This research developed from our interest in juvenile delinquency. We wished to examine how youth workers think about the causes of delinquency, the structure of delinquency programs, and their own role as workers. These perceptions will be examined by looking at workers' responses to statements dealing with 1) juvenile delinquency causation, 2) programs for treatment and prevention, and 3) the role of the worker. The responses will be examined in the light of a theoretical framework reflecting the continuum between theories and programs based on individual causation and those emphasizing societal factors.

In a profession such as social work, where one is responsible for dealing with the ills of society and meeting the needs of other individuals, such emotional detachment and estrangement from others is antithetical to the purpose of the field and eminently destructive to those seeking and needing assistance. With the current push for accountability, factors such as burnout or alienation from one's work become of crucial importance. In addition, burnout leads to a high rate of absenteeism and job turnover (Minihan, 1980). This too decreases cost effectiveness and the quality of service, matters of extreme concern in a field designed to serve the needs of individuals in society and to do so on limited funds and resources. Thus, alienation is of paramount importance to the field of social services and can no longer be ignored or relegated to a back seat in terms of study and research. Current literature in the field of social work deals only with the subjective expression of alienation; it has omitted linking the psychological with the social-structural aspects of alienation: indeed, with linking burnout to alienation itself. This study proposes to begin to fill this gap. What conditions in the structure of the work place and/or society cause or are correlated with the expression of alienation? It is this question which we endeavor to pursue.

The research project herein contained was an outgrowth of concern associated with performance levels placed upon Welfare Assistance Workers (WAW’s). The Oregon State Public Welfare Division has become increasingly concerned with accuracy rates among branch offices throughout the system. It was the impression of the research group that WAW’s see this increased concern as combined pressure to reduce error rates and demand for a broader diversity of skills. The primary purpose of this study was to explore ways of clarifying individual characteristics and work habits and their relationship to error rates in the WAW’s in the East Multnomah County Branch of PWD. Our hypothesis was that a relationship exists among individual personality characteristics, work practices, and error rates. A secondary purpose of the study was to develop a conceptual framework which might suggest methods of personal management or employment screening for WAW positions.

The purpose of this study to examine the attitudes of several (MSW) medical social workers, currently employed in hospital settings, regarding: (1) death and dying issues, (2) education and training received related to working with the terminally ill patient, (3) specific practice issues which relate to the terminal patient, and, lastly, (4) the effectiveness of each social worker's place of employment in meeting the needs of the terminally ill patient and providing for adequate training of staff in this sensitive area.

This thesis examines the attitudes of secondary teachers toward school social workers.

Syftet med vår studie var att öka förståelsen för vilka kunskapsbehov yrkesverksamma socionomer upplever i arbetet med suicid och bygger på en kvalitativ intervjustudie med sex yrkesverksamma socionomer som arbetar inom olika områden inom socialt arbete och med varierande lång yrkeserfarenhet. Resultatet visar att yrkesverksamma socionomer anser att det råder en kunskapsbrist gällande ämnet suicid i socionomutbildningen men att utbildningen tillfört andra kunskaper som kan anses behjälpliga i arbetet med suicid. Ytterligare redogör resultatet för ett behov av utbildning i suicid för samtliga människobehandlande yrken. Med avsikt att kunna uppmärksamma riskfaktorer och avstigmatisera, samt att få kunskap om arbetssätt som förebygger suicid. Vidare presenteras en analys av vilken sorts kunskap yrkesverksamma socionomer använder sig av i sitt arbete med suicid samt hur det skiljer sig baserat på läng av yrkeserfarenhet och yrkesroll. Med resultat att erfarenhetsbaserad kunskap samt tyst kunskap visar sig mest förberedande för yrkesverksamma socionomer i arbetet med individer i suicidrisk. Resultatet analyserades utifrån de teoretiska begreppen stigma, kunskapsformer och salutogenes. / The purpose of our study was to increase the understanding of what knowledge professionals with a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree experience is needed working with suicide through interviews with six individuals with a MSW degree who work in different areas and with varying lengths of professional experience. The results shows that professionals with a MSW degree deem there to be a lack of knowledge regarding suicide education in the MSW program, they do however agree that the education have contributed other sources of knowledge thats been helpful in working with individuals with suicide risk. The result also shows the need for education in suicide for all human treatment proffessions. With the intention of being able to draw attention to risk factors and stigma regarding suicide, as well as increasing the knowledge about methods of suicide prevention. The study also presents an assessment of what kind of knowledge professionals with a MSW degree use in their work with suicide and how it differs based on lenght of professional experiance and professional role. That shows the result that experience-based and tacit knowledge prove to be most preparatory for professionals with a MSW degree in the work with individuals at risk of suicide. The results were analyzed on the basis of the theoretical concepts of stigma, forms of knowledge and salutogenesis.

The purpose of the study was to find out how special needs children are being included in theeducational settings in Cameroon and the challenges they face and to understand the perspectivesof both Social workers and teachers on an inclusive educational system.The theory used in this study was the ecological system theory. The theory explains how specialneeds children are being included in mainstream schools. This study used a qualitative descriptivedesign to describe teachers' and social workers’ perceptions and their role within inclusiveeducation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three teachers and three social workersvia Zoom (an online meeting platform). The results were analyzed using themes.The findings from this study indicated that teachers and social workers feel they have differentroles and responsibilities in the education of children with special needs. The study also revealedthat challenges with finance, lack of manpower, and government complacency in budgeting andimplementing policies were part of the impediments to inclusive education in Cameroon.From the research findings, there is a huge deficit in inclusive education in Cameroon; there is stillsystematic seclusion of physically challenged children from obtaining quality education due toenvironmental, financial, structural, and political deficiencies, concerted effort must be put in placeto ensure education for all is achieved.

Social workers meet adolescents with mental illness daily. An increase in adolescents with mental illness has been noticed and there are several contributing factors to this. It is of interest to understand which factors contribute to adolescents’ mental illness to be able to help the adolescents and pay attention to where the problems originate. The purpose of this essay is to examine social workers professional view on mental illness in adolescents.  Data has been collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with five social workers from five different municipalities. Systems theory, salutogenic perspective and a sense of coherence (SOC) were used as the theoretical framework for the thematic data analysis. The results shows that social workers see the school and the family as the biggest protective factors but also the risk factors for adolescents’ mental illness. The results highlighted the fact that when there are problems at home, problems can degenerate at school and vice versa.

The aim of this scientific research is to investigate how social workers in social service agencies that are determined to work in line with the critical appraisal model make decisions on treatment methods for adolescents with substance abuse disorder. The research is also intended to investigate the challenges involved in the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP). It is a qualitative study with semi structured interviews. The study results reveal that social workers in Sweden do provide evidence-based treatment methods for adolescents with substance abuse disorder but they do not go through scientific research before deciding on treatment methods for clients. The National Board of Health and Welfare National guidelines (socialstyrelsens nationella riktlinjer) suggest evidence-based treatment methods for social work practitioners and all they need to do is to select treatment methods that match the needs of clients from a list of evidence-based treatment methods. The study also reveals that case officers make decisions on treatment methods for clients but therapists must not implement the treatment methods if they do not find it useful for clients. In addition, Swedish social workers to a greater extent are provided with resources that can lead to a successful implementation of evidence-based practice. Out of seven participants in the current study, only one participant mentioned lack of financial resources as an obstacle to the provision of evidence-based training to social workers in the institution where he works.

No description available.