Journal of Social Work and Social Administration

The Role of Multidisciplinary Teams in Protecting Destitute Persons with Psychiatric Disorders in the Three Southern Border Provinces of Thailand

2026-04-30T11:17:14+07:00

This study examined multidisciplinary teams protecting destitute persons with psychiatric disorders in Thailand’s southern border provinces under security and multicultural contexts. Using a qualitative design, data were collected by interviewing nine practitioners and analyzed inductively. Findings identified five roles: holistic assessment, welfare protection, treatment/rehabilitation, coordination/referral, and follow-up. Service users faced complex mental health, daily living, and social support problems, requiring multi-sector collaboration and trust-building with religious leaders. Challenges included policy constraints, lack of a centralized database, security-focused budgeting, and workforce limitations. The study highlights need for policy development, integrated data, and context-sensitive support.

Is Smoking and Vaping a Right Recognized by Law or Not? A Legal Philosophical Perspective

2026-04-27T14:33:17+07:00

“Cigarettes” are considered the leading preventable cause of death worldwide from tobacco products. However, “smoking” has become a significant point of contention in jurisprudence: whether it truly constitutes a personal right and freedom. This is especially true with the emergence of new products called “e-cigarettes,” devices that deliver nicotine into the body through heated vaporization and there is debate about whether the use of e-cigarettes is a fundamental right, even to the point of being a human right. In Thailand, e-cigarettes are legally prohibited goods. Considering the legal status of smoking or e-cigarettes, it can be compared to the general freedoms under Article 25 of the 2017 Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, which may be restricted under Article 26. From a legal philosophical perspective, “rights” and “freedoms” are legal constructs that guarantee the status and way of life of human beings, supporting them to act in any way as long as it does not infringe upon the rights and freedoms of others. “Smoking” or “Vaping” is an action without legal consequences, as long as the “consequences of smoking or vaping” do not affect the rights and freedoms of others.

This research employs a qualitative approach, divided into two parts: the first part involves studying academic documents, books, textbooks, scholarly articles, and internet resources; the second part combines this with in-depth interviews with legal experts. Therefore, I would like to offer the following suggestions: (1) In the social, economic, and cultural context and the problems of the law enforcement system in Thailand, the control of
e-cigarettes. It is appropriate to maintain the existing legal system in Thailand that prohibits the import, sale, service, and production of e-cigarettes. (2) Restrictions on the freedom of e-cigarette users can be imposed by law, as Thai law classifies e-cigarettes as prohibited. Therefore, even if any rights or freedoms are claimed, the existing laws in force must be considered. (3) Smoking cigarettes and vaping e-cigarettes is not a human right, as has been claimed, because it is not an inalienable right like food, shelter, water, or the four necessities for survival.

A Guideline for Career Skill Course Management by Community Participation of the Opportunity Expansion Schools under Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

2026-02-02T12:04:52+07:00

This research sets out to (1) study community participation in the management of occupational skill courses in opportunity expansion schools and (2) develop a guideline for career skill course management by community participation of the opportunity expansion schools. The 18 key informants for this study were selected purposefully, following specific inclusion criteria. These included six school administrators, six subject teachers and six external resource persons, all of whom are currently affiliated with schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews and it was analyzed by content analysis, document review, validation, and interpretation. Throughout the data collection process, the researcher maintained detailed field notes and comprehensive transcripts of all interview conversations to ensure accuracy.

The findings revealed that (1) community participation in the management of occupational skill courses in opportunity expansion schools, school administrators and subject teachers must identify stakeholders and understand each person's role, and then choose appropriate ways to provide opportunities for those stakeholders to participate. (2) A guideline for career skill course management through community participation in opportunity expansion schools consists of 12 guidelines covering all 6 areas: (1) Surveying community needs; (2) Development of integrated learning units categorized by grade level; (3) Integrated learning activities; (4) Professional expertise activities; (5) Authentic assessment; and (6) Learning management technology. Each dimension incorporates two sub-elements of participation: stakeholder analysis and participation techniques.

A Study of Car Foreclosure Crime Problems in Bangkok

2025-04-11T21:43:41+07:00

This qualitative research aims to explore the patterns, processes, and impacts of pawned vehicle crime in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. The study recruited 15 participants across six groups, including both legal and illegal car pawners and pawnees, hire-purchase loan officers, and government officials. The findings reveal that car pawning in Thai society can be classified into two main forms: legal pawning, such as pledging fully paid vehicles to officially registered service providers, and illegal pawning, such as pawning vehicles still under hire-purchase agreements to unregulated individuals without clear contractual documentation or notification to the finance company. The latter often leads to cases of forfeiture and criminal activities, including document forgery, illegal vehicle sales, and the use of pawned vehicles in illicit activities such as drug trafficking or smuggling of contraband. This problem not only undermines economic confidence in the used car market but also causes significant harm to unsuspecting consumers who purchase vehicles without knowledge of their origin or legal status. As a result, it burdens government agencies with complex, resource-intensive processes of investigation and prosecution. Therefore, it is recommended to establish effective mechanisms for regulating and monitoring vehicle pawning activities, enhance public awareness, and foster integrated collaboration between public and private sectors to address the issue sustainably.

Transcending Anthropocentrism in Social Work: A Consideration of Other-Than-Human Animals

2026-05-26T16:29:03+07:00

Although social work has largely reflected a human-centered orientation, it has also emphasized spirituality and green social work in certain respects. However, these perspectives remain only partially aligned with posthumanism, as they continue to prioritize human beings. However, as post-human thought has gained prominence, some social work scholars have proposed conceptual and practical approaches to casework involving other-than-human actors, both by recognizing them as part of the client's system and by Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). Within this perspective, therapeutic animals are understood as non-human animals, including dogs and horses, which have been incorporated into interventions with diverse populations such as autistic children, survivors of violence, and individuals experiencing psychological trauma. Furthermore, this article argues that, although philosophical incompatibilities remain an obstacle to the application of posthumanism in social work, some scholars have attempted to demonstrate its relevance to anti-oppressive social work theory as well as its compatibility with psychotherapeutic and psychosocial approaches. They have also proposed the possibility of incorporating post-humanism into social work practice by recognizing non-human animals as an integral part of the information considered in assessment and intervention, while acknowledging the ethical challenges of involving non-human animals in therapeutic processes as a potential new direction for social casework practice in Thailand.

Promoting E-cigarette Literacy: Lessons Learned from Working with Non-formal Education Learners

2026-03-16T15:58:22+07:00

Thailand is currently facing an epidemic of e-cigarette use among children and youth, particularly in the group of learners receiving non-formal education (NFE). This situation is largely attributed to the marketing strategies employed by the tobacco industry and the limitations in effectively promoting e-cigarette literacy among a diverse group of learners. Therefore, this article aims to present lessons learned from promoting e-cigarette literacy for NFE learners and propose a model for promoting e-cigarette literacy to learners. This is achieved through an action learning process during and after implementation, and after-action review (AAR). The lessons learned analysis reveals that the promotion of e-cigarette literacy for NFE learners consists of three sequential steps: (1) Recognizing the target group; (2) Promoting experience-based learning, and (3) Reflecting on the learning outcomes. The key factors and conditions for success include collaboration with NFE network partners and a deep understanding of the learners' motivation for learning. The lessons derived from the implementation can, however, be developed into an experiential learning promotion model for e-cigarette literacy among NFE learners, known as the R-E-R Model, which stands for (1) Recognize: Understanding and familiarizing with the learners' prior experiences. (2) Experience: Collaborative learning between the learning facilitator and the learners, using experience as the basis. (3) Reflect: Evaluating the learning outcomes and the practical application of knowledge.

Community Rights and Common-pool Resources-CPRs by Elinor Ostrom

2025-09-11T15:47:38+07:00

This academic article revisits a concept of Common-pool Resources-CPRs as Elinor Ostrom’s approach, The world's first female Nobel Prize-winning American economist who proposed the concept of Common-pool Resources management. The concept is to counter the mainstream discourse that denies community rights, which is comprised of eight components–these are (1) boundaries, (2) congruence, (3) collective choice arrangements, (4) monitoring, (5) graduated sanctions, (6) conflict resolution mechanism, (7) minimal recognition of rights, and (8) nested enterprises. It emphasizes community rights to manage their common recourses by government acceptance with decentralization as the concept of new local governance to promote people participation for sustainable community development.

The Establishment of Alternative Measures to the Detention of Children and the Non-Detention of Children in Thailand’s Immigration Detention Centers

2026-01-30T16:59:19+07:00

The article titled “Establishing Alternatives to Child Detention and the Non-Detention of Children in Immigration Detention Centers in Thailand” aims to examine child protection mechanisms in the context of migration, with a focus on children who accompany their parents into Thailand unlawfully and other vulnerable groups of children. Migration is a global phenomenon driven by economic factors, conflicts, and the search for new places of residence. As a result, many children are arrested and detained in immigration detention centers, which resemble prisons and are unsuitable for their physical and psychological development. Detention has long-term negative impacts on children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development, especially when they are separated from their families or guardians. The study finds that detaining children constitutes a violation of their fundamental rights, restricts access to essential welfare services, increases the financial burden on the state, and leads to overcrowding due to delays in the verification of personal status. Furthermore, it is inconsistent with Thailand’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which requires that the best interests of the child be a primary consideration, and it negatively affects the country’s human rights image. Therefore, the article proposes the use of Alternatives to Detention (ATD), including family-based care, the provision of appropriate temporary shelters, and the development of effective monitoring systems. These approaches aim to balance state security with the protection of human rights. Such measures are essential for ensuring non-discriminatory protection of migrant children and for achieving the sustainable abolition of child detention in accordance with international standards.

Book Review: Rethinking Neighborhoods: Connection and Cohesion

2026-06-27T01:20:22+07:00

หนังสือ “Rethinking Neighborhoods: Connections and Cohesion” เขียนโดย William A.V. Clark ศาสตราจารย์ด้านภูมิศาสตร์จากมหาวิทยาลัยแคลิฟอร์เนีย ลอสแอนเจลิส (UCLA) เป็นหนังสือที่ศึกษาเกี่ยวกับความสัมพันธ์แบบพลวัตระหว่าง “พื้นที่” และ “สังคม” ผ่านมุมมองของ ”ย่านที่พักอาศัย” (Neighborhood) โดยหนังสือเล่มนี้ได้โต้แย้งความเชื่อเดิม ที่มองว่าในยุคโลกาภิวัตน์และการสื่อสารไร้พรมแดนผ่านอินเทอร์เน็ต จะทำให้พื้นที่ระดับชุมชนถูกลดความสำคัญลง ในทางกลับกัน Clark ชี้ให้เห็นว่า “ย่านที่พักอาศัย” จะทวีความสำคัญมากยิ่งขึ้น โดยศึกษาผ่านกระบวนการเลือกที่อยู่อาศัยและอธิบายถึงขั้นตอนที่ผู้คนได้ทำการค้นหาและตัดสินใจเลือกย่านที่อยู่อาศัย โดยอาศัยปัจจัยต่างๆ ได้แก่ ระดับรายได้ สถานะทางสังคม และความหลากหลายทางชาติพันธุ์ เนื่องจากย่านที่พักอาศัยคือจุดเริ่มต้นของการใช้ชีวิตของบุคคล โดยเริ่มตั้งแต่ครอบครัว เพื่อนบ้าน โรงเรียน สถานที่ทำงาน สาธารณสุข ชุมชน และสังคม และยังเป็นตัวกำหนดว่าเราจะปฏิสัมพันธ์กับใครในชีวิตประจำวัน ย่านที่อยู่อาศัยจึงไม่ใช่เพียงฉากหลังของชีวิต ไม่ได้เป็นเพียงพื้นที่ทางกายภาพ แต่คือโครงสร้างพื้นฐานของชีวิตที่ส่งผลโดยตรงต่อคุณภาพชีวิต สุขภาพ และความสุขของมนุษย์ ซึ่งที่อยู่อาศัยถือเป็นหัวใจสำคัญต่อคุณภาพชีวิตและความกินดีอยู่ดีของมนุษย์ ซึ่งหากบุคคลมีความสัมพันธ์กันมากในระดับท้องถิ่นและในย่านที่อยู่อาศัย จะส่งต่อความเหนียวแน่นของคนในชุมชน ก่อให้เกิดทุนทางสังคม ดีต่อสุขภาพและสุขภาวะของประชากรที่อยู่อาศัยในย่านนั้นๆ หรือมีสภาพที่เรียกว่า “เมืองที่เป็นธรรม” (Just city) ซึ่งจะเป็นย่านที่อยู่อาศัยที่ช่วยส่งเสริมให้มีการขยับสถานะทางสังคม เกิดจากความไว้วางใจและความผูกพันของคนในชุมชน ดังนั้น เมืองที่เป็นธรรมจึงเอื้อให้เกิดปฏิสัมพันธ์ทางสังคมที่เข้มแข็ง ซึ่งนำไปสู่สุขภาวะที่ดีของผู้อยู่อาศัย โดยเนื้อหาในหนังสือฉบับนี้ถูกแบ่งออกเป็น 3 ภาค (Part) รวมจำนวน 9 บท