Social Work Practice: Assessment, Equity, and Global Perspectives

The Integrated Social Work Assessment Process

Today, social workers are confronted with a flood of guidance from governmental agencies concerning how to conduct assessments using various checklists for different types of healthcare consumers, with little overall attention being paid to a set of best practices that can be followed (Milner & O'Byrne 2002). Many practitioners are also concerned about increasing government control of family life and worry about the effect of such governmental standardisation on the relationship between social workers and their clientele (Parton & O'Byrne 2000). Moreover, rather than being a static, one-time affair, accurate clinical assessment remains an ongoing requirement that may not be routinely satisfied by many social workers (Milner & O'Byrne 2002).

Social workers run the risk of overlooking important but highly individualised issues that may be interfering with clients' lifestyles when the assessment process is not ongoing (Parton & O'Byrne 2000). In this regard, Parton and O'Byrne's constructive social work provides a useful alternative to evidence-based practice for social workers by emphasising "process; plurality of both knowledge and voice; possibility; and the relational quality of knowledge" (Parton & O'Byrne 2000, p. 13). Likewise, according to Corcoran and Walsh (2006), there is a fundamental need for ongoing assessment of clients to help avoid pigeonholing them in some diagnostic category early on — a categorisation that ignores changes in behaviour or newly identified information in the treatment process. Depending on the type of case and setting involved, accurate and timely social worker assessments can make the difference between successful and unsuccessful interventions and outcomes with clients, as well as in the courts (Anderson, Weston, Doueck & Krause 2002).

As a basic detractor from quality of life and equality in society, social workers are vitally concerned about discrimination and inequalities they encounter in their professional practice. For instance, Weiss, Gal and Cnaan (2005) report that "it is generally agreed that one of the central and indeed unique characteristics of social work continues to be its commitment to the furthering of social justice, construed as ensuring more equal access to economic and social resources for all members of society" (p. 29). The commitment to principles of social justice — such as redistribution, the upholding of social rights, and social and political advocacy — has been codified in a number of documents, including:

1. The International Federation of Social Workers' recently adopted definition of the profession.

Discrimination, Inequality, and Anti-Oppressive Practice

2. The codes of ethics of social worker associations, including the code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (1999), which states that: "Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs and to develop fully. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for change in policy and legislation to improve conditions … and promote social justice."

3. Likewise, the Israel Association of Social Workers' (1994) code of ethics emphasises that: "The social worker is committed to supporting policies and legislation that seek to improve social conditions and further social justice" (quoted in Weiss et al. 2005, p. 30).

In Australia, discriminatory practices and social inequalities have long characterised the plight of indigenous peoples (Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into Protection of Aboriginal Children: Little Children are Sacred 2007). Significant disparities exist with respect to this population and the broader mainstream Australian population in terms of school dropout rates, job skills, chronic unemployment, involvement with the criminal justice system, and institutionalisation (Vinson 2007). In response to these inequalities, some social workers advocate anti-oppressive practices. According to Healy (2005), anti-oppressive social work practice involves:

1. Being the latest wave of critical social work, following radical, feminist, anti-racist, and structural social work traditions.

2. A shared understanding among social workers that the original causes of oppression lie within social structures, and a commitment to transforming those structures.

3. A duty to raise consciousness, based on the belief that the true origin of oppression is not in clients themselves but in unjust social structures.

Social Welfare States and Social Policy

4. Reflection on access to power and the development of strategies to share power with clients.

The type of social welfare state in place will have an overriding effect on how public resources are distributed and what mechanisms are used to achieve that distribution (Goldberg & Rosenthal 2002). By taking into account relevant cultural traits and causal determinants, it is possible to gain valuable insights into the current body of welfare state theories (Aspalter 2008). One clear application of social policy in modern Australia is the effort to address the marginalisation and victimisation patterns evident in indigenous population groups. In this regard, Bryant (2009) recently noted that "it is not a new observation that indigenous people in Australia experience violence at a higher rate than the general population. Identifying who is at risk, and the circumstances that increase those risks, is important for the implementation of targeted preventative strategies, such as night patrols and family counselling, and other services, including hospitals and child protection" (p. 1). These initiatives are administered and funded through different governmental channels, including the criminal justice system, healthcare providers, and social workers (Bryant 2009). This broad-based approach is required because addressing victimisation patterns in indigenous populations in Australia demands a multidisciplinary response that frequently includes treatment for substance abuse problems, unemployment, housing, as well as immediate relief from violent environments (Bryant 2009).

Information concerning selected international organisations involved in trade and development is provided in Table 1 below.

Table 1: International Organisations Involved in Trade and Development

World Trade Organisation: The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global international organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations. At its heart are the WTO agreements, negotiated and signed by the bulk of the world's trading nations and ratified in their parliaments. The goal is to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business (What is the WTO? 2011).

GATT: (1) The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) covers international trade in goods. The workings of the GATT agreement are the responsibility of the Council for Trade in Goods (Goods Council), which is made up of representatives from all WTO member countries. (2) The Goods Council has ten committees dealing with specific subjects such as agriculture, market access, subsidies, and anti-dumping measures. These committees also consist of all member countries. (3) Also reporting to the Goods Council are a working party on state trading enterprises and the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) Committee (GATT and the Goods Council 2011).

IMF: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is an organisation of 187 countries working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world (About the IMF 2011).