Anthropology and Social Work Jasmine Dearman
Dr. Faidra Papavasiliou
ANTH 1102
April 19, 2018
Anthropology and Social Work
Introduction
The purpose of this essay is to explore the relationship between the field of anthropology and that of social work. It discusses the roles and purpose of the social worker and offers an anthropological description of the profession. It also serves to argue that anthropology offers a critical perspective that can a pivotal tool for a social worker.
What Is Social Work?
To begin, you may be asking “What is social work anyway?” Most people’s minds conjure pictures of Child Protective Service workers or welfare workers that take Food Stamp applications. However, the role of a social worker can
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It is also their responsibility to advocate for social justice and social change by promoting the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals' needs and social problems (NASW). They tend to these obligations in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation, administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation (NASW). Social workers can have positions in hospitals, nursing homes, community mental health agencies, substance misuse clinics, state and local governments (including child welfare agencies and departments of health and human services), schools, youth-serving organizations, military bases, veteran’s affairs clinics, correctional facilities, private practices, etc. Despite the range of roles available in the field, the social work profession is tied together by its mission “to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” …show more content…
Social work can be considered a cultural artifact through the anthropological lens (Teicher). “Social work is a social institution which represents the community's organized effort to deal with some facets of human need”, often taking the form of social agencies that provide aid to people faced with some inability, usually due to environmental factors (Teicher). In these agencies, social workers serve four primary roles (Teicher). They can serve in case management, group management, community outreach, or social administration (Teicher).
The role of the case manager is to assist individuals with their problems (Teicher). Clients may seek to resolve personal matters through therapy or may require a case manager to ensure that their children remain in the home. Case managers often work with their clients over an extended period of time and meet with them regularly to check-in and set goals to promote self-efficacy for that individual. The case manager “operates as a community agent… that represents the community's desire to meet certain specific human needs”
Social workers level the playing field for individuals and families that have experienced hardships, terminal illnesses, mental health disorders and other adverse environmental situations that inhibit their ability to thrive within society. Social workers accomplish this by providing individuals and families the resources necessary to ensure that their needs are being met. Social workers serve an essential role to the functioning of our society, as they are committed and dedicated to increasing the quality of life for underprivileged community members. I fully intend on actively contributing to this endeavor, as I believe social workers have the responsibility to ensure that all community members have their needs met and the opportunity to
This includes helping those who are in need as well as to fulfill roles in society. The social work paradigm includes values such as service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationship, integrity and competence (NASW, 2008). The main mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and to help everyone to meet their needs by using all of the social work values. The central attention to social work is the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living. Therefore, as social workers we must help our clients overcome environmental forces by providing them with the resources that this country has to offer. Social workers have a duty to strive to end discrimination and other forms of injustices through “direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation” (NASW,
As a case manager we are “to coordinate needed services provided by any number of agencies, organizations, or facilities” (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 31). Not only did she advocate for health services for Brenna but she also working on her housing issue, helped her set up a monthly food budget, helped her find counseling, and helped her build a support network (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 32). By providing Brenna with all of these resources the case manager is building up her self-worth and showing her that even though she had some hard times she can survive and make better for herself and her
Social work as a profession strives to help the welfare of those within the community whether its persons or families through advocacy. Often times clients are those who may be vulnerable and disadvantaged. Social workers aim to help people fulfill basic needs in their everyday lives and assist them by providing beneficial resources and intervention counseling. They do more than just help them in their current situation, it’s about helping them to survive and set attainable goals to live a fuller and better life for themselves, and most time for their families.
"The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession's focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living" (NASW code of ethics).
This study is expected to provide social workers with information by examining what social workers do post-graduation to help them remain culturally competent. Social workers will be in a position where they can understand barriers/obstacles that make it difficult to engage in the professional development regarding this topic.
The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people. Particular attention is paid to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. Social work is a profession based on enhancing the capacity of people to participate in society and enhancing the capacity of society to include all people in it. Social workers address problems related to social, political, and economic
Social work practice has become a vital part of our society. They are found in almost every aspect of our community as well as our schools. Social workers are problem solvers that help people deal with daily issues that may become problems that affect them. As our society becomes more challenging, social workers help bridge the gaps for people who face extraordinary challenges in their lives. The social worker’s scope of practice may contain helping at risk or overwhelmed individuals find resources, develop new coping strategies, resolve problems and conflicts, and secure opportunities to improve their quality of life. (Flynn, 2013) Although the scope of practice is basically the same, there are various types of social workers with various levels of education. It doesn’t matter if you are a medical, clinical, school, military, psychiatric or community social worker, the goal is
When they are in need we must do everything in our power to make a change. Sometimes this involve advocating for them to see a change in social problems. The definition of a social worker states that they are trained person that carries out work with the aim of alleviating conditions of those in need (12). This often calls the need for social justice. After learning about social workers throughout history, I realize there’s multiple ways to help those in need (11). They’ve been able to implement social welfare for the public.
According to the NASW Code of Ethics (2008), the primary goal of social work is to, “…enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty” (NASW, 2008). Historically, the profession
The social work profession is defined as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people (ISFW, ‘Global Definition of Social Work’, 2016).” The definition may be true about the profession but it is more in depth than just that. To me, the profession’s primary focus is to help others through life as much as we can while letting them make their own choices and guiding them. In society, social workers are utilized in many different nonprofit and government roles. They serve the community in many different ways from monitoring parent visits to helping people through mental illnesses. Human beings are so complex and things that happen
The work of a social worker is complex and all encompassing. Social workers work in many capacities seeking justice, liberation, and equality. There work is global, as they work to put policies in place to govern practices. To keep up with societal shifts and generational changes there learning is continuous. As new questions rise so does the need for the continuation of research, not only to answer these questions but to implement into
families, and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social workers are change agents and because of that, they aim to help people develop their skills and abilities to use resources provided to them to strengthen and improve their lives and communities to resolve problems. One of the main goal of social workers is to improve the well-being and lives of the most vulnerable populations, fight against poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and the underserviced population by emphasizing on the person-in-environment and social justice model. The social work profession, considerers the individuals’ internal and external struggles, while working with the individuals to examine their relationships, family, work environment, community, and other things that might impact them and identify ways to help address problems and challenges.
Social work is a profession which promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and enhance well-being. It is important to acknowledge the history of social work and the purpose of social work and why it exists. Social work is a questioned theory with different perspectives on what it is and how it should be practised. Social work helps people to deal with personal and social problems so that people can overcome or adjust to any personal difficulties. Social work is a combination of social stability and social change. Social stability promotes individual and social welfare and social change seek to change negative aspects of society. Values are implicit within the law and policy and these tend to reflect the values within society. Personal values can influence the way social workers interpret and implement their profession.
Social problems, including delinquency, disability, unemployment, palliative care, social disadvantages, such as gender, poverty race sexual orientation and the range of collective social responses to these conditions. Social care workers strive to support, protect, guide and advocate on behalf of clients. Social Polices affect these clients in a number of ways. They determine the types of social services that exist, the way they are run, and the access of individuals and communities to services and benefits. The advocacy of social workers is important in influencing the policies of organizations, local authorities and services. (Hepworth and Larson,