Background: Good communication is central to effective social work practice, helping to develop constructive working relationships and improve the outcomes of people in receipt of social work services. There is strong consensus that the teaching and learning of communication skills for social work students is an essential component of social work…

Social workers can help advance public health through increased acceptability of harm reduction principles and practices. This study evaluated Master of Social Work students' attitudes towards harm reduction before and after a substance use and social work practice course and assessed differences in students' attitude outcomes across multiple…

This paper presents the results of a systematic literature review concerning the actual and future uses of chatbots (artificial conversation agents) in youth bullying cases. The study found that while artificial intelligence is highly regarded as an interesting tool by researchers, the technology is not yet good enough to intervene in crisis…

Youth from socially marginalized populations are at increased risk of experiencing adolescent dating violence (ADV), since they are often directly impacted by root causes of violence (e.g., homophobia, racism). Because structural inequalities impact youth's experience of ADV, ADV is a social justice issue. In this paper, we describe a symposium…

Project Homeless Connect (PHC) is a national model designed to address the needs of individuals and families facing homelessness. This research-based approach to reducing homelessness is consistent with social work values and principles including the profession's commitment to social justice. PHC brings together individuals experiencing…

Gender-based violence (GBV) is global issue, requiring specialized knowledge, attitudes, and skills. The most effective responses are interdisciplinary, involving social work, healthcare, and the justice system. While GBV was exacerbated during the pandemic, many students faced a reduced availability of practice opportunities to learn how to…

This research brief is one of a series of six briefs, which provide an overview of available evidence shown in the Campbell-UNICEF Mega-Map of the effectiveness of interventions to improve child wellbeing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Five of the six briefs summarize evidence as mapped against the five Goal Areas of UNICEF's…

Adverse life events and trauma have the potential to devastate college students' lives across all domains of well-being, including physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and social. Thriving despite these challenges requires academic resilience. Physical activity is one well-known strategy to support increased resilience. No research has…

Accurate and timely dissemination of critical information while facilitating reciprocal communication channels is critical during times of crisis. The Graduate Student Leader (GSL) program is a peer-based leadership and mentoring intervention that proved helpful in addressing the needs of a large and diverse student body of approximately 1,300…

Purpose: Adolescent mental health is a public health priority. Considered an early intervention approach, Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) trains adults to provide initial assistance to adolescents experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. version of YMHFA (YMHFA-USA) among graduate…

Little of social work literature provides evidence of best teaching practices for preparing social work students to work with clients from historically excluded racial and ethnic groups. A systematic literature review was conducted to assess studies published in the United States during the 10-year period (2007-2016) that examined: (1) social work…

This article describes a study aimed at solving the problem of school refusal by implementing a preventive program and raising the awareness of parents, social workers, and school personnel. The school children involved in this study were reported by their parents and school social workers to refuse to go to school, and according to the children's…

Purpose: The article describes an evaluation study to test the effectiveness of "Storie in gioco" project (Stories in Play, Storie in gioco [SIG]), a dropout prevention intervention aimed to prevent early school leaving (ESL) in at risk students. Method: The research used a mixed-method approach: in the quantitative phase, a two-group…

Children in foster care may face difficulties during their school years. When it comes to academic achievement, there is reported low school performance and lower grades. However, school may be strong protective factor in difficulties if supports are individual. School-based interventions represent a possibility for supporting children whose home…

A comprehensive review of educational interventions for pupils with intellectual disabilities showed that most studies report positive results for a variety of interventions. The aim of this article is to explore how these results can be understood. We draw on similar earlier findings concerning intervention effects in psychotherapy and social…