What Is the Relationship between Community Work and Social Work - Assignment Example

Reflective Journal Topic one: The concept of community What is the relationship between community work and social work? Introduction to Community Projects Understanding the concept of community is one of the focal and fundamental steps towards developing and implementing appropriate community work strategies and practices. Following a thorough research on what this concept entails, it is evident that there is no standard definition for the concept of community since it is elusive. What one may perceive as a community may be different from what another person perceives. Nonetheless, from a sociological perspective, the term “community” refers to group of people who are unified by at least one characteristic. These characteristics may include; shared beliefs, experiences, geography or traditions (Hardcastle 2011). Over time, a number of literatures have conveyed different ideas on the concept of community. These ideas have significantly influenced and helped to shape how this concept is perceived or understood. For instance, Twelvetrees (2008) has explored this concept in a holistic yet simplistic manner. In his book, he begins by exploring what the term “community” means. He notes that the term community can either be that of a geographical nature or that of shared interest. In essence, Twelvetrees suggests that a group of people living in a similar geographical area can be considered to be a community. Arnold (2007) is also of the opinion that a community can be perceived in terms of a geographical network. Furthermore, according to Twelvetrees (2008), people with shared or similar interests can be referred to as a community, case in point, the egalitarian community. Additionally, people with similar conditions, ethnic backgrounds or beliefs can be regarded as a community. For instance, there is the deaf community, Aboriginal community, black community, Chinese communities and aged community among many others. Based on Twelvetrees sentiments, it is plausible to deduce that, although a community may be made up of people from similar geographic area, ethnic background or people with similar interest, the notion of diversity comes into play in every community. Thus, in every community diversities are evident. Therefore, this is a factor that community or social workers should take into account in the course of their practice. Twelvetrees (2008) further points out that a community is characterised by different levels of interactions and attachment amongst members. Based on these sentiments, it is apparent that in order for a group of people either living in a similar geographic area or having similar interest to be considered as community, they have some form of attachment or relationship with each other. This is attained over time through continuous interaction or communication. Twelvetrees (2008) also points out a very thought provoking aspect of a community. He notes that in every community, there are different types of competing subgroups and struggles for power between different sectors. Twelvetrees observations can be considered to be out rightly true. This is mainly because power struggles is an aspect that is almost evident in almost all aspects of life. It is through these power struggles that, roles of community members are negotiated or established (Arnold 2007). Evidently, Twelvetrees (2008) has provided an insightful outlook on the concept of community. From his sentiments on the concept of community, one can draw several lessons on what community work entails. Twelvetrees suggests that community work is a process that entails helping people to improve their communities through self-directed collective action. Similarly, Coulshed and Orme (2012), observe that community work entails working with people using information, strategies and skills in order to encourage them to take up personal initiatives towards addressing issues that impact on the their lives. When critically reviewing the definitions of community work provided by Twelvetrees (2008) and Coulshed and Orme (2012), it is evident to some extent these definitions describe social work, since they touch on fundamental aspects of social work such as empowerment and engagement. According to Ambrosino, Hefferman & Shuttlesworth (2008) social work is a practice that focuses on enabling individuals, families and communities to develop strengths and capacities that will alleviate problems and improve social functioning. When comparing the definitions provided by Twelvetrees (2008) and Coulshed and Orme (2012) on community and the one provided by Ambrosino et al (2008) on social work, it becomes apparent that they have numerous similarities. Both definitions convey that community work and social work entail working with people or engaging people in a bid to empower them so that they can find solutions on their own. It is therefore worth questioning, what is the relationship between community work and social work? Coulshed and Orme (2012) provide some significant insight on the relationship between community work and social work. They note that, community work approaches often seek to engage with communities so as to ensure that the needs of that particular community are identified and resource to meet these needs are demanded. Furthermore, they note that community work also involves operating creatively in order to advocate for resources and meet needs that are meaningful to the community. They note that such approaches are also used in social work. Based on this illustration, it is evident that both community work and social work involve the use of approaches such advocacy and community empowerment. Nevertheless, social work is based on the premise that the acquisition of qualifications, professionalism, knowledge or skills can help to assist clients. Conversely, community work upholds that a community is an expert on their own situations thus they can find solutions for themselves (Coulshed and Orme 2012). Therefore to a some extent the approaches used by community workers and social workers may vary. In regards to the sentiments provided by Twelvetrees (2008) and Coulshed and Orme (2012), issues such as diversity, interactions and relationships take a centre stage as far as community or social work is concerned. Since diversities are present in every community, it is crucial for community workers to implement practices that equally meet the needs of each group so as to ensure that no particular groups of people are marginalised. Moreover, since attachment and interactions are predominant is every community (Twelvetrees 2008), community workers can help people improve their communities by closely interacting and forming positive relationships with community members. This will in turn enable them to gain a position of influence in the community. References Ambrosino, R. Hefferman, J. & Shuttlesworth, G. (2008). Social work and social welfare. Belmont, CA: Thomson. Arnold, M. (2007). “The concept of community and the character of networks”. Journal of Community Informatics 3(2). Retrieved on April 7 2013 Coulshed, V. & Orme, J. (2012). Social work practice. 5th Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Hardcastle, D. (2011). Community Practice: Theories and Skills for Social Workers. New York: Oxford University Press. Twelvetrees, A. (2007). Community Work. 4th Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Topic 2: Contextualizing communities.Theoretical foundations: ideologies and approaches Over time, social work as a profession has undergone a gradual metamorphosis such that it is perceived and practiced differently in various communities, contexts and settings. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that the various practices, ideologies and approaches to social work are founded or drawn from particular theoretical foundations or perspectives. Indeed, there are numerous theoretical foundations that influence ideologies and approaches of social work. Nonetheless, one of the theoretical foundations that can be considered to very interesting and relevant to most communities and contexts are conflict theories commonly associated with Karl Max sentiments on capitalism. Generally, conflict theories accentuate on political, social and material inequalities within the community. These theories acknowledge that in every society there are the “haves” and “have nots.” It recognises that in inequalities within society especially those revolving around material resources are as a result of limited resources and unequal distribution of resources. Conflict theories suggest that that marginalised sections of the community should unite and work towards the realisation of social equity (Ritzer & Smart, 2001; Macionis, 2011). Theoretical foundations of social work practices that focus on social enterprise or building social capital stem from conflict theories. These approaches to social work seek to promote economic sustainability of marginalised groups within the community mainly because they acknowledge that there are inequalities within communities due to unequal distribution of resources. As result, social work practices which focus on fostering social enterprise or building social capital seek to empower individuals from marginalised sections of the community so that they can become self-sustainable economically. In their article, Gray, Healy & Crofts (2003) and Lyons & Snoxell (2005) convey social work ideologies and approaches geared towards fostering social enterprise or building social capital. Gray et al (2003) article particularly focus on examining whether the concept of social enterprise is social work. In this article, Gray et al (2003) illustrates that social enterprise comprise of a wide range of approaches that employ business acumen or entrepreneurial strategies in order to address social issues. This approach to social work, is based on the notion or ideology that business acumen or entrepreneurial strategies can be applied to community causes in a bid to transfer social or economic resources especially to the disadvantaged or marginalised people in the community. Gray et al (2003) notes that, over time, there has been increasing emphasis on social enterprise among social workers. This can be attributed to the widening gap between the rich and poor and resource constraints within the community. Evidently, Gray et al (2003) sentiments on social enterprise are grounded on the conflict theory. On the other hand, Lyons & Snoxell (2005) provide practical examples on how traders in Third World societies particularly in Nairobi develop and employ social capital in order to create sustainable livelihoods. Similar to Grey et al (2005) outlook on social work through social enterprise, Lyons & Snoxell outlook on social work particularly in relation to creation with social capital is also grounded on the conflict theory. Gray et al (2003) and Lyons & Snoxell (2005) sentiments on social work through fostering social enterprise and building social capital are similar in the sense that they are all grounded in the notion that effective and sustainable social work should be geared towards empowering marginalised and disadvantaged people in the society so that they can become independent economically and have sustainable livelihoods. It is plausible to argue that almost all issues that affect communities can be addressed through empowering people in the community economically. For instance, issues relating to crime and drug abuse amongst the youth can be addressed by empowering the youth economically. The lack of employment among the youth is one of the leading causes of crime and drug abuse. Therefore, approaches to social work through fostering social enterprise and building social capital suggested by Gray et al (2003) and Lyons & Snoxell (2005) can be very viable and effective in addressing issues in the community. The approach to social work suggested by Gray et al (2003) and Lyons & Snoxell (2005) can be suitable particularly within the context of youths from indigenous communities since it focuses on economic empowerment. The rate of unemployment and drug abuse among youths from indigenous communities in Australia increases with time. This is mainly due to the high rates of unemployment and poor educational outcomes realised by most youths in this community. In order to address these issues, social workers should educate the youths in this community how they can start and manage small business enterprise. They should also network with relevant stakeholders within the community to provide youth with training and start-up capitals that will enable them to start small business initiatives that will propel them to economic sustainability and independence. References Gray, M. Healy, K. & Crofts, P. (2003). “Social enterprise: is it the business of social work?” Australian Social Work 56(2): 141-154. Lyons, M. & Snoxell, S. (2005). “Creating Urban Social Capital: Some Evidence from Informal Traders in Nairobi”. Urban Studies, 42 (7):1077–1097. Macionis, J. J. (2011). Society.7th ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Ritzer,G. & Smart, B. (2001). Handbook of Social Theory. London: SAGE. Topic 3: Theoretical foundations: ideologies and approaches. Participation and consultation in community practice. Just like in any other profession or career, there is a certain code of professional conduct that social workers are expected to adhere to in and out of their work place. Although, that there are a myriad of ethical rules and regulations documented on appropriate social work conduct, one of the most important conduct that all social workers should uphold is participation and consultation in community practice (Parsons, 2001). In order for any social worker to be effective in their practice, they should take up a proactive and consultative approach Ferguson (2006) seems to agree with this perspective on effective social work practice when he notes that, best practice in social work can be described as solution focused in that it focuses on being strategic in terms of identifying approaches of working that will realise positive outcomes, nevertheless best practice in social work take into account issues of power, constraints , inequalities and creativity when it comes to providing social intervention. In essence what Ferguson (2006) is trying to suggest is that, best practices in social work are proactive in nature and take into account issues that may require consultation or involvement of others. Consultation is very crucial in social work practice mainly because social work involves addressing issues within the community. When addressing these issues, it is crucial for social workers to taken into account different perspectives offered by community members. Kenny (2010) has also provided invaluable insight on effective social work practices. She notes that a significant amount of community development practice revolves around challenging various aspects of power by empowering communities, strengthening the civil society, developing assets and facilitating social inclusion. As a result, there is need for community workers to convey a certain level of professionalism. Thus Kenny (2010) considers professionalism as one of the core aspects of good community/ social work practice. So what is professionalism? Professionalism mainly entails having competency and upholding high ethical standards in the course of practice. However, Kenny (2010) observes that professionalism entails a commitment to profession and appropriate skills and attitudes. His outlook on professionalism accentuates on commitment to profession as a core aspect of professionalism. Although commitment to profession is important, Hardina (2004) accentuates on upholding high ethical standards in the course of practice as a fundamental aspect of professionalism. The significance of high ethical conduct in the realisation of professional practice is illustrated by Hardina (2004) in the article, “Guidelines for Ethical Practice in Community Organization.” In this article Hardina notes that, community workers often come across ethical dilemmas in the course of their practice. Since most community workers conduct their practice outside the normal of traditional setting, the available Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers does not seem to touch on some of the situations or circumstances that they encounter. As a result, a considerable number of community workers find themselves in ethical quagmires. Hardina (2004) recommends that social workers should learn to construct their own ethical models that adhere to ethical frameworks surrounding their practice such as the NASW Code of Ethics. One of the most striking features about Hardina’s (2004) article is that she touches on the issue of values in community practice. Having values can help to address the ethical dilemmas that community workers face. Hence, upholding values leads to ethical practice and professionalism. For instance, values such as; equality, protection of life, freedom, self-determination, appreciation for diversity and protection of confidentiality can help community workers to implement ethical practice. Upholding these values also epitomises professional practice. References Ferguson, H. (2003). Outline of a Critical Best Practice Perspective on Social Work and Social Care. British Journal of Social Work 33, 1005-1024. Hardina, D. (2004). “Guidelines for Ethical Practice in Community Organization”, Social Work 49(4): 595-604. Kenny, S. (2010). Developing communities for the future. Melbourne: Cengage Learning. Parsons, R. (2001). The ethics of professional practice. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Topic 4: Social work a community engagement approach Ethical foundations of social work and community engagement One of the fundamental roles or functions of social work is community engagement. Social work does not necessarily involve addressing problems in the community rather, it involves engaging and empowering the community members such that they are able to solve problems affecting their communities on their own. Therefore, community engagement approach is a suitable and fundamental practice in social work. Lane (1999) suggests that the postmodernist approach to community work involves the community engagement approach. She elaborates that, postmodernist approach to community work is often open and flexible when it comes to promoting communication. Lane illustrates that during the postmodernist era, challenges involving childcare issues and women were solved only through measures taken by community members .Government bodies and structures failed to effectively address problems facing the community. As result community members had to find solutions to their own problems. She asserts that during this era, resident action is what brought about community development (Lane 1999). In essence, Lane suggests that community engagement as a social work approach can be very effective in addressing certain issues affecting the community and fostering community development (Lane 1999). Nonetheless, Lane (1999) also highlights a few challenges that social workers may encounter in the process of community engagement. For instance, she notes that there is likelihood that there could be some disparities in the values or ethics held by social workers and those held in the community. This could in turn affect the effectiveness of the process. What makes community engagement effective lies in the fact that only community members fully understand their problems, causes of the problems and the outcomes that they would like to see. In essence, community engagement offers an insider perspective on the issues at hand. An outsider may fail to fully understand the problems that a community is facing, the causes of the problem and the outcomes that the community members want to see. However through community engagement the specific problems facing a community can be identified and resolved in a manner that is suitable for the community. The basic premise or rationale of community engagement is that, community members can solve their own problems (Murphy, 2012). Based on this rationale, it is worth questioning, if community member can solve their own problems, what then is the role of community/social workers? Pierson (2008) offers some insight on why community /social workers are important in community engagement. He notes that in some instances community members may not be able to understand the underlying issues and their impact thereof thus an outsider’s perspective is crucial. Moreover, some communities may be resistant to change. In some scenario community members lack the "know-how" of facilitating community engagement. Thus the role of social/community workers is crucial. Through their expertise, community workers can act as mobilisers by bringing together stakeholders in the community. They can also help to facilitate community engagement by pointing out underlying issues that community member may not realise or by suggesting practical solutions for the community. Henderson & Thomas (2002) provide invaluable insights on how community/social workers can contribute to community engagement. They note that it is crucial for community/social workers to know the community well. They recommend that prior to working with any community it is crucial for community workers to embark on fact finding, collect data about the community and assess the community needs and resources in order to get a clear and holistic perspective on the issues affecting the community that they intend to work with. There is evidently a deep contrast in the outlook provided by Lane (1999) and Henderson & Thomas (2002) on the community engagement approach. Lane (1999) seems to problematise this approach by highlighting some of the problems or dilemma that social workers may experience. However, Henderson & Thomas (2002) offer profound insight on how community engagement can be realised through fact finding or data collection in order to get a clear and holistic perspective on issues affecting a community. References Lane, M. (1999). Community development and postmodernism of resistance. In Fook, J. & Pease, B. Social Work. London: Routledge. Henderson, P. & Thomas, D.(2002). 3rd Ed. Skills in Neighbourhood. London: Routledge. Murphy, F. (2012). Community engagement, organisation and development. New York: Springer Pierson, J.(2008). Going Local: Working in communities and neighborhoods. London: Routledge. Read More