Comment

Comment by Mags Lewis on May 18, 2012 at 2:14pm

Hi guys, I work for a local authority social work department and am assessing 9 social work students. Despite the fact times are a changing with the integration of Health and Social care, I am suitably impressed at the level of passion and commitment these students demonstrate on a daily basis. Chicken soup for the soul!
Mags

Comment by Deona Hooper, Founder on May 5, 2012 at 6:02pm

I am inspired by the work the international federation is doing. However, membership groups prevent all workers from participating when many helping professionals and students are experiencing financial difficulties. Other social media gives us the ability to connect, but it also prevents broad organization because you are limited by who you know and your network. I am working towards connecting with those who have organized to expand their reach by considering other tools. It's a challenge, but it is possible.

Comment by Jeannet Weurman on May 5, 2012 at 5:51pm

Thanks, Angels.Choice, for your very detailed and heart felt reply. It sounds like these developments are happening more widely than just in the UK. I had hoped things might still be better elsewhere ...

I think Deona is right in implying our role in upholding core social work values (empowerment, anti-discriminatory practice, etc) may lead us into forms of social action. We could see ourselves almost moving into the field of (non-party) politics in the sense of attempting to shape or steer society into being more socially inclusive, and ensuring equal rights, choice and opportunities for all.

I have no doubt that collectively we are better able to fight for those who are disempowered in society, but I am less sure about how we would achieve collective action. Whether that would be by having the debates and mutually supporting one another on such forums as this, thereby lessening our sense of standing alone, or by creating some kind of formal organisation, with all the difficulties that can bring. Maybe both are valuable, but maybe different approaches will suit different individuals.

Comment by Angel Ofire on May 5, 2012 at 5:46pm

Well said Deona, I could not agree more with you, one voice will be a noise many voices united will be heard, will make a difference, a difference that we need to enable our voice's are heard in the political rat race, the cliche is 'united we stand'...........'united we will make a difference' ......majority rules......time to be heard!! time to make a difference that is noticed not wait for the difference to be told to us first and then react towards it.......

Comment by Deona Hooper, Founder on May 5, 2012 at 5:09pm

One of the reasons I created this network is to begin discussions. However, the most important benefit will be the ability to organize. Most of the issues we face begins with the lack of representation in the political process. Often as a female dominated profession, we have a wait and see approach. We wait to see what the decisions are then we implement them. I challenge all of you, be the change you want. One voice will get loss in the noise. Many voices together will get attention. Be the change.

Comment by Angel Ofire on May 5, 2012 at 5:01pm

Jennant, similar to what is happening for you in the UK is happening here in Australia.

We are seeing the use of non-professional people entering the field of social work and or physiology, with governments providing us with a package to follow the outline and structure of,

Providing the government with data and research notes, whilst meanwhile we are not able to work with individual’s families and couples who require assistance in areas such mental health or relationship issues.

We are finding that more non-professionals or practioners with no specified skills within the area of social work  who have very little to no understanding of the requirements in relation to providing care to families, individuals and couples treating all cases as a number, using the one size fits all structure.

Currently we are finding that ‘care management’ is decreasing, and the outside agencies are becoming more frequent expecting people to pay who are often on low incomes and simply cannot afford to pay for a service that is required to enable them to reach a point where they are able to function within the ‘norm’ of society.

Families are being screened, assessed by an outside organisation and having their files or cases simply shut as fast as they come into these organisations, to reach the outlined statistics or numbers quota per budget that they have outlined to our government agencies and we are finding that social workers skills are not being utilised in the manner they were outlined to be used.

In Australia we currently have a ratio of 1 in 5 people suffering from mental disorders and or mental health issues, which has increased over the past 12 months due to the natural disasters we have experienced, on a daily basis for example I am finding that I will receive 3 times the amount of calls from individuals who are in desperate need of professional assistance with anxiety issues, including substance abuse etc.

However the beaurocratics of the system has become almost unbelievable as we continue to be forced into conforming with the assessment guidelines outlined by the projected modules which the universities have designed in relation to how and what role social workers have within the community.

Therefore we may make initial contact with the individual, having to conduct the process of an intake interview and then referring that person onto a network that is formed and governed by the profit forming organisations that are increasing rapidly.

With regard to adult safe guarding this is also increasing as we are finding that similar to the child protection outline this current trend of adult guardianship is also on the rise with a rapid rate of people taking over their parents or siblings including partners under the adult guardian laws within Australia.

This leading to an entire set of new or ongoing issues, such as people being forced to live in domestic violent relationships, due to guardianship status, and we are discovering a large number of care providers who take on the role of adult guardians are taking advantage of their position, by not allowing the person they care for to have access to their own money, medication or medical assistance, hence forming a larger and more complex circle of domestic and family violence.

It is sad to say the least when governing bodies use the system and employ outside organisations to perform in a job role that overall the person employed has very little to no knowledge and or understanding of the importance and value social workers provide within the overall communities.

Treating individuals like numbers, as cases become assessment items under a schedule outlined by beaurocrates to cut costs on one hand and make money on the other, a bit like robbing peter to pay Paul, overlooking the larger picture.

Comment by Deona Hooper, Founder on May 5, 2012 at 3:38pm

Faezeh, I think you should invite your students and let them begin exploring the answer to that question. I think we need to empower them to talk to other students who may have the ability help them draw the best inferences. I personally feel internships are necessary for individuals not currently working in the field. However, I also believe that internship imposed on working practitioners seeking higher education in their current practice area is oppressive and cumbersome. Let me hear you guys thoughts.

Comment by faezeh elahi on May 5, 2012 at 1:48pm

I teach social work students in a center of education that related to social welfare org of Tehran that belong to  sciences & apllied university. The students should learn about principles and values and also go to internship ...........

The students of this center will be a social worker with a certification that is not bachelor's but its a degree lower of it.Internship is a course of  the education of program.

I have question about it " should these students take internship as a course or not?"  

Comment by Jeannet Weurman on May 5, 2012 at 4:57am

Dear All,

I am also interested in this initiative. I am an adult social worker in the UK. Within the UK Social Work seems like quite a fragmented profession, which is struggling to maintain it's own, specific role / identity and professional status. There are a lot of financial 'cuts' to services here, so that managers have to do more with less. This (it seems to me) results in a pressure (other than in some specialist areas) to get unqualified workers, or sometimes workers with other professionals backgrounds, to do the work previously done by trained social workers. There are also pressures resulting in our work becoming increasingly bureaucratic and risk averse - 'care management' of 'packages of care' (support services) which are bought in by outside agencies, run for a profit. As social workers we now rarely get to do ongoing support or therapeutic work with our own clients and their families / social environment. It's screening, assessment, commissioning a care package / autorising a particular measure for the service user, review and close the case ... preferably in as short a time as possible. This can have quite a de-skilling effect on the social worker, who doesn't get to use the many theoretical models and skills taught in the original social work training. One area of exception to this, which is possibly still a growth area, is that of Adult Safeguarding (Protection), which is developing in line with the already very developed area of Child Protection in the UK. I would be interested to hear whether this is the experience of social workers in other countries ...

With best wishes to you all, Jeannet  :-)  

Comment by Deona Hooper, Founder on May 4, 2012 at 8:01pm

Wow, I really thank you guys for wanting to connect outside of our own small circles to embrace each other. I am honored to meet all and chat with all of you. Thank you for wanting to connect with me and each other.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page