Social Work Leadership Competencies for Practice amid Crisis: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Social Work
• Healthcare Leadership
• Crisis Management

Background:

• Leadership skills are crucial for social work in interdisciplinary healthcare and mental healthcare.
• There's growing recognition of social work leadership's importance in clinical practice.
• Social workers demonstrate vital leadership during large-scale crises like pandemics and sociopolitical events.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the lack of literature on social work leadership in healthcare during crises.
• To synthesize and map current literature on social work leadership competencies in healthcare amid crises.
• To guide the review using Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework for scoping reviews.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley's framework.
• Searched six academic databases for relevant literature.
• Included nine articles meeting specific inclusion criteria and performed thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Leadership in social work was conceptualized as both a role and a distinct skill set.
• Key leadership competencies identified include collaboration, connection, and shared learning.
• These competencies are vital for effective social work practice in healthcare during crises.

Conclusions:

• Highlights the critical role of social work leadership in healthcare crisis response.
• Identifies collaboration, connection, and shared learning as essential leadership competencies.
• Discusses implications for social work practice, education, and future research directions.