Email communication from July 23, 2010

Social Work

Describe some of the early childhood messages or rules you remember hearing as you were growing up. Which of these do you still believe? Which have you now discounted?

When I was growing up there were only a couple of messages or rules that were enforced in my household. The first was to never get into a car with strangers. The second was to always respect your elders and the third was always eat your vegetables. I still believe that it is not safe to get into cars with strangers. On second thought it is almost not safe to even speak to strangers anymore. I also still believe that the right thing to do is always respect your elders. Older people should always be shown respect. They have lived long lives and always know more than younger people and should be shown the proper respect for both their age and wisdom. The last rule having to do with always eating your vegetables is the one that I have to a point discounted. I like some vegetables but not all, so I only eat those that I really like and not the ones that I don't really like, but yet was expected to eat growing up.

2. Describe your early memories about the relationship dynamics between the people who were significant in your life. What do you think you learnt about relationships for your experiences?

My early memories in regards to relationships dynamics between the people who were significant in my life include my father working everyday and my mother staying home to raise the kids. I also remember my grandparents being very active in our family. There was always a system of support for your family that included a lot of extended family members.

I think that I learned early in life that successful relationships have to be based on support from both all people involved. A relationship is a two way street and it takes effort from both parties in order for it to be successful. A family unit needs to have support from all its members. Not only from those in the immediate household, but from all extended family members as well.

3. Describe your memories of your early and later educational experiences. What did you learn to value from your education: How has this been important for your life?

My memories of my educational experiences are good ones. I have always enjoyed school and really like to learn. In school I have always enjoyed taking a variety of classes. I like to learn new things. I have learned to value a good education - one that is filled with diversity and growth. There is never a point that a person can know too much. The more that a person learns the more well rounded that they become. Education has always been important in my life and something that I have great pride in accomplishing. I have come to believe that one can never learn too much and if I haven't learned something new every day then it hasn't been a good day.

4. Describe your experience of growing up as a female or male. How did your early experiences inform your beliefs about gender relationships and identities? How do you think your life might have been different if you were born a different gender?

As I was growing up my father went to work every day and supported our family. My mother stayed at home and raised the kids. This was my first impression of how gender relationships should be. Men worked outside of the home and women stayed at home and were housewives. When I was growing up if women did work outside of the home then they worked in very traditional roles. They were nurses and teachers and not doctors or members of the police force. I don't think that if I had grown up a different gender that my impressions would have been any different, because that is just the way it was. Things are much different today than they used to be and gender roles have changed tremendously. Nowadays, gender roles are a lot less defined from birth and men and women are both doing jobs and tasks now that used to be only for the sex.

5. Describe the ethnic or cultural community you grew up in. What messages did you as absorb as a member of that culture? How did your experience of ethnicity or culture influence your beliefs about race or cultures that are different from your own?

The cultural community that I grew up in was a very diverse one. The biggest message that I picked up from growing in this type of culture was that people are people. No matter where people come from or what their cultural backgrounds are, people are in the end just people. My belief about race or cultures is that everyone has the right to believe in what they believe and they should be allowed to practice these beliefs however they wish. I believe myself to be a very tolerant and accepting person in regards to race and cultural diversity.

6. Describe the early messages you learnt about the meaning of life, the creation of the universe, or the rightness of a particular religion or spiritual expression. Have you continued to accept these messages or have you rejected them and developed a new belief system?

I did not grow up in a very religious family but yet was taught that God existed and was very much a part of our lives. We were not a family that went to church every Sunday and yet we were taught to believe in a higher power and to respect that idea. I have continued to accept these messages. I believe myself to be a religious and spiritual person even though I don't find the time to attend church on a regular basis. I think that everyone has the right to believe what they want and should be able to worship how they want, whether that includes attending church on a regular basis or not.

7. Describe yourself as you are now. What knowledge, values, attitudes and beliefs do you bring with you into social work and human services?

Today I find myself to be a very strong, open minded person. I love to learn and am always trying to find something new to study. I like to help people and always try to see people for who they are and not for how society says that they should be seen. Every person is an individual and no two people are alike. I believe that everyone has the right to celebrate their cultural practices and religious beliefs however they chose to. I hope that my diverse beliefs and notions will help me to be a success in social work. The key to success in any human services profession is to be able to listen to people and then to evaluate every situation on its own merit and then deal with each set of circumstances by itself. I hope to be able to bring my knowledge and beliefs to my profession and be as successful as I can.

Part B

The steady growth, demands, and changes in health care have had a severe impact on the viability and need for social workers in all areas and situations of health care. Access to timely, all-inclusive, and unbiased health care for individuals varies considerably, with major percentages of many populations having only partial access to health care. The expansion in medical technology has offered expectation and improved quality of life to many people and yet, the advances in technology have also driven up health care costs and initiated social, legal, and ethical dilemmas for individuals, families, and health care providers. These psychosocial allusions of health care are what social workers are trained to deal with (Social Work Practice, n.d.).

Presently, health care social workers offer services across the range of care and in a variety of settings. Social workers work in public health, acute care, and chronic care settings. They provide a range of services that include health education, crisis intervention, supportive counseling, and case management. In reaction to critical incidents that are both global and national, health care social workers are more and more trained to provide interventions to get ready for and respond to traumatic events and disasters (Social Work Practice, n.d.).

Professional social workers are well prepared to practice in the health care field, because of their broad viewpoint on the range of physical, emotional, and environmental factors that have an effect on the well-being of individuals and communities. These principles are developed to meet the needs of social workers in numerous health care practice settings and to help the public comprehend the role of the professional social worker (Social Work Practice, n.d.).

Social work is for people who want to help other people, by giving them admittance to the resources they need in order to advance their lives and build brighter futures. Social workers try to help people make the most of their environment, their relationships, and any struggles they might have with money or family. A lot of social workers deal with people who face life-threatening circumstances, such as criminal activity or substance abuse. Other issues that social workers try to tackle are inadequate housing, unemployment, illness, disability, or difficulties around childbirth (Social Work Professions: Summary of the Social Worker Fields, 2010).

There are various social work specializations, but the larger categories include child, family, and school social workers, who provide social services and assistance to children and their families; medical and public health social workers who provide support for people with illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, or AIDS; mental health and substance abuse social workers who deal with people who struggle with psychological issues; and social workers who deal with the intricacies of social policy and planning (Social Work Professions: Summary of the Social Worker Fields, 2010).

Child, family, and school social workers offer social services and assistance to progress the social and psychological functioning of children and their families. Workers in this field evaluate their client's needs and offer assistance in order to improve their situation. This often includes organizing available services in order to assist a child or family. They often help single parents find day care, arrange adoptions, or help find foster homes for abandoned, abandoned, or abused children. These workers may focus in working with a particular problem, population or setting, such as child protective services, adoption, homelessness, domestic violence, or foster care (Social Workers, 2009).

In schools, social workers often supply a link between students' families and the school, working with parents, guardians, teachers, and other school officials to make certain that students reach their academic and personal potential. They also help students in dealing with stress or emotional troubles. Many school social workers deal directly with children who have disabilities. Additionally, they address problems such as misbehavior, truancy, teenage pregnancy, and drug and alcohol problems and advise teachers on how to deal with difficult students. School social workers may teach workshops to whole classes on topics like conflict resolution (Social Workers, 2009).

Child, family, and school social workers are also known as child welfare social workers, family services social workers, or child protective services social workers. These workers often work for individual and family services organizations, schools, or State or local governments.

Medical and public health social workers provide psychosocial support to individuals, families, or susceptible groups so they can cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, or AIDS. They also counsel family caregivers and patients. They also help map out for patients' needs after discharge from hospitals. They may put together at-home services, such as meals-on-wheels or home care. Some work on interdisciplinary teams that assess certain kinds of patients, such as geriatric or organ transplant patients. Some specialize in services for senior citizens and their families. These social workers may also run support groups for the adult children of aging parents. They may also look at, coordinate, and monitor services such as housing, transportation, and long-term care. These workers are often known as gerontological social workers (Social Workers, 2009).

Medical and public health social workers often work for hospitals, nursing and personal care facilities, individual and family services agencies, or local governments. Mental health and substance abuse social workers evaluate and treat individuals with mental illness or substance abuse problems. Such services comprise individual and group therapy, outreach, crisis intervention, social rehabilitation, and teaching skills needed for everyday living. They also may help plan for helpful services to ease clients' return to the community when leaving in-patient facilities. They may offer services to assist family members of those who suffer from addiction or other mental health issues. These workers may work in outpatient services, where clients come in for treatment and then leave, or in inpatient programs, where patients reside at the facility. Some mental health and substance social workers also work in employee-assistance programs. In this situation, they may help people cope with job-related stress or with personal problems that affect the excellence of their work. Other social workers work in private practice, where they work directly with clients. These social workers may be recognized as clinical social workers, occupational social workers, or substance abuse social workers (Social Workers, 2009).

Other types of social workers contain social work administrators, researchers, planners and policymakers, who expand and put into practice programs to address issues such as child abuse, homelessness, substance abuse, poverty, and violence. These workers investigate and analyze policies, programs, and regulations. They recognize social problems and suggest legislative and other answers. They may also help to raise funds or write grants to support these programs (Social Workers, 2009).

Social workers typically spend most of their time in an office or residential facility, but they also may travel in order to visit clients, meet with service providers, or attend meetings. Social work, while rewarding, can also be very challenging. Understaffing and large caseloads add to the pressure that some workers feel. Full-time social workers regularly work a standard 40-hour week, but some intermittently work evenings and weekends in order to meet with clients, attend community meetings, and handle emergencies. Some even work part time, particularly in voluntary nonprofit agencies (Social Workers, 2009).

Part C

The Australian Association of Social Workers is the professional delegate body of Social Workers in Australia. It has 6,000 members across the nation. The AASW is an incorporated company, guided by a constitution and nationally managed by a Board of Directors, elected from and by the membership. A Branch Management group, also elected from and by their own Branch membership, manages each of their ten branches. They also have a lively community of national committees and practice groups further sustaining the work of the association. Their objectives include:

Promoting the profession of social work - The Australian Association of Social Workers does this by publishing an academic journal, a national magazine, branch newsletters, and an e-Bulletin. These publications are used to get the idea of the profession out to the public so that they can keep abreast of what is going on.

Enhancing the public and professional recognition and identity of social work - The Australian Association of Social Workers does this by providing a voice for the social work profession and actively engaging in a range of relevant policy issues with Governments. They work to make sure that Governments properly tackle the social policies where their members work by writing submissions, reports and letters and distributing media releases. This association works hard to increase public awareness about the work that they are trying to do with several policy issues that are prevalent today.

Establishing, monitoring and improving practice and ethical standards -- The Australian Association of Social Workers has made available the AASW Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards January 2010, AASW Code of Ethics along with AASW Practice Standards for Mental Health Workers. These publications are available for those already in the profession to help guide them through any issues that arise during their practice.

Contributing to the development of social work knowledge and research and promotes and facilitates members' professional development and life-long learning - An Accredited Social Worker is a member of the AASW who has met the Continuing Professional Education requirements for the preceding CPE cycle. Accreditation is then official for the next cycle. Becoming a CPE accredited member is a concrete way to show to an employer and ones clients that a professional is dedicated to ongoing development and education. By providing accreditation the association works hard to provide its members with a set of standards that can be used to unify the profession.