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Generalist social work practice informs professional identity and behaviors by realizing that social work promotes social change to an exposed environment, such as helping individuals, and groups. Social workers view behaviors in a social environment and use research to identify the client’s basic needs such as food, water, and shelter. Generalist social work practice provides the resources that may improve so the client’s wellbeing. This practice of social work can plan accordingly through problem-solving as well as being able to recognize the certain levels of diversity in family, background, environment, neighborhood, friends, social media, and religion. Social workers can provide a variety of services to their client’s necessities.
It is of paramount consideration that social workers are conscious of, aware and sensitive to the cultural demands of their clientele. This is because culture is a pivotal factor upon which a great deal of conduct, norms, social connections and mindsets of clients revolve. For social workers there is need to understand and appreciate how cultural traditions influence relationships with a diverse panorama of client needs and demands. This literature review seeks to create a foundation regarding the facts stated above through filtering and analysis of relevant and interesting research studies and works by previous authors. This review of literature focuses on how social workers develop or maintain cultural competence following graduation from Masters of Social Work Program. It aimed at providing answers for further research regarding how social workers maintain cultural competence post graduation. In addition, this literature review seeks to consider that social workers are not enhancing their cultural awareness post graduation as mandated by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics.
Identify and explain the three major sources of conflict and misinterpretations in social work practice: culture-bound values, class bound values, and language variables.
Based on the understanding of the student’s definition of generalist practice to her the establishment of generalist practice is based on best practice evidence based knowledge, social frameworks and ecological points of view in advancing increased empowerment and self-assurance for multi-level client systems. Generalist practice acquaints social workers with essential ideas in social work, which incorporate advancing human prosperity and applying precaution and intervention strategies to social issues for individual, group, and communities while adhering to ethical principles and critical thinking.
This class, Social Work Theory & Practice was made to be able to introduce me to social work theories, ideas, and skills needed to work in the social work profession. This class main tool used was a book called A Brief Introduction of Social Work Theory by David Howe which discusses social work theories in a compressive and explainable way. This class is important to my higher learning because it break down the theories that I will need to use during my practice and a...
Social workers should be able to define and describe main social work paradigms, philosophical and ideological approaches and appreciate their implications to practice, policy and research. Social workers should be also able to identify interrelations between social work paradigms, social policy and social
Assessment is a basic skill of generalist social workers. As my current place of employment does not employ any defined assessment, I will utilize information from a generalist text and a sample assessment. The parameters of a generalist assessment are often defined by the specific practise agency (Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, & Dewees, 2011). The assessment is utilized to identify relevant information such as demographics and the major areas for work such as the client’s goals (Birkenmaier et al., 2011). Many theories such as psychoanalytic or strengths perspective can influence a generalist assessment based on the assessing social worker’s theoretical preference (Birkenmaier et al., 2011). The sample generalist assessment used focuses on the client’s: living skills; health and disability; educationemployment; legal issues; housing; significant relationships; understanding of the issue; demographics; and crisis management (National Council of Social Service, 2006). The social worker has the opportunity to delve further into those areas if deemed necessary by their agency (National Council of Social Service, 2006).
Miley, K, O'Melia, M, DuBois, B 2013, Generalist social work practice: an empowering approach, 7th edn, Pearson, USA.
Social work practice requires many skills, which need much practice themselves. This needs social work students to be open to trying within safe environments and scenario’s for mistake, such as with their peers and with emotional safe scenarios such as stress at University. This begins with a requirement to do 5 minutes of interviewing with a peer which includes many social work skills such as active listening, encouraging, paraphrasing, being/creating a welcoming and safe environment and other such basic and beginning skills.
Social work is a multifaceted, ever adapting profession, which has had many purposes and identities through the years. It is imperative for the vocation to constantly evolve alongside the social climate and the new ways in which we identify and treat those who are in need of support. Social workers can be required to take on the role of counsellor, advocate, case-worker, partner, assessor of risk and need, and at times (as the government seeks to push social work further and further towards the health and education sectors) a servant of the state. The profession is dramatically subject to affection by societal change, thus demanding social workers have a duty to be up to date with the latest developments in understanding how and why people get to the point of requiring social work intervention, and how best to prevent and cater for it.
Social work is defined as “the assessment, remediation and prevention of social problems, and the enhancement of social functioning of individuals, families, and communities” (Hick, 2006, p. 13). This can be accomplished through counselling services between a client and social worker, helping create and support service programs, along with developing social policies (Hick, 2006). Although this may help someone understand the duties of a social worker it does not investigate why people become social workers. To discover why someone chooses this profession, a personal reflection is necessary, along with an understanding of the attributes that may help or hinder one’s ability to be a good social worker.
The generalist model in the social work profession was drawn from a social system’s theory in the late 1960 's due to the complexities of problems and challenges faced by human beings. It was needed to assist social workers in assessing and interviewing clients. Rather than make the client fit the model, the generalist model seeks to find the approach that best fits the client, as well as emphasizing respect for client self-determination and the use of client strengths with empowerment as an expected client system outcome. A generalist practice model is used in all areas of social work field in ethical and effective helping based on the eco-systems perspective using problem-solving strategies and practice skills requiring a strengths perspective
Similar to the last approach, generalist practice approach believe that all social workers should have a bases in all practices of social work. Influences by social systems theory, this approach believes that every social worker should be flexible and versatile because client’s problems are complex and affects the client in more way than one (Sheafor et al., 2012, p. 43). Also had two fundamental compounds that all social workers, according to this approach, should have the knowledge in all practices to help their clients efficiently and rather than pulling clients into methods, make the method about the client. Secondly, understand the person-environment relationship and be able to intervene in more than one system (Sheafor et al., 2012, p. 44).
The primary goal of social work is to increase overall human well-being, however; whether this is done through individual treatment or social reform is up for debate (Haynes, 1998). Some advocates of the profession believe that it should take on a generalist approach that is multidimensional (Abramovitz, 1998). By using this framework, social workers are able to work on social issues and treat the individual.
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
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.