Social Work Essay

While the free essays can give you inspiration for writing, they cannot be used 'as is' because they will not meet your assignment's requirements. If you are in a time crunch, then you need a custom written term paper on your subject (social work)
Here you can hire an independent writer/researcher to custom write you an authentic essay to your specifications that will pass any plagiarism test (e.g. Turnitin). Waste no more time!

The Crisis in Social Work

There is a crisis in social work which requires a radical analysis of the contradictions within contemporary social work. The confusion about the role of social work and the declining morale and self-confidence of social workers have resulted in the loss of experienced staff and reluctance of young people to consider a career in social work. This analysis inevitably challenges

the present culture of professional training.

Proposals to increase the professionalism among social workers has created a crisis in social work. Increasing professionalism will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who are committed to social change.

There is more to social work than simply conforming to, and fitting in with organizations that employ social workers. The ability to show a certain independence of thinking is what makes the social worker a “professional”. Social work has a rich history of this independent thinking. Social work as a profession should assert that the assessment of a client's “needs” should not only be driven by the availability of resources but should also be concerned with the reduction of inequality and social injustice. Unfortunately, the social work profession now seems divorced from its roots in socialist ideology and too narrowly concerned with its promoting itself. These elitist pressures are contributing to the current crisis in social work and must be resisted.

Proposals to increase the length of training of social workers and elevate their status are not the answer. Increasing professionalisation will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who share their expertise and knowledge with each other and are committed to social change.

At present the middle class training establishments are blind to class issues. They claim to be teaching non-oppressive practice but in reality it is a myth. Anti-discriminatory training has failed to put the spotlight on the position of the 'invisible oppressed' i.e. the working class. It can only be assumed that social work training takes the view that the situation of the working class is the natural order of things. If social workers genuinely seek to serve all the members of society there must be an overhaul of training and a radical shift in social work practice to ensure it reflects the centrality of class issues.

Social workers today need to draw upon this rich heritage and challenges the increasingly conservative environment within which it operates.

The gulf between the services that social service organizations say they deliver and the services that they actually they deliver.

Departments may claim to provide services for people in need but social workers know that many people who are suffering material and social deprivation do not get essential services.

Many service organizations today have actually become narrower in their focus because of new reforms – such as welfare reform.

In many instances, social workers’ titles have actually been changed to that of “Case Managers” where their roles have been reduced to that of mediator between the client and services they locate for them with other organizations.

The overall effect of such changes has been to obscure the high level of poverty and deprivation of service users and to seriously undermine social work values.




Bibliography



The Crisis in Social Work

There is a crisis in social work which requires a radical analysis of the contradictions within contemporary social work. The confusion about the role of social work and the declining morale and self-confidence of social workers have resulted in the loss of experienced staff and reluctance of young people to consider a career in social work. This analysis inevitably challenges

the present culture of professional training.

Proposals to increase the professionalism among social workers has created a crisis in social work. Increasing professionalism will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about the value of academic social work training and whether it adequately prepares people for the realities of the job. The social work task is best learned by students working with people in the community who are committed to social change.

There is more to social work than simply conforming to, and fitting in with organizations that employ social workers. The ability to show a certain independence of thinking is what makes the social worker a “professional”. Social work has a rich history of this independent thinking. Social work as a profession should assert that the assessment of a client's “needs” should not only be driven by the availability of resources but should also be concerned with the reduction of inequality and social injustice. Unfortunately, the social work profession now seems divorced from its roots in socialist ideology and too narrowly concerned with its promoting itself. These elitist pressures are contributing to the current crisis in social work and must be resisted.

Proposals to increase the length of training of social workers and elevate their status are not the answer. Increasing professionalisation will remove social workers further from the people they serve. Questions are already being asked about...

The rest of the paper is available free of charge to our registered users. The registration process just couldn't be easier. Log in or register now. It is all free!
You should cite this paper as follows:

MLA Style
. EssayMania.com. Retrieved on 26 May, 2012 from
    <http://essaymania.com/68494/social-work>

More College Papers

Violence Against Women In The Uk essay
DISCUSS THE EXTENT OF PROTECTION FOR WOMEN AGAINST MALE VIOLENCE BY THE STATE. For this essay I am going to look at Domestic Violence against women and what the State is doing to protect them. Domestic Violence is now a well-known global occurrence affecting not only women but also their children t

Violence essay
Enjoying Violence There are many different views on how violent films and music affect people. Personally, I believe violent films and music do not affect people, but some studies show they do. There are also various reasons why people want to see violent films, and why artists and producers co

Violence Depicted In The Media essay
There is endless controversy today concerning society being highly affected by media programs displaying violence. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) reports that violence in the media has increased since 1980 and continues to increase. Thousands of studies have poi