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Valued Yet Still Not Fully Integrated: Social Workers' Experiences Practicing in Interprofessional Primary Healthcare Teams.

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Title: Valued Yet Still Not Fully Integrated: Social Workers' Experiences Practicing in Interprofessional Primary Healthcare Teams.
Authors: Ashcroft, Rachelle1 (AUTHOR), Lam, Simon2 (AUTHOR), Adamson, Keith3 (AUTHOR), Sheffield, Peter4 (AUTHOR), Owaisi, Rumia5 (AUTHOR), Joseph, Urvashi6 (AUTHOR), Donnelly, Catherine7 (AUTHOR), Rayner, Jennifer8 (AUTHOR), Brown, Judith Belle9 (AUTHOR)
Source: Health & Social Work. Aug2026, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p206-214. 9p.
Abstract: Relatively little is known about social workers in interprofessional primary healthcare (PHC) teams, despite social work being one of the largest health and social service professions. Understanding the experiences of social workers in PHC teams will help strengthen the integration of social workers in these settings. The research question guiding this study was: "What are the experiences of social workers working in interprofessional PHC teams in Ontario, Canada?" This was a descriptive qualitative study and the authors conducted focus groups with social workers embedded in PHC. Fifty-seven social workers participated in 10 focus groups that were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis guided an inductive analysis of the data. Seven themes in the data were identified: (1) social work is valued by the team, (2) social work enhances the team, (3) the pandemic disrupted team relationships, (4) team collaboration requires intention and opportunity, (5) lack of physical space, (6) limited influence on decision making, and (7) clinical supervision mitigates isolation. While social workers feel valued by their team members, opportunities to contribute to organizational decision making remain limited. Addressing the tacit hierarchies that facilitate these challenges through shared leadership practices or adoption of collaborative competency frameworks is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Health & Social Work is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Valued Yet Still Not Fully Integrated: Social Workers' Experiences Practicing in Interprofessional Primary Healthcare Teams.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ashcroft%2C+Rachelle%22">Ashcroft, Rachelle</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lam%2C+Simon%22">Lam, Simon</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Adamson%2C+Keith%22">Adamson, Keith</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sheffield%2C+Peter%22">Sheffield, Peter</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Owaisi%2C+Rumia%22">Owaisi, Rumia</searchLink><relatesTo>5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Joseph%2C+Urvashi%22">Joseph, Urvashi</searchLink><relatesTo>6</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Donnelly%2C+Catherine%22">Donnelly, Catherine</searchLink><relatesTo>7</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rayner%2C+Jennifer%22">Rayner, Jennifer</searchLink><relatesTo>8</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brown%2C+Judith+Belle%22">Brown, Judith Belle</searchLink><relatesTo>9</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Health+%26+Social+Work%22">Health & Social Work</searchLink>. Aug2026, Vol. 51 Issue 3, p206-214. 9p.
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Relatively little is known about social workers in interprofessional primary healthcare (PHC) teams, despite social work being one of the largest health and social service professions. Understanding the experiences of social workers in PHC teams will help strengthen the integration of social workers in these settings. The research question guiding this study was: "What are the experiences of social workers working in interprofessional PHC teams in Ontario, Canada?" This was a descriptive qualitative study and the authors conducted focus groups with social workers embedded in PHC. Fifty-seven social workers participated in 10 focus groups that were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis guided an inductive analysis of the data. Seven themes in the data were identified: (1) social work is valued by the team, (2) social work enhances the team, (3) the pandemic disrupted team relationships, (4) team collaboration requires intention and opportunity, (5) lack of physical space, (6) limited influence on decision making, and (7) clinical supervision mitigates isolation. While social workers feel valued by their team members, opportunities to contribute to organizational decision making remain limited. Addressing the tacit hierarchies that facilitate these challenges through shared leadership practices or adoption of collaborative competency frameworks is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Health & Social Work is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1093/hsw/hlag018
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        Text: English
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              Text: Aug2026
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              Y: 2026
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