Essays on Human Services

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a study of two social journals that are concerned with children and childhood conditions and to discuss some general theories related to the development of behavior and social interaction of children. The two social journals selected for this paper are Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal and The British Journal of Social Work. Both these journals are concerned with publishing articles and research papers related to childcare where some of the critical issues are discussed in detail by writers and contributors. This includes a discussion on factors that can have a positive Continue reading...

Is Social Work Just Common Sense?Name:Institutional Affiliation:

Often the unsung heroes of society, social workers are not often considered to be the top of professionalism. From the outside, it looks like a job that anybody off the streets can apply. Social work revolves around helping people; with common sense as your guide surely you will be able to complete all of your tasks correctly! This is an incorrect assumption, however. It takes many people by surprise to find out that social workers may need a BA or even and MA in order to compete for a job in social work. In fact, many did not know Continue reading...

As the saying goes, every land has its own law. In the same manner, every field has its own set of requirements. In the field of mental health services, for instance, the workers have to posses good communication skills, have a good sense of maturity and judgement, and possess the capacity to remain calm when faced with stressful circumstances. Although this list is not exclusive, the skills and characteristics mentioned are crucial to the success of a mental health service professional in his or her work.
The human services fields is a relatively new field compared to other established Continue reading...

Social work is often misinterpreted in mainstream society as a job that one can simply walk into, knowing the ins and outs. Social workers have a job to better communities and families, and to do so appears to be a matter of common sense. Many are surprised to find out an individual may need a University level degree in order to get a job as a social worker. Stranger still, many are surprised you need a degree at all. While it is true that much of what social workers do does involve common sense, they still have laws to Continue reading...

- Factors that affect social work research questions
Professional ethics: While the researcher may feel the need to as a particular question to the respondent, the researcher should first examine whether the question may harm the respondent emotions or psychology.
Political and social considerations: Politics plays an important role in research. Thus if the research question does not meet the expected standards of social and political balancing, the research may not see the light of the day through lack of funding or being deprived academic appointments.

The researcher: The research question depends on the researcher’s motivation in relation to the particular topic of interest.

The social work profession: Social work research questions are always specific to the Continue reading...

My final topic will look at an epidemic which is not widely discussed. This epidemic not only affects people in our country, but around the world as a whole. I will be looking at Sex Trafficking. There is an obvious disturbing reality to sex trafficking that affects the person who is being trafficking while it is happening. The violence, lack of care, and the way these people are treated is something that should never happen to any individual. My paper will touch briefly on the topic as a broad discussion but there will also be a focus on specific Continue reading...

Discussion

In today’s world where a variety of cultures exists, social workers must understand the different cultures that exist. Social workers deal with people from different societies, who have different cultures. They must understand their cultures to understand them (Lum, 2011). The research sought to find out the cultural competence among social work students in the University of New England. The students were given questionnaires to fill out. For one to qualify to answer the questionnaire they had to be; above 18 years, of sound mental health, willing to take part in the research and be a member of Continue reading...

Introduction

Careers in human services continue to increase, and numerous Sociology and other Social Sciences majors decide on a career within the human services field. Most often, professionals within this field aid others with community, health, and individual services. In addition, many human services professionals find their careers rewarding considering they are able to serve the people of the communities in which they reside. While there are an abundance of appealing careers within human services, the five selected for this essay include: social workers, social and human services assistants, rehabilitation counselors, mental health counselors, and probation officers.

Social Workers

When people think Continue reading...

Human Services range from a vast number of occupations and the common denominator of these is the service given to society, especially at times of crisis. They are designed to assist people through their daily lives, sometimes to get them right back on track, or to even help them realize their strengths and self-worth (Human Services Edu.org, n.d.). Founded in Cambridge, MA back in 1976, the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) has been helping in the development of communities to support the necessities of the people (National Organization for Human Services, n.d.). Professionally, one can have a job in-line Continue reading...

Introduction

The appreciation and diversity of human beings promotes the well being of a community and enhances everyone’s growth. The step of making important decisions in an organization often faces ethical conflict which leads to ethical dilemmas.

Discussion

An example of ethical conflict often arise where there is involvement of clients privacy and dignity. Clients have unequal power and status and hence their relationships with the human services professionals may differ significantly. An ethical conflict gets created because the client may not wish his her information to get shared to the public by the human services officials (Reid & Schram, 2012). Continue reading...

(Course Name and Number)
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Developmental Perspective

Coherence and Conceptual Clarity
The developmental perspective to social work has two facets – community development and strengths-based development. Community development seeks to fulfill “needs, gaps, problems and deficits,” while strengths-based development involves “democratic, participatory [and] people-centered approaches” built on a strong human rights foundation (Gray, 2002). Such allows social justice to thrive, which is seen to benefit clients in social work to have equal opportunities, equal resource access and self-determination. Thus, strengths-based development under the developmental perspective empowers clients in social work as it urges social workers to reevaluate their developmental approaches based Continue reading...

The Effect of Medicare and Medicaid on the Social Work Field

Introduction
The American society is at the cusp of transformative change. With Baby Boomers of the sixties now reaching retirement age, the proportion of older people in society is going to increase. A smaller base of working population will have to support a larger slab of older people. As a result, existing frameworks of social security, Medicare and Medicaid would prove inadequate. New ways and means need to be explored to sustain the concept of an equitable and caring society that has been built in the USA. In this context, it is essential to explore the effect of the Continue reading...

Introduction

Jane Addams (1860-1935) was an American sociologist, social worker, author, public philosopher, and women’s rights activist. Jane was born in Cedarville, Illinois. She was born in well up family as the youngest of nine children. Her father was a prominent businessperson and served as the Illinois State senator from 1855 to 1870. She received her education from the Rockford Female Seminary (now Rockford University) in Rockford, Illinois (Addams & Elshtain, 2002). In her early life, Jane Addams loved reading and that is how she came to learn about the plight of poor people in Cedarville. She wanted to become Continue reading...

Social Work and Social Policy

Adams, Dominelli, and Payne (2009, p. 4) claim that social work has the objective of improving and facilitating the relationship of people in the environment as well as the social institutions where people live. Social work improves human cooperation by helping humans to survive and develop. It improves social relationships to facilitate the development in the development of families to improve the society due to social interactions. Connectedness links people in different levels of institutions, families, and social relationship. Social work aims to improve social life to increase cooperation between people in the society.
The International Federation of Social Continue reading...

Introduction

Developmental social work and developmental social welfare are concepts that have featured prominently on the global scene. Developmental social work is an approach that emphasizes on the roles of professional practice and social investment. It is these social investments that fulfill the material needs of the clients of social work. Additionally, the social investments facilitate the integration of social workers in to the economic and social life of the community. Theorists believe that developmental social workers perceive the strengths and capabilities of their clients to be amplified by the public services and resources (Midgley & Conley, 2010).
In their view, Continue reading...

Introduction

In many different settings, social workers work in groups. Such settings include neighborhoods, traditional clinical or therapeutic venues as well as community settings. Such workers who work in groups are strictly bound by code of ethics to ensure that they display proficiency in their work. Due to this, it is therefore evident that social workers working in groups should and must understand the basic principles behind group work and how to for effective and efficient groups that will effectively meet the clients’ as well as the members’ needs. Working in groups enhances the relationship and association between two or Continue reading...

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi was born on September 29, 1934 in Fiume, Italy. He is a Hungarian-American who emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. He was a former head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago where he received his B.A. and PhD. He is now connected with Claremont Graduate University. As a positive psychologist, he has written a number of works about happiness and how it can be achieved.
The book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience deals with the concept of happiness and how one can achieve it. Csikszentmihalyi addressed man’s Continue reading...

Presentation

Bob Mullaly is the author of books about ‘the new structural social work,’ a concept he has been writing about for many years from a progressive point of view. One of the fundamental questions about how social work should be carried out is ‘Do the clients of social workers need to be changed or does the structure of their society need to be changed?’ I do not mean to imply that the job of a social worker is to attempt to change society’s structure. I am only trying to explain that Mullaly has not observed that contemporary social Continue reading...

Social Construction

The idea of social work revolves around human beings who are capable of making their own decisions and choices. Sheppard (2006, p.3) argued that the main objective of social work is to provide empowerment that will involve maintenance, social functioning and coping with the problem. It is a common among social workers to provide assistance to those people who experience poverty. The study of Asquith, Clark, and Waterhouse (2012) have revealed that the poor and unemployed are hostile towards social workers during the initial stages of the counseling because they develop a sense of being rejected by society and Continue reading...

- The postmodernism that defines the current society has lost the sense of religion and has became more focused on the “self”, which defines an individualized spirituality, entrenched in the scientific developments and in three aspects that are specific to the western world’s universalizing tendencies: economy, politics and cultural. Each of these social spheres are representative for the individual’s interests in the nowadays society and in this context social work is also seen in Mel Gray’s work as stepping away from its focus towards religion into adapting to a much more scientific approach, becoming a science Continue reading...

Selecting a career in the medical field is among the best options that anyone can have in modern day career world. This is because of dissimilar benefits that may accompany such a choice, for instance job security and possibility for advancement in one’s career. Still, I have my own reasons for thinking the medical field is an appropriate choice for me.
According to me, I find the medical field as the right field for me since it is the only profession that can assist me to directly impact on people’s lives. Regardless of whatever section one works Continue reading...

In today's world, many people struggle with poverty, disenfranchisement, helplessness and more. The rapidly growing elderly population is a serious social problem. The current economic crisis is exacerbating this situation as the government is cutting funding for elder programs. The problem resonates deeply with me, and I hope to work towards solutions that will provide the elderly and senior citizens with the resources they need to keep a high quality of life.
My childhood experiences are a significant contributing factor to my interest in the welfare of senior citizens. Growing up with my grandparents greatly influenced my values and Continue reading...

I have a long experience in social work, which allows me to analyze my path in this area and see what important changes have occurred along the way. First of all, I want to say that for me social work is always a matter of personal development. I think that it is impossible to be effective, to work properly in this sphere while standing at the same place in one’s qualification and professional path. When looking back at my way in social work, I can confidently say that I see a great deal of development in it.
My Continue reading...

George Doherty in his writing addresses the issue of managing stress, trauma and repercussions and dealing with children, adults, the elderly and dealing with those who have special needs in case of a disaster. In chapter three and chapter four, the author specifically deals with the challenges dealing with children and elderly who are considered to be people with special ability. He argues that they are the group which is at very high risk of developing complications when a disaster strikes because in such situations everyone who is able will try rescue their lives forgetting the elderly and children Continue reading...

Social work

Sociology is a multidisciplinary approach that borrows from theories of different disciplines. Being one of the most prominent aspects of social science, sociology has ma very demand in the contemporary world. It is imperative to note that the interdisciplinary approach has its roots in charity and community development. Social work has been described variously as an academic and professional discipline that endeavors to improve the quality of life through research, direct practice, education and policy (Fenneret al, 2001). Apparently, sociology borrows theories from economics, medicine, psychology, sociology, education, philosophy and politics. It is a common misconception that sociology is Continue reading...

According to Bob Mullaly describes social work as the structural social work as a departure from the traditional social work. On the other hand, Steve Hicks approach was mainly anti-oppressive practice which did not comprise traditional modes. According to him, social work is innovative practice which evolves continuously over a long period of time.

How does structural social work impact the role of the individual in the profession?

Before this question is conclusively answered, it is important that the author defines what structural social work means. The term structural social work means the part of social work which focuses on the relationship between the environments. The structural social work is based on the Continue reading...

ABSTRACT

All practitioners in the fields of education, social work, and youth and family services should be aware of the cultural and ecological factors that affect the development and education of African-American youth, and adolescents in other minority groups that have traditionally experienced stereotyping and discrimination. This article considers two culturally-sensitive methodologies for improving educational and developmental outcomes for youth in these groups: Cultural Modeling and the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST).
Adolescence for all groups of youth involves major life stresses caused by a number of factors, including biology, sexual identity, relations with family, caregivers and peer Continue reading...

In the article by Bogduk (2004), back pain that persists for over three months is classified into three types: reductionism, multi-disciplinary therapy, and mono-therapy. The reductionism classification should be used if there is need to have a specific diagnosis. Multi-disciplinary therapy is appropriate when that patient is able to participate in exercise. Mono-therapy often does not work at all or only for a short period of time (Bogduk, 2004).
In my own personal life I have dealt with people that lack empathy for others when they complain of a sore back. Some people view others with such chronic conditions Continue reading...

A number of barriers come with every profession and professions dealing with human services have to respond to issues with planning, empowerment, services and funding. In most organizations, services and funding are placed the core if changes need to be made. Empowerment is among the last in the matters that organizations prioritize. Funding is the most vital task of human services as a profession so the matters that are influential to financing human services must be given the most consideration. There is a separate arrangement of services and programs that a human service organization encompasses in order to help Continue reading...

Limited funding is one key example of the challenges or issues that face human service organizations today. It is essential that human services create awareness on the services that they offer. This will help such organizations to gain support from the stakeholders other than funding from governments. In order to ensure success in the provision of services within communities, human service organizations need to become more proactive in soliciting of funds. This paper aims at looking at funding as a challenge to these organizations and some of the solutions.
Human service organizations have continued to face the challenge of Continue reading...

Liora Birnbaum, 'The Use Of Mindfulness Training To Create an ‘Accompanying Place’ for Social Work Students’

The author accomplished a good study on social work student’s emotions about their field, how they feel overwhelmed and struggle to schedule time and adequate space to process their experiences. They need an ‘accompanying place’ where their thoughts can be observed and supported in a non evaluating way. This paper describe about a therapy named mindfulness meditation which was tested on a group of student.
This method really supported the students in their work. Finding of this work is that the students showed strong desire to Continue reading...

1.
As I understand it, social work is the pursuit of increased wellbeing for individuals and groups through direct and concerted intervention in a number of ways. The overall goal for someone in social work is to help combat social injustices and various inequalities in education, psychological awareness, and the like through determined effort and intervention on one's part (Agnew, 2004). This is typically performed through dedicated and complex interactions with those who require social work, and theories of human development and social systems and theory are used to investigate a client's social situation. After this analysis, strategies are Continue reading...

Abstract

Social workers perform a range of services that touch on many disciplines within the greater health and human services field. Case management, which is closely identified with social work, features a skill set that can be applied to many areas within the discipline of social work, ranging from child protection to substance abuse. These skills include problem assessment, treatment formulation, coordination and counseling. There are considerable career development opportunities, and new skill development paradigms provide important resources for professional growth.

Keywords: Social workers, health and human services, case management, child protection, substance abuse

A Career in Health and Human Services Continue reading...

Roles and Functions

Abstract
The Introduction to David W. Springer and Albert R. Roberts’ book, Handbook of Forensic Mental Health With Victims and Offenders: Assessment, Treatment, and Research, covers the topic of “Forensic Social Work in the 21st Century.” The introduction covers everything from crime statistics to suggestions on academic programs for students of forensic social work. The authors believe that forensic social work provides a critical interdisciplinary link allowing useful services to be provided for survivors of crime.

Forensic Social Work in the 21st Century:

Roles and Functions

In their Introduction, the authors present the growing importance of social work’s forensic practitioners for victims, offenders, and the Continue reading...

Practice and theory in social work

Anti-oppressive practice is a theory on social work. It deals with the oppressive activities that take place in the communities, cultures and economies. The main objective of the theory is to abolish oppressive activities. Anti oppressive practice is done by practitioners as well as learners in the social movement, which is managed by women and black people. The theory tries to remove inequalities that are found in the society. Additionally; beyond the discourses’ boundaries, practitioners discover questions that enable people to think about power as well as possibility. The essay below discusses the anti-oppressive theory, how it intersects with Continue reading...

Human Services

1. Ideas, Theories, and Technological Advances that Affected Human Services
The field of human services has been experiencing several changes for the last ten years. First of all, the quality of life has significantly improved; globalization influenced all the spheres of our lives giving opportunities to some people and challenging others; many innovation have been introduced lately. Legislation is changing and is becoming more loyal. Standards in legislation area, such as equal employment opportunity, healthcare, wages, occupational safety and health, become more focused on human needs. Growing healthcare costs led to growing demand for specialists in this field.
Modernization Continue reading...

The United States Department of Health and Human Services provides comprehensive mediation and advocacy services for people who have questions and concerns about their health care. According to HHS.gov, mediation services are made available to those who want to resolve a dispute; usually, this happens between an individual and their health care provider or Medicare (HHS, 2011). Extensive options are given, including contacts for Health & Human Services representatives who can help with mediation; the mediation process is also detailed thoroughly. Mediation and advocacy are combined in the form of training that the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Division provides; this Continue reading...

Human service provision is concept which refers to the provision of services that are useful in offering solutions to challenges facing humanity. Such challenges include water supply shortage, information services, banking, counseling, health care services, the list is endless.
I have for the last fifteen years worked as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a Community Based Organization (CBO) which deals with substance abuse and mental problems.
In this paper, I will give advice to professionals who are beginners in human service provision. I will give guidelines on issues of human service such as confidentiality, barrier identification, making and Continue reading...

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CAREERS IN HUMAN SERVICES

In the “Helping those in need: Human service workers” the Occupational Outlook Quarterly (2011) defines Human Services as the provision of “a variety of services aimed at improving clients’ lives” (23). Consequently, Human Services encompass different approaches depending on the nature of a particular problem and the services required in solving said problem. Evidently, it is impossible to cover all the careers that qualify and fit the characteristics of human services. However, it is plausible to look at a particular problem from different fields that could in turn be made up of a variety of professionals all Continue reading...

Introduction

It is not possible to discuss the matters related to mobility and social class without a discussion concerning poverty. In simple words, poverty can be described as the insufficient provision of shelter and food that is essential for life maintenance. According to an estimate, there are more or less thirty five million American citizens are living in poverty in the present times (Hart, 2002). Poverty is one of those grave social phenomenon that are extremely complicated. For the same reason, it is also a complicated task to try to discover the causes of poverty. There are a number of Continue reading...