Community Paper
Mariana RL Shelby
Liberty University
Abstract
Taking a look at my community has opened my eyes to all the things the military has to offer on
our military post. There have been some great steps taken to enhance a better way of living in our
small military community. I never would have imagined that there would be a need for this many
social workers in such a small area.
My Community
My family and I currently live in Fort Benning, Georgia. Military posts provide every
essential function that would be found in a normal community, all self-contained with the
boundaries of the post. Access to features such as shopping, food, and entertainment are all
included on post. In addition, our housing area includes child-friendly features such as
playgrounds and a pool. The housing areas consist of families that span across all cultural
backgrounds. The facilities on post are adequately resourced, but would not be considered
upscale or wealthy by any means. In addition to facilities, the post offers outreach programs.
These programs, such as child care facilities and outreach programs, could use additional
funding. Since the primary mission of the base is to train new soldiers, so the majority of the
families living on post only reside here for short periods before moving to other posts. Most
families are here for a year and then they are off onto a new Army adventure.
One of the primary benefits for families living on post is security. Almost every soldier is
a trained security professional, and military police conduct constant patrols in the housing areas.
This security allows parents to permit their children to play outside without much supervision.
Aggressive dog breeds are not allowed on base, which also contributes to security.
In our neighborhood we have families from all walks of life families that just joined,
families (like mine) who have been in for nine years, families with little babies and families with
teenagers, families with no kids and families with fur kids. It’s very different but everyone gets
along. We have people from Germany, Guam, Mexico, Afghanistan, Australia and many different
counties all living in our base community.
Social Service Agencies in My Community
On our base we have multiple organizations that can help families, Family Advocacy
Program (FAP), Exceptional Family Member Family Program (EFMP), Military OneSource, and
Military & Family Life Counseling (MFLC). FAP responds to allegations of spousal and child
abuse that occurs on base. Neither FAP or the military police have the authority to take children
away from families, but FAP serves as the connective tissue between the abused and authorities
that can intervene, such as Child Protective Services and the local police. In addition, FAP offers
victim advocates for safety planning, treatment managers that are social workers for treatment
planning for therapy as a family, and individual therapy. FAP also offers the services of nurses
that help families integrate new babies up until the age of three. This helps these inexperienced
families with the transition since the addition of a new child, combined with the stress of being in
a new location and away from their homes, is difficult. Also, FAP has outreach services that go to
the different units on the installation and provides instruction to soldiers on the prevention of
abuse. (“Family Advocacy Program” 2005)
A different social service agency located on post are MFLCs. MFLCs do not document
anything discussed with their clients, which is a selling point to soldiers who afraid that the
contents of their discussion will be transmitted to their chain of command. This also alleviates
the concern of soldiers that they might be considered unfit for duty if they are seeking
counseling. The MFLCs are very helpful but sometimes they can over report to FAP and it makes
the soldiers dislike FAP even more than what is needed. (“Military and Family Life Counseling”
2010)
Military OneSource is a good online service that spouses, and military members can use.
One of the services provided by Military OneSource is helping families find services such as
finding a good mental health doctor. In addition, Military OneSource has a call center that will
ask a few questions to determine your risk and they will connect you with the help you need.
(“Military OneSource” 2017)
EFMP is for family with medical conditions that require specialized care, such as mental
and physical disabilities. Since not every post is capable of supporting individuals that require
special care, EFMP administrators prevent families from moving to bases that do not have the
resources. (“Exceptional Family Member Program” 2019)
Non-Social Service Agencies that employ Social Workers
There are many different non-social service agencies that employ social workers in my
community. For example, the local Veteran’s Administration employs social workers. These
social workers assist soldiers transitioning from military service, as well as outreach for veterans
that require ongoing care due to physical and mental injuries sustained during their time in
service. Also, the hospital on post employs social workers who attend to ongoing needs of
patients within the hospital. These social workers also provide care to patients after they have
completed their stay in the hospital, and ensure the patient’s ongoing needs are attended to. In
addition, school systems both on and off post employ social workers. (“Supervisory Social
Worker” 2019”
Interesting Social Work Positions
I would really enjoy being a social worker working with the military community. I know
the lifestyle and I feel like I could help in a lot of the aspects since I can relate to them. I can give
better advice with deployments, moving to new posts, raising kids alone, and how to connect
with social structures such as Family Readiness Groups. Previously, I worked with FAP at a
previous post. The joy that I felt from helping abused patients grow over the time they were with
us was truly rewarding. Many patients would arrive to FAP and were too afraid to make eye
contact, but would eventually come in with smiles and opening up conversationally. I found it
very interesting doing the background checks on the families and making the safety plans. I
found what I love, and I need my degree to do it.
References
“Exceptional Family Member Program.” ArmyMWR, 2019, www.armymwr.com/programs-and-
services/personal-assistance/exceptional-family-member-program.
“Family Advocacy Program.” Family Readiness Group, 2019,
www.myarmyonesource.com/FamilyProgramsandServices/FamilyPrograms/FamilyAdvocacyPro
gram/default.aspx.
“Military and Family Life Counseling.” Go to Military OneSource, 2019,
www.militaryonesource.mil/confidential-help/non-medical-counseling/military-and-family-life-
counseling.
“Supervisory Social Worker.” USAJOBS, 8 Feb. 2019,
www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/523666200.
“Welcome to Military OneSource.” Go to Military OneSource, 1 Mar. 2017,
www.militaryonesource.mil/.
