The relationship between burnout and telework was analysed to find out how COVID-19 affected the emotional state of social workers who teleworked during the pandemic, and to analyse the risk of burnout in the field of social services. The fieldwork was conducted on a self-selected sample of 395 social workers in Spain in 2021. The results show a lower risk related to negligent treatment and a high

Research has identified challenges associated with the implementation of competency-based social work field education in Vietnam. However, there is limited information available from intern supervisors, who have unique perspectives at the crux of social work training and service delivery. An exploratory phenomenological qualitative approach was used to explore their experiences and perceptions through

This bibliometric analysis examined 1435 social work articles on COVID-19 from 2019 to 2024. The most prolific journal was International Social Work, and the University of Texas System led in productivity. The United States of America had the most publications and citations. Social work journals interacted with public health, medicine, and psychiatry.

Despite its three-decade history, social work lacks professional status in Nepal. Drawing on authors’ own critical reflection, this article documents strategies to advance social work’s professional status through a process of social legitimation. Following a brief discussion of social work in Nepal, it reports on issues pertinent to, and efforts, thus far, to professionalise social work noting strategies

Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples in Latin America face a bleak social and economic outlook that is exacerbated in rural old age. This research aimed to identify and describe latent profiles of quality of life of these people in a multiethnic Chilean sample of 1692 older people in rural areas, and to characterise these profiles according to sociodemographic variables, territorial identity, depressive

The immense influx of refugees after the Syrian conflict started in 2011 has rendered Kilis among the provinces hosting the highest number of Syrian asylum seekers in Türkiye. This study examines the effect of the service quality at Kilis’ Elbeyli Temporary Accommodation Center on asylum seekers’ satisfaction. We conducted 320 surveys with Syrian asylum seekers from among the 8008 residents in the

Social workers often deal with stressful and emotionally demanding working conditions. Self-care is key to preventing the negative consequences of these difficulties. This study used thematic analysis to explore the meaning of self-care among 18 professionals, who identified different self-care strategies and barriers, some of which lie within the organizations. Although self-care is primarily considered

This article investigates the contemporary transnational and neocolonial characteristics of children’s welfare in the Philippines, drawing on the perspectives of young people in residential care settings (RCSs) (aka orphanages) as well as the views of programme and policy actors embedded across child protection systems. Its findings highlight the funding and governance roles of transnational actors

In this article, I draw on my intersectional identities as a caregiver of a child with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, as a registered social worker with extensive experience in the justice sector, and as an employed educator and researcher at a tertiary institute, to explore how I have used these multiple identities to create new initiatives that support families where Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Professional identity development in social work students and graduates is complicated by intertwining internal and external factors. This article reports findings from a subset of data from a longitudinal qualitative study which aims to understand what factors contribute to this group’s sense of professional identity. It draws on multiple interviews conducted with six international students/graduates

This mixed-methods study explores the incidence, manifestations, and drivers of secondary traumatic stress among service providers who work with Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey. A survey of 104 social workers and other providers working in 17 public and civil society agencies in Istanbul in 2018 demonstrates that 54.81% had Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale scores indicating mild to severe secondary

Despite its importance, there are no mechanisms available to investigate the presence of human rights as a part of mental health education in Latin America. Instruments such as Human Rights Exposure in Social Work and Human Rights Engagement in Social Work can be used to make this approach feasible in recovery processes.

The philosophy and principles in ancient Indian scriptures and practices are similar to the Social Work concept of ‘Ubuntu’ that is, ‘Oneness’, ‘interconnectedness of all life’. Indian philosophy presents the interconnection between the mind and the body and states that a curative factor is creating a holistic balance within the individual. Several western models of social work have emerged for treating

The study introduces the Child Maltreatment Pictorial Cards (CMPC) comprising 26 cards: 15 depict child maltreatment (CM) forms, and 11 cards illustrate positive situations. A total of 102 participants (age range 6–17 years) – 63 abused children and 39 non-abused controls – were recruited following ethical approval. Convergent and discriminant validities were established by using the Medical Somatic

Drawing on a socio-technical approach, we examined Finnish social welfare professionals’ (n = 990) perceptions of the effects of digitalization on their work and how these are associated with factors related to work and client information system usage using mixed graphical modelling. Overall, perceptions were predominantly positive. Digitally replaced services were most common in the non-public sector

This article uses the reflections from three international initiatives aimed at assisting professionals who provide psychosocial services to those affected by Russia’s war in Ukraine. It concludes by highlighting how the international social work community could offer its support to promote the well-being of colleagues experiencing war and political violence globally.

Cultural competence is a critical skill for social work professionals navigating the complexities of a diverse world. Despite its importance, practitioners express low self-efficacy when applying cultural competence skills. Conducting a systematic review, this study aims to identify the common approaches to teaching cultural competence in social work bachelor’s and master’s programs. Results categorize

This study examines the sex-specific impact of marital trajectories among older adults on successful aging to help social workers identify those most at risk for sub-optimal outcomes who may benefit from targeted interventions. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to investigate 7641 older Canadians who were classified as ‘aging successfully’ in the baseline wave of the Canadian Longitudinal

Financial social work extends inclusion by providing clients access to financial products, services, and technology. We summarize evidence about how financial technology impacts economic inequality and discuss implications for social work practice, education, and policy.

This article discusses the provision of mental health support to the victims of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkey by social workers. The recommendations are applicable to countries in which professional social work lacks recognition and have global implications for both policy and practice.

This brief note underscores the negative consequences of food aid monotony to mealtime dynamics among war-affected internally displaced families. The article argues that this is rooted in an unethical food aid practice in which social work agencies naively dole out the same food items over a period of time. Caused by monotonic diets, the meal table witnesses poor family commensal activities. Social

In this Voices from Practice article, we present the process for adapting a 12-week mind-body group mental health intervention from development and implementation in Uganda for implementation with human trafficking survivors in the Philippines. We summarize key steps in the intervention adaptation process, outlining recommendations for other social work practitioners interested in culturally adapting

Addressing social work challenges requires interdisciplinary approaches. While traditionally linked with health, law, and education, its connection with administration is underexplored. This research examines the management–social work relationship in South American training programs. Using qualitative methods, it highlights the scope and challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration.

This article explores the learning experience from a comprehensive training program to enhance the understanding and competencies of social work professionals in social audit. The aim is to share the research team and participants’ experience with social work professionals working in the areas of community empowerment, governance, and advocacy globally.

In the spring of 2022, in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, social work teachers and students in Lviv provided shelter support to internally displaced people. This article explores the challenges faced as well as adapting pedagogy to the crisis. An online transnational collaboration and retrospective analysis approach was employed to gather information from the teachers and students. Through

Demographic ageing implies increased care needs, in which social workers play a key role. However, knowledge about their practice is limited and fragmented. This mixed-methods systematic review integrates evidence from 19 studies published between 2000 and 2022 on the roles of long-term care social workers in Europe and North America. The findings reveal that service and case management, direct support

The 2016 Alberta wildfires resulted in widespread destruction of property and displacement of residents. Research aimed to identify the roles and responsibilities of social work practitioners and human service professionals in long-term disaster recovery. This article presents the findings from interviews, focus groups, and a survey with a total of 140 participants in Alberta, Canada. Implications

This article proposes re-evaluating traditional views of empathy in child welfare work, advocating for recognizing the role of affect in empathic relationships. Traditionally, clinical empathy has been described as a unidirectional relationship where clinical workers must remain neutral, setting aside their perceptual frameworks to become ‘mirrors’ of their clients. Through a grounded theory analysis

Health and education services have been critical challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic for children with invisible disabilities in Thailand due to their disabilities, limited access to services, and existing discrimination. The findings highlight the need for comprehensive social work guidelines for similar vulnerable groups and crises in Thailand and others.

An increase in exposure to successive disaster events is causing widespread adverse impacts on social workers worldwide, resulting in escalated levels of stress and exhaustion. This article examines the concept of disaster fatigue and its impact on social workers engaging in disaster practice. A SAFE framework for addressing disaster fatigue is outlined involving: (S) sustaining self-care; (A) adopting

Frontline social workers work in difficult circumstances with clients who face significant trauma and distress. The increasing turnover of social workers is a matter of concern. This quantitative research explores psychological distress, work–family conflict and family life satisfaction in a sample of 104 social workers in North-West England. The findings revealed significant correlations among the

Social interaction through technology, professional intervention through digital tools, and reorganization of public and private organizations to digitalize their procedures and work with reliable and robust data are three processes that coexist and feed off each other, giving rise to the development of what has been called digital social work. In this article, we briefly analyze some of the characteristics

There is a dearth of understanding about the international literature on military social work with active service members. This narrative review spans the literature between 1944 and 2019 in an effort to grow the international military social work knowledge base. Of the 92 countries searched, 24 produced at least one publication about military social work with active military service members. Major

The child protection system in Qatar is newly developed and still fragmented and lacking a comprehensive legal framework. Qualitative interviews were conducted with a sample of social workers in civil society organizations within the Qatar Social Work Foundation to understand barriers encountered by social workers in child protection and strategies used to overcome these barriers. Findings suggest

Decision-making is an essential part of social work practice. Intuition is one possible basis for these decisions, but relying solely on it might not always be the best choice. No overarching framework for social work exists on how to deal with intuition. By building on the work of Kahneman and Klein, who describe conditions for successful intuitive-reasoning, the aim of the article is thus to offer

Client violence towards social workers is a phenomenon with serious consequences that affect the professional, service and organisation. However, it is not known what effect such violence has on each. A systematic review of 26 studies found that the consequences have an impact on the social worker, the service and the organisation. In particular, it affects the health of the social worker, the professional

Improving mental well-being is essential for social workers. Self-care services are often facilitated to enhance it, but there is limited research exploring their characteristics and effectiveness. We conducted a systematic review of self-care interventions targeting the mental well-being of social workers. A comprehensive search of four English and one Chinese databases yielded 2969 studies for initial

This study analyzes stressors experienced by Syrian mothers in Lebanon in 2020 and emphasizes the necessity of addressing their distinct needs. Through in-depth interviews, it identifies stressors linked to living conditions in Lebanon, the economic crisis, health care access, and the impact of the pandemic. The study recommends that social workers should utilize and enhance existing support systems

Health social workers, like social workers in general, have been found to utilise research knowledge to a low degree. No previous study has made comparisons based on the following: higher education, job tenure and workplace. This article is based on statistical comparisons between 1236 health social workers in Sweden working in various healthcare contexts. The central finding was that higher education

This article explores the roles of social workers in advancing LGBTQ+ inclusive mental healthcare in Southeast Asia. This role aligns with the global nature of the social work profession and several regional and national ethical frameworks and principles for social workers in Southeast Asia, emphasizing core values such as dignity, human rights, and social justice. Highlighting mental health disparities

Knowledge transfer in global mental health services has long been depicted from Western perspectives. This article destabilizes this discourse through a conceptual model that integrates the top-down approach (macro postcolonial context, meso transnational knowledge transfer and micro mental health programmes) and the bottom-up approach (the roles of transcreation in reconfiguring micro mental health

This article draws on a series of international research-focused webinars with social workers in 2022. They were designed to examine the rethinking of professional values during the pandemic in the context of other global crises, particularly the climate emergency. Participants readily shared ethical issues relating to self-care, digital working and reduced bureaucracy during the pandemic and implications

The adoption of Ukrainian children, by US citizens, is examined as the Ukrainian government ceases adoptions of children during the chaos of war. Intercountry adoption dynamics are presented with data from 2021, prior to the conflict in 2022. Then, the situation regarding child rights and the official Ukrainian government position are considered. Implications for guardianship and foster care of unaccompanied