Barbara Staniforth

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

• Summary: 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.

‘Proud of what I do but often … I would be happier to say I drive trucks’: Ambiguity in social workers’ self-perception:

A public perception of social work research programme commenced 10 years after the introduction of limited professional registration of social workers in New Zealand. A first study explored public perceptions of social workers via a telephone survey. In a second study, social workers were asked, amongst other questions, how they thought the public would respond to the same questions about their profession that were asked in the first survey. An online survey accessed the views of 403 social workers and generated rich quantitative and qualitative responses, including to two very specific open questions (the focus of this article), first about social workers’ expression of pride and second, felt stigma as potentially encountered in their professional and personal domains. These two concepts, pride and stigma, constitute organising constructs in this article, along with aspects of professional identity expressed in participants’ imagining of the public view: ambivalence, hard work, difficult journeys, professional virtues, and being misunderstood. The complexity of a social work professional identity is further examined.

Communication Skills in Social Work

The ability to communicate well with people forms the basis of all social work practice. Being aware of how different cultures communicate is essential in an increasingly global practice environment. Self-awareness is also critical so that social workers can be aware of how they and others filter incoming messages and make meaning. There are certain microskills that form part of a social workers communication repertoire. These include attending and responding, reflecting thoughts and feelings, asking questions, summarizing and using silence. Social workers need to consider the specific contexts that communication skills occur within and equip themselves for all situations.