Reflective Essay On Social Work

The National Association of Social Work (NASW) has identified a set of values that all social workers must consider during the course of their work (NASW, 2008). Social work values are broadly covered when you define social work as being a profession of aiding those in need and addressing oppression. Helping those in need directly relates to the value of supporting the needs of others. The definition also addresses the importance of bringing awareness to oppression. This relates to the values of addressing injustice, individuality and promoting harmony. On a broader perspective, all social workers are encouraged to continually pursue knowledge in their area and maintain ethical practices. Values have the purpose of ensuring that helpers always strive for what is best for the client. Manning (1997) points out that “the power to intervene in people’s lives carries

Social work is a profession which has the objective to improve the quality of life of other individuals. The NASW code of ethics is used as a guideline for social workers and the interaction they have with their clients. In addition, within the code of ethics, there are six values, which include service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Therefore, going into the social work field it is important to understand that your

Social Work is a career defined as “work carried out by trained personal with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those in need of help or welfare”. Social work varies in several fields, social workers work as part of multi-disciplinary teams with child welfare organizations, adoption and foster care agencies, hospitals, schools, prisons, mental health institutions, and more. Social work may leave the impression that it’s an easy field because it is assumed that all social workers do is serve others and manage paperwork but that is only a small chunk of the job. Social workers must deal with the ethical and emotional aspect of helping others. As a social worker, it is critical to comply with the National Association of Social Workers

As the term comes to an end I realize that my understand of social work has changed and that I have a lot more learning to do, learning which will span the rest of my life. Social work is more than helping, to me it is about making sacrifices to better the lives of

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has published a set of core values and ethical guidelines for all social workers. The Code of Ethics contains six core values to which social workers need to practice (NASW, 2008). The social worker must abide by the values and ethics set forth by the NASW at all times.

The values set by their profession bind social workers by guiding their actions and decision-making in a professional setting. They are to respect the dignity and worth of persons, to strive for social justice, to offer humanity service, and to show integrity, confidentiality, and competence in their professional practice (CASW, 2005, p. 4).

My understanding of the social work profession and its core values is that social workers are caregivers, they provide assistance to people in need, and they address social problems. The social worker goal is the improvement of society to ameliorate the lives of individuals in need. The social work profession mission is to enhance the well-being of people and to assist them in meeting their basic needs, with particular emphasis on the needs of the poor, and the vulnerable individual. The Social Work profession has six core values. These core values are the foundation of the social work profession. The social worker incorporates these core values into his daily practices. Service to others is one of the fundamental values of social work. Social workers goal is serving others and putting the needs of their clients ahead of their own. Social justice is another core value of social work. Social workers aim at improving the lives of the disadvantaged, vulnerable people who are less fortunate or unable to advocate for themselves. Social workers understand the essential value of every human life, regardless of ethnic background, cultural differences or religious beliefs. Their goal is to respect the dignity and worth of every person. Another key value of social work is integrity. The social workers conduct themselves in a trustworthy, honest, and responsible manner at all times. Competence is another important core value of the social work profession. The

Social workers hold themselves to high standards because they have a lot of responsibilities toward their clients and the agency they work for. A social worker must be aware of services that their agency provides and what they do not. They then must be aware of other agencies or programs they can connect their clients to if they need extra services. Finally a social worker must know their client to be able to help them to their fullest extent.

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

I would like to begin this essay by stating that prior to the commencement of this course there was to some extent hesitation on my behalf in my confidence to work with Aboriginal people. Whilst I have many years of practice in the field of mental health, I have not given much consideration in how my skills and experience are adequate to work with all clients. However I am prompted to consider how my practice framework is evolving as a future practitioner, specifically relative to working with Aboriginal people. This essay will capture what I consider to be of importance to the development of my framework and how I am positioned as a future practitioner.

The six core values of social work are integrity, social justice, competence, dignity and worth of the individual, service, and importance of human relationships. It is vital that a social worker shows that they have integrity, meaning that they should have trustworthy tendencies. Social workers must entice social justice. They should assure that social change is okay and be there for those who are considered oppressed. Social workers should always remain competent and be willing to expand their knowledge and use it to the best of their abilities. Having dignity and knowing the worth of the clients is very important. Social workers should always remain respectful no matter the situation. The goal of a social worker is to provide service

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.

Social Work is a field of interest to me because of the positive effort it contributes to society. Within the social work profession individuals are striving to improve the welfare of those in need of assistance. Social Workers assist a variety of individuals; from children, young adolescents, older adults, mentally ill, substance abuse individuals, and many other minorities; as in LGBT members, veterans, homeless people, and low socioeconomic status individuals. The broad mix population fascinates me because within this field one will always be able to work in a flexible environment. Social Work is used in multiple settings as in hospitals, nursing skilled homes, mental health and substance abuse clinics, schools, correctional facilities, community centers, child welfare agencies, employee assistance programs, and private practices.

My understanding of the profession of social work is to enhance human well-being and to help meet the basic needs of all society, especially the needs of the most vulnerable, oppressed, and the needs of the people living in poverty. Social work leading duties are to promote social justice and social change on behalf of clients.

Values and ethics are sets of beliefs and principles that have an important role to play in terms of providing guide to action, offering a framework for making sense of a given situation in practice, providing a yardstick by which to judge the appropriateness of a given action whilst also sustaining a social worker through difficult, discouraging times (Thompson