Social Work Interview Paper

Introduction

The social community and economic development (SCED) specialization in the social work profession require social workers to move beyond an individual to understand complex dynamics that shape communities and institutional structures. This being an attempt to affect change at all levels by improving the social and economic resources, opportunities, and choices available for individuals within these communities or institutional structures. The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) is an institution that uses incarceration to punish individuals who have engaged in criminal activity. Like many other correctional institutions, it not only uses incarceration to punish individuals for criminal behavior but uses it as a rehabilitative

Lakisha works as the Program and Special Projects manager at SCDC where she and her team deliver behavioral health, mental health, and substance abuse services to the individuals incarcerated. To prepare for this interview, research about working conditions, job satisfaction, and challenges with working in correctional facilities like SCDC was conducted to assist in the development of an interview guide. This interview guide included surface level questions that gave Lakisha the opportunity to provide the interviewer with basic knowledge and understanding of working conditions, job satisfaction and challenges within SCDC. This interview guide was created using interviewing tips from the textbook, “The Social Work Interview” by Alfred and Goldie Kadushin so a more productive interview was conducted between Lakisha and the interviewer. As a result of using these survey tips, Alfred and Goldie Kadushin provided, the revised interview guide included open and closed- ended questions along with survey questions that allowed the interviewer to collect information about the organization, procedures and protocols, and the interviewee’s (Lakisha) personal experiences. Reference to Appendix A to review interview