Still doing what we do: Defining social work in the 21st century

Abstract

Members of the Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers (ANZASW) were asked to provide their definition of social work. Over 300 responses were analysed thematically in order to determine if practitioner views corresponded to recent shifts in social work education and theory which emphasized the importance of social change, strengths based perspectives and the importance of local and indigenous contexts.Findings: The findings demonstrate that while there was some recognition of social change and strengths-based perspectives in the definitions of social work provided, that those working in the field remain focused on 'helping individuals, families and groups' engage in change. Respondents did not, for the most part, acknowledge local or indigenous perspectives in their definitions.Applications: Results from this study may be useful for social work professional organizations, and social work educators, students and future researchers who are interested in the definition of social work and its scopes of practice.

Transnational Social Workers: Making the Profession a Transnational Professional Space

“…Its spread and development have been accompanied by a drive to attain professional status and a coherent international identity through the work of a number of international organisations concerned with social work practice and education, such as the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW). An obvious manifestation of this is the continuing drive to develop a single global definition of what social work actually is [14][15][16]. The global nature of the profession is reflected in the large number of international professional and academic social work publications and, in Europe, the imperatives of various EU directives and initiatives like the Bologna Declaration have motivated social work educators and registering authorities International Journal of Population Research 3 to move towards a closer alignment of practice standards to a European norm [17].…”

Involvement as inclusion? Shared decision-making in social work practice in Israel: a qualitative account

“…SDM is one link in a long chain of professional shifts social workers have dealt with in recent decades (Staniforth et al . ). Arguably, social work has always been the subject of self‐searching, aimed at defining and redefining its relationship with users of its services (Levin & Weiss‐Gal ).…”

Integrating professional social work identity and social justice advocacy: An analysis of the Australian campaign to restore Medicare rebates for accredited mental health social workers

“…These studies are predicated on the rationale that identifying the social worker role as an agent of change with a mandate for public policy advocacy increases the likelihood of participation in social action and related policy work. The literature suggests however that social workers are more likely to identify with their direct practice responsibilities and advancing change at the individual, rather than social level (Gillingham, 2007;O'Brien, 2010;Schneider & Netting, 1999;Staniforth, Fouche´, & O'Brien, 2011). Staniforth et al (2011), for example, asked 300 New Zealand social workers to provide a definition of social work.…”

“…The literature suggests however that social workers are more likely to identify with their direct practice responsibilities and advancing change at the individual, rather than social level (Gillingham, 2007;O'Brien, 2010;Schneider & Netting, 1999;Staniforth, Fouche´, & O'Brien, 2011). Staniforth et al (2011), for example, asked 300 New Zealand social workers to provide a definition of social work. Using thematic analysis the researchers found that the vast majority of social workers continued to define their profession in direct practice terms.…”