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PloS One 2023Social work plays an important role in the assessment and treatment of people with acquired brain injury. Acquired brain injury is a complex and highly prevalent...
Social work plays an important role in the assessment and treatment of people with acquired brain injury. Acquired brain injury is a complex and highly prevalent condition which can impact on cognitive, emotional and social domains. As acquired brain injury is a hidden disability it can be misdiagnosed or classified as another condition entirely. We sought to systematically explore the evidence base to examine how social workers have been prepared to work with their clients with brain injury. Employing six electronic databases (Social Policy & Practice, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus) we reviewed 1071 papers. After applying eligibility criteria 17 papers were included in this review. We utilised standardised data extraction and quality appraisal tools to assess all included papers. Following appraisal, 9 papers were judged as possessing high methodological quality whilst 8 were judged as medium. Employing narrative synthesis, we identified four themes which captured the key findings of these papers. Themes were named as (i) advocacy and social work (ii) training and multidisciplinary team working (iii) inclusion of social networks and (iv) societal barriers. In order to meet their statutory responsibilities to practice safely, social workers must receive training in how to identify ABI and develop understanding of its consequences and subsequent need for provision. Social workers are also in a unique position to advocate for their clients and should make every effort to ensure their needs are met.
Topics: Humans; Social Workers; Social Work; Employment; Brain Injuries
PubMed: 37948455
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292128 -
International Journal of Environmental... Oct 2023The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (hereafter CRPD) has provided a radical imperative for the reform of mental health and capacity... (Review)
Review
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (hereafter CRPD) has provided a radical imperative for the reform of mental health and capacity legislation around the world. The interpretation of the CRPD has been controversial, ranging from the complete abolition of detention, forcible treatment, and substitute decision-making to accepting that elements of these measures need to be retained based on non-discriminatory criteria, additional safeguards, and a comprehensive shift towards supported decision-making. While the potential effects of the CRPD on mental health social work and social work generally are considerable given their shared commitment towards social justice, to date there has been no review of research evidence exploring their relationship. In addressing this knowledge gap, this study held a preliminary discussion with practitioners and academics at the European Association of Social Work Mental Health Special Interest Group in Amsterdam 2022, followed by a scoping literature review on the question: What impact, if any, has the CRPD had on social work practice? The review produced four main findings: impact on legislation; positive impact on practice; limited impact on practice; and impact on social work education and research. In sum, while there were some positive indications of social work and mental health social work practice being influenced by the CRPD, these were scant. Barriers to change included tendencies among some social workers to practise substitute decision-making, in part related to resourcing and policy contexts, and understandings of disability aligned to individualised/medical rather than social perspectives. The results indicate that legal reform on its own is insufficient to impact social work practice, and that realising the potential of the CRPD will necessitate good quality training, as well as improving social workers' knowledge of the human rights of people with mental impairment.
Topics: Humans; Disabled Persons; Mental Health; Mental Disorders; United Nations; Social Work
PubMed: 37887665
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20206927 -
PloS One 2023In recent decades, many countries have implemented return-to-work coordinators to combat high rates of sickness absence and insufficient collaboration in the...
PURPOSE
In recent decades, many countries have implemented return-to-work coordinators to combat high rates of sickness absence and insufficient collaboration in the return-to-work process. The coordinators should improve communication and collaboration between stakeholders in the return-to-work process for people on sickness absence. How they perform their daily work remains unexplored, and we know little about to what extent they collaborate and perform other work tasks to support people on sickness absence. This study examines which work models return-to-work coordinators use in primary healthcare, psychiatry and orthopaedics in Sweden.
METHODS
A questionnaire was sent to all 82 coordinators in one region (89% response rate) with questions about the selection of patients, individual patient support, healthcare collaboration, and external collaboration. Random forest classification analysis was used to identify the models.
RESULTS
Three work models were identified. In model A, coordinators were more likely to select certain groups of patients, spend more time in telephone than in face-to-face meetings, and collaborate fairly much. In Model B there was less patient selection and much collaboration and face-to-face meetings. Model C involved little patient selection, much telephone contact and very little collaboration. Model A was more common in primary healthcare, model C in orthopaedics, while model B was distributed equally between primary healthcare and psychiatry.
CONCLUSION
The work models correspond differently to the coordinator's assignments of supporting patients and collaborating with healthcare and other stakeholders. The differences lie in how much they actively select patients, how much they collaborate, and with whom. Their different distribution across clinical contexts indicates that organisational demands influence how work models evolve in practice.
Topics: Humans; Return to Work; Surveys and Questionnaires; Orthopedics; Sweden; Orthopedic Procedures; Sick Leave
PubMed: 37561796
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290021 -
International Social Work Jul 2023This research seeks to explore the experiences of social work educators and students working and learning from home. The findings, from an international survey sample of...
This research seeks to explore the experiences of social work educators and students working and learning from home. The findings, from an international survey sample of 166 educators and students, showed that the respondents faced issues with private and personal boundaries, felt the impact of working and learning from home on both physical and emotional levels, and experienced challenges to what was expected of them. The respondents primarily used two types of coping mechanisms to manage these challenges. These findings contribute to a broader discussion of the impact of working and learning from home and are relevant for education administrators responsible for their employees' and students' well-being.
PubMed: 37457860
DOI: 10.1177/00208728211051412 -
Harm Reduction Journal Oct 2023Social work with people who use drugs (PWUD) has traditionally focused on abstinence and rehabilitation. In recent years, harm reduction has gained an increasingly more...
BACKGROUND
Social work with people who use drugs (PWUD) has traditionally focused on abstinence and rehabilitation. In recent years, harm reduction has gained an increasingly more important role in social work with PWUD, and social workers are key professionals in many harm reduction services. This study investigates how social workers in harm reduction services for PWUD in Sweden understand the concept of harm reduction and how it relates to goals of rehabilitation, and how they assess and deal with dilemmas and challenges in everyday work.
METHODS
The study is based on interviews with 22 social workers in harm reduction services for PWUD in the Scania region of Sweden. A thematic analysis in three steps was used in coding and processing the data.
RESULTS
The social workers pointed to similar values between social work and harm reduction and argued for combining the two fields to improve services for PWUD. Three overarching principles for Harm Reduction Social Work (HRSW) were developed based on the social workers accounts: (1) Harm reduction is a prerequisite for rather than a counterpoint to rehabilitation and recovery, (2) motivational work must be non-mandatory and based on the client's goals, (3) a holistic perspective is crucial for Harm Reduction Social Work. Challenges in doing HRSW concerned restrictive laws, policies, and guidelines, resistance from managers, difficulties in setting boundaries between client autonomy and life-saving interventions, and the risk of normalizing high-risk behaviors.
CONCLUSIONS
We use the concept of Harm Reduction Social Work to show how social work with PWUD can have a primary focus on reducing harm and risks, while at the same time it involves a holistic perspective that facilitates motivation and change. The suggested principles of HRSW can provide guidance in practical social work with vulnerable PWUD. Social workers can have important roles in most harm reduction settings and may act to enable recovery.
Topics: Humans; Harm Reduction; Social Workers; Sweden; Qualitative Research; Social Work
PubMed: 37833801
DOI: 10.1186/s12954-023-00884-w -
BMJ Open Nov 2023Culture is highlighted in previous research as important in encounters where health professionals and children do not share a language or culture. In these encounters,...
INTRODUCTION
Culture is highlighted in previous research as important in encounters where health professionals and children do not share a language or culture. In these encounters, culture is described as mainly related to the child, whereas the health professionals' understanding of their own culture as impacting the encounter tends to be left out. To clarify how culture is understood and conceptualised among professionals, it is of relevance to collate previous research on health professionals' understanding of culture. In the scoping review that this protocol describes, we aim to focus on the context of the school health services, being a context accessible to many children in their everyday life. The aim of the review will be to identify, describe and analyse previous research concerning school health professionals' (ie, school nurses, school social workers, school doctors and school psychologists) understanding of culture.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
This scoping review will be guided by the methodology described by Peters and Khalil . Searches will be conducted in Scopus, PubMed, Cinahl Plus, SocIndex, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, APA PsycInfo, APA PsycArticles, Web of Science and Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA). Any published scientific papers focusing on school health professionals' understanding of culture (conceptualised through a variety of related terms) and school health services conducted within the last 10 years (2013-2023) will be included. Two reviewers will independently screen all titles and abstracts for inclusion. Two reviewers will conduct the screening of full-text documents and the extraction of information. Qualitative content analysis as well as discourse analysis will be employed.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
Ethical approval is not required for this study. The findings will be disseminated through peer review publication as well as presentation at conferences and to relevant stakeholders.
Topics: Child; Humans; School Health Services; Peer Review; Health Personnel; Social Work; Schools; Research Design; Review Literature as Topic
PubMed: 38000829
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077134 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2024
PubMed: 38737956
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1405206 -
Jornal de Pediatria 2023
Topics: Humans; Crime Victims; Bullying
PubMed: 37148910
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2023.04.001 -
Delaware Journal of Public Health Aug 2023As a leading cause of death and long-term disability, stroke care is a complex endeavor, requiring a coalition of healthcare professionals. As part of a...
As a leading cause of death and long-term disability, stroke care is a complex endeavor, requiring a coalition of healthcare professionals. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, social workers help the patient to reach individual goals and facilitate their return to and stability in their community at their highest possible functional, social, and economic level.
PubMed: 37701479
DOI: 10.32481/djph.2023.08.009 -
Trauma, Violence & Abuse Jul 2024Theory and research on disclosure of interpersonal victimization, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, has produced rich scholarship... (Review)
Review
Theory and research on disclosure of interpersonal victimization, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, has produced rich scholarship promoting a greater understanding of the challenges and implications of disclosure for survivors. However, in the last decade, social media platforms have opened new online disclosure opportunities that diverge from and overlap with offline disclosure. This highlights the need for adaptation and elaboration of theorizing in this growing area of study. Thus, the study aimed to systematically review the studies published in scientific literature. The following databases were accessed Criminal Justice Abstracts, Medline PsychInfo, Social Work Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Web of Science database, and Google Scholar. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria of peer-reviewed status and focused on the disclosure process. A thematic analysis revealed that online disclosure of interpersonal victimization is a multi-phase (decision-making and disclosure aftermath) and multifactorial (individual, interpersonal, social, and technological) experience for survivors. Specifically, survivors' motivation was related to therapeutic goals, social support, and a desire to advocate for social change. Survivors faced numerous facilitators (e.g., inspiration from other online disclosures) and barriers (e.g., fear of triggering other survivors) to disclosure. The impact of online disclosure was divided into benefits (e.g., empowerment) and risks (e.g., undermining survivors' security). The conceptual and empirical limitations of the current research are discussed, including a need for quantitative methods with larger samples and longitudinal designs to better understand how survivors can best benefit from processes of online disclosure, while avoiding harm or re-traumatization.
Topics: Humans; Crime Victims; Interpersonal Relations; Female; Intimate Partner Violence; Disclosure; Male; Social Media; Social Support; Survivors; Self Disclosure
PubMed: 37902593
DOI: 10.1177/15248380231204886