Abstract:Postmodern ideologies and human rights movements in the last quarter of the 20th century contributed to the development of a critical, radical approach in social work practice and education in North America. This ‘structural social work’ approach argues that social problems are largely the result of oppressive social structures, not individual deficiencies. Social workers are ethically obligated to change oppressive structures rather than simply helping clients to adjust to them. Structural social work, a tran… Show more
“…24, No. 2 features-for example, the furniture's elegance, the office's physical set-up, and the type of cars parked outside-can create notions of power (Vareed et al, 2022).…”
A person's identity puts them in different social categories, positions, and statuses. An individual's social position has corresponding power or powerlessness, which influences their interaction with others in the community. The individual identities, social positions, and authority of social workers place them in a higher level of power in relation to the people they serve. This imbalance of power between social workers and clients affects the helping process. This article discusses how personal identity and power influence social work practice in the Indian context. Social structures like caste-based discrimination and patriarchal norms contribute to inequitable social positioning in the country. Following a critical social work approach, the paper presents the different dimensions of power in the social work relationship and proposes means for sharing power with the clients.
“…24, No. 2 features-for example, the furniture's elegance, the office's physical set-up, and the type of cars parked outside-can create notions of power (Vareed et al, 2022).…”
A person's identity puts them in different social categories, positions, and statuses. An individual's social position has corresponding power or powerlessness, which influences their interaction with others in the community. The individual identities, social positions, and authority of social workers place them in a higher level of power in relation to the people they serve. This imbalance of power between social workers and clients affects the helping process. This article discusses how personal identity and power influence social work practice in the Indian context. Social structures like caste-based discrimination and patriarchal norms contribute to inequitable social positioning in the country. Following a critical social work approach, the paper presents the different dimensions of power in the social work relationship and proposes means for sharing power with the clients.
“…Lack of effective coordination among various government departments and slowness in decision making can hinder the successful implementation of social work programmes. Frequent policy changes, bureaucratic red tape and corruption hinder the effectiveness of social work initiatives [17] . Unless these challenges are addressed with significant efforts, social workers will face…”
Section: Inadequate Integration Of Technologymentioning
Today's society is grappling with various social problems and complexities in which social work has to face new challenges. With progress, increase in population and change in social structure, many new problems have arisen. Through this research, we have focused on the problems faced by social workers in the modern society. The contemporary social work situation is characterized by increasing administrative requirements, limited resources and a growing gap between social needs and available services. Achieving a balance between providing direct services and managing administrative functions is a challenge that requires strategic planning and innovative solutions. This research points out the need to equip the respondents with the skills to face the issues in the right direction through leadership, technological advancement, and sources of support in the field of social work. It is important to better prepare social workers to become leaders towards social justice, prosperity, and social harmony. This research can help us understand the main challenges faced by social workers in supporting and promoting positive change in the social sector of modern society.
“…Social workers are employed in different settings, including industries, hospitals, non-governmental organizations, community-based agencies, family and child welfare, correctional settings, and short-stay and long-stay facilities. 4 , 5 Social workers are trained in different fields according to the nature of the work based on the specialized course offered. Social work education programs train students to understand psycho-social issues and to intervene at the individual, family, group, and community levels.…”
Introduction: Social workers constitute a significant task force that serves diverse populations experiencing psychosocial challenges in their daily lives. Lack of suicide prevention content/training in the Master of Social Work program may affect the student’s self-esteem/ability to intervene when they come across a person with suicidality in the field. Developing a suicide prevention training module for social work students would be a suitable measure for upbringing their skills in dealing with individuals with suicidality. Method: The purpose of the present study was to develop a suicide prevention training module for social work students at the postgraduate level. The researcher conducted two Focused Group Discussions (FGD) each with social work students ( n = 13) and social work educators ( n = 15) on an online platform. Notes were taken during the discussion, and the contents were videotaped. The videotaped content was transcribed, and content analysis was used to analyze the data. The content that emerged from the FGD with social work students and educators was discussed in later FGD with mental health experts (two psychiatrists, one psychologist, two psychiatric social workers, and two mental health nurses). The discussion with experts clarified what components to retain for the training program. Results: Five major themes and 22 sub-themes emerged from the two FGDs each with students and educators, and one FGD with mental health professionals are described. The five major themes were understanding of suicidality, understanding suicide education in the master of social work curriculum, experience with suicidality, training content suggestion, and suggestions for future implications. Conclusions: The present study identified the need for suicide prevention training in postgraduate-level social work students. Furthermore, a lack of suicide prevention training was observed indicating the incorporation of suicide education in the postgraduate curriculum.
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