The Components Of Social Work

The purpose of social work in the contemporary society is concern for the individual. The function of social work is to help solve problems in human relationships for a better quality of life and to protect them from harm and from harming others which will enhance well-being. I have decided to pursue social work as a profession because I am at the point in my life where I want a sense of fulfilment. I care about people, I want to help others. I want to make the world a better place to live. I want to be the change I want to see. I want to serve the people in society who are physical, mentally, and socially less privileged than I am and make them feel loved and accepted. I will work with all groups of people but I have a strong interest in working with children and people who suffer from mental illnesses and addiction. I am interested in social work because it is a career with lots of flexibility in an ever-changing field allowing me to work in different settings, with different goals and challenges, but with a shared purpose of serving the common good of people.

What has attracted you to the helping professions? Who in your life has influenced your decision to consider this role for yourself? I have always had a love for helping others. I first heard about social work through a friend. I began doing lots of research on this helping profession to get a better understanding. I found that Social Workers are responsible for helping individuals, families, and groups of people cope with problems and improve their lives. I also enjoy helping others in a time a need so social work matched some of my qualities perfectly.

Explain how you became interested in social work and why you chose social work as a major.

According to the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (2017), an intellectual disability is classified as a deficit in “intellectual functioning” and “adaptive behaviors.” For a disability to be qualified as an intellectual disability it must have originated before the age of 18. Some diagnoses that fit under intellectual disability include autism, Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. “Developmental disability” is the umbrella term, encompassing many other disabilities, including those that fall under the category of intellectual disability. Developmental disabilities typically impact an individual in a physical way, such as cerebral palsy or epilepsy.

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.

I have several reasons which confirms my interest in the social work profession. First, my personal experience consist of me being a single parent with a special needs child whose been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD),

My passion for social work originated in my senior year of undergraduate school. During my senior, year my single, adoptive mother had passed. A couple of months following her death, I found myself homeless. I had just turned 18 and I was a jobless high school student sleeping from couch to couch. During this time of my life there was one individual who supported me. The high school social worker was a strong support for me. I didn’t have any family support and thus fell on hard times. A college professor once told me that people who choose social work as a major do it because that had someone in their life who influenced them to become a social worker. If that person wasn’t in my life, my personal growth would have differed completely. It was at this point that I realized it only takes one caring individual to hugely impact someone 's life for the better. To be that person to someone else is my highest aspiration in life.

When I first started into the Social work field was because of my son, Evan, who has a medical diagnose of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In the past 11 year of his life, I have worked with many professional from teachers to councilors but it was not until my family and I moved to Colorado, that we meet a School social worker that was very helpful in navigating the school system with a child with special needs. I started the social work program at Pikes Peak Community Collage because I wanted to work in the school systems and help children and their parents navigate the public school system insuring that the child is receiving all support and services guaranteed by the Americans with Disability Act. I did not want another family to not have access to life changing resources just because they were never informed of them.

I believe social work is a passion and is consistent with my personality traits: loyalty, commitment, and personal servitude. This passion coupled with the forthcoming skills gained from an MSW degree at Florida International University, I will have the honor of becoming a professional social worker with unlimited possibilities to advocate, provide direct services or lead an organization-all of which will lead to my ultimate goal of positively affecting the lives of vulnerable people. FIU offers a quality, high-intensity program that will surely equip me with the tools to do this great profession and act of public service

Social work is a career that finds and chooses you, rather than you selecting it. Social work has always been an immense portion of my life even when I had no recollection of what social work entailed. My life revolved around so many situations that had a social worker stepped in, my life would be totally different than it is today. Many individuals and agencies lack the compassion and empathy for oppressed people. Having been in many circumstances, has given me the experience and background that influenced me to go into social work, as well as the understanding of my role and responsibilities that I will assume as a professional social worker, and my reasons for selecting the program at ASU School of Social Work and thoughts on how the Mission Statement addresses my career goals.

As I continue with social work, I developed an interest working with children and youth in a school setting. Eventually, I switched my major and was probably the toughest decision I had to make. Studying social work as an undergrad at Humboldt State helped me find who I am and what I want to become. I found a sense of belonging by developing a perspective of my own struggles while growing up. I realize how common systemic oppression affects not only me, but everyone around me. Understanding systemic issues, knowing the barriers that people face first hand, encourages me to want to work hard to fight against inequality.

People enter social care from many different life and backgrounds. For Laura Gomez (real name is kept anonymous), the social worker I interviewed, what motivated her to become a social worker was because she wanted to make a difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the community by ensuring they get the support to live a better life. Also, the unpredictability of a social work means that social workers are never bored, because they work with all kinds of people in different situations.

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.

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.

Also, in my past there has been instances that have drawn me to the field of social work. I have had a few family members who have had several different issues dealing with drugs, abuse, and their children being placed in foster care. In one case I took one of the children into my home and my parents took three children into their home. Every family has some different situations, but these incidents have opened my eyes to many new things. This is one of the reasons I feel social work would be a good fit for me. I enjoy helping others build themselves up and make a better life for them and their families. It is a blessing to be part of a team who helps families, children, and groups in need. Helping children get out of bad situations is one of the most rewarding jobs you could ever have in life.