Feminist Social Work

This study, from a feminist perspective, aimed at examining the experiences of women whose children with cerebral palsy received a treatment at a physiotherapy and rehabilitation center located in Ankara, Turkey. The study intended to reveal the perceptions of in-family roles of women with disabled children, their participation in public life, and their self-concept within the scope of feminist social work. Thus, the objective of the present study was to contribute to the understanding of the fact that non gender-blind services should be developed in this field on the basis of social justice and human rights, which constitutes the fundamental philosophy of social work.
Qualitative research method was employed in the study where data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings of the study were interpreted under four main themes: the lives of the women with disabled children after their disabled children were born; being a woman within the scope of family life, participation in decision-making processes, and domestic division of labor; participation in public life and relations with
women’s associations; the self-sacrifice; and the suggestions of women concerning self-realization within the scope of self-concept.

Numerous social workers discuss the importance of critical reflection and refer to its capacity as an educational tool to improve practice, yet there is relatively little evidence to support the claims made about the benefits of critical reflection by its proponents. This paper contributes to addressing this gap by reporting on the critically reflective educational process undertaken by one practitioner. The transformative learning gained by this practitioner provides a concrete example of how critical reflection improved her thinking about practice by increasing congruence between her espoused theoretical framework and her actual practice, and by creating opportunities for emancipatory practice within a context where she felt constrained to achieve critical practice aims. The paper suggests critical reflection is an important component of social work education.

HATIBOĞLU EREN, B. and ÖZATEŞ GELMEZ Ö. S. (2013). Consciousness Raising Studies with women about Strugle with Violence Against Women, Family and Women Symposium (16 May 2013), Kırıkkale University Research and Application Center on Women Issues, Kırıkkale/Turkey.

Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή έχει ως θέμα τη θεραπεία των τοξικοεξαρτημένων γυναικών. Αντλεί το θεωρητικό της υπόβαθρο από την ενδυναμωτική-φεμινιστική προσέγγιση στην κοινωνική εργασία. Βασίζεται σε ποιοτική μελέτη που στόχο είχε να διερευνήσει τη θέση που κατέχει η διάσταση του φύλου των γυναικών στη θεραπεία απεξάρτησης. Για τον σκοπό αυτό πραγματοποιήθηκαν 34 συνεντεύξεις με κοινωνικούς λειτουργούς και θεραπευόμενες γυναίκες σε θεραπευτικές κοινότητεςτου Κέντρου Θεραπείας Εξαρτημένων Ατόμων (ΚΕ.Θ.Ε.Α.) και γυναικεία θεραπευτικά προγράμματα του 18 Άνω. Από την επεξεργασία του εμπειρικού υλικούπροκύπτει ότι το ΚΕ.Θ.Ε.Α. και το 18 Άνω υιοθετούν μια κατ΄ αρχήν συμβατή προςτην ενδυνάμωση θεραπευτική φιλοσοφία. Στο ΚΕ.Θ.Ε.Α. ωστόσο οι θεραπευόμενεςγυναίκες αντιμετωπίζουν μια σειρά από δυσκολίες, οι οποίες πηγάζουν από τιςπαγιωμένες εξουσιαστικές σχέσεις των φύλων που μεταφέρονται στη θεραπεία από τηχρήση. Η παράβλεψη της οπτικής του φύλου στις θεραπευτικές κοινότητες είναιπροβληματική γιατί ο κάθε νέος εαυτός που αναδομείται μέσα από τις θεραπευτικέςδιαδικασίες δεν είναι απλώς και μόνο ένας εαυτός απαλλαγμένος από το πρόβληματης τοξικοεξάρτησης, αλλά είναι πάντοτε ένας έμφυλος εαυτός. Στο 18 Άνω, η απουσία θεραπευόμενων ανδρών δημιουργεί καλύτερες προϋποθέσεις για τηθεραπεία των γυναικών και ένα πλαίσιο που είναι περισσότερο ευνοϊκό για τηνεπεξεργασία «ευαίσθητων» έμφυλων εμπειριών. Η θεραπεία που απευθύνεται αποκλειστικά σε άνδρες ή γυναίκες ωστόσο δεν πρέπει να θεωρείται συνώνυμη μετην ευαισθητοποιημένη ως προς το φύλο θεραπεία (gender sensitive treatment). Η αναγνώριση της ανομοιογένειας των εμπειριών των τοξικοεξαρτημένων γυναικών αποτελεί σημαντική πρόκληση στη θεραπεία απεξάρτησης. Η θεωρητική και η βιωματική εκπαίδευση των επαγγελματιών και ο εμπλουτισμός του περιεχομένου τηςμε πτυχές και ζητήματα, που έχει αναδείξει η ενδυναμωτική-φεμινιστική κοινωνική εργασία, μπορεί να προσφέρει χρήσιμες κατευθύνσεις για τη χάραξη αποτελεσματικών θεραπευτικών πολιτικών τόσο στα μεικτά όσο και τα αμιγώς γυναικεία θεραπευτικά προγράμματα.

Dünyada ve Türkiye’de cinsiyetler arasındaki güç eşitsizliğinin ve ataerkinin doğrudan bir sonucu olarak kadına yönelik şiddetin kamusal ve özel alanda her türünün yoğun bir biçimde yaşandığı bilinmektedir. Dünyada 1970’lerin başında, Türkiye’de ise 1980 sonrası dönemde yükselişe geçen feminist hareket; kadınların özel alanda yaşadığı soruları da politika konusu yapmıştır. Bu mücadelede feminist hareketin bir kazanımı olarak sığınaklar; erkek şiddetine maruz bırakılan kadınların güçlenmeleri ve şiddetten uzak bir hayat kurmaları açısından çok önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Ancak sığınakların ve genel anlamda sosyal politikaların hangi yaklaşımla yürütüldüğü kadınların şiddet sonrası güçlenme süreçlerinde oldukça belirleyici olmaktadır. Feminist bir yaklaşıma sahip olmayan sığınaklar başlı başına bir baskı ve kontrol aracı haline dönüşmektedir. Ayrıca kadına yönelik şiddetle mücadelede yetersiz sosyal destek mekanizmaları da kadınların şiddet ortamına dönmesi ya da bağımsız hayatlarını sürdürememeleri ile sonuçlanabilmektedir. Bu çalışma; Türkiye’de kadın sığınaklarını, sığınaklara dair birimleri, destek mekanizmalarını, kurumları ve uygulamaları sosyal politikalar açısından değerlendirmeyi amaçlayan ve kadınların sığınak deneyimlerini esas alan feminist yöntemle yürütülmüş nitel bir çalışmadır. Aynı zamanda bu çalışma, özel anlamda feminist sığınaklar konusunda bir model önerisi yaparken; genel anlamda bütüncül ve feminist yaklaşımla sosyal politika önerilerinde bulunmaktadır.
DISCUSSIONS ON FEMINIST MODEL OF WOMEN'S SHELTERS IN TURKEY Violence against women with different forms in public and private spheres is still a widespread problem both worldwide and in Turkey as a result of unequal power relations between gender roles in the patriarchal system. Violence against women especially in private sphere became more visible and has been taken into the political agenda as a problem with the rise of the feminist movement in the early 1970s in the world and in Turkey after 1980s. Shelters as an achievement of the feminist movement in this struggle; has a very important role in the empowerment of women who have been subjected to male violence, for their lives away from violence. However, the approach which the shelters are run by and the entire social policies are determinant in women's empowerment processes after violence. Shelters which are not carried out with feminist perspective have become a tool of oppression and control per se. In addition, due to the inadequate social support mechanisms for struggling VAW, women have to return to their violent relationships or they face difficulties to maintain their lives independently. This is a qualitative study that has been carried out with the feminist method and based on women's experience of shelters and aims to discuss women's shelters and related units, institutions, support mechanisms and practices in Turkey, in terms of social policy. At the same time, this study proposes a model for feminist shelters in particular; and holistic and feminist perspectives to general social policies. Keywords: Violence Against Women, Women’s Shelters, Feminist Shelters, Feminist Social Work, Feminist Social Policy

Celem artykułu jest próba odpowiedzi na dwa pytania: czym jest feministyczna praca socjalna? Jak myśl feministyczna wpływa na teorię i praktykę pracy socjalnej? W pierwszej części artykułu skupiono uwagę na historii pracy socjalnej (z punktu widzenia wkładu kobiet w rozwój tej dyscypliny) oraz feminizmu (z uwzględnieniem różnych nurtów i stanowisk feministycznych). Następnie zostały omówione elementy wyróżniające feministyczną pracę socjalną. Artykuł stanowi wyłącznie wprowadzenie do tematyki i z pewnością nie wyczerpuje wszystkich wątków w dyskusji o feministycznej pracy socjalnej.

☆ We'd like to acknowledge our former group supervisors, Peta Blaisdell and Liz Price, as well the National Alliance of Abortion and Pregnancy Options Counsellors (NAAPOC)the network of Australian pro-choice counsellors we co-founded in 2015 -as central to the honing of our ideas in the group reflective practice there. We'd also like to acknowledge our sisters and colleagues from the Pregnancy Advisory Centre, South Australia as well as colleagues from the Melbourne private clinic abortion serviceas currently the only clinicians who work with women seeking abortions for psychosocial reasons in the 18-24 gestational period, and especially to Sophie Keramidopoulos, Peta Blaisdell, Jane Baird and Wye Yee Herbert who were instrumental in setting up the counselling service the private clinic approximately seven years ago, where none existed prior. We have all worked there and are proud of having been a part of the multidisciplinary team there.

Qualitative research conducted in 2004 identified a number of women from disadvantaged communities who sought mentoring in personal, educational and vocational aspects of their lives. Informed by this earlier research, a program entitled Map Your Future was developed and a pilot mentoring program commenced in 2005. This paper reviews the literature relating to women and mentoring, describes the preparation for mentoring component of the program and the research methodology that underpinned its development. It concludes with an exploration of the women's experiences of the program.

The paper was an assignment for the module Social Work Theory at University of Salford's School of Health and Social Care. It takes the form of a narrative and reflective article.

The title “There’s something about Mary”, was deliberately chosen because of the 1998 film directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, where Mary was played by well-known actress Cameron Diaz. While Diaz' Mary is a very popular girl who is the object of desire of three men and causing all the chaotic funny slapstick events, the Mary in this paper is an 18-year-old single mother. The author wants to show that the 18-year-old single mother Mary is as attractive and should also be the centre figure as Cameron Diaz in the film.

This book explores the experiential research methods (arts-based, reflexive, collaborative) that allow researchers to access their own and their participants' knowing in richer ways. It comprises chapters on innovative methods of research and analysis using literary forms, performance and visual arts, and through collaborative and interdisciplinary inquiry. It offers methodological discussions and first-person accounts of experiences in using these methods in order to fire the imagination of students and researchers. Writers are drawn from various disciplines in the health and social sciences, and the methodologies they discuss can be applied across these fields. [Book Synopsis]

Critical Social Work starts from the premise that a central goal of social work practice is social change to redress social inequality. Taking a critical theoretical approach, the authors explore the links between personal and social change. They confront the challenges for critical social work in the context of pressures to separate the personal from the political and in responding to the impact of changes in the socio-political, statutory and global contexts of practice. Critical Social Work has been thoroughly revised to take into account recent social, economic and political developments. Coverage of theoretical frameworks has been substantially expanded and reflects current concerns such as evidence based practice and human rights. The causes of people’s marginalisation and oppression are examined in relation to class, race, ethnicity, gender and other forms of social inequality.Case study chapters in the earlier edition on working with immigrants, Indigenous people, women, men, families, people with psychiatric disabilities and those experiencing loss and grief have been updated and revised. The second edition includes new case study chapters on disability, older people, children, rurality, and violence and abuse. Critical Social Work is an essential resource to inform progressive social work practice.

Reforming care regimes to cover the care deficit and enhancing the marketization of care to promote individualism and gender equality have been on the European agenda since the 1990s. However, both implementation and results have been path-dependent. This study first underlines some specificities in the Turkish case—namely, the limited welfare state, a large shadow economy, gender roles, patriarchal backlash, Islamization, and neoliberalism, all of which receive little treatment in the welfare state literature. It then analyzes how these specificities interact in the construction of the care regime in Turkey, conceptualizing the outcome as distorted commodification of care—namely, the continuing ambiguity of care services despite these activities producing precarity and positional suffering for caregivers and recipients. Finally, the study provides concrete examples from the less studied topic of long-term disability care. It presents a perspective on Turkey that foregrounds the connections between gendered care imagery and case-specific qualities of the commodification of care shaped by the long-standing shadow economy, the outsourcing of disability services to for-profit private companies, and the introduction of the cash-for-care policy. The study analyzes the outcomes of distorted commodification of care under these conditions in Turkey vis-à-vis visibility, valuation of work, working conditions, and gender inequality.

"Keywords: adultism; classism; heteronormativity; intersectionality; mad studies; sanism; sexism; sexuality

This article explores the exercise of heterosexist-infused power relations within a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) inpatient unit in the UK. The ways in which heterosexism may wield its power within CAMHS in conjunction with the support of sexism, adultism, classism and sanism are discussed. That is, this article contributes to the understanding and subverting of heteronormativity in practice. With this focus in mind, other forms of intersecting oppressions are detailed to highlight the role they play in both controlling young people and teaching them about the workings of patriarchy and social norms. The aim of the article is to contribute to the disruption of the heteronormativity inherent in the arrangements within CAMHS and the dominant normative practice that produces multiple subjectivities in this setting."

Violence is becoming a phenomenon which scope is expanding day by day. However, when violence is mentioned, although physical violence based on the use of physical force appears in mind, there are different kinds of violence, and psychological violence is only one of these forms of violence. Psychological violence, which is often not noticed and thought to be based on love, is one of the problems caused and shaped by gender. There are also ideas that psychological violence is a form of relationship in the patriarchal social life order, where women are (re)stigmatization as victims and men as perpetrators in line with gender roles. It is difficult to define psychological violence due to the prevalence of harmful relationship styles based on masculine foundations. Psychological violence, which is difficult to detect through observation due to its nature, can have serious consequences. Although psychological violence starts with “simple” insults and threats, it can also reveal physical, economic and sexual violence. Violence that begins in the language includes a pathological process that extends to femicide. To combat psychological violence, it is necessary to understand this type of violence first. Therefore, defining psychological violence with examples with the support of different studies will draw a broad framework for understanding psychological violence. The main purpose of this study is to understand what it is by concretizing psychological violence. By detailing the behaviors and discourses that make violence psychological, it will make it easier to recognize the violence that is already present in romantic relationships and to touch on the social work practices that can be carried out in the fight against psychological violence, detailing the purpose of this study. It is important to be aware of the elements of psychological violence, which serve as a warning for professionals working with women who have been subjected to violence, to be able to combat violence earlier. To enable preventive practices, every action and discourse that can be included in the definition of psychological violence should be aware of and the current legislation should be implemented more effectively in line with the fight against violence.

Critical Social Work starts from the premise that a central goal of social work practice is social change to redress social inequality. Taking a critical theoretical approach, the authors explore the links between personal and social change. They confront the challenges for critical social work in the context of pressures to separate the personal from the political and in responding to the impact of changes in the socio-political, statutory and global contexts of practice. Critical Social Work has been thoroughly revised to take into account recent social, economic and political developments. Coverage of theoretical frameworks has been substantially expanded and reflects current concerns such as evidence based practice and human rights. The causes of people's marginalisation and oppression are examined in relation to class, race, ethnicity, gender and other forms of social inequality.Case study chapters in the earlier edition on working with immigrants, Indigenous people, women...

The following paper discusses my experiences of coordinating a community development project to develop collaborative links between a mental health and a sexual assault service. It presents a critically reflective description and analysis of this work to outline how post modern ideas were used to maximise the possibilities of using feminist frameworks in practice.

Critical reflection enables practitioners – especially those within health and social care –to theorise from their own practice, improving and developing their work and practising both creatively and professionally. This book provides an accessible overview of the influential Fook/Gardner Critical Reflection framework for students, researchers and professionals. It then presents a wide range of illustrative case studies from a variety of different health and social care settings, demonstrating how it can be used in effective and innovative practice around the world. By highlighting how professionals are actually using the Fook/Gardner model of critical reflection, it shares practical and resourceful ideas and provides specific theoretical and practical guidelines for use. It also further conceptualises and develops the theory of critical reflection by articulating underlying theory used in practice. The book also draws out particular issues for how critical reflection might be bette...

I enter the discussion on madness and psychiatrization through breathing the air and walking the halls of ‘benevolent’ institutions, such as child protection and psychiatry, institutions that produce "mental illness" through the psychiatrization of the people they are meant to support. This narrative provides an example of the ways in which child welfare organizations are both
sanist and racist in their organizing principles and in their interpretations of the needs and desires of Indigenous peoples. This narrative provides an example of my own shifting complicity within the relations of power in a particular ‘benevolent’ child protection agency, a narrative that uses autoethnographic knowledge and queers my lived experience in order to unwrap and make visible the normalizing connections between psychiatrization, colonialism, racialization, and adultism.

ABSTRACT This paper discusses a social work research project that used critical reflection as the method of inquiry to explore the problem of sexual assault practitioners' sense of powerlessness to bring about change in the legal system. Using critical reflection as both an educational tool and a research methodology enabled the practitioners who participated in this Australian research to privilege narratives of empowerment and change, through uncovering possibilities for envisaging personal agency to respond to legal system injustices. Deconstruction and reconstruction of the participants' accounts of their practice with victims/survivors indicated that critical reflection unearthed new ways to think about change and new ways to enhance change practices with the legal system. It is contended that critical reflection, as it was used in this research project, may have wider-ranging applicability to a broad spectrum of social work fields of practice and contexts, where structural factors appear to dominate and practitioners feel alienated from the means of social change

Numerous social workers discuss the importance of critical reflection and refer to its capacity as an educational tool to improve practice, yet there is relatively little evidence to support the claims made about the benefits of critical reflection by its proponents. This paper contributes to addressing this gap by reporting on the critically reflective educational process undertaken by one practitioner. The transformative learning gained by this practitioner provides a concrete example of how critical reflection improved her thinking about practice by increasing congruence between her espoused theoretical framework and her actual practice, and by creating opportunities for emancipatory practice within a context where she felt constrained to achieve critical practice aims. The paper suggests critical reflection is an important component of social work education.

This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the diverse and contested world of social work. It explores the key concepts and theoretical frameworks underpinning contemporary social work practice, as well as relevant professional skills and strategies from a critical perspective. In a rapidly changing world, it locates critical social work as a part of broader and ongoing struggles for social justice and human rights. Readers are encouraged to think about what social work is or should be, and what sort of social worker they would like to become. The book covers a broad range of topics, including the history and development of social work as a profession, values and ethics, theories for practice, and the fields and context of practice. Definitions of key terms, reflective exercises and case studies are integrated throughout the text. Written by a diverse team of experienced educators, this is a stimulating, rigorous and student-friendly resource.

Abstract: The following paper discusses my experiences of coordinating a community development project to develop collaborative links between a mental health and a sexual assault service. It presents a critically reflective description and analysis of this work to outline how post ...

The following paper discusses my experiences of coordinating a community development project to develop collaborative links between a mental health and a sexual assault service. It presents a critically reflective description and analysis of this work to outline how post modern ideas were used to maximise the possibilities of using feminist frameworks in practice.

People are aware that they cannot continue in the same old way but are immobilized because they cannot imagine an alternative. We need a vision that recognizes that we are at one of the great turning points in human history when the survival of our planet and the restoration of our humanity require a great sea change in our ecological, economic, political, and spiritual values. Activist, community leader Grace Lee Boggs (1998, p. 254) On February 7, 2019, newly elected U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and seasoned U.S. Senator Ed Markey released a plan for a Green New Deal, so named to inspire the stimulus package they propose for the United States to address pressing economic and environmental concerns. This Green New Deal outlines unprecedented investment in public works projects, financial reforms, and welfare programs to tackle climate change and related "systemic injustices." Consensus within the scientific community attributes the acceleration in global warming to human activity (Oreskes, 2004, p. 242, quoting World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) with devastating effects on human health and welfare due to pollution, drought, extreme cold and heat waves, more frequent and more powerful storms (e.g., hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and flooding; Gamble, Ebi, Grambsch, Sussman, & Wilbanks, 2008). Growing concern for climate change informed a November 2018 mandate for "Women and Climate Action" authored by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women and United Nations Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Mlambo-Ngcuka (2018) declared that "climate change and gender inequality are arguably two of the greatest sustainable development challenges of our time" (as cited in Brownworth, 2019). While the effects of climate change impact all people, gender inequality amplifies the effects of climate change for women and girls who, Mlambo-Ngcuka notes, make up 70% of people living in poverty worldwide and disproportionately perform unpaid care and domestic work which will likely increase with climate change (Brownworth, 2019). As Park and Miller (2006) argue, environmental disasters are hardly "natural." Marginalized populations who face intersecting structural inequalities are more likely to live and work in regions with higher

As a counter discourse, feminism puts women's experiences and the unequal relationships of patriarchy at the forefront of analysis, highlights gender inequalities entrenched in social institutions and policy, and draws attention to the organisation of society along gender specific lines that relegates women to the private sphere and reinforces inequalities. This article argues that feminist analyses remain crucial to any critical analysis of social policy. It examines the Howard government's neo liberal, neo conservative approach to social policy, and specifically its policy responses to family violence, which exemplifies the attacks it made on the previous gains made by women. By challenging the dominant discourse, feminist critiques can help bring about the social change necessary to transform patriarchal power structures and relations.

ABSTRACT This paper provides a practice-based research example of how critical reflection developed possibilities for emancipatory change. Specifically, it traces the experiential process of one practitioner who participated in a recent research project. This original research tested the possibilities for critical reflection to produce change in practitioners engaged in supporting victims/survivors of sexual assault in the context of the Australian criminal justice system. The paper contributes to addressing a gap that has been identified in the literature concerning a lack of empirical evidence to support the claims made about critical reflection by its proponents. The paper provides an empirical example of the deconstruction and reconstruction processes involved in the research that enabled this practitioner to overcome her initial sense of fatalism and powerlessness, to instead envision new ways to engage with adversity and creative strategies to work towards emancipatory change and social justice within a micro-practice context.

Critical reflection enables practitioners – especially those within health and social care –to theorise from their own practice, improving and developing their work and practising both creatively and professionally. This book provides an accessible overview of the influential Fook/Gardner Critical Reflection framework for students, researchers and professionals. It then presents a wide range of illustrative case studies from a variety of different health and social care settings, demonstrating how it can be used in effective and innovative practice around the world. By highlighting how professionals are actually using the Fook/Gardner model of critical reflection, it shares practical and resourceful ideas and provides specific theoretical and practical guidelines for use. It also further conceptualises and develops the theory of critical reflection by articulating underlying theory used in practice. The book also draws out particular issues for how critical reflection might be better practised within organisations, and develops a framework for a better understanding of this. The book is divided into four parts, discussing critical reflection in: Professional Practice, Supervision and Management, Research, and Education. Including an up-to-date overview of the framework written by Jan Fook, this helpful text makes a significant contribution in terms of the practical theorizing of critical reflection. It will be of use to health and social care professionals keen to practice creatively and effectively, especially those undertaking short courses or further development in supervision, critical reflection, advanced practice, and leadership and management.

A postcolonial feminist social work (PCFSW) perspective is an essential theoretical framework with which to analyze global food insecurity and proposed solutions to this urgent social problem. In this article, the PCFSW perspective is elaborated, and the arguments of two groups of global stakeholders that identify women’s empowerment and gender equity as crucial to the solution are presented and analyzed. The analysis concludes that food sovereignty aided by agroecology is most suited to social work as it is grounded in the concerns of peasant women, the group most affected by food insecurity and the proposed policies to combat this problem.