Social care and community work – Part Two

1. Social care and community work – Part Two

2. Revision Answer the following questions related to the definition of social work: What does the social work profession promote? Which theories does social work utilise? Which principles are fundamental to social work?

3. Answers • Social change, problem solving in human relationships and empowerment of people to enhance well-being • Theories of human behaviour and social systems • Principles of human rights and social justice

4. Types of work Complete the following text: The work of social workers may include, i__________ practice, groupwork, c__________ work, social d__________, social a________, policy development, research, social work e________ and s___________ functions in these fields.

5. The work of social workers may include, interpersonal practice, groupwork, community work, social development, social action, policy development, research, social work education and supervisory functions in these fields.

6. Basic values Social work is committed to five basic values: Human d_________ and worth Social j_________ Service to h____________ I____________ C____________

7. Answers Human dignity and worth Social justice Service to humanity Integrity Competence

8. Main concerns • Social workers are concerned with • social problems • their causes • their solutions • their human impacts They work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

9. Tasks – group work Talk to your colleagues and make the following lists containing at least five items: Specializations available to social workers; Duties of social workers; The most important skills that social workers need

10. Specialization of social workers • Clinical social workers • Child welfare or family services social workers • Protective services • Mental health • Health care • School Criminal justice Occupational Gerontology Social work administrators Social work planners and policy-makers

11. Clinical social workers • Clinical social workers diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.

12. Duties of social workers Interview clients Provide counsel and therapy Plan programs of assistance for clients Investigate cases of child abuse or neglect Act as advocates for client groups Develop or advise on social policy legislation

13. Provide mediation services and psychosocial assessments Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling and social programs May provide public education and consultation May supervise other social workers Keeping accurate records and preparing reports

14. Skills and knowledge that are needed: • Listening carefully • Helping people with their personal problems • Taking responsibility for someone’s welfare • Ethical behavior • Keeping detailed and accurate records • Patience and persistence • Inspiring trust and confidence • Working with minimal supervision • Working well in a team • No emotional involvement • Communication skills • Handling pressure

15. Clients Over 50% of social workers work with young people and their families. They may also work with the following groups: • young offenders; • people with mental health problems; • school non-attenders; • drug and alcohol abusers; • people with learning and physical disabilities; • the homeless • the elderly.

16. Homework • Write a short essay describing why you want to become a social worker (300 words)! • a test: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mJ6L7312Uk

17. Statistics Employment of social workers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations. Employment growth will be driven by increased demand for healthcare and social services, but will vary by specialty (Source: US Department of Labor) 15% of social workers abandon the profession within the first year of work

18. Shortage of social workers • There are over 100,000 registered social workers in the UK; however, there is still a shortage of them • How about the situation in Croatia?

19. Conclusion Despite the many frustrations of this job, most social workers find their jobs profoundly rewarding Helping struggling clients improve their lives to become happy and productive members of society can provide a sense of satisfaction and connection that few other jobs offer

20. Role of professionals providing social support services in Europe Read the text and answer the following questions: What has British social work become focused on in practice? Why is the title ‘social worker’ being increasingly replaced by other titles? Which title would you suggest and why? What is the role of social pedagogues in the community?

21. Social work job titles • http://jobsearch.about.com/od/job-title-samples/a/social-work-job-titles.htm

22. Vocabulary • Statutory – propisan zakonom • Funding – financiranje • Spasmodic – neredovito, nejednolično • Intermediary – posredan • Charge – štićenik • Allfacetsofcommunitylife – svi aspekti života u zajednici Translate the text!

23. Discuss the following: • An intermediary and well-organized profession has developed which takes up much of the slack between statutory, protective social work and more radical community work. • What is statutory social work?

24. Statutory social work • Social work that involves situations where an individual is part of a court or administrative process (placement in care by the court, young offenders, victims of crime, adoption, custody of children, etc.)

25. The Social Work Profession • The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well­being 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 well­being in a social context and the well­being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living. • Read the text and answer the following questions: • What is the primary mission of the social work profession? • What is the profession focused on? • What is fundamental to social work?

26. Translate the following sentence: • A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual wellbeing in a social context and the wellbeing of society.

27. Discuss the meaning of the underlined words or phrases: • Social workers act as guides and advocates. • They sometimes need to use their professional judgment to maketough decisionsthat might not always be well received by all service users. • They can also be employed in early intervention roles that aim to prevent the escalation of problems in society to where statutory services are required. • Empathy is essential, as is the ability to think on your feet and make difficult decisions under pressure.

28. Thank you!