No abstract

No abstract

La teoría sirve como fuente de conocimientos que orienta las intervenciones del trabajo social. Si lo que se busca es aportar a la transformación y a la justicia social en el momento social y político actual, las/os trabajadores sociales deben ser conscientes y analíticos al momento de fundamentar teóricamente sus intervenciones. Este estudio exploratorio y cualitativo buscó examinar la manera en que las teorías son asimiladas por parte de trabajadoras/es sociales en los Estados Unidos, los propósitos que justifican la elección de teorías y la orientación hacia la transformación y la justicia social que tenían sus intervenciones profesionales. Se realizaron veinte entrevistas semi-estructuradas con trabajadoras/es sociales, las que fueron analizadas mediante un análisis de contenido sumativo. Los hallazgos revelan que las/os trabajadores sociales utilizan teorías que tienen el propósito de resolver problemas a nivel individual principalmente. Solo un trabajador social dio cuenta de teorías orientadas al empoderamiento y dos trabajadoras sociales relataron el uso de la teoría con propósitos de transformación social más estructural. Estos resultados sugieren una discordancia respecto de la definición global de trabajo social, que promueve el cambio social y la justicia social como objetivos clave de la profesión y disciplina. Las intervenciones de las/os trabajadoras/es sociales participantes en este estudio reflejan el individualismo que está a la base del capitalismo neoliberal. Finalmente, se discuten algunas consideraciones para una redefinición de la intervención de trabajo social comprometido con el cambio social y la justicia social.

Every year, approximately 2500 children are referred for developmental or behavioural concerns to outpatient clinics at the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH), Royal Children's Hospital (RCH), Melbourne. Not all of these children can be seen in a timely manner. Therefore, in 2016, CCCH implemented a triage and redirection plan, similar to other paediatric services, (1) and in line with the Access Policy for Specialist Clinics in Victoria. (2) CCCH now accepts referrals in two situations: RCH is the closest public paediatric service, or; the referral is from a specialist, requesting tertiary review. All other referrals are "redirected"-that is, the referral is rejected and an explanation is sent to the referrer and family, suggesting an alternative public service.We studied the experiences of families who are redirected by CCCH, to ascertain whether their children subsequently received paediatric care.We held phone interviews with caregivers of children referred between October 2016 and February 2018. We collected data including demographics, and families' experiences of redirection and subsequently the health care system (see Appendix 1, online edition only).Of 2718 referrerals received, 405 were rejected. 134 were excluded, because the child was rereferred and seen at RCH, the referral was for Sleep Clinic (as its intake criteria differ to other CCCH clinics), or contact details were incorrect. 271 families were approached; 68 completed surveys. Families were contacted approximately 7 months after referral to RCH (mean 7m21d, SD 1m25d).

The stress that the COVID pandemic has caused is immeasurable and is likely to impact people for many years to come. Service providers such as social workers are experiencing these impacts both personally and professionally. As new research emerges, a greater understanding of the emotional toll related to COVID can help to inform social work practice. To add to this gap in the literature, an online survey explored the factors that contribute to higher stress reactions among individuals in the general population (n = 412) and across the age spectrum. Bivariate analyses indicated a significant increase in stress from pre- to during-COVID for the entire sample and across the three age groups. Multivariate analysis revealed more conversations about COVID, more alcohol use, knowing someone who had tested positive, increased fear, greater avoidance of reading/watching information about COVID, decreased health status, and increased income contributed to stress during-COVID. Increased fear and decreased health status were significant when stress was examined separately among the three age groups. The results indicated the importance of understanding and responding to fear during public health crises and illustrate how interventions may shift for clinical social workers as they seek to address multi-layered concerns. Social workers can help manage the impact of the pandemic by providing clients with therapeutic services, psychoeducation, and case management.