1.What are some of the tensions inherent in balancing social control and social treatment functions of social policy today? Social welfare policies and programs humanistically liberate and enhance the well being of many individuals. At the same time, these aiding policies posit chaos and limitations on the lives of those who seek them due to underlying economic and political agendas. Hence, creating tensions including but not limited to antithetical views on how resources should be distributed (essentially, a power imbalance), contradictions regarding an individual’s right to a free and autonomous life, negative stigmas towards individuals who need assistance and discrimination.
Macro social work promotes human development and social justice through work with communities and organizations. It comprises of a wide variety of knowledge and skills that enables workers to lead and contribute to highly performing public and private sector organizations that focuses on the critical social issues with diverse population. As such “diverse population is a variety of people which include several characteristic against what one may deem as the norm or majority.” Macro social work is centered on investigation of larger scales to social problems and for the development and implementation of social interventions that aim at effecting positive change at the community, state, and national levels (Birkenmaier and Berg-Weger 2007).
Looking at society as a whole with individual units that work together to make society function efficiently is the structural functionalism concept. Each unit has a part and is describe as institutions such as family, religion, education, politics, economy and inequality. Because structural functionalism looks at social structure and patterns of behavior it is able to create values for society. As well as, distinguish between visible and suppressed problems within the social structures that may need to be addressed. For instance, homelessness is indication of dysfunction in structural functionalism system.
Social work practitioners are involved and aware of all social justice issues in the world today. Domestic Violence is just one major social justice issue which has become more prominent in the world. According to Royal College of Nursing (2013), domestic violence is an incident involving controlling and violent behaviour between intimate partners and/or family members. It also involves physical and emotional abuse. A practitioner working in the field of domestic violence can apply different theories in order to present the best possible outcome for the service user.
The article was the “Weick Article,” it made me look at a different perspective when Ann Weick goes on to explain how the true meaning of social work is not just about loving people. It is about helping everyone no matter who it is and making them a better individual for themselves. On page 3, the article states ”The underlying purpose of all social work effort is to release human power in individuals for personal fulfillment and social good”. This makes people who feel like they have no power over situations and
Introduction The social work profession, was based on values that contributed not only to its own professional development and to helping different service user groups, but also to the development of societies in general. Describe how theories and research (EBP process) inform our professional knowledgebase. A clear theoretical perspective guide and influences social work practice in five key areas: observation, description, explanation, prediction and intervention.
Social workers are there to help meet the basic needs of human, also with the need of helping encourage, mentoring, and empower human struggles in society and poverty. The code is designed for many reasons. It identifies core values in which a social worker mission is based, the code summarize broad ethnic principle such as; challenge injustices, respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person, behave in a trustworthy manner, and help people in need and to address social problems. The code is generally designed to help people with relevant needs to there every day life. These codes help apply better and relationship with the worker to client.
Much of this paradigm dates back to the work of social work theoretician and practitioner William Gordon. Gordon was instrumental in conceptualizing the framework that the understanding and practice social work involved not only internal matters of the respective minds and environments but of their interactions and relationships as well (Heinonen & Spearman, 2001). The ‘ecosystems framework’ is complemented by concepts supported in ‘systems theory’ and ‘ecology’. ‘Systems theory’ stresses the effects of interacting elements where multiple elements are themselves whole, interact and combine to form a whole, and have relationships with other wholes (Heinonen & Spearman, 2001). An open, interactive, system may receive nourishment and sustainability from within itself and from its relationships with others (Heinenon & Spearman, 2001).
Erasmus Mundus Master in Social Work with Families and Children 4th edition - 2016-2018 1st Semester Name: Rojika Maharjan 1. Social work has evolved with different “theories in social work”; either concepts derived from other social sciences such as psychology or sociology or “theories for social work” which are the core philosophy of social work practice specified to give a professional purpose and approach to practice (Healy, 2014). a) Regarding the context of children and families, system theory and strength theory are appropriate. i)
Living wage reflects what income required for a household to meet their basic needs, once government transfers have been added to the family's income and deductions have been subtracted. Its also a call to private and public sector employers to pay wages to both direct and contract employees sufficient to provide the basics to families with children. Living wage include gets families out of severe financial stress by lifting them out of poverty and providing a basic level of economic security. Living wage also enables working families to have sufficient income to cover reasonable costs, promotes social inclusion, supports healthy child development principles, ensures that families are not under severe financial stress, is a conservative, reasonable
According to the National Alliance of Social Workers (NASW), social justice is one of the primary ethics which social workers must uphold. Empowerment is a social work theory rooted in social justice, with a main goal of reducing social inequalities through community building and redistribution of access to power. The basic premise of empowerment is "to change the environment, change yourself" (Van Wormer & Besthorn, pg. 212). However, in order to change one 's environment or self, there must be options available and opportunities for individuals to have control over their own decisions. Empowerment theory also aims to build community through citizen participation, collaboration and engagement among community members.
Anti-oppressive practice focuses on the structural inequalities and places the blame that service users internalize on the structures and systems themselves (Ajandi, 2018). Humanistic and social justice values and ideas shape anti-oppressive practice (Healy, 2015). They address inequalities that affect opportunities of service users, due to the interlocking of social relations and oppression (Burke & Harrison, 2002). AOP aims to identify oppressions and define ways in which social workers can attempt to become anti-oppressive, avoid discomfort, and end oppression to service users (Strega, 2007). It highlights mutual involvement between the social worker and the service user, challenging forms of oppression and inequalities (Burke & Harrison, 2002), and presents the idea that service users do not occupy a “single identity”, but instead have interlocking oppressions that work together to put clients at a social disadvantage (Strega, 2007).
It directs people to acquire knowledge to identify and use the resources. Social work studies individual problems as well as social issues which create hindrance to people in their walks of life. Social workers employ an adequate skills, techniques, strategies, principles, and activities at various system levels, for maintaining a system or for system change efforts. Social work practice makes us understand various forms of therapy and counseling, group work, and community work; policy formulation and analysis; and advocacy and political interventions. Social work practice is aimed at increasing people 's hope, self-esteem and creative potential to confront and challenge oppressive power dynamics and structural sources of injustices, thus merging consistently e the micro-macro, personal-political dimension of intervention.
INTRODUCTION This is a key framework of sociological theory. It depend on symbols and their meaning. The words we use to describe our behaviour and the behaviour of others is very important. To elaborate further and get into detail about this theory, firstly the theory and key terms have to be defined, secondly the major proponents and tenets, thirdly the history of the theory, fourthly the purpose of the theory, fifthly the significance of the theory for social work practice, followed by the epistemology, consistency with social work values and ethics, implication of the theory, position of the theory on the population served by the social worker, strength and weakness, relevance of Intersectionality, critical perspective on contemporary issues
From the point of view of Talcott Parsons, structural-functionalism describe a particular stage in the methodological development of social science, rather than specific school of thought. Strengthens and Weaknesses of Structural Functional Theory The strength of this theory is it can be used widely in the society. Structural functional theory can explain most of the social change as a result of changes such as population increasing and increased
