Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland
This study explores social workers’ experiences in a social service department in Greenland. The social workers described limiting factors, such as an absence of management and a dysfunctional interdisciplinary network. They described feelings of frustration and individualization, which are known st...
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Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador
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ftmemunijournals:oai:journals.library.mun.ca:article/1656 2024-04-07T07:52:47+00:00 Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland Arnfjord, Steven Hounsgaard, Lise 2015-12-17 application/pdf https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/1656 https://doi.org/10.48336/IJKJYX4156 eng eng Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/1656/1256 https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/1656 doi:10.48336/IJKJYX4156 Copyright (c) 2015 Steven Arnfjord, Lise Hounsgaard Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Polity, and Practice; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2015): Intersectionalities; 40–58 1925-1270 empowerment Greenland critical social work disempowerment info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Article 2015 ftmemunijournals https://doi.org/10.48336/IJKJYX4156 2024-03-13T02:22:50Z This study explores social workers’ experiences in a social service department in Greenland. The social workers described limiting factors, such as an absence of management and a dysfunctional interdisciplinary network. They described feelings of frustration and individualization, which are known stressors. We found that the social workers were in a disempowered position that hindered their management of key welfare services. Serious problems were found that could have consequences for professional social work with clients. By drawing upon the traditions behind critical social work in our discussion of the findings, we have furthered our understanding of the workers’ conditions. We point to issues at local, interdisciplinary, and societal levels. One solution will be to work collaboratively with social workers by using empowerment strategies to strengthen a critical consciousness within the profession. The development of a critical capacity is essential if social workers are to organize anti-oppressive practices and interdisciplinary co-operation, and to engage proactively in the future development of the Greenlandic welfare system. This can be accomplished by working with educated social workers in a union and by introducing more critical understandings at the student level. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland greenlandic Memorial University of Newfoundland: Electronic Journals Greenland |
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Open Polar |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland: Electronic Journals |
op_collection_id |
ftmemunijournals |
language |
English |
topic |
empowerment Greenland critical social work disempowerment |
spellingShingle |
empowerment Greenland critical social work disempowerment Arnfjord, Steven Hounsgaard, Lise Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland |
topic_facet |
empowerment Greenland critical social work disempowerment |
description |
This study explores social workers’ experiences in a social service department in Greenland. The social workers described limiting factors, such as an absence of management and a dysfunctional interdisciplinary network. They described feelings of frustration and individualization, which are known stressors. We found that the social workers were in a disempowered position that hindered their management of key welfare services. Serious problems were found that could have consequences for professional social work with clients. By drawing upon the traditions behind critical social work in our discussion of the findings, we have furthered our understanding of the workers’ conditions. We point to issues at local, interdisciplinary, and societal levels. One solution will be to work collaboratively with social workers by using empowerment strategies to strengthen a critical consciousness within the profession. The development of a critical capacity is essential if social workers are to organize anti-oppressive practices and interdisciplinary co-operation, and to engage proactively in the future development of the Greenlandic welfare system. This can be accomplished by working with educated social workers in a union and by introducing more critical understandings at the student level. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Arnfjord, Steven Hounsgaard, Lise |
author_facet |
Arnfjord, Steven Hounsgaard, Lise |
author_sort |
Arnfjord, Steven |
title |
Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland |
title_short |
Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland |
title_full |
Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Problems of Professional Disempowerment: An Initial Study of Social Work Conditions in Greenland |
title_sort |
problems of professional disempowerment: an initial study of social work conditions in greenland |
publisher |
Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/1656 https://doi.org/10.48336/IJKJYX4156 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland greenlandic |
genre_facet |
Greenland greenlandic |
op_source |
Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Polity, and Practice; Vol. 4 No. 1 (2015): Intersectionalities; 40–58 1925-1270 |
op_relation |
https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/1656/1256 https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/1656 doi:10.48336/IJKJYX4156 |
op_rights |
Copyright (c) 2015 Steven Arnfjord, Lise Hounsgaard |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.48336/IJKJYX4156 |
_version_ |
1795668270756397056 |