Summary

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought about new socio-health standards that had a direct impact on the teaching and academic reality of university students. At Laval University, Quebec (Canada), almost all courses had to migrate to distance or asynchronous modalities.  As a result, students enrolled in the Bachelor of Social Work program have expressed a need for face-to-face practical activities to consolidate their theoretical learning before their practicum. To address this concern, in May 2022, three professors at the School of Social Work and Criminology established a practical social intervention lab. The intervention lab, in which 25 students were enrolled, consisted of two days of training allowing them to experiment with individual, marital and group intervention. Six scenarios dealing with different social issues were tested and then performed by actors with a background in theater. The purpose of this poster presentation is to outline the process of developing and carrying out this laboratory, the objectives around which the pedagogical activities were based, and the means that facilitated their operationalization. For the students, the experimentation of the three intervention methods in an intensive formula allowed them to consolidate their learning, in addition to promoting the development of their confidence before entering the internship. In addition, this experience supported the acquisition of a better understanding of the complementarity of the methods, the transferability of certain skills and attitudes from one method to another and allowed the students to better understand the specificities of each method. Finally, the issues and recommendations related to the implementation of such an experience for the development of social work students' skills will be discussed.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Social work, university, students, development, methodologies, laboratory

Summary

Planteamiento del problemaLa pandemia del COVID-19 ha generado grandes transformaciones a nivel mundial, un sector que ha sido fuertemente impactado es el de las personas mayores de 65 años, particularmente los pacientes con diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Según datos recopilados por el Registro de Alzheimer del Departamento de Salud, hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2019 en Puerto Rico había 20,910 casos reportados de pacientes con este trastorno, de los cuales más de la mitad (55.3%) tienen 85 años o más.  PropósitoEl propósito de esta investigación es explorar, describir y comprender las experiencias de cuidadores informales de adultos mayores con diagnóstico de la enfermedad de Alzheimer en el contexto de la pandemia del COVID-19. Importancia del Problema de InvestigaciónLos cuidadores informales de pacientes con diagnóstico de Alzheimer experimentan serias dificultades físicas y emocionales ante el cuidado de sus familiares con este trastorno. Estos problemas se acentúan más ante la pandemia del COVID 19. En el caso de Puerto Rico, según el Departamento de Salud (2021) indicaron que 14,987 son los adultos mayores de 60 años en adelante que se han contagiado del Coronavirus.Marco ConceptualLa Teoría Ecológica y el Modelo Biopsicosocial. Diseño de InvestigaciónPara realizar el presente estudio, se utilizará una metodología cualitativa con un diseño fenomenológico. Descripción de la MuestraLa muestra del estudio estará constituida por un mínimo de 10 cuidadores informales de pacientes con diagnóstico de Alzheimer. La muestra será no probabilística por disponibilidadDescripción de los instrumentos para recopilar datosPara la recopilación de datos se llevará a cabo una entrevista semiestructurada. Análisis de DatosCon el fin de analizar los datos recopilados para la presente investigación se utilizará el Modelo de Harry F. Wolcott (1994), modelo DAI (Descripción, Análisis e Interpretación). 

Keywords (separate with commas)

 Cuidadores informales/Persona Cuidadora Informal: López (2016) refiere que “es aquella persona encargada de ayudar en las necesidades básicas instrumentales de la vida diaria del paciente, durante la mayor parte del día, sin recibir retribución económica por ello, contribuyendo a que la persona dependiente se mantenga en su entorno social” (p.72).

Summary

Social work education in the UK is governed by four regulatory bodies with no common curricula, with Social Workers in England alone undertaking multiple education routes in 82 higher education institutions (HEI).  A growing body of evidence has demonstrated a potentially significant gap in ABI curricula inclusion in initial social work education.  Little is known about the gap at a micro individual curriculum level or Social Work Educator’s views of ABI relevance in initial education. A UK-based National Instititute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded project, Heads Together, is researching social work education curricula to evidence preparedness of graduating social workers for ABI practice and to develop resource database for curricula development. As part of the research project, a 12-point online survey was deployed to UK-based Social Work Educators with support of the Joint Universities Social Work Committee (JUSWEC) and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). Of the 27 responses, thematic analysis of the data recognises four key themes: 1) an acknowledged gap in ABI curricula inclusion in initial social work education including that of respondents; 2) significant numbers of respondents had personal experience of ABI (self, family or close friends); 3) majority view ABI should be mandatory part of initial social work education; and finally, 4) there are pockets of good practice often prompted by local practice.  The survey findings will, in combination with interviewing newly qualified, specialist and commissioning social workers, inform curricula inclusion of ABI in social work education in the UK.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Brain Injury, Social Work, Social Work education, Disability, Acquired Brain Injury,

Summary

Background:The “Caring for Caregivers of Children with Special Needs” programme provides home-based counselling and respite care for the caregivers of children with nursing needs and/or behavioural challenges. The programme aims to reduce caregiver stress and increase caregiver well-being.\ As part of the enrolment process for the programme, potentially suitable caregivers were screened using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), a depression screening tool. Caregivers with scores that indicate risk of depression were enrolled into the programme on the basis that those struggling with mental health concerns would benefit most from the support provided by the programme.Results:Over a period of three years, a total of 110 caregivers considered at moderate to high risk of depression were enrolled into the programme. 75% of these caregivers reported an improvement in their PHQ-9 scores after receiving at least one session of counselling.\ Discussion:The social workers’ experiences with the caregivers portray a bigger picture than what is and can be captured by the PHQ-9. Even though the PHQ-9 generally has good reliability and validity, we found that there is a misalignment in the PHQ-9 scores and the social workers’ assessment. This could be due to reasons such as inaccurate self-reporting or the lack of suitability of the PHQ-9 as a screening tool. Since only caregivers with higher PHQ-9 scores are enrolled into the programme, other caregivers who would also have benefitted may have been missed out.While we have moved away from relying solely on the PHQ-9 as a screening tool, we seek more comprehensive and accurate ways of navigating the complexities of caregivers’ needs, especially within such a diverse caregiver population. Using observational and contextual data from social workers and direct feedback from caregivers, we reflect on how to better capture caregiver needs and enhance the screening process of the programme.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Caregivers, special needs, screening tool, mental health support\