Social work is very important nowadays because it helps people to feel safe in many ways, but the American model of social policy differs from other countries. It is a clear thing because every country is unique and it has a deferent policy, including social one. For example, there are small countries where social work does not exist at all, or if it exists it is just the way of punishment for those who defied the law. To my mind, every country should have social work and human services where people could address if they have a problem. As I told earlier American model of social policy differs from other countries and now let`s consider how.
Priority in the organization of social work is assigned to charity and associative organizations that defines the American system of social protection as a liberal-associative. American associative organizations cover numerous aspects of the social sphere. The main ones are education, health and human services.
The distinguishing feature of the American model of social work is the decentralization of the social system. And this means that the actual organizational activities for the provision of social federal programs are carried out directly at the level of states and municipalities. This is how, in cooperation with the public self-government, the main work and numerous associative organizations carry out. As I told social work is assigned to the charity which means that there are a lot of kind-hearted people that are ready to help their country in every moment. Having human services people feel themselves under protection in any situation, also it gives them a feeling that if something bad happens people will be helped.
In the United States, the notion of "social work" refers to the provision of any social services to various categories of people, for example, children, the disabled or the elderly. Social work includes a wide range of services, such as financial assistance for poor families, support for orphans, help to the patient in rehabilitation in the hospital and after the accident, support people and their family after an accident, assistance to people with mental health problems, etc. It shows us a very wide range of services that are available in the US. That means how important it is for the country to help their citizens and support them in a different situation.
The hardest thing is with disabled and elder people who are alone. These people cannot earn the money or apply for work because of age and physical capabilities, also they are helpless but the country does not let them die, the country helps them which is very important nowadays in the era of new technologies and new jobs. I mean how wonderful it is that there are people who still social workers and make our world better.
Therefore, there are several ways of training professional social workers: pre-professional, bachelor, master and doctoral.
Maybe in future, I would like to be a social worker. It is not a simple job but it is a very useful and responsible job which I would compare with a doctor. Both these jobs save people`s lives but in a little different way.
The aim of social work is to ensure normal conditions for human living it can be achieved with the help of social policy that creates in society the system of social relations. Undoubtedly social work is the most important social institution of civil society, which allows soft and consistent creation of necessary conditions for the realization of private interests without prejudice to the interests of the public. The practice of social work is far from perfect, which makes the question of its development especially urgent. The latest trends are aimed at maximum nationalization and formalization of this type of activity, or at reducing the state's participation in this area to a minimum.
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The process of social work practice encourages the social worker to define clearly the goals of each concrete action, and not only efforts to achieve the planned changes in a generalized form. And so the process involves not only a common effort to achieve the planned changes but every single action as an integral part of these efforts. That is why it is a hard thing to do, you should be very careful and serious when you are doing your job.
To understand the specifics of social work, it is necessary to correlate it with charity or religious, I mean to define the activity of social workers as "professional". It is the word "professionalism" that is the keyword in determining the essence of social work. It was not a coincidence comparison with charity and religious, it is a deep thought that I`m going to explain.
Let`s consider what charity is, charity is when you share with people the extra things you have or you try to help people because you have the opportunity to do it. Religious is a very personal thing, but one thing is in common- aim. Religious gives the aim which people follow all their lives. The same thing is about social work. If you aim you will find the opportunity to do it.
However there is an important feature of social work as a profession, which is not found in any of the related fields of activity, is its mediatory nature. Social work is inconceivable without the element of mediation, and this element is not peripheral, but central. Intermediary nature of social work is a consequence of its integration and borderline, an orientation towards a holistic person and orientation to vital problems of real people. The need for mediation between a person and various social institutions arises when the first cannot independently realize their rights and opportunities. In the most general form, the social worker acts as an intermediary between the client and society. It promotes, on the one hand, the effective adaptation of the client in this society, on the other hand - the process of humanizing this society, overcoming its alienation from the worries of real people.
If we continue to consider the mediation we will find some of its directions. We can find the mediation between the client and various social institutions; between the client and other specialists (psychologist, teacher, medical worker, lawyer); between other specialists involved in solving the life problems of the client; between different customers.
Effective implementation of intermediary functions is possible if certain conditions are done and in case of understanding of the client's problems by the client. Very important to be a person to can not only listen to the client but also can hear and understand him.
That is why social work is very important for all people. But there are some people who need social workers` help more than others- elder people. Most of them live alone because their wife or husband has already gone and children with grandchildren moved to another city or country. They continue to call each other but do not help anymore.
They can support each other by soft words but they cannot, for example, to go shopping instead of an elder person, or do the laundry, or cook the dinner and so on. Elder people become week and they haven`t enough straight to do some things. Here can help only social workers that can talk with people, understand what the problem is and with the help of different social institutions try to fix it. For example, human services can give a worker who can come several times a week and go shopping or help to do housework. Also, elder people can be proposed to move to a special institution where a lot of elder people live. There also work people that help them.
Also, graduate education in social work is very important because if you have higher education you can obtain a higher position and in the future you can have more opportunities to help people.
People began to help each other since ancient times because not everyone can hunt for mammoths! The ability to feel empathy for another is laid down in human nature. And world religions are taught to help each other and encourage mutual assistance. To help is to support on an emotional, material and social level. Over time, groups of people have emerged who need help more than others. A person can get into such a group from birth (congenital disability) or be in it unexpectedly (survived after a disaster). It is worth to notice that the social work paid low but I think if this system will modernize or will encourage more people and will do some interesting social project everything can be changed.
Social work is mostly a woman's profession and continues to be, as I said, not too highly paid. However, this is gradually changing, and today men are happy to join the ranks of professional assistance.
To be a social worker is difficult without the following qualities: the ability to genuinely sympathize with other people; belief in social justice; desire to influence the life of their country; ability to work in a team; interest in personal and social processes; ability to work in a crisis situation; the ability to effectively use criticism; belief in the fact that words can change a lot.
Absolutely unacceptable in the social worker I consider racism, chauvinism or any other views that tolerate intolerance or discrimination. You can belong to any confession, but you must be able to respect those who belong to another, even alien or incomprehensible to you. At the same time, I do not believe that you can be a good specialist, not loving your job. Childfree will be hard at work in school, and the opponent of abortion is at the center of family planning for young people.
Therefore it is very good that social work includes a very wide range of activities. Such a wide range of opportunities in social work is one of the main advantages of this profession. In it, everyone can find a job for himself.