dership Interview: Lilly Sheldon
Introduction
Social worker Lilly Sheldon is truly a leader among urban social workers. Currently 94 years old and still working in a volunteer capacity, Ms. Sheldon became a social worker in 1940. Social work was not her first choice for a career. In fact, Ms. Sheldon really wanted to become a lawyer, but few law schools during that time period were accepting female applicants. So, instead of becoming a lawyer, she became a social worker, and eventually went on to obtain her MSW. While it may seem as if someone who chose social work as an alternative career may not be an ideal leader in the field, Mrs. Sheldon belies that reality. She brought a keen intellect to her field, which enabled her to play a vital role in helping form the structure of what is known as the modern profession of social work.
Background
In order to understand how Sheldon qualifies as a leader in social work, it is important to understand the history of social work. While charity and aid organizations existed in the United States since before the American Revolution and had begun to exert a greater social influence in America around the time of the Civil War, social work, as a profession, is relatively new. The profession of social work saw a transition from private aid to a public aid system. It also helped usher in a number of legislative changes, which reflected a state interest in the health and welfare of citizens. These legislative changes marked a significant
The practice of social work has evolved from three major movements, The Charity Organizations, Settlement Houses, and Child Saving Movements. “Charity organization societies were developed by philanthropists to regulate the use of charitable agencies by the poor” (pg. 52). This society was organized to assist the needy, but also to ensure that they only received help from one charity. There is a stigma that people should not be helped too much or they will become reliant on the assistance of the government. Our role as a social worker is to make sure that people are getting as much assistance as they need. Some people have no choice and do have to rely on
During the 1960s, social work was still in progress in America. Many employees of social work were sent to graduate school of social work to get a master’s degree. This meant that social work was developing and it was being recognised as a real profession and that gave social workers a chance and opportunity to shows their skills. 1960s was a decade of Civil rights for African Americans as Martin Luther King Jr accompanied by Rosa Parks fought for the ‘institutionalised and ingrained prejudice and won the 1965 civil rights act’ (Dulmus & Sowers, p.27). These famous
When working in a field of expertise the experts in that area need to know what defines that field. Social work, with its roots over a hundred years old, started out simply offering assistance to others, has grown and changed, and is currently reconnecting with its roots (Bisman, 2004). Bisman (2004) emphasizes the importance of being an advocate of justice and keeping the field focused on the “social” part of social work. This push to keep social work focused on the needs of others defines social work today. Social work focuses on providing aide to the needy and increasing awareness of those that are oppressed.
Social workers fulfill a unique role in policy creation because that is a time for them to advocate for the oppressed or individuals who are attempting to cope with the stresses of everyday life. Most social workers have the opportunity to work hands on in the field with clients during some point in their career, and during that time they are able to get a clear understanding of the problem the client is experiencing. In The Other America, Harrington makes mention of the poor and how they lost their connections to the world; that clearly depicts the importance of the social workers’ involvement with the creation of policy (Harrington, 1962). Since those living in poverty have been referred to as “politically invisible,” social workers are
In 1889 Jane Adams along with Ellen Gates Starr, as the pioneer or "Mother" of social work opened the doors to Chicago's Hull House, which provided social services that included: child care; education in history, music, and mathematics; a library, employment assistance; as well as many others to immigrant communities in the city (NASW 60th Anniversary Interactive Timeline, 2016). Today, the philanthropic work of two women has become the field of social work, with thousands of professional social workers continuing the work they started. Like everything else, the field of social work has evolved over the years to to become a diverse and expanding field. According to the text “Social Work Values and Ethics” by Fredrick G. Reamer (2013), “at its infancy in the late
From the humble beginning of Social Work there have been many people who have tirelessly worked, fought, and dedicated their life advocating for the people in our world who are disadvantaged. Furthermore, many of these people have been women who not only were strong enough to fight for the rights of others, but also had to fight the forces whom thought that women where in some way second hand citizens themselves. These women were brave and determined enough to break out of the box that society placed them in, and stand up for the social injustices that they seen taking place, and try to make a difference. Of the many women from the early days of Social Work none fought harder for social reform than Grace Abbott. Grace Abbott spent her life
Dr. Flexner described the identity of social work as “not being a profession because its practice was not based on a systematic body of knowledge and theory which lacked the authority to given by professionals” (Specht & Courtney, 1994, P. 87). He later pointed out, “social workers usually acted as staff in assisting those of other professional such as doctors and attorneys” (Specht & Courtney, 1994, P. 87). In conclusion, he stated that social workers were not considered as professionals as, “they lacked a systematic body of knowledge to understand the problems of their clients and the ability to prescribe action by which to help them” (Specht & Courtney, 1994, P. 87). I found it interesting to be listed as the help, yet not capable to be taken serious as a profession. Professional identity of social work stems from the understanding of one’s perspective of their roles in their field of profession which are found by one’s values, beliefs, and experiences. Without the assistance of the social workers, would the doctors and attorneys be seen as so successful?
One of the most important skill to have as a social worker is to identify your client’s strengths. All social workers should have knowledge of an effective leader that are identified by their strengths or limitations in order to improve the one’s they identify. There are several evidence-based assessments that help identify the strengths and limitations of any individual. Thus, it is also necessary to obtain other perspective based on your leadership strengths or limitations in order to improve or strengthen those qualities. The self-assessments used through this paper will help me develop a plan that points out my challenges, help expand and improve on my strengths (Human Services Guide, 2015).
They did not have to sit in a little corner anymore. The patients and clients could locate different people within the social work department when they needed the help (Snow, 1997). With people not paying any attention to different situations clients were facing, it gave a spark to Ida Cannon to research how medicine and social service could work together. With Cannon bring so many communities together, it made awareness to how people should be paying attention to all fields of a client’s needs instead of just focusing on a small issue (Praglin,
The quest for efficiency and administrative technique in social agency operations paralleled the caseworker’s efforts to reduce the range of intuition, subjectivity, and unpredictability in her own work. In both cases the volunteer introduced an element of uncertainty. Neither her livelihood nor social status depended upon conformity to agency policy or to the standards and procedures of professional casework. Volunteer service conflicted with the administrator’s desire for rational, efficient organization and the social worker’s identification with the agency as a vehicle for professional achievement. (Lubove, 1965, p.161)
As a person who aided in the construction of the social work profession, Mary E. Richmond (1861-1921) is best known for her role in the development of casework practice. Her studies helped build the foundation of direct assessment. In conjunction with her studies, she is also remembered for her remarkable ability to perform research and teach communities about the topics of social work. One of her most notable achievements is her representation of the modern idea of “client in environment”, which she labeled the “social diagnosis”. During her time, Mary was a key player in focusing the transition from charity work to social work (Szymoniak, 2015). Mary founded the Pennsylvania Child Labor Committee, the juvenile court, the Housing Association and the Public Charities Association (NASW, 2004). She is also the author of numerous publications that illustrate the importance of social work, and social practice.
Social leadership is defined as the capability of working creatively, effectively and constructively with individuals, groups, communities, families and organisations for the purpose of promoting social justice, catalysing social change as well as addressing social, community and individual issues. In social work, leadership is achieved in many different ways which include, offering direction, supporting individuals and communities, inspiring vision and as a collective action for the purpose of obtaining results that are mutually valued. A human service organisation that employs social workers requires professional leadership for the effective provision of human services and caring for the immediate workplace environment.
The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses
After carefully reading case study three, I have decided to use the Strengths Perspective to address the issues faced by the individuals involved in this case study. In social work practice, the strengths perspective has materialized as an alternate for more common pathology-oriented method to assisting clients. As an alternative to focusing on clients ' glitches and shortfalls, the strengths perspective hubs on clients ' abilities, talents, and resources. The social worker practicing from this style focusses exclusively on pinpointing and stimulating the client 's strengths and resources in helping them with their problems and goals (Saleebey, 2006).
Social Work’s core philosophy and values are centered around social justice and social well-being. Oppression, injustice, discrimination, and violence are antithetical to the social work profession. Social Work believes in strength-based approaches and the person-in-environment perspective to cater the needs and welfare of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society at large. Generally, the target populations for social work are vulnerable, marginalized, and oppressed people; however, social workers provide services to people with a wide range of problems, such as poverty, addiction, mental illness, etc. to empower them to meet their own needs. Historically, the social work profession started its operation by providing neighborhood