidden by adults, rendering them invisible. Based on findings from a qualitative doctoral study that sought to explore children’s experiences of the police response to domestic violence, this paper highlights the interconnectedness between children’s invisibility in practice and research, and the processes through which they become and can remain hidden in these two arenas. The paper calls for a need to bring children’s experiences of domestic violence out of the shadows and to begin to acknowledge their agency and capacity as both research participants and victims.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81178351","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lluc Nevot-Caldentey, Dr. Carmen Orte Socías, Dr. Lluís Ballester Brage
{"title":"Strategies for Family Engagement in Evidence-Based Programmes: A Meta-Synthesis of Systematic Reviews from a Social Casework Approach","authors":"Lluc Nevot-Caldentey, Dr. Carmen Orte Socías, Dr. Lluís Ballester Brage","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1279","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1279","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores the role of social work practice in youth risk prevention through evidence-based interventions, such as the Strengthening Families Programme. It begins by analysing the aetiology of social work practice in prevention and the theories that aim to explain social work practice as one of the most important disciplines for meeting the skill development requirements of risk prevention. Research has shown that evidence-based interventions applied at the family level can delay the onset of substance use. Various studies have backed working with these kinds of systems to ensure the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing substance abuse; however, family participation has also been shown to be one of the disadvantages of this kind of intervention. For this reason, the main goal of the present research is to identify the most effective strategies for engaging families in the context of social casework. We present a meta-synthesis of two systematic exploratory reviews of scholarly articles concerning family involvement, adherence, and findings that lead to achieving coupling. We discuss the family factors that social workers should consider in order to ensure that different members of family systems commit to building supportive relationships.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"20 1","pages":"50-67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44558167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
L. Deacon, S. Macdonald, J. Nixon, A. Akintola, Samouka Dore, Gillian Ellis, Anna Gillingham, Liz Highmore, A. Ismail, J. Kent, Debbie Matthews, Sylvia Sullivan
{"title":"The Loss: Conceptualising Biographical Experiences of Disability, Social Isolation and Emotional Loneliness in North-East England","authors":"L. Deacon, S. Macdonald, J. Nixon, A. Akintola, Samouka Dore, Gillian Ellis, Anna Gillingham, Liz Highmore, A. Ismail, J. Kent, Debbie Matthews, Sylvia Sullivan","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1319","url":null,"abstract":"Research into experiences of social isolation and loneliness has predominantly focused on older adults, i.e. post-retirement, as a significant at-risk group. Similarly, research exploring disability and loneliness has been associated with old age and conceptualised as an inevitable outcome of ‘failing’ health. This study seeks to conceptualise experiences of disability from a wider age group to understand if occurrences of social isolation and loneliness are commonplace. Fifteen qualitative biographical narrative interviews were completed by a Community Research Team, including seven males and eight females aged 32–89. A Disability Studies approach was applied to identify significant pathways from isolation into emotional loneliness, experienced by participants; fourteen of whom were affected by disability issues. Key risk factors were identified relating to disabled participants’ experiences of ‘loss’. Loss was associated with ‘loss of ability’, ‘loss due to bereavement’, ‘loss of social connectivity’ and ‘loss of self-confidence’. Participants connected life events concerning loss with spending time alone, leading to feelings of emotional loneliness. The findings illustrate key risk factors in being alone during evenings and weekends, periods where disabled participants were most likely to experience subjective feelings of emotional loneliness. (NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the authors not necessarily those of their employing agencies.)","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"20 1","pages":"68-87"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43876679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deliver us from evil: The role of faith and family in coping with stress among African migrants in Australia","authors":"Irene Ikafa, Dieu Hack‐Polay","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1324","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1324","url":null,"abstract":"The paper examines stressors affecting involuntary and voluntary African migrants in Australia and how they cope with stress. Using semi-structured interviews, the paper examines the experiences of 30 African migrants in Australia. Most participants used a diversity of strategies including the reliance of God and family –usually constructed by alliance rather than kinship -to cope with stress. The key contribution of the paper is to go beyond traditional integration strategies to highlight the significance of God and family as remedies to ‘deliver’ the migrants from the obstacles to effective resettlement and psychological healing. Keywords: African migrants; stress; God; family; resettlement; coping strategies.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"20 1","pages":"88-107"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49374371","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"De-professionalism, identity and the productivity debate: A research puzzle?","authors":"N. Malin","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1344","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I3.1344","url":null,"abstract":"In a recent letter to the Financial Times a group of left-leaning economists said that the Labour Party’s radical manifesto is justified by ‘Britain’s array of structural problems, including a lost decade for productivity growth, a dearth of investment and the gulf between London and the south-east and the rest of the country’ (Blanchflower and others, 2019). Given that the newly elected Conservative Government espouses the language of easing austerity, a key research question for social policy might be","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"20 1","pages":"3-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-12-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43558120","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lindsey Sanders, W. Dudley, Jeffrey J. Milroy, D. Wyrick
{"title":"Profiling of Student-Athletes using Protective Behavioral Strategies and Alcohol Use Based on Cluster Analysis Assignment","authors":"Lindsey Sanders, W. Dudley, Jeffrey J. Milroy, D. Wyrick","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1246","url":null,"abstract":"An estimated 2 in 3 college students report consuming alcohol in the past month and 44% of students report engaging in high risk or heavy episodic drinking at least once in the previous 2 weeks. Despite evidence suggesting that participation in sports may be a protective factor for the use of alcohol, recent data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), finds that 77% college student-athletes report use. Though overall prevalence rates of alcohol consumption are similar among college student-athletes and non-athletes, student-athletes are more likely to engage in binge or high-risk drinking as compared to their non-athlete peers. An overwhelming majority of studies found that protective behavioral strategy (PBS) use was associated with less drinking and alcohol-related problems. There are sport-related factors that have been assessed to determine their association with use of alcohol-related PBS. With known factors in mind, prevention programs are typically developed to effect distal outcomes by way of these, more proximal, intermediate constructs that are thought to be related to the health problem of interest. The purpose of the current study was to examine the structural features that influence whether a given student-athlete will be categorized into one of three groups; a) high-risk drinking behaviors, b) moderate risk drinking behaviors, or c) low risk drinking behaviors.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82735381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"´In Good Spirits´ and the Achievement of Material Satisfaction: Evidence from Argentina","authors":"B. Mesurado, Ricardo F. Crespo, Piablo Schiaffino","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1170","url":null,"abstract":"Previous literature has been committed to study the impact of socio-economic variables on material life satisfaction and to study the impact on mental health on emotional life satisfaction. However, not many studies has investigated the impact of mental health over material life satisfaction. This paper has two main objectives: it explores the elements that increase satisfaction in Argentinean men and women according to their self-reports, and to study the influence of socioeconomic variables and the absence of pathological symptoms in the prediction of emotional and material satisfaction. One thousand twelve Argentinean participants were included in this study, about 47.4% were male and age ranged from 18 to 91 years. Concerning the first objective, results have shown that earn more money and personal fulfillment at work comes up with a 46.6% of the answers in men and 37.83% in women. But, paradoxically, the second objective evidences that socioeconomical variables are associated with material satisfaction but not with emotional satisfaction while absence of pathological symptoms are related to both material and emotional satisfaction.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81448927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Controversies in preparing for end-of-life in Nsukka town of Nigeria and suggestions for Nigerian based social work practice","authors":"U. Agbawodikeizu, Prince Agwu, U. Okoye, I. Igwe","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1140","url":null,"abstract":"Death is regarded as a natural phenomenon of life, but its consequences for the bereaved are often times very bitter. One way to circumvent this bitter experience is through making plans before dying. However, not everyone seems to appreciate this, which has generated lots of controversies. Thus, end-of-life planning attitude among adult residents in one of Nigeria’s Igbo area was examined using cross-sectional survey. Data was collected from 587 adults and also analyzed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative tools. Age, level of education, marital status and sex were shown to have statistically significant relationships with attitude toward end-of-life planning, while cultural beliefs were discovered to also exercise overbearing influence. The study further discovered some cultural practices that deter people from planning for end-of-life and therefore advocates for social protection and reorientation which should principally involve social workers. Suggestions were made for introduction of end-of-life planning education in the curriculum of institutions of secondary and tertiary learning in Nigeria, as a measure to help reform attitudes of persons toward preparing for end-of-life in future. ","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78855821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pruned, policed and privatised: the knowledge base for children and families social work in England and Wales in 2019","authors":"J. Tunstill","doi":"10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1285","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1921/SWSSR.V20I2.1285","url":null,"abstract":"The focus of this chapter is on the knowledge base for social work practice with children and families and its relationship to current social work policy development in England and Wales for the foreseeable future. It is argued that over the last ten years, the nature of the knowledge base for children and family social work, including the way it is generated, accessed and applied, has been increasingly subject to politically initiated change. This article argues that over the previous ten years of ‘austerity’, knowledge for social work has been purposely, and increasingly, ‘weaponised’ as a component of the same political system which introduced and now sustains neo-liberalism and austerity. Deliberate decisions have been taken by government in order to initiate- through a variety of inter-linked and mutually reinforcing strategies- the reframing and repackaging of the role of knowledge in social work practice with children and families. Following a review of current approaches to understanding social work knowledge, the article identifies five key inter-linked projects , which have been established by the Conservative government . It argues that these are intended to deliver a far-reaching political colonisation of the existing knowledge base for social work, which should be resisted by all social work stakeholders.","PeriodicalId":53681,"journal":{"name":"Social Work and Social Sciences Review","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88956420","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}