The Objective of Good Social Work Practice is to Treat Everyone the Same - Essay Example

It was recognized by the 1995 Carers (Recognition and Services) Act, that there are almost 5.7 million social work practitioners, or carers, in Britain alone. Given their large number, it is no surprise that social work practice has become a major focus of policies, imposing upon practitioners a set of prescriptive agendas. In the light of these prescriptive policies, the question of whether or not social work practice must proceed treating patients the same is brought into the fore. On one hand, these policies are important to ensure that standards are upheld in the field. On the other hand, however, these policies may prove destructive to a patient’s welfare if policies are too restrictive to allow social workers the ability to customise treatment. Thus, as this essay will argue, the relational nature of social work requires social workers to apply good judgment in deciding how particular clients or patients must be treated, within the bounds, however, of objective policies to guide their actions and ensure the quality of care. First, social work is a broad area of practice that encompasses age groups, gender, environments, and different types of situational and contextual problems specific to the case in question. As Bjorn Blom enumerates, there are five distinct categories of social work practice, particularly: field, whether work is done in hospitals, schools, or prisons; setting, whether work takes place in the field, in a residence, or within a specific government office; age; the type of problem involved, whether it deals with mental health, alcohol abuse, and the like; and the method used, whether treatment is task centred, cognitive therapy or others (Blom 2004, p. 26). Thus, one can say that not all social work cases are created equal. Prescriptive government policies, in this regard, may therefore be detrimental for both the client or patient and his family. The Mental Health Act of 1983, which outlines how mental health cases should be dealt with, is an example. Under the Mental Health Act 1983 children with mental health problems are not distinguished from adults with mental health problems (Young Minds 2002, p.2). Thus, individuals regardless of their age are treated the same way without regard for the different needs that they may have. Such view of mental health, however neglects the fact that unlike adults, children have a three-fold interest in the outcomes that result from acquiring mental health care, particularly the interests of the current child to ensure welfare and the interests of the adult-to-be in order to live a productive life (Paul 2004, p. 302), in addition to the fact that children’s interests as patients should also be considered. By not recognizing the inherent differences between adults and children, the possibility of hurting a child’s development, especially in an age of immaturity, in favour of providing uniform mental health care becomes apparent. In addition to the distinct character of each case, not all social workers are also created equal, such that as Tom Wilks argues, “[v]alues play an important role in the construction of social workers’ professional identities” (Wilks 2004, p. 78). Thus, the manner social workers engage in with their clients and make assessments and decisions regarding them are guided by value statements that consequently affect their actions. Placed within the context of practice, these values play an integral role in the social worker’s ability to make sense of the situation surrounding a specific case. However, in the context of prescriptive policies that can be too restrictive on the actions social workers, their ability to make sense of a particular case and properly assess a client or patient can be endangered. This distinction between cases and social workers in the practice, and the negative effect prescriptive policy agendas have on them are subsumed within the postmodernist debate in social work. Within the context of this debate, it is argued that “while social work’s micro-practice embraces inclusiveness, diversity, and the celebration of everyday local activities,… the nation state practices exclusion” illustrated through top-down organization structures of policy and practice (Noble 2004, p. 300, 301). In this respect, social work requires micro-strategies based on situational factors of the social workers everyday relationship with the client. However, as Noble argues, this is not compatible with the prescriptive policies placed by the government. This view is also upheld by Kristen Stalker. Stalker defined social workers, or carers as those “who provide or intend to provide a substantial amount of care on a regular basis for another person” (Stalker 2003, p.181). Such definition emphasizes on the relational character of the practice. Thus, where relationships are concerned, prescriptive policies should not govern them. On the other hand, the lack of appropriate prescriptive policies can also affect social workers’ ability to do their jobs properly. This is also illustrated within the context of mental health, such that in the United Kingdom, government assistance and health services for children with mental health problems are provided by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). This is a comprehensive range of services made available to children and their families dealing with mental health problems, which incorporate health services provided for by specialists, and the support services from the community of individuals working with children (Wolpert and Foster 2005). Given that CAMHS specialists are also child specialists, they are the most knowledgeable people who can make decisions to help treat children’s mental health problems. However, under the Mental Health Act, since no distinction was made with regard to children, no distinction was also given requiring mental health assessments and treatments for children to be done by CAMHS child specialists. In most cases, they are only consulted for severe problems. In this regard, children who will benefit from social workers specialized in childcare may be endangered if the attending specialist fails to take into consideration a child’s specific needs. As illustrated by the essay, prescriptive policy agendas within social work can prove to have detrimental effects on the patient, the client, and their families if these policies are too restrictive that it limits a social workers’ ability to do his job properly and apply the needed decision-making skills within the context of his relationship with the patient. Illustrated within the context of mental health, distinctions should be made between the types of cases and between the social workers whereas while some cases deal with individuals with specific needs, these needs must be provided accordingly by the appropriate specialists. However, while prescriptive agendas can be detrimental if too restrictive, these agendas can still have some value as guide for social work practitioners as well. Thus, the point being made here is the need to make policies that are appropriate to give social workers standard, while still letting them conduct treatment in a manner that is also proper. With this in place, the concept of treating everyone the same was defined by the essay in terms of prescriptive policy agendas that forces social workers to practice their field and treat their clients in the same manner. However, as the essay illustrated, this should not be the objective of social work; but instead, it must only be a guide for social work. In this regard, it is important to understand that social work practice is not concerned with uniform treatment of patients and clients, but proper and appropriate treatment that yields warranted results. References Blom, B 2004, ‘Specialization in Social Work Practice: Effects of Interventions in the Personal Social Services’, Journal of Social Work, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 25-46. Noble, c 2004. ‘Postmodern thinking: Where is it taking social work?’ Journal of Social Work, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 289-304. Paul, M 2004, ‘Decision-making about children’s mental health care: ethical challenges’, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, vol. 10, pp. 301-311. Stalker, K 2003. Research Highlights in Social Work, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. Wilks, T, 2004 ‘The Use of Vignettes in Qualitative Research into Social Work Values’, Qualitative Social Work, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 78-87. Wolpert, M & Foster, B 2005, ‘CAHMS in the 21st century: possibilities and tensions’, YoungMinds Magazine, vol. 75, viewed 18 October 2005, . YoungMinds 2002, Children’s Needs in the Mental Health Bill, viewed 18 October 2005, . Read More