Welfare, Policy And The Law In Social Work Practice - Essay Example

? TOPIC: WELFARE, POLICY AND THE LAW IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE By Insert Presented to Location Date Due INTRODUCTION Social work practice has significant importance in the society notably to individuals who are depressed and those facing psychological instability. Family bereavement is one of the key issues that social work practitioners deal with. Social work practice facilitates counseling, referrals and other support services to support the bereaved individuals in the society. These practitioners provide methods and means supporting counseling individuals experiencing personal trauma, grief and depression (Bell2002). The understanding of the bereavement theory in this context improves Social work practitioners also engage in providing services such as the development, monitoring and implementation of policies and guidelines that facilitate best bereavement practice and care. According to Thompson, N. (2000) this entails training and consultations to bereaved individuals attributed to various circumstances (Thompson 2000). This essentiality of this is strengthening the link between those who are bereaved and depressed and the continuous provision of improved and quality services. In the context of the case study, Sayeed is a 50-year-old Indian male who stays in UK and has lost his job under unclear circumstances where he claims to be discriminatory and unfair is in despair and distress. After loosing his job Sayeed has not been able to provide to his family prompting her wife Juliet, a 45-year-old English teacher threatening to leave her because he is not able to provide for the family needs. Therefore in order to understand the intervention requirement that Sayeed needs to overcome his situation, it is important to have an insight on the supporting the bereaved theory and practice (Bell2002). BEREAVEMENT THEORY According to Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. (2002) their studies shows that research on bereavement has increased and gained prominence. Attributed to these studies is the emergence of several models which are aimed to help and guide to who are bereaved. It is notable that individuals who are bereaved have physical, cognitive, cognitive and behavioural components which have variance in disruptiveness and length (Adams et al 2002). Other research shows that providing appropriate and adequate support sometimes results into alleviation of probable future bereavement of depression. However this is not to mean that depressed and bereaved persons such as Sayeed will require help or should be pathologised. Therefore asserting from this it is important for the professionals to have a strong knowledge base in regard to providing support to the bereaved. Preferably is the solid scientific knowledge base on the bereavement theory and practice. Bereavement theory and practice enhances personal experience of the practitioner which is essential in dealing with emerging depression and bereavement situations (Adams et al 2002). The weakness associated to this approach is that it is too restricted to generalization of validity in regard to new situations. Another major weakness is that the personal experience is influenced by the subjective prejudices and values. In order to be inform with the practice ascribed in the bereavement theory five models is selected which enhances sensitivity of any situation and also when working with the bereaved. The bereavement theory is important because it is useful in dealing with life-changing events such as loss of work, illness, divorce and redundancy. To fully understand bereavement theory and what it entails in the context of the case study and is relating social practice the following are the underlying models. Phases and stages According to Lishman (2007) in his study provides that attachment to something gives the basis for understanding bereavement attributed to the loss of work. He further provides that commonly there is human tendency of developing commitment towards work (Lishman 2007). This attachment occurs as a result of the developing ling-term relationship and its dependence. Therefore depression comes along after loss of work as a universal instinctive response to the separation with work. @ suggest that depression due to the loss of work is a predictable and takes a pattern form as the individual faces the fear of the unknown as well as stigmatization. In the case study provided Sayeed is facing difficulties after loosing his job and he fears that he will not be able to provide for his family and his wife might divorce him leading to him feeling to have been discriminated (Thompson 2000) in his studies depression attributed to the loss of work basically entail a sequence of reactions ranging from the initial fear, numbness that can span and last for days or even months of not intervened. As a social work practitioner it is also important to understand the physical symptoms which include insomnia and loss of appetite. Other characteristics include lack of concentration, loneliness, restlessness, fear, guilt and feeling of isolation may also be experienced. Depending on the circumstance this model aspect of the bereavement theory and practice, anger is focused on different areas depending on the circumstance where in this case the loss of work.It is expected that Sayeed is likely to associate his guilt by perceiving that if only he hadn’t lost his job he could be able to provide for his family and his wife could not be issuing him with threats to divorce him. It is notable that this expression of anger and guilt is likely to further promote depression and bereave. But it is an appropriate move that Sayeed is willing to search for counseling so that he can overcome her depression and that he can be motivated to look for another job without having the perception that he will be discriminated (Al-Krenawi 1999). Bereaved person also exhibit traits of having physical tension notably in the form of fear. Many people who are bereaved as a result of job loss feel insecure, desiring to escape reality and ever anxious. This leads into the disruption of normal living because of the panic as well as the overwhelming fear and anxiety. Actions for the bereaved Many scholars describe bereavement resulting into depression as a developing process as opposed to being a state. Therefore Sayeed needs to work through his reactions in order adjust to the situation he is undergoing through. According to the bereavement theory provided by Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. (2002) suggests overlapping tasks that a depressed or ma bereaved person need to work on. These actions include the emotional and psychological pain attributed to the circumstance, try as much as possible to adjust to the folding events and finally changes in regard to the identity, status and social roles (Adams et al 2002). These underlying roles shall be completed when the bereaved person has accepted the situation and adjusted to the situation and letting go of the psychological and the emotional attachments such as discrimination feelings. Upon the completion of these action tasks the bereaved or the depressed person will be able to focus on the means to fully deal with the situation focusing on the investment of both he present and the future life (Miller 2006). Dual Process Model This bereavement theory and practice was developed by Stroebe and Schut where they suggest that depended on the situation or circumstance avoiding depression can helpful or detrimental. This social theory and practice focuses on both the expression and controlling feelings. This incorporates the aspect of behavioral coping and oscillation. From this perspective the concept of bereavement is considered to be a dynamic process which involves focus on the loss or the bereavement circumstance and the restoration (Al-Krenawi 1999). The restoration orientation basically deals with the secondary losses or effects attributed to the circumstance. These secondary effects entail the effects of depression because of the loss of the job. The orientation and restoration model of the bereavement theory is essential in the context of the future adjustments (Lishman 2007). The effectiveness of this bereavement social theory and practice is the individual personality, cultural background and gender. From this perspective model as the person takes time of the loss of job or any other related event, this is essential in helping the person to adapt and cope with the circumstance and be able to continue with their daily life as well as the underlying changes. Continuing bonds In regard to the loss of job a job and results into depression the conventional thinking on its purpose is to form new attachments attributed to this loss. It is important for the individual to form new attachment and motivation which breaks the negative bonds associated to the loss of the job (Thompson 2000). Other scholars suggest that the role of bereaving and depression is to maintain the bond with the job loss which needs to be intervened before its damages goes beyond expectation. It is important for the affected person to break the bonds to be compatible with the new as well as the continuing relationships. Families making sense of job loss Most of the models associated with the bereavement theory deal with bereavement of individuals affected by various situations and circumstances. In most cases job loss cases have affected families in general. These include family members notably the partners and the children example is in the case study where bereaved Sayeed is unable to provide for his family results into poor relationship with her wife Juliet. Sayeed when he had his job was the prime provider and family social control and now that he has lost his job the burden has been passed to his wife. It is also notable that it is becoming difficult for Sayeed because of his background as Indian. This is further worsened by the fragile relationship with his wife Juliet. It becomes easier and fast to adjust when there is frequent contact, rituals and willingness among the partners in the family. Bereavement theory and practice suggest that individuals need to engage with their loss of work or any other event and should work through it in order to overcome (Walsh 2010). It is notable in practice that it is common that cognitive, emotional and social factors are easily identified at the stage/phase bereavement model. The bereavement task s provided gives a guideline on how to deal with the bereaved and those persons who are depressed. The dual process model provides the guideline on how to deal with the secondary stresses such as effects to the family. Continuing bond is also important because it enables an individual to integrate the loss of the job into their lives and to look for a way of looking for another job in the future (Thompson 2000). In regard to job loss and associated bereavement and depression most research tend to focus on the individual perspective, it is important to understand the family dynamics which involve the study of the possible tension in the family. SYSTEM THEORY INTERVENTION In the context of the case study the aspect of the ASPIRE model selected is the intervention. The selected theory for intervention is the systems theory. Strengths of social system theory The system theory is adopted because it has a range of theoretical methodologies and theoretical practices from various perspectives and different societal disciplines. The strength of the theory is that its adoption is that it views any system in the society as resulting from dynamic interrelation of various component parts as well as a whole (Walsh 2010). Therefore in regard to Sayeed’s situation it views the various contributions and that they are mutually determined as a whole. Therefore it can be argued that the utilization of this theoretical framework is attributed to its perception of the various systems to being dynamic (Beckett 2006). Another factor for its adoption is that it mainly concerns with the improvement of the individual conditions which make up socials systems in the society and in this case is Sayeed and generally his family. The research methodology provided by the systems theory helps the social workers to a greater extend in understanding how those ,who make up the underlying social systems determines the systems in general and how the change in the systems affect them (Al-Krenawi 1999). This helps those engaging in social practice to understand the dynamics of the system thus enabling them to have an insight on how best they can be able to come up with a positive change and improve the underlying conditions. Systems theory is also essential in understanding how personal situations such as loss of work affect individuals. Therefore it can be argued that it helps individuals to be able to find healthy ways that can be adopted to cope in different situations and environments and trigger change in their lives. Social theory provides an understanding of the social dynamics in a large scale whereby it is instrumental in coming up with policies for improving living conditions such as bringing social equality and the oppression of the minority within the social systems (Beckett 2006). Finally in regard to the strengths of the systems theory is the provision of understanding of family dynamics which enhance effective family structures (Walsh 2010). It shows how family structures work providing strategies and measures of intervention on various issues and problems. Intervention My intervention is involved with Sayeed 50 years old Indian male living in England married with three children and has been made redundant from his workplace. For six months he has not been able to get another job and is suffering from the feelings of depression because he feels to have been discriminated because of his Indian origin despite of him having a good track of record in his workplace (Trevithick 2005). Sayeed is willing to overcome his condition by presenting the issue and seeking help and advice on how he can cope with his situation (O'Connor 2006). The first step is to gather information necessary for intervention and point out the key major reason that have significantly contributed to Sayeed condition. With appropriate interpersonal skills a good engagement with Sayeed is established because communication is the key pillar in regard to successful execution of this intervention. In order to fully adopt systems theory in this intervention process it is important to conduct proper assessment, congruence, empathy as well as unconditional positive regard. I will effectively listen, open and honest, showing respect and most importantly demonstrating anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice. This entails the initial stage of the systems theory which enhances building of trust, identification and objective setting, recommending and mutually negotiating the desired objectives to be achieved. Family dynamics In the assessment of Sayeed dynamics which entails him made redundant in his workplace despite of his performance. The notable family dynamics is that Sayeed is not able to provide for his family and that his wife Juliet feels to be burdened and the provider of the family. Decision has to make in focusing on the well being of Sayeed because at the moment he needs support and care. The focus is to ensure that he feels not separated from his family in India and confidence that he will be able to secure another job. It is also important to remove the element of racism and discrimination and oppressive perception that he feels to be subjected to. From Sayeed case is apparent that the social, economic and personal factors have impacted on his life and that of his family. This requires him to overcome these obstacles in order to achieve positive outcomes. Because of this situational complexity it is expected that it will be difficult to identify the specific area to intervene. The systems theory is suitable in the intervention process because the two major issues is the mitigation of the redundancy and motivating him to look for another job with positive perception. Also the family members comprising of his wife Juliet and his three children need to be counseled led in order to understand their father’s situation and what he is going through at the moment. Ascribing to the systems theory framework I will offer supplementary support and assist Sayeed to have a stable, emotional, and permanent social relationship in his family system (O'Connor 2006). This will ensure that Sayeed is not subjected to further stress and threats of divorce during this transition of joblessness until getting another work. With the acknowledgement of the multiple needs in Sayeed family system, tension conflict and the ineffective strategies of solving the situation this first step regard to the systems theory ensures that all the problems are intervened. It is important to build Sayeed family strength acting on the positives promoting anti-oppressive practice and increasing family motivation notably on Sayeed. Upon the completion of the family dynamics assessment it is important to construct a plan action. This is an important practice in the intervention process adopting the social theory. My intervention process shall involve problem identification, acknowledgement of the needed change, what Sayeed and Juliet wants and finally implement the underlying co-existence strategies that will enable them tolerate and understand one another. There should be no any judgmental or directive aspect to any of the subjects. Therefore it can be argued that the success of this intervention highly depends on the direction coincidence of the social work professionals and the users where in this case Sayeed, Juliet and the children. This stage of the systems theory involves working closely with Sayeed and his family members addressing their needs. This will also involve engaging with them in order for each of them to achieve their potentials. In this stage it is important to take any side as Sayeed may feel further to be discriminated. The possible negotiated goals incorporated in the implementation plan shall entail the following (Kurtines 2002). First is to introduce strategies to address the behavioral development of Sayeed after being made redundant. Secondly is to act as confidant for Sayeed to enable him relates openly with his wife and children and to feel less isolated from his family members in India. To restore the deterioration of the relationship between Sayeed and his wife who has threaten him with divorce if he do not look for another job to enable him provide for the family. It is also important to work with Juliet so as to address the inadequacy feelings in regard to her depressed husband Sayeed. Finally is to assess and to monitor the intervention progress, providing needed emotional support and implementing positive attitude and building Sayeed’s family system relationship. All of these goals aimed to change and transform the Sayeed’s attitude and his depression behavior and to integrate the family to ensure that he does not feel isolated and discriminated. Since the intervention process involved all the family members the systems theory intervention methodology has to be incorporated with other methods such as person-centered, tasked centered and attachment. The suitable systems theory is ascribed from the engineering and biology framework developed by Pincus and Minahan (O'Connor 2006). The suitability of its adoption is that this method is more interactive and it focuses on the implication of one person actions to another. Ascribing from this is that family is considered one unit and goes through life cycle and the actions of one member affects the rest of the family as evident in Sayeed case. In the context of the case study it is notable that the workplace systems have affected Sayeed whereby he is made redundant despite of his outstanding performance in the workplace. In addition the depression behavior of Sayeed has affected his family members and his family system. This method is important dealt with everyone within the systems assessing the positive and the negatively impacting human social behaviors that need to be addressed. The key unit of intervention in regard to this is the family unit which needs to be given time for adjustments. All the family members will be counseled on how to deal with struggles and conflict handling when changes occur in the system. Emphasis and focus is expected to be put on Sayeed behavior because of the pointing figure from his wife and his emotional and psychological well being. The identified systems that need to be intervened consist of family natural system, formal systems comprising of the community and the societal systems. The situation of Sayeed made redundant can be attributed to the societal systems which continue with discriminatory and oppressing practices towards people who have no UK background. Sayeed behavior need to be changed to instill self-confidence, do away with depression and motivated to look for another job. It is important to work together with his family members in addressing his behavior (Kurtines 2002). This will ensure that he does not feel isolated with his family members despite having the properly managed I will provide the necessary tools required and providing the family as well as Sayeed with the necessary information that will bring positive outcome to the change of his condition and behavior entire family in India. This will also enable his wife to understand his condition and that it was just a transition period of him getting another job. To ensure that Sayeed’s behavior is (Parry 2001) . To strengthen the family cohesiveness emotion cards will be an important tool which allowed communication of thoughts, understanding and feelings. This will allow all the family members to be able to have more time to spend together thus enhancing emotional bond. It is important to regularly review the efforts undertaken by the family to ensure that all the adjustments and implemented strategies focuses on the improvement of Sayeed’s behavior (O'Connor 2006). The final stage of the systems theory intervention is explaining to the family that the underlying intervention was only short-term. Since this intervention methodology provides for temporary solution the family and the subject must understand to avoid dependency. CONCLUSION It is important to study and to asses how the loss of a job influence the relationship between family partners and to understand what does the job loss means to both of them. Each of the bereaved people will usually deal with the job loss in their own way and in the case study Sayeed resolve to counseling services. Therefore there is no specific right way to deal with depression attributed to job loss; therefore practitioners usually face the challenge of identifying the best way of helping the depressed depending on the various circumstances and situations. Therefore the bereavement theory models adopted the successful understanding of the intervention model basically depend on the support provided, acknowledgment of their feelings that will help in changing the attitude and motivation and the incorporation of the aspect of a new and meaningful life to the depressed in the society. In regard to the system theory it is suitable when it comes to addressing issues on human behavior. The suitability of this methodology is further enhanced by the incorporation of other theories. The expectation outcome on my intervention is the fulfillment of the goals in the plan and provision of learning opportunities to deal with more complex systems structures in the future. REFERENCE Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M, 2002, Social Work Themes, Issues and Critical Debates, Basingstoke, Palgrave MacMillan Alean Al-Krenawi, J. 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Walsh, J, 2010, Theories for Direct Social Work Practice, London: Cengage Learning. Read More