Social Work Standards

In this paper, the role of a social worker will be addressed. A Human Service professional has, in its hands, the responsibilities in the life of the clients and families they meet. The tremendous and arduous responsibilities they take on include, but are not limited to, the well-being and care of people and their communities. Such roles can be helping others manage the care of a family member, assisting individuals experiencing problems with family relations and conflicts, dealing with changes that come with growing old, aiding those suffering mental illness and or those individuals struggling with addictions. Briefly

Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.

I have yet to encounter a social worker who entered the profession for acclaim or prestige. It is a demanding career with long hours and ceaseless paperwork. Social workers are frequently overburdened in addition to being underpaid. Occasionally, they witness agonizing tragedy, fundamentally changing them. Having worked in social services for a number of years, I have had these experiences.

The journey towards the attainment of the Bachelor of the social work degree has been an enlightening and educational experience, as the individual is exposed to the realities of many social and political issues in the society. As a student, I ventured into the degree, with minimal insight as to how the degree can influence and shape the way I perceive the social world, and the way I relate these matters to myself. However, throughout my endeavour, which encompasses years of theoretical studies, and two intensive placements at two drastically different organisations, I believe I have accumulated the bare minimal knowledge to possess a solid foundation about the unfairness and inequality that people in disadvantaged conditions face. Social workers are predominantly found in welfare organisations which Howe (as cited in Limber, 2015) suggested largely influences the practice, direction and values of the social worker, and impacts on their ability to act autonomously (Lymbery, 2015). During my placements, there was a dominant theme that frequently stood out and enticed my attention. This was the accepted practice of focusing on the individual’s problem, as opposed to the social problems that existed and the lack of acknowledgement about the social restrictions of the human agency that limited self-determination. The realization that organisations were managed this way was important in ensuring that I made a proactive effort to understand and untangle the reasons behind such

Social Work practice guidelines are outlined by the NASW Code of Ethics, CSWE Educational Policy and Standards, and HIPPA. NASW Code of Ethics explain the missions values and core functions of how a social worker practices. It is a guide that is used to assist social workers through ethical dilemmas while emphasizing core values (National Association of Social Workers, n.d.). CSWE is a national association that maintains the standards of educational programs for social work degrees. This entity ensures education is supported by appropriate accreditation that focuses on curriculums to ensure full understanding of all required competencies and that the program is aligned with its goals and missions. (Council on Social Work Education,

Social work refers to the profession in which there is a “distinctive emphasis... on the interface between individuals and their social environment” (Toseland & Rivas, 2005, p. 5). The profession was created as a response to a need or concern (Johnson & Yanca, 2010, p. 4). Common human needs include: food, shelter, clothing, health care, opportunities for emotional and intellectual growth, as well as meaningful relationships (Johnson & Yanca, 2010, p. 6). As Johnson and Yanca (2009) state, social work is only one of several social functioning professions and continues to develop from influences from the past and present (p. 10). The profession itself mainly focuses on social welfare, as its purpose is to “promote human and community well-being” (Schriver, 2011, p. 3).

Many experts call social workers the “jack of all trades” of the modern society. This comes from the fact that these professionals assist their clients in almost every accept of life. For one thing, they promote good mental health since they can help patients with psychological conditions and substance abuse problems. They can also help in improving physical wellbeing since they can guide their clients to the right healthcare facility and assist them in obtaining financial help to fund their treatment. Of course, they can help people who are going through socio-economic difficulties by steering them to organizations who can best assist with their financial needs.

This paper is a reflection from the first two chapters from the text, Direct Social Practice: Theory and Skills and it will answer the questions: how do social working professionals differ from other helping professionals? What is the focus and scope of a social working profession? What are the strength and challenges of the social worker professions focus?

Identify and explain the four (4) ways in which marginal jobs deviate from the norms expected of work. Then explain which members of the labor force have the highest likelihood of working in marginal job and why.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses

There are many different challenges facing the modern day social worker. With much of today's society becoming more technically advanced it is causing social workers more hardships by adding more responsibility to an already complicated job. Additionally, this causes social workers to not only be responsible for their area but also others. Furthermore, this has become a huge problem, with the increase of technology also comes the new technological documentation and bullying and addictions. Not only is learning this new technology hard but also time consuming. social workers are always on the move, and having access to a computer for documentation takes up crucial time that could possibly be used to help others. Additionally with the new age

According to the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) the social work profession ‘promotes the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance wellbeing. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their

Career-long learning is important for social workers due to the constant change in the society. The different technologies and new practice system on how to help clients is always developing different strategies that is why every social worker will have to be knowledgeable on how to handle issues in the professional social work practice, and prevent any form of ignorance as an excuse in resolving problems.

Social work BSW students, generally, come from different background, experience, profession or without any professional experience. Mostly, social work professionals or students choose this career because they like helping profession or have some personal histories to relate to this profession. It is often heard that social workers require a good heart and competencies to work in micro, mezzo, or macro practice. Competency of social workers is one of the core guiding principles of the NASW Code of Ethics. Social work students develop their core competencies through the guidance of their educators and supervisors, discussion with colleagues, knowledge from online and printed materials, and their experience working with clients. Generally, at the beginning of the career, social workers rely on their knowledge gained in the classroom through their professors and authoritative texts, application of relevant theories, analysis of their experiences gained at field practicums. Therefore, the role of professors at social work schools and field supervisors in preparing students as professionals become crucial and challenging. The author has tried to explore a few topics based on the clinical and teaching experience, which appear important in grooming BSW students as social work professionals.

Most of the social workers, work for the government in offices, hospitals, clinics, prisons, or the courts. Some also work in nursing homes, group homes, schools, or businesses. According to the National Association of Social Worker, many of the Social workers are quitting their job because of the workload is too much. A participant from the National Association of Social Worker stated that “the major challenge of social work is that social workers have too many things on their plates. They cannot possibly do everything they need to do and do it well”. Burnout is a main reason people are leaving the profession. They have many tasks to carry out and so they do not have as much resources which cause many social workers to feel stress.