The Foundation for Generalist Practice in Social Work

1. The Foundation for Generalist Practice in Social Work Chapter 1

2. The Foundation for Generalist Practice in Social Work LEARNING OBJECTIVES • Understand the meaning of holism • Understand the basic elements constituting the foundation of the profession • Begin to understand the seven essential elements of generalist social work practice • Perceive the foundation values and ethics, knowledge, and skills of social work practice from the person-in-environment perspective • Begin to understand the process of the General Method

4. As a Social Worker Practice is a function of Your…

5. HOLISM Social Work is based on a holistic conceptual framework that takes into account the many interrelationships among different components of the discipline In this holistic framework the focus is on: • Total person • Interdependence of body, spirit, mind, and feelings • The person in their environment • Person’s transactional processes • The environmental context forces • Person’s bio-psycho-social functioning

6. The Biopsychosocial ModelUnderlying theoretical framework for Social Work Biological Factors Psychological Factors Social Factors Human Needs/Emotion/ Behavior

7. Needs • In social work we are concerned with meeting the NEEDS of individuals within the context of their biological, psychological and social environments

8. Higher Order Needs Basic Needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Basic Needs Must be Satisfied before Higher Order Needs

9. Class Activity • The following 2 scenarios illustrate situations where particular needs in the hierarchy are motivating people’s behavior • Identify in each which need: • is taking precedence • is being satifsfied

10. An uneducated, very unhappy mother and wife stays married to her abusive husband because she was an orphan Which need is taking PRECEDENCE(the current focus of attention)? Which need is being SACRIFICED?

11. Motivating Need Love and belonging. She loves her children and doesn’t want to split their family nor take them from home, shaking up their sense of security. Sacrificed Need Physiological. She will no doubt continue to be abused. Woman in Abusive Marriage

12. A man recently diagnosed with diabetes is making several dietary changes and is short-tempered and irritable with his family What need is taking PRECEDENCE (the current focus of attention)? What need is being SACRIFICED?

13. Precedence Need Physiological The man is hungry Sacrificed Need Love and belonging He’s so miserable he can’t get his mind off of his physical need for food and is taking it out on others Diabetic Man on a Diet

14. Needs • Being a student and aspiring social worker entails meeting both your needs as a student and the needs of those you will be serving both now and in the future as social workers

15. Meeting Needs • In terms of students needs being met • Student self-actualization reflects the achievement of individual student goals , in the School of Social Work environment (i.e. Social Work Education). • In terms of the needs of those you serve • Work to identify and see that the needs of your clients are being met.

16. Meeting Needs: Person-Person Work! • Working together requires 4 essential dimensions of the generalist practice • Holistic and transferable professional knowledge, value and skill base • Multi-dimensional framework • Versatile Assessment • Intervention Roles and Strategies

17. From where did these dimensions arise? Let’s take a look back at the historical development of social work

18. Social work grew out of humanitarian and democratic ideals, and its values are based on respect for the equality, worth, and dignity of all people... • Human rights and social justiceserve as the motivation and justification for social work action. • In solidarity with those who are disadvantaged, the profession strives to alleviate poverty and to liberate vulnerable and oppressed people in order to promote social inclusion…

19. Growth (pop & econ), social stratification, business cycle 1600’s poor laws-family responsibility in rural America Settlement Houses Broader social reform Charity Organizations Micropractice- origins of social casework Foundations of Social Work Context for natural development

20. Basic Foundation Elements of the Social Work Profession • Purpose • Sanctions • Values and Ethics • Knowledge • Methods • Skills

21. 1. PURPOSE • Enhance the social functioning of individuals, families, and groups • Modify environmental conditions • Work to improve environmental conditions • Enable individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities to function more effectively

23. Broker of Services Case Manager Counselor Consultant Administrator Team Member Enabler Advocate

24. Levels of Purpose Individual Caseworker Therapist Micropractice specialist Structural Comm. OrganizerPlanner Policy advocate Macropractice specialist Generalist Practice

25. 2. SANCTIONS • Social Work is a SOCIETALLY SANCTIONED Profession • It receives its sanctions from public and private and voluntary auspices • Perform designated tasks and activities in carrying out the profession’s purpose: • Create social program and social work role positions in multidisciplinary programs • Allocate funding for social work programs, role positions, and practice activities • Legally incorporate and license agencies, organizations, and institutions • Regulate or license individual social work professionals

26. List 3 things you value most List 3 things the social work profession values Class Activity • Ask Yourself Are they the same?

27. Values: Definition • Preferred ways of thinking about persons and society • Preferred instrumentalities for dealing with people • Preferred goals and outcomes

28. 3. Core Professional Values and Ethics • Service • Help people in need; address social problems • Social Justice • Challenge injustice • Dignity and Worth of the Person • Respect dignity and worth of the person • Importance of Human Relationships • Recognize central importance of human relationships • Integrity • Behave in trustworthy manner • Competence • Practice within their areas of competence and advance professional expertise

29. Professional Values are at the heart of social work practice

30. Examples of Social Work Professional Value Decrees …of the kinds of social work values stated by scholars and professional associations in western countries since 1958. The changing face of values can be seen throughout the years.

31. NASW BUTRYM BIESTEK TIMMS

32. CASW 1983 BASW 1985

33. NASW 1999 IFSW 1999

34. Translated to general practice • Commitment to a set of values. • Awareness that the values are inter-related and form a coherent whole. • Capacity to make sense of professional values and their relationship to our own personally-held values. • Ability to give a coherent account of beliefs and actions. • Strength of purpose and ability to act on the values.

35. What would you do if in her situation? When personal and professional values clash! So I'm beginning to think I really don't like it any more. Knocking on people's doors and saying I need to talk to you because a report's been made that you're not looking after your child. You know, it's not worthwhile any more. It's not the right way to be doing it. There's other ways. And I'm just there by myself and it's not very pleasant. So I'm beginning to think I'm doing it out of a very routine way. But I'm getting the sense back that it's not the right way and it’s punishing people. And it's social work that's really cut down to the bone, about as stark as it gets.(Emergency duty social worker)

36. Social Work Code of Ethics • Students are expected to maintain professional behaviour consistent with the current Code of Ethics of the Canadian Association of Social Workers. • The Code of Ethics is used to help guide social workers in the course of their work • The Code encompasses the values and principles of human worth, dignity, self-determination and justice upon which social work is based (Hick, 2002, p. 59)

37. Guiding Principles and Standards • The NASW Code of Ethics does not provide a set of rules that prescribe how social workers should act. • Ethical dilemmas describe situations in which the social worker has two or more ethical obligations but cannot adhere to one principle without violating the other (protect from imminent harm vs right to privacy).

38. Guiding Principles Continued • Ethics are not a cookbook or recipe of “dos” and don’ts” Ethical conduct requires continual self monitoring, reflection, careful thought, and constant review of the Code of Ethics. • As a professional, one must not only know the letter of the code – but the spirit, the rationale, and the practical implications.

39. NASW Code of Ethics – Basic Tenants • Principle Number 1 – Protection of Life • Principle Number 2 – Equality and Inequality • Principle Number 3 – Autonomy and Freedom • Principle Number 4 – Least Harm • Principle Number 5 – Quality of Life • Principle Number 6 – Privacy and Confidentiality • Principle Number 7 – Truthfulness and Disclosure

40. Ethical Decision Making Framework • Identify the ethical principles that apply to the situation • Collect as much information as possible to examine the ethical dilemma fully • Identify relevant ethical values and rules that apply to this ethical dilemma • Identify any possible conflicts of interest • Identify any possible problems or benefits to people • Identify appropriate ethical rules and rank them in terms of importance • Identify the consequences of applying different ethical rules

41. What would you do… • Clients who put themselves at risk pose a dilemma for social workers • These clients may refuse medical treatment or services or reject common-sense advice. “Clients have a right to refuse treatment or services, but there are risks associated with doing so" • If the client is supposed to use a walker and won't • If the client refuses to eat the home-delivered meal • If the client can't remember to take medication • …Then the social worker has to decide what is the appropriate action…What would you do in the situations noted above

42. 4. KNOWLEDGE • Empirically grounded knowledge • Substantive matter • Subjected to systematic inquiry • Discover or check facts • Theoretically framed knowledge • Coherent group of abstract propositions • Explain particular practice phenomena and intervention methods

43. Social Work Knowledge Building • The current state of social work knowledge building is characterized by two realities. • Traditional research, both qualitative and quantitative being carried out, primarily by university-based researchers, but also in different fields, by researchers based in institutes, foundations, or social service agencies; and, • The majority of social work practitioners who continue to look elsewhere for knowledge. • One reason for the practice-research gap is that practitioners deal with situations that are unique and idiosyncratic, while research deals with regularities and aggregates.

44. Popular Sources of Social Work Knowledge • Practice wisdom transmitted from instructors to students and from supervisors to supervisees • Theory developed from case data • Findings from research in other fields that are integrated into social work theories (e.g., research about child development or racial discrimination) • What additional sources of social work knowledge might there be?

45. 5. METHODS AND SKILLS

46. The Uniqueness of Social Work • Social work is unique among the helping professionals due to its focus on both the person and the environment.

47. Person-in-Environment

48. Person-In-Environmentaka: Person-In-Situation • Florence Hollis (1964) • Stresses a person's physical, social, and psychological realities as well as the social realities that both define and limit that person. • Examines both the personal, and the social aspects of all 'Problems' be they social problems, or personal ones.

49. Person-In-Environment PERSON The big circles represent enviromental factors.

50. PIE Example