Social Work Issues in Society - Essay Example

Social Work in Society Patch Introduction Human societies display extreme diversity secondary to the existence of individuals belonging to different ethnic, religious, economic and cultural backgrounds. Although this diversity is regarded as being beneficial for any society, many social problems may also stem from this diversity. One of the main factors that contribute to the segregation of people in a society is the economic factor. Economic inequality plays a significant role in creating the social divide that prevails in most modern societies. In addition to economic factors, ethnic differences and skin color also play an important role in determining the level of access to opportunities and hence the social class. Difference of skin color is a major factor that affects the social and economic status of individuals in our society. This essay will take into account the impact of poverty on the life of black individuals suffering from a mental health condition. A deep insight into the causes of poverty will allow a better understanding of the nature of the issue. The work will also attempt to establish whether poverty is structural or pathological; an aspect that can provide insight into the ways that can be utilized to eradicate poverty. The essay emphasizes the need to make mental health services easily accessible to service users that belong to the selected social class i.e. black individuals suffering mental health issues. Social exclusion refers to the marginalization that is experienced by certain disadvantaged classes of a society due to their social, educational, political, and economic or health backgrounds. Individual belonging to such classes are generally deprived of access to resources that are otherwise available to all other classes of the society. One of the most common themes in this regard is income or social inequality. According to Hirsch, Davis &Smith (2009), it is a process through which some groups have been discriminated on issues which relate to caste, creed, race, religion, gender disability, or other personal status. As far as the mentally ill black individuals are concerned, their deprivation possibly stem from two major factors: 1) their inability to function normally due to mental condition 2) their compromised social and economic status. Black men with mental health condition Most black individuals having mental health conditions are unable to function in a normal fashion. For this reason they are unable to avail job opportunities that are otherwise available to common people. For many black citizens within UK, an incurable mental problem has a highly dramatic as well as negative impact on the overall household income. This could have direct consequences such as loss of employment and a huge decrease in household or disposable income. Black people who have mental health problems often have to face serious discrimination at the work place and in many circumstances that are underpaid. As a result black people who have mental health problems are among the poorest citizens in the UK. They also have the highest unemployment rates among the entire working class of the region. According to a labor force survey carried out in 1996, an estimated 72% of the black population within the UK was living with mental illness and unemployment (Corden, 1996). According to the Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of Private households in UK, it was found that more than 64% of the black people experienced a psychotic episode in 2006 and this lead to several neurotic issues which lead to unemployment (Davis, 2010). High levels of social exclusion and underemployment means that such people spend most of their lives suffering from various mental and health related problems and therefore find themselves on the brink of poverty. The reason for such results is that black people are unable to access the required amount of contribution from private pension or other benefit schemes, since they are reserved for the other over-privileged classes of the society. This is quite a serious issue for black men who have been outnumbered by white men and as a result will face problems related to mental health throughout their life. The major chunk of people in the UK who use services related to mental health, often find themselves having no real alternative for most of their income from the system which is related to social security benefits. Implementing of this system will help in sustaining and reinforcing problems related to mental ill-health in various ways. It all depends on the attitude of social security staff towards claimants who are suffering from mental problems and are able to confirm their low self-esteem and other mental issues. Difficulties which are often faced by black people suffering from mental health problems lie in being able to claim benefits which are related to entitlement and can also reduce weekly incomes of people to a great extent (Sen, 1985). The relatively low level of benefit received from such restrictions can force people to consider their choices related to education, housing, and employment because by not being able to do so will lead them to an abject level of poverty. The current government rules regarding social security policies implicit in the UK are focused on eliminating expenditure for benefits related to disability (Smith, 2010). This could also reduce the effect of a reduction in claims for benefits related to disability and can eliminate other benefits which black people suffering from mental problems are entitled to. As a result considerable barriers are being placed in the paths of those who want to get out of abject poverty. Apart from that, authorities related to government as well as media have made certain modifications which is able to restrict entitlement, increases the level of insecurity, strain and stress which are faced by black, mentally unhealthy people as well as their families who depend on benefits related to social security. It is a fact that such people suffer from the strain of being unable to manage on poverty-level incomes which are claimed from the state level problems related to mental health and can also undermines the mental health as well as prosperity and wellbeing of their families. Such conditions could lead to mental and social distress among black people and it is also increased by a high level of responsiveness related to local as well as national benefits and the changes in the system related to claiming of benefits. For those black people who constantly suffer from mental issues, could well find themselves in several crisis and also stuck in several kinds of unsupported and supported issues which include a dearth of independent accommodation and financial problems (Hirsch & Smith, 2010). The main reason for this scenario is that benefit claims are not processed which causes further hardship and financial insecurity. Other problems include homelessness, food problems and disparity which also results from being unable to receive benefits which need to be received on time and this further increase the probability that people who are suffering from mental issues need to be cautious in managing their social and economical issues and have to take care of their mental well-being (Pantazis, 2006). Apart from that, chronic or acute poverty also means mental strain, frustration and most importantly suffering from poor physical and mental health. According to Ridge (2009), people who struggle in such scenario are unable to maintain their links with social as well as communal activities and this leads to them being socially isolated and splitting their family and social ties. This is due to lack of financial resources which makes it more difficult in marinating and sustaining relationships; being unable to join family and social events, unable to join voluntary work and thus leaving every activity which is important for physical and mental wellbeing. The issue which must be addressed in this essay is that why people are socially excluded? People have talked about poverty and mental health but there has never been a relevant indicator about this issue. There are 3 key issues which need to be addressed in this regard. These are Social Integration, Moral Discourse and Social acceptance (Munck, 2005). They are all directly or indirectly linked to poverty, however the problem of social exclusion has caused great consequences for the people concerned and its great cause of poverty. The main aim of social integration is to tackle poverty and to properly redistribute wealth to deserving people. The solution can only be obtained by creating an inclusive society which can understand social issues and which is able to eliminate social exclusion (Dominy, 2006). For many people, social exclusion is certainly the root cause of poverty and unemployment could create more negative effects in this regard. The core aim of social integration and moral justice is making sure that everyone is economically and socially active and there is justice in this regard. However, this has been criticized by various people. Mainly it never considers other elements of social and economic justice which leads to further social exclusion (Dean, 1999). It is also possible for people to be employed but they are still socially excluded in their community. Further issues are created by low income and lack of job satisfaction because people have to work for long hours and have to face employment segregation. It also does not consider the role of social and gender discrimination as well as in creation of social exclusion. Social scientists and philosophers and researchers have often emphasized on increasing emphasis on social and moral as well as cultural causes of poverty, and this is certainly a dangerous class in this regard. Scharf &, Sim (2006), have emphasized the matter of poverty and social exclusion through an empirical as well as conceptual level. This link has been highlighted in social exclusion and poverty has also been presented in its worst possible form for social and moral reasons trajectory. Stressing this example from the perspective of London, this trajectory was also viewed by the council of Europe because they have also viewed the importance of people living in rundown areas where poverty and underemployment has been neglected and social welfare has been given no importance and this also makes poverty more subjective into socially exclusion (Novak, 2001). In spite of knowing the fact that this issue is the most significant issue in the lives of the mental health service users living in poverty, the mental health service workers and providers doesn’t really recognize in their services that these issues are extremely imperative to be recognized, so that recovery could be accomplished as soon as possible (Smith, 2004). According to Beresford (1999), the critical social and economic circumstances of the mental health service users doesn’t really enables them to keep themselves updated with the Professional anxiety involving risk, treatment and diagnosis. Conclusion From the above discussion it can be concluded that the causes of poverty are multifaceted and no single approach can satisfactorily explain why poverty is continuously increasing. As far as the structural causes are concerned, there is sufficient evidence to support the notion that various structural factors do contribute to the genesis of poverty among the deprived classes of the society. This is true keeping in view the fact that the social fabric of the society is weaved keeping in view the benefits of the privileged classes of the society and for this reason the rights of deprived classes are often forfeited. This is however an incomplete interpretation of the real picture, which also points towards the pathological causes as being contributory towards poverty. Therefore, it is safe to assert that a blend of structural as well as pathological causes contribute to the genesis of poverty among the deprived classes of the society. People often criticize the society and cultural as well as social norms for social exclusion, which further leads to structural causes and this highlights the negative effect of social and economic welfare for increasing ‘dependency’. However, it is certainly evident that unemployment has not only replaced poverty but it has also complicated matters in the worst possible because there is a strong connection between such complicated terms. Patch 2 The area chosen for patch 2 is the Moorlands Estate, Brixton which is one of the six large housing estates in the region. The area demonstrated rapid development after the 1970s when old Edwardian properties were demolished to pave way for new developments. More than 500 double storey homes have been constructed in the area. An assessment of the wellbeing and resilience in the selected areas reveals that the area is lagging behind in some very important aspects of social life. The Moorland estate is located in Coldharbour Ward of Lambeth and is commonly regarded as one of the most deprived regions of the Kingdom. Incident of severe crimes secondary to poverty are a common happening and multiple incidents of stabbing have been reported during the recent years. Communities residing in the Moorland estate face higher than the national average levels of unemployment. This can be regarded as one of the main factors that contribute to the poverty of the residents. Additionally, the vast number of individuals residing in the area demonstrated that most of them were born outside of the UK. Most individuals were of Afro-Caribbean origin residing alone or with their parents in old flat that are socially rented. Wellbeing of the individuals residing in this area has been judged by considering a few markers that can point towards the real condition of the people living in the area. These include an insight into the feelings of people, their satisfaction level, they economic conditions, their ability to save money, their willingness to face life problems and their willingness to socialize with people in the society. Most of the people in the area reported a feeling of dissatisfaction with their lives; an indicator of poor wellbeing. Secondly, the satisfaction level of people is diminished. This can be closely related to the satisfaction that people have regarding their jobs. Since jobs are infrequently available, people have to face the dreaded consequences of poverty. Although the Moorlands estate has been famous for its people’s association with drugs, the community in general is well bonded and people in the region are well aware of other’s existence. It is very rare for people in the area to stay in isolation. But surprisingly, most of people don’t stay in the area for extended periods of time. The reason for this is the fact that the area has become full of people who have foreign origins and hence speak different languages. Crime rates are very high in the area and various criminal gangs operate to fulfill their objectives. Younger children are forcefully made part of the criminal gangs and people’s lives are therefore always at stake. For this reason, many people regard Brixton as a place that is good to get somewhere else. As far as the social relationships are concerned, younger adults are of the idea that their parents have been unable to dedicate time to teach their children. Hence children of the area have been unable to learn ethics in appropriate manner – a cause of children misbehavior. Moreover, the bonding between family members have reduced; a factor that has allowed gang members to act like a family while earning trust of the young children. A mistrust between the residents of the area and the officials has become profound over time. The residents of the community feel that they are powerless and for this reason mistrust has flourished between the authorities and the residents. Poor relationship with local housing association has added to the complication of the problem. Based on the analysis of data pertaining to the social circumstances of the selected area, it can be seen that the social fabric in the selected area is undergoing considerable turmoil due to unfavorable circumstances of the area. Since the area is not free from crimes, the criminals are free to operate and carry out lethal actions against the residents of the area. The future of coming generations appears to be threatened by the prevalence of crime in the area. In addition to these factors, it should be understood that the area is not very well suited for spending life on long term basis. Therefore, people opt to live in this area for limited period of time, as this prevents them from becoming victims of the crime. 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