{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T10:40:01Z","timestamp":1760092801306,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":71,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]],"date-time":"2025-10-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759276800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Societies"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Social workers and public health professionals are expected to collaborate in promoting health and social equity to address the complex challenges faced by societies now and in the future. This collaboration is particularly crucial in low-income countries, where social and health issues significantly affect people\u2019s wellbeing. This study explored social workers\u2019 perceptions of their role in society, their collaboration with public health professionals, and the importance of sustainable development in their professional practice. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted between March and June 2024, involving semi-structured interviews with twelve professional social workers from the three main geographic regions of Mozambique (north, central, and south). Content analysis was used to identify and synthesize the key categories that emerged from the data. Four main categories were identified: limited public understanding of the mission and practice of social work; a lack of collaboration with public health professionals; the integration of sustainable development goals into social work practice; and anticipated future challenges for Mozambique\u2019s social and public health sectors. The findings highlight a perceived lack of societal awareness regarding the role of social workers and limited interprofessional collaboration, with barriers such as poor communication and a lack of mutual understanding between the two professions. Moreover, the participants recognized the need to contribute, through their daily work alongside public health professionals, to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/soc15100278","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,2]],"date-time":"2025-10-02T08:20:28Z","timestamp":1759393228000},"page":"278","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Social Workers\u2019 Experiences and Collaboration with Public Health Professionals in a Low-Income Country: A Qualitative Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4415-7942","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gloria","family":"Macassa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Social Work, Criminology and Public Health Sciences, University of G\u00e4vle, Kungsb\u00e4cksv\u00e4gen 47, 80176 G\u00e4vle, Sweden"}]},{"given":"Janete","family":"Mabuie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto Superior de Ci\u00eancias de Sa\u00fade, Av. Tom\u00e1s Nduda, Maputo 1100, Mozambique"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7220-6597","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"da Cruz Francisco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemical Engineering, Eduardo Mondlane University, Av. De Mo\u00e7ambique Km 1, 5, Maputo IAU-018600, Mozambique"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5221-9504","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joaquim","family":"Soares","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidade Europeia, Estrada da Correia n\u00ba53, 1500-210 Lisbon, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.1177\/1049731503013003002","article-title":"Working definition of social work practice","volume":"13","author":"Bartlett","year":"2003","journal-title":"Res. Soc. 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