2023/08/28 by Katrina Hannan, Barbra Teater
Health Professions · Social Sciences · #Homelessness and Social Issues #Mental Health and Patient Involvement #Social Work Education and Practice
paper · doi:10.1177/00208728231188869
crossref issued 2023/08/28 · crossref published 2023/08/28 · crossref published-online 2023/08/28 · openalex publication_date 2023/08/28 · crossref created 2023/08/28 · crossref published-print 2024/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/04/29 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
A scoping review framework was used to explore and synthesize the existing international research surrounding social workers’ application of theory into practice. The results indicated: (a) social workers report employing pragmatic approaches; (b) although some social workers struggle to explicitly identify the theories and methods they utilize, implicit theoretical application is evident; (c) time is the greatest barrier to theoretical application; and (d) some social workers are concerned with individual functioning rather than social justice. There is a need to integrate theory into education and future research to explore the link between theory and practice implemented by social workers internationally.