Introduction to the special issue: Social work practice in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic - Challenges and innovations

Ross, Abigail M.; Lombardi, Brianna M.; Zerden, Lisa de Saxe

doi:10.1080/00981389.2021.1890381

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Will almost two years' worth of experience where digital meetings were the 'norm' have a long-term influence and long-term effects on both the view of the social worker-client relationship and how social work should be performed, or was it just a parenthesis before going back to "business as usual"? In line with previous research on the COVID-19 pandemic and social work (see also Mesiäislehto et al, 2021;Ross et al, 2021), the social workers in the web survey stated that digital communication makes the services more accessible for some target groups and clients, while for other target groups and clients, it's just the opposite. However, clients' experiences of how they benefit from or are hindered by the increased use of digital tools requires more research.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…The COVID-19 pandemic left millions of service users isolated when typical social work interventions could not be performed as intended (Cheung, 2022). Scholars have discussed how communication with clients through digital tools rapidly increased (see e.g., Dallas Allen et al, 2021; Ross et al, 2021). Social work interventions have been reconfigured to be delivered online, such as telehealth services that facilitated and increased access to services (Senreich et al, 2021).…”

Section: The Social Worker–client Relationship In the Digital And Co...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, digital tools used in the social worker-client relationship refer to tools that support, govern, or replace social work practice in case management, outcome measurement, interventions, and communication (see Mackrill & Ebsen, 2018). There are also several studies on the transformative social implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for different areas of social work (see e.g., Cheung, 2022;Sullivan-Tibbs et al, 2022, for systematic reviews andDallas Allen et al, 2021;Ross et al, 2021 for special issues), but the knowledge on how the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to digitalization's significance for the social worker-client relationship is inconclusive. While some research concludes that social workers have been able to maintain a therapeutic relationship with clients (Mishna et al, 2020), others claim that the quality of client care has been reduced by the use of telehealth services (Wiener et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While some research concludes that social workers have been able to maintain a therapeutic relationship with clients (Mishna et al, 2020), others claim that the quality of client care has been reduced by the use of telehealth services (Wiener et al, 2021). Also, clients with complex problems—like mental health problems and loneliness—were the most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (Mesiäislehto et al, 2021; see also Ross et al, 2021). Also, there are few studies exploring how various factors (e.g., gender, age, work tasks, employment, and size of the municipality) may explain the impact on the social worker–client relationship, which is something that this article contributes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Digitalization, stress, and social worker–client relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nordesjö

Scaramuzzino

2023

Journal of Social Work

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Summary The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the possibilities for people to interact and communicate. This article examines Swedish social workers’ experiences of the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the use of digital tools in their work, and whether this use has affected the social worker–client relationship and their stress levels. The article draws on a web survey (N = 541) via a quantitative analysis of responses and a qualitative analysis of answers to an open-ended question. Findings Most respondents agreed on experiencing increased use of digital tools in the relationship with the clients, increased skills in using digital tools, and a more positive view of digital tools in the social worker–client relationship. However, experiences on whether stress levels had increased and the relationship with the clients worsened, were divided. Age correlates positively with increased stress levels, and social workers working with social assistance, as well as women, are more likely to agree on that the relationship with the clients has worsened. Responses from open-ended questions highlight a rapid shift where social workers have gained a more positive view of digital tools, that video meetings can increase efficiency and flexibility, but also work environment problems. Applications This article contributes with useful insights into how the use of digital tools during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed and affected stress and the social worker–client relationship. It can support discussions on the future implementation of digital tools in social work after the pandemic.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: The Social Worker–client Relationship In the Digital And Co...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Digitalization, stress, and social worker–client relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic

Nordesjö

Scaramuzzino

2023

Journal of Social Work

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“…While the collateral effects of the pandemic have unequally and disproportionately affected vulnerable and marginalized populations (Krumer-Nevo & Refaeli, 2021; Shadmi et al, 2020; Singer et al, 2020), researchers have also drawn attention to the dramatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the work of healthcare professions (Crittenden et al, 2021; Greenberg et al, 2020; Lu et al, 2020; Nyashanu et al, 2020). Effects such as poor mental health and tremendous psychological distress—including anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, were reported for medical assistance workers (Li et al, 2020), hospital-based healthcare providers (Crittenden et al, 2021), social workers (Necel & Zaręba, 2020; Ross et al, 2021), and physical therapists (Alpalhão & Alpalhão, 2020; Pedersini et al, 2020). In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, this appears to be also the case among aid organizations and professionals working with individuals in the sex trade (IST) 1…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Helping individuals in the sex trade during COVID-19: The perspectives of Israeli aid organizations.

Lahav-Raz¹,

Prior²,

Shilo³

et al. 2022

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a collateral effect on marginalized populations, including individuals in the sex trade (IST). In addition, the literature of the past year has documented a significant impact of the pandemic on healthcare providers. However, there is a lack of research on the new challenges and existing hardships facing aid organizations working with IST populations. This naturalistic qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 33 IST aid organization workers in Israel between May and July 2020 to capture their perceptions and experiences within broader social-relational contexts. Data analysis revealed that the pandemic impacted three different arenas: The assistance systems and the quality of care; The relationship between aid organizations and state authorities; and The intraorganizational and interorganizational relationship. These findings add to the knowledge about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on aid organizations, particularly the need for greater collaboration between aid organizations during health crises and governmental support for these organizations. In addition, the study highlights the opportunities that a global and local health crisis can create advancing new knowledge and practices used by aid organizations in their work to assist IST populations. Public Policy Relevance StatementTo date, most of the research has focused on how the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic revealed the lack of protection for individuals in the sex trade (IST). However, little is known about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on aid organizations working with IST populations. This qualitative study aimed to assess the perceptions and experiences of IST aid organization workers in Israel during the pandemic. The pandemic revealed the strengths of organizational stability. But it also impaired the ability of aid organizations to help the IST population and forced them to quickly adapt to the new reality. We call upon policymakers to use the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to reconsider evidencebased reforms to existing laws and policies regarding IST aid organizations. aaa O n March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak to be a global pandemic. Since then, countries worldwide have faced four "waves" of the pandemic, with a total death rate (to date) of over 4.5 million people. According to Zhang et al. (2020), the health hazards posed by COVID-19 have led to the introduction of strict quarantine policies, movementrestrictions, and social distancing to prevent it from spreading. These have had an unprecedented impact on people of various social strata-both financially and in terms of numerous social and psychological challenges such as anxiety, severe stress, uncertainty, and poor mental health (

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Knowledge Creation in Social Work During the Time of COVID-19

Nicolas

2022

Remaking Social Work for the New Global Era

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Introduction to the special issue: Social work practice in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic - Challenges and innovations

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

Digitalization, stress, and social worker–client relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic

Digitalization, stress, and social worker–client relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic

Helping individuals in the sex trade during COVID-19: The perspectives of Israeli aid organizations.

Knowledge Creation in Social Work During the Time of COVID-19

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