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Social work research importance
Understanding of social work
Understanding of social work
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Chapter 1 first starts of by describing the content of the book as a journey and how throughout the chapters we will be able to apply what we are learning on human behavior and the social environment to social work practice and ultimately our lives. There are many basic assumptions that will help guide us in this journey. One assumption that stood out to me was how our lives are interconnected with the people we work and interact with on a daily. However we do differ in many ways and it’s with those differences that we as social workers must respect and learn from. The chapter then went on to discuss the purpose of the social work profession which is to promote human and community well-being. There are 10 core competencies that social work students will be able …show more content…
to master upon completing their degree. It is core competency # 7 that relates to applying knowledge of human behavior and the social environment. The chapter than discussed paradigms, which I understood as a view that an individual as well as a society view as model on how things are and work in the world. There are two types of paradigms, traditional and alternative.
Traditional paradigms are considered the views that have had the greatest influence on our environment and alternative paradigms are the views that have had less of an influence. The chapter went on to discuss paradigm analysis, which is used to determine a paradigms compatibility with the core concerns of social work. In paradigm analysis critical thinking and deconstruction is used. It is crucial that social works use both these tools in their profession. The text went on to discuss the historical periods and the paradigms that went along with them and how they continue to change from traditional to alternative and vice-versa. The chapter continued on to discuss that the debate between art and science in social work continues on today. Paradigm shifts are when a society or culture move from having one model of thinking and believing to a completely different model. This concept is crucial to social workers, they must be able to move beyond their own views so they can see others way of seeing things with respect and appreciation. In analyzing and attempting to understand paradigms you must consider the elements that help make up a paradigm which is culture, race, and ethnicity which
are all intertwined. The chapter went on to discuss how it is imperative that social workers be culturally competent which is being able to act effectively with individuals of different cultures. The chapter went on to discuss how paradigms continue to shape culture and society and how closely related paradigms and inequality of power are. The chapter ends on discussing empowerment which is the process of individuals gaining the resources and will power to shape their future and reach their full-potential. Chapter 1 did a great job in introducing the concepts and issues relating to human behavior and the social environment and setting the ground work for the upcoming chapters. I look forward to reading future chapters and expanding my knowledge on these concepts that will help me reach my goal of entering the social work profession.
Social work pursues to meet the demands and addresses the changing profession of fighting for human rights, improving social policies, and practice. I agree with the Abramovitz article that we have to know and understand the history of the social work profession. If people go without learning and comprehending the past, people cannot make accommodations for the future. Knowledge of the past will keep history alive, it will guide workers and their efforts to reform. The past also helps society in understanding programs that did not work. Society needs to understand the values that historical knowledge can bring positive changes in the future. Advocates for early social workers and their issues and concerns are still relevant in today's
Social workers are well-versed, resourceful, and upbeat in responding to developing organizational, community and societal contexts at all levels of practice. Social workers distinguish that the framework of practice is vigorous, and use knowledge and skill to respond proactively. In generalist training, social workers practice at whatever level is required with whatever style system, depending on the complications and powers in focus as considered from an ecological-systems perspective. The generalist may be working at a particular practice level at a given time or with more than one level simultaneously or sequentially.
This paper will entail my reflections on three main areas pertaining to my own personal experiences. I will describe the influence of my own life experiences, give my particular world view, and describe what advantages and disadvantages, power, and privileges I will bring to my interaction as a social worker.
Social work covers a broad range of areas but is primarily concerned with working to support, protect and empower vulnerable, excluded and marginalised members of society. While the profession may be going through a time of change, the essential qualities of social workers – to listen, support, to advocate on behalf of others and see people in the context of their whole lives – does not change.
Social Workers are very important to everyday life. They are the ones that help people in need when they have nobody else to turn too. Also, they provide resources and better understanding of predicaments that you could be experiencing. I will reflect on how the class has affected me, my own experiences and how some theories have connected to my life experiences, and lastly, if the class helped toward my major. This class is important for someone that wants to become a social worker and wants to learn about the different theories used. Also, learning about me during this process of completing this class is fun and a way to see if the social work profession is right for me. There was many theories explained throughout this class but many will not be said because it wasn’t the main points that I was trying to get across. There are two tools that are used that can help a social worker organize a client’s life: Bubble map and Briefcase exercise. There are so many different ways a social worker can help a client deal with their problems and come up with a solution. It is up to that social worker to identify the client’s problem and see what theory fits.
Social work practice is a profession where it works alongside the ‘code of ethics’, these consist of formal statements which represent values of the professional community. The national associations such as Britain state the core values within this field are human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity (human rights), integrity and competence. The professional field is regulated by the ‘British Association of Social Work’ (BASW). The core values within social work are huma...
This is why social workers must also be critical thinkers. Critical thinking applied to the social work profession involves “the ability to define an issue, stressor, or problem; to distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge to formulate a tentative practice direction” (Gitterman & Knight, 2013). Theories, as well as research, “about phases of individual, family and group development; about ethical, racial, religious, spiritual, and sexual identity development; and about individual, family, and group development” provide social workers with a basic starting point for a more complex and situational-based intervention plan that will later be developed. In social work practice, intervention plans and assessments are not blindly developed, but rather based off theory and research. Therefore, although social work is a profession of artistry and creativity; it is also a scientific profession enhanced by the use of theory and
Working with others and improving own learning and performance are highly essential skills in social work. In this essay I will reflect on how well I have developed these two skills and what I need to do to improve them.
The six core values of social work should guide and impact how social workers act and treat their clients. A social worker must show anyone who they come in contact with that they are valued by serving, standing up against injustices, letting them know they have inherent worth, teaching them the importance of healthy human relationships, having integrity, and being competent. These values are necessary to apply not only to the professional areas but in our daily
One of the most important values I have learned in this course were these specific core values in social work. Social work seeks to provide service and have social justice. They understand the importance of individuals and their worth. In whatever they do, they do their work with complete integrity and competence (4). These values can be applied onto other things
My understanding about the social work profession is one that works with a diverse group of people to better their well-being in all aspects. Social workers requires: responsibility, passion, and knowledge. The social worker has to understand their own personal cultural values, beliefs, and appreciate the multicultural identities of different people. The profession of social worker requires a lot of skills because they have different tasks and responsibilities. They are aware of social policies and programs for the diverse clients advocating.
However, there is still a great amount of competence to grasp. Dimitrijoska and Vladimir (2016) state that “[t]he social worker is responsible for his/her professional development and must continually work on gaining new knowledge and learning new methodologies (p. 55). Moreover, as I move forward in social work courses, I will need to take a few actions to ultimately become successful. I will need to do more research, whether it be scholarly articles or assigned texts. I would like to engage in my community by volunteering at more agencies, and making connections with the organizations and learning from social workers. The last step I would like to take is from this point forward, I would like to engage in mindfulness practices. This step in particular is for me to be able to have a healthy relationship with myself, so I am able to continue working for clients in the future, and be able to act as an effective
families, and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social workers are change agents and because of that, they aim to help people develop their skills and abilities to use resources provided to them to strengthen and improve their lives and communities to resolve problems. One of the main goal of social workers is to improve the well-being and lives of the most vulnerable populations, fight against poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and the underserviced population by emphasizing on the person-in-environment and social justice model. The social work profession, considerers the individuals’ internal and external struggles, while working with the individuals to examine their relationships, family, work environment, community, and other things that might impact them and identify ways to help address problems and challenges.
The work of a social worker is complex and all encompassing. Social workers work in many capacities seeking justice, liberation, and equality. There work is global, as they work to put policies in place to govern practices. To keep up with societal shifts and generational changes there learning is continuous. As new questions rise so does the need for the continuation of research, not only to answer these questions but to implement into
The social work profession is defined as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people (ISFW, ‘Global Definition of Social Work’, 2016).” The definition may be true about the profession but it is more in depth than just that. To me, the profession’s primary focus is to help others through life as much as we can while letting them make their own choices and guiding them. In society, social workers are utilized in many different nonprofit and government roles. They serve the community in many different ways from monitoring parent visits to helping people through mental illnesses. Human beings are so complex and things that happen