The Role of Social Workers - Essay Example

Role of Social Workers Social workers render essential services to some of the most vulnerable individuals of the population. Their services play acrucial role in transforming the lives of a great number of disadvantaged people in our society. Social workers put in considerable effort and dedication to help and protect people who are in dire need of their services. Social work is concerned with individual and personal problems but at the same time it has a broader scope covering social issues such as poverty, unemployment and domestic violence. The UK has a robust social care system in place, a system that however constantly draws upon its strengths to improve itself further. Indeed there is a real and urgent need for improvement, as the challenges facing social work today are enormous. Despite an impressive degree of diligence, professionalism, excellence, compassion and care displayed by most certified social workers of today, it is generally felt that social services sector in the UK is not delivering its full potential. As the scope and extent of social work evolves, there seems to be a rekindled interest in the discussion about its nature. This is reflected in the two major conferences held already this year at Nottingham Trent and Liverpool universities, attended by thousands of social workers and social work students (Jones, 2006). Also notable is the fact that the membership of the British Association of Social Workers is constantly growing. BASW's public and media profile is undergoing an enhancement, even as the association continues to champion the contribution that social workers make to the society. BASW is also increasingly commenting on the policy and practice issues that particularly relate to the roles and tasks of social workers. Of late, BASW has been vehemently challenging policies that negatively impact on asylum seekers and users of mental health services. 1) The range of responsibilities and services provided by social work agencies in England and Wales Social work has changed greatly since the early days of philanthropists and 'do-gooders'. It is now a large-scale enterprise in the UK, and by 2001 there were over 1.25 million people - that is approximately 5% of the total workforce in the field of social work(University of Edinburgh, 2001). And it is growing. Today, there are more social work tasks to be undertaken than ever before, because the goal is to create a better society that is healthy, tolerant, safe, fair and inclusive. Social work services strive to achieve this by providing help and support to a wide variety of vulnerable, disabled, and disadvantaged people, and by protecting those at risk, as by a psychiatric illness, from bringing harm upon themselves and others. Further, social work agencies work with authorities and general populace to create better opporutnities for their clients. At a basic level, the responsibilities of a social work agency include resourcing employees to deliver quality services, and actively promoting excellence by constantly learning from good practices as well as from mistakes and unfortunate incidents of the past. Social work agencies should also be in a position to trust their employees to practice safely and effectively (Scottish Executive, 2006). In the United Kingdom, a majority of social workers are trained professionals with recognised social work qualifications, generally employed in the public sector by local authorities. In England and Wales, the main statutory employers of social workers are 1. local authority social services departments, which also employ social workers in the health service 2. local education authorities, which employ social workers in the education welfare service and in special schools 3. and the probation service provided by local probation committees In England and Wales, the designation "social worker" can only be given to a person if he or she is certified with the General Social Care Council in England, or the Care Council for Wales or Cyngor Gofal Cymru. The statutory social work in Britain is broadly categorised into children's and adults' services. Social work activity within England and Wales for children and young people is under the remit of the Department for Education and Skills (Wikipedia, 2006). For adults, it falls under the responsibility of the Department of Health. Within local authorities, this broad dual classification is usually reflected in the organisation of social services departments. Basically, the role of social services departments is one of purchasing of care from a range of providers. The departments work to develop the range of provision they need by making contracts with providers for services. In the countries of the UK, social work is of course not only located within statutory state services, but also within the voluntary and private independent sectors. In the recent times, the government has begun to look to independent sector organisations to play significant and expanding roles in the delivery of social work and social care, as with Sure Start for children and now also Sure Start for older people. The growth and success of a social work agency largely comes from the quality of its candidates. Therefore the agencies check their applicants following a strict policy, which would imply that only fully vetted candidates of adequate qualification and qualities are sent out by the agency. Properly qualified consultants within agency then match the clients' requirements with the skills of the candidates available as closely as possible. Quality control is a key aspect in the overall function of a social work agency. Once a candidate is placed with the client, it is the duty of an agency to maintain its service with follow up visits and calls (Academy People, 2005). Human rights and social justice are the philosophical underpinnings of social work practice, whether in the context of individuals or organisations. Therefore it is the greatest responsibility of a social work agency to maintain a high standard of morals based on unimpeachable integrity. The professionals and a range of services provided by social work agencies end up helping out and alleviating the suffering of people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities, people with mental health problems, elderly people, and other people requiring community care such as drug/alcohol abusers, refugees and asylum seekers, people with HIV and AIDS, and people belonging to minority ethnic community groups. Social work agencies also involve in community development programs. Additionally, the services provided by social work agencies cater to the support of victims of crime and domestic violence. These services are also of use in prison social work, probation, supervision and support for released prisoners, and so forth. 2) The roles, tasks and responsibilities of the social worker What do social workers do The main function that define what social workers do has to do with personal empowerment: to maximise the capacity of people using services - enabling individuals as far as possible to become self-reliant (Statham et al, 2005). Social workers need to follow an approach that is person centred, or collaborative and client driven, that is, taking the client's perspective and using the client's concepts. Only by giving precedence to the client's well being above all, can the social worker establish a successful therapeutic relationship or working alliance, based on mutual understanding and agreement about the nature and purpose of intervention. Social workers endeavour to relieve hardship and suffering. Going beyond professional expertise, a social worker should be abundantly endowed with personal qualities such as empathy, compassion, respect or warmth and touching sincerity. The British Association of Social Workers has the responsibility of ensuring as far as possible that its members discharge their ethical obligations. It also must see to it that its members benefit from the professional rights which are necessary for the safeguarding and promotion of the rights of service users. The International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work have issued the following broad and general definition of social work which has been adopted by BASW: The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work (IFSW, 2000). Social workers work with people to enable them to deal with personal and social difficulties and obtain essential resources and services. However, over and above interpersonal practice and group work, the scope of their work can cover a vast ground; it may include community work, social development, social action, policy development, research, social work education and supervisory and managerial functions in these fields. Social work is committed to five basic values (Bolton, 2003): Human dignity and worth Social justice Service to humanity Integrity Competence Social work practice should both promote respect for human dignity and pursue social justice, through service to humanity, integrity and competence. At a personal level, social workers have a duty to: Uphold and promote basic human rights as expressed in The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international conventions derived from that Declaration; Treat with respect all persons they deal with, and allow for service users' beliefs, values, culture, goals, needs, preferences, relationships and affiliations; Uphold and promote service users' dignity, individuality, rights, responsibilities and identity; Diligently ensure the protection of service users, which may include setting appropriate limits and exercising authority, with the objective of safeguarding them and others. But a true social worker's responsibility does not end there. It goes on to encompass the society as a whole. At a wider social level, social workers have a duty to: Try to contribute to the development of social policy on the basis of their professional knowledge and experience; Work to promote social fairness and the equitable distribution of resources within their work; Strive to bring to the attention of those in power and the general public of ways in which the policies or activities of government, organisations or society create or contribute to structural disadvantage, hardship and suffering, or militate against their relief; Participate in activities that promote policies, practices and social conditions which uphold human rights, and which seek to ensure access, equity and participation for all. Social work is a broad professional field that spans several major areas of work and/or specialization: Medical social workers work with the special needs of patients and families in hospitals, long term care facilities, etc. School social workers help with emotional, social and economic problems so students can focus on getting an education. Clinical social workers are found in private practice or in psychiatric & mental health care settings. In administration and management, social workers oversee the programs and systems that provide social, health and public welfare services. Community organization social workers work in cooperation with the community to identify needs and to develop or improve services and systems to meet those needs; In social policy and research, social workers analyze social problems, design and conduct in depth research studies and develop ways for social programs and systems to overcome those problems. 3) discuss and evaluate the nature of the inter-professional, inter-agency and multi-agency working related to service delivery Social workers practice in schools, hospitals, psychiatric clinics, juvenile courts, prisons, police departments, and a range of other settings. Current practice demands coordination and collaboration between social workers and the professionals who dominate these other related agencies. Social workers are increasingly working within multi-disciplinary teams, and within multi-agency settings where they would need to carry out their duties in tandem with professionals from healthcare, legal and other sectors. Social workers face the challenges of increasing social problems. In this context, interdisciplinary collaboration whereby colleagues work together and maximise the expertise each can offer is critical. To give a very elementary example, a high-quality level of collaboration may occur in an elementary school when a school social worker decides to comply with parents' requests to help the children with their homework, and the social worker approaches the teacher for his or her input on how to efficiently structure a homework club. In a rehabilitation hospital, optimal collaboration may occur when an interdisciplinary team of social worker, doctor, nurse, and speech therapist meets regularly for case conferences that each looks forward to as a place to find solutions for clients that they have been struggling with alone (Bronstein, 2003). Today, social workers are entering the mental health field in increasing numbers. Indeed, mental health is the largest field of concentration for MSW students, and social workers are second only to nurses in staffing mental health facilities. More than ever psychiatrists and psychologists in mental health settings are helped enormously in their tasks by social workers' contextual understanding of the person-in-environment. Social workers work as psychotherapists, counsellors, or mental health practitioners, normally working in coordination with psychiatrists, psychologists, or other medical professionals. Clients in the mental health system present with more complex symptoms that require the expertise of professionals with diverse educational backgrounds. However, as Seaburn and colleagues (1996) observed, "A culture of collaboration does not just happen. It must be formed and fashioned by many hands." 4) identify policies, legislation (Mental Health Act, 1983)and practice when working with individuals suffering from schizophrenia Clinical social workers provide a full range of mental health services, costituting assessment, diagnosis and treatment. They draw on a variety of psychotherapeutic theories and tools to help individuals, couples, families and groups deal with emotional problems, mental disorders, and substance abuse/chemical dependency (NASW, 2006). Medications are almost always called for as a part of schizophrenia treatment, but in addition there is a need for most individuals to also participate in other types of treatments, in order to attain better recovery. A counselor or therapist should be consulted to guide the patient to benefit from the right type of psychosocial treatments. Depending on each individual's different problems with his or her illness, different treatments may be more appropriate at different times. A person, for example, may want to begin treatment with individual and group therapy, gradually shifting to more of one than the other. Once he or she has the most pressing symptoms under control, vocational rehabilitation may also become useful. Therefore the patient's changing therapy requirements have to constantly montiored by the psychiatric social worker. These 'social treatments' may be offered by day centres, drop-in centres, hostels, and hospitals themselves. Although many people diagnosed with schizophrenia can be treated at home or in the community, people with severe symptoms may require hospital admission for a period of assessment and treatment. Hospital admission can provide levels of care and attention that would not be possible at home. It can also give medical staff the opportunity to accurately assess a person's condition over a period of time, and to provide a broader range of drug treatment than might be possible otherwise. Most people who are admitted to hospital go voluntarily, however, in some extreme situations a person can be admitted to hospital compulsorily under the Mental Health Act. (SANE, 2005). The Act, framed in 1983, was drawn up largely to protect the civil rights of the mentally ill. Its powers of compulsion are, of course, highly controversial because it means the removal of someone's personal freedom (Linklater, 2001). The Act lays down precisely the terms under which the patient can be detained in hospital, and the carefully enshrined grounds for appeal which can be put to a court if he wishes to contest it. But in the past two decades, the care and treatment of people with a mental illness has been revolutionised through developments in community care, and now thousands of even severely ill people are living in the community. The Mental Health Act requires examination and review, to provide a statutory structure for mental health which takes account of the realities of community care (Turner, 1996). References: Academy People. (2006). Social Care Clients. Academy Social Work Agency Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.academypeople.co.uk/socialcare/clients.html Bolton, J., (2003). Code of Ethics for Social Work. British Association of Social Work. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.basw.co.uk/articles.phparticleId=2&page=2 Bronstein, L.R.(2003) A Model for Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Social Work. 48(3), 297. International Federation of Social Workers. (2005). Definition of Social Work. IFSW General Meeting in Montral, Canada, July 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ifsw.org/en/p38000208.html Jones, R. (2006). Social work must brace itself. Community Care Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2006/05/18/54035/Social+work+must+brace+itself.html Linklater, M. (2001). A tale of ordinary madness. The Guardian. Feb 25, 2001. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialcare/story/0,,443117,00.html National Association of Social Work. (2006). Social Work Profession. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.socialworkers.org/profession/overview.asp SANE. (2005) Schizophrenia. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.sane.org.uk/public_html/About_Mental_Illness/Schizophrenia.shtm Scottish Executive. (2006). Changing lives: Summary Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review. Scottish Executive. Edinburgh.Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/91949/0021950.pdf Seaburn, D. B., Lorenz, A. D., Gunn, W. B., Gawinski, B. A., & Mauksch, L. B. (1996). Models of collaboration. New York: Basic Books. Statham, D., Brand, D., and Reith, T. (2005) The need for social work intervention - a discussion paper for the Scottish 21st Century Social Work Review, Scottish Executive. Turner, N. (1996) HyperGUIDE to Mental Health Act: News from 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.hyperguide.co.uk/mha/news1996.htm University of Edinburgh, The. (2001). Social Work Today. School of Social and Political Studies, The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved May 30, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://www.socialwork.ed.ac.uk/Social/today.htm Wikipedia (2006). Social Work. Retrieved May 31, 2006, from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_work Read More