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The outputs chosen for inclusion for this PhD by publication comprise seven articles published in peer reviewed journals, two book chapters, one research paper and two resource guides commissioned by professional bodies. These outputs explore two major themes. The first concerns the nature of resilience in social workers and identifies the inter- and intra-individual competencies associated with the concept. The second concerns how resilience and its underpinning competencies can be enhanced in social work education, both pre and post qualification. The report begins by contextualising the research within the existing literature, outlining my epistemological and methodological position and highlighting the importance of a pragmatic mixed-methods approach to research design, data collection and analysis. A critique of the outputs is subsequently provided together with a discussion of how I developed as a social work academic and a researcher during the research programme. Finally, the significance of the contribution to the body of social work knowledge provided by these outputs is demonstrated by identifying how the research has enhanced understanding of improving wellbeing in social workers though the development of a tool box of strategies to manage stress and foster resilience in social work training and practice.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

The independence of the health and social care agencies makes the coordinated delivery of inter-related and inter-dependent services very difficult. Collaboration in health and social care has been a goal of policy makers for many decades, but it has not been achieved to the degree or to the extent of the aspiration. This thesis examines collaboration in the context of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, which marked a new stage in the development of community care policy and in collaborative working between health and social services. The thesis takes the form of a case study set in Sunderland during 1990-1994, from the passing of the Act to the first anniversary of the implementation of its community care elements. It considers firstly, collaboration at a strategic planning level between Sunderland Health Authority and the Local Authority Social Services Department in the development and implementation of community care policy; secondly, the evaluation of a collaborative project at an operational level, in the attachment of a social worker to a general medical practice; and thirdly, the evaluation of a project which tried to strengthen collaborative working within the health service, among district nurses, health visitors and general practitioners. The thesis sets these three pieces of work in a number of contexts: the political setting of the NHS and Community Care Act and the changes it introduced; the literature of collaboration; and a description of Sunderland and its need for health and social care. The case study showed how difficult it is for organisations to work together. Relationships between individuals tended to be more collaborative than relationships between corporate bodies, but it is important to see the relationship between those individuals in the context of relationships between organisations. The study also found that for the success of joint projects to be sustainable and generalisable, collaboration needs to be present at all levels of the organisations. The thesis also showed that there is as much need for collaboration within the health service as between the health and social services. The thesis used as a measure a framework of factors which promote collaboration, and found that many elements were lacking in Sunderland. However, in the real world it is necessary to settle for a notion of "pragmatic collaboration" in which joint working is possible even when full collaboration is absent.

Ngai Sek Yum, Steven. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 306-314). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Thesis(M.A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / Disability is most prevalent in low income countries and communities. Cerebral palsy c is one of the disabilities that is affecting a sizeable number of children in low income countries. This study sought to explore the psycho-social challenges faced by caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Dzivarasekwa Suburb in Zimbabwe. The study had the following objectives: to identify the psycho-social challenges facing caregivers of children with cerebral palsy, to appraise individual characteristics of caregivers which predispose them to stress, social exclusion and other psychosocial challenges, to establish which coping mechanisms are employed by caregivers of children living with cerebral palsy in response to the challenges they are facing and also to suggest possible solutions/ strategies social workers may employ to improve caregiving of children with cerebral palsy. The study used a qualitative approach in exploring the psychosocial challenges caregivers face. The qualitative approach was useful as participants were able to participate freely giving a more realistic picture of their challenges. The research used an exploratory-descriptive case study design in exploring challenges faced by caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Dzivarasekwa Suburb. Data was then collected using in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Participants were caregivers of children with cerebral palsy, a hospital psychologist as well as social workers for a local NGO supporting the rehabilitation work at a local hospital. Data were analysed used the Thematic Context Analysis method. The research concludes that caregivers are subjected to stressing conditions, lack the financial means of caring for a child with CP; caregivers employ negative strategies to the problems they face which include using the children to beg, prostitution among others. The study recommends that, government should lead initiatives for supporting children with disabilities and their families, formation of support groups for parents of children with cerebral palsy, and continuous training of frontline workers in disability to avoid burn out.

Medical Social Workers are placed in fast pace environments with little time to process their feelings after being exposed to their client’s traumatic stories. The study assessed the implications of vicarious trauma on medical social workers and its impact on client outcomes. The current study utilizes a sample of 20 medical social workers employed in hospital settings across San Bernardino County. Social Work personnel were asked to take The Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, which measurements are most congruent to the DSM-5 criteria of Secondary Traumatic Stress. To assess the relationship between Secondary Trauma and demographic characteristics of the social worker, an ANOVA and Post-Hoc test were conducted on SPSS to analyze data. This study will assist social workers in recognizing implications to their vicarious trauma and seek intervention before it manifests into their patient relationship. Policies that require social workers to be evaluated for vicarious traumatization would be advantageous and decrease turnover rates among medical social work.

Patients receiving dialysis treatment experience immense changes in their health and well-being, therefore receiving adequate social support services is an integral aspect of their care plan. Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding about social support services offered by social workers to patients receiving dialysis care. Furthermore, this study sought to develop awareness about additional services need to assist social workers in providing social, emotional, and physical support to patients. This qualitative study used data from a non-probability snowball sample of 10 social workers that work with patients receiving dialysis care. Findings of this study are significant to social work practice as the analysis provided insight that may enhance current practices in dialysis centers. Furthermore, the qualitative analyses gathered through the one-on-one interviews led to the emergence of seven central themes. Themes anticipated by the researchers included the perception about the ability to provide social, emotional, and physical support, as well as to highlight the role of social workers in this healthcare setting. Additional themes identified during this study focused on reasons for patients lacking social support, the scarcity of resources, and recommendations corroborated with first-hand experiences in the field to better serve patients. Recommendations included increased focus on providing therapeutic services within dialysis, additional transportation options for patients, and greater availability of resources to meet the various needs of patients.

Electronic reproduction.