Holistic and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Working with Vulnerable Populations - Assignment Example

? Social Work Question Approaches dealing with society’s vulnerable populations The two main approaches that were used in dealing with the society’s vulnerable populations were holistic and multidisciplinary approaches, a commonality in the two approaches. These approaches allowed for comprehensive risk analysis, taking into account the wide range of children’s vulnerabilities (Jansson, 2012a). a. Holistic approach Holistic assessment is used where performance objectives are inter-related and complex and the extent of performance are measured against established standards. Holistic assessment guidance recommends that the first part of any assessment reports have to provide an overall judgment, taking into account capability across all domains of the social responsibilities, referencing the level descriptor, and building on any interim review. b. Multidisciplinary approach This approach involves co-operation existing between the social professionals with no similar, but interlinked professional and educational backgrounds. In this sense, the mutual co-operation is ensured by their link to a common corporate culture, and due to the fact that they are used to working within some common and collective institutional background. Holistic approach has some obvious advantages over multidisciplinary, the most obvious being the patient-centered approach. Furthermore, it provides a stimulating work environment within which staff can learn about, and even conduct, some of the assessments and interventions traditionally carried out by other disciplines. When effectively done, it is considered as a proficient technique of operation, with both cost and time savings because of no duplications and necessity for any follow-up case conferencing (Jansson, 2012a). The underlying philosophies and how these philosophies influenced their interventions, with a reflection on the present social work Holistic and multidisciplinary social responsibilities are philosophies based on the premise that individuals in any society are able to find meaning, identity and purpose in life and their community through mutual connections to the community itself and the social workers within it. Hence, the two approaches call for intrinsic reverence for life and love for our society. Describe what you personally view as most positive about each approach and if you perceive any limitations’ to those approaches. The holistic approach has the core advantage of enabling a better understanding of a concept at hand through its focus on all segments of a whole issue, thus very appropriate in generating a detailed understanding of the social factors by the social workers. Multidisciplinary approach, on the other hand, has the benefit of allowing for focus on individual areas of expertise, increase professional satisfaction, provides room for learning new skills and approaches, and finally encourages innovation (Jansson, 2012b). Question 5 Goals of the affordable Care acts and its accomplishments As passed in March 2010, by the Congress, Affordable Care Acts, a comprehensive health care was based on three fundamental goals. These goals included the need to; decrease the cost of health care, improve the quality of health care, and make health care more accessible most particularly to the uninsured in the United States. Hence, this Act had a provision aimed at decreasing the cost and enhancing accessibility so as to ensure that every individual in the United States had easy access to the health insurance (Calsyn, & Rosenthal, 2013). For the purpose of encouraging the preventive care, primary care and discouraging activities that are likely to lead to diseases’ infections, other provisions are linked to the Act. The five-fold provisions: require health insurance companies to cover immunizations for children and cancer screening for women; require Medicare to pay primary care physicians and general surgeons in areas that lack primary care physicians a ten percent bonus payments; establish programs aimed at supporting pregnant and parenting teens and women; impose a ten percent tax on indoor tanning services, and; require chain eateries and food items sold from retailing machines to make known the nutritional value for every items. Implications of ACA law for young adults The 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) stretches outs health insurance treatment for both young adults and the adolescents, enhances right to use all-inclusive advantages, provides greater weight on prevention and wellness, and advances training and compensation for providers who serve these young adults. In most instances, health care necessities of adolescents vary from those of young children and adults. While young adults may be healthy in general, accessibility to health centers, as well as health education and preventive care, are significant in sustained health care among them. Unhealthy/poor tendencies may build up and bring about poor states of health eventually in life. Besides, the early signs of mental illness may usually materialize in early adulthood stages, since this age group is typically engaged in high risk activities that put them at risk for injuries (Dolgoff, Lowenberg, & Harrington, 2009). Therefore, the key federal provisions in this Act for the Adolescents and young adults are: a. Expansion of access to insurance coverage: This Act, Affordable Care Act (ACA), ensures expansion of access to insurance coverage for the adolescents and young adults through actively expending both public and private insurance options within the United States. It further expands the accessibility to particularly vulnerable populations such as young individuals who are aging out of the foster care systems. The Act prohibits insurance companies from exempting children (through age 18) from coverage based on the pre-existing conditions, and an extension into the dependent coverage under a parent’s policy for young adults up to the age of 26 years. b. Emphasize on wellness and prevention: In its strategies, ACA outlines diverse prevention and wellness provisions to young adults on issues such as early pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and contraception that affect them directly or indirectly through education programs (Calsyn, & Rosenthal, 2013). Implications of this law for social work clients This law implies that more people than ever (an estimate of 19 million people), will become newly eligible for Medicaid, including a number of low-income residents who are faced with a multitude of physical and mental health challenges. Social work clients will also enjoy medical efficiencies and effectiveness, preventive care, and lower costs on medical expenses (Gorim, 2013). Question 6 Social work principals or NASW code of ethics how in social welfare policy or programs Social work as a profession is conducted based on well set and reputable core values and principles that regulate its professionals and ensures the actual attainment of its mission. NASW Code of Ethics entails fundamental standards for the professional conduct of social workers. All NASWA members have the obligation of affirming their full commitments to bide by the Code of Ethics (NASW, 2008). The purposes for which NASW code of ethics serves include: identification of core values on which social work’s mission is based; summarizing the broad ethical principles that reflect the profession’s core value and effectively establishes a set of specific ethical standards that should be applied as a guide in the social work practices; facilitate in the social workers identification of the relevant considerations when professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties arise; provision of ethical standards to which the general public are able to hold the social work profession accountable for every actions or services offered; socialization of new practitioners to the field to actively carry out the social work’s values, mission, ethical standards, and ethical principles, and to finally; articulate proper standards that the social work profession itself can apply in assessing whether social workers have engaged in any unethical conduct. NASW codes of ethics revolve around competency, integrity, social justice, service, dignity and worth of any individual, and importance of human relationships (NASW, 2007). a. Integrity: Being aware of their profession’s mission, ethical principles, values, and ethical standards and practices, social workers are expected to behave in a trustworthy and consistent manner. Honesty and responsible actions by the social workers promotes ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are affiliated. b. Competence: As a social worker, one is solely expected to practice immensely within their areas of competence and develop their professional expertise. In every sphere, social workers do strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to amply apply them in practice. Therefore, social workers have the target of contributing to the knowledge base of the profession (Congress, 1999). c. Dignity and Worth of an individual: Respect for the inherent dignity and worth of an individual in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of others’ differences and cultural and ethnic diversity is important. Enhancement of client’s capacity and opportunity to change and to address their need; being cognizant of their dual responsibilities to clients, and; resolving conflicts between clients’ interests are core functions of the social workers. As social workers, we may experience ethical dilemmas when one or more of our professional principal’s clash. Describe a situation in which this can occur. An ethical dilemma within professional principles presents complex situations whereby different morals within the social work ethics and principals conflict. A social worker in a rural setting with limited mental health care services and knowledge is consulted on a client suffering from agoraphobia, a nervousness disorder involving a fear of public spaces (Jansson, 2012a). Limited options for treatment, and the client`s discomfort in being too far from home, mean that the client might not receive any assistance in case the clinician declined on the basis of a lack of competence (Ethical Standard 1.04). Denying seeing the patient then would be potentially in conflict with our commitment to promote the well-being of clients (Ethical Standard 1.01). Resolution Ethical Standard 4.01 provides the solution. It states that social workers should only accept employment on the basis of existing competence/with intentions of acquiring recommended competence. The social worker has the option of accepting the case, discussing the present limits of her expertise with the client and following through on her obligation to seek training or supervision in this area. References Calsyn, M. & Rosenthal, L. (2013). How the Affordable Care Act helps young adults Congress, E. P. (1999). Social work values and ethics: Identifying and resolving professional dilemmas. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Group/Thompson Learning. Dolgoff, R., Lowenberg, F. M., & Harrington, D. (2009). Ethical decisions for social work practice (8th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Gorim, S. (2013). The future of the Affordable Care Act. Social work today. Jansson, B.S. (2012a). The reluctant welfare state: Engaging history to advance social work practice in contemporary society. 6th Ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson. Brooks/Cole. Jansson, B.S. (2012b). The reluctant welfare state: Engaging history to advance social work practice in contemporary society. 7th Ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. ISBN-10: 0840034407. NASW (2007). Standards for Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice. Washington, DC: NASW Press. WSSW Website NASW (2008). Code of Ethics. Washington, DC: NASW Press. WSSW website. Read More