Roles and Functions of Social Workers in England and Wales

Roles and Functions of Social Workers in England and Wales Introduction The definition of social work is very complex and controversial. There is no generally accepted definition of what social work is. Social work sits within the broader range of the social care sphere. (Horner, 2003, p.2) There are three views of social work. The first is the reflexive-therapeutic views. This view sees social work as seeking the best possible well being for individuals, groups and communities in society. (Payne, 1997, p.4) The other view is the socialist-collectivist views; this view sees social work as seeking cooperation and mutual support in society so that oppressed and disadvantaged people can gain power over their own lives. (Payne, 1997, p.4) The last view is the individualist-reformist views. This view sees social work as an aspect of welfare services to individuals in society. (Payne, 1997, p.4) There is a general consensus amongst writers that the three different views are present within the social work discourse. (Payne, 1997, p.6) The International Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Federation of Social Workers defined social work as a profession that, ‘’promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well beingsocial work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environment. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work ’’. (Citied in Horner, 2003, p.2) Another definition of social work that was propounded by the former minister for health, Jacqui Smith is as follows, ‘’social work is a very practical job. It is about protecting people and changing their lives, not about being able to give a fluent and theoretical explanation of why they got in to difficulties in the first place .New degree courses must ensure that theory and research directly informs and supports practice. The requirements for social training work set out the minimum standards for entry to social work degree courses and for the teaching and assessment that social work students must receive ’’. (Horner, 2003, p.2) The major difference between these two definitions is that the first definition fails to emphasise the control element of social work practice, which involves the use of legislation by the state to intervene and protect vulnerable children and young people who are at risk, to enforce mental health treatment and services and to pr otect vulnerable older people. (Horner, 2003, p.3) The second definition focuses on social work as a ‘rational technical activity and its inherent anti-intellectualism’. (Horner, 2003, p.3) This essay will examine the current roles and functions of social workers in England and Wales. Key roles and skills of social workers A lot is expected from social workers. Society expects social workers to protect and care for citizens deemed in need of protection and care and at the same time to care and protect the community as a whole. (Horner, 2003, p.5) A social worker is employed by the local authority, on behalf of the state and has to work within the confines and constraints of the law. (Horner, 2003, p.4) A social worker must at all times been conversant with relevant legislation and procedure and must abide to them. The social worker is always faced with balancing the rights of vulnerable individuals to fulfil their wishes, whilst at the same time carrying out the state’s need to protect all vulnerable people, sometimes by restricting rights and liberty of others. (Horner, 2003, p.4) Generally, a social worker is there to give help and support to people who are going through a difficult patch in their lives. A social worker has to ensure that the rights of service users are identified and promoted. (Lymbery and Postle, 2007, p.23) A social worker is a paid professional, ‘’who aims to assist people in overcoming serious difficulties in their lives by providing care, protection or counselling or through social support, advocacy and community work’’. (Collins, 2006, p.516) The role of a social worker is to assist people who are socially excluded from society and are experiencing difficulties in their lives, to get back on their feet. The process of social exclusion revolves around five components: poverty and low income; lack of access to the job market; lack of social support and networks; the overall condition of the local neighbourhood; and exclusion from services. (Collins, 2006, p.505) The role of the social worker is to tackle social exclusion and promote social inclusion. The social worker needs to address approach to practice that will effectively strengthen social networks, maximise options for income and ensure that services are more accessible. (Collins, 2006, p.505) Social workers have specific legal duties that distinguish them from other groups. A social worker investigates allegations of child abuse. A social worker can apply where necessary and appropriate for a person to be detained in hospital, when his or her mental state presents a risk of harm to self or to other members of the public. A social worker also supervises children in care of the local authority. (Thompson, 2000, p.2) A social worker requires skills in making assessments personally or jointly with service users and their families in order to discover the strengths, needs and preferred need for each particular service user. The social worker needs to treat each service user as a unique individual and accord the service user the respect he or she deserves. A social worker should be skilled and knowledgeable on how to handle hostile and aggressive situations, without putting her safety or the service user at risk. Most importantly, knowledge of the law, policies and regulations affecting social work practice must be mastered by the social worker. A social worker is charged with caring for the entire community by protecting and promoting the welfare of the community as well as that of the individual. This might mean enforcing some elements of control over an individual. This at times leads to conflicts and tensions as the social worker is caught in between the community and the individual. (Thompson, 2000, p.3) Social workers work with young people and their families as well as the elderly. Social work is divided in to adult services and Children services. Adult services includes, working with people with mental health problems or learning disability. Adult services can also include working with people in residential care, working with offenders in the community or working with the elderly. Children and family social work, is a branch of social work, where the social worker provides assistance and advice to keep families together. It can also involve work in children’s home or providing support to younger people leaving care. I will focus on children and families social work. Social work with children and families spans a wide range of activities primarily directed at protecting the child. (Cree and Davis, 2007, p.15) It is often a very controversial and volatile area because of the state interference with family life. The government has introduced a lot of policy and organisational changes in children and family services in recent years that have greatly changed the terrain of children and family social work. The 1989 and 2004 Children Acts as well as key policy document such as Department for Education and Skills 2003, Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills 2004 and Secretary of State for Health 2003, have all combined to create a role for social workers which combines contributing to the assessment of the needs of children and young people, protecting them from harm and consulting with other relevant agencies to deliver services that promotes the children’s well being and s afety in partnership with the social workers and their families. (Cree and Davis, 2007, p.15) Social work within the social policy frame work Collins defined social policy as, ‘’government policy in the area of welfare, and the academic study of its development, implementation and impact’’ (Collins, 2006, p.507) Modern social work is no longer based on the poor law parish structure, but is governed by legislation and delivered through local government structures, however, some voluntary sector organisations, many of which have their origins in the established and non-conformist churches still provide some services for those that are socially excluded. (Horner, 2003, p.17) Contemporary social work can be seen to play a crucial role in relation to current social problems, concerns about wide spread substance abuse and problems of social disintegration among others. (Horner, 2003, p.26) Social work deteriorated in the 1980s and 1990s in Britain under the Conservative government. There was little direct political concern with social services during the Conservative, Thatcher administration. (Payne, 2005, p.97)The reasons for the deterioration were: ‘’service failures, particularly in the area of child protection; a professional attack, both from the right wing and the left wing on its social policing role and a political attack on its role in the welfare state’’. (Payne, 2005, p.94) The Labour government under Tony Blair came in to power in 1997. According to Payne, ‘while social care was not a major plank of policy, it was affected by general government policies and priorities, which focused on education and health’’. (Payne, 2005, p.103) The government initiated a modernization agenda which focused on effective delivery of services; including cooperation amongst the multi-agencies and involving service users’ ow n priorities. The government laid a lot of emphasis on improved care for children and the mentally ill. However, most of the labour government’s policy were slowing building on past policies and did not take a new direction. (Payne, 2005, p.103) The labour government introduced the quality improvement projects. The labour government also brought about increased legislation in to the realm of social work. The General Social Care Council was also set up to take over responsibility for regulating social work education. Mental health social work has seen a lot of changes in recent years. The 1980s and 1990s saw the closure of the many long stay Victorian asylums and the development of community based alternatives. (Cree and Davis, 2007, p.60) The Mental Health Act 1983 was a land mark legislation in many respects. Section 114 of the Act requires local authorities to provide an approved social worker for mental health service users. The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 provided a frame work for the organisation and delivery of services under existing legislation. The Act tried to alter the balance of care in four fundamental directions: ‘’ from institutional care to community based care; from public sector to independent sector provision; from NHS to local government responsibilities and from supply led services to needs led services’’. (Horner, 2003, p.76) The social worker had a key role to play in identifying the range and location of services. (Horner, 2003, p.77) The Children’s Act 1989 reformed the law relating to children. Contemporary social work practice with children, young people and their families is largely governed by the Children’s Act of 1989. (Horner, 2003, p.46) The Children’s Act 2004 provides the legal basis on how social workers, collaborate with other agencies to ensure that the best interest of the child is protected and achieved at all times. The Human Rights Act 1988, incorporated in to English laws, the European Convention on Human Rights. It gives individuals the power to challenge gross abuses of civil liberties and it also requires legal an administrative action to take account of human rights in the course of any action they under take. (Payne, 2005, p.104) The future of social work in England and Wales appear to lie in a range of roles in diverse services, heavily regulated by the government and the development of multi professional work, where the social worker interacts with other professions roles. (Payne, 2005, p.105) Professional principles and values of social work Social work is a highly regulated profession these days. It is a very difficult and complex profession and any one coming in to the profession will need to exhibit the right temperament. You will need to be in control of your emotions at all times and also avoid being judgemental or stereotyping people. There are professional principles and values social workers must exhibit. A social worker at all times must maintain the dignity and worth of service users. The social worker should always bear in mind, that she is there to help the service user get back on his feet and not to control him or run his life. A social worker ought to be aware and value the rights and duties of individuals, their families, groups and the entire community at all times. A social worker must believe in the principle of social justice. This includes ‘’fair access to public services and benefits to achieve human potentials; social development and environmental management in the interests of present and future human welfare’’. (Horner, 2003, p.135) A social worker will need to treat all service users with respect and without any bias based on their sex, colour, or creed. For example, a social worker should have an open mind when working with a paedophile or some one that is mentally unwell. A social worker’s primary objective is the promotion of social justice. The social worker has as one of his fundamental goals, to meet the personal and social needs of service users in order to help them meet and develop their potentials. One core value of the social worker is confidentiality. A social worker must maintain absolute confidentiality when dealing with a service user. The social worker should not divulge any information without first obtaining the consent of the service user. This also goes to show that the case worker respects the service user. A social worker must possess integrity. This comprises all the elements of honesty, reliability, openness, equity, and fairness. A social worker needs to be competent in the discharge of her duties. This entails keeping abreast with new laws and legislations in the field of social work. A social worker needs to address at all times, injustice in the system and explore ways of eliminating them. The social worker should also expose any bad policies that contribute to hardship and social exclusion in society. The social worker should also at all time up hold the civil and political rights of service users as well as their economic and social rights. Conclusion Social work has a long way. The profession of social worker is highly regulated today in England and Wales. The work of the social worker is to help vulnerable people in the society, within the constraints of legislations, so that they can get back on to their feet and get on with their lives. A lot of professional principles and values are expected to be imbibed by the modern social worker. Despite the very complex nature of social work and countless policies and legislation, the value of the social worker in our society today can not be overemphasised. Social workers today are highly trained professionals who despite their challenging and demanding jobs continue to ensure that vulnerable people and those that are socially excluded are given all the protection and support they need in order for them to take back control of their lives. Bibliography Collins (2002) Internet based dictionary of social work, Harper Collins, Glasgow Cree, V.E and Davis, A (2002) Social work, voice from the inside, Routledge, Oxon Horner, N (2003) What is Social work? Context and Perspectives, Learning Matters, Exeter Koprowska, J (2008) Communications and interpersonal skills in social work, 2nd Edition, Learning Matters, Exeter Lymbery, M and Postle, K (2007) Social work: A companion to learning, SAGE, London Payne, M (1997) Modern social work theory, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Payne, M (2005) The origins of social work, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Shardlow, S and Payne, M (1998) Contemporary issues in social work: Western Europe, Arena, Aldershot Thompson, N (2000) Understanding social work, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke

Ancient Egyptian Culture Essays -- History, Ancient Egyptian Society

Ancient Egypt was a fascinating and complex place. Luckily for historians, Egyptians had made great strides in record keeping which have made studying their culture and society easier than some previous historical eras. Ancient Egyptians were a people who were intensely religious, deeply divided by gender roles and a strong hierarchy, and quite advanced for their period in terms of their technological and economic innovations. Egyptians were deeply religious, and religion played a role in nearly all aspects of their daily lives. When the ancient Egyptians experienced periods of peace and prosperity, they attributed credit for the success to their deities (Slaughter, 5). The Egyptians experienced centuries of remarkable stability and considered this state to be the ma’at, which was Egyptian for the â€Å"natural order† (Slaughter, 5). Even though they considered good order and balance in their society to be natural, it had to be protected by the pharaoh, who was considered to have been born mortal but imbued with godhood upon receipt of the throne, and was expected to be an earthly presence of the divine (Slaughter, 5). His religious standing gave the pharaoh a unique legal and authoritative position in ancient Egyptian culture. The pharaoh was expected to defend the nation, take responsibility for all administrative duties, declare all of the laws, and own all of the land (Slaughter, 5). For practical reasons, much of the pharaoh’s responsibilities were delegated to a bureaucracy (Slaughter, 5). Within this bureaucracy, staffed mostly by men, success was measured by the degree to which a person promoted order and prosperity within their stewardship (Slaughter, 5-6). Ancient Egypt had a strong social hierarchy, where a small group of... ...rmenting barley and wheat in a similar fashion to modern methods (Discussion, Tad Gale.) Their engineering feats were also impressive, and ranged from the technical prowess that showed itself in their massive pyramids, to the mastery of physics involved in developing advanced chariots that ran faster, quieter, and more stable than their counterparts created by their enemies (Discussion, Blair Vanderlugt). The nature of ancient Egyptian society was quite unique for its time period. Egyptian culture was distinct from neighboring nations, and Egyptians had many advantages that gave them an edge politically and commercially. They were committed to their religion, which touched their lives in nearly every way, they had strong gender and class differences that made them a very divided society, and they had a high degree of expertise in engineering and similar fields.

Marketing Topics

KANCHAN AHUJA Lily Villa, 12th Road, Chembur, Mumbai – 400 071 Phone Nos: (R)022- 25217372 (M) 98207 10041 Email : [email  protected] com Currently persuing Masters in management from K J Somaiya Institute of management Batch – 2008-2011 Objective: To secure a challenging and rewarding position within a reputable company offering personal development opportunities based on performance. Work Experience: HSBC Bank : Designation: Premier Service Manager Nov 2005 – Aug 2007 Job Role: Portfolio management of Premier Customers. Growing and deepening customer relationships through effective relationship management, with special focus on the analysis and satisfaction of Customers’ financial as well as investment needs and objectives. |Profile: | | | |†¢ Sales – Going on sales calls to existing as well as new customers to deepen relationships and obtain referrals to source new | |business for purpose of achieving business targets. | | | |†¢ Analytical Skills- Identification of opportunities and managing relationships with top bank customers for cross selling | | |to the client through sales of liability products (savings, current accounts and term deposits) as well as third party | | |products like Mutual Funds, Insurance (Life & General) | | |†¢ Customer Service – Ensure excellent service delivery by maintaining TAT for Client queries, proactive service | |interactions with Clients. | | |†¢ Record keeping – Update the client details and map all client relatio nships to arrive at household / family relationship | | |value size at any point in time. | | |†¢ Time management – Accurate and timely reporting of documentation and deliverables for all new client acquisitions on a | | |weekly basis. | | |†¢ Co-ordination-Liaising with product and ops teams to ensure compliance of process flows and documentation. | | |†¢ Provide research on investment patterns for clients and arrive at an opportunity sheet. | |†¢ Operations – Handling outward and inward remittances | Aviva Life Insurance India Pvt Ltd. (March 2005 – Nov 2005) Designation: Manager Sales Private Banking & Assets Team (ABN AMRO BANK) A very short stint wherein I was responsible for sales of life insurance plans to the Private banking clients and the credit card holders of ABN AMRO Bank through my sales team of 8 members. Expertise – CONVERTING LEADS, TEAM MANAGEMENT and CO-ORDINATION Standard Chartered Bank. (15th May 2003 –31st October 2004) Designation: Personal Financial Consultant – Retail Banking Division Profile:Sales ? Achieving the Targets set in terms of product mix and the budgeted cross sell targets. ? Focus on revenue generating products for the bank mainly Insurance and Mutual Funds. ? Housing loan leads to be generated and forwarded to the Executives and ensuring constant follow ups with the loan team and the customers ensuring smooth flow and closure of deals. ? Being the Housing loan champion constant follow-ups with the fellow team for leads and successful closures. ? Updating & maintaining all Sales MIS (Calls, Prospects, Attritions, etc. Relationship Management ? Providing the BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE to the existing customers. This would include ensuring resolution / best possible solution to the queries raised, resulting in the customer retention within the set guidelines of my company. ? Establishing relations with new customers by introducing all the products (Asset and Liability products) ensur ing lasting relationship with the bank. ? Generating new business to achieve defined sales targets. ? Building and deepening relationships with existing Customers to achieve increase in share of wallet and revenues. Providing professional customer service to achieve a high percentage of customer satisfaction and retention. ? Managing the portfolio to de-risk against attrition and achieve stability of book. ? Having complete knowledge of the customer base in terms of the profile, demographics & psychographics and assets in the Bank and in other places. Baazee. com (I) Pvt. Ltd: 9th March 2000 – 9th May 2003 (3 years) Designation : Sr. Customer Service Executive Reporting : CFO and Asst. Manager Collection. Purpose : To ensure the Company’s Best Interest and its Customers are protected at all times. As a customer Service executive I am responsible for maintaining defined personal standards and operating economically and efficiently in the pursuit of the following. Job Profile: †¢ Team management and training. †¢ Weekly / monthly MIS generation. †¢ Regular update to the management in order to understand, modify and streamline processes improving customer experience online followed by implementation. †¢ Query handling, Customer satisfaction and retention. †¢ Administration of TALISMA, an e-CRM Solution. Creating standard responses and Work Flow for Customer Care Team. †¢ Revenue Capture. †¢ Conducted Surveys and Generating reports relating to Customer Satisfaction, Ratio of fulfillment on regular basis, changing trends and addressing customer concerns. †¢ Consistently monitoring Vendor Performance based of parameters of service levels, fulfil lment ratio. Achievements: †¢ Solely Handled NATIONAL PROMOTIONS â€Å"November Dhamaka 2000†and IT Festival for August- September 2001, End-to-End Process. Including Uploads of auctions, pre and post closure procedures and fulfillment of auctions. Handled multiple tasks at a time efficiently and with Good Results. The tasks included logistics; Image editing for uploads on the site, quality assurance of the data uploaded on the site, Resolving assigned mails in Talisma within the stipulated period. †¢ Overachieved Revenue targets consistently. †¢ Provided suggestions for the processes being followed internally, which have been appreciated and incorporated as a standard processes within the team. †¢ Assisted in Developing Mobiles, IT and Travel categories resulting in high number of fulfillment (Sales). Awarded as the Best Customer Care Executive and Employee for the Year 2000 and 2001. Based on Online Research carried through Out calling and day to day cus tomer interactions gathered valuable insights, which have now been incorporated in the website design. Anchor Holidays Pvt. Ltd (Time Share group): December 1999 till February 2000 Designation : Customer Service Executive Responsibilities: †¢ Provide information about the available packages and various schemes. Accommodate a suitable package for different customers, as per the budget requirement. Proactive Calls to members updating them about the latest schemes and offers. †¢ Keeping a track of benefits / holidays utilized by the customer during the validity period. Qualifications – Graduated from Mumbai University-Year 1999(H. R College Of Commerce & Economics) Personal Information Date of Birth: 14th October 1978 Marital Status: Married ( Dec ‘ 04 ) Spouse : Advocate Vishal Puri References: Mr. Anupam SanghaviMr. Sai Pratyush Siesta Hospitality Services Pvt LtdQuotrro BPO Solutions Chief Operating officerGeneral Manager Phone: (M) 98200 01858 ; 9987204401Pho ne: (M) 9910225558 KANCHAN AHUJA.

The Controversy of Medical Marijuana - 626 Words

Marijuana, this plant brings up a lot of controversy. After the legalization of medical marijuana in California, it seems like the legalization is the biggest topic up for debate. Around the world, there are people are against it and many who strongly support the legalization. Personally, I am for the use of medical marijuana. There are more pro’s then con’s when it comes to using marijuana as a medicine. This brings up the question, are you for or against the use of medical marijuana? When it comes to medical marijuana, there are many different views on the good and the bad of having it and what it can cause if you do it. A factor that plays a roll in this is the side effects caused by marijuana. It is said that some patients experience drowsiness, or the desire to sleep. Excessive thirst or â€Å"cotton mouth†, reddening of the eyes, short-term memory loss, anxiety or while smoking it some people experience respiratory problems. With all these side effe cts though there are ways to avoid them or an explanation on why this isn’t that bad. When it comes to sleeping, if you have insomnia this is not a problem but a benefit. If you do not have that well lower your dosage and the drowsiness should lessen. When it comes to cotton mouth, it is very minor and won’t interfere with your day and as the marijuana effects wear off so does the dry mouth feeling. The reddening of the eyes are temporary, pain less, wears off later and can be lessened with eye drops. Short-termShow MoreRelatedThe Controversy Of Medical Marijuana2376 Words   |  10 PagesThe topic of medical Marijuana brings much controversy when discussing amongst people that are for it or against it. Medical Marijuana has been the heated topic of discussion for the past few years now mainly for it’s medical benefits and the fight to decriminalize the herb. There have been many miracle stories that support the idea of legalizing it for its medicinal purposes. 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