Bpd Definition of Generalist Social Work Practice

¶ … BPD definition of generalist social work practice is practitioners working with clients and client systems in order to build upon the capabilities in those people. This means that the social worker acts as a facilitator to help people realize their own potential. This requires the generalist social worker to do a wide variety of things on behalf of clients such as education, counseling, organizing, advocating, and connecting them with a wider network of resources. In this way, the generalist social worker is connected with the community as a whole, not just with individual clients. Therefore, the generalist practitioner needs to evaluate service outcomes for the clients and assess not just individual client needs, but also the community's ability to meet client needs.

I intend to implement this definition into my social work practice as I move into field internship by focusing on the relationship between the client and the community. One of the realities that I have come to understand as I study social work is that many client problems are directly related to the community in which they live, and that solving or managing these larger, systemic problems can create significant benefits for clients. I have also come to realize that many community problems are, if not caused by, at least exacerbated by those who are likely to be clients for social workers. There are seven different areas competencies in generalist social work practice: working with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations in a variety of settings; viewing clients from a strengths perspective; using professional problem solving; engaging in community and organizational development; evaluating service outcomes; being guided by the NASW code of ethics; and a commitment to improving community and sub-group well-being. Each of these areas means something different as I transition into practice, but they all involve examining community and individual needs.

The first area of competency is working with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations in a variety of social work and host settings. This means to me that one of my jobs as a social worker is to interact personally with people in various different settings. In addition, it is important to keep in mind that very rarely do only individuals need assistance and intervention. Instead, problems tend to be systemic. Therefore, even if I am working with only a single client, I need to be prepared to deal with a wide variety of constituents.

The second area of competency is viewing clients and client systems from a strength perspective. To me, this may be the most important of all the competencies. Frequently, people who need the intervention of a social worker are considered "broken" by the people in the mainstream society. The focus tends to be on how the people are different, and, therefore, how they are inferior. However, I believe that all people have strengths and that even when those strengths may not have been conducive to a productive life in the past, they can be productive in the future. By teaching people how to use their own strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses, I believe that I can help strengthen the individual and the community.

The third area of competency is using my professional problem solving skills. To me, this means that I have to keep in mind that simply being an empathetic and caring individual is not enough for a social worker. I need to use the skills that I have learned in order to work on behalf of clients. Sometimes this will mean stepping away from my own personal feelings and using the tools I have learned to be able to implement that distance and gain some objectivity.

The fourth area of competency is engaging in community and organizational development. As a social worker in a specific geographic area, I believe that I might see individual clients presenting with the same issues that can be traced to the broader community problem. Therefore, I need to be able to identify those issues and able to interact with community members in a way that helps me solve community problems.

The fifth area of competency is evaluating service outcomes in order to continually improve the provision and quality of services most appropriate to client needs. This aligns with the NASW Code of Ethics, which emphasis that the social worker's "primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems" (Cournoyer, 2011, p.146). Because social work is a community-based practice, it is important to keep in mind that individual outcomes may be dependent upon the surrounding community. Therefore, service outcomes need to be evaluated in a way that looks at how the services are impacting the community as well as how they are impacting the individual.

The sixth area of competency is to be guided by the NASW Code of Ethics. Social workers deal with challenging circumstances where a clear-cut answer may not be possible to find. Furthermore, individual ethical perspectives about issues can and do vary among reasonable people. "When you consider the relevance of these various ethical principles, standards, and legal obligations, it becomes clear that you cannot possibly meet all of them" (Cournoyer, 2011, p.150). Therefore, it is important to have a set of rules and guidelines to use as a reference point in difficult scenarios.