As an adolescent growing up in Jamaica I was intrigued by the justice and political system. I would question why many law breakers would be roaming free and so many homeless people were on the streets. I probed the purpose of policies and the justice system after witnessing child abuse, and watching my peers suffer from enduring molestation from family members. On numerous days I obtrusively observed my surroundings just to satisfy my curiosity on how some very impoverished individuals and others with mental health issues survived and solved their everyday life happenings. After emigrating to America in my later adolescence, I was astounded by the increased level of poverty that existed. I also realized that the social policies are not always in the best interest of the more vulnerable populations. As such, when it was time to attend college, I decided to study Social work as a means of gaining knowledge and experience to better understand how policies affect social justice, and impact the lives of minorities and individuals on the lower socio-economic scale. I also wanted to gain the opportunity of being a part of encouraging and creating changes to aid in improving the well-being of the less fortunate …show more content…
Another aspect of interest is to create a better intervention other than an Order of Protection for women who are victims of domestic violence. As such, pursuing graduate studies in Social work is integral in accomplishing this goal. Thus, I strongly believe that my career goals are a compatible match for what the prestigious Masters of Social work program at Simmons School of Social
The basis of this assignment was to create a further and more in depth understanding of my chosen field, social work. Social workers aid and support individuals, groups, and communities through difficult times and ensure that vulnerable people are safeguarded from harm. Without them our nation would not have the proper support to establish order and relations in society. I explored the numerous types of social working jobs, ranging from Child, Family, and School social workers, Mental Health and Substance Abuse social workers, to social workers in Administration, Policy, and Research. I provided all of the educational requirements necessary to become a social worker, along with the benefits of acquiring a higher degree. In addition, I included the average salary of an entry level social worker and the average salary for a social worker with a Master’s degree or other professional licensure. I provided all essential information one would need to know before entering the field of social work. For example, what the job requires beyond what you can learn in a classroom. Patience, understanding and empathy are a few of the many imperative personality traits a social work must possess. Along with the facts and statistics I incorporated into my paper, I also included a personal section explaining why I chose to enter this field.
Popple, P. R, & L. Leighninger. (2011). Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Popple , P. R., & Leighninger, L. (2011). Social work, social welfare, and american society. (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
I knew I loved to help others but it was not until I was an emerging adult that I knew what my calling was. My devotion to improve the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged is one of the reasons I have chosen to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. After obtaining my masters, I plan on diversifying my masters by getting licensed and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I would like to study social work because I feel it will lead me directly to one of the most emotionally fulfilling careers available, as well as giving me the chance to combine helping people 's mental well being with their physical
Policies can be quite useful when it comes to providing assistance to others. The social work profession is dedicated towards enabling all types of individuals, groups, and communities to function, contribute and progress in society (The West Scotland Consortium, 2000). In particular, Obama’s Race to the Top initiative helps social workers assist students in achieving their higher education goals. This includes making the act of attending college a more achievable dream for those who are interested in doing so; with this policy’s focus on higher ed...
I come to Fordham University with expectations of completing my Masters of Art degree in Social Service. As a single parent, I have faced many challenges raising my special needs child. My innovation to help disadvantaged children with social and emotional problems encompassed me to continue to pursue a career in the Social Service Profession. This will increase my chances of being a successful Child Therapist. I am aware, prepared and committed to devoting my time towards my studies at Fordham University as well as taking advantage of all the necessary resources that Fordham University has to offer. My personal, academic and profession experience has given me the opportunity
People are often faced with many challenges that force them into poverty, which often is out of their control. A person that lives in poverty has the ability to take hold of their lives and go on to become productive is inspiring to me as a student of the social work cohort. Striving to become a social worker and reading this book allowed me the insight of the different people that I will encounter on a daily basis. As a social worker I will come intact with a variety of people that live in poverty, as well as some that do not. The people that I will encounter will be recovering addicts, people that are faced with unemployment that are struggling with paying bills or providing food for their families. Another thing that stays with me is the few that can live just above the poverty line, as well as the many that live in poverty daily. Advocating, counseling, or educating is one area of social work that I will have to provide for clients. In thinking about this, there are many services that can help individuals and family. These services only aid the persons and will not take them out of the condition known as poverty. Families fall in and out of poverty easily during their life time. With that being said, there are families that receive a much needed hands up, which allows them to fall out of poverty. But the fear of poverty looms constancy at their doors. One of the most important things that a person that lives in poverty can do is to strive for a better education. With a higher education there are more opportunities for advancement within the work force. The advancements that are rewarded with a higher degree of education will enable poverty stricken families to a better way of living. Which will provide a higher income, medical insurance for health problems, better education, and better housing opportunities. This is another area that my studies will enhance my ability when working as a social worker.
My current job as a Behavioral Intervention Specialist for Bakersfield City School District has motivated me to pursue my masters in social work. Working with troubled students on a daily basis has allowed me to see the great need for social workers at schools. Many students are not successful in school due to their emotional and social issues in their daily lives. I want to be a professional social worker so I can better understand behavior, trauma, and learn of more ways to assist the students at my school. I truly feel The Master of Social Work (MSW) program will prepare me to help create that change in the schools that is desperately needed.
My career goals after completing a Master’s of Social Work degree is working with victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. I want to advocate and empower survivors that have gone through these types of traumatic assaults. I also want to raise awareness within communities and help break the cycle of abuse that continues
The MSW degree along with my bachelors in psychology gives me a great opportunity to build my career as a social worker who will strive to act as a leader and empower others to help those in need. When I have gained efficient experience and expertise in my role as a social worker, I want to educate others on child welfare and family violence. Sharing knowledge and educating is a boundless way to make an impact and promote resilience within the
Social Justice is about making society function better – providing the support and tools to help turn lives around. This is a challenging new approach to dealing with poverty in all its forms. It is not about income poverty alone.(SJS) Throughout this essay I will explore why Poverty is a primary issue when striving for Social Justice and how, we as professionals, can attempt to overcome this by working together to achieve a fairer more just society. Social Work, Primary Education and Community Learning and Development are working together collaboratively to achieve Social Justice. I will discuss the changes that have taken place in our professions and the guidelines and regulations that we must adhere to. In addition to this I will examine the positive and negative outcomes of my group experience working together with CLD, Social Work and Education Students. I will also address the historical perspective in addition to the philosophical perspectives.
Social workers challenge social injustice. Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. The meaning of this value is to ensure that individuals going into the social work profession pursue change, most importantly with, on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals, and with groups of people. Additionally, this social work value forces social workers to constantly affect social change primarily focused upon issues of poverty, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice by creating activities that seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic
Social justice is a core value in the social work field. We define social justice as, “all citizens would possess equal fundamental rights, protection, opportunities, obligations and social benefits (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015, p. 29). Unfortunately, we understand there are many members in today’s society that are not receiving social justice. Some may not want help and believe that s/he is able to do it on their own and then there are the individuals that we may not know about that could really use our help. Our jobs as social workers is to help those who need help no matter if they are rich, poor, disabled, white, Hispanic, it does not matter because everyone should be treated equally. As NASW states, “The original mission of social work had much to do with championing the rights of society’s most vulnerable members, from children to homeless people to the physically disabled” (NASW: National Association of Social Workers, 2015, para. 1).
As a student who began her college career without specific objectives, I never thought I would be writing a personal statement for an application to receive a Master’s Degree in the social work profession. However, I feel now that there is no other future for me than that of offering my education and personal commitment to vulnerable individuals in order to stabilize their lives. After careful consideration of all areas of social work, I have found that my main area of interest is in providing resources and encouragement for individuals with disabilities to gain the freedom to live independent lifestyles without discrimination. My personal goal in this profession is to make every possible effort in assisting these individuals with finding the means to satisfy their needs.
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