The Role of Social Worker - Modern Day - Essay Example

The Role of Social Worker - Modern Day Social Worker Introduction Man’s higher qualities represent aspects like loyalty, integrity, honesty among many others. Generosity leading to philanthropy is one such quality. However, these depend largely on one’s personal initiative, and need not be continual activities. As in every walk of life, formalisation of any activity leads to the evolution of professions that serve the particular field. This brings with it rules, regulations and conventions that characterise the profession in question. Social work is one such field that has emerged and come into its own in a modern setting. The formalisation of this profession implies a formal academic type of initiation into it. One learns social work as a course at the university level and has several openings in the job market based on one’s aptitude and area of interest. “The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships, and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being” (IFSW, 2012). Roles and functions of the social worker A social worker performs various roles and functions. He/She is an awareness creator, a liaison person, a facilitator, a voice for the underprivileged and much more. (S) he has the most crucial role to play, especially where the patient does not have any immediate kith and kin. The number of functions performed depends on the area where (s) he is active and the type of intervention or service required of him/her. A hospital is one such setting where social workers offer their services. The actual type of services rendered in a hospital depends on the sector in question viz. private, voluntary or statutory. Social workers have various goals in a health care organisation viz. to manage the risk involved, to develop programs for dialog, linking the community with the hospital, promoting research and education (Ontario Association of Social Workers, 2004). A person in the private sector has fewer privileges when compared to one from the government sector. Hence, the type of intervention will also differ. If a person has been the victim of an occupation hazard, the social worker faces an uphill task in giving justice to the aggrieved party. The extent to which the employee can be given compensation through legal recourse is limited. However, the social worker can make the employee aware of the state in which (s) he is and how one should adapt to the changed circumstance. This is the case even when a non-employee is forced to use hospital services due the ill-effects of the organisation concerned on the health of the former. This being the case, the social worker can forewarn employees and others alike, about ill-effects due to the operations of an organisation. Given protracted legal battles and the uncertainty of compensation, it is better that such ill-effects are laid bare at the outset to those likely to be affected by it. Another service that can be rendered is the facility for change in employment due to the ill-effects in question. In a similar manner, the aggrieved person can be encouraged to relocate from the place in question. The social worker provides other services like acting as a mediator in out of court settlements if one feels that this alone will offer speedy justice to the parties involved. The social worker can also reduce bureaucratic red tape in case of insurance and social security issues. In case of the voluntary sector, however, the situation is different. This sector is built on the initiative by individuals and organisations. Here, the people involved have the larger good of the society at large in mind. The sector depends on contributions in cash and kind from various sources. People also volunteer for free in this sector. Hence, the role of a social worker becomes important vis - a - vis the common public. A social worker has more freedom in offering valuable information and disseminating awareness among the people involved. (S) he is not restricted by vested interests with a profit motive. In cases where finance is an issue, the worker may have to tailor his/her advice according to the best financial option available. Here, (s) he should focus on sourcing out more donors who can offer financial help in a timely manner. Moreover, sourcing out volunteers is also a crucial task in such a situation. Some of the areas where a social worker can be active in this situation are in case of blood and organ donation programmes. General awareness in a hospital setting is seen as a default service provided by a social worker. Providing support in case of end-stage diseases is another service provided. The social worker can also influence medical practitioners involved to reduce their fees while treating a patient, thus easing the financial burden. Removing bureaucratic wrangles in conducting medical tests and obtaining results thereof are also part of the varied activities of a social worker. The statutory or government sector has its own set of rules governing it. While the task of the social worker is to reduce bureaucratic hurdles, the government sector is highly structured and follows a rigid line of command. This cannot be bypassed at any cost in this sector. Such hurdles limit the intervention by the social worker. Hence, it becomes the bounden duty of the social worker to inform the patient about such delays. (S) he should also prepare the patient mentally to face frustratingly long waits for the completion of medical procedures. However, since the help of the government is forthcoming on the financial front, the social worker can spend more time in building awareness and on other fields. The social worker can reach out to the higher echelons of the state, particularly to influence legislations and several policy issues. At the hospital level, the social worker can make the patient aware of the benefits that will accrue to the patient from the government. (S) he can also explain technicalities to the patient who could otherwise be deprived of government facilities. At the government level, a social worker can elicit voluntary support to the extent permissible by the government. (S) he could impress upon the government to allow augmenting its services by those from the voluntary sector. The social worker should also enable smooth processing of insurance and medical claims which would otherwise move at a snail’s pace by government authorities. To sum up, we can say that hospital social workers perform in highly specialized settings. They are given charge of medical units on the basis of diagnosis, age, gender etc. (Gibelman, 2005). Paediatrics, oncology, nephrology etc. are some examples of specialisation in this field. They also work in the capacity of administrators for specific hospital programs (Social Workers in Hospitals & Medical Centres, occupational profile, NASW, 2011, pp 1). Society’s expectations on modern day social worker The social worker’s role is important as seen from the present perspective. However, society also places certain expectations on the social worker. “The needs, demands and expectations of society for social work services have changed and will continue to change” (Scottish Executive, 2006, p.25). In the present day world, fellow beings do not have time to spend on each other. All altruistic pursuits for the common good are vested in the hands of a few, in the opinion of society. This has led to a niche crowd that specialises in activities that once were part of society and performed by many. In the olden days, the societal structure was sufficient to involve charity and any type of humanitarian help. Such aid was built into the character of society until commercialism changed things. Commercialism brought in concepts like individual liberty which placed the individual centre-stage. The result was that man became preoccupied with his own life and that of his immediate family. This loss of concern created a vacuum that was sought to be filled by a new profession viz. that of the social worker. Society sought to entrust the care of the neglected, the needy etc. in the hands of these social workers. Hence, society placed on the shoulders of these professionals exactly what it felt was done together by a greater cross-section of society. However, research shows that people are not sufficiently aware about social care. They are confused about the manner in which services are funded, and one is also not prepared or has not planned in advance for future care needs (IPPR, 2009). The mismatch exists because social work is a profession unlike the charity of bygone days. Hence, while people volunteered to do things for no extra cost, this was no longer the case. Here was a group of persons who were paid to do social work. While, it would be wrong to think that all social workers were commercial-minded, it cannot be ignored that a section of the society looked at social work as a remuneration and a means of livelihood. Whether it was foundations that espoused various causes or non-governmental agencies that functioned in this arena, there were various extraneous considerations that crept into the noble deed known as social work. Concepts like human rights have become subservient to the vested interests of a few. Hence, social work in this area had to take into consideration factors like diplomacy, the consumption and flow of fuel, international arms race, and food security among several others. Lobbying is another factor that affects the practise of social work. Hence, social work which thus far was a spontaneous activity has now become a pursuit that requires the active participation and decision making from various corners. Hence, a social worker may not be in a position to take a free and fair decision or perform his/her duties normally. Hence, this perceived failure on the part of the social worker makes society show its ire on the social worker itself. Hence, society feels let down by a system that has its own value systems which do not mirror those of society. The social worker is seen as a product of that very system that does not do full justice to the needy. Hence, society views the social worker with suspicion, who cannot work sincerely even for the larger good of people. The end result is that society distances itself even from those social workers who go about their jobs in right earnest. Social work in the wider social context As said earlier, social work is within a larger social context in that it touches various fields and areas. While a social worker basically tries to disseminate information, he dabbles in other areas as well. An NGO, for instance, depends both on the government as well as other donors for performing its activities. Hence, the NGO is subservient to various ‘causes’ that fund it directly or otherwise. This is where the criticism arises that the NGO could be a front organisation for something larger that lurks in the shadows. This is one reason why many are wary of NGOs. Social work is not immune to the ‘go green’ aspect. Environment protection is at once at loggerheads with infrastructure development and economic progress. The need for reducing the carbon footprint makes it imperative that development projects could get stalled or put on hold indefinitely. On the one hand, the social workers are known to disrupt all types of economic progress by creating hurdles in the name of environment protection. On the other hand, they are accused to be hand in glove with huge corporates who mint money in the name of mega projects. Health is another area that concerns the social worker. This field touches upon diverse arenas like alcoholism and, drug addiction, for instance. The social worker tries to rehabilitate people in the grip of these vices. In the same breadth, social workers are accused of not doing anything substantial for deaddicting the common man from alcohol or drugs. While drugs and alcohol mean mega bucks, these, especially substance abuse borders on the controversial issue of terror funding. The amount wasted in substance abuse is said to be used in actively promoting insurgency activities and secessionist tendencies. Since, terror is on a global scale, the threat looms large on every nation, whether it has been affected by it or not. Health care is yet another field that involves the active participation of a social worker. (S) he helps make the decision of an informed choice with regard to health options. Modern day healthcare is also a multi-billion dollar industry that caters to the health of the vast majority. A social worker is considered pliable by multi-national pharmaceutical companies who try to push their expensive products down the throat of the unsuspecting common man. Again the finger of suspicion falls on the social workers who are seen as facilitators in endorsing particular brands of medicines. Conclusion In total, though there is the larger society that forms the framework or the context in which the social worker performs, there are many hurdles to the smooth functioning of social work. A social worker must hold on against all odds to be successful in his/her chosen arena. There is a need to persevere if one should not get swept away by the external factors that seek to malign this noble profession. The social worker has come a long way from the time it started out with lofty ideals. However, in the modern world, there are lots of factors that go on to define the true nature of social work. The altruistic nature of social work has taken a beating as commercialisation creeps into this area too. It becomes imperative that the social worker adapt himself/herself to the changing circumstances in the world. (S)he should keep himself/herself updated with the latest changes in the field. In spite of the transformation in this field, the society at large has its set of demands that may seem impractical to a social worker. Hence, the social worker must try to serve his profession with integrity. Success in this field lies in the judicious practice of social work and not losing sight of the core values that make it stand out among the professions of the world. References International Federation of Social Workers. 2012. “Definition of Social Work”. [online] available at: http://ifsw.org/policies/definition-of-social-work/ [accessed 28 May 2014]. IPPR. 2009. “Expectations & Aspirations: Public attitudes towards social care”. [online] available at: http://www.ippr.org/publications/expectations-aamp-aspirations-public-attitudes-towards-social-care [accessed 28 May 2014]. National Association of Social Workers. 2011. “Social Workers in Hospitals & Medical Centers: occupational profile”. [online] available at: http://workforce.socialworkers.org/studies/profiles/Hospitals.pdf [accessed 28 May 2014]. Ontario Association of Social Workers. 2004. “Social Work in Hospital-Based Health Care”. [online] available at: http://www.wrh.on.ca/Site_Published/wrh_internet/DocumentRender.aspx?Body.IdType=5&Body.Id=22232&Body.GenericField= [accessed 28 May 2014]. Scottish Executive. 2006. “Changing Lives, Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review”. [online] available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/91931/0021949.pdf [accessed 28 May 2014]. Read More