Prospectiva. Revista de Trabajo Social e Intervención Social
PROSPECTIVA is a journal of Social Work and social intervention that publishes on a continuous basis, with two issues per volume (year). Its interests are the development of social thought and contemporary social work, in particular that of Latin America, and the dissemination of knowledge that contributes to processes of social transformation.
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms: - Authors assign the patrimonial rights to the journal and to Universidad del Valle on accepted manuscripts, but may make any reuse they deem pertinent for professional, educational, academic or scientific reasons, in accordance with the terms of the license granted by the journal to all its articles. The journal publishes articles under the Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International) license.
Decoloniality and methodologies of knowledge production in Social Work: The resurgence of the systematization of social experiences and practices
In this article a reflection is made about the coloniality of knowledge and its impact on hegemonic forms of knowledge production within the field of Social Work. From a decolonial perspective, the neoliberal and Eurocentric academic rationality is problematized, which defines the criteria of scientific validity, hierarchizes epistemologies, and marginalizes situated knowledges emerging from professional practice. It aims to recover the systematization of experiences and social practices as a critical methodology historically linked to the identity of Latin American Social Work—which allow not only to understand practices, but also the production of ethical, political, and transformative knowledge. Through the theoretical review the tensions among university, academia, and discipline are analyzed. It also presents a discussion of methodological principles structured in phases, foundations, and tools that enhance systematization as an epistemic counter-hegemonic strategy. Finally, a reading is proposed that explains under which conditions systematization can operate as a counter-hegemonic epistemic strategy in Social Work—not because of the method itself but through its ethical-political orientation, the legitimacy dispute that it sustains, affirming it as a situated way to produce critical knowledge from practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Prospectiva. Revista de Trabajo Social e Intervención Social https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Social services for homeless people in Santa Cruz de Tenerife: an approach based on the Outreach model
Homelessness represents one of the most extreme forms of social exclusion, resulting from the interaction of structural, institutional, relational, and individual factors. Mobile Outreach Units operate as key mechanisms for contact, engagement, and direct service delivery within the Outreach model. This article presents the results of a study carried out in Santa Cruz de Tenerife during 2023 to analyze the relationships between different types of care, to identify differences by sex, origin, type of Mobile Outreach Unit /UMA), use of housing resources and the presence of an Individualized Care Plan (PAI). It was also proposed to explore geographical variations, to identify user profiles according to the frequency and nature of interventions, as well as to examine seasonal trends in service provision. A quantitative, non-experimental, observational, descriptive, and retrospective study was carried out based on 450 service users and 28,416 recorded interventions. Nonparametric analyses, Spearman correlations, cluster analysis (k-means), and monthly trend analyses were applied following a rigorous process of debugging, categorizing, and verifying the consistency of records. The results showed that UMA 1 concentrated 73,7 % of attentions while UMA 2 concentrated 26,3 %. Positive correlations were observed between most of the actions, which demonstrated that the UAMs constitute an essential resource for social care in homelessness. The findings provide evidence to improve service planning and to tailor interventions from a gender-sensitive, intercultural, and intersectional perspective. Further mixed methods of research are recommended.
Sustainable local development in a rural community: social praxis through community management in Otuzco, Perú
This article analyzes how community management contributes to sustainable local development in a rural community, based on the experience of the inhabitants of Francisco Bolognesi, province of Otuzco, in Perú. The study recognizes that sustainable local development is not limited to technical or economic processes, but constitutes a social construction based on community practices, collective organization and relationship with the territory. In this context, community management is approached as a social praxis that articulates economic, social, and environmental dimensions, expressed in local leadership, organizational capacity, and articulation with State initiatives. The objective of the research is to analyze local sustainable development from community management, considering its economic, social and environmental dimensions. The study corresponds to basic research, with a non-experimental explanatory design and a mixed approach. The sample was made up of the 41 families of the Francisco Bolognesi community. Inductive-deductive, analytical-synthetic, and statistical methods were used. A questionnaire, an interview guide and an interview record were applied for data collection, which allowed obtaining quantitative and qualitative information. The results show that community management plays a central role in sustainable local development, reflected in economic, social and environmental advances, especially through the strengthening of community leadership, collective organization and articulation with State projects. It is concluded that community management constitutes a key axis for sustainable local development in rural contexts.
Homelessness in Latin America (2013-2023): Perspectives and Interventions
Homelessness is a complex phenomenon arising from the convergence of three factors: low income, lack of human development and social exclusion. This study analyses scientific articles on homelessness in Latin America based on a systematic review of literature from five databases from 2013 to 2023. In terms of output, the subject has received limited coverage, despite growing interest since 2017. The focus remains largely economic and class-based without incorporating a gender perspective, a critical approach to neoliberalism and patriarchy, or an intersectional analysis. The care system for the homeless is based on the need-resource model, emphasising the welfare-based approach that remains prevalent in social work. Four areas of intervention related to multidimensional poverty stand out: basic care, housing, occupational therapy, and harm reduction.
Attitudes towards Research (EACIN-R): Psychometric Evidence of Social Workers in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia
The aim of this article is to report the psychometric properties of the Scale of Attitudes towards Research-Revised version in a Colombian population sample. Two instrumental quantitative studies were conducted using a cross-sectional survey methodology. In the first study, the questionnaire was applied to 141 university students, and in the second to 159 students, all belonging to the Social Work program of a private university institution in Cartagena de Indias. The data were subjected to internal consistency and factor structure analysis through exploratory factor analysis (AFE) and confirmatory factor analysis (AFC). The results of the AFE allowed reducing the scale maintaining three dimensions, which were tested by the AFC. The final version of the instrument consisted of 27 items and three dimensions. The model was deemed appropriate according to the goodness-of-fit indices and the reliability coefficients obtained for each subscale and the total scale. This instrument is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the predisposition to research in university students of Social Work in the city.
Copyright (c) 2024 Nicolás Álvarez-Merlano https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Impact of the Chilean military dictatorship on social workers in the Provident Funds: a look at our social welfare (1960-1990)
This article reviews a variety of statesmen from social workers and other officials belonging to the area of social welfare in Chile, during the transition from the system of Provident Funds to the establishment of the AFP individual capitalization system (Administrator of the Pension Fund) during the 1980s in the context of the military dictatorship. The main objective is to understand the impact that this key event has on the profession of social work and social security profession in Chile up to the present.
Copyright (c) 2024 PROSPECTIVA. Revista de Trabajo Social e Intervención Social https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Perceptions and attitudes towards the environment among Social Work students at the University of Alicante, Spain
Social Work is a discipline committed to the well-being of people and the planet. It is a profession that, over the years, has internalized environmental problems as part of its theoretical and practical dialectic. The global crises have brought about a paradigm shift that influences the approach to current social problems. Universities and social work training promote the incorporation of an environmental, critical, and sustainable approach to social and environmental problems. This empirical study of quantitative design and descriptive and explanatory purpose aims to understand the perceptions and attitudes towards the environment by students of the Degree in Social Work of the University of Alicante (Spain) and their perceptions and attitudes about the relationship between environment and social work. The study was carried out through an ad hoc questionnaire composed of 11 questions and 23 measurement variables. Data was analyzed through SPSS. A total of 102 students aged between 20 and 49 participated. The results show students' recognition of and concern for environmental problems, taking into account personal, cultural, and political factors that influence these perceptions, as well as the associations between their attitudes and perceptions and the perception of their own behavior towards the environment. It concludes with the need to strengthen ecosocial thinking in students of Social Work and incorporate their knowledge into professional practice.
Copyright (c) 2025 PROSPECTIVA. Revista de Trabajo Social e Intervención Social https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The challenges of Social Work compared to the expressions of the Social Question in Brazil and Portugal in the first quarter of the 21st century
Social work is a profession and a scientific area that acts on the contradictions between capital and labor and on the expressions and refractions of the social question. This article elaborates a critical reflection on the trajectory of Social Work in Brazil and Portugal in the first quarter of the 21st century. The approach consists of a critical and historical analysis of the development of social work, adopting a methodology based on literature review of the legal frameworks associated with this development, in order to understand and critically expose the contemporary challenges of the profession over the last 25 years. It appears that, in both countries, although marked by different specificities and multidimensional contexts, social work has sought to reaffirm and strengthen its identity, defending especially in Brazil an ethical-political project committed to the working class that guides action (e.g., the promotion of human rights), which has been weakened by the predominance of a neoliberal model generating greater social inequalities, amplifying the expressions of the so-called social question. The current situation, which is highly complex and marked by multiple crises, poses significant challenges to the mission and principles of action of social work. It is therefore necessary for the professional to commit himself to a transformative and emancipating project capable of generating and overcoming states of deprivation through equitable social justice.
Action 2.0: a serious game for the psychosocial formation of Social Workers in distance learning in Colombia
Gamification, through game design strategies applied in distance learning environments, facilitates the development of specific disciplinary competencies. This article examines the use of serious play Action 2.0 by Social Work students in distance learning to enhance psychosocial skills development. The methodology used was quantitative, using a comparative design between exposed and non-exposed groups to the serious game Action 2.0, composed of 46 students selected by sampling for convenience. The participants discussed potential situations in Social Work, which involve encountering challenges and narratives that require skills like active listening, self-recognition, empathy, and effective communication. As a result, a cognitive-behavioral pedagogical framework based on the ADDIE model (specification, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) was consolidated, demonstrating high adherence that can create an addiction to serious games. This confirms that serious play is a tool that strengthens the professional and psychosocial competencies of Social Work students, which also provides valuable feedback for the design of future educational interventions.
Interrelated violence in multispecies families: a challenge for the Social Work approach
This article presents the findings of the research on interrelated violence and the view from Social Work, completed in Colombia in March 2024. It is a qualitative study, situated in the hermeneutic paradigm, and under a documentary review of digital press news in Spanish-speaking countries, a categorical delimitation was made that from the analysis points out as axes of results: the typification of violence in a time window between 2016 to 2024, the context of the social problem, the subjective position of the victims, aggressor and zoo-lidarian community, the care routes for gender violence and animal abuse, and the challenges for the approach from Social Work. In this sense, the main findings refer that in the international framework the countries in which there was a greater trend of interrelated violence were Spain followed by Mexico, and at the national level in the city of Cali followed by Bogota; the way in which gender-based violence, domestic violence or animal abuse are typified - seen in an isolated and not convergent manner, which reduces the connotation of interrelated violence; and the challenges of Social Work for the psychosocial approach.
Perception of healthcare social work practice by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. A study by the Costa del Sol Health Agency in Malaga, Spain
Health Social Work was considered as an essential profesional space in the context of COVID-19 to ensure the well-being of people. This research investigates the perception that interdisciplinary health professionals have about the Social Work professionals of the Costa del Sol Health Agency of the city of Málaga. (Spain). A quantitative methodology was used; it was developed through a descriptive design, using a structured questionnaire administered online during the second half of 2022 (n=246). The results obtained show revealed that the professional practice of Social workers working in the health field responds to a task of support, help, and collaboration that solves problems through empathy and coordination. Among the main conclusions, the relevance of this profession’s response in the hospital environment, that requires greater recognition in the healthcare field is highlighted.
Representaciones sociales sobre los roles de género en juventudes rurales: Un estudio colaborativo desde la escuela y la familia en Neiva, Colombia
Los planteles educativos rurales constituyen escenarios centrales en la configuración de las representaciones sociales que orientan las relaciones de género y las formas de convivencia juvenil. Allí, las experiencias de vida construidas en la interacción entre familia, escuela y comunidad reproducen roles de género tradicionales que inciden en la desigualdad, la exclusión y diversas expresiones de violencia simbólica. Desde esta perspectiva, se asume el contexto rural como una categoría cuyas dinámicas culturales y relacionales influyen en la construcción de género. Este artículo presenta los resultados de una investigación cualitativa desarrollada desde un enfoque crítico-social con diseño de etnografía colaborativa. La producción de información se realizó mediante cartografía corporal, entrevistas semiestructuradas y fotografía participativa, instrumentos que permitieron explorar las experiencias, significados y prácticas asociadas a los roles de género en jóvenes rurales de una zona veredal del municipio de Neiva (Huila). El análisis se llevó a cabo a través de la teoría fundamentada, mediante procesos de codificación y categorización. Los resultados evidencian que las representaciones sociales sobre género y roles de género se configuran principalmente en el ámbito familiar reforzándose en espacios escolares y comunitarios rurales, afectando las relaciones individuales y sociales, naturalizando jerarquías y mandatos de género. El estudio visibiliza la necesidad de diseñar estrategias de intervención contextualizadas que reconozcan las particularidades de la ruralidad, fortalezcan el trabajo con las familias y promuevan prácticas educativas inclusivas orientadas a la equidad de género y la prevención de violencias.
Tierra Grata: An example of territorialization and peacebuilding in post-conflict Colombia
This research article aims to make visible the conflict transformation initiatives driven by people in the process of reintegration. For this purpose, the former Territorial Training and Reintegration Area (ETCR) currently known as Vereda Tierra Grata, municipality of Manaure, Cesar, is taken into context. The research was developed from a qualitative approach, using an ethnographic design that allowed direct contact with the community and the application of semi-structured interviews. This methodological approach facilitated the understanding of the various strategies for transforming the conflict and strengthening the social tissue. Among them, territorialization and community rootedness stand out, which have contributed significantly to the process of reincorporation of the 162 signatories of the agreement that came to Tierra Grata. These initiatives represent a hopeful example within the complex Colombian post-conflict landscape.
Cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Imaginary Questionnaire on Social Work in the Colombian Caribbean
This study aims to analyze the cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Questionnaire of Imaginaries on Social Work in the general population of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. A quantitative study with descriptive-instrumental scope was divided into two phases: an exploratory analysis with 65 participants and a confirmatory analysis with 100 participants. Validation of the questionnaire included linguistic adaptation, expert judgment, and factor analysis. The findings suggest that the adapted version exhibits adequate validity indices, internal structure, and reliability, with a three-dimensional structure: Socio-vocational Commitment, Ignorance about the profession, and Bureaucratic Management. Factorial reorganization reveals a close relationship between the vocation of service and social justice, thus consolidating a single factor. It is concluded that the adapted version of the questionnaire constitutes a reliable and valid tool in terms of structure to measure the social imaginaries on Social Work in the Colombian context, with relevant implications for the discipline and professional training.
Community Water Management from the Participation of Peasant Women, in the Municipality of Timbío-Cauca, Colombia
Community Water Management in Rural Areas has been strengthened through the recognition and the spaces that rural women are gaining. These women have waged struggles in their territories for water for their communities. Through activities inherent to rural life and intercultural exchange, they have secured spaces for political, economic, social, and environmental participation, making their voices visible through positions, arguments, actions, and discourses that bring to light the real needs of their territories, within processes of resistance rooted in their own actions. The qualitative approach methodology analyzed realities within their contexts, interpreting the meanings and roles each woman plays in water management processes, their perspectives on social, cultural, and political issues, and their standpoints for both mitigating and raising their voices in the face of this reality. Information was collected through visits during different stages of the process, gatherings were held, and stories and lived experiences were gathered from the diversity of their roles. The findings reveal the situation of rural women in their contexts, the challenges they face daily, the stereotypes with which they have been labeled, their resistance and leadership in decision-making, and the ways they define, from their own thinking, categories that identify them. The conclusions highlight and acknowledge situations such as the absence of the State in the management of rural aqueducts, the different systems of oppression, discrimination, and types of violence that seek to overshadow the role they play in their communities and in society.
Gender-Based Violence: An Analysis of Narratives and Experiences Among University Couples. Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia
The objective of this study was to analyze gender-based violence in heterosexual intimate relationships among female students at the Pedagogical and Technological University of Colombia, based on their narratives and experiences, with an emphasis on the types of violence and their relational dynamics. The methodology was qualitative, interpretive in scope, and based on a case study design; data collection techniques included semi-structured interviews and focus groups, conducted with 40 participants selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The results revealed that gender-based violence in intimate partner relationships manifests as systematic and progressive relational practices, primarily through psychological, symbolic, sexual, economic, and patrimonial violence, in which mechanisms of control, coercion, dependency, abuse, and normalized concepts of distress are evident. These behaviors do not manifest as isolated or episodic events, but rather as relational practices that consolidate asymmetrical relationships, reinforcing patterns of subordination and hindering the recognition and termination of the violent bond. Likewise, it was identified that these types of transgressions operate as mechanisms for the progressive erosion of bodily autonomy, self-esteem, and the capacity for agency.
Recognition and appropriation of rights among Mayanwomen in the context of a solidarity economy: the case ofthe Solares Collective on the peninsula of Yucatán, Mexico
In Latin America, the solidarity economy is proposed as an alternative to prevailing development models, articulating productive practices with cooperation, self-management, and sustainability. In the Yucatán Peninsula, Mayan women play a fundamental role in the family economy and in the transmission of cultural knowledge, generating collective processes that transcend the economic. This study analyzes the experience of the Solares collective organization, established in Sotuta in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a self-employment strategy through the recovery of backyard gardens for self-consumption and the marketing of agrochemical-free agricultural products. The research was conducted with a qualitative approach, combining seven months of participant observation and four in-depth interviews with the founders, complemented by narrative analysis using ATLAS.ti 25. The results indicate that participation in Solares fosters subjectivation processes, where women redefine their personal time, access leisure and self-care, and build mutual support networks. At the same time, forms of appropriation and recognition of rights emerge: participants exercise collective deliberation, manage their own resources, and expand their economic and social autonomy, challenging traditional gender norms.
Coexistence of models of protection in public policy for children in Chile: Towards a rights perspective
This article reflects on the models of protection that guide public policy on for children in Chile, paying particular attention to the theoretical and epistemological foundations. that support its assessment. From a critical perspective and with a focus on rights, it is argued that evaluation practices should not be understood as exclusively technical procedures, but rather as expressions of conceptual-epistemological constructions that shape ways of interpreting the child as a subject, state action, and public responsibility. It is assumed that that the effectiveness of protection models depends on the coherence and robustness of their theoretical-epistemological frameworks, as well as on the institutional capacity of the state to ensure stable and articulated planning processes, along with consistent implementation that aligns with these frameworks. Given the evidence of instability, discontinuity, and insufficient integration in the policies evaluated, an analytical matrix is proposed that allows to recognize the evaluative rationalities at play and their contribution—or lack thereof—to the construction of a system of protection that is, integral, sustainable, and focused on children and their rights.
Aging in Institutions: A Literature Review on the Psychosocial Effects of Institutionalization of Older Adults in Colombia
This article presents a qualitative literature review aimed at understanding the psychosocial effects of institutionalization of the elderly in Colombia, through the analysis of academic publications made between 2015-2025. From an interpretive perspective, the main dimensions that shape the experience of ageing in institutional contexts are examined, recognizing that this process is influenced by human rights factors, the cultural perspectives, and gender relations present in the life history of older people. Thus, the categories of analysis include: self-image, self-esteem, and psychological well-being; family dynamics and institutionalization; support networks and social support; psychosocial factors; mental health and ageism; living conditions and socioeconomic context; and, finally, cultural, gender, and human rights perspectives. The study reveals that institutional aging substantially impacts autonomy, identity, and sense of belonging of elderly people due to the loss of family ties, the persistence of social stigmas associated with old age, and also institutional dynamics focused on rigid and homogeneous care routines. Likewise, factors such as emotional, disengagement, migration, and economic precariousness determine admission to geriatric care facilities. In contrast, family and community support networks act as protective factors against the isolation and loneliness of the elderly. It is concluded that it is necessary to transform geriatric institutions into spaces oriented toward the recognition, participation, and guarantee of rights, overcoming traditional assistencialist approaches.
Women’s Participation in the Construction Industry in Colombia: Two Generational Perspectives
This study aimed to analyze the participation of women in the construction sector in Colombia, comparing the experiences of professionals experienced in the guild with the perceptions of students of management of civil works and construction management programs. Methodologically, a qualitative approach was used with cross-sectional design not experimental, from two generational perspectives. The sample was determined with 20 experienced professional women and 20 young female students for a total of 40. The data was collected using an online form and then a content analysis was carried out by iterative coding. The codes were created from semantic and conceptual similarities. From a comprehensive examination of these codes, subsequently grouped by thematic affinities, three central categories emerged: Male tradition, wage and labour equity and female strengths. This process took place in two distinct phases: first with the sample of experienced professional women and then with the young student population. Then a systematic contrast was made to identify and describe similar perceptions and identify the main differences between the two groups.
Caring and Resisting in the Territory: Mental Health and Care in Afro-Descendant Rural Communities in Lopez de Micay, Colombia
This study aimed to understand the constitutive elements of mental health and the caregiving practices developed by six community mothers, between 30 and 60 years old, residing in the suburb of Chuare, in López de Micay, Colombia. A qualitative methodology was employed, using the Photovoice technique; through reflexive thematic analysis, recurring patterns were identified, enabling the construction of meaningful categories based on the participants’ experiences. The findings reveal that the participants hold a multifaceted understanding of the concept of care and mental health in relation to motherhood, health, and well-being. The study thus demonstrates that care and mental health are shaped by situated and relational practices that are deeply influenced by gender, culture, and territory. In this sense, community mothers emerge as fundamental agents in fostering collective well-being, integrating traditional knowledge, affective bonds, and daily practices that sustain life.
Resignifying the Field of Family in Social Work Education:
This paper is part of the research project: Family training for social workers in programs in the Western Pacific region affiliated with CONETS, 2023. It aims to understand the concept of family in training process for Social Work, which will strengthen teaching, research, and practice processes, resignifying knowledge to improve the training of students in this discipline. To this end, relevant data related to training were analyzed from two lines of reflection: the first, places of knowledge in the family (individual and family, theories and intervention processes, transversality); and the second, tensions between theoretical and theoretical-practical modalities in training. The general conclusion is that family training must take into account the social reality of the context, validate its diversity through interdisciplinary curricula, unravel power mechanisms in family representations, and construct discourses from the relational democratization with ethical and political commitment in professional education training.
Social Work and the gender order: reconfiguration efforts from the Universidad del Valle, Cali-Colombia
This article aims to analyze the role of social work in the processes of reconfiguring the gender order at the Universidad del Valle. The gender order, as a social and symbolic structure that organizes the particular way in which higher education institutions operate, is based on social relations and power relations that traverse the bodies, sexualities, and identities of the subjects who inhabit these settings. The article is part of doctoral research that studied the case of this public higher education institution and the configuration and reconfiguration of its gender order between 1980 and 2020. The research was guided by feminist ethnography and historical sociology approaches and built knowledge through document review and interviews with women from the University with academic and activist backgrounds. In doing so, it identified significant moments in each of the four decades observed that have an impact on the continuous movement of the gender order, allowing us to glimpse the active and persistent presence of the profession and discipline of social work, through its teaching staff, in processes that confront and fracture the androcentric order of the Universidad del Valle. It is a disciplinary space akin to alternative epistemologies, problematizing power structures motivated by the capacity for agency and academic and intellectual influence of female professors who imbue each space with disciplinary meaning.
Intermediate internships in the training of Social Workers at a religious university in Chile
The article examines the intermediate social work practices as scenarios in which key dimensions of vocational training are articulated and stressed. It is proposed that these spaces allow o problematize institutional, ethical and methodological challenges, and explore different ways of understanding the critical thinking in the disciplinary field. The research adopts a qualitative approach, cross-sectional design and descriptive scope, based on the analysis of practice reports and focus groups with students of the Adventist University of Chile. Through interpretative strategies, it is investigated how students express their experiences in the face of challenges presented at the different levels of professional intervention defined by the curricular network. The study shows that intermediate practices oscillate between the technical application of models and the construction of critical positions, revealing formative tensions around the use of theory, professional role and dialogue with the institutional approach. Among the training challenges identified, the following stand out: the need to deepen the epistemological and political understanding of theoretical frameworks, strengthen structural analysis and promote a critical reflection on the professional role oriented towards social transformation.
Professional internships of Social Work students at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellin, Colombia: importance, challenges, and lessons learned
For the Social Work Program at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB), professional practice is consolidated as a fundamental process through which future professionals not only materialize the epistemological, theoretical, and methodological elements acquired in their training, they also develop and acquire new skills inherent in the occupational profile, which contributes to their comprehensive development. This article is the result of a qualitative research, with historical-hermeneutic methodological approach, from a documentary strategy, and with information collected through a questionnaire. The objective is to reveal the importance, challenges, and learning of UPB Social Work students in their professional practices between 2018 and 2023. The findings highlight the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that spurred innovation, mainly technological mediation and questioning of traditional paradigms. The direct contributions of the practices to Social Work fields, institutions, and communities are highlighted; the challenges are related to administrative, training-curricular, and research-intervention challenges; learning is identified within the framework of being, knowing, doing, and know-how. In addition, the professional practices contribute directly to the curricular management, nourish the disciplinary reflection by connecting the academy with social reality, and strengthen the professional and human skills of future Social Workers, preparing them to face complex challenges with flexibility, recursively and a deep commitment to justice and social transformation.
Contributions, challenges and lessons learned from the practices.
Impact of traditional games on the social inclusion of migrant minors in Tudela- Navarre, Spain
This study analyses the impact of an intervention based on traditional games on the social inclusion and cultural cohesion of migrant minors living in a reception center. The objective was to assess to what extent the guided practice of traditional games promotes interaction, sense of belonging and cultural awareness in contexts of diversity. The methodology used was a quasi-experimental design with pre and post measurements without a control group, developed in a center managed by the Red Cross in Tudela with the participation of 13 migrant children between 6 and 17 years old. The data collection tools included standardized questionnaires, participant observation and a structured checklist aimed at recording collaborative, communication and compliance behaviours. The results showed a significant improvement in the quality of social relations and group cohesion, especially among children with low initial interaction. There was also an increase in knowledge of Spanish traditions and games and a more active participation in outdoor activities. However, family participation was limited, which is an area for future improvement. Despite the small sample, the results suggest that these interventions are effective and applicable in other cross-cultural contexts. Therefore, it is recommended to integrate traditional games as an educational resource to promote inclusion and improve coexistence in diverse environments.
Social Work Education: Student evaluations of teaching strategies in the Research and Development Nuclei at the University of Chile
In 2015, the Social Work program at the University of Chile was reopened with an innovative approach that integrates teaching, research, and intervention. Within this framework, the Research and Development Nuclei (R&D Nuclei) arise, curricular instances that combine classroom instruction, work with institutions and autonomous work. By 2023, 88 R&D Nucleus projects have been developed, involving students in training. Focusing on the didactical strategies implemented within the Nucleus, this study aims to identify which are the didactic strategies that, according to the students are mainly used for their training and what assessments they make of each strategy in terms of how they see them as contributing to their skills development. Through a quantitative design, based on a survey answered by students, this work, in terms of findings identifies that group meetings and tutoring with teachers tend to be recognized as central for disciplinary training. In terms of evaluations, students particularly value the teaching accompaniment, which would facilitate the development of research and intervention products and is considered essential for strengthening professional competencies. The paper concludes by discussing implications for a sustainable implementation of the R&D Nucleus model to support disciplinary training in Social Work.
Protection and gender violence: Experience of a group of dual devices users in Córdoba, Argentina
This article recounts an experience of participant observation within the framework of a doctoral research process on protection policies in gender-based violence. The experience was carried out between May and August 2023 in Córdoba-Argentina, a state institution dedicated to addressing gender-based violence. Observations were developed in workshops aimed at dual device users, a precautionary measure that attempts to end high-risk violence situations. The results reveal difficulties in accessing the measure related to a lack of access to information by those who report violence; obstacles in the placement of an ankle on those reported; continuity of situations of restriction of social participation of users, among others.
The reorganization of app-based delivery workers' job: new-old forms of control in Arapiraca, Brazil
With the rise of digital platform work, there is a challenge to understand the work process of app delivery workers. Given this, this research aims to analyze the reorganization of labor among delivery workers in Arapiraca, Brazil. This is a qualitative research study in which six interviews were conducted. The analysis considered the following dimensions: the work process, forms of control, and collectivity. The study found the formation of groups of delivery workers as an alternative to large delivery apps. In these groups, an administrator is present. There are strategies for collective organization, facilitated by digital social media. However, the presence of the administrator implies the coexistence of elements of vertical organization, with delivery workers being subordinate. These workers have a daily working day longer than 8 hours and earn between one thousand five hundred and two thousand reais (R$) per month. The work of delivery drivers, even with the use of new technologies, remains precarious. This reflects the conservative modernization typical of the periphery of capitalism, blending some technological innovations with old relationships.
Socio-ecological narratives of social work in a global context: an approach from the World Social Work Conference SWSD 2024
This article analyzes and characterizes the papers on socio-ecological issues delivered at the Joint World Conference on Social Work (April 2024, Panama). The conference is a space of planetary encounter that allows to approach exchanges of knowledge, visibilization of problems and establishment of interesting emerging issues for a disciplinary exploration. Out of a total of 899 papers available, 68 were on socio-ecological themes which were analyzed according to prevailing topics, geographical origin of the papers and declared roles. We find disciplinary narratives centered on the environmental crisis, with particular emphasis on climate change, socio-natural disasters, community action, and the Sustainable Development Goals as the main guiding framework. We conclude that Social Work narratives possess ethical and contextual opportunities articulated in a great professional versatility. However, they also confront hegemonic narratives that hyper climatize the debate and align it with the dominant environmental agenda invisibilizing the violence and conflictive of extractives colonialism. In response, Social Work must strengthen its ethical-political positioning by drawing on its theoretical and methodological capacities to advance toward an ecocentrism turn.