A. Ka Tat Tsang

A Snapshot on the Development of Social Work Education in China: A Delphi Study

Social work education in China has now been reinstated for almost two decades, after it was discontinued in the early 1950s. Due to various reasons, so far, there has not been a standardised social work curriculum in China. This article reports on the first empirical study finished in late 2001. Employing a Delphi technique, 47 social work scholars were invited to provide their opinions on the nature of social work in China, the requirements of social work graduates and the social work curriculum at the undergraduate level. The findings indicate that despite the influence of the Western model induced mainly by social work scholars in Hong Kong, social work education in China is moving towards an indigenised model within its unique social–political–cultural context. Respondents tended to adopt an expert model and the ‘helping people to help themselves’ principle. Social work is understood as being instrumental to enhancing the rapid economic changes by employing scientific knowledge and skills to resolve social and personal problems, stabilise society, and enhance social participation. To nurture its graduates with the competence to fulfil these social assignments, a broad‐base of social science knowledge, generic social work skills, special personal qualities and political sensitivity is included in the curriculum.

Negotiating Ethnic Identity in Canada: The Case of the "Satellite Children.".

Satellite children are children of ethnically Chinese immigrants to North America who have returned to their country of origin after immigration. Based on interview transcripts of 68 adolescent satellite children, an analysis on the negotiation of ethnic identity was performed using the NUD*IST software. The analysis showed multiple ways of ethnic identity negotiation, ranging from an essentialist approach to differentiation and to confusion. Existing approaches to theoretical conceptualization are critically examined, drawing implications for practice.

When Asian immigrant women speak: from mental health to strategies of being.

Immigrant women from 5 ethnic-cultural communities (Korean, Hong Kong Chinese, Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada participated in a focus group study (13 focus groups of 102 participants) of Asian immigrant womens conceptions of mental health. Their responses challenge the predominant conceptualizations of mental health in North America, the popular characterization of Asian culture as collectivistic, and the stereotypic image of Asian women as defining themselves in family relations. In trying to live a life they desire and to quest for a better state of well-being, these women have asserted their agency to articulate multiple strategies of being.

Another Snapshot of Social Work in China: Capturing Multiple Positioning and Intersecting Discourses in Rapid Movement

Abstract The magnitude and speed of social works development in mainland China is unprecedented in human history. This inevitably gives rise to multiple perspectives on its nature and future development, particularly as part of the international social work discourse. Some of these perspectives are based on unexamined assumptions about China. In the present paper, we examine three of these assumptions, namely the homogeneity of Chinese culture, the global–indigenous dichotomy, and social work as an academic discipline and practice profession. We argue that in order to understand the development of social work in China we need to locate our discussion at the discursive intersection among different competitive articulations in both local and international arenas. Based on this critical examination, a brief discussion on the future development of social work in mainland China is offered.

Newcomers to Canada from Former Yugoslavia Settlement issues

A study of newcomers from Former Yugoslavia to Ontario, Canada, describes the settlement and adaptation challenges they face, the biggest of which are related to language, employment and cultural change. The author discusses the policy and practice implications of the findings, concluding that a comprehensive settlement policy should be devised that is sensitive to the varied needs of newcomers, and holistic settlement services should be offered together with appropriate and timely follow-up.

The School-to-Work Transitions of Newcomer Youth in Canada

Over half of all migrants to Canada are under 29 years of age and one quarter arrive as refugees. Studies on occupational achievements and labour market status have been largely ignored in favour of studies on adult migrants rather than on youth. This paper uses data collected from two sources: a national study of newly-arrived newcomer youth living in Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg and Vancouver using qualitative interviews, and a quantitative analysis of the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC). The focus of this paper is to use these datasets to better understand the high school trajectory of recently arrived newcomer youth and compare their experiences. We are particularly interested in the influence of education attained in Canada compared to education attained outside of Canada and the differences, if any, in labour market outcomes. The findings reveal distinctly slower trajectories through high school among those arriving as refugees, those lacking English or French language instruction prior to arrival, and issues with grade placement. These are identified as significant barriers to entering post-secondary education and to subsequent labour market success. Parmi les immigrants au Canada, plus de la moitié ont moins de 29 ans et un quart sont des réfugiés. Les études sur ce qu’ils ont réalisé sur le plan professionnel et sur leur statut dans le marché du travail ont été largement laissées pour compte en faveur de celles portant sur les émigrés adultes plutôt que sur les jeunes. Cet article s’appuie sur une collecte de données provenant de deux sources : une étude nationale sur les jeunes nouveaux arrivants qui vivent à Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg et Vancouver et reposant sur des entrevues qualitatives, et une analyse quantitative de l’Enquête longitudinale sur les immigrants au Canada (ELIC). Notre objectif est de se servir de ces données pour mieux comprendre la trajectoire scolaire au niveau secondaire de jeunes récemment arrivés et de comparer leurs expériences. Nous nous intéressons particulièrement à l’influence de l’éducation acquise au Canada par rapport à celle reçue à l’étranger et les différences, s’il y en a, pour les possibilités d’emploi. Ce qui se révèle nettement, c’est une scolarité secondaire à un rythme plus lent parmi les réfugiés et ceux qui n’ont pas eu d’enseignement en anglais ou en français avant de venir ici, et des problèmes de niveau scolaire. Ce sont là des obstacles significatifs pour le passage au niveau post-secondaire et pour des chances de succès sur le marché du travail.

Joining revisited in family therapy: discourse analysis of cross‐cultural encounters between a therapist and an immigrant family

With increasing diversity in therapeutic dyads, there has been renewed attention to the process of ‘joining’ in cross-cultural encounters. Inspired by discourse analysis, we conducted a close reading of therapy transcripts between a Pakistani immigrant mother-daughter dyad and a Canadian white female therapist in an outpatient clinic. Our findings illustrate detailed discursive interactions for joining techniques – selective joining, confirmation, and tracking – (1) where the therapist facilitates joining moments with the family and (2) where the same techniques are used to preclude further exploration of the familys cultural views. Consequently, the joining process is at times limited by the therapists enactment of her own assumptions about the familys culture. Due to the doxic nature of cultural assumptions, a discursive analysis may help to prevent therapists from silencing their clients’ cultural voices and to be more reflexive of their assumptions, thus promoting joining. Practitioner points Joining in family therapy is a dynamic process The detailed analysis of joining moments can serve as an example for training therapists to examine their moment-to-moment responses to culturally diverse clients Therapeutic constructs/techniques (e.g. joining) cannot be decontextualized or conceptualized as apolitical and acultural Critical reflexivity may prevent therapists from unknowingly oppressing culturally diverse clients’ experiences and cultural identities

Oocyte donors’ experiences of altruistic known donation: a qualitative study

Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the experiences of women who had donated oocytes to a known recipient. Background: Altruistic known donation between friends or family members is the predominant form of oocyte donation in Canada due to legal prohibition of donor compensation. Methods: Data were collected from a hospital-based IVF clinic located in a Canadian city. Semi-structured interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. Results: Fifteen donors took part in the study either face to face or by phone interview. Among them, seven were a friend, six were a sister, one was a niece of the recipient, and one donated twice, once to her sister and once to a friend. Nine donations had resulted in a live birth – from newborn to seven years at the time of interview. Of these, four were intra-familial donation and five were friend-to-friend donation. Conclusions: The findings provide little evidence of relationship difficulties between donor and recipient during or following the donation and no evidence of coercion. Other than an altruistic desire to help a recipient and a self-evaluation of her own capacity to donate, the welfare of the intended child was in the mind of most donors during the decision-making phase.

Responding to diversity in organizational life: the case of a Faculty of Social Work

Increasing diversity of populations in many countries places demands on institutional structures to be responsive to the needs of minority communities. Universities, and especially schools of social work, are expected to be open to these new challenges of diversity. It is argued that inclusiveness should be integrated into the overall strategic responses of institutions. This paper describes the attempts by a Faculty of Social Work to become more inclusive by introducing initiatives in minority student recruitment and retention, faculty development, curriculum development, community outreach and research. The paper also raises critical issues involved in the process and discusses the lessons learned.

Do Social Workers Integrate Sociocultural Issues in Mental Health Session Dialogue?: An Exploratory Study of Cross-Cultural Practice

ABSTRACT Empirical research has not adequately examined whether social workers and clients discuss sociocultural issues when addressing mental health problems, nor the quality of the interaction when such discussion occurs. This exploratory mixed-method study examined the interactional process associated with discussion of sociocultural issues in the first three counseling sessions with four white social worker/client of color dyads. Findings showed that productive cross-cultural interactions were associated neither with specific sociocultural content nor client-worker composition, but rather with the social workers perception and skill. Analysis differentiated one worker/client dialogue from the others, highlighting the importance of training practitioners to apply social work knowledge and skills in a synthesized manner.