Information for Clinical Social Work Practice: A Potential Solution

Abstract

The field of social work requires knowledgeable, skilled and self-confident professionals. We assume that many of these social workers will have less than optimal access to professionally relevant information, within and outside of their workplaces. We also assume that they, like others searching for information, will have a limited set of search skills yet will want to obtain the information for practice they need as easily as possible. Finally, we assume they will continue turning to the Internet to access relevant information. This paper describes Information for Practice (IP), an Internet service designed for social work practitioners based on these assumptions. Data regarding use of this service are presented.

Technology-Based Interventions in Social Work Practice: A Systematic Review of Mental Health Interventions

“…More recently, some efforts have been made to both emphasize and harness the power of the Internet to provide ongoing professional education and dissemination of evidence-based findings for social workers and mental health practitioners (Holden, Barker, Rosenberg, & Cohen, 2012; Holden, Tuchman, Barker, Rosenberg, Thazin, Kuppens, & Watson, 2012; Powers, Bowen, & Bowen, 2011). Despite increasing consumer demand for using technologies in therapeutic ways, however, the field of social work continues to question the appropriateness of technology-based interventions as a direct practice methodology (Mattison, 2012).…”

Open Access for Social Work Research and Practice

“…The digitization of knowledge and Internet access have made research findings and other types of knowledge more accessible to more people than ever before (Howard, McMillen, & Pollio, 2003), expanding the potential for evidence-based work, but such access is far from universal. Graduates trained in evidence-based practice in schools of social work often become discouraged when trying to access current research in agency settings, given the high price of academic journals (including for single articles, as discussed later) as well as other factors such as limited time and agency support (Berger, 2010;Holden, Barker, Rosenberg, & Cohen, 2012;Rzepnicki et al, 2012). Social work research advances most rapidly under conditions of timely access to others' research findings and to work being done in other settings, cultures, and countries; a particularly important consideration as social work becomes increasingly international.…”