Day 3: Carers’ expectations of social workers
One of the key things that I learned from the meeting with carers and my own experience within my family was the emotional rollercoaster of the 24hour commitment involved. One of the case studies we looked at during the module highlighted how the focus of support is mainly directed at the service user and the needs of the carer are often overlooked. One point that stood out from one of the lectures was how personality has some influence on what care is appropriate for that person. The example given was a service user whose mental health problems sometimes conflicted with the delivery of care for his physical health problems adding extra stress for the partner and carer. As a family carer myself I identified with how good sign posting from the social worker can assist with the frustrating process of trying to gather knowledge of how and where help can be accessed. I also identified with other carers experiences of the need for the professionals involved with our family member’s care to respect our family member’s individuals needs e.g. her religion and her food preferences to maintain dignity. Maintaining good interprofessional relationships was highlighted, to maintain cohesion and continuity of care and to be prepared to advocate on behalf of the carer and service user. (217)
Day 4: Cultural competence
Cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and economic differences impact on how individuals and groups access and use health, education, and social services. They can also present barriers to working in partnership in health care interventions particularly when practitioners stereotype, misinterpret, make faulty assumptions, or mishandle with insensitivity their encounters with individuals and groups viewed as different in terms of their backgrounds and experiences. Adopting an anti-oppressive approach by admitting and reflecting on personal biases, stereotypes, and prejudices is the starting point of developing cultural competence, the next stage is to be sensitive to cultural norms, attitudes, and beliefs; in fact valuing the diversity of cultural difference. Other important ways in which you may become more culturally competent and avoid potential pitfalls would be in learning verbal and nonverbal cues of other cultures, becoming more comfortable in cross-cultural situations by assessing what works and what does not. By assessing how the beliefs and behaviours of the cultural group affect the service user, their interaction with services offered, learning to negotiate between the person's beliefs and practices and the culture of your profession, cultural competence can be achieved. I am valuing the opportunities this course is affording me in developing my cultural awareness by learning from and with people from a variety of different cultural and social backgrounds. (214)
Day 5: Social workers’ use of power and authority
My concerns about using professional authority are about finding myself in situations that require careful judgement due to the consequences for both service user and myself because of my own actions or non-actions. I can ensure that I acquire up-to-date knowledge of the values and principles of the British Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics for Social Work and work by them at all times. Other sources of help in verifying that I was not using the powers and authority invested in me appropriately would be talking to line managers, referring to the General Social Care Council codes of practice and referring to the National Occupational Standards for Social Work. Other ways of seeking assistance would be to discuss dilemmas and reflect upon similar case studies weighing up the consequences of certain courses of action. Seeking help from other professionals and agencies may give a fresh perspective, however, it is a case of balancing personal and professional judgement in the context of codes and guidelines of the profession and treading the thin line between safe holding and violation. (178)
PART 2
The personal impact of the learning that took place on the topic of cultural competence was that it gave me greater understanding of how everybody differed in their own individual perceptions of their culture, background and religion. This realisation has increased my self-awareness of my own cultural identity and how that has shaped my own values and opinions.
I am aware that in society we often group people according to their cultural background, based on appearance or religion, when what really matters is the influence of culture on the individual. This I felt was clearly demonstrated when, on the module, one visiting lecturer came across as very dominant towards our group, and asserted his authority several times during the teaching sessions. During the lectures on cultural awareness the same lecturer explained his cultural background and revealed that in Africa, where he was brought up, all male older adults would be highly revered and respected as the wiser elders of the community. Once I knew this it helped in my understanding of how the influence of his culture had shaped his attitudes. As Boyd Franklin (1989) illustrates, individual family members will pick and choose which family values, traditions, behaviours, and culture they want to maintain and which they will discard or replace. The task for the social worker is to understand which pieces of the culture the family has maintained and which pieces are stereotypically insensitive to the family. Only then is the worker considered to be culturally sensitive and practicing from a culturally specific perspective. (Cited in Wodarski & Thyer 1998:256).
This has influenced me in the way in which I see myself as a professional social worker by highlighting the responsibility of obtaining relevant information in the assessment stage. As a social worker this initial assessment can only be done competently and effectively by practicing in an anti-discriminatory way; and by acknowledging that we can only understand other people by respecting and gaining awareness of how they understand themselves (Davies 2002:306). I see this can only be achieved via a person centred approach, focusing on the needs of the individual, which would avoid assumptions being made towards a monolithic culture for ethnic minorities. Davies (2002) explains this further when he suggests that a preoccupation with skin tone, ethnicity or culture may result in a misinterpretation of the needs of the client and the provision of inappropriate services to them. Conversely, social workers whose methods ignore or minimizing cultural issues may result in erroneous conclusion (Schinke, S.P & Cole, K 1998:369)
This experience enabled me to see how cultural assumptions and ignorance influence perception and become a barrier towards working in partnership with a carer or service user. These barriers need to be overcome in order to preserve the principles of partnership. This relates to my professional values and principles, which are embodied in a way that fulfils the legal and policy requirements of the service users, and carers as outlined in the National Occupational Standards for Social Work and the General Social Care Council. Included in their policies are a set of values and ethics produced following the detailed consultations that took place with those who use services, their carers and their organisations. For example, as a social worker we are ethically required to listen actively to what users and carers have to say, talk to those requiring and using services, and their carers, with due respect for their age, ethnicity, culture, understanding and needs and challenge discriminatory images and practices affecting users. The policies also state it is good practice to involve users and carers in decision making, offer users and carers choices and options, build honest relationships based on clear communication and assess needs properly: An example of this is considering the needs of the carer and their legal right to an assessment of need under the Carers Equal Opportunity Act 2004.
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The reason that codes of ethics and standards of practice are required is that the social worker/user relationship is a fiduciary one based on trust. Social Work can be regarded as a ‘human services’ profession along with medicine and the law. The social worker has special knowledge and expertise and must be trusted by the user to act in his/her best interests. The relationship between social worker and user is an unequal one, in that the social worker is more powerful. Social work, therefore, along with law, medicine, nursing, counselling, and other similar professions has a code of ethics that is designed among other things to protect the user from exploitation or misconduct (Banks, S 1995). The British Association of Social Workers is one of the largest professional organisations allied to social work practice in the United Kingdom. Part of the role of BASW is to ensure that its members ‘discharge their ethical obligations and are afforded the professional rights which are necessary for the safeguarding and promotion of the rights of service users’(). The BASW code of ethics says, “ Social work practice should both promote respect for human dignity and pursue social justice, through service to humanity, integrity and competence”. It is our ability to practice in a way that is grounded in this strong, ethical value based framework, which will be crucial to our development as a good social worker.
References
Adams, R, Domenelli, L & Payne, M, (1998) SOCIAL WORK THEMES ISSUES AND CRITICAL DEBATES, London, Macmillan Press Ltd
Banks, S (1995) ETHICS AND VALUES IN SOCIAL WORK, London, Macmillan Press Ltd.
Bolton, J (2003) BASW, CODE OF ETHICS FOR SOCIAL WORK, < > (accessed 30th November 2006)
Davies, M (2002) The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. Cornwall, Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Wodarski, J S & Thyer, B A (Schinke, S.P & Cole, K) (1998) HANDBOOK OF EMPIRICAL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE, VOL 2, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons.
