Objectives: This study assesses social workers’ orientation toward the evidence-based practice (EBP) process and explores which specific variables (e.g. age) are associated. Methods: Data were collected from 341 Dutch social workers through an online survey which included a Dutch translation of the EBP Process Assessment Scale (EBPPAS), along with 13 background/demographic questions. Results: The overall level of orientation toward the EBP process is relatively low. Although respondents are slightly familiar with it and have slightly positive attitudes about it, their intentions to engage in it and their actual engagement are relatively low. Respondents who followed a course on the EBP process as a student are more oriented toward it than those who did not. Social workers under 29 are more familiar with the EBP process than those over 29. Conclusions: We recommend educators to take a more active role in teaching the EBP process to students and social workers.
This report summarises the findings of an international study of the ethical challenges faced by social workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, undertaken during 6th-18th May 2020. 607 responses from 54 countries were received via an online survey, additional interviews and local surveys. Six key themes relating to social workers’ ethical challenges and responses were identified: 1. Creating and maintaining trusting, honest and empathic relationships via phone or internet with due regard to privacy and confidentiality, or in person with protective equipment. 2. Prioritising service user needs and demands, which are greater and different due to the pandemic, when resources are stretched or unavailable and full assessments often impossible. 3. Balancing service user rights, needs and risks against personal risk to social workers and others, in order to provide services as well as possible. 4. Deciding whether to follow national and organisational policies, procedures or guidance (existing or new) or to use professional discretion in circumstances where the policies seem inappropriate, confused or lacking. 5. Acknowledging and handling emotions, fatigue and the need for selfcare, when working in unsafe and stressful circumstances. 6. Using the lessons learned from working during the pandemic to rethink social work in the future.
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Set up: Focus on ethical agency, of which ethical sensitivity is a part Best practice unit (i.e. a community of practice with inquisitive objectives): cooperation of 12 social workers (of 6 different welfare organizations) and 2 researchers (UAS teachers) Practice based co-research: involving social workers as reflective and inquisitive professionals with regard to their own practice Phenomenological design: focus on (interpreting) experiences
Dit Living lab staat in teken van het bevorderen van sport en bewegen voor bewoners waarvoor het sportaanbod nu niet voldoende of moeilijk te bereiken is. Het project is hierbij opgedeeld in drie deelprojecten, waar we voor elke specifieke doelgroep (40-65 jaar) een werkwijze ontwikkelen om een duurzame samenwerking op te zetten.Doel Het overkoepelende doel is bewoners uit de doelgroep naar beweging en sporten toe te leiden. Door middel van design thinking methoden borduren we voort op de geïdentificeerde oplossingsrichtingen in fase 1. Deelproject 1: Het bouwen aan een groeiend platform waarin sportaanbieders en sporten gekoppeld worden en zo een flexibel sportaanbod te creëren. Verder willen we inzicht krijgen in wat er nodig is om de al werkende – sportplanner – app beter aan te laten sluiten bij haar gebruikers. Deelproject 2: Het opzetten van een duurzaam sportmaatjesproject voor mensen met een beperking (fysiek, verstandelijk of door bijvoorbeeld long COVID) in samenwerking met HU-studenten, de buurtsportcoach aangepast sporten en minimaal één werkplaatsdocent van de HU met als doel de sportdeelname voor deze doelgroep te vergroten. Deelproject 3: Het verbinden van de hulpvraag met het beweegaanbod verbinden en daarmee aan te sluiten op de behoeften van deze doelgroep. Bewegen wordt ingezet als middel en door een inclusief co-design ontwerpproces zal dit aanbod passend gemaakt worden. Het bereiken van de doelgroep en het uitvoeren van kleine pilots staat centraal. Resultaten uit de eerste fase De behoefte van de doelgroep (40-65 jaar) op het gebied van bewegen en gezondheid is in kaart gebracht. Er is inzicht verkregen in de complexiteit van de doelgroep met de uitkomst dat het belangrijk is oog te hebben voor de verschillende subgroepen binnen de doelgroep. Er zijn drie deelprojecten opgezet aan de hand van deze subgroepen; de sporter met behoefte aan een flexibel sportaanbod, de sporter met een fysieke beperking en de groep waar een zodanige complexe hulpvraag speelt dat sport kan worden ingezet als middel ter bevordering van het welzijn van deze groep. Er is een nieuw netwerk ontstaan waarin de nadruk ligt op inwonerparticipatie. Looptijd 31 december 2019 - 01 februari 2022 Aanpak In het Living Lab zal gewerkt gaan worden met de Design thinking methode. Ook zullen ervaringsdeskundigen op het gebied van eenzaamheid en een verbeterde leefstijl ingezet worden. Het levert een kruisbestuiving op tussen dorpsteams, buurtsportcoaches, en (ervaringsdeskundige) inwoners. Relevantie van het project Dit project zal vernieuwend zijn voor beleidsmedewerkers, social workers en sportprofessionals die zich bezig houden met de onderwerpen gezondheidsbevordering en preventie. Ook past het op een nieuwe wijze ervaringsdeskundigen toe in het outreachend werken. Cofinanciering Dit project ontvangt een cofinanciering van ZonMw.
The Healthy Workplace monitor is being developed to monitor the health and well-being of knowledge workers in relation to the office space and their home workplace. Since the corona period, a lot has changed in the way knowledge workers work. Both offices and employees require more flexibility to carry out work in an efficient but also healthy and enjoyable way. It is important to identify office workers needs with regard to workspaces at the office and at home from a holistic view, in which mental , physical and social aspects play a role. A vital, happy employee is a productive employee.
Manual labour is an important cornerstone in manufacturing and considering human factors and ergonomics is a crucial field of action from both social and economic perspective. Diverse approaches are available in research and practice, ranging from guidelines, ergonomic assessment sheets over to digitally supported workplace design or hardware oriented support technologies like exoskeletons. However, in the end those technologies, methods and tools put the working task in focus and just aim to make manufacturing “less bad” with reducing ergonomic loads as much as possible. The proposed project “Human Centered Smart Factories: design for wellbeing for future manufacturing” wants to overcome this conventional paradigm and considers a more proactive and future oriented perspective. The underlying vision of the project is a workplace design for wellbeing that makes labor intensive manufacturing not just less bad but aims to provide positive contributions to physiological and mental health of workers. This shall be achieved through a human centered technology approach and utilizing advanced opportunities of smart industry technologies and methods within a cyber physical system setup. Finally, the goal is to develop smart, shape-changing workstations that self-adapt to the unique and personal, physical and cognitive needs of a worker. The workstations are responsive, they interact in real time, and promote dynamic activities and varying physical exertion through understanding the context of work. Consequently, the project follows a clear interdisciplinary approach and brings together disciplines like production engineering, human interaction design, creative design techniques and social impact assessment. Developments take place in an industrial scale test bed at the University of Twente but also within an industrial manufacturing factory. Through the human centered design of adaptive workplaces, the project contributes to a more inclusive and healthier society. This has also positive effects from both national (e.g. relieve of health system) as well as individual company perspective (e.g. less costs due to worker illness, higher motivation and productivity). Even more, the proposal offers new business opportunities through selling products and/or services related to the developed approach. To tap those potentials, an appropriate utilization of the results is a key concern . The involved manufacturing company van Raam will be the prototypical implementation partner and serve as critical proof of concept partner. Given their openness, connections and broad range of processes they are also an ideal role model for further manufacturing companies. ErgoS and Ergo Design are involved as methodological/technological partners that deal with industrial engineering and ergonomic design of workplace on a daily base. Thus, they are crucial to critically reflect wider applicability and innovativeness of the developed solutions. Both companies also serve as multiplicator while utilizing promising technologies and methods in their work. Universities and universities of applied sciences utilize results through scientific publications and as base for further research. They also ensure the transfer to education as an important leverage to inspire and train future engineers towards wellbeing design of workplaces.
