A Review of Information and Communication Technology Enhanced Social Work Interventions

1. Chitat Chan1⇑
2. Michael J. Holosko2

1. ¹Department of Applied Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China
   
2. ²School of Social Work, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
   

1. Chitat Chan, Department of Applied Social Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, People’s
   Republic of China. Email: chitat.chan@cityu.edu.hk
   
   

Abstract

Objectives:
Information and communications technology (ICT) has impacted almost all
human service disciplines and currently is evolving
in social work. This study provides a systematic
review of ICT-enhanced social work interventions, with particular
reference
to their intervention fidelity (IF), validity,
and the role of ICT in the helping relationship process.

Method: We assessed specific articles published in journals classified under the “Social Work” research area in the Social Science
Citation Index (SSCI; N = 17).

Results: All studies
that met specific criteria indicated positive intervention outcomes,
most of them were of “good” or “fair” quality
in terms of their validity, and almost all of
them upheld IF. However, there was room for improvement in the
conceptualization
component of the ICT intervention application.

Conclusions: These
ICT-enhanced intervention studies established a foundation to enable
unique practice insights to advance social work
practice knowledge. Additional practice and
research in this area are necessary in order to further our
understanding about
ICT and their use in social work interventions.
Implications are discussed and suggestions are provided.

• information and communication technology
• interventions
• systematic review

A Review of Information and Communication Technology Enhanced Social Work Interventions