Historical Overview As Maya Angelou once said, “Diversity makes for a rich tapestry. We must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter their colour; equal in importance no matter their texture.” Maya Angelou stated this quote beautifully because as a social workers, it’s important to be able to understand that although clients come from all different backgrounds, they are still human. Still human in the fact that they have feelings and should be treated equally no matter where they come from, their gender, or their race. Having an understanding of where a client comes from when trying to support them is crucial. It will not only give the social worker insight into issues the client may be facing, but overall it makes them more well rounded. The community that will be assessed in this paper is Waterbury. Waterbury is a city located in New Haven county. According to the City of Waterbury website, “The original settlement of Waterbury was 1672 in the Town Plot section. In 1686, the settlement was admitted as the 28th town in the Connecticut colony. The name …show more content…
It is 100 percent urban (City Data, 2017). According to CT Data, “In 2011-2015, Waterbury had a population of 109,551. The projected population of Waterbury in 2020 is expected to be 112,571” (CT Data, 2016). Each year, the population of Waterbury has risen, so it’s expected that in a few years from now the population will be higher. Based off the information from the CT Data website, within the population of 109,551, 25.1 percent are in poverty (CT Data, 2016). This is a high number to think about considering 25.1 percent is approximately 27,497 people living in poverty. Although this is a high number to think about, it’s not very surprising because the median household income in Waterbury is $40,467 (CT Data, 2016). Compared to many other towns in Connecticut, Waterbury has a very low median household
Social work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people as expressed in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights(1948) It is therefore of paramount importance that a social work professional should work towards promoting the best interests of individuals and groups in society. I very much recognize the contribution that social work brings to inclusion having worked alongside social workers during the course of my shadowing placement. I possess a real commitment to promote equality which I have had the pleasure of doing in a multitude of different roles. From academic journals as well as my lecture notes I now appreciate the central importance of using the fundamental principles of human rights and equality to underpin my practice, and the inherent need to promote justice in relation with the people I will work.
This piece of writing is going to demonstrate an understanding of diversity, difference and also discuss the implications for social work practice. It will include an understanding of theories and concepts in relation to diversity where it will address the needs of diverse communities, individuals and groups, exploring differences in relation to culture, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality, social class and economic wellbeing. It will also demonstrate an understanding of principle of working in an anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory way.
Respect for diversity is a well-established tenet of social work practice. Understanding ourselves and the people we work with, both service
majority of the state's population) is part of the New York metropolitan area: three of Connecticut's eight counties are statistically included in
Bridgeport is Connecticut’s largest city with a population estimated at 147,629 residents. Located along Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Pequannock River, the city has an area of 19.4 square miles. Bridgeport experiences warm to hot and humid summers and cold, snowy winters. These seasonal extremes are somewhat moderated by Long Island Sound. This results in a lower average temperature in summer and moderate snowfall, as compared to our neighbors inland. The city receives 41.7 inches of precipitation and around 25.6 inches of snowfall in an average year. The snowiest winter on record occurred in 1996 when Bridgeport received 76.8 inches in total accumulation. Bridgeport is located on Long Island Sound and is bordered by Fairfield, Connecticut
According to CERC Town Profile in 2014 the most current population for the city of Hartford in 2012 was of 124,979 compared to the state 3,572,213, which there is an expected increase in population of 0.2% by year 2020 for the city of Hartford. With a median household income of $28,931, compared to the state of $69,519. The poverty level of the city was stated to be at 34.4% compared to the low state rate at 10.5%. But according to the Census Bureau when comparing the poverty level with other major cities in the state such as New Haven at 26.4% and at Bridgeport 23.6%, the city of Hartford poverty level is much higher. Unemployment rate seems to be a big concern for the city being at 14.7% compared to 7.8% of the total state unemployment rate. (CERC). The city houses many big corporations causing a major problem for people that lack in education finding employment within the city. Even though they have easy access to public transportation traveling outside the city may cause a burden to the people whom have to travel for employment outside the city.
The high taxes in many states like Connecticut damage the economy and drive away citizens. Many states such as Connecticut, California and Massachusetts have very high tax rates. This does not mean, however, that their governments make use of these high tax rates for improvement. In fact, Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, yet even with high, it still has a large deficit. Derek Thompson writes of this issue, “Despite being the richest state in the country, by per-capita income, Connecticut’s budget is a mess. Its pensions are woefully underfunded. Its deficit is projected to surpass $2 billion, or 12 percent of its total annual tax revenue. Hartford is approaching bankruptcy. Conservatives look at Connecticut and see
With a residential population of about 81,057 residents, Danbury is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. It is located in the western part of Fairfield County, conveniently located twenty minutes from the New York border and 58 miles southwest of the state capitol, Hartford.
In the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, there are many standards a social worker should uphold in order to promote a healthy and helpful relationship with the client. One such aptitude is Cultural Competence and Social Diversity, which is in section 1.05 of the NASW code of ethics (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). There are three sections associated with this competency “Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths in all cultures”. It is assumed that “social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients”. As a
One of the most important things when you decide to be a social worker is that you gotta be open minded and be ready to work with different cultures. In addition, you need to be willing to work with people from different religion, or people that may think different. They are several clients with different backgrounds, for example Latinos or hispanics may have the same background, but they are a very diverse group, they have their own cultural identity. As a social worker you can stereotype or even judge and not assume the worst. As a social worker is wrong to stereotype because you have to be very open minded. This is why as a social worker you should try to learn about the different cultures that exist in the world and more if you are working
The huge ethical considerations that have emerged out of this case for me is to be culturally competent. “Social workers should continue to obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability” (NASW, 2013). There so much to be learned from every culture that one encounters. Therefore, as social workers we should continue to allow every client to be our teachers and to obtain additional education in any area necessary. “Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or elaborate in any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability” (NASW, 2013). I think I was a surprised when the client initially voiced her story about the relationship between her and her cousin but my job was not to be judgmental. My job is to attempt to provide the best possible service possible to the client. The mission of social work profession is rooted in the set of core values. These core values embraced by social
Diversity and Difference in the Social Work Practice No two people are exactly alike. In the workplace, we will see social workers, other professionals, and clients from diverse backgrounds. The environments in which we were raised as well as the experiences we have had not only shape our behaviors, but our life experiences as well.
In order to deliver effective services it is necessary that professionals are able to work with culturally diverse populations successfully. Social workers must commit themselves to the profession’s enhancement and to their own professional growth in career long learning (National Association of Social Workers, 2010).
Waterbury is not as popular as New York city. Both are really different in transportation, places, and activities. New York city is more beautiful than Waterbury. NYC tended to be more crowded than Waterbury, people from around the world come to NYC to view its wonders, while in Waterbury there is not too much to see. NYC is more convenient when it comes to transportation.
According to the 2010 New London County, Connecticut census results, the population is 274,055 people. The percentage of people that are white in this county are 83.9%, people that are African