The capability approach in social work research: A scoping review of research addressing practical social work

Abstract

This study reports the findings from a scoping review of the use of the capability approach in social work research. We identified 17 peer-reviewed journal articles which actively used the capability approach and addressed social work practice. The purpose was to examine how the use of the capability approach was linked to policies, practices and social justice approaches in social work research. The merits and challenges of the capability approach in social work research are discussed. Four main applications of the capability approach were found: as a tool for social workers in practice, to explore the subjective sense of well-being, to address social inequalities on a structural level, and as a way of evaluating social practices. The capability approach was framed as congruent with the aims of social work, and as a call for action for social workers to promote social justice, human dignity and well-being. Another finding was that empowerment, mostly viewed as a tool for social workers to promote strength in individuals, was closely connected to using a capability approach. The contradictory use of empowerment in social work may carry some lessons for future development of a capability approach in social work. The review indicates that the capability approach is used in a range of different ways and acknowledged as a valuable tool for research in social work.

Paternalism to empowerment: all in the eye of the beholder?

“…It too references some iconic bodies of conceptual thinking, notable for their breadth and intellectual pedigrees rather than their ease of translation into concrete operational guidelines. This is evidenced in rejection of an adverse substituted judgment form of paternalism, pursuit of personal empowerment, and resonance with writing on capability theory and capacity-building (in law and social work: Kjellberg andJansson 2020, Carney 2017). But no international treaty, domestic law or program achieves its old or new purpose merely by virtue of writing it down.…”

The Capability Approach in Social Work with Older People

“…Research findings relevant to social work professionals and researchers can be found in many journals from different disciplines. In order to understand how the capability approach has actually been used in social work research, a scoping review was conducted (Kjellberg & Jansson, 2020). A scoping review shares some similarities with systematic reviews, such as the use of rigorous and transparent methods to identify and analyse relevant literature regarding a well-defined topic.…”

“…The focus of the review was to identify and analyse how the capability approach is used in social work research, including research employing a range of different methods, and not to critically evaluate the research for best practice, as would have been the focus in a systematic review. After a two-step screening, 17 articles were included in the analysis (Kjellberg & Jansson, 2020). Only three of these articles addressed social work with older people (Horrell et al, 2015;Tanner et al, 2018;Yeung & Breheny, 2016).…”

“…nursing) were also excluded. Only one more article was found that presented primary research using the capability approach with a focus on older people, in comparison with the scoping review (Kjellberg & Jansson, 2020). The selected studies were limited to English-language, peer-reviewed journals accessible from Gothenburg University Library.…”

“…The uses of the capability approach in social work research were delineated into four main categories: exploring the subjective sense of well-being, addressing social inequalities at a structural level, as a tool for social workers in practice and to evaluate social work practices (Kjellberg & Jansson, 2020). The first two categories concern the level at which the empirical material was analysed.…”