Social Work Critical Analysis

Critical Analysis Paper 1
To practice social work, it is important to understand what the field of social work actually is. Although it seems easy to define, social work is a widespread profession that reaches many more areas than most realize. It can range from working for individuals, to all of society. The use of theories in social work is a large part of understanding and carrying out practice. Systems theory is a widely known theory used in social work, but brings debate upon whether it should be the main theory used in social work practice or not.
#1A: Definition and value assumptions of social work
In short, social work is a profession geared towards helping others. Whether it is an individual, group, community, or all of society

in need, a social worker strives to improve the general well-being of each, and promote the worth of every individual. Because a social workers job is to advocate and protect the rights of individuals and groups, they most often are working with the oppressed, disadvantaged, discriminated against, or those left behind.
This definition of social work holds some different value assumptions.

To start, human worth is a value held in high importance. If humans were not valued, then the work of social workers would not be helpful or needed. Another value assumption is that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to have their basic needs met. When social workers advocate for those groups who are left-behind or oppressed, they are fighting to remove an injustice. Lastly, this definition of social work assumes that relationships play a big role on an individual and therefore a group. The relationships within individuals, groups, or society as a whole, has a large impact on how people live, communicate, and fit in to their

environment.
#1B: Systems theory in social work
To prepare for competent practice in social work, social workers must understand the goals and values of social work and be prepared and knowledgeable about how to advocate for people and change. Knowledge of policies and resources that would help clients is necessary for a social worker to provide the best service possible. Most importantly, social workers must have a knowledge of human behavior and how behaviors can be influenced by many outside factors. To understand how outside factors have a direct influence on individuals, a systems perspective has been a very popular and successful method for social work practice. Systems theory can be described as the idea that individuals and their environment are directly related and continuously adapt with each other, which means that they must be observed holistically (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012, p.28).
Some argue that systems theory should be used as a unifying theory for social work practice. One argument is the fact that it is comprehensive. More than any other framework, it provides the greatest potential for explanation and incorporation of other theories into a single framework (Carter, 2011, p. xvii). The use of one unifying theory which integrates many others seems to provide a more consistent, all-encompassing, and wide-range solution to analyzing scenarios within social work practice. Another argument is that it allows social workers to apply and develop interventions for “the individual, the family, organizations, communities, and so on (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012, p. 43).” In this sense, systems theory can allow focus on a micro level but does not hold one back from addressing a larger, macro group either. Because all systems are interconnected, this flexibility to address needs from all levels is vital as all parts are connected and influence another.
Contrary to the arguments above, some argue that systems theory is a “grand or meta theory,” which is too ineffective to use (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012, p. 57). Criticisms have been made on the absence of clarity systems theory provides, as the essential notions are usually vague and not well defined. These vague definitions create problems in measurement, where concepts become impossible to put to use, and the “lack of experimental referents leave the theory unverifiable (p. 57).” Nagel (1988) also adds that use of one theory is most likely impossible, and no one model is all-inclusive “or capable of unifying theory (as cited in Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012, p. 47).” There is also an argument that systems theory may end up in meaningless analogies (Bertalanffy, 1968, p. 35). Bertalanffy gives the examples “the human individual appears like an insignificant cell in an organism or an unimportant worker in a beehive (p. 35).” This implies that it is hard to look at how significant an individual is when always focusing on the bigger scheme of things.
Conclusion
Social workers have the potential to reach and help so many people who are in need. It is a profession that finds worth and value in every individual, and also looks at society as a whole and how each relates to their outside world. Although systems theory is a common theory used within social work, it also has its faults. This is a reminder that there is never one straight answer or model to follow when working with human beings.

The Garcia Family
The Garcia family scenario provides a perfect opportunity to use Urie Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) framework to examine the situation using a systems approach. The framework helps to outline how Ricky and his problems at school relate to the systems and environments in his life, and how a social worker can use their values and ethics to provide strategies to help Ricky and his family. A social worker must also examine how the influences in Ricky’s life may provide him with sociocultural opportunities, or cause sociocultural risks.
#2A: Ricky’s environment
As a social worker helping the Garcia family with the problems Ricky has been experiencing, it would be appropriate to determine Ricky as the focal point or developing individual for this case.

When examining the microsystem environment of Ricky, which involves the individuals on a daily basis (Garbarino, 1982, p. 22), the individuals within his family include Mr. Garcia, Mrs. Garcia, and his two younger siblings. Also included would be his friends or classmates at school, his teacher, and social worker. The case mentioned that the Garcia’s are very close with their extended-kin family, mentioning specifically Ricky’s cousins, so they would be an additional factor in Ricky’s microsystem. Any other neighborhood friends of Ricky’s would also be included. Ricky’s mesosystem environment looks at the relationships that occur between his microsystems (p. 23). In this case, this would be the relationship between Ricky’s school and home, and also his neighborhood and home. Additionally, Mrs. Garcia has a strong relationship with the school social worker, which connects his family to his school environment. The exosystem, which are circumstances that effect the individual even though they do not play a direct role in the relationships (p. 23), would include Mr. Garcia’s job, the local government, the mass transit available to the family, and the mental health services available. The macrosystem includes people’s “assumptions of how things should be done (1982, p. 24).” Mrs.

Garcia’s ideology of mental health, and the negative attitudes between the neighborhood the Garcia’s live in and the Anglo neighborhood are all a part of Ricky’s macrosystem.
#2B: Incorporating values of social work
When beginning to develop intervention strategies, one highly important social work value to abide by is dignity and worth of a person. First and foremost, the social workers’ role is to treat Ricky and his family with respect and care, and also to be understanding of the cultural barriers they have expressed. To show Ricky his worth, it would be important to talk to him and attempt to understand and identify some of the problems he is having from his perspective. Listening to what Ricky has to say about the issue would help promote a healthy relationship with him to where he feels he is cared about, and also may shed some light upon what issues may need to be addressed first. In order to understand some of Ricky’s issues at school, mental health tests could be done to determine if he has a disability that is hurting his progress in school. An anticipated ethical dilemma of this would be that his mother may not consent to him being tested. In this case, the social worker must respect her wishes and react with the social work value of integrity. This could also provide a time for the social worker to use the value of the importance of human relationships. The social work code of ethics states that “social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process (NASW, 2008).” For Mrs. Garcia, gaining knowledge about the mental health and the services offered, as well as meeting the teachers or staff at the mental health service before deciding whether or not to send Ricky there may be helpful. This could help develop a relationship with them that allows her to feel more comfortable sending her son there, and learn more about how they could potentially help her son. It may diminish some assumptions of the neighborhood attitudes towards each other. Of course, a dilemma would be if Mrs. Garcia refused to look in to the service, but as a social worker the suggestion would be appropriate. Another social work value that should be used in this case is social justice. More knowledge about the negative attitudes between the two neighborhoods is necessary. Mrs. Garcia has made it very evident that there is a problem or fear of hers that is present, so it would be a social workers duty to address this situation to see if there is discrimination, oppression, or an injustice to the Mexican-Americans by the Anglo neighborhood. As the NASW code of ethics states, social workers seek to promote change for those who are vulnerable and oppressed. This includes encouraging “sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people (2008).”
#2C: Sociocultural opportunities and risks
A sociocultural opportunity of Ricky’s is that he has his whole family together in his household, and his mother is at home and can be more involved in his day to day life. His mother has a positive relationship with the school social worker, which according to Garbarino, means there is more than a single linkage between home and school, which is constructive for Ricky’s development (1982, p. 23). Mrs. Garcia places a value on Ricky’s school because she agrees something should be done to help him with his struggles, which concludes that there is a positive correlation between the mesosystem relationship. He also has strong support from his extended-kin family. However, one sociocultural risk for Ricky is the imbalance of reciprocity, where Mrs. Garcia is using her power as the parent to not give Ricky access to some of the resources that might be helpful or necessary to him because of her cultural and ideological experiences and beliefs. If Ricky needs mental health services, then this would be causing Ricky’s development to suffer (Garbarino, 1982, p. 37). Another potential risk is what Garbarino calls “affective tone”, which involves both things that are said or not said. He states that “negative climate makes the child vulnerable to being easily discouraged by everyday problems and turns the child away from full and satisfying participation in the world (1982, p. 38).” Mrs. Garcia is afraid of Ricky being labeled as a child with “mental problems.” If Ricky is aware of this fear his mother has, he could begin to think something is wrong with him and could become embarrassed, ashamed, and not want to try in school anymore. Ricky’s exosystem is also causing risks to his development. Mr. Garcia has had to take a cut in pay and his job is also in jeopardy. The family already has many debts, which hurts them even worse. Therefore, they are unable to pay for a private tutor for Ricky. This potential job loss of his father could have serious implications on the whole family.
Conclusion
There is no easy, linear answer for providing Ricky the help he needs. More information is necessary to determine more details on specific issues before determining the best course of action. The application of social work knowledge, values and ethics to a real life situation is necessary, as well as applying theory to help view the whole situation. When looking at the whole picture of Ricky’s life, risks and opportunities are present where those may have been overlooked or missed if only viewing Ricky as the individual.