Social Workers Knowledge Of The Law Social Work Essay

Social Workers Knowledge Of The Law Social Work Essay I want to be a social worker, not a lawyer Robert Johns p.1 The aim of this assignment is to consider the importance of law for social workers and discuss the professional skills and values which underpin social work practice in England and Wales today. I will firstly look at how law frames social work practiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The relationship between the law and social work practice is complex. Although an in-depth understanding of how the law affects every day social work practice is essential, it also involves much more than just learning the legal rules. Constant reflection and critical analysis of your own values and practice of social work are required to be an effective practitioner (block 1 p130). However, Jeremy Roche argues that although the law provides a framework it cannot tell social workers what to do in every circumstance. The law cannot always resolve the dilemmas and tensions that face social workers everyday. Above all, the law cannot substitute for sound professional practice. (Robert Johns p.7) How the law is made The Law provides a framework for practice which grants the social worker with powers to take appropriate action. A starting point for understanding the legal framework is Statute law which is one of the main sources of law and is contained in an Act of Parliament. The Children Act 1989 is an example of statute law. The language of statutes can sometimes appear confusing for example the meaning of significant harm is not described in detail in the Children Act 1989 and can therefore be open to interpretation. A social worker will therefore have to provide evidence that the child is likely to suffer from significant harm and such decisions will be made jointly with legal advisers and managers (block 1 p.51) Case law is the second source of law which is developed by the courts from judgments made on cases brought before them (block 1 p.51). An example of case law that has an impact on society is the case of Diane Pretty who had a terminal illness causing a physical disability and she wished to have the right to choose when to die with the help of her husband. Dianes argument was that the right to life contained within Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) also implied a right to die (block 1 p.52). However, her application was rejected by the court who stated that Article 2 was not concerned with the quality of life. (block 1 p.52. Although the language of statutes can be difficult to understand, there are two words which will help social workers to interpret statutes and they are duties and power. Legislation provides social workers with certain powers as well as duties that social workers are legally bound to fulfil. An example of this is shown in the case study of Masie when her need for a service requires as assessment as decisions will be influenced by not only the social workers commitment to values and best practice but by the legal duties and powers. However, it can be frustrating when it is clear that a service is needed for a service user but there is insufficient money to provide that particular resource. A further example of the importance for social workers to have a thorough knowledge of the law in order that they can make decisions on appropriate legislation is shown in the case study of the Clarke family (p 82 of block 1 book) where the social worker attends the family home on an arranged visit and finds Emily (mother) under the influence of alcohol while the children were playing with cutlery in the kitchen. This is clearly an issue of child protection as the children are likely to suffer significant harm if they remain in the care of their mother. It therefore makes it a duty for the local authority to investigate and provide services as well as having the power to protect the children. How the law underpins social work practice: The law which underpins social work practice was radically redrawn in the 1980s following a series of scandals for example the events in Cleveland where social workers were accused of an over-readiness of taking children into care and the fact that the parents felt totally undermined and were not afforded proper rights to present their views. Interestingly the Cleveland Report also acknowledged the dilemma of child protection work namely that social workers are damned if they do, and damned if they dont (Robert Johns p.10) As a consequence of the events in Cleveland, many key principles such as the accountability of social workers to the law are now enshrined in the Children Act 1989, and according to Robert Johns, social workers welcomed the clarity this would have (word better) Values Principles Throughout my reading and my experience as a social work student I have learnt that before we can even think about working anti-oppressively within the law we need to look at our own experiences. Everyone has values and principles which shape our behaviour and perceptions of the world and it therefore important that social workers reflect on their values as their decisions will have a direct affect on the services they provide when practicing. (p126 block 1) Although social work values underpin decision making when working with service users, there are also values embedded in legislation which support social work values. However, there maybe areas of conflict or tension between legal values and social work values, particularly when a service user is deemed to be entitled to certain community services look at page 129 and expandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. There are also areas of the law that social workers may find difficult to address, for example, the Diane Petty case which I discussed earlier, where a commitment to social work values could mean respecting Dianes wishes. In order to demonstrate my own professional development as a social work student, I will briefly look at how the legislation underpins the assessment of children in need and discuss the importance social work values while completing an assessment. A child in need assessment should provide a clear understanding of the childs needs and is based on the provision of the Children Act 1989 and 2004, the principle that underpins the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (Department of Health, et al 2000), Working Together (Department of Health, 1991), and Every Child Matters which provides the legislative foundation on which policy and guidance has been built to inform social work practice in assessment. The social workers knowledge of the law and service provisions can be critical in empowering service users (Block 1 p20). It is essential for the social worker to work in a way that is both anti-oppressive and which recognises cultural perspectives. Anti-oppressive practice means recognising power imbalances and working towards the promotion of change to redress the balance of power. (Dalrymple and Burke 2003, p.15). Social workers have to make decisions in their everyday practice based on their own values and good practice is about involving service users through all stages of the assessment, inviting them to meetings, informing them of their rights and options as well as working in a way that is accountable (Thompson 2006). This would also support social work value D Value, recognise and respect the diversity, expertise and experience of individuals, families, carers, groups and communities (GSCC, 2002). It was interesting to note that Jane Aldgate (in Law and Social work book) looks at both the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment framework and although acknowledges that the shared language between professionals is undoubtedly a strength, Calder and Hackett, 2003 (in law in social work) criticise that the omission of risk as a separate category can lead to professionals underestimating risks when completing an assessment. Conclusion The law provides a framework to guide and assist social workers in making crucial decisions and preventing anti-discriminatory practice as well as providing a framework of legal rights for service users. Principles of social justice and human rights are fundamental to social work and without an in-depth understanding of the law and how it affects social work practice, it would be impossible to practice effectively. Throughout my experience as a social work student together with my research and reading for this assignment it has become clear that in order to comply with the General Social Care Council Codes of Practice (2002) social workers must view the law as an integral part of their role.

Grief Counselling Essay

Attachment, loss and the experience of grief. Attachment Theory founded by John Bowlby (1977) it explains how we as humans obtain affectionate bonds with others and how when they are threatened how we as humans tend to react. He suggests that these attachments come from a need for security and safety. (P7) when it comes to loss of a loved one it then explains how we as humans are very much the same as the animal world in the way that we grieve a loved one. Grief is the term used to describe the loss that someone has experienced , morning is the process that the person goes through in adapting to the loss bereavement defines the loss to which the person is adapting to. Grief affects people in very different ways it can effect them physically, emotionally and cognitively, all of this can effect the way in which people function and go about there everyday life, this is all very normal and everyone who is grieving will go though this process in one way or another. Chapter 2 25-47 understanding the mourning process. Since mourning is a process, it has been viewed in various ways, primarily as stages, phases, and tasks of mourning. The tasks of mourning are: to accept reality; to experience the pain; to adjust to environment without loved one including external, internal and spiritual adjustments; to relocate and memorialize loved one. The second task in this chapter is that of the counsellor who is helping the client through the grieving process. The counsellor needs to look at the following things; the person who died, nature of attachment, circumstances of death, personality mediators, historical mediators, social mediators, concurrent changes. Chapter 3 51-80 Grief counseling Facilitating uncomplicated grief Grief counselling is not for everyone who has had a loss, most people are able to work though the mourning process on their own without any outside help. Some may just need time to process their loss and time to try and rebuild their lives after the loss this can be done on their own or some ay need the help of a counsellor to walk alongside them. The counsellor then needs to identify weather or not the bereaved fits into the at risk Category, at risk meaning at risk of falling into the category on complicated grief. Some medications can be helpful when going through the grief process, but are mainly helpful in dealing with anxiety issues or insomnia issues. Grief counselling can also be effective in counselling the be reaved as it gives them more support than just the counsellor. Chapter 4 83- 98 Abnormal Grief reactions: Complicated Mourning. This is looking at why people fail to grieve. Many factors can stand in the way as to why people fail to grieve. These are; relational factors, these are what type of relationship did the person have with the deceased. Circumstantial Factor; this relates to the circumstances of the loss they can be a hindrance if there is uncertainty as to how the deceased died. Historical factor; if the person has had trouble grieving in the past they may have trouble grieving in the future. Personality Factors; some are unable to cope with distress and this makes it hard for them to grieve appropriately.

A Book Review on Eckhart Tolle’s

A New Earth talks about being present in the moment of one’s life. It also talks about being in contact with one’s consciousness while looking deeper into life’s meaning.The author, Eckhart Tolle, experienced a spiritual transformation that has delivered him from extensive periods of depression. Deeply inclined by Buddhism, Hinduism, and other Indian schools of thought, the author emphasizes living in the current moment, the now. A new Earth is a book that puts ahead a number of sensible solutions to ways of thoughts that have caused a great deal of hurt and dysfunction in society. One must try reading A New Earth to experience a positive shift of his/her consciousness.The first part of the book talks about being still for the awakening of the consciousness through nature, specifically through a flower. The chapter also explained the pathway to Heaven, which the author describes as not being a place but is within the consciousness. Tolle is also reinstating the s ignificance of now.The author discussed the concept of awakening as being a vital part of recognizing the unawakened part of a person. The mind is easily fooled into thinking that it’s the ego, which is not the real being of a person. The ego will trick one to identify with it over and over again. The author also talked about one’s thoughts and the dysfunctions of man’s way of thinking.The first thing that one may become aware of in this book is that the author uses stipulations like the human consciousness’ evolution and enlightenment. Tolle however failed to define these terms clearly and would make it hard for a reader to understand what the author is trying to say. Reading the first chapter may pose quite a challenge for the unawakened person’s understanding.This book needs more facts rather than assumptions. The author also stated some things that are contradictory with the bible. For example, Tolle talks about a creature growing some wings an d evolving into a bird. The bible says that God created the birds of the air, and not that it evolved.Tolle also explained that the Holy Spirit, which was being signified by the dove, has provided a means for a reflective alteration in planetary consciousness. The reader personally doesn’t agree with this New Age teaching as the Holy Spirit leads people to salvation and not into a transferring of planetary consciousness.

Hindhism And Buddhism Similarities - 1349 Words

Buddhism and Hinduism are two of the most popular religions throughout Asia. Hinduism is a polytheistic religion, meaning the worship of several deities. It is the worship of four deities: Lakshmi, Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva. Originating in India, Hinduism has become widespread across Asia, but it remains the most common religion among the people of India. Similarly, Buddhism also originated in India. It has become widespread throughout the Asian continent and currently plays a significant role in the social, cultural, and spiritual life. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion or the belief of not worshipping a god. Although both are similar, Hinduism and Buddhism also have distinct places of worship, beliefs, and rituals. Buddha temples vary†¦show more content†¦This shrine is used to perform rituals. On the contrary, a Hindu place of worship is dedicated to a deity instead of a representative of the five elements. The Hindu place of worship is known as a Mandir. The Mandir con tains a shrine, a garbhargriha, with a statue of the deity. The garbhargriha is the central shrine of the temple and it represents the heart of those who worship. This shrine is beneath a towering roof known as a sikhara which represents the flight of a spirit to heaven. Similar to Buddhism, Hindu worship can also be performed at home with a shrine of their own. A typical Hindu shrine, similar to a Buddha shrine, contains a statue or a picture of a deity. However, the shrine will also contain items that represent the five senses and offerings to the deity. Buddhism is a non-theistic religion, meaning those who practice it do not worship a god. Instead, Buddhists believe in following the advice of the Buddha, born Siddhartha Gautama. The Buddha’s teachings are considered the core of Buddhism. One of the most significant teachings is The Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth is the truth of suffering or Dukkha. There are obvious signs of suffering, but the Buddha believed th at suffering has much more depth. Instead, the truth of suffering is when one is not suffering from outside causes, they are still unsatisfied. â€Å"Human beings are subject to desires and cravings, but even when we are