Essay On Women In Social Work

Social workers in the healthcare field can be very beneficial to an interdisciplinary team. Throughout the semester we have looked at how social workers bring their professional and distinct skill set and beliefs to these teams. There are many stereotypes and biases surrounding social workers and other professionals on interdisciplinary teams. Social workers also have different views than other healthcare professionals and use their skills in communication to help the clients they serve, along with various other skills that are unique to social workers differing from other professional in the healthcare field. A social worker’s skill set can be extremely useful when working with specific populations at risk. The relationship between health

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’ commitment to social justice means they want everyone to have a fair and equal opportunity to an assessment. In line with fairness, social workers should tell carers about their right to refuse an assessment as their permission, and not the person receiving care, is needed before the carer’s assessment can commence. In addition, social workers, bound by legislation regarding confidentiality and information sharing, must reserve the carer’s right to privacy whilst uphold their right to a fair hearing. This is achieved by only disclosing carer’s personal details to 3rd parties with consent, unless a safeguarding concern arises.

The results were obtained through surveys administered in 2010 at a social work conference, with 226 subjects completing the survey in full. The majority of the subjects were female and/or Caucasian, and a most of them had achieved at least an MSW.

The NASW Standards for Cultural Competence addresses the standard of empowerment and advocacy, which I find both reassuring and admirable, because, as a social worker becomes more culturally aware of their clients, they need to have the desire to ensure equality for all of them. From the text, social workers become specialists in understanding the effects of demeaning social policies against their clients, where they find the medium between aiding in producing positive change without imposing their own beliefs. Mastery of this standard requires the cohesion between a social worker and client to seek minimal changes in social policies to prove that advocacy imposes change before shifting towards revolutionizes social policies and laws.

In our world today, many individuals are faced dealing with oppression, exploitation, social exclusion, and injustice. As a result, this makes it hard for those same individuals to prosper. It leaves them powerless, hopeless, and at a disadvantage. It’s said, “These individuals generate a sense of blame, distrust, alienation, vulnerability, and disenfranchisement” (Dubois, Miley, & O’Melia, 2015, p. 83). It is up to social workers to empower these individuals, give them a sense of hope and bring forth their strengths that society fails to uplift.

Furthermore, culture competent is very important in this profession. “Culturally competent or culturally grounded social work incorporates culturally based values, norms and diverse ways of knowing.” Kumpfer, Alvarado, Smith, & Bellamy, (2002) (pg. 241-246). It is important that social workers not be bias. The reasons why cultural adaptation is important when it relate to social work practices. As a social worker, you must create a treatment plans for your clients. If a social worker not culture competent with her client’s needs, how well the treatment plans be affected for the best interest of her/her

The journey towards the attainment of the Bachelor of the social work degree has been an enlightening and educational experience, as the individual is exposed to the realities of many social and political issues in the society. As a student, I ventured into the degree, with minimal insight as to how the degree can influence and shape the way I perceive the social world, and the way I relate these matters to myself. However, throughout my endeavour, which encompasses years of theoretical studies, and two intensive placements at two drastically different organisations, I believe I have accumulated the bare minimal knowledge to possess a solid foundation about the unfairness and inequality that people in disadvantaged conditions face. Social workers are predominantly found in welfare organisations which Howe (as cited in Limber, 2015) suggested largely influences the practice, direction and values of the social worker, and impacts on their ability to act autonomously (Lymbery, 2015). During my placements, there was a dominant theme that frequently stood out and enticed my attention. This was the accepted practice of focusing on the individual’s problem, as opposed to the social problems that existed and the lack of acknowledgement about the social restrictions of the human agency that limited self-determination. The realization that organisations were managed this way was important in ensuring that I made a proactive effort to understand and untangle the reasons behind such

Although not all social workers working in the field associate themselves as actively participating in international social work, many agencies nationally become involved with international issues. (Hugman, Moosa-Mitha, Moyo, 2010. P. 630). Claims, “All of us have, in different ways, become international social workers: we are all migrants, we all practice, teach and/or research in more than one country; we all address international issues in our work as we presume that global issues are increasingly local.”

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

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

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).

Social Work is a discipline that can be a very rewarding experience for both the worker and the client. The practice involves working with individuals, families, or groups who are struggling to cope with life`s challenges. The social worker must combine his or her personal qualities, creative abilities, and social concerns with the professional knowledge in order to help client’s social functioning or prevent social problems from developing (Bradford W. Sheafor, 2008, p. 34). Social work practice seeks to promote human well-being, while addressing the processes by which individuals and groups are marginalized or diminished in their capacity to participate as citizens (Ian O'Connor, 2006, p. 1).

For this reflective journal, I have decided to draw parallels between approaches to social work that I have learned in my placement, and what I have learned during my academic career at Carleton University. Placement thus far, has been an eye-opening and rich experience, which has taught me about the profession that I aspire to be a part of. I am a third year student, and much of my time spent at Carleton, has been studying theories, and becoming exposed to different schools of thought. Theories are incredibly beneficial, to teach and inform the practice of the next generation of social workers. However, placement has provided me with the opportunity to apply theoretical ideals, to real life social work practice.

On the first page of Keith-Lucas’s, So You Want to be a Social Worker he makes note of how Christianity and social work share a lot of the same values, because of this the practice of social work can be viewed as a form of ministry. For example, most social workers, no matter their religion believe that all people have worth, and see a great importance in the showing of understanding and kindness towards them. Through my studies in APS 101, at Redeemer University College, I have learned that social work was brought up by the Church; I never knew of this relationship. This new knowledge makes me eager to learn more about the field, and the ways in which I can use it to serve not only my neighbors, but God himself, through its missionary characteristics.