In order to fully discuss the statement given by Trevithick it is important to be aware of the history of social work

01825484

“Social work is located within some of the most complex problems and perplexing areas of human experience, and for this reason, social work is, and has to be, a highly skilled activity.” (Trevithick, 2000,p.1)

Explain the meaning of this statement, and consider whether it is an adequate definition of the nature of social work.

The aim of this assignment is to discuss the interpretation of the statement given above, to analyse this definition and compare it to others that are available and to conclude by discussing whether this is an adequate definition in relation to the nature of social work.

In order to fully discuss the statement given by Trevithick it is important to be aware of the history of social work and to observe the changes that have occurred over the centuries. Social work was developed in the late 19th century with the implementation of the Poor Law Report; this led to the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1934. Prior to this date, Charitable Organisations looked after people who were unable to care for themselves, in partnership with the Christian church. It is questionable whether these organisations offered help and support to people in need, or whether they just hid away societies most vulnerable people to take the problem away from the public eye. In a similar way to the 19th century, social work in the 21st century offers support and guidance to vulnerable people. Whereas, the methods used have been developed and improved upon to ensure that the service user is receiving a high a quality of service as possible. This, perhaps, could be one of the reasons why Trevithick (2000) states that, “social work is located within some of the most complex problems and perplexing areas of human experience”.

In 2002 the training of social work changed from the Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) to the Degree. The General Social Care Council meticulously inspected these changes. There are now 68 universities in the United Kingdom that have been given the opportunity to offer the new degree. This change was implemented to enable social work to be recognised as a profession in its own right, as well as ensuring that all social workers are trained to the same high level and ability. Horner (2004) agrees with the Department of Health, which believes “the new degree level qualification will prepare social workers for the complex and demanding role that will be required of them”. It could, on the other hand, be suggested that social work is returning to the days of the workhouse. The workhouses of the 19th Century were generic institutions that housed those with a variety of needs, the new social work degree offers a generic qualification to all students, which will ensure that that they can all use the essential methods of practice when working with service users as well as all working to a high standard. The General Social Care Council have also put in to place codes of practice for all social care employers and employees to follow, these codes must be abided by at all times by all social workers with the inclusion of social work students. The General Social Care Council can then regulate the standard of social workers to ascertain that they are practicing at the highest possible level. The General Social Care Council has also introduced a new registration system. These ensure that all social workers have to register if they wish to be able to practice as a social worker. By registering, it means the General Social Care Council can regulate who practices. They can ensure that all social workers are fully qualified and that they are practicing at the high standard that is expected from the General Social Care Council.

This is a preview of the whole essay

There are many skills required by social workers in order to provide the best possible service and these skills are very wide ranging. Thompson (2000) defines a skill as “an ability to carry out activities over a period of time effectively and consistently”. Trevithick (2000) suggests that there are over fifty general skills needed to practice social work successfully on a daily basis. These skills include, amongst others: the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately, confidence in making decisions, the ability to observe and interview people without being judgemental as well as the ability to plan and prepare. In relation to Trevithick’s views on the skills required by a social worker, the British Association for Social Work (BASW) states that the skills required to enable social workers to practice are good interpersonal and communication skills, an ability to relate to others empathetically, to approach others non-judgmentally, an ability to problem solve, a willingness to make challenging decisions as well as a concern for other people (British Association for Social Work, 2002). It is vitally important that social workers are non-judgemental when practicing, and this includes treating each person as an individual (GSCC, 2002 1.1).

Communication is a skill in itself and it is central to the role of social work (Thompson, 2000). Communication can come in many different forms; this can include verbal, non-verbal, listening and writing skills. When practicing, social workers need to ensure that they are talking in a way that can be understood by the service user, ensuring that the service user understands what is being said. Non-verbal communication or ‘body language’ is also an essential skill that social workers should be aware of, the ability to read a person’s body language is of utmost importance as it is often an indicator of a person’s frame of mind or emotional state. Body language is a method of communication that is not usually done consciously, for example, if a service user has their arms crossed in an interview they may not realise it but they are putting a barrier up between themselves and the person they are talking to. The social worker also needs to be aware of the non-verbal signals or ‘body language’ that they are giving off to the service user. An example of this would be, if they were giving off signals that they are not interested then this could effect the interaction of the service user. If either of these examples occurs they could prohibit effective communication.

Thompson (2000) defines communication as “a complex issue, due to the number of skills required to communicate effectively and appropriately”. According to Lishman (1994) “effective communication skills are essential to the activity of social work, it enables social workers to have the ability to promote self-help and empower the service user”. The simple art of communication could be one of the reasons Trevithick (2000) believes that social work is “a highly skilled activity”.

The skill of being non-judgemental and not allowing preconceptions to obscure judgements of individuals is vitally important. Prior to meeting an individual, social workers will have had the opportunity to fully inform themselves of the service user involved by reading case notes or files. “It is considered obstructive to judge services users, if social workers disapprove of a service users actions or values they must not disapprove of the person” (Thompson, 2000). It is essential to good practice to be aware that not everybody has the same value base. This is highlighted in the codes of practice, which states that you must treat everyone as an individual (GSCC, 2002: 1.1) and declare issues that might create conflict, making sure they do not influence your judgement (GSCC, 2002: 2.7).

“Social work is a paid professional activity that aims to support people to overcome serious difficulties in their lives” (Pierson & Thomas, 1995). The profession covers many areas and offers many services to many people in need. These services cover the provision of care, protection or counselling and through social support offering advocacy to be a voice for them in situations which they need support. As social work involves working with people who are often experiencing major problems for a variety of reasons, social workers are often dealing with distressed individuals. It is therefore important that social workers do not exploit or oppress these service users through unethical practice (Thompson 2000). It is recognised that it is essential that social workers must always act in the best interest of the service users, putting aside their personal views and always act impartially through using independent advice.

Social work today is practiced in many different settings and organisations with the inclusion of schools, social services departments, prisons, hospitals and residential establishments. It is essential that social workers have the ability and skill to adapt to different situations whilst still meeting the needs of the individual.

As well as providing services, social workers today have to take into consideration the diversity of the people they are working with. Living in a multi cultural society, social work “involves working across differences of class, race, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, culture, health, geography, expectations and outlook on life” (Trevithick, 2002). These are just some differences social workers encounter and have to deal with. Social work uses an interconnected system of values, theory and practice; it is paramount that these are based on respect for the equality, worth, and dignity of all people (International Federation of Social Work, 2000).

There are many alternative definitions available to the one specified by Trevithick. One of these definitions is “Social work is a profession committed to social justice and to the enhancement of the quality of life for all people” (aurora, 2003). This definition describes the work that is offered by social workers but does not affirm the complex nature of social work, unlike Trevithick’s statement, which although it does not outline the role of social work it does, however, give the proposal that all services users are different and their needs are wide-ranging.

Another definition is one given by the International Federation of
Social Workers, “the social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work”.

In conclusion it could be argued that the statement provided by Trevithick (2000) is an adequate definition of the nature of social work, as it informs the reader that social work requires a huge amount of skill and knowledge to be able to deal with the needs of individuals. However, Banks (2001) states that, “social work has always been a difficult occupation to define because it has embraced work in a number of different sectors”. Because social work covers such a diverse range of the population and uses such a wide variety of methods this will make it problematic to construct a brief definition that covers all areas involved, as it also has to portray the complexity that is involved with the profession on a day to day basis. This may be why there is such a diverse range of definitions available in relation to the nature of social work.

Social work is a profession that changes constantly because there is a great deal of continuous learning involved. Ideas and perspectives change all the time and although the implementation of the new degree will ensure that all social workers deliver a service to as high a standard as possible this is only achievable because of the change in standards put in place by the General Social Care Council.

Word Count – 1851