Social Work In Canada

School of Social Work University of Windsor 401 Sunset Avenue Windsor, Ont. Canada N9B 3P4 Email: cswedit@uwindsor.ca Website: http://www.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/

Her commitment to change social welfare, Richmond took on many active roles throughout her historical journey. Mary Richmond helped to create professionalism throughout social work, and created a social framework of social casework that influenced the importance of direct social interaction and social connections. While working with a Baltimore Charity Organization Society in 1888 Richmond began promoting the need for the education setting for the study of case work and the significance of formal social work education. The Charity Organization Society became to be one of the first charity organizations to develop a structural framework; providing social services and foundations for impoverished children, families, and those disabled. Throughout her contributions, Richmond provided insight on the idea of charity work and evolving it into modern day social work.

As discussed by Williams & Bell (2015), the evolving identity of social work has been continually unclear among the general public and social workers themselves. Theoretically social work practice is thought to have abandoned its original ideals of community focus and collective betterment shifting its concentration to individualistic approaches. Since its inception, beginning with settlement houses and charity organizations in the 19th century, social work practice has endeavored for recognition as a profession in its own right not as a supplement to other professions in a secondary manner such as assisting doctors or lawyers etc.

Introduction Canada is a racially diverse country (Al-Krenawi, Graham & Habibov, 2016). Canadian social workers work with many individuals, families and communities from diverse ethnoractial backgrounds. It is imperative they are aware of affects of oppression and the setbacks oppression can create for service users. In addition, social workers must analyze their own social location and identity in order to understand how personal assumptions, beliefs, values, and power dynamics affect service users.

The origins of the social work as a profession is typically accredited to the Victorian 19th Century as a means of helping the those in need, whilst simultaneously easing the anxiety of social disorder at that time (Payne, 2005b); however, the practice of social work can be seen much earlier on. If social work is the compassionate response to an individual or group’s need, crisis or problem

In retrospect, the authors speak on the importance of social workers and how they very needed. “The depression and the world war drew the profession back momentarily to social concerns and provided a social context for the emergence of social group work and community organization as social work specializations” (Specht &

of social working are to help individuals, families, communities, and groups of people who are

My clear and definite understanding of critical theories and postmodern thoughts provides me significant and appropriate frameworks to practice as a progressive social worker in Canadian context (Morley, 2003). My exploration of reflective practice and the fundamentals of critical self reflection approach enhanced my understanding of specific client situations. Moreover, my learning about anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice helps me to identify socially constructed structural factors which are oppressive in various clientele circumstances (Hickson, 2011). All the above mentioned understandings are merely new to me in terms of practice. I have emphasized more on the principles and guidelines of “ecologically oriented”, “competence-cantered” social work practice in back home. My assessments and interventions in the community mental health practices were to modify the environment, provide support and enhance the strengths and potentialities of the client. I have never focused on the oppressive structural factors like “poverty”, “bureaucratic dominance”, “race”, “religion”, “gender”, “power imbalance”, “class”, “economic barriers”, and “status quo” (Morley, 2003). And I found that all my new learnings are very important as a social work practitioner.

Day, P. (2009). A New History of Social Welfare, 6th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved 12/03/2016 from Wilkinson, Courtney, "Spirituality and Religion in Social Work: Respondent Definitions" (2012). Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers. Paper 103. http://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/103

Perhaps one of the first times that we see social work pop up in history is in the early seventeenth century when the Elizabethan poor laws were put into place. These laws were in both America and Great Britain. They made it clear that the government had a very limited task of helping people that needed it. Through these laws, the two sections of poor people were created. The worthy poor were orphans, handicapped, and older citizens. They went to poorhouses while the unworthy poor, able bodied males, were placed in prisons because the government thought that they were fibbing about not being able to work. In 1834, a reform act was enacted to ensure that the laws were doing what they were supposed to. In 1839, Jane Addams created the first

Social workers provide support to individuals and families who are experiencing personal and social problems. Some of these supports include organizing support groups, counseling, providing information on and administering educational programs. Additional support includes helping individuals and family to access to medical assistance, nutritional assistance, income support and emergency accommodations. Clients can range from a family living in poverty, to those with disabilities, victims of crimes, drug addicts, the homeless and others who are experiencing a crisis.

Early social work focused on individuals and casting blame on them for their circumstances. Social workers had good intentions, but believed poor people were poor because of some failing on their part and often held a moralistic view that they were better than those they were helping. Social work has always had some type of organization behind the

Where would the world be without social work? Throughout an individual’s life, one may hit a bump in the road where he or she will depend upon the help of a social worker. The profession of Social Work changes the lives of many for the better; the individual client can depend upon the Social Worker for assistance in his or her life. Social workers aid individuals throughout the world, I plan to assist the Aborigines in Australia with their substance, domestic violence, and mental health. In my paper, I will discuss the Values, skills, and knowledge required to become a social worker, offering readers a greater understanding of the field of social work by teaching them about the work of one social worker.

Krysik, J. L., & Finn, J. (2013). Research for Effective Social Work Practice (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge

Social work has been around since the early 1800’s and first became prevalent before the Civil War era and before a flood of immigration occurred. The career was first developed in England and was brought to the United States where it became a popular pastime of the kind hearted and wealthy. Untrained proto-social workers, known as “friendly visitors”, sought to help the poor individuals through moral persuasion and personal example. They were able to be positive role models within the poor communities and supported them with resources such as food, water, and even shelter. The most notable social changes that had an influence on the development of social work were the series of economic depressions,