Media Representation Of The Social Work Profession

Shows and movies tend to exaggerate and not fact check what they display for, essentially, the whole world to see. So when people hear ‘social work’ they automatically think of so-and-so character from the oh-so-popular movie who took a poor child away from the hardworking protagonist. This is real life, social work does not actually work like the media so often portrays. Despite all the negative stigma, a study by Craig Winston LeCroy and Erika L. Stinson found that while the public image of a social worker is better than expected, “there is undoubtedly room for growth and improvement” for the underappreciated job (174). The reason social work is perceived by the mentioned stereotypes and misconceptions is due to the lack of fight against the negative images.

“Social phenomena are any external influences on living organisms. These influences include behavioral influences, historical influences and developmental influences” ("Reference.com," 2017). Social workers’ work with individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations and communities (Hepworth, Rooney, Rooney, & Strom-Gottfried, 2016). Social workers use contrasting theories of human behavior in addition to the implementation of diverse interventions while interacting and serving a wide range of clientele.

Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.

The profession of social work has been in the health care field ultimately since the beginning of the health care system. However, throughout the years, the roles of the social worker and their prevalence have changed just as much as the system itself.

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?

In an attempt to ascertain the image of the social work profession in the African-American community, Williams & Bell (2015) conducted a study in order to examine the perceptions of community members regarding social work practice commitment to pertinent issues of African Americans.

The National Association of Social Workers says, “According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), social work is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States. The profession is expected to grow by 19% between 2012 and 2022. There are more than 650,000 people that currently hold a degree in social work” (“Social”). Social workers aim to help those in need. There are many positive and negative opinions about social workers. For example, some think that social workers only help people that live in poverty, and others think that all social workers have a heart for children. There are several myths about social workers such as all social workers take children away or that social workers are underpaid. Another myth that is said is that most social workers are women. Although these myths contain a little truth, they are still myths.

qualified to wait until I have obtained my certificate and have the tool of higher education under my belt. The specifics of what exactly I hope to accomplish by jumping as far as I possibly can in my professional life are to simply be the best social worker for addicts and their families that I can possibly be. The issues plaguing these people and their families are catastrophic, and I understand firsthand how damaging and divisive the effects can be. If I can help even one family understand and shape their family environment into a safer and more constructive one and to give back to even just a single individual who needs the kind of guidance and support that I needed (and thankfully received), then my life will be more than well-lived. However,

The article I have selected is; ‘Baby P and Victoria Climbie tragedies synonymous with reforms to system’. The reason I have selected this article is because I found these two stories very interesting with the fact these two names have been reported about so many times across the media with the horrific child abuse they incurred. I also like the fact that after these two tragedies occurred there has been many reforms to the system to ensure fewer tragedies like these can occur in the future for example, social workers are making more frequent visits to children who may be at risk of any child abuse. I will structure my essay with beginning to explain the complexities and rewards for social workers then refer to the two children; baby P and Victoria on their backrounds. Afterwards, I will analyse references and how their impact effects the social services and viewers also. Finally, I will link all my findings together and I will discuss how my understanding of social work has changed as a result of undertaking this essay. Throughout my assignment the aspects I will focus on are how the media has reflected social services in these two cases of baby P and Victoria and how this effects viewer’s perspectives and the social work dilemmas and ethical issues raised by The Telegraph article.

Previous to my two social work courses, I knew very little about social work. I have seen two movies, Precious and Fathers and Daughters, that have shown the work and responsibilities of a social worker. In the movie Precious, a teenage girl who was raised in Harlem, was subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse. A social worker, Ms. Weiss, was assigned to her case to help her cope with her troubling life. Ms. Weiss displays the emotional struggle social workers go through while working with people who have been abused. We see this during the scene when Precious tells the detailed story of her sexual abuse from her father and Ms. Weiss cannot hold back her tears. I could see how that would be a very challenging fragment of social work

Assumptions and stereotypes can influence how our clients interact with the social worker. The client might feel hostile and uncooperative at the beginning of the professional relationship. When working with a family, the parents may feel threatened and scare to think a social worker can take their children away. This can

When reading through LeCroy and Winston’s study entitled The Public’s Perception of Social Work, I was very surprised that, as cited in table 1, 50.1% of the 375 people sampled incorrectly thought that the average American social workers’ annual salary was between $18,000 and $28,000. In reality, the mean salary for a social worker in 2016 was $59,410 (United States Department of Labor, 2016). I think one explanation for this large gap between the perceived salary and the actual salary of a social worker might be the lack of prestige of this job in the eyes of the American public at large. Because of social work’s lack of prestige, people automatically think that people in the field have a far lower annual salary than they actually do. Luckily,

Social work theories explains phenomenon’s (Hayden, 2016, p.3). Social work theories emerged due to a shift from a subjective to objective approach involving scientific philanthropy (Hicks and Stokes, 2016, p. 41). It provides objectivity when assessing a client’s situation which is align with the core value of non-judgment. The ecological theory, a conventional approach, places individuals at various levels of impact, examining the relationship between people and environments. Social workers who use this perspective, incorporate empathy and reflection in practice (Hicks and Stokes, 2016, p. 80). It sorts emotions from logic (Hayden, 2016, p. 3). Social workers oppose forms of prejudice and discrimination, challenging stereotypes existing in systematic structures (). Being conscious of biases, challenging oppressed structures and reflecting upon experiences will make this theory effective as it aligns with the critical social work identity.

When individuals think of social work, the first thing that comes to mind are government workers taking children from irresponsible parents. This is true to an extent, but most individuals have no clue what social work is and how many types there are. Social work is one of the most endearing, yet difficult careers to have. The main goal of social work is to improve and attempt to protect a community’s well-being, especially in vulnerable environments. According to the socialworkers.org article titled “Social Work Profession,” it explains what social work is, who can become a social worker, and the various types there are. Craig Winston Leroy and Ericka L. Stinson discuss how the public’s negative perception of social work affects social workers

My vision of the social work field is being able to help people in need and being the person that people can look back on and remember as a huge help in time of need. I think my core values and beliefs will help me be an effective social worker and help me succeed in this field. It is in my belief that a person should never be knocked down when they are going through hardships, and rather empowering them. I also believe that not everyone could be a social worker because it takes a certain kind of empathetic and self-aware person. I truly believe that my upbringing has humbled me to understand and not be judgmental of people’s issues since I’ve seen a lot in my short twenty-one years.