SWPS Week 14
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SWPSWeek14Responses..docxStudent 1. Alicia Heron.
When reflecting on the work that I currently do, I believe I am passively meeting the bare minimum of policy-sensitive practice, but not actively engaging in policy-sensitive practice. While I am working, I am very rarely thinking about the ways in which positive and negative policies affect my clients. My agency also does not provide information regarding policies and how they can/are effecting our clients. Unfortunately, the only time policy is discussed within my agency is when there is a possibility that policy could effect the funding that my program receives. I believe that I am passively meeting the bare minimum however because while I am home watching the news or whenever I hear about policies that could potentially affect my clients it is something that I take into account, however this information is not something that I am actively seeking. I also believe having an extremely high caseload often leaves me overworked and/or burnt out most of the time, therefore the time I should be dedicating to educating myself on social policy is used for self-care or quite honestly, sleep. Once I complete my MSW however, I will hold myself accountable for more policy worked based on my agreement to comply with the social work code of ethics. The information I have received in this class has already opened my eyes to an array of policies that require reform, and the different ways in which I can utilize myself to be a voice of change. As an official social worker and as I navigate my career in various positions, I will be sure to find a balance between macro and micro social work, and not be placed in a position where my time is consumed by heavy caseloads. I think finding a balance is important for the kind of work social workers engage in.
One welfare myth that I am sure we all have heard and might have even believed at one point in our lives is that only poor people receive welfare or any type of assistance from the government as the wealthy provide that welfare through tax dollars. One thing that I have learned from this class and will take with me into my social work career is that we ALL will have received some sort of welfare assistance (and that is perfectly okay and normal). While it may not come in the form of food stamps or public assistance, it most certainly could come in the form of social security for retirement or government student loans. I think it is important to bring this fact up as it immediately shuts down any argument stating that individuals of low income are receiving “handouts” when in fact, we all are. I think keeping examples relatable to whoever I am debating with would be the best way for me to get my point across about welfare and the ways in which it impacts many people within society. This meaning providing examples with forms of welfare they may have utilized, as the very person arguing against welfare could very well be a recipient of it and not know it. I think also explaining the many ways in which individuals of low income are oppressed and experience structural poverty is also helpful in educating others about welfare as sometimes the two are interconnected making welfare a right for individuals.
Student 2. Keino Bobb.
Having the opportunity to study the field of social work and gather the information that is being laid out and the tools that are being produced for us to use as social workers in the near future, and having the chance to learn and develop them in the field of practice and at the places of employment that we work, gaining the insight of the Social Work Code of Ethics, and having this as a guide to carry us through the moss of the Social Service field is paramount. Now for me, coming from the background that I was lucky enough to have experienced going above and beyond was something that became second nature to me, even if it was working on the other side of the spectrum, not doing direct care work with the clients but assisting them when the case managers were gone, primed me for the moment that things changed and I finally received the opportunity absorb myself with direct care work. So the raw talent was there, the foundation had been set, and now with the knowledge and experience being granted to me through this academic experience and field work the cast is being made into stone, as the manner in which I will fight and push for the maximum amount of services that can be provided for the people that I work with and for, all within the guidelines of my agencies policy, and that of the law. Having the Social Work Code of Ethics as something to live and base my career by, holds me to the highest of standards. Not only am I respecting the nature of the field and its policies, but the people that are being served, my agency, the law and my own personal conduct as a Social Worker and as a human being. I am doing more than the bare-minimum when it comes to my clients, maybe there are times when the frustration steps in and the moment that a client does not make that appointment, and I reach out to them only to hear that same excuse once again makes me want to withdraw and step aside, having them feel my frustrations. But then I have to remember that persistence, is a tool that can be used, not being discouraged, by the barriers that are affecting them. And not make it a barrier for myself, because I have to deal with the agency and the policies that they set into place, and the numbers that they are looking for at the end of the month, referrals, intakes, admissions, etc. Upon successful completion of the MSW program to ensure the continuation of this attitude an holding myself personally accountable during my career, I have to hold true to the people that I serve and remember that I serve them and will stand by that moral, continue persistence to learn, being tolerant, understanding and aware of the different policies that affect us a whole.
As a Social Worker flexibility to me is one key factor or tool that is needed to be effective. Now if you think that you have to be the “dupes of society” or make someone believe that they are getting over on you, to have them keep coming back to the office and then give them some education and positive reinforcement each time they come in, developing some form of consistency that is at times lacking in their lives. If I have a client that comes in just for a metro card, but each time I’m available to gain some trust, work on one aspect of their service/care plan, the next time we can make a doctor’s appointment, it starts to become successful visits.
We have to promote job training, entrepreneurship, financial management, credit building, so our people will have a chance to relinquish the stigma of being leaches of the system, pawns of capitalist power structure and develop a fundamental structural change within our society.
