Joyce Yen Feng

A New Methodology for Assessing Social Work Practice: The Adaptation of the Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (SW-OSCE)

The Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE) methodology was originally developed to assess medical students. OSCE is a carefully scripted, standardized, simulated interview, in which students’ interactional skills are observed and assessed. Here it is examined for its potential use in assessing social work practice skills. The development of the Social Work OSCE (SW-OSCE) and the Clinical Competence-based Behavioural Checklist (CCBC) are described. Findings from a pilot study assessing MSW students’ clinical skills with explicit observable criteria of the CCBC are presented. A quantitative and qualitative mixed-methods data analysis was applied. The CCBC had high internal reliability, for both the overall sample and for the different case scenarios, with Cronbachs alpha values ranging from 0.888 to 0.965. The validity of the instrument was also examined: qualitative content analysis of the taped interviews indicated that clinical skills and cultural empathy are not synonymous. The racial/ethnic match between the student and the ‘client’ did not predict better rapport or more cultural empathy. Examination grades are not necessarily consistent with actual performance in either clinical competence or cultural empathy or vice versa. Nevertheless, the results provide some support for the use of the SW-OSCE as a tool for assessing performance in social work practice. They also indicate its potential for evaluating the outcomes of educational programmes.

Quality vs. Quantity: The Developments of Social Work Education in Taiwan

This article about social work education in Taiwan is an abridged version of a longer more detailed article, and complements the article by Dr Cheng and Professor Mo. It suggests that the Professional Social Worker Act in 1997 was the watershed for the development of social work education in Taiwan and briefly explores the periods of development before and after this Act. The author presents her views of the key issues facing social work education in Taiwan today.

Who Gets Protection? A National Study of Multiple Victimization and Child Protection Among Taiwanese Children

This study aims to examine the prevalence of multiple types of child victimization and the effects of multiple types of victimization on children’s mental health and behavior in Taiwan. The study also examines the child-protection rate and its correlates among children experiencing various types of victimization. This study collected data with a self-report questionnaire from a national proportionately stratified sample of 6,233 fourth-grade students covering every city and county in Taiwan in 2014. After calculating the 1-year prevalence of child victimization, the study found that bullying was the most prevalent (71%), followed by physical neglect (66%), psychological violence (43%), inter-parental violence (28%), community violence (22%), physical abuse (21%), and sexual violence (9%). As the number of victimization types increased, children were more likely to report greater posttraumatic symptoms, psychiatric symptoms, suicide ideation, self-harm thoughts, and violent behaviors. Gender, neonatal status, parental marital status, and other family risks were significantly associated with elevated incidences of the victimization types. Only 20.6% of the children who had experienced all seven types of victimization had received child protective services. A child was more likely to receive child protective services if he or she had experienced sexual violence, community violence, inter-parental violence exposure, higher family risks, higher suicidal ideation, or living in a single-parent or separated family. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the cumulative effects and the harmful effects that children’s experience of multiple types of victimization can have on the children’s mental health and behavior. The present findings also raise alarms regarding the severity of under-serving in child-victimization cases. These results underscore the importance of assessing, identifying, and helping children with multiple victimization experiences.

Building a Thriving Ecosystem for Young Entrepreneurs in Taiwan

tem that is accessible and supports entrepreneurship across the country, especially for our youth. Through various strategies developed in Taipei, we have set a positive course for entrepreneurship in Taiwan. Four core strategies have been adopted: relaxing regulations, networking, fundraising, and incubating. Thirteen ministries are involved in offering 44 policy initiatives and projects that aim to create a thriving ecosystem, starting in Taipei and expanding across the country. Some of the best-known cases will be presented in this essay.

The emerging of a policy for preventive services to the at-risk families in Taiwan – the function of pressure group on the incremental policy decision making

This article shares Taiwans experience of a case of policy advocacy for child protection services. The nationwide preventive services for the high-risk families were initiated and implemented in 2004, 30 years after the first introduction of the Child Welfare Law. However, it only took less than 2 years to complete this particular policy-making process. It is regarded as the function of pressure group to the incremental policy decision-making process. Two lessons can be drawn from this case: the evidence-based research to support the programme and the multiple uses of advocate strategies in social contexts.