The problem of child troops is a current scourge with a lengthy history. The occurrence, which was once common, was assumed to be fading away as the political institution arose. Despite this, it may now be seen on nearly every continent and in virtually every fight, but it is seldom seen within organized forces. Reintegration initiatives often aim to return youngsters to a secure environment, foster forgiveness among the child’s families and communities via religious and cultural rites and ceremonies, and support the child’s reconnection with their home (Mastey, 2019). This work is written with the aim of studying the reintegration of child soldiers by a social worker.
Reuniting former child soldiers with their families and providing proper monetary and institutional assistance are frequently the initial steps. Education is one of the most desired types of service in post-conflict situations, although it is frequently unavailable due to financial constraints. In coping with the psychological obstacles of reconciliation, community-led reunification is more valuable than Western-driven trauma treatment (Pašagić, 2019). As a result of the widespread perception that youngsters who join armed organizations are immoral, untrustworthy, or dangerous, many individuals are shunned by their communities, making rehabilitation difficult. When a kid commits war crimes, reintegration attempts can be tricky since stigma and anger within the community might be amplified.
Female child soldiers frequently encounter additional challenges when it comes to reintegration. During a conflict, girls report a much higher incidence of rape and sexual assault and face particular gender-specific obstacles. They are typically stigmatized more when they return to the community since they are generally seen as soiled by sexual interactions that took place outside of marriage. When they return, they are frequently shunned, mocked, physically and verbally assaulted, and forbidden from marrying.
Many female former child soldiers suffered a range of negative psychological repercussions during rehabilitation. Reintegrated women frequently refuse to get into any marital relationships and, in some cases, choose to stay away from men entirely. This often leads to increasing social shame and social marginalization. Female child soldiers may face additional shame from their families or society as a result of having had extramarital affairs and children. They may be apprehensive about participating in DDR activities because it might bring attention to their ties to armed groups. DDR programs can also be too militarized in order to encourage female membership, such as by omitting to offer childcare, women’s clothing, or sanitary equipment.
Child soldiers go through primary socialization as part of a course, and as a result, they may be reluctant to change their identity from that of a member of the military. In grappling with integration’s social and psychological factors, a community-based psychological state is more valuable than Western-driven trauma rehabilitation. Emotional expression, community and household therapy, cultural rites, social restoration, and psychological integration are some of these ways. Physical health, as well as intellectual, psychological, and moral growth, are all aided by these psychosocial techniques.
Clinical psychologists are frequently able to teach locals to provide these therapies through collaborations with local NGOs, engaging the community more directly in the healing process rather than suppressing native healers and traditions. As a result, integration initiatives prioritize the ability of service members to create trusted and stable connections with adults as well as a family-based setting. Classical rituals, as well as family and community arbitration, can assist a child soldier in healing from highly traumatic events and resolving aggressive and violent conduct.
References
Mastey, D. (2019). The relative innocence of child soldiers. The Journal of Commonwealth Literature, 54(3), 352-366.
Pašagić, A. (2019). Between child soldiers and terrorists: Reintegrating child members of the Islamic state. Journal for Deradicalization, (20), 109-155.
I think that after reading the 12 Tenets for Social Work Practice, my understanding of the profession’s purpose indeed deepened. I liked how all the main aspects of the profession are presented clearly and concisely so that they can serve as the orientation and/or reminder for every social worker. Therefore, in this paper, I would like to discuss my thoughts regarding the ideas presented in the 12 Tenets.
Firstly, I understood that being ethical is the cornerstone of the social work practice. That includes not only professional conduct but also personal beliefs. For instance, only by devoting oneself to high moral principles can a person be able to truly fight injustice and inequality (7th tenet) or desire to empower others (1st tenet). Otherwise, the professional would solely follow instructions but will be unable to bring a real change to the society as working with humans always necessitates a personal approach that can hardly be regulated. On a broader scale, if many social workers are not going to be ethical, the profession would eventually deviate from its original purposes. For those reasons, being morally superior is the central part of this type of work.
In this regard, it is also crucial that social workers are highly educated and can reflect on matters related to human psychology, sociology, and politics. Without proper knowledge in these spheres – which includes historical and intercultural perspectives – one cannot truly identify and understand the needs of individuals and society as a whole. More importantly, without reflections on the aforementioned matters, a professional would not be able to adequately assess the righteousness of one’s behavior. Therefore, it is argued that without a good education, social workers are unable to be effective leaders of the society, which they should be based on tenets 2,7,10, and 12.
Finally, while reading the 12 Tenets, I could see the importance of the profession in building successful communications between various agents in society. In this respect, social workers can be considered as bridges that help the latter to reach an understanding and agreement. For instance, the professionals can notify the governmental institutions concerning discriminative aspects of their policies that the latter was unaware of as they do not work with people as closely as social workers do. Therefore, it can be concluded that social workers greatly impact the development of society and its institutions.
For the last decade international community has experienced vibrant movements of migrants and refugees. However, the international laws surrounding human rights and migration cannot provide a valid framework to adequately address these developments. Moreover, political pressure and rising levels of identity crisis contribute to the establishment of an environment filled with xenophobia and fear, “in which security has in some cases become the primary rationale underpinning rapidly changing migration policies” (Popescu & Libal, 2018, p. i). The profession of social workers acts as an advocate for the human rights of refugees and migrants in education and practice. This paper would focus on the identification of limitations of conventional social work practice in the dealings with refugees and migrants and suggest possible alternative and progressive approaches.
Evaluation of Conventional Social Work
The social issue of migrants and refugees was fueled by various violent conflicts, natural disasters, and difficulties with survival. In detail, these factors include the ongoing armed conflict in Syria, Central and South America’s civil unrest, violent movements, and drug wars that affected the situation (Popescu & Libal, 2018). Simultaneously, famine, poverty, and conflicts in some of the African regions such as Eritrea, Yemen, and Sudan, along with the volatile postwar condition of Afghanistan and Iraq, had a significant impact on the issue (Popescu & Libal, 2018). Consequently, according to the statistics from the UN, the number of forced migrants rose sharply and, by the end of 2017, reached 68.5 million people (UNHCR, 2017). The people that were initially displaced accounted for 40 million out of the given number and had a certain degree of international protection, while 28.5 million crossed international borders in search of a refuge (Popescu & Libal, 2018). These 28.5 million people could be further categorized as 3.1 million asylum seekers and 25.4 million refugees.
On the other hand, political reconfigurations in terms of nationality and citizenship could be attributed to the increase in the number of stateless people. As a result, people’s rights are not recognized, and they become extremely vulnerable as they “navigate between the interstices of a nation-state system” (Popescu & Libal, 2018, p. i). Nonetheless, to address this global migration, numerous governments started to revise their migration policies adding new layers of restriction.
Limitations Addressing the Issue
However, this approach is questionable as increasing the protection of the forced migrants would have been more humanitarian. Furthermore, according to the research by Greider (2020), instead of following international human rights and humanitarian standards, numerous governments shaped their asylum policies based on discretionary political decisions. This restrictive approach toward immigration policies threatens the option of following resettlement programs for refugees. This is evident in the statistics of 2017, where a significant reduction of 54% in resettlement requests by UNHCR occurred in comparison to the previous year (Popescu & Libal, 2018). The effect of such population movements will result in long-term and most likely negative implications.
As the attempts of governments to respond to the waves of forced migrants were ad hoc and commonly with unjust policies, United Nations became an important institution in mitigating the negative implications. UN made an attempt to establish migration as a global issue and discuss the strategies to properly address it at New York Summit (Popescu & Libal, 2018). Consequently, two strategies were developed, as “Global Compact on Safe and Regular Migration” and “Global Compact on Refugees” (Hansen, 2018).
Limitations in the Shape of Negative Political Response to Immigrants
The nature of these challenges lies in the political reactions within the region of migration. As an example, it is possible to consider the announcement made by Germany in 2015 when the country decided to accommodate 1 million refugees (Popescu & Libal, 2018). However, the new discourse shortly followed with anti-immigrant attitudes and xenophobia, leading to the growth of nationalistic movements in Europe (Polakaw-Suransky, 2017). The majority of EU member countries, despite the high level of liberalism, transformed the subject of migration policies into matters of national security. As a result, the European countries, the United States and Australia determined to transfer border controls to foreign countries with the aim to limit the access of refugees (Peterie, 2018).
Although, it should be noted that not all countries were as adamant about restricting policies. For example, in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, decided to provide an alternative solution aiming to increase the support of refugees, allocating funds to aid with the integration into the local community (Popescu & Libal, 2018). Simultaneously, the country supported the fight against local governmental oppression and terrorists, which caused forced immigration. Similarly, France utilized the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) and collaborated with UNHCR on vetting asylum seekers on African soil and accelerating resettlement into the mainland (Brice, 2018). This was done to prevent the illegal transportation of immigrants. It is also essential to consider that European and US civil society actors are engaged in the resolution of anti-immigrant sentiments and cooperate with non-governmental and international organizations (Popescu & Libal, 2018). However, the need for greater collaboration and preparation of a qualified workforce for effective interaction with asylum seekers persists.
Radical Restrictionism
The United States provides a wide range of immigrational policies, but its history reflected a similarly wide spectrum of reactions and directions such as xenophobia, opposition, and acceptance of migrants. The policies also reflected the political agenda of the states during the Cold War the country placed priority on immigrants from Eastern Bloc countries and the Soviet Union (Popescu & Libal, 2018). As a result of strong political pressure, the country accepted refugees from Iraq and Southeastern Asia to address the consequences of the country-led war (Popescu & Libal, 2018). However, during the rule of President Donald Trump, the perception of migrations shifted towards radical restrictionism. This could be seen from the president’s public speeches addressing immigrants from Mexico and numerous restrictions that followed his election.
In June 2018, the government resolved to close its borders and limit access to the resettlement programs from such countries as Venezuela, North Korea, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Somalia, and Iran (Popescu & Libal, 2018). The restriction systematically does not provide timely due process rights to refugees that claim asylum in the US. Moreover, a zero-tolerance policy introduced by the government separates children, and their guardians and detains them (Popescu & Libal, 2018). The reinterpretation of the “public charge doctrine” is determined to subject immigrants without a permanent residence to punishment for accessing the benefits to which they are legally entitled (Popescu & Libal, 2018). Ultimately, the decision taken by the US government to limit refugee resettlement encourages other countries to implement similar exclusionary policies.
However, social workers and advocates within the US made several actions to address the issue at hand. For example, the Center on Immigration and Child Welfare at New Mexico State University, with its associates, has taken a leading role in the coordination of social work advocacy during the period of zero-tolerance (Popescu & Libal, 2018). Zayas, in his research, commented on the separation of children in the US as “one of the most unconscionable and harmful acts that any society or government can commit” (Popescu & Libal, 2018, p. iv). The National Association of Social Workers in the US similarly addressed the issue, comparing the actions of the government to the weaponization of children as restrictive utility against immigration (Popescu & Libal, 2018).
Another state that is known as an immigrant’s asylum is Australia, where many refugees seek a new home. Castles (2016, p. 391) states that this country has had a “permanent migration model” under which becoming a citizen was easy. These policies were built on the state’s understanding of multiculturalism, which has changed in recent years, and the government is making the immigration standards more strict. Hence, Australia, similarly to other states, is moving towards the radicalization of the national policies regarding migration which can become problematic as the migrants’ rights and the refugees’ attempts to escape violence may be overlooked.
According to the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (2017) report, the agency is working toward creating a safer border by strengthening surveillance. However, this report lacks a discussion of the migrant protection practices that the department uses. Finally, Essex (2018, p. 5) states that “Australia has one of the harshest immigration detention regimes in the world, labeled cruel and degrading and a crime against humanity.” The main problems that currently impact this system are violence and lack of adequate medical care provided to the community of migrants. Essex (2018) argues that future policies must be non-violent, prohibiting a large number of refugees from entering this state in a humane manner.
Progressive Approach to Social Work Through Globalization
In the modern globalized world, people that possess wealth and power have the ability to travel around the world with ease while being welcomed at every destination. These people “are highly sought after and in some cases readily change their nominal citizenship for convenience, for financial gain, and to avoid being held too accountable for their actions” (Ife, 2012, p. 74). They refer to themselves as the “citizens of the world” (Ife, 2012). In contrast, refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers who are either forced to displacement or wish for an improved life quality are discriminated against, coerced, and denied basic human rights. The initial steps to address these negative effects of globalization can be seen in the shape of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and various other treaties and protocols (Ife, 2012). Nevertheless, as national rights regimes lose their effectiveness, the need for global citizenship and its solidification through social work practices persists.
The social work practice could be understood as the process to support people, articulating their rights, protect and realizing the said rights. It implies that social work needs to adhere to an international perspective and not be limited to the local and immediate context of the application (Ife, 2012). However, that is not to say that local communities are to be ignored. One of the most significant responses to globalization is the contrasting trend of localization. People perceive that the global economic system does not meet their expectations, fails them, and they try to establish locally-based alternatives. These alternatives could be considered progressive community-based programs that are parochial, exclusive, and racist (Ife, 2012). The role of social workers is to support the former and challenge the latter.
The role of the nation-state is declining in importance; hence social workers need to reevaluate their policy intervention. Social workers have traditionally regarded the issues with the national governments by advocating for the policies and services that promote social justice (Ife, 2012). This approach towards the resolution of the problems needs to be receded in prioritization. As in addressing the issue of refugees and asylum seekers, which is evidently local and requires strong global analysis, activists perceive the problem on the national level (Ife, 2012). Consequently, the problems are seen through attribution to a particular country, such as “Canada’s refugee problem” or “Australia’s treatment of illegal immigrants” (Ife, 2012, p. 77). As long as such discourses are directed towards the local level, progression and improvement are unlikely to follow.
National governments are limited in the available options due to the demands of global markets. However, at the local level, it is possible to set up an economic development cooperative or local currency scheme (Ife, 2012). Currently, the forces which affect the clients of social workers are strongly global, while the experience of life and private troubles remains local. Consequently, the emphasis should be made on approaching the social work practices, including both local and global levels, for the effective resolution of issues. Therefore, an essential capability for social workers should be the understanding of global dimensions of apparently local problems.
Conclusion
In conclusion, currently, the social work practices with regard to refugees and migrants face numerous limitations and difficulties. For example, the difficulties in the agreement between the governments on the way to address the issue. The lack of binding power of the protocols which address the issue could also be included. However, sustainable social work practices are implemented by some countries that try to address the issue in a way that protects the human right of immigrants.
Reference list
Brice, P. (2018) ‘This is saving refugee lives’, Washington Post. Web.
Castles, S. (2016) ‘Rethinking Australian migration.’ Australian Geographer, 47(4), pp. 391–398.
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection (2017) The Department of Immigration and Border Protection Annual Report 2016. Web.
Essex, R. (2020) The healthcare community and Australian immigration detention: the case for non-violent resistance. Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan.
Greider, A. (2020). Outsourcing migration management: The role of the Western Balkans in the European refugee crisis. Web.
Hansen, R. (2018). A comprehensive refugee response framework: A commentary. Journal of Refugee Studies, 31(2), 131-151.
Ife, J., 2012. Human rights and social work: towards rights-based practice. Cambridge University Press.
Peterie, M. (2018). Deprivation, frustration, and trauma: immigration detention centers as prisons. Refugee Studies Quarterly, 37(3), 279-306.
Polakow-Suransky, S. (2017). Go back where you came from the backlash against immigration and the fate of Western democracy. New York: Nation Books
Popescu, M. and Libal, K. (2018) ‘Social work with migrants and refugees: challenges, best practices, and future directions’, Advances in Social Work, 18(3), pp. i-x.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR]. (2017). Global trends: Forced displacement in 2016. Web.
Power and politics are significant phenomena in social work since the two help professionals participate and succeed in advocating for policy changes. That is why social workers should not be afraid of gaining and using power to deal with their professional tasks. There are multiple power resources, and individuals can choose which one to follow. Firstly, person-to-person power originates from personal discussions with others, and there are “expert, coercive, reward, referent (including charisma), and authority (or legitimate) power resources” (Jansson, 2018, p. 337). Each of these subcategories implies that people can use different sources of power.
For example, expert resources denote that social workers impact others by displaying their own knowledge and credentials, while coercive power relies on potential penalties (Jansson, 2018). Secondly, substantive power is found when people gain the support of others by providing them with specifically tailored offers (Janson, 2018). Such a situation is widespread when social workers create proposals that fit the interests of a specific political group.
Thirdly, it is possible to rely on process power to help achieve some goals. According to Jansson (2018), this resource implies that an individual can affect external conditions, including time, place, participants, and others, to maximize their chances of promoting a particular idea. For example, a social worker can increase their process power by finding influential allies, which places their opponents in a disadvantaged position. Finally, procedural power source stipulates that attention should be drawn to how a proposal should be presented. For example, a passing probability is higher if a policy is directed to favorable committees and persons or if it is placed “in a preferred position on a meeting agenda” (Jansson, 2018, p. 342). Thus, social workers can rely on these four power sources in their practice and advocacy.
As for my social work practice and advocacy, I would rely on expert power. On the one hand, it is a type of person-to-person power, meaning that my communication skills can help me influence others and contribute to advocacy changes. On the other hand, this power source is appropriate to me because it relies on expertise and information. This statement denotes that I intend to impact policymakers by providing them with factual and evidence-based data. However, I should admit that it is not easy to benefit from relying on this power source because it is necessary to make others trust the information that I will provide. That is why I will be required to find the most credible and reliable data and sophisticate my oratorical skill. The focus on these issues will provide me with more power in promoting a policy change.
In addition to that, it is reasonable to comment on ethical issues that can be associated with expert power. Firstly, a concern can arise if intentionally false information is presented. This statement demonstrates that an individual can make up data to influence others and promote a policy change. Secondly, an issue can happen if a person unintentionally relies on false data. Such a case can occur when an individual fails to ensure that some facts are actual and credible.
This negligence can result in detrimental consequences for many stakeholders. On the one hand, a policy that was promoted by false information will not bring any significant improvement. On the other hand, the person will lose their reputation for providing inaccurate data, which will endanger their future professional practice and advocacy. Consequently, when relying on expert power, people should ensure that they deal with actual data to ensure possible ethical issues.
Reference
Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
To understand the difference between development and organization, one first needs to define a community, which is not an easy task. Researchers from the mid-50s to the end of the 20th century, refined the definition, adding new dimensions. However, most focus is on two aspects: territorial community and relationships between people (Pradeep & Karibeeran, 2017). Various theories have also arisen in which such researchers as Tonnies, Cooley, and Durkheim have explained the nature and purpose of the community (Pradeep & Karibeeran, 2017). Thus, community development is the process of increasing the quality of living of a particular community based on their needs. The community organization involves a set of measures aimed at maintaining the effectiveness of this process from social services. Both concepts are interconnected since development is the goal, and organization is the means.
The historical context of CD and CO influences the direction and goals of social work practice. Many researchers have made it possible to determine that social work should focus on the interrelationship of community members and the maintenance of their network. It is also necessary to determine why they are needed and adequately respond to them through the provision of services. Cohen and Smith identified the relationship between community members as a key driver of development (as cited in Pradeep & Karibeeran, 2017). Thus, the CD contains members of the community itself and their network but lacks a leader who could effectively use the community’s resources to improve living standards. Smith also noted that the community’s life is influenced by official policies and documents (as cited in Pradeep & Karibeeran, 2017). However, movements organized by community members can change the position of oppressed groups within it. Thus, in CO, there are organizers who unite people with a common idea and coordinate their actions.
For effective social work practice, it is necessary to combine CD and CO. The CD aims at supporting the needs and relationships of community members but does not directly include the means. On the contrary, CO implies a set of measures aimed at improving the living standards of the community, considering necessary aspects. From a historical point of view, various researchers have detailed social work goals in relation to the community. Thus, CD and CO are integral parts of effective social work practice.
Reference
Pradeep, M., & Karibeeran, S. (2017). The “community” in “community social work”. Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 22(9), 58-64.
C. M. C is 37 years old man who lives currently in Houma, Louisiana, and has been married for five years with two children. As a father, he is very dedicated and determined to provide love, support, and guidance to his family because he does not want them to suffer like him when he was young. His parents divorced when he was 13 years old something that plunged him into alcoholism and drug abuse to overcome the stress associated with loneliness and abandonment. His family goal is to instill healthy morals and educational values in his children so that as they grow up, they will be nurturing these values for their benefit in the future.
Education-wise, he graduated in December 2006 from Nicholls State University with a bachelor’s degree in general Family and Consumer Sciences majoring in Child, Family, and Social Services. He is currently employed at Terrebonne Addictive Disorder Clinic in Houma, Louisiana as a counselor in training and his duties and responsibilities include facilitation of group sessions with adolescent teens referred by the court systems or other agencies, conducting client assessment, and engaging in individual sessions with each client before group sessions.
He is very passionate about working with individuals who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse because he can identify with the same through life experiences. When his parents divorced at the tender age of 13 years old and were unable to cope with the situation, he resorted to alcoholism and substance abuse seeking to comfort his feelings of abandonment, loneliness, and guilt. Substance abuse and alcoholism made him lose his potential and goals. He acknowledges that his parents taught him what is right but he come to prove it late when he had completely plunged into alcoholism and substance abuse.
At the age of 17 years, he was aware of his complete addiction to alcohol and drugs. The addiction led him to drop out of Southeastern Louisiana University when he was still in the first year in 1993 and forced him to do odd jobs for three years because that was the only means of surviving. The addiction to alcohol and drugs became worse over the years deteriorating his hopes and dreams for a better life and by the age of 25 years, he was homeless and lacked all social and emotional skills needed to succeed in life as it seemed that life had reached its end when he attempted suicide.
The alcoholism and drug abuse addition deteriorated his life leading to his admission to a residential treatment center, Assisi Bridge House, where his life changed. At the Assisi Bridge House, counselors made him undergo twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, which made a huge positive impact on his life. His treatment experiences at the Assisi Bridge House were not only life-changing but also educational because he developed skills such as coping skills, social skills, and communication skills that have enhanced his potential in life as a person, student, husband, and father. These tremendous experiences have made him develop a sense of value and awareness, which is an important catalyst when working with others in identifying and empathizing with the feelings of others.
In his career development, he was very passionate and determined in exploring his abilities for he was quite unsatisfied working in general employment and taking the part-time job because they proved to be unrewarding and mundane. His real experiences in life and addiction have shaped his career development because he has great potential in working with individuals who suffer from mental illness and substance abuse. His additional experiences in working at the Terrebonne Addictive Disorder Clinic as a counselor in training, at Assisi Bridge House as a residential assistant, recovery process through the twelve steps of Alcoholic anonymous, and as a job coach for individuals with mental illness have helped him understand and broaden his career development as a professional social worker.
He is overzealous in ambition believing that change is inevitable in his clients, but this has turned out to be his weakness if not properly balanced, because his desire to assist clients has made him work extra hard than the willingness of his clients, leading to exhaustion and resentment when he does not achieve his desire. He is quite aware of the weakness and ways on how to balance his ambition and reality to avoid harming himself and the client.
In the pursuit of his career dream as a social worker, he wants to attend a master’s degree at Tulane University with great expectation that the university will provide the best opportunity for him to achieve his goals and desires. Despite financial constraints, he is very determined to meet his goals for he will be working full time at the Terrebonne Addictive Disorder Clinic in Houma while attending his part-time masters at Tulane University. Furthermore, moral support from his family and financial assistance in terms of student loans will enhance his ability in the pursuit of his dreams. His great dream in achieving a masters is to build a professional career in social work that will enable him to take care of his family and clients.
I am interested in social work because this has always been my dream career. I read many magazines when I was growing up, and I realized that the articles that captivated me the most featured social work. News about social workers helping people overcome challenging times warmed my heart. Since then, I wanted a career in the human services industry. I have always known that social work would be my field of study.
My main takeaway from the video is that social work requires a lot of time and effort. One might be quick to dismiss social work as simple, but social workers must possess numerous values, knowledge, and skills to help others (Davis, 2012). To be a good social worker, one must ensure that they possess all three since they are the cornerstones of social work. Another thing that stuck with me is that social workers encounter different clients from various backgrounds. Consequently, they must be willing to learn how to best serve the needs and wants of the client (Davis, 2012). Social work is a continuous learning process, which means that these professionals must be adaptive.
I was surprised to learn that social work can broadly be divided into micro and macro practice. The micro practice focuses on individuals, families, and small groups, while the macro practice pertains to communities, organizations, and whole societies (Davis, 2012). I have always imagined that if social workers can work with a small group, then they can work with society. However, the existence of different specializations shows that social work is not a one-size-fits-all for all clients. After learning about micro and macro social work, I want to work with individuals, families, or small groups because this is the level at which I feel I can make the most difference.
Martin is ten years old and has been living with his mother for the past seven years. His father, Jacob, lost his job a year after he had born. He tried looking for new employment, but most of the positions required someone with both soft and technical skills. According to his wife, Mary, he always complained of being denied employment because he was black. He also lamented that black men needed more education than white to get jobs. The same views were echoed in the study by Pedulla and Pager (2019), who claimed that African Americans faced a systematic disadvantage in the job market. After realizing that he could not provide for his family, Jacob resorted to drinking and became increasingly abusive. When the situation worsened, the wife decided to go and live with her grandmother, who later passed on when Martin was six years.
Mary has been raising her child alone for the past four years, sometimes working three jobs a day. However, things worsened when she noticed her son had become more isolated. One week ago, she received a call from the school after Martin was involved in a fighting incident. According to the school principal, Martin had recently been quiet but violent when disturbed. His mother tried talking to him, but he became non-compliant. He has since refused to eat and spends much time locked up in his room. According to Lan (2021), children of single parenting suffer several effects, such as loneliness and emotional problems. This explains why Martin is hardly jovial; he rarely speaks.
Before visiting the agency, she tried reaching out to her husband, who refused to help. He even claimed that Martin was not his biological son and wanted nothing to do with him. Upon arrival at the facility, Mary was desperate and needed someone to talk to. Therefore, the nurse provider should view him as part of and inseparable from a family and social network (Broderick & Blewitt, 2020). Most importantly, the nurse should try to understand why Martin seemed unconcerned with everything that was happening around him.
References
Broderick, P. C., & Blewitt, P. (2020). The life span: Human development for helping professionals (5th Edition). Merrill/Prentice Hall.
Lan, X. (2021). Disengaged and highly harsh? Perceived parenting profiles, narcissism, and loneliness among adolescents from divorced families. Personality and Individual Differences, 171, 110466.
Pedulla, D. S., & Pager, D. (2019). Race and networks in the job search process. American Sociological Review, 84(6), 983-1012.
The National Association of Social Workers and the Association of Social Work Boards established a recommendation regarding the customs in community service oversight to assist and improve work monitoring for experts. Supervision is a crucial and important component of training and subsequent coaching, which is necessary for the successful growth of a proficient social workforce (Schmidt & Kariuki, 2019). Additionally, monitoring helps safeguard customers and support specialists and enables qualified social personnel to deliver excellent services.
Supervision involves a series of associated duties resulting in a total commitment or objective that guarantees customer security and obtains competent and ethical services from experienced social personnel. Supervision entails directing and monitoring colleagues’ activities (Schmidt & Kariuki, 2019). The inspector and the people who work under them are accountable for playing their respective parts in the cooperative process.
The collaboration between educational, managerial, and complementary monitoring is essential to produce knowledgeable, moral, and qualified social personnel. Helpful monitoring offers supportive personnel circumstances that recognize their accomplishments and develop the feeling of professionalism (Schmidt & Kariuki, 2019). A social laborer’s preparation needs for a particular workload are the key prominence of instructional administration and professional growth. It consists of exercises designed to teach subordinates about evaluation, therapy, and prevention.
Administrators are responsible for safeguarding and maintaining the confidentiality of the performance of the tasks and only divulge evidence when required for punitive action or as mandated by the governing agency to gain certification. Managers must be aware of the warning indicators of work anxiety and take action to tackle them together with their subordinates (Schmidt & Kariuki, 2019). When subordinates show signs of occupational stress, administrators should offer tools to support them. In certain situations, peer counseling can benefit both bosses and staff members.
Administrators guide staff members through various emotional and psychological procedures to make moral decisions. The executive relationship is an excellent starting point for junior staff to understand limits with customers (Schmidt & Kariuki, 2019). When providing confidential details, bosses should exercise discretion and avoid making it the main subject of their attention. Directors assist personnel in developing a safety policy for the workplace and society by studying non-violent response techniques. The information about supervisory helps in understanding vital roles needed to be conducted within an organization.
Reference
Schmidt, G., & Kariuki, A. (2019). Pathways to social work supervision. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 29(3), 321-332.
Interns perform tasks such as making agendas and discussing specifics with directors or field instructors. Other responsibilities included case management, assessing client requirements, and considering available treatments. Interns may also suggest remedies for pressing problems. I want to work as a medical social worker because one must have a formal education. An individual must first obtain a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college to work as a social worker. Most individuals who follow this course for four years in college will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social work or a closely linked discipline such as psychology, sociology, public administration, or child development. Secondly, one might be working a lot, and it is no secret that working as a social worker can be challenging. Due to the several simultaneous events, social workers can anticipate a heavy workload: there will always be more work to do.
I want to practice as a social worker in a school because of many factors. Firstly, outstanding work schedule, as mentioned before, contracts for school social workers are frequent for nine months. As a result, summers will be off; additionally, weekend and holiday work is not required of school social workers. Winter vacation and spring break are also to be expected. Social workers in schools may have more extended contracts, including ones lasting ten months. One still receives two months of vacation time throughout the year, though: that is rather good.
Other advantages of being a school social worker include possibilities for lifelong learning; as was already mentioned, some school districts contribute to all or a portion of the cost of social workers’ continuing education. Many school districts will contribute to the cost of continuing education credits, higher degrees, certifications, or even just attending a conference. Additionally, a person can be given additional time off to finish their studies if they are working towards a certificate or degree. Traveling to a college campus to take classes is relatively unusual, and many school systems give social workers the additional time they require to accommodate their studies.
Community Wellness is a process-focused program that includes society project planning, facilitates responses based on an assessment of the health needs specific to the community, encourages community engagement, and establishes a network of support for the whole community. The significant roles of the social worker in society are to determine customers’ goals and assess their requirements, conditions, assets, and assistance networks. Assist clients in adjusting to life’s transitions and obstacles, such as illness, divorce, and unemployment. According to systems theory, a social worker must pay attention to and evaluate each system that affects a person’s behavior and welfare while working to improve those systems (Cunningham & Jo, 2017). To help build a more supportive environment for the individual, this could be supplying constructive role models, counseling, or other services. Dialectics in social work is the existence and significance of conflicts between the thesis and the antithesis, which lead to a creative synthesis in the direction of progress and growth, are discussed dialectics. However, it is simply one example of how opposites can relate.
References
Cunningham, S., & Jo, C. (2017). Social policy and social work – An introduction. Sage Publications Ltd.