Contemporary Social Work - Essay Example

 Contemporary Social Work Social work can have several definitions based on the nature of work being done and the role of the individual or organization performing social work. Conventionally, it is considered to be an organized effort to help people in need (Wikipedia, 2006). This is particularly important when we consider cases like disaster response, refugee support and relief required by countries suffering from war, famine, international peace intervention and other contemporary issues (Macdonald, et. al. 1992). While philanthropy, charity and the desire to help others have figured prominently in our culture, the earliest records of social work being done in an organized fashion come from the efforts of established churches that created asylums and shelters (Macdonald, et. al. 1992). Of course in retrospect, some of the techniques and methods used at the asylums can be considered cruelty and torture, especially if we take into account the treatment of mental patients during the middle ages (Wikipedia, 2006). With the coming of the modern era, social work expanded itself to include caring for orphans, the elderly, and the sick as well as other work which was and is still considered charitable. The post-modern1 contemporary approach to social work is founded on the principles of a taking a global viewpoint while acting on a local level for the majority of the time. It has more or less taken the shape of an organized sector and is an industry in itself (Wikipedia, 2006). Various guidelines have been defined for social work and statutory powers have been given to people in this sector to ensure expedite and effective services to the community they cater to (Scotland.gov.uk, 2006). To be able to cater to various segments of society in an organized and effective manner, present day social work consists of three methods of assistance; case work, group work, and community organization. Case work is the method by which individual persons and families can be assisted on a case by case basis. The person in need of case work may have physical, mental, or social needs that are catered for by a social worker. People who are unemployed, homeless, members of broken families, alcoholics, drug addicts, and neglected or problem children are catered to with this method. In such situations, it is imperative for a social worker to explore and determine the root cause of the problem, individual psychology as well as the sociology of the community. Experts from various fields like medicine and other specialists are commonly required to contribute towards this method. Social group work is a relatively newer concept in social work, which includes establishing social settlements, building play grounds, gymnasiums, schools etc. This method involves extensive participation and authorizations from various authorities. It could also involve the voluntary services of public charitable groups or large corporations. In many circumstances, people living in poverty areas have been encouraged and employed to work in poverty alleviation related projects in their own communities. In community organizations, the welfare work of single agencies as well as of whole communities is often required along with cooperation between public and private agencies. Funds also need to be raised and administered according to budget plans. The funds are often pooled in a community chest, from which private agencies receive a share. Community welfare councils are organized to map programs of rehabilitation, to eliminate duplication of services, and to discover and handle overlooked needs. These situations are often created when there are disaster recovery operations in progress or when humanitarian relief has to be provided to certain areas (Duffey, 2000). Such social work requires extensive planning coordination between agencies and a legal framework for operation (Wheeler, 2003). In fact, legal and ethical frameworks have become a contemporary issue for social workers since the primary mission of social work is to better human well-being but that does not give social workers extrajudicial powers in any sense since they have to operate within a legal framework (NASW, 2006). While working for the cause of betterment, a social worker has to realize that there are certain legal barriers which can not be crossed regardless of how important the need for crossing them may be (Ross, 2003). For instance, the case of humanitarian intervention combined with military support raises different opinions from various thinkers. While Wheeler (2003) suggests that it is important to intervene whenever and wherever humanity is at risk, Duffey (2000) and Ross (2003) believe that it is more important to be culturally aware of the idea of conflict and suffering before any intervention is made. Intervention does raise the scary thought of neocolonialism and social control being placed on certain people. This is particularly true if their way of life is different from another group but there are times when it must be done. However, it must be realized that in such situations, a social worker carries out the task of promoting social justice and social change. With a comprehensive knowledge of the community, social setup, requirements of the people, the available resources and a foresight regarding desired solutions, social workers strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. The various activities which a social worker may apply or organize to achieve the set objectives may include community organizing, supervision, consultation, administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, as well as research and evaluation (Wikipedia, 2006). Give this wide role of social situations, a social worker can get a negative image as an agent of social control, but it must be remembered that the social worker is not trying to ‘control’ society but is merely a positive force created by society for itself. The powers given to a social worker are not discretionary authorities which s/he can wield at will since there is an accountability factor which defines how and why those powers may be used (Scotland.gov.uk, 2006). Social work is aimed at promoting social cohesion, and the part social workers play in enhancing general well being of the quality of our lives cannot be underestimated. Social work may receive an impetus or a setback depending on the execution of these statutory powers. Statutory powers for social workers vary from country to country and are specified in adherence to the country’s legal system (Wikipedia, 2006). Effective implementation of these statutory powers may greatly motivate a social project, whereas a delay may completely stall one. The effect is not only felt by the people engaged in the project but also by those whose welfare is being looked after. Effective social services are geared towards promoting independence and resilience to enabling some of the most vulnerable, excluded and even dangerous to play an active part in society. In this context, certain topics from the field of business management can also be applied to social work since it entails empowering people to take charge of their own lives and helping them bring about changes in their living environment. With that in mind, we can consider social workers as social managers but their objective is not profit, rather their objective is to improve lives. Despite the commendable work, which the profession does on a daily basis, it is faced with tremendous pressures and challenges, which may affect and retard various Developmental practices aimed at social welfare. The challenges faced by social work vary from uncooperative authorities to lack funds to unreasonable expectations of individuals being catered to. Hesitation on the part of the various authorities to support a social campaign to protect themselves from media and political criticism could also stall the overall projects being run in a community. This also results in restricting opportunities for people who are part of such social projects. The success of a social project depends on numerous factors and it is quintessential that there is coherence between all the factors to achieve the desired result. For example, if there is a social project which needs certain legal clearances, it cannot be complete without the expedite cooperation of legal authorities (Wilhelm, 2005). Also, social workers could be faced with the challenge of opposing influential people and making sure that their activities attain the desired result despite all hindrances. Some times the challenges are not external but internal. Social workers may lack in effective managerial skills, which at times hinders in their activities. Inability to tackle people and risks often gives results, which is far less in potential from what they could be. Given that the role of social workers as social managers has been described above, I feel that a certain number of courses in people management would certainly be beneficial to social workers of the future. In conclusion, the contemporary issues faced by social workers as well as the field of social work itself cover a wide variety of topics ranging from involvement, ethics to legal issues. However, with training and with continual development of the field I see no reason to believe that these issues are insurmountable. Works Cited Duffey, T. 2000, ‘Cultural Issues in Contemporary Peacekeeping’, International Peacekeeping, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 142-169. Howe, D. 1994, ‘Modernity, Postmodernity and Social Work’, British Journal of Social Work, vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 513-532. Macdonald, G., Sheldon, B. and Gillespie, J. 1992, ‘Contemporary Studies of the Effectiveness of Social Work’, British Journal of Social Work, vol. 22, no. 6, pp. 615-643 NASW (National Association of Social Workers), 2006, ‘Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers’ SocialWokers.org, [Online] Available at: http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp Accessed 29 July, 2006 Ross, L. 2003, ‘Culture and Morality: Conflicting Perspectives at a Time of Cultural Confrontation’, Human Development, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 151-154. Scotland.gov.uk, 2006, ‘Changing Lives: Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review’ Scotland.gov.uk, [Online] Available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2006/02/02094408/6 Accessed 29 July, 2006. Wheeler, N. 2003, Saving Strangers: Humanitarian Intervention in International Society, Oxford University Press. Wikipedia, 2006, ‘Social Work’, Wikipedia.org, [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_work Accessed 29 July, 2006. Wilhelm, I. 2005. ‘Caught In the Crossfire of Disaster and War’, Chronicle of Philanthropy, vol. 18, no. 5, pp 8-14. Read More