Asian Social Work Journal

Challenges of the Provision of Professional Supervision in Facilitating Best Practice in Child Protection Services

2025-07-13T12:00:10+08:00

Supervision is an important component in social worker practice. The provision of professional supervision is crucial to ensure the delivering of better quality child protection services. The study aims to explore the experience of supervision, specifically the views of respondents on the challenges of the provision of professional supervision in facilitating best practice in child protection services. A cross-sectional design utilizing an exploratory-descriptive qualitative method is identified for this study. The respondents of the study comprise of individuals work within a statutory child protection agency and individuals from non-statutory child protection setting but within other related professional bodies and services systems in relation to child protection. Findings indicate the lacking of a structured and systematic professional supervision, poor supervision in relation to a routinized ‘technical’ operational provision of supervision as well as lack of qualified social work supervisors are some of the most challenging situations in the provision of professional supervision in child proetecion services. The findings also recognize the importance of professional supervision in facilitating and sustaining best practice in child protection services. These findings have great relevance to the organization’s human resource strategic planning and capacity building in the area of social work child protection practice. It can also be a platform and support on the need to develop a more structured professional supervision courses and trainings in the country.

Barriers and Enablers in Implementing SDGs Through Community Empowerment Programs

2025-07-31T22:25:59+08:00

This article discusses the effectiveness of the implementation of community empowerment programs managed by Lazismu East Java in supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the management of zakat, infaq, shadaqa, and partnership (ZISKA). With a qualitative case study approach, this study identifies internal and external factors that affect Lazismu's performance, including human resources, institutional networks, stakeholder support, and applicable regulations. Although Lazismu has enormous potential in fund management and organizational networks, the implementation of empowerment programs still tends to be pseudo-community empowerment, namely empowerment that is symbolic and has not touched the root of the community's structural problems. Additional issues encompass insufficient resources, inadequate monitoring and evaluation of initiatives, and suboptimal management of socio-economic and technological impacts. This report recommends that Indonesia implement internal reforms, enhance institutional capacity, and employ macrosocial workers to develop more effective, sustainable, and structurally oriented empowerment models that facilitate inclusive growth.

Conceptualization of Best Practice Approach to Professional Supervision in Child Protection Services Within a Statutory Agency in Malaysia

2025-07-31T22:26:41+08:00

The care, safety and protection of children is a shared responsibilitiy of the whole society. Government policies such as the National Child Protection Policy have emphasized the importance of collaboration among agencies as well as with the informal care system (families, neighbours and communities) to facilitate children are appropriately protected from maltreatment and its consequences. In recent times, there is an increasing awareness of the complexity of the jigsaw components of best practice in relation to child protection and the important roles of professionally trained social work child protection workers in addressing these complexities. One of the import provision to best practice in child protection is professional supervision. In relation to this, the understanding of the overall conceptualization of best practice approach to professional supervision in child protection services within a statutory agency in Malaysia is hence important. The paper discusses the concepts of supervision, child protection and best practice in child protection services. It recognises that social work child protection workers within the statutory child protection system in Malaysia, particularly frontline workers urgently require supported and valuing work environment, that encourages professional development and supervision to facilitate their provision of best practice child protection services.

Implementation of SDGs in Community Empowerment by an Islamic Philanthropic Institution

2025-07-13T12:01:27+08:00

This study investigates the function of Islamic philanthropic organizations—specifically, the East Java Lazismu Representative Office—in promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) via community empowerment. This research used a qualitative case-study methodology to evaluate Lazismu's governance, operational issues, and program alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, employing theoretical frameworks from Pierre Bourdieu and Jim Ife. Research indicates that Lazismu's community empowerment programs, organised around the pillars of education, health, social welfare, economic development, humanitarian efforts, and environmental sustainability, substantially advance SDG objectives, including poverty alleviation and the promotion of quality education. Nonetheless, implementation primarily retains a benevolent nature, demonstrating restricted participatory and transformative empowerment. Primary challenges encompass insufficient oversight, variable implementation of operating standards, and internal disputes concerning fund allocation. Despite Lazismu's strong social connections and collaboration among stakeholders, the empowerment process must incorporate greater community engagement and skill enhancement to foster enduring, self-sustaining growth within the community. The research emphasises prospects for augmenting effect via enhanced governance and participatory methodologies.

Intergenerational Support from Adult Children on Cognitive Function in Chinese Older Adults: The Chain Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction and Depression

2025-08-12T09:15:45+08:00

Against China’s rapid aging and cognitive decline concerns, this study explores intergenerational support’s role in older adults’ cognitive health. While family support is central to Chinese eldercare, whether life satisfaction and depressive symptoms mediate this link—especially across urban-rural areas—remains unclear. Data from the nationally representative CHARLS 2020 dataset (n=3,136, aged ≥60). Pearson correlations, PROCESS macro (5,000 bootstraps), and propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance urban-rural covariates and test mediation heterogeneity. In this sample, intergenerational support correlated positively with cognitive function (r=0.123, p<0.01) and life satisfaction (r=0.064, p<0.01), and negatively with depressive symptoms (r=-0.129, p<0.01). Life satisfaction inversely linked to depression (r=-0.275), which associated with poorer cognition (r=-0.275, p<0.01). Regression showed direct effects of support on cognition (β=0.166, p<0.001), with stronger indirect effects through depressive symptoms (β=0.021) than life satisfaction (β=0.015). Serial mediation (support→satisfaction→depression→cognition) was significant (β=0.013). Depression-mediated effects were marginally stronger in rural subgroups (β=0.082) than urban subgroups (β=0.076). Intergenerational adult children’s support can effectively promote cognitive health among older adults by enhancing life satisfaction and alleviating depression. Life satisfaction and depressive symptoms act as key mediators in this process.

Exploring Online Interaction through Connectivism: A Case Study of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Learners

2025-08-12T11:42:05+08:00

Spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, learning dynamics have changed as learners are no longer confined to a traditional education setting. Considering the Connectivism learning theory, this study explores English as a Second Language (ESL) learners’ perceptions of online learning, focusing on online interaction and Connectivism. The Connectivism learning theory provides a framework for understanding learning in the digital age, whereby the learning process happens when individuals connect and interact with information, technology, and other people virtually. A quantitative study was conducted using a five-point Likert Scale questionnaire with 22 items and distributed via Google Forms to 75 UiTM undergraduates. Results indicate that peer support is vital in learner-to-learner interaction and connectedness in online learning. Next, the instructor's teaching style, choice, and use of online platforms are critical in fostering engagement. Meanwhile, course content overview, ease of content, and activities are essential for openness in online learning or learner-to-content interaction. Significant implications of the study include the need to incorporate more collaborative learning, the importance of identifying effective online teaching strategies, and ensuring more suitable, inclusive, and accessible content for ESL learners.

Determinants of Adolescent Buprenorphine/Naloxone Abuse

2025-08-12T18:44:57+08:00

Street heroin completely disappeared from the black market in 2019 in Bandung, Indonesia. This situation occurred because many heroin abusers switched to the more readily available and cheaper buprenorphine/naloxone. The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that encourage adolescents to engage in buprenorphine/naloxone drug abuse. Qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach was used. In-depth interviews were conducted from September to November 2021 with 13 male and 4 female students as informants. The research findings showed that all research informants had a history of drug abuse since elementary and middle school. Before being addicted to buprenorphine/naloxone, informants were already addicted to drugs, some were even at the level of hardcore addiction or severe addiction. Factors that encouraged informants to abuse drugs included a negative environment at home, among friends and school, and ineffective communication between children and parents. In everyday life, apart from peers, informants also have older friends who have a negative influence. Informants also have low self-control as indicated by drug taking.

Effective Strategies for Early Prevention of Substance Use Disorder Among Adolescents

2025-08-12T19:16:42+08:00

Street heroin disappeared completely from the black market in 2019 in Bandung, Indonesia. This is because many heroin abusers are switching to buprenorphine/naloxone, which is more readily available and cheaper. A decade ago, Yayasan Grapiks—a non-governmental organization that works to reduce the negative effects of heroin—reported that 61 students were actively injecting buprenorphine/naloxone. Based on the report, researchers were prompted to conduct a study to analyze the background of non-heroin-addicted adolescents who were abusing buprenorphine/naloxone in Greater Bandung. Another objective is to explore appropriate strategies for early prevention of drug abuse among adolescents. Qualitative methodology with a phenomenological approach was used. In-depth interviews were conducted from September to November 2021 with 13 male and 4 female students as informants. The findings of the study show that all the informants of the study have a history of drug abuse since primary and secondary school. Before addiction to buprenorphine/naloxone, the informants were already addicted to drugs, some were even at the stage of hardcore addiction or severe addiction. Early prevention of drug abuse among adolescents is to create a positive environment at school and at home to prevent adolescents from becoming involved in drug abuse.

Rebuilding Lives: A Conceptual Paper on Social Work Practice and Peer Support in the Recovery of Women with MDD

2025-08-13T08:54:18+08:00

This concept paper explores the synergistic role of social work practice and peer support in facilitating the recovery of women living with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Grounded in the CHIME Recovery Framework and Role Theory, the paper conceptualizes recovery as a holistic and empowering journey driven by personal agency, community integration, and psychosocial support. It highlights the unique vulnerabilities and psychosocial burdens faced by women, while advocating for recovery-oriented, peer-inclusive models of care that promote meaning, connection, and empowerment. The paper emphasizes the need to strengthen the role of social workers in Malaysia, through professional recognition, systemic support, and integration into community-based mental health services. By presenting a conceptual synthesis of theory, practice, and local context, this paper aims to guide policy development and future research in building inclusive and person-centered mental health recovery systems.