Medical Social Work

Evidence-based practice has become an important approach to social work practice. This paper highlights some of the ethical dilemmas which may be implicated by this approach, and encourages social workers and social work researchers to carefully consider these potential quandaries.

This exciting new book aims to engage with students, practitioners, researchers, policy makers, service-users and associated professionals to critically reflect on the importance of professional identity as a matter of concern for social work. It encourages readers to reflect on, compare and contrasts the diverse dimensions of professional identity across several international contexts. Contributing authors including leading international researchers in the field. These talented authors, along with the editor, Stephen A. Webb - one of the world’s leading writers in the field - aim to enrich your understanding of some of the central problems facing social work today and the way these are intimately bound up with matters of professional identity.

This article explores issues raised by an earlier Irish study conducted with migrants living with HIV. The latter highlighted the fact that many of those newly diagnosed with HIV in Ireland are from sub-Saharan African, were in the asylum system when first diagnosed, and were not accessing available supports. This article discusses the impact the current policy of holding asylum seekers in 'direct provision' accommodation has on best practice in HIV care and prevention. The challenges facing health care workers providing HIV care in multicultural Ireland, in a system where immigration policies are known to inhibit integration into Irish society, are discussed. The article concludes that to provide adequate support to those living with HIV there may be a need to address the potential adverse impact of 'direct provision' accommodation for asylum seekers.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the social problem of depression from a multi-theoretical perspective. It explores depression through the lens of two psychologically based theories of human behavior, existential theory and cognitive theory, as well as through the vehicle of two sociological theories, Marxist theory and the theory of oppression. By understanding how each of these theories explains depression, social workers may be helped to see the complexity of treating the problem. It is the belief of the authors that social work literature, which is often dominated by reductionist, quantitativelybased research studies, has increasingly ignored theoretical explorations of key social problems such as depression, to the determent of the profession and the disciplines which inform it.

The task of studying the impact of social class on physical and mental health involves, among other things, the use of a conceptual toolbox that defines what social class is, establishes how to measure it, and sets criteria that help distinguish it from closely related concepts. One field that has recently witnessed a wealth of theoretical and conceptual research on social class is psychology, but geographers' and sociologists' attitude of diffidence toward this " positivistic " discipline has prevented them from taking advantage of this body of scholarship. This paper aims to highlight some of the most important developments in the psychological study of social class and social mobility that speak to the long-standing concerns of health geographers and sociologists with how social position, perceptions, social comparisons, and class-based identities impact health and well-being.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.037

This article takes an in-depth look at the strengths perspective, examining its philosophical roots, its core characteristics (according to its key proponents), and its limitations. It suggests that the strengths perspective is underpinned by a mix of Aristotelianism, humanistic individualism, and communitarianism. The article highlights the synergies between the strengths perspective and contemporary neoliberalism and suggests

This paper explores the diverse perspectives and attitudes toward mental illness among ethnic groups, cultures, and societies in Nigeria. It reiterates how cultural and religious teachings often influence beliefs about the origins and nature of mental illness, which shape peoples’ attitudes toward the mentally ill. Major findings of this papers how that most African cultures attribute mental illness to spiritual forces; they also posit that mental illness runs in a family therefore it is inheritable; and that one cannot be completely cured from it. This therefore means mental illness being regarded as a cultural based problem. Since most of the mentally ill persons hardly ever seek treatment it then appears as if the social work profession is ineffective in helping individuals overcome social problems. The paper therefore recommends the promotion and integration of mental health treatment into the various health centers in rural communities. There is a need to also embark on a wider campaign to discourage families from abandoning mentally ill people.

Przewlekle chory w domu (375 str., Gdańsk 2011)
Red: Piotr Krakowiak, Dominik Krzyżanowski, Aleksandra Modlińska

Książka skierowana jest do każdej osoby opiekującej się przewlekle i ciężko chorą osobą. Zainteresowanie nią wskazuje, że jest cenną lekturą dla zawodowej grupy opiekunów (pielęgniarek, pracowników socjalnych, opiekunów w domach opieki, opiekunów medycznych, duszpasterzy) jak i osób uczących się wspierania przewlekle chorych. Poradnik jest bezcenną pomocą dla rodzin i bliskich osób starszych, ciężko i przewlekle chorych, jak również przewodnikiem dla wolontariuszy i osób pragnących wspierać chorego i jego bliskich.
Zrozumienie przekazywanych treści ułatwiają zdjęcia i schematy a także dołączony do książki film edukacyjny praktycznie ukazujący etapy opieki i pielęgnacji. 

Książka otrzymała patronaty chrześcijańskich organizacji charytatywnych: Caritas, Diakonia, Eleos, podkreślając wagę aspektów duchowo-religijnych opieki. Podręcznik może być cenną pomocą dla osób pracujących i kształcących się w kierunkach: pielęgniarka hospicyjna,  środowiskowa, pracownik socjalny, opiekun medyczny, pracownik DPS, i innych związanych z opieką nad ciężko chorymi w instytucjach i w opiece domowej.

„Autorzy z profesjonalizmem, ale i wyczuciem ujęli trudne medyczne i psychologiczne problemy w taki sposób, by ten poradnik był rzeczywiście towarzyszem w trudnych chwilach sprawowania opieki. Jako Przewodniczący Zespołu Ds. Duszpasterstwa Służby Zdrowia gorąco rekomenduję ten podręcznik, którego partnerami są chrześcijańskie organizacje charytatywne Caritas, Diakonia i Eleos. Uważam ją za cenną i praktyczną pomoc dla rodzin przewlekle chorych i dla opiekunów nieformalnych. W każdej parafii rośnie liczba osób niesamodzielnych, przewlekle chorych i starszych, przebywających w domach. Obok wizyt duszpasterskich odbywanych regularnie, do tych osób mogliby pójść odpowiednio przeszkoleni wolontariusze z Parafialnych Zespołów Caritas czy z grup charytatywnych. Życzę, więc, by po tę książkę sięgnęli duszpasterze, którzy razem z medykami w ich parafii przeszkolą wolontariuszy, by oni czynili mniej dotkliwym los ciężko i przewlekle chorych wokół nich.”  Bp S. Regmunt

This article will discuss how two theoretical frameworks can be useful in the analysis of conflict situations in social work practice. By viewing situations from the perspective of competing and differing values, social workers are able to come to respect the positions of those with whom they are in conflict. The respect that emanates from being empathic and validating towards another's values is crucial for negotiating resolution to difficult conflict situations.

Health, Yangon who kindly took the responsibility to supervise my elective program, gave her precious time, academic guidance, invaluable advice and encouragement all the way through. My sincere thanks to all teachers from University of Public Health, Yangon for their kind help and guidance in conducting this thesis. A special thank to express my deep gratitude towards the inspiration of my supervisor, Dr.

Social workers in hospital settings often experience frustration working in the host setting of a hospita!. Some hospital social workers may consider a move to a private primary health care setting to gain more autonomy on the job and the opportunity to provide more direct clinical services and less task-oriented ones. In this article, the authors report a study that compared the autonomy and professional activities of social workers in hospita! settings and private primary care settings. It was found that social workers in the two settings do not differ in their level of perceived autonomy and that those in private primary care provide more therapy and counseling. The implications of these and other findings are discussed.

Since its inception, the social work profession has always been concerned regarding how it is viewed by the public. The outcomes of such perceptions are fundamental in not only building the confidence levels of social work professionals but also influencing their effectiveness in service delivery. This is especially the case if such views are from highly respected and accomplished members of society. The focus of this study is to share the reflections of Nigerian university academics about the social work profession. Semi-structured interview schedule based on one-on-one interviews was conducted among senior academics in one major university in southern Nigeria. Findings, following the qualitative data analysis, reveal that, although the social work profession is considered as peculiar with promising prospects, social workers have two major challenges to grapple with if they are to attain any significant degree of relevance in the country. Suggestions necessary for surmounting these challenges are offered to social work professionals, as well as to the Nigerian political leadership.

1. Çalışmanın Gerekçesi
Mesleki bir disiplin olarak sosyal hizmet; birey, grup, aile ve toplumların yaşam kalitesinin iyileştirilmesi, geliştirilmesi ve asgari refah standardının üzerine çıkarılmasına yönelik; koruyucu, önleyici, tedavi edici, rehabilite edici, iyileştirici ve geliştirici etkinlik ve uygulamalarda bulunmaktadır. Odağına insanı alan bir bilim ve meslek olan sosyal hizmetin, fertlerin refah ve esenliğini temin etme amacına yönelik mesleki müdahalelerinin temelinde, insana yaklaşımın rastgele olmaması esasına dayalı, eklektik profesyonel bilgi, beceri ve yetenek kümesi yer almaktadır. Problem çözme yaklaşımı, sosyal hizmette, planlı değişim süreci takip edilerek yürütülen mesleki müdahalelerde, müracaatçıların problemlerinin tespit edilerek çözülmesi sürecinde, Batı’daki mesleki uygulamalarda yaygın olarak kullanılmaktadır. Bu bildiride, sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının tıbbi sosyal hizmet alanında problem çözme yaklaşımından nasıl yararlanabileceği, vaka örneği üzerinden ana hatlarıyla irdelenmeye çalışılacaktır.
2. Amaçlar
Bu bildiride, ülkemizde Sağlık Bakanlığı bünyesinde faaliyet gösteren hastaneler, toplum ruh sağlığı merkezleri, aile sağlığı merkezleri, aile hekimlikleri, sağlık ocakları ve diğer tıbbi alanda hizmet veren kuruluşlarda yürütülecek mesleki çalışmalara ışık tutması ve hasta refahı alanında uygulamaya koyulan mesleki müdahalelerde aktif ve etkin bir metot birliği oluşturulması amacı ile sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının hangi durumlarda ve nasıl problem çözme yaklaşımını kullanabilecekleri basamaklar halinde açıklanmaya çalışılacaktır.
3. Tartışma
Ulusal sosyal hizmet alan yazınında problem çözme yaklaşımını ele alan bilimsel çalışmalar sayıca sınırlı iken Batı’da ilk olarak, Helen Perlman’ın 1953 yılında yayınladığı “Kişisel Çalışma Sürecinin Temel Yapısı” (The Basic Structure of the Casework Process) isimli makalesinde, daha sonra, 1957 yılında yayınladığı “Sosyal Kişisel Çalışma: Bir Problem Çözme Süreci” (Social Casework: A Problem Solving Process) isimli kitabında, sosyal hizmette problem çözme süreci ayrıntılarıyla açıklanmış ve bu tarihten günümüze gelinceye değin sosyal hizmette problem çözme yaklaşımını konu alan çok sayıda yayından oluşan bilimsel bir literatür oluşmuştur. Problem çözme yaklaşımı, mikro düzeyde, birey ve ailelerle yürütülecek mesleki çalışmalarda, sosyal hizmet uzmanlarına, sistemli, planlı, dizgeli ve bütüncül bir bakış açısı sunması nedeniyle, işlevselliği yüksek bir yaklaşım olarak değerlendirilebilir. Problemin, bireyin ruhsal süreçlerinden ziyade, sosyal ve çevresel sistemlerle olan negatif ilişki ve etkileşim süreçleri ile gerçekçi olmayan rol beklentilerinden kaynaklandığı varsayımına dayanan yaklaşım, bireysel farklılıklardan doğan ve karşılanamayan psiko-sosyal, eğitsel, kültürel ve ailevi gereksinimlerin, rasyonel yollarla karşılanmasını amaçlamaktadır. Yaklaşım, müracaatçı ve uzman tarafından belirlenecek, ortak amaçlara ulaşılabilmesi için işbirliğine dayalı bir süreci öngörmektedir.
4. Sonuç
Müracaatçının sorun çözme becerilerinin geliştirilmesi, güçlendirilmesi, yaşadığı sorunların neden ve sonuçlarına dair farkındalık geliştirebilmesi, yaşadığı sorundan kaynaklanan olumsuz damgalamaların giderilmesi ve böylelikle onun sağlıklı sosyal işlevsellik düzeyine yeniden kavuşması, amaçlarına yönelik müdahaleler, problem çözme yaklaşımının özünü oluşturmaktadır. Bipolar bozukluk sebebiyle tedavi görmekte olan içine kapanık ve ilişki kurmakta zorlanan 21 yaşındaki bir kadın hasta ve ailesi ile sosyal hizmet uzmanının, problem çözme yaklaşımını temel alarak hastalığın ilk teşhis anından itibaren sürdürdüğü mesleki müdahale neticesinde; ailenin tedavi masraflarını karşılayabilecek kaynaklara erişebildiği, aile ve hastanın hastalık ve tedavi hakkında bilinçlendiği, hastanın tedavi olmaya yönelik inanç ve güveninde olumlu gelişmeler görüldüğü ve hem hastalık hem de tedavi sürecinde hastanın en önemli destek kaynağı olan ailesi ve çevresiyle ilişkilerinin sağlamlaştırılarak biyo-psiko-sosyal bir varlık olan insanın biyolojik sağlığını tamamlayıcı nitelikte bulunan psiko-sosyal iyilik halinin önemli ölçüde sağlandığı gözlemlenmiştir. Bu yönüyle problem çözme yaklaşımının sosyal hizmette müracaatçılarla yürütülecek mesleki uygulamalarda işlevsel olarak kullanılabileceği düşünülmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Problem çözme yaklaşımı, manik depresyon, tıbbi sosyal hizmet, sosyal hizmet müdahalesi, problem çözme aşamaları

As a type of sexual violence, women are exposed to sexual assault more frequently than men. For this reason, intervention after sexual assault usually takes shape on women, and women come to the forefront in such practices. The need for health services for all dimensions of women exposed to sexual assault firstly increases the need for prioritizing interventions, not only physically in terms of diagnosis and treatment, but also components of psychological, emotional, social and economic well-being that are the nature of sexual assault. In this context, medical social work practices have an important place in the intervention of women exposed to sexual assault. In this general framework, the aim of this work is not only to discuss the importance of medical social work practices structured at the community, individual, group, and community level, but also with family, community, society, and not with women exposed to individual sexual assault. ÖZET Cinsel şiddetin bir türü olan cinsel saldırıya, kadınların erkeklere oranla daha fazla maruz kaldıkları bilinmektedir. Bu nedenle, cinsel saldırı sonrası müdahale genellikle kadınlar üzerine şekillenmekte, kadın bu tür uygulamalarda ön plana çıkmaktadır. Cinsel saldırıya maruz kalan kadınların, öncelikle her boyutuyla sağlık hizmetine olan ihtiyacı, sadece fiziksel olarak tanı ve tedavi boyutunda değil, cinsel saldırının doğası gereği psikolojik, duygusal, sosyal ve ekonomik anlamda sağlığın bileşenlerini de ön plana çıkarıcı müdahalelere duyulan ihtiyacı arttırmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, cinsel saldırıya maruz kalan kadınlara yapılan müdahalede, tıbbi sosyal hizmet uygulamalarının önemli bir yeri bulunmaktadır. Bu genel çerçevede, bu çalışmanın amacı, sadece bireysel olarak cinsel saldırıya maruz kalan kadınla değil, ailesiyle, çevresiyle, toplumla bireysel, grup ve toplum düzeyinde yapılandırılan tıbbi sosyal hizmet uygulamalarının yeri ve önemini tartışmaktır. Anahtar kelimeler: Cinsel saldırı, kadın, tıbbi sosyal hizmet uygulamaları

Öz: Hastalara yaşamlarının son dönemlerinde çeşitli kurumlarda fiziksel bakım ve psikososyal desteğin sağlanmasını, hastalığın ortaya çıkardığı semptomların en aza indirgenmesini ve hasta ile ailesinin uzman bir ekip tarafından fiziksel, psikososyal ve ekonomik yönden desteklenmesini amaç edinen palyatif bakım, dünyada ve ülkemizde son yıllarda önem verilen bir kavram haline gelmektedir. Palyatif bakım alanı, insanları güçlendirmeyi ve yaşam kalitelerini yükseltmeyi amaç edinen, hak ve toplum temelli yaklaşımı benimseyen sosyal hizmet mesleği için son derece önemli bir çalışma alanıdır. Fakat meslek, palyatif bakım alanında ilkelerini belirleme konusunda sıkıntı yaşamaktadır. Ayrıca literatürde sosyal hizmet mesleğinin palyatif bakım alanındaki yeri hakkında yapılan çalışma sayısı sınırlıdır. Çalışma, palyatif bakım alanında çalışan sosyal hizmet uzmanlarına hem mikro ölçekte hem de makro ölçekte yapacakları müdahalelerde rehberlik etmeyi ve palyatif bakımın psikosyal yönüne vurgu yapmayı amaçlamaktadır. Çalışma bulgularında sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının tanı süreci, tedavi süreci, yaşam sonu süreç ve yas sürecinde hasta ve ailesine destek vermek için çeşitli görevler üstlendikleri aktarılmıştır. Sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının palyatif bakımdaki hedefleri; bakıma erişimde eşitliği sağlamak, bakım sürecinin en iyi şekilde geçirilmesini sağlamak, sürecin bütün unsurlarını koordine etmek ve bu unsurların sürece hazır hale gelmelerini sağlamaktır. Ayrıca çalışmada, sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının becerileri; profesyonellik, çeşitliliğe saygı, liderlik, bağlamlara dikkat etme, bakımda kritik unsur olarak yer alma, sosyal hizmetin bilgi temeline riayet etme olarak sıralanmıştır. Anahtar kelimeler: Palyatif bakım, sosyal hizmet uzmanı, palyatif bakım ekibi Abstract: Pallative care, which aims to provide physical care and psychosocial support to patients in various institutions in the last stages of their lives, to minimize the symptoms caused by the disease and to support the patient and family by a team of experts, has become an important concept in the world and in our country in recent years. Palliative care is an extremely important field of work for the social work profession, which aims to empower people and improve their quality of life and adopts a rights and society-based approach. However, the social work profession has difficulty in determining its principles in palliative care. In addition, the number of studies on the place of social work profession in palliative care is limited in the literature. The study aims to guide social workers working in the field of palliative care both in micro and macro scale interventions and to emphasize the psychosocial aspect of palliative care.In the findings of the study, it was stated that social workers undertook various duties in order to support the patient and his family during the

Acil bakım ve müdahale, insanların olağan bir şekilde devam eden hayatlarında aniden meydana gelen
fiziksel ve ruhsal hastalıkların, kaza, travma vb. durumların sosyal iyilik hallerinde meydana getirdiği
sorunlarda rutinlerine ve gündelik yaşantılarına dönebilmeleri için sunulan sağlık hizmetlerinin
bütünüdür. Acil servis birimlerine başvuran bireyler çoğunlukla bir kriz durumunun içindedir. Kriz süreci
öznel bir algıyı ifade eder ve bir insan için kriz olan durum başka biri için ufak bir sorun olarak
açıklanabilir. Müracaatçı profili, bireysel sorunlarını çözerken başarısız olduğunu hissettiğinde ve güçlü
yanları ile sahip olduğu destek kaynakları yetersiz kaldığında kendi durumuna özgü krizi algılar, acil
servis tıbbi sosyal hizmet müdahalesine ihtiyaç duyar. Tıbbi sosyal hizmet uzmanı da bu noktada
devreye girer, krize müdahale etmeye çalışır ve müracaatçı ile birlikte sorununu çözmek için uğraşır.
İlaveten acil servislerde tıbbi sosyal hizmetin müracaatçı grupları ölüm, travma, kayıp, şiddet, terk ve
istismar yaşantılarına maruz kalan insanlardan oluşmaktadır. Acil servislerde tıbbi sosyal hizmet
uygulamalarının yerleşmesinin ve önem kazanmasının ilk koşulu; müracaatçıların durumunun öznel
olduğunun bilinmesi, hassas yönlerinin yoğunluğunun vurgulanması ve tıbbi tedavi ekibine
hissettirilmesidir. Nitekim bu makalenin amacı acil servis tıbbi sosyal hizmet müdahalesini ele alırken
Türkiye’deki acil servislerde tıbbi sosyal hizmet uygulamalarını hatırlatmak, müracaatçı profilini
betimlemek ve acil servis tıbbi sosyal hizmet müdahalesi esnasında gerçekleştirilen acil servis tıbbi
sosyal hizmet mülakatında dikkat edilmesi gereken noktaları kısaca açıklamaktır. Unutulmamalıdır ki,
acil servis tıbbi sosyal hizmet müdahalesi ve mülakatı, müracaatçıları güçlendirmeye yönelik tasarlanan
profesyonel uygulamalar arasındadır.
Anahtar sözcükler: Acil servis, müracaatçı profili, acil servis tıbbi sosyal hizmet müdahalesi, tıbbi
sosyal hizmet uzmanı, acil servis tıbbi sosyal hizmet mülakatı.

This thesis explores factors that influence professional discretion in Swedish hospital professionals’ assessment of children who may be at risk of harm. It is based on two data samplings, interviews with fourteen hospital social workers and a questionnaire with 295 responding physicians, nurses, nurse assistants and hospital social workers. The theoretical frame consists of theories of professions, sociology of emotions and normativity.

Although all professionals are mandated to report suspicions about children who may be at risk to social services, the findings show that a majority of the participants had never made a report. However, there were major differences between the professions: hospital social workers and physicians made most reports, while it was unusual for nurses and nurse assistants to report. This is explained by children at risk being everyone’s but no single profession’s responsibility within health care – which shapes an informal pattern of jurisdiction, split between physicians and hospital social workers.

The professional group to which a person belongs was shown to affect how other factors influence assessment. The lower the status of the group, the less knowledge about the issue and the available organisational support its members have, and the more emotions influenced the decisions not to report. While hospital social workers are less strongly affected by emotions in decisions not to report, the deeper qualitative analysis shows that assessment tended to follow a ‘logic of normativity’ where their worries stuck to ‘warning signs’ associated with gender stereotypes or unprivileged groups of parents. Critical reflexivity could disturb this logic as well as the silence of normality, meaning that children from privileged groups may not be given enough attention.

Hospital social workers were also found to take different positions in their inter-professional teams – active, reflective or passive – relating to three institutionalized norms of action – juridical, therapeutic and medical. A small number followed the medical norm, but that had the most dangerous consequences for children who sometimes were not dealt with appropriately despite severe signs of harm. The overall analysis in this thesis suggests that theories of professional discretion should take into account factors such as the context, inter-professional relations, emotions and normativity to enhance the understanding of what influences assessment and decisions.

Dünyada 1905’den beri, Türkiye’de ise 1967’den beri sağlık alanında istihdam edilen sosyal çalışmacılar sağlığın psiko-sosyal boyutunun önem kazanması ile sağlık alanında önemi artan meslekler arasında yerini almıştır. Ancak Türkiye’de Tıbbi sosyal hizmet alanında verilen hizmetlerin kapsamı hızlı bir şekilde genişlemesine rağmen hala uygulamalar açısından meslek elemanları, hastaneler ve iller arasında farklılıklar bulunduğu, uygulamaların kişilere, kurumlara ve illere göre değiştiği bilinmektedir. Uygulamada yaşanan bu farklılıkların önlenmesi noktasında sosyal çalışmacı istihdamının önemli olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bu nedenle bu çalışmada, Türkiye’de tıbbi sosyal hizmet alanında sosyal çalışmacı istihdamının niceliksel yönden mevcut durumu incelenerek, sosyal çalışmacı istihdamının nasıl bir görüntü çizdiği analiz edilmeye çalışılmış, yapılan analizler doğrultusunda öneriler geliştirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışma sonrasında ise etkin tıbbi sosyal uygulamalarının gerçekleştirilmesinde sosyal çalışmacıların istihdamına değinilerek, istihdamda iller ve hastaneler arası farklılıkların giderilmesi, insan kaynağı planlamalarında yatak sayısı, hastane rolü gibi kriterlerden ziyade sosyal hizmet uygulamalarının gerçekleştirildiği özellikli birimlere (sosyal hizmet birimleri, AMATEM, ÇİM, TRSM vb.) göre planlamanın yapılmasının önemi üzerinde durulmuştur.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Tıbbi sosyal hizmet, sosyal çalışmacı, istihdam

Many physical problems presented to family physicians by their paticnts often involve psychosocial variables with stress being a major one. Though family rncdicine advocates a biopsychosocial focus, one that is compatible with social work, the psychosocial aspects of health are often ignored. Thc involvement of social workers in the private practices of family physicians to deal with such problems is discussed in this paper as a new area of specialization. Issues such as the medicine-social work gap and the financing of social work services in private family medical practice are also addressed. It is concluded that this should be considered a new area of specialization. However, social workers must take thc initiative in its development.

A developmental approach offers a unique and multifaceted direction to social work practice, in that, as a practice strategy, it proposes intervention mechanisms that address broader socioeconomic and structural challenges in contrast to the remedial model's emphasis on individualized problems. Consequently, applying a developmental approach to social work practice is crucial to promoting the liberation and empowerment of people. As future practitioners, it is imperative that the views of social work students are heard. Semi-structured interviews was conducted among social work students in one major university in southern Nigeria. Results show that this approach is very limited in social work education in Nigeria. Although involving a cohort of students, this study may have broader implications for social work in Nigeria. Suggestions are offered to social work educators to ensure that students are well equipped in this approach to practice.

This article explores hospital social workers' assessment processes for children at risk within the context of inter-professional teams working in child hospital care in Sweden. Based on qualitative interviews, the study discusses how assessment processes for children at risk can be understood from a professionalism perspective. Three institutionalized norms—juridical, therapeutic, and medical, building on different knowledge systems—are analyzed in relation to the three positions taken by hospital social workers as team members—active, reflective, or passive—leading to different kinds of actions in the assessment processes. The outlined norms and the positions taken involve consequences for the children and their families, but also pose questions for the future professionalization efforts of hospital social work.

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are conventionally recommended in mental health
care literature as an important way to offer holistic treatment provision to patients. This
study aims to explore multidisciplinary teamwork in contemporary mental health
settings, particularly what aids and hinders the process of multidisciplinary teamworking,
and the social work contribution in such teams. In order to attain an in-depth
exploration of these phenomena, a single case study design was employed. Within this
design, data were generated through semi-structured interviews and structured
observation of a mental health MDT in Ireland. These data were analysed using
interpretative phenomenological analysis. The research highlights how the concept of
mental illness is contested within this MDT, with the medical model dominant within
an environment of fluid working arrangements. Professional role blurring and
stereotyping were found to impact the division of labour on this team, with role
negotiation found to be an integral part of retaining a professional’s practice identity.
This research raises concerns for social work’s capacity to function within mental
health MDTs in Ireland, and highlights ways in which social work educators might
respond in order to empower Irish social workers to meet the challenges of mental
health multidisciplinary teamworking.

This article explores a new paradigm or model for the professional social worker: The poet/practitioner. The training and practice of the poet are congruent with many aspects of social work practice. An examination of the practice of the poet, and the congruence of these practices to social work, reveals a paradigm with the capacity to focus social workers on the essential values of our profession. This paradigm, which highlights the humanistic, creative, and socially conscience role of the social work practitioner, may be particularly important today given the medicalization of social problems and the conservitization of society.

Özet Romatizmal hastalıklar, kas-iskelet sistemi, kan damarları ve diğer dokuların yapılarını etkileyen kronik özellikteki hastalıklardır. Bu hastalıklar bireylerde kronik ağrı, hareket kaybı, uykusuzluk, cilt döküntüleri, yorgunluk gibi çeşitli fiziksel belirtiler yaratmaktadır. Romatizmal hastalığa sahip bireylerde fiziksel etkilerin yanında psikolojik ve sosyal uyum sorunları da görülmektedir. Bu sorunların çözümünde ise çok disiplinli tedavi ekibine ihtiyaç bulunmaktadır. Tedavi ekibinde bulunan meslek elemanlarından sosyal hizmet uzmanları, bireylere psikososyal destek sağlama, tedaviye uyumlandırma, hastalık yönetimi hakkında bilgi verme, toplum kaynaklarına yönlendirme gibi çoklu düzeylerde müdahalelerde bulunurlar. Bu çalışmada da sosyal hizmet uzmanlarının romatoloji kliniklerinde hangi rolleri üstlenebileceği ve mesleki müdahale alanları ele alınmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Romatoloji, Multidisipliner ekip çalışması, tıbbi sosyal hizmet Abstract Rheumatic diseases which are mostly chronic that affect the structure of the musculoskeletal system, blood vessels, and other tissues. These diseases cause various physical symptoms such as chronic pain, loss of movement, insomnia, skin rashes, fatigue. In addition to physical effects, psychological and social adjustment problems are seen. In order to solve these problems, the multidisciplinary care treatment team is needed. The social workers in the treatment team provide multiple levels of interventions such as providing psychosocial support, adaptation to treatment, providing information about disease management, and referral to community resources. In this study, the role of social workers in rheumatology clinics and occupational intervention areas are discussed.

This article creates a general framework for spirituality and HIV/AIDS as a chronic illness using a health care perspective. Spirituality provides an important function of helping people to find meaning and purpose in their lives. Various research findings that support the use of spirituality for coping with HIV/AIDS will be provided. Having been defined as one of the coping means with HIV/AIDS, spirituality is argued in this paper as an empowering resource in both well-being of the individuals with such a life threatening illness and their adaptation to the illness process. It has been observed in many researches held in varying research designs with various patient groups that as the functioning of spirituality in the patients with HIV/AIDS increases, depression, hopelessness and level of anxiety decrease; and adaptation, life satisfaction and quality of life proliferate. This paper argues it is extremely important that the professionals in the field of health support the patients who try to cope with especially the psychological and emotional effects of the illness process not only psycho-socially but also in forming meaning and goals about life as well as empower them spiritually.

Whether it is a school or a higher education institution or a world class university, the whole world is dealing with online education during the lock-down state of the pandemic COVID-19. This study focuses on Online Education which used to be on the better free of higher education and primary education for the longest time it has been building up, but this global lockdown has really seen a dearth education technology explode in a manner that no one could even imagine. Suddenly what was fashionable and desirable is now mainstream. How does this change in learning, what are the trends that are emerging out of this global lockdown? How does this impact our students, the executives who undergo these online programs? In this article, we will discuss also about the user side of this entire perspective experience.

According to the Swedish Social Services Act, all health personnel are required to report children whom they suspect are subject to maltreatment. This paper describes the organizational and professional conditions in four Swedish children's hospitals regarding the reporting process. Specifically, the study focused on knowledge of risk to children, legal frameworks and the perceptions of organizational support and explored the differences between the hospitals and professional groups. The method used was a quantitative questionnaire, and 295 personnel responded. Hospitals differed in the level of organizational support offered to staff. Importantly, the professional groups showed different levels of knowledge and awareness about structures supporting their reporting obligations, with nurses and nurse assistants showing a lower level of awareness than physicians and hospital social workers. The paper argues that all professional groups need to have equal access to education, with the opportunity to become more involved in the assessment and reporting process and to strengthen multidisciplinary structures. Further, this would reduce risk, dispel the perception that work with children is ‘dirty work’ and counter strategies of avoidance among some professionals.

This paper drawn from ethnographic fieldwork in pre-revolutionary Iran assesses the potential role of rural midwives in promoting family planning in rural Iranian villages. The advantages and limitations of utilizing these traditional practitioners in family planning education are assesssed.

"""Three year postgraduate bursary available at Glasgow Caledonian University, Social Work for Doctorate Study to work on project 'The Making of Professional Identity in Social Work'

Supervised by Professor Stephen Webb and Dr Martin Kettle

email for details: stephen.webb@gcu.ac.uk"

Cultures globally are man-made survival strategy based on responding to various environmental, ecological, demographical, topographical, geographical, political, social, psychological and economic factors for diversity. The point raised here is if the nature accepts the diversity due to which the living styles, languages, dressing, and other related aspects of aesthetics then why don't human accept socio-cultural diversity. The paper focuses its discussion on medical anthropology. Anthropologists have long been involved in studying the health systems of various societies that they choose for research. The understandings of various cultures and its medical practices helped anthropologists to understand why people prefer to have a unique and indigenous thought patterns as regards health notions and practices. Pakistan being a member of third world brethren still holds its position among the conventional medicalization. National life is divided into various strands of medical belief system and thus practices regarding diagnosis, curing, treatments, rehabilitation. Health bureaucracy blindly follows the Western medical approaches upon which there are intellectual debates internationally to accept the cultural notions in order to improve the global indicators while accepting the local cultures and their interpretations on such vital aspects of man's civilized life. There is a need to reiterate the health policy as well as the brain set of medical care systems to give the cultural perceptions and thus medical anthropology a due role in deciphering the dream into a reality. This paper attempts to educate the readers about the importance of cultural factors in understanding the disease, illness and healing in cultural settings and also to discuss the role of ethno-medicine that has been acknowledged throughout the world.

... From the standpoint of the community, our midwife, Sharafat, basically responds to a need arising in the com-munity to have someone assist at ... Because sexual acts, processes of childbirth, etc., are considered to be semipolluting in Islam, due to the presence of blood and other ...