AISW Vol. 5, No. 2


i

Editorial

Seeing the Panorama of Social Work

James G. Daley

AsEditor of Advances, I am offered a rare gift. I see a wide range of manuscripts
that seek to expound on some aspect of Social Work. Some make the cut and
become articles in Advances, while others are rejected because they needmore

work. All of the submissions are SocialWork at its finest. All themanuscripts stimulate
my thinking about howSocialWork as aprofession advances and towardswhat future.
This issue is an excellent illustration of that stimulation.

This edition is a potpourri of interesting issues that affect social workers. Besel and
colleagues insightful article describes how agencies and courts can effectively partner
to foster program sustainability. Danis’ article emphasizes the key factors that influ-
ence a social worker’s effectiveness with battered women. Collins and Moore’s article
highlights an often forgotten but vital issue: the preference of African Americans to be
addressed by their last name.Wilks and Spivey discuss how journal editors value ref-
erence list accuracy. Hodge illustrates theoretical ideas that underlie the spiritual
assessment conducted by social workers. Sherr and Wolfer suggest ways that faith-
based organizations can be incorporated into social work curriculum.Miller analyzes
whether prisonerswithmental retardationwere able to adequately participate in their
legal process. Half of the articles are empirical studies, while the other half are prac-
tice-focused. All of the articles address topics important to consider.

As I was piecing together this issue, I pondered past issues of Advances and the top-
ics covered. Of course, the Spring 2004 issue focused on detailed descriptions of stu-
dent assessment and various ways we strive to educate future social workers. The
Spring 2003 issue included topics such as biophilia (person and environment link),
hearing children of violence, and multi-cultural practice. Fall 2003 highlighted such
issues as on-line practice guidelines, issues of rural and urban practices, risk and lia-
bility, and poetry therapy techniques. Spring 2002 issue covered managed care, kin-
ship care, and research with African Americans.Within two short years, Advances has
covered quite a range of topics. The Spring 2005 issue is being formed now, with lead-
ers in the field contributingadiverse collectionof viewsabout the futureof SocialWork
as a profession.

So what is my point? The high quality of scholarship captures the panorama that is
SocialWork. The profession is not just clinical precision or academic rigor. Thoughwe
have depth of expertise in our chosen practice setting, wemust be constantly open to
widening our lens of knowledge beyond our parochial setting. A social worker who
works with cancer patients is pushed to consider issues such as using a person’s first
namewhenworking with African Americans, or how to effectively conduct a spiritual
assessment, or strategies to foster program sustainability, or how to use bibliotherapy
with patients, or consider biophilic principles to enhance well being.



Regardless of the setting, a social worker reading Advances should feel challenged to
think differently, to consider an issue not on our radar screen, to gain additional tips
for practice.That ismygoal. I strive tohelp expand the reader’s perspective. In the spe-
cial issues, the reader gets depth of a topic. In the regular issues, the reader gets a
diverse collection.

We have been fortunate to have a wide range of manuscripts submitted for consid-
eration. Each manuscript is critiqued by reviewers. As Editor, I take those accepted
manuscripts and strive to build a diverse, stimulating issue. Whether administrator,
clinician, or researcher, Advances offers useful articles.

So, to the reader, I offer this suggestion. Read each article and consider how it can
make you a better social worker. This issue has lots to offer. Enjoy!

ii