Qualitative research can incorporate the diversity of events, and it is easy to use in the area of social work. But a “description of subjectivity” or a “lack of generality” in qualitative research is often pointed out, so that it may not be considered as scientific research. Therefore, for the scientific practice of social work, it is necessary to consider the science of qualitative research. In this study, the author tries to ensure the science of social work practice, through ensuring the science of the qualitative research by using structural-constructivism as a basis. Structural-constructivism is one theory within epistemology that has spread recently in medical and welfare research areas. In accordance with the theory, the author investigated the Modified-Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA) and the KJ method as a scientific act. As a specific methodology, the analysis worksheet of M-GTA was customized in order to disclose the trajectory of thinking that leads to the structure. The author also considered a few cases that cannot be statistically generalized. Finally, the way of practice using the findings by qualitative research was discussed through an example in social work practice.

This article describes a study to identify students’ self-reflection patterns in acquisition of social work skills through experiences in an educational lab. The study indicates that the context patterns of students’reflection differ according to the framework employed by the educational mentor. The results provide the mentors with ways to guide students in a sequential framework in an educational setting. The article concludes with an outline of recommendations for future research.

The purpose of the present study is to clarify the structure of practical wisdom concerning the assessment of vocational readiness for people with mental disabilities in the Employment and Life Support Centers for People with Disabilities. Descriptive statistics identified importance of each of the assessment items. Factor analysis identified the following seven significant factors:1) Importance of reporting, contacting, and consultation skills;2) Importance of living conditions;3) Importance of relationships with others;4) Importance of strengths and energy;5) Importance of task-performance skills;6) Importance of controlling disease and disability;and 7) Importance of communicationskills. The factors were positively correlated. The model for the structure of practical wisdom concerning the assessment for people with mental disabilities was confirmed from the results. There were no major relevant correlations between the seven factors and personal characteristics such as population size. Therefore, the model was judged to be applicable to all Employment and Life Support Centers for People with Disabilities.

The purpose of the research was to grasp the “struggles,” faced by psychiatric caregivers or social workers; that is, to identify the proactive approach to difficulties and stress that caregivers encounter, and to discover the trigger or process necessary to turn such experiences into growth.

As a result of conducting the SCAT (Steps for Coding and Theorization) qualitative analysis on the life stories of 10 psychiatric social workers, we found evidence that the struggles experienced by these caregivers were being processed positively and thus were contributing to their professional growth. In this process, as the caregivers proceeded in their careers from newcomers to central members of the field, they would, despite their negative circumstances, view their relationships with clients and workplace staff as well as their experiences of support as meaningful, which would then lead them to revise their value perceptions and thereby engage in positive transformations. In addition, their experiences when struggling helped compose their professional consciousness and values, while forming foundations of self-support as caregivers, such as their beliefs and opinions.

Corporate creeds of social welfare organizations are embodied by the organizations’ systems, services provided, and an increasing need for staff persons to embrace the organizations’ values as well. The author studied the pervasiveness of corporate creeds in social welfare organizations with the aim of constructing a theoretical framework for analysis. First, the author clarified the characteristics of the management of social welfare organizations and defined the corporate creeds. Next, the author studied corporate creeds on an individual level by focusing on empirical research about the pervasiveness of corporate creeds in business administration, from the point of view of application of the creeds in social welfare organizations. Findings showed that the theoretical framework has to include a wider range of values and beliefs than the corporate creeds and it has to focus on the action based on what is stated in the corporate creeds. The author constructed a theoretical framework by adopting espoused theory and theory-in-use at the individual level, and organizational culture at the intermediate group and organizational levels. The author analyzed an existing case using the framework. It was judged that the framework can be used to analyze action on corporate creeds at three levels and can be used by practitioners and managers for reflecting on their practice.

The study aimed to clarify the effects of the “Flower of Dreams Workshop,” an event carried out by a future-focused social welfare service corporation, from the perspective of community empowerment. We evaluated the staff members of the corporation(n=24), who devote their professional attention to fostering the welfare of people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and former criminals. After the “Flower of Dreams Workshop,” which was carried out twice for the staff members, we conducted evaluations of its effects on motivation and peer relationships, using questionnaires. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to clarify the significance of changes statistically: significant improvement of items related to motivation and peer relationships was found. This result suggests that the staff members were empowered through their participation in the workshop.

Although there is a target of 33% of children requiring care to be placed with foster parents and the importance of being cared for in a family is emphasized, the national mean percentage for these children in Japan as of 2014 was stagnating around 16.5%. In contrast to this figure, the rate of children placed with foster parents in Shizuoka City was 39.2% in the same year, and the rate of foster parents failing and giving up foster care was also small. This had led to attention being focused particularly on the activities of the Shizuoka City Foster Family Support Center that plays a central role in supporting foster families. The present research was conducted by collecting documents and carrying out investigative interviews at the child welfare consultation office in Shizuoka City and the Shizuoka City Foster Family Support Center with the aim of understanding the support provided for foster families in Shizuoka City in detail, and eliciting the elements that facilitate increases in the percentage of children placed in foster care and that prevent foster care from ending in failure. Then, the data obtained were analyzed qualitatively. The analysis showed that the support framework for foster families in Shizuoka City has been formed from the specific local context. Cooperative relationships between the child welfare consultation office in Shizuoka City and the Shizuoka City Foster Family Support Center formed a base for the development of diverse social work support and foster parent recruitment and matching, which are thought to be key elements in facilitating increases in the percentage of children placed in foster care and in preventing foster care from ending in failure.