Social Work Values. Values and ethics have been of fundamental importance throughout the development of the social work profession.
“Values are central to being human: nothing we do is unconnected with values. If we want to understand, and be able to work with people, then we need to have an understanding of the complexities of values in people’s lives. Any attempt to understand people that does not consider the values dimension is doomed to failure as values are so central to everything we do, both as individuals and professional social workers.” Adapted from: Moss, B. & Thompson, N. (2008) Meaning and Values: developing empowering practice. Russell House Publishing The above statement is essentially saying that an individual’s set of values play an imperative part in every decision, action or behaviour in their everyday lives. A person’s value system can be made up of personal, ethical, cultural or political vales. Along with their own personal values, social workers must also adhere to a strict set of professional values outlined by the General Social Care Council’s (GSCC) codes of conduct. It can be difficult for a practitioner to find a balance between these often conflicting and opposing value systems. Values and ethics have been of fundamental importance throughout the development of the social work profession. Founded in 1869, the Charity Organisation Society is often identified as the roots of modern social work. (Smith, 2002) It was set up in response to the belief that
One of the K101 five principles of care practice is to support people in having a voice and being heard. Why is it important for a care worker to do this and how can they do so?
Part A One of the K101 five principles of care practice is to support people in having a voice and being heard. Why is it important for a care worker to do this and how can they do so? Supporting people in having a voice and being heard is necessary in care work as, if the service user's voice goes unheard, it can restrict their identity. For service users who have the capacity to make decisions and communicate them it is especially important, otherwise, it can lead to feelings of discrimination and powerlessness. By encouraging and supporting individuals to express their preferences enables them to gain a real understanding of who they are and how they wish to be known and, this plays a vital role in their day to day life. It is equally important when decisions need to be made regarding their care and support. In this essay I will discuss the importance of the role of the care worker in supporting individuals to have a voice and be heard using the life story work of Suzanne McGladdery (OU, block 2, unit 5, p.21 resources) to demonstrate how this can be achieved. I will illustrate this using the life story of one of her clients, Jordan Morgan (OU K101, unit 2, p.19), who needed support in helping return him to the family he had been separated from. He needed help to get information about people he had lived with and support to enable him to accept his past and move on to
Human Growth and Development
Social Science and professional Practice Human Growth and Development. In this assignment I will explore psychological theories and how they assist in social work to better understand and work positively with clients. In accordance with the GSCC codes of practice, (2.3) pseudonym names have been used to protect the identity of the family. Robert describes his upbringing being very happy and largely contributory to him developing into a well-adjusted responsible young man. Howe (1995) believes when viewing parent-child interactions, the quality of this relationship can assist in determining the 'level of social competence and developmental pathway through life. Robert reports he was raised feeling loved, secure and trusting of his mother throughout his childhood. As Robert is hoping to become a relative carer for his siblings Camilla and Daley, it is important to acknowledge the grief they may all experience from being separated from their mother. Separation and loss can be seen in the simplest form of '...young children who are separated from their prime caregiver' (Bowlby 1973, p56). Attachment is not the same as dependency and although the intensity of attachment between parent and child decreases with age, it is still significant throughout the life cycle particularly during times of distress and uncertainty and needs to be acknowledged and supported for Robert to
Working With Others
This was a final session of our Inquiry Based Learning group which was a review of our learning and a sharing of feedback on our scenario action plan. On evaluating how the previous four sessions had gone the subject of the interaction between group members was discussed in an open, honest and reflective way with many group members using this opportunity to express their own personal feelings, worries and anxieties that had arisen during the previous sessions. Angelina expressed a view that she felt uncomfortable in the group; Brad said that he didn't feel he was able to speak and be listened to so he kept quiet; Lulu, Carlos and Melissa all felt that we hadn't really got to know each other well enough yet; I felt that we were all so impatient, myself included to raise our points and opinions that we didn't allow others to finish speaking or time to acknowledge their points raised. Sophia said that she felt very unsure and felt people would judge her if she spoke and Kylie ,the chairperson, who was a confident assertive leader felt that we should all contribute more in discussions as she found it hard to reach a consensus without it being all her own point of view . Shakira, the scribe felt it was very difficult to write down the points as we were all talking at once and not agreeing on decisions to the best course of action to use with our scenario. I am very talkative by
'All political parties are prey to the iron law of oligarchy.' Discuss
'All political parties are prey to the iron law of oligarchy.' Discuss The 'iron law of oligarchy' was a phrase first used by the German sociologist Roberto Michels in his book Political Parties, published in 1916. From historic insight and studies of both the German SPD and the Italian Socialist parties, Michels concluded that all parties, whatever their initial intensions, would be controlled by a political elite or oligarchy, who separated themselves, by the control of the bureaucracy, from the masses of their own party ranks. The reasons for this tendency towards oligarchy were the natural necessity for society to have a ruling class, the self fuelling desire for party officials to gain and retain power, and the effectiveness that centralised parties had in a political environment. Since 1916 Michels' work has gained a huge amount of support, particularly as the pressures of parties to centralise power is becoming more important in an increasingly competitive political world, but it is not without its critics. Opponents claim that Michels and his followers paint too black and white a picture and while there does seem to be a strong tendency for oligarchy to form, it can not be said to be an 'iron rule', as there are a number of examples where political parties have not taken on such a form. Much of Michels 'iron rule' theory was influenced heavily by Karl Marx'
Explain the economic and political deficiencies of the C A P
Explain the economic and political deficiencies of the C A P To answer this question it is essential first to state the objectives of the Common Agricultural Policy, as stated in Article 39 of the Treaty of Rome. ) to increase agricultural productivity by promoting technical progress and by ensuring the rational development of agricultural production and the optimum utilisation of all factors of production in particular labour. 2) To ensure thereby a 'fair' standard of living for the agricultural community, in particular by increasing the individual earnings of persons engaged in agriculture. 3) to stabilize markets. 4) to provide certainty of supplies. 5) to ensure supplies to consumers at reasonable prices. The second part of the essay looks at why such a policy was deemed necessary, and also how far politics can account for the consistent failure of the Community to deal with its problems. But the first part concerns why in economic terms the policy is fundamentally flawed. The problems of the C.A.P. go deeper than economic theorising as to why the policy itself has created imbalances within the agricultural system. They are fundamental. `Economic logic dictates agriculture to be a major contributor to economic development. This is true especially in the primary stages, whereby it releases resources to other sectors. By increasing its own productivity the labour
theory and practice
Social Work and Empowerment Assignment 1 455 The purpose of this essay is to explore social work theory and practice. The essay is based on a scenario of a father (Mathew), who after many years of caring for his disabled son (David), and having suffered a stroke attack an year ago, finds he is struggling to care for himself or the son. In relation to working with the elderly, the essay will discuss the roles of a social worker, the practice of empowerment, possible ethical dilemmas and an anti-oppressive practice. The type of agency chosen for this essay is Learning Disability Partnership (LPD) in Cambridgeshire. LPD is an organisation, which includes multi-disciplinary teams of Social Care Services and Health professionals. LPD dedicates services which help learning disabled people lead normal lives and life in abundance. Fully aware of the strain and stress brought on by caring, LPD tries to provide services which help people with learning disabilities, and their carers, to cope with these pressures. The diversity of social work roles in this organisation includes advocacy, direct change agent and executive. These roles can be used singly, or as a combination of two roles. The role of advocacy is about people speaking up for themselves directly or indirectly (Beckett, 2006: 9). Despite having communication problems, and assumning a positive
Examine an area of oppression and discuss how this manifests itself in institutions and societies and how it impacts upon the lives of individuals and communities.
Examine an area of oppression and discuss how this manifests itself in institutions and societies and how it impacts upon the lives of individuals and communities. This essay will examine disability as an area of oppression in society. When answering this question it would be useful, first of all to put forward a definition for the term disability. The Disability Discrimination Act (1995) describes disability as 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day activities'. In Northern Ireland there are an estimated 201,000 Disabled Adults (Working with Diversity). Despite this high number, people with disabilities are treated as a separate homogenous group to the rest of society. I will examine how this oppression has manifested itself through institutions by drawing on the medical and the social model of disability. The medical model of disability is seen as being a discriminatory perspective that perceives disability as a personal tragedy. In contrast, Thompson (2006) regards the social model of disability as being an anti-discriminatory perspective that requires a change in how we view disability. Thompson (2006) refers to disablism as 'the systematic discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities which produces a milieu of oppression and degradation' (p.122). Lack of
Issues relating to adults with a physical disability. This assignment aims to explore physical disability, specifically focusing on issues relating to adults with spinal cord injury.
Introduction This assignment aims to explore physical disability, specifically focusing on issues relating to adults with spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury is any injury to the vertebrae causing damage to the nerve tracts resulting in variable degrees of paralysis. It is more prevalent amongst males aged between 15 and 30 years and is a major cause of serious disability (Royle and Walsh, 1992). I will divide the assignment into the following sections; - medical and social model approaches - core professional skills - empowerment and advocacy It is important to define impairment and disability from a social model perspective because this will be the meaning I will adopt for this assignment. According to the Physically Impaired Against Segregation (UPIAS) (1976); impairment means to lack all or a part of a limb or having a defective organ, limb or mechanism of the body. Disability is defined as the restriction of activity or disadvantage caused by physical and social barriers resulting in societal discrimination and oppression. In 2003, 6.9 million or nearly one in five people in the UK were registered disabled (Shaw, 2006). Worryingly, Nelson and Shardlow (2005) reported that disabled people are more likely to experience abuse then the rest of the population. These facts demonstrate the paramountcy of the social worker's role providing support, assistance and
Discuss Kohlberg's theory of Moral Development, use psychological evidence and refer to at least one other theory in your answer.
Discuss Kohlberg's theory of Moral Development, use psychological evidence and refer to at least one other theory in your answer Moral development in psychology is the study of how we form beliefs and acquire knowledge to determine what is wrong or right. It is also a study of how we apply these beliefs to our actions. Kohlberg is a prominent figure in moral development, his main focus in his investigation in to moral development was on our reasoning behind moral judgement rather than the judgments made. He believed that we develop moral reasoning during childhood and adolescence; it is not something we acquire in one big step. Like Piaget, Kohlberg chose to investigate the reasoning behind moral development, by using moral dilemmas. Kohlberg carried out a study with group of males, some of which he followed up 3 times over 20 years. He gave them a moral dilemma and questions designed by Heinz. Heinz's story stated that a man's wife was suffering from a rare illness, her only chance of survival was this one particular type of drug that the man could not afford and the chemist would not let him have it cheaper or let him pay for it in instalments. The questions were on whether the man should steal the drug for his wife, whether the man should steal it if it was for a stranger, is it against the law to steal it and does that make it morally wrong. From analysing the
