Social Work Policy Change - Term Paper Example

Social Work Policy Change Social work services policy formulation and implementation were controversial areas in the UK, until the introduction of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) 1970’s. Continuous difficulties characterised the coordination of service user groups that targeted children for social work. Social welfare agencies that existed earlier on faced a lot of challenges in managing the operation of their organisations due to poor or lack of statutory and organisational framework. Resources to facilitate the activities of these groups were difficult to find, since the sector lacked policies that would attract and maintain funding agencies for the continuation of their services (Kirton, 2008, p76). The author examines the changes that the government has implemented in an attempt to enhance normalcy within the child protection sector that touches on social work and other agencies. Policy frameworks that tackled maltreatment of children were greatly improved by the government. However, the obligation of transforming internal controls and organisational policies of the social work agencies remained within the hands of the agencies themselves. Serious concerns have been raised concerning the preparedness of these agencies to formulate and implement internal policies that would promote cohesion and competence in their child safeguarding roles. In this study, policy issues have been explored and options to improve the situation in social work for children safeguarding. Lately, it has been increasingly important to incorporate several stakeholders in the realisation of better services in the children social work programs. Using a Critical Perspective On Safeguarding Children, the impacts of synergism developed by bringing several players are maximised (Broadhurst et al, 2009, p122). The approach utilises the strength gathered from different disciplinary backgrounds to assist in making the service delivery more comprehensive and coherent. Chances of incorporating all needy children into the various social work programs become higher when collective responsibility takes charge at the policy and implementation levels. Initially proposed by the Labour Party in the UK, the Critical Perspective On Safeguarding Children, every sector is involved in making contribution in the overall operation and organisation of the programs handling children welfare. In line with this perspective, it is proposed here that policy changes intended at making a dramatic change of results in children safeguard social work agencies can be achieved by collaborating with professionals. Policy Change Inspirations obtained from inefficiencies of social work agencies in delivery of children safeguard services has been analysed to illustrate that the internal factors of these agencies contribute heavily to the failures. Generally, the huge scope of the social work with respect to the problems that the child is to be protected from is unbearable by the social workers. Social work agencies may not be able to comprehensively tackle the problems that arise on their own, without the assistance of the general society, government and professionals. Some of the major categories of abuse that children need to be protected and safeguarded from include; physical injury, sexual abuse, non-organic failure to thrive, emotional abuse, emotional abuse as well as physical neglect and rejection (Clackmannanshire Council, 2011). Agencies need to be equipped to ensure that the social worker is capable to handle the huge scope of challenges presented without experiencing a burnout (Friedlander, 1976, p161). Policy changes that the proposed collaboration will be targeting will mainly relate to the enhancement of the morale that the social workers have in preparedness for the taxing task the face. According to O’Brien (2010, p1), social workers are always overwhelmed by the increasing numbers of children in need of protection and safeguarding. According to the author, management of social agencies is vulnerable to several flaws which make it hard for the social workers to deliver. But the approach given to solve this problem has always been off the real issue; the overstretched capacity of the social workers to withstand the huge challenge of their work. Apparently, the capacity of the social workers can be increased to sufficiently pleasant level if support is not only directed to the children under care but also the social workers themselves (O’Hagan, 1996, p163). Policy failure is therefore identified as the limited scope of assistance given to social workers and the study consequently provides possible solutions towards capacity building. According to Leathard (2003, p172), it has substantially been established that policy change should incorporate three different policy levels namely; individual, organisation and inter-organisational. Inefficiency lurking beneath any of the three elements of the social agency could cause serious operational problems. It appears that governments and financiers of child safeguarding agencies concentrate on the latter two elements (organisational and inter-organisational levels), neglecting the individual. Evidence can easily be availed on the fact that there has been much emphasis on interagency reviews, while very little is done at the individual level (Cleaver et al, 2008, p12). Examples in the UK where these elements have been facilitated are in the form of policy documents formulated for child protection. On one hand, the 1999 Working Together to Safeguard Children (WTSC) was to promote interagency cooperation and enhance synergistic results in the sector. On the other hand, an implementation policy known as The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families was designed with the consideration of reviewing the effectiveness of the programs designed already to enhance cooperation. Social workers need policy designs that can enhance their competence through motivation and career development packages. Continuous reviews on the policy outcome and efficiency should lead to further policy improvement with regard to the welfare of the social workers. Just like in any other trade, employees need to feel motivated to assist them to maintain their concentration in the work that they are engaged to do by the organisation. The closest that the policy makers came to comprehensively assist social workers in the initial days of UK realignment towards child protection in 1990s was by the preparation of the document known as Child Protection, Messages from Research. This document was prepared in the year 1995 by the Department of Health giving an analysis of findings obtained in several research papers conducted to reveal the condition of child protection since the 1980s. A major proposal that could assist in assisting social workers was only in exploring the alternative that family based child protection approach could generate in reducing the work load that social workers bear. It is evident that this particular research proposal avoided the pressing need of increasing capacity of the social workers and instead approved strengthening the family approach. What the finding did not state is that the family had already failed to tackle the earlier mentioned child maltreatments, and the possibility of overpowering the causes. Apparently, family issues would be difficult to solve than assisting the children in need of care, although it could be the most appropriate solution in the long run. In Leathard (p174), it is proposed that success obtained in the past has been facilitated largely due to the involvement of professionals who participated in the community offering interagency child protection service. It can be proposed that if the same was introduced to the individual social worker perspective, empowerment could result in a huge departure from the inefficiency observed today to a reliable level of operation. Effective Team Building Strategies According to the Department of Health (2000, p68), it is useful to open up the gap that exists between stringent adherence to program designs in social work and interactive learning and attitudinal change by the social workers. Team building is generated by the incorporation of program compliance and free interaction between initiative oriented workers. A proposal to increase interaction between professionals without necessarily interfering with the program of the agencies will facilitate the appropriate policy needed to enhance productivity and efficiency from the social workers. Research promoting inter-professional perspective in team building reveals that the benefits of group dynamics comes into play in the operation of the agencies, when an inclusive group of professional is put together. Benefits of team communications are enhanced and established in the agency, enabling social workers to conduct their social work in the best coordinated manner (Lonne, 2009, p75). By approaching the operation of the agency from different professional paradigms will assist the social workers to develop a multidisciplinary approach to social challenges presented to them. Alternatively, from the inter-professional team building approach, team management from different angles will facilitate the development of an all round social worker who can handle any group leadership problem within convenience. From different professional philosophies and paradigms, the social worker gets insightful team and organisational management skills that are enough in the running of any agency (Timms and Timms, 1977, p214). Professionals can be engaged by the social workers at different levels through various ways, to facilitate collaborative work in safeguarding children. The social workers most important assignment during such engagements is the exploitation of the chance to ensure that interactive learning takes place. Incompetence or retreatment into poor service could also be as a result of continued routine which develops monotony. Interactive forums with other professional will facilitate attitudinal change required to revitalise the social worker within the confinement of social work (Munro, 2007, p50). Some of the most appropriate platforms to facilitate interactive learning for the social workers include organising seminars with an interdisciplinary professional pool. Workshops could also be used as useful platforms where collaborative ideas are generated for better child safeguarding policies and practices. European trends in acknowledging the power of partnerships facilitating children safeguard programs have been well pronounced than in the UK. European partnerships elsewhere reveal the understanding of the need to improve quality in delivery of health and social services. The Verona Initiative is an example of the proposals made by the European Union policy makers which puts into consideration the benefits of teams working together across professional boundaries (CIPW, 2007, p7). Challenges When the proposed change and the platforms to achieve the change are introduced, possible challenges will stand in the way of their implementation. Among the challenges, resistance from the agency workers will be expected. Routines developed over time are hard to break and there is a lot of trouble when deviating from the traditions. Lack of cooperation from certain quarters of the organisation may also rise due to a myriad of reasons. Loss of motivation to implement the changes along the way could also act as a barrier to the implementation of the changes. Lack of funds to facilitate successful joint forums by the other professionals might also present a big challenge, since current polices could be inflexible to allow funds to be used for such forums. Kotter’s Theory: 8 steps to Manage Change From the theory postulated by Kotter, the following eight points have been generated (Managing-change, 2010): Prioritising change agenda as a matter of urgency will assist in the establishment of the desired practices and culture. Cost benefit analysis of the implementation should guide the urgency of adoption. Persuasion could be important if the communication barrier exists to delay the implementation. Coalition formation with the best leadership oriented workers could increase the rate of acceptance and implementation. Individuals with the relevant skills should form a part of the implementation team, including those with political influence to solicit for acceptance. Visionary members should be brought on board in order to enhance success rate. Commitment should always be a pillar in the implementation plan. Vision should be present in the implementation process since it acts as a driving force. Organisational values and objectives of the organisation should be revisited and always in line with the plan. Strategies formulated should be in line with the vision and evaluation of strengths and weaknesses of each of the strategies laid down should guide the path of implementation. Any changes in the plan should be communicated promptly, to facilitate a smooth transition. Empowerment is important since every individual needs to feel as a part of the larger organisation. Efforts made should deliver results; this is done by encourage risk taking and strategising where results are not forthcoming. Listen to opposition and tackling obstacles could assist in empowering the team to make the transition. Goals should be set in advance in a short term basis, then the long term. Achievable and easily implementable goals should be set on their advantages and disadvantages basis. Rewarding and punishing accordingly will assist in sticking to the goals. Consolidating the already acquired improvements will encourage more change. Reporting on the acquired changes will assist in obtaining the approval of the top management. To be sustainable, it is advisable to maintain momentum of the program implementation upon reaching certain levels of change to facilitate the full completion of the change. Sticking with the change is the most defining moment of the agency. The achievements should be praised on the team. New employees should be introduced to the program to make it stick in the organisations’ culture. References Managing-change (2010) The 8 step Kotter Theory to Master Organizational Change. [online] managing-change.com. Available from: http://www.managing-change.net/kotter-theory.html [Accessed 26 January 2011] Broadhurst, K., Grover, C. & Jamieson, J. (2009) Critical perspectives on safeguarding children. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley and Sons Butler, I. & Roberts, G. (2004) Social work with children and families: getting into practice. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers CIPW (2007) Health and social care policy and the interprofessional agenda. [online] London. Available from: http://www.caipe.org.uk/silo/files/cipw-policy.pdf [Accessed 26 January 2011] Clackmannanshire Council (2011) Child protection: defining child abuse. [online] Clackmannanshire Available from: http://www.clacksweb.org.uk/children/childprotection/ [Accessed 26 January 2011]     Cleaver, H., Scott, J. & Walker, S. (2008) The integrated children’s system: enhancing social work and inter-agency practice. Davies, L. & Ducket, N. (2008) Proactive child protection and social work. Exeter, UK: Learning Matters Friedlander, W. A. (1976) Concepts and methods of social work. London, UK: Prentice Hall PTR Kirton, D. (2008) Child social work policy and practice. London, UK: SAGE Publications Ltd. Leathard, A. (2003) Interprofessional collaboration: from policy to practice in health and social care. East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press. Lonne, B. (2009) Reforming child protection. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Munro, E. (2007) Child protection. London, UK: SAGE Publishers O’Brien, C. (2010) Monumental failure to protect children in care. [online] Irish Times. Available from: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0608/1224272053606.html [Accessed 26 January 2011] O’Hagan, K. (1996) Competence in social work practice: a practical guide for professionals. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Timms, N. & Timms, R. (1977) Perspective in social work. London, UK: Routledge Webb, N. B. (2003) Social work practice with children. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Read More