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Social Insights: Fundamentals of Social Work

Written by Ms Ang Bee Lian (Director of Social Welfare 1 Nov 2013 - 30 Jun 2020; Director-General of Social Welfare 1 Jul 2020 - 31 Jul 2023), these series of letters are for anyone hoping to find out more and answer any questions you might have about Social Work. These are free for reproduction and distribution in its entirety or unaltered excerpts, as long as you do not charge a fee. Acknowledging the source of the letters on any distributed material is also appreciated.

You may download the e-book for Social Insights here: Volume Three, Volume Two and Volume One.

  • Practice Issues
  • Children and Family
  • Fundamentals of Social Work
  • Vulnerable Persons
  • Youth

Identifying Cases of Neglect

No. 1 / 2021

We are often asked: is it important to document what transpires in social service interventions? How much information...

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  • Practice Issues
  • Children and Family
  • Fundamentals of Social Works
  • Youth

Our Responsibility in Child Abuse Cases

No. 3 / 2020

In the course of your work, you may sometimes come across children with injuries (which do not look accidental in nature) or behavioural...

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Collective Learning and Co-creation

No. 1 / 2019

Many of us would have heard about the need to prepare for a future that seems to have more complex problems and challenging dynamics...

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Good Listening

No. 2 / 2019

Those of us who have been trained as social workers or counsellors would know the importance of listening when working with clients....

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Multi-disciplinary Team (revisited)

No. 3 / 2019

In recent years, discussions over the medical-social divide have shifted towards health-social integration in a welcomed move...

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Lessons from the Journey

No. 4 / 2019

As we commemorate Singapore’s bicentennial year, we take time to remember Singapore’s history and the people and events that have shaped our lives to be what it is today...

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Identifying Leaders and Talents

No. 5 / 2019

Identifying and deploying leaders has been a recurring topic in the social sector. This is not surprising, given that our sector relies heavily on people such as social workers, counsellors...

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Medical-Social Integration

No. 6 / 2019

Increasingly, we are recognising that health and social integration must gain more prominence to ensure that discharged patients continue to receive care ...

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  • FUNDAMENTALS OF SOCIAL WORK
  • PRACTICE ISSUES

Applying Integrative Thinking to Complex Social Issues

No. 7 / 2019

Many of you would have realised in the course of your work that there are often few simple solutions to complex social issues...

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  • PRACTICE ISSUES
  • Special Editions
  • Fundamentals of Social Work

Reflections on Social Service Practice

No. 7 / 2018

In recent months, there has been much discussion about the subject of inequality. Academics to political office holders have actively contributed...

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