Asean Social Work Journal

Social Work in ASEAN: Collaborations and Challenges

Fentiny Nugroho — 2024-06-30

Revisiting Psychiatric Social Work Practice in the Philippines: An Autoethnographic Case

Alain Matteo Meneses — 2024-06-30

Over the past decades, there has been a gap in literature discussing the field of psychiatric social work in the Philippines. In an attempt to address this, this article describes a case to revisit the practice of psychiatric social work in the Philippine setting. Using an autoethnographic methodology, I recount my experience as a psychiatric social worker at a teaching hospital located in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, to illustrate the position, its roles and functions, and the common strategies it employs in practice. In discussing my personal experience, I reflect on themes and assert that psychiatric social work remains to have a continuing significance in today’s mental health landscape, offering innovative practices in response to newer challenges of helping patients with mental health conditions

A Glance Into the Online World of Children: A study to Examine the Online Activities of Children in Indonesia

Karen Muller — 2024-06-30

Digital technology has influenced children's lives, shaping their norms, attitudes, and behaviours. This study aims to understand the online behaviours of children in Indonesia, exploring their activities, risks, and safety measures. Conducting semi-structured interviews with 510 children aged 9-18 across Central Java, East Java, and South Sulawesi Provinces in Indonesia, the study sheds light on the prevalence of internet usage among children and their online experiences. Indonesian children use the internet extensively for entertainment, communication, and information. Children consider the internet an important part of their lives, although they often lack awareness of online dangers and what constitutes risky behaviours, such as adding unknown contacts and sharing personal information, especially in online gaming contexts. Children rely on simple safety measures, necessitating comprehensive education on online safety. While many share their online experiences mainly with friends, those with strong parental bonds share it with their families too. The study emphasizes the importance of discussing online risks, including sexual exploitation and abuse, and cyberbullying as they frequently encounter such experiences but hesitate to report them. Overall, the study provides valuable insights for tailoring online safety programmes to meet children's needs and underscores the importance of informed digital parenting strategies to safeguard children's online well-being.

Living on the Edge: Young People, Social Work and Climate Policy and Action

Lena Dominelli — 2024-06-30

Today’s young people will be on the frontline of experiencing the worst effects of the climate crisis as they age in
a world in which climate-induced disasters will be increasing in intensity and frequency unless ‘net zero’ is reached
before the current deadline of 2050. The case for urgently addressing the climate crisis by 2030 has been made
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since the Paris Agreement in 2015. Years later, and
with the disappointing outcomes of the 2021 United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 meeting in Glasgow, Scotland and COP27 in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt in 2022,
little has changed. Politicians fill the airwaves with fine words about reaching ‘net zero’. Meanwhile, countries like
India, the 3rd largest polluter do not aim to meet ‘net zero’ until 2070! Young people have limited engagement in
formal policy-making locally, nationally, and globally, so their voices remain largely ignored. Practitioners, seldom
engage young people in climate action. This professional disinterest in young people’s experiences of the climate
crisis and aspirations for a net zero future must end. This article focuses on young people’s voices, research and
action, including their involvement in COP26 activities in Glasgow. Young people, as agentic persons, can make
decisions about climate change, and are well-placed to do this if given the opportunity. Social workers can support
and mobilise young people in climate action and demand that climate change be included in the social work
curriculum.

The Lived Experiences of Bangsamoro Social Workers: Their Journey in Achieving Inner Peace and Mental Well-Being

Grant Warren Lu — 2024-06-30

The study focused on Bangsamoro social workers' journey to achieve inner peace and well-being in conflict-stricken and violent communities. It described their experiences, challenges encountered, self-care approaches, and lessons learned. The study employed a descriptive research design as it was seen as suitable to generate narratives from 12 Bangsamoro social workers through purposive and snowball sampling. The study utilized a transcendental phenomenological approach and followed the rigorous data collection and analysis following Colaizzi's seven steps of analyzing the narratives of the research participants. The study's key findings are threats and aggressive complaints, delayed salaries and insufficiency of allowances, non-performance of family roles, and other challenges encountered. They are still capable of achieving their inner peace and well-being through self-initiated and peers, family, and faith-motivated self-care initiatives, which allow them to pause from their heavy workloads, manage their stressors into manageable parts, find better solutions to their problems, and regain their motivation to continue their work. This journey of Bangsamoro social workers implied that they could not achieve inner peace and well-being alone. Several individuals should deal with it collaboratively by influencing negative or positive experiences. It also implied that for social work practice to be efficient and progressive—the institutional mechanisms of MSSD-BARMM and other social welfare offices, the programs implemented, and the social work education should be context-based and culturally responsive.n the years, the deaf community in Vinh Long province has had to confront issues of harassment and sexual abuse due to their disabilities. Unfortunately, the majority of the deaf population lacks full awareness of harassment and sexual abuse, often misunderstanding behaviors such as teasing and unwanted touching as not constituting sexual harassment. This article focuses on analyzing the awareness of the deaf community in Vinh Long province, examining aspects such as understanding of sexual harassment behaviors and awareness of responses to harassment.

Deaf’s Awareness on Sexual Abuse at The Vinh Long Deaf Club, Vietnam

Nguyen Thi Thu Trang — 2024-06-30

Over the years, the deaf community in Vinh Long province has had to confront issues of harassment and sexual abuse due to their disabilities. Unfortunately, the majority of the deaf population lacks full awareness of harassment and sexual abuse, often misunderstanding behaviors such as teasing and unwanted touching as not constituting to sexual harassment. Therefore, by using qualitative and quantitative methods, this study aims to explore the current state of awareness about sexual abuse among the deaf in Vĩnh Long City. Simultaneously, the study intends to figure out the factors influencing the awareness of sexual abuse among the deaf and possible solutions for this issue. This article focuses on analyzing some key results from the research, especially the awareness of the deaf community in Vinh Long province on sexual harassment. Many victims knew that sexual harassment is illegal, but they accepted this behavior without reacting to it.

Social Work in the Asia Pacific Region in the 21 st Century: Challenges, Opportunities and the Role for Social Work Education

David Rose — 2024-06-30

The recent pandemic is an example of the major global challenges that impact locally and globally including war and conflicts, climate change, ecological damage, human and natural disasters, gender-based inequality and violence, poverty and inequality, and global movements of peoples. The Asia Pacific Region incorporates a vast geographic area of the world with a diverse range of countries at various stages of social and economic development, but all of which share the impacts of many of these global challenges. Social workers are a key workforce that can contribute to social development and work at the interface of the local with the global across the region. Drawing on literature, policy documents and observations some of the current challenges facing the development of the social work workforce in the region will be discussed as well as the opportunities for social work to contribute to social development and to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The critical role of social work education in developing the social work workforce to meet these global challenges is also discussed.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Services for People with Disabilities

Santoso Tri Raharjo — 2024-06-30

Besides making profits, companies have an important duty toward society and the environment. This obligation is manifested in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, governed in Indonesia by Law Number 40/2007 on limited liability companies and Law Number 25/2007 on capital investment. By targeting individuals with disabilities, CSR programs can have a significant impact on the lives of those who often face significant challenges. Supporting and empowering individuals with disabilities benefits these individuals and creates a more inclusive and diverse society. By investing in these programs, companies can demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility, improve their reputation, and ultimately contribute to a better world. This article discusses CSR services in Indonesia for people with disabilities using the literature review research. The research found that CSR programs for people with disabilities in Indonesia focus on community services and community empowerment programs. With this program, companies not only provide financial assistance to people with disabilities but also enable people with disabilities through education, training, and empowerment programs. This study found that CSR services for people with disabilities in Indonesia positively impact socioeconomic conditions and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable development. This study advocates the increasing collaboration with various stakeholders, including the government, NGOs, academics, and the community to ensure the sustainability of the program. The CSR programs are expanded to encompass more rights of people with disabilities.