This study was designed to establish a caseload standard for child welfare workers. Understanding reasonable workload expectations for child welfare workers is a cornerstone of quality service provision and the recruitment and retention of qualified workers. Because of the analytic complexity of this question, qualitative and quantitative methods…

A critical shortcoming in the existing body of research addressing racial disproportionality in the child welfare system is the lack of inclusion of external stakeholders in attempts to understand and address this issue. This article reports the results of a study designed to develop a deeper understanding of disproportionality from the views of…

Using semistructured interviews and participant observation, this two-year pilot study of male Mexican migrants in Freehold, New Jersey, explored how day laborers perceive their struggles to support families despite escalating anti-immigrant legislation at virtually all levels of government. In particular, the author looks at efforts by Mexican…

Compared personal well-being of social workers in full-time private practice with that of social workers in full-time agency practice. On all measures of personal well-being, workers in private practice fared significantly better than colleagues in agency settings. Findings suggest that personal well-being may be one of the factors leading social…

Coded hospital social workers' (n=16) descriptions of ethical dilemmas according to principles in conflict. Most ethical dilemmas involved conflicts between client self-determination and client best interest. Ethical dilemmas were more likely when patient mental status was impaired and when decision making was problematic. Ethical dilemmas were…

Of 50 percent of the members of the Iowa chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, 27 percent of the women and men surveyed reported they had experienced sexual harassment at work. Discusses sources and types of sexual harassment found, as well as recourses taken by those harassed. (Author/ABB)

Notes that social workers often work in host settings, arenas that are defined and dominated by non-social workers. Identifies four predictable problems that accompany social workers' presence as resident guests within host settings: value discrepancies between hosts and guests; marginality of social workers' token status; devaluing of social work…

The evolution of occupational social work from its beginnings in welfare capitalism, through the human relations movement in the 1930s and 1940s, and into the occupational alcoholism programs and employee assistance programs of the last decade is surveyed. A broad definition of occupational social work is offered. (Author)

Cautions that the emergence of industry as an arena for social work practice warrants thoughtful study rather than rhetorical justification. Presents the results of one such study of the need for and nature of social services at the workplace. Discusses questions the study raises for future consideration. (Author/JAC)

Describes the economic incentives to employees and employers for providing occupational social services. Suggests that growth in such services will coincide with growth in high-technology industries and service industries employing highly skilled workers. (BL)

Notes that working conditions will have marked influence on employee recruitment to and retention in social work profession. Sees graduates' expectations influenced by ability to exercise professional judgment, increased career orientation of women, frequency of midlife career change, and entry of newcomers from non-Western cultures. (Author/NB)

Study of 298 U.S. social workers revealed that interest in international practice in developing world depended on freedom to relocate, expectation of rewarding experience overseas, possession of and desire to use requisite skills, interest in foreign intercultural arena, and global-mindedness. These variables, in combination, accounted for 41% of…

Conducted exploratory study to identify factors that may influence some caseworkers to continue employment in public child welfare when so many others are leaving. From comprehensive focused interviews with 23 caseworkers, 4 factors of retention emerged: mission, goodness of fit, supervision, and investment. (Author/NB)

Describes shadow consultation which is used with traditional casework and group-work skills to help individual managers become more effective and humane in their work. Conditions under which this intervention might be appropriate, steps required to execute the procedure, and results that might be expected are outlined. An example of shadow…

The attitudes among social workers toward labor unions are a topic of significance. Historically, social workers have had an ambivalent relationship with unions. This article analyzes the extent to which unions matter to social workers and whether unions represent the interests of professional social workers. The relationship between social work…