Reference no: EM132188181 , Length: word count:750
Discussion 1: Policies and Social Problems
Why is it important for social workers to understand policy? When you think of policies, you may tend to think of the federal policies that support services such as Medicare and state policies that support education and welfare services. However, sometimes the policies that have the greatest impact on clients are the policies of agencies and organizations.
Note: An "agency or organizational policy" is a policy. For example, it might be part of a county welfare agency that requires an administrator at a juvenile correction facility to report any individual that is an illegal immigrant that comes to that facility.
In this Discussion, you will identify a policy at an agency or organization with which you are familiar. It can be a public agency, a for-profit human service provider, or a not-for-profit community agency. Describe the organization, the policy, and the social problem it addresses.
Post the policy at an agency or organization with which you are familiar. Describe the organization, the policy, and the social problem it addresses.
Discussion 2: Community Work and Collaborations
Teamwork is essential to social work practice. Macro level change cannot occur unless many individuals come together and work across differences. Group work can also be frustrating when trying to coordinate schedules, interact with different personalities, and share an even distribution of work. Despite the challenges of working with others, social workers must develop skills to successfully communicate and work together to accomplish goals.
To further develop these skills, this course provides the opportunity to work with a small group and create a wiki. Consider what makes a group work well and what can create discord. How do you make this group project a positive learning experience?
For this week's small group discussion, you will reflect on the importance of collaborating with others to accomplish macro level change. You also reflect on strategies to create a positive learning environment while developing group skills.
Post your responses to the following question presented for the Group Discussion:
Describe your experience working in groups or as a team.
Explain the importance of collaborating with different groups and building coalitions in order to advocate for community and policy change.
Thinking about the wiki project you will do during this course:
- List one strength you will bring to your group.
- Describe a potential difficulty that may occur within the group and explain a strategy you will recommend to your group to address that difficulty.
Discussion 3: Family Assessment
The first step in helping a client is conducting a thorough assessment. The clinical social worker must explore multiple perspectives in order to develop a complete understanding of the situation. From this understanding, the social worker is able to recognize the client's strengths and develop effective strategies for change.
For this Discussion, review the "Cortez Family" case history (attached).
Post your description of how micro-, mezzo-, or macro-levels of practice aid social workers in assessing families. Assess Paula Cortez's situation using all three of these levels of practice, and identify two strengths and/or solutions in each of these levels.
Describe the value in strength-based solutions.
Discussion 4: Circumplex Model
Understanding the level of cohesion of a family system is important in order to determine an effective treatment plan. Olson (2000) developed the Circumplex Model, which has been used in the areas of marital therapy and with families dealing with terminal illness.
For this Discussion, you again draw on the "Cortez Family" case history (attached).
Post your description of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems and how it serves as a framework to assess family systems. Apply this framework in assessing the Cortez family. Use the three dimensions (cohesion, flexibility, and communication) of this model to assess and analyze. Describe how assessing these dimensions assists the social worker in treatment planning.
Discussion 5: Blog
Developing the necessary skills to realize the distinctions between confidentiality and open lines of communication is the focus of this week. Maintaining confidentiality is important when engaging social work clients. Breaking it could potentially constrain the open lines of communication. For example, consider the limitations "duty to warn" presents. As a future social worker, how might you ensure that you are demonstrating social work practice skills while maintaining confidentiality? How you communicate also may affect your relationship with other social workers or even your field instructor. Does your agency observe additional types of confidentiality when interacting with others?
For this discussion review the following:
Saxon, C., Jacinto, G. A., & Dziegielewski, S. F. (2006). Self-determination and confidentiality: The ambiguous nature of decision-making in social work practice. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 13(4), 55-72. (ATTACHED)
Wulff, D. P., St George, S. A., & Besthorn, F. H. (2011). Revisiting confidentiality: observations from family therapy practice. Journal of Family Therapy, 33(2), 199-214. (ATTACHED)
Post a blog post that includes:
- An explanation of potential challenges in adhering to confidentiality in your field education experience.
- A description of agency policies or mandates with regard to confidentiality.
- An explanation of potential challenges in communicating with clients within your agency.
Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar