It is important that social care workers work in partnership with individuals using the service and their families because we all have a common interest in doing whats best for the individual and keeping them from harm. The service user is there because they may not have someone that can look after them the way they need therefore involving families and help to improve the way you care for them. For example, you might think that “Doris” may like going to bed at 10pm every night but is always very tired during the day after getting up at 7am. The family can tell you that in fact “Doris” used to go to bed at 9pm and likes getting up at 8am when she was at home. It is essential to establish and maintain…
Hepworth, D. et al., (2010). Direct Social Work Practice. Theory and Skills (8th ed.) United States. Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning.…
I wanted to bring to your attention some issues that I had about a professor in the school of social work, J. Breezer Rickey. I had her for SOWK 370 this fall. As a social worker, I feel that her sense of empathy for her students is not present in her daily interactions with students. She has made several rude comments to me (which I have attached as a PDF to this email), and those comments have made my self-esteem go down a considerable amount. A social worker should life people up, not bring them down, as is the situation here.…
Working relationship with social workers – should be based on transparency, empathy and openness on both sides as you both share professional interest the client. The social worker can decide…
This is especially necessary as each individual is essentially their own truth or phenomenon. However, the progressive movements that led to the creation of social work constricted the client-social worker relationship in different ways. This view helped to reshape the original view of social work that limited the client-centered approach of viewing and meeting the client where they are. The new view helped shape the helping relationship and starting what seems to me to be the generalist intervention model: from the beginning of the helping process to the termination of the helping…
The field of social work encompasses the need for action and change. Social work practitioners advocate for and facilitate change at various levels of society, including individuals (micro), small groups or communities (mezzo), and organizations or government (macro). Macro-level advocacy and intervention efforts work to address problems of diverse populations, such as issues of civil rights and equality, and achieve systemic change. By intervening at the macro-level, social workers are often able to orchestrate greater change at the micro level. In order to do so, they must demonstrate an ability to effectively engage in policy analysis and practice. Practitioners must be able to identify specific problems and critically evaluate relevant…
Social Workers value the maximum feasible self – determination, empowerment, and enhancing strengths to increase the client’s voice in decision making. ‘The Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EAPS) affirm the commitment of social programs to the core values of the profession: service, social justice, dignity, and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence, human rights, and scientific inquiry’ (NASW, 2008 A; CSWE, 2008; as per Hepworth, Glenda and Kim, 2010). Social Workers demonstrate respect for and acceptance of the unique characteristics of ‘diverse populations that are characterized by great diversity, including the intersection of dimensions such as age, class, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation, religion, physical or mental ability, age, and national origin’ (CSWE, 2008; as per Hepworth, Glenda, and Kim,…
Social workers work with variety of clients i.e. individuals, families, groups and communities, promoting social changes and social inclusion, empowering clients and helping them to take control over their lives. They base their job on principles of Human rights, social justice following the Code of Practice, Ethics and Values of social work. This includes multiple tasks of investigating and assessing the needs and circumstances of clients, providing services according to individual needs, engaging in problem solving and preventing harmful situations. Social workers organise protection plans, provide reports for other professionals and contribute for multi-agency work, organise advocacy enabling clients to voice their opinions and needs to improve their lives. Social workers take part in researching and collecting information about social problems to improve social system for dynamically changing society.…
Social work is a profession committed to the development of the full potential of individuals, groups, and communities. “There are many ways to determine what people need from social workers. One can locate a service at the crossroads of life, observe the way people live, the strains they are subject to from their environments and their relationships, and the ways they react to these events” (Meyer,1976, p. 42).…
The main duty of the social work profession is to improve human welfare and to facilitate all communities in meeting their basic human needs. This profession pays special attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are defenseless, oppressed, and living in poverty. A significant element of social work is the focus on an individual’s wellbeing in society and…
Reflecting back on this course, my impression on the field of Social Work embraces that this fields rests far more diverse and incriminated into society than I previously thought; “Not only do they help the individuals cope with the situation at hand, they advocate for them and seek out valuable resources and other means of support for the affected person(s)” (XXX). Prior to this course, I detained a misconception that social workers predominantly counseled individuals, when in reality, social workers integrate collaboration, advocacy, investigating, counseling, planning, monitoring, and organizing into their occupational responsibilities. Assisting in a vast array of societal facets, social workers rely on theories and frameworks to pilot…
The Specht (1990) article looks at social work in a negative way. Social work practice has to deal with people on the Macro level. Social workers look at the whole picture when working with the elderly, homeless, abused and neglected children, mentally ill, poor, people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol, and AIDS. By working in the field with many different clients, you have to help one client at a time. When you help clients on an individual basis, you as the worker build a rapport with the client and you get a better sense of their…
There are a number of steps that a social worker has to follow in order to treat a client dealing with substance abuse. They have to counsel clients in individual and group sessions to assist them in dealing with substance abuse. They also have to interview clients, review records, and confer with other professionals to evaluate the mental or physical condition of client or patient. A good social worker will also have to collaborate with counselors, physicians, and nurses to plan and coordinate treatments, to fit that particular patient's needs. They also have to monitor, evaluate, and record client progress with respect to treatment goals. "Social workers have to make sure that there treatment can serve the client according to their status" (Ehrenkranz, 1997, p. 3).…
Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. “Clients” is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and application, education, research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. They also seek to promote the awareness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals’ needs and social problems.…
The social work method I could use is that of reflective practice as I believe that coming into a new profession one will be faced with various new challenges and it is from these challenges that one gains experience and becomes a better practitioner. The process of reflection according to Knott, Christine and Scragg, Terry (2010) yields positive results by learning, gaining knowledge and understanding what it is that you need to do. Reflective practice is also an opportunity for personal and ongoing professional development which is one of the codes of practice that each and every social worker should adhere to. It is through reflection that one can avoid past mistakes as looking back and learning from these ensures that we will not repeat them.…