“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” E - Edith Wharton
Social work is a profession that helps in improving the quality of life and wellbeing of people or communities. This essay analyses and underpins the understanding of the nature of social work from diverse perspectives. It also throws light on the need for social work
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The rich is getting richer and the poor is getting the poorer. The gap between the rich and poor not only persists, but continues to widen and the ideology justifying it has managed to be pervasive. Social workers are charged with the responsibility of bringing to public notice the values, attitudes, behaviours and social structures and economic imperatives that cause or contribute to the oppression of human welfare and rights. They are further charged with the duty to respond, with passion and hope, to human need wherever and however it is manifested, and to work towards the attainment of social justice for individuals, groups and communities in a local and global context. (Chenoweth & McAuliffe, 2012, p. 16)
According to Parton, a social worker, over the years acts as an advocate and mediator between those individuals, groups and communities who are actually or potentially excluded from the mainstream of society (Parton 2004). Sheafor and Horejsi (2008, pp. 4-5) consider that the primary purpose of social work should focus on the interconnectedness and interdependence of people and the power of social relationships that underpins a profession devoted to helping people improve the quality and effectiveness of those interactions and relationships- in other words to enhance their social functioning.
The broad overview of the mission of social work and its core values complied by Reamer (1998) from North American literature on social work values and ethics
In this paper, the role of a social worker will be addressed. A Human Service professional has, in its hands, the responsibilities in the life of the clients and families they meet. The tremendous and arduous responsibilities they take on include, but are not limited to, the well-being and care of people and their communities. Such roles can be helping others manage the care of a family member, assisting individuals experiencing problems with family relations and conflicts, dealing with changes that come with growing old, aiding those suffering mental illness and or those individuals struggling with addictions. Briefly
Social work is a profession in which the lives of individuals and groups of people are positively affected through the efforts of professionals that seek to make a difference in their lives. The profession can be best understood through a spectrum. In one end, social work professionals can focus their efforts by directly assisting an individual to help improve his or her functioning and development. In the other end, social work professionals may emphasize their efforts in making changes in the global community seeking social justice. The approach on how to improve the conditions of an individual or a group of people is supported by a multifaceted, yet holistic perspective.
According to the National Association of Social Work, “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living.”
Social workers have many different practices and approaches to draw on for work with individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. These approaches and techniques can be varied depending on the distinctive
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.
Social Work is a career that you can make a significant impact on people’s lives. Social work is a spectacular career choice. However, working in this profession as a social work it can and will be challenges that will occur. A social worker enhances the welfare of communities, individuals and societies. Furthermore, social work aims to aid social change, development, cohesion, and empowerment. I had the pleasure of interviewing Latosha McIntyre about her work duties as a social worker with Day Spring Behavior Health Service. Day Spring Behavior Health Service is a non-profit- organization that offers a variety of behavioral health services to individuals and families. This paper will enclose Latosha McIntyre job activities, professional
Many experts call social workers the “jack of all trades” of the modern society. This comes from the fact that these professionals assist their clients in almost every accept of life. For one thing, they promote good mental health since they can help patients with psychological conditions and substance abuse problems. They can also help in improving physical wellbeing since they can guide their clients to the right healthcare facility and assist them in obtaining financial help to fund their treatment. Of course, they can help people who are going through socio-economic difficulties by steering them to organizations who can best assist with their financial needs.
The fundamental mission of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is to promote human well-being as well as to help meet the needs of all people, while paying special attention to the needs and empowerment of people living in poverty, oppressed and vulnerability. The social work profession focuses on human and societal well-being in a social context. The key areas of the profession are to outline the environmental forces responsible for creating and contributing to social problems. Social workers are tasked with promoting social change and social justice on behalf or with the clients. Clients in a social context include an organization, a community, a family, a group or an individual (Parker-Oliver and Demiris,
The Bachelor of Social Work degree is more than just a qualification in my eyes. It goes beyond receiving a title or a piece of paper at the end of my schooling. Social Work is a career where you do not only learn how to help others, you also learn how to help yourself. I am excited to learn new ways to enhance my self-awareness and mindfulness. I am confident that I will be more comfortable with articulating my own thoughts and emotions throughout this experience. I know how important it is to build relationships and make connections during school.
The NASW Code Of Ethics is the number one mission for the social work profession. This is fundamental for all social workers to appreciate human wellbeing, as well as, help them meet the basic human needs of each person. Social workers should as well give full attention to the empowerment and rights of those that are vulnerable, distressed, and living in poverty. Social workers are the ones that promote social justice and social change on behalf of clients. Also, social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. The mission of the profession is established in a set of core values that are embraced by social workers. Those core values are the following: Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of the Person, Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence. These core values will be reviewed and have scriptures with understanding that follows.
“The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well being and help meet the basic human needs of all people with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty.” (1)
#1 A: Social work can be defined as a broad profession, with the sole purpose of improving the lives and relieving the hardships of the members of a population. Social work addresses many problems for the well being of society, including: health care, criminal justice and domestic violence, economic and public policies, child and family welfare, as well as homelessness. Social workers are trained professionals with the education and tools necessary to address problems from several different perspectives, with the intention of helping the masses and not just individuals. Social workers have the ability to inform people in need of resources available to help them achieve a wide variety of goals, whether personal social mobility, or financial independence.
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).
Improving the lives of individuals is the objective of the social work profession. There is six values within National Association of Social work Code of Ethics (NASW): Service, Social Justice, Dignity, and Self-worth of the person, Importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These values are for social workers and their work with the client(s). Regardless of one’s race, religious belief, sex or sexual orientation each value benefits all individuals. Social workers should always practice professional values. Clients suffer from when the social worker does not uphold values. Code of Ethics is established for all social workers to obey and follow them. In this this paper, I will discuss the how “Importance of Human Relationship” will be the easiest to uphold and how “Social Justice” will challenge me as a social worker working with future clients, community and organizations.
Social work can be defined as, “promoting social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients.” (NASW, 2008, Preamble) Simply put, social workers are there to advocate and promote a more tolerable world in which everyone in society is treated equally, with fairness and are provided the same opportunities. In addition to this definition, some value assumptions have to be clearly made in order to support the profession of social work. The values that best compliment the above definition are most suitably described in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of