International Journal of Social Work
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijsw
<p><em>International Journal of Social Work</em> (IJSW) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the <a href="http://en.macrothink.org/" target="_blank">Macrothink Institute</a>. The journal is striving to provide the best platform for the publication of refereed original articles, reviews, reports, commentaries and debate covers every aspect of social work with theory, practice, counselling, social care planning, education, management and policy.<img style="float: right; padding-left: 20px; padding-right: 20px;" src="/journal/public/site/images/ijsw/Cover-1.jpg" alt="" width="260" /></p><p>The journal focuses on the Clinical Therapy, Management Supervision and Research in the field of Social Work. Including but not limited to:</p><ul><li>Interventions for Children, Youths and Families</li><li>Disability Study and Practice</li><li>Health Social Work</li><li>HIV Intervention and Prevention</li><li>Gerontology Policy and Practice</li><li>Mental Health</li><li>Work Stress</li><li>Criminal Justice</li><li>Social and Economic Development</li></ul><p>The journal is published in online versions, which is free access and download. </p>Macrothink Instituteen-USInternational Journal of Social Work2332-7278<p>Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the authorities responsible where the work was carried out. However, we accept submissions that have previously appeared on preprint servers (for example: arXiv, bioRxiv, Nature Precedings, Philica, Social Science Research Network, and Vixra); have previously been presented at conferences; or have previously appeared in other “non-journal” venues (for example: blogs or posters). Authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with the journal reference (including DOI) and a link to the published articles on the appropriate journal website upon publication.</p><p>Copyrights for articles are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. Authors have rights to reuse, republish, archive, and distribute their own articles after publication. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. Authors shall permit the publisher to apply a DOI to their articles and to archive them in databases and indexes such as EBSCO, DOAJ, and ProQuest.</p>Attitudinal Disposition of Correctional Officers’ Towards an Inmates with Mental illness in Agodi Prison, Oyo State, Nigeria
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijsw/article/view/21558
<span lang="EN-US">There is a frequently higher prevalence of mental health problems among the incarcerated population in Nigeria. However, their mental health is often neglected, leading to a complex interplay of issues that hinder effective rehabilitation and integration of offenders into society. This study examined the attitudinal disposition of correctional officers towards the mental health of an inmate in Agodi correctional home, Ibadan. This is a cross-sectional study design and a stratified random sampling technique were used to select 200 correctional officers. A socio-demographic questionnaire and questions focusing on the stigmatization of inmates living with mental health. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the generated hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Findings revealed that there was a significant relationship between counselling service and inmate mental health (r = .621, n= 200, p < .05), there was a significant relationship between rehabilitation program and inmate mental health (r = .642, n= 200, p < .05), there was a significant relationship between welfare service and inmate mental health (r = .716, n= 200, p < .05), there was a significant relationship between correctional officers attitude and inmates mental health (r = .731, n= 200, p < .05). This study underscored the potential consequences of negative attitudes, such as stigmatization, discrimination, and inadequate provision of mental health care, which can impede the rehabilitation and successful reintegration of inmates into society. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the attitudinal disposition of correctional officers towards inmates with mental illness is imperative.</span>Abdullateef B AdeotiSamuel Olusegun AkinsolaOluwagbemiga Oyinlola
Copyright (c) 2024 Abdullateef B Adeoti, Samuel Olusegun Akinsola, Oluwagbemiga Oyinlola
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2024-01-232024-01-2311111410.5296/ijsw.v11i1.21558Shaping the Future of Africa: The Efficiency of NEPAD in Promoting to Develop Africa
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijsw/article/view/21700
<p>This article critically evaluates the efficiency of NEPAD in promoting development across Africa. Drawing on empirical evidence and scholarly analysis, this article explores the successes and challenges faced by NEPAD in achieving its objectives. It examines the organization's role in leveraging international partnerships, promoting good governance, and fostering socioeconomic progress. Ultimately, this article provides a nuanced assessment of NEPAD's contributions to African development, offering insights into its potential for advancing the continent's growth and prosperity in the future. This article analyzes the efficiency of NEPAD in some areas, such as the promotion of regional integration, the empowerment of women and youth, infrastructure development, challenges and opportunities, perspectives, and recommendations.</p>Utangisila Bena OséeKalema PascalRuth PembeEric KambaleJeremie BokombeAnthony OmomboYves Birhonga
Copyright (c) 2024 Utangisila Bena Osée, Kalema Pascal, Ruth Pembe, Eric Kambale, Jeremie Bokombe, Anthony Omombo, Yves Birhonga
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2024-02-122024-02-12111152710.5296/ijsw.v11i1.21700Cultural Competency: A Cardinal Force in Social Work Practice and Service-A Cultural Practice Guide for Human Services and the Helping Professions
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijsw/article/view/21561
Culture is a significant factor in human development, sustainability, and societal cohesion. It is greatly cherished and holds universal significance to individuals, groups, families, communities, societies, and nations. Culture affects how a victim, survivor, client, or family responds to life altering experiences such as domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and trauma. It also influences how a client or family deals with loss and grief, resilience, and recovery. Hence, understanding different cultures and cultural practices, symbols, artifacts, the meaning they hold, and respecting and operating within the confines of a set culture is very important. Cultural competency is a key medium through which this need can be addressed. Cultural competency is a core principle that should undergird a social worker’s service/practice with clients as enshrined in the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Failure to execute cultural competency is detrimental to the delivery of appropriate and effective services to clients, and a digression from the code of ethics and professional standard of practice within the profession of social work. The execution of cultural competency in social work practice fosters a positive and enduring therapeutic relationship between the social worker and client, and lays the foundation for productive engagement, interaction, and intervention. From this perspective, this article embodies a review of the research literature on the topic of culture and culturally competent practice from different disciplines. The review and analysis include a study this author conducted in Ghana-Africa that examined the significance of culture and its impact on individuals and their perceptions as well as behaviors within a cultural context. Specifically, the study focused on the cultural effects on learning and the transfer of knowledge, and this paper relates its significant implications for understanding culture and responsiveness to cultural practices within professional practice. The findings from this original study revealed that culture impacts an individual’s perception and behavior significantly. The implications for culturally effective social work practice were discussed and recommendations for cultural competence, responsive, and responsible practices including anti-oppressive intervention strategies at the micro, mezzo and macro levels were put forward. In addition, a cultural conceptual practice model called GACIE was proposed for use in assessing and intervening with culturally diverse ethnic minority clients.Hope Attipoe
Copyright (c) 2024 Hope Attipoe
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2024-02-122024-02-12111284310.5296/ijsw.v11i1.21561The Environmental Impact of Mining Activities in the Local Community: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijsw/article/view/21747
This study investigates the impact of mining activity on the environment of a local mining community. A novel approach was employed by contextualizing the role of deforestation and operational disturbance of mining activities in dragging environmental sustainability of the local community. This was anchored by specifying and estimating a structural equation model (SEM). Data used for the analysis were collected by administering questionnaires among 200 residents and indigenes of Ibise-Komu community in Oyo State, Nigeria. The instrument administration was facilitated by two indigenous volunteers who introduced the researcher to the community leaders who in turn mobilized the general community to participate in the study. The choice of this community was informed by the narratives of the locals that their environment has been perennially destroyed by the mining companies. The findings revealed that deforestation and operational disturbance are characteristic of the mining companies in the community, which have done little to champion the development of their host environment. As a result, the community environment is littered with land, water and air pollution which is majorly induced by indiscriminate mining of mineral deposits in the community. It is therefore recommended that the government and regulatory agencies should tie the operational license of the mining companies to their continuous compliance with environmental safety and sustainability of their host communities. This is a mechanism of managing conflicts between the community and the mines.Adegbite A. TellaNathaniel D. Danjibo
Copyright (c) 2024 Adegbite A. Tella, Nathaniel D. Danjibo
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2024-02-282024-02-28111445310.5296/ijsw.v11i1.21747Ageing, Empowerment and Technology New Opportunities for Cultural Traditions?
https://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijsw/article/view/21674
<p>As computers become an increasingly integral part of the lives of older adults, the study of computer used by older adults is becoming an increasingly relevant field of study. The aim of the study is a bibliographic review to better understand the relationship of new technologies with the population of older adults. One of the consequences that appears is that to encourage and facilitate the use of new technologies by this important age group, for both personal and professional benefit, it is necessary to understand its implication in the term of cultural traditions. It should be noted that all the researches consulted insist on the increasingly important role of the new technologis in the life of old people, and far from assuming that ageing people would have a rejection to the same, is possible to perceptive an operative and surprising use of the new technologies</p>Alejandro Klein
Copyright (c) 2024 Alejandro Klein
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2024-03-112024-03-11111546910.5296/ijsw.v11i1.21674