A Social Worker's role is described as being both an agent of social control and an agent of social change. Discuss what you understand this to mean. Analyse the dilemmas that performing these two roles might cause for Social Workers.
Caroline Ayanru Access to Social Work Training
Social Work Practice Assignment No. 1
Topic: A Social Worker's role is described as being both an agent of social control and an agent of social change. Discuss what you understand this to mean. Analyse the dilemmas that performing these two roles might cause for Social Workers.
The Social work profession grew out of the assistance activities of the 19th Century Charitable Organisations. Formally, all forms of Private voluntary charitable activities, including those of untrained, civic-minded individuals, were regarded as social work. More recently, however, a vast amount of new social research has made possible analyses of the social and economic needs of modern society.
The shift from voluntary to statutory work has now rooted social work more firmly within a legal framework of responsibilities. Also, the beliefs of modern social workers appear to be practically the opposite of the principles of social assistance developed by the founders of the profession and are able to successfully effect changes to welfare requirements. It is therefore likely that in so doing they can fail to be inspiring mentors to those welfare recipients who need to be motivated and guided. Ironically, herein lies the dilemma of a Social Worker's role both as an agent of social control and an agent of social change.
Social work professionals' activities are aimed generally at enriching and enhancing individual and group development or at alleviating adverse social and economic conditions. To the social worker, any kind of suffering or being in need is wrong. It therefore follows that they may be seen in this role as encouraging whining and blaming others. Bisno (1952), believes that "Human suffering is undesirable and should be prevented, or at least alleviated, whenever possible." Whatever approach social workers take to achieve their aims may be criticised as excusing dysfunctional lifestyles for instance. However, social workers believe that handouts of material assistance like cash, food, housing and clothing are generally harmful to the poor. A social worker's role is therefore complex and multifaceted.
Social workers can provide further assistance to their clients on the grounds of hardship, family needs and so on. This is one way in which they act as agents of social control. They also make recommendations and can spearhead campaigns for better sets of rules for clients generally, acting as agents of social change. The following is quoted from Payne, J L (1996) Absence of Judgement, Policy Review Number80, Internet article:
'One value of social work, says John Brown's Handbook of Social Work Practice (Charles C. Thomas, 1992), is a "nonjudgmental attitude," which means that "social workers ...
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Social workers can provide further assistance to their clients on the grounds of hardship, family needs and so on. This is one way in which they act as agents of social control. They also make recommendations and can spearhead campaigns for better sets of rules for clients generally, acting as agents of social change. The following is quoted from Payne, J L (1996) Absence of Judgement, Policy Review Number80, Internet article:
'One value of social work, says John Brown's Handbook of Social Work Practice (Charles C. Thomas, 1992), is a "nonjudgmental attitude," which means that "social workers should not judge clients' behavior by imposing a moral value on it." The introductory text The Practice of Social Work (Dorsey Press, 1985) criticizes "the layperson's views that a social worker seeks to 'remold' clients into a pattern chosen by the worker." The professional view is that clients "should be permitted to determine their own lifestyles as far as possible."
"Social work assumes the inherent worth and importance of the individual," says the Introduction to Social Work (Prentice Hall, 1991).'
To do this requires not only technical competence but also qualities of integrity, genuiness and self-awareness.
It is important to remember that social work is a specialised career because every person the social worker works alongside will be different. The difference will be biological and social, self-perception and ethnicity.
In recent years the areas of specialisation within the social work has increased greatly. Social work is conducted by public and private agencies. In Britain for example, the local government operating through the department of Health and Social Security as well as the department of Housing and Urban Development and other units administer social welfare programs or provide funds that enable neighbourhoods or private agencies to operate many programs. These also include adoption services to abused and neglected children, foster-home care, children's Homes and special schools for juvenile- training as well as local community organisations and neighbourhood service centres. Other funds go to schools' social work, psychiatric clinics and mental health centres, drug-abuse programs, programs to improve inter group relations.
Social workers may be employed in varied social settings. Social workers play an important role in co-ordinating of all the programs of different agencies so as best to meet community needs for health and welfare services. Because of the important roles they play, they are known to be agents of social control and social change.
The role of a social worker involves mediating between clients and different organisations and communities. This is a double-edged role, consisting of elements of care and control both of which can be empowering and oppressing.
Social caseworkers deal directly with the individual or the family. They work in family service agencies, medical and psychiatric hospitals. The social work group is usually concerned with planning or leading activities. Social planners are social workers who conduct research and help develop welfare policies. They all have to work within a legal framework of responsibilities.
The nature of the relationship between the social worker and service users is an essential element.
The ability to communicate with and relate to others in times of needs is a very necessary social work skill.
All interpersonal communication will need to be guided by the value system of empowerment, which is knowledge value and skill for effective social work. This value system and skills can help clients to feel safe and to have more control over their own future. In brief, the elements of value base should anti-discriminatory practice. If anti-discrimination is to work, then individual rights and choices must be respected.
Social workers should work towards helping the clients by empowering them instead of making them feel disempowered. This will require the social workers to use different approaches such as the therapeutic, maintenance and emancipatory approaches to view individual needs and reinforce positive changes.
In the therapeutic approach, individuals learn or develop more effective strategies in dealing with their problems, workers help them to achieve personal growth, self actualisation and personal power over their human wishes and needs.
With the maintenance approach, workers ensure that people/clients are able to cope or deal adequately with their lives. Services are provided to meet the needs of members of the public.
The third approach is the emancipatory approach; here workers do engage in an explicit commitment to social justice and to engage in open challenges to the welfare system. The aim of work with clients is to empower them, in helping them to understand their situation and power imbalance (class issue, race, gender, disability etc).
People need to feel safe; that is, they feel that they are valued as a person. If people feel safe then they are free to develop into a contented, fulfilled self-actualising person.
A person who feels unsafe might distort or deny their feelings. They may be struggling to achieve goals that other people have set for them.
As Davis (1985) suggests, clients' study show that the true professional is not someone who is cool, detached, career-minded and disinterested but is someone who shows friendliness, understanding and warmth in a way, which convinces the client of his/her concern.
The act of listening is often valued in itself, independent of other help given. Having someone who can value clients by using effective verbal and non-verbal communication might be the key to feeling safe: Sainsbury and Nixon (1979) found that most of the clients in their study saw social workers as more positive and caring than the agency from which they came.
Clients also found activities by social workers helpful. Rees and Wallace (1982) suggest 'By doing things or attempting to do things, social workers confirm their concern and willingness to help. Activities include advice-giving and making arrangements on behalf of clients.
Such activities have not always been valued in the social work literature for example, advice giving has been seen as contradicting the principle of Client self-determination, Biestek (1965) and making arrangements on behalf of clients as encouraging the client's dependence. Clients do not appear to share these reservations. For example, one client gave the following reasons for finding his social worker helpful, 'he gave advice about social security, would go to court or write a letter, I don't have to stammer out to someone who has no sympathy', Lishman (1988).
Effective communication is an essential component of social work activities, for example, providing basic care, giving advice, and making assessments, counselling, writing reports and acting as clients' advocates. Social workers need to be aware of the potential meanings of their presentation, actions and aspects of the work environment. Clients evaluate and interpret communications both positively and negatively.
Finally it is important that social workers take their functions from the defined responsibilities and role of their agencies. Besides a commitment to this philosophy, social workers must also understand that that value base mentioned earlier in this essay are transferable skills and can be applicable across a range of settings and can be developed.
REFERENCES________________________________________________________
Bisno, H (1952) The Philosophy of Social Work, Public affairs Press
Burnett, J (2000) Defining Social Work and Social Work Practice, Class Handout
Lishman, J (1994) Communication in Social Work, London, The Macmillan Press Ltd
Moonie, N., Ixer, G., Makepeace, K and Balkissoon, I (1995) Human Behaviour in the Caring Context, Cheltenham, Stanley Thornes (Publishers) Ltd
Payne, J L (1996) Absence of Judgement, Policy Review, Internet article
Caroline Ayanru
January 2001
