Social Work Theories and Domestic Violence - Research Paper Example

Social Work Theories & Domestic Violence This paper presents a detailed account of my Personal Practice Model, analyzing three major components of it. First of all, several conceptual frameworks are addressed and used to determine my identity as a social worker. Secondly, the notions of human diversity and cultural competence are discussed. Thirdly, a brief account of personal and social values as well as their correlation is given. The paper also discusses the issue of domestic violence, providing background to it, based on several journal articles. Finally, elements of Personal Practice Model are applied to a particular social issue in order to determine my uniqueness as a social worker. Introduction If one takes a close look at the social environment, one can not help noticing that it is an irreplaceable aspect for the development of the human potential. That is why people who are engaged in the social work are performing a rather important duty of helping all the individuals in the society to grow personally while coping with their problems. This paper will provide an overview of three components of personal practice, a brief analysis of racism and dwell on the way the former might be applied to the latter Practice components Guiding conceptual frameworks To begin with, it would be quite suitable to analyze several conceptual frameworks which might be used to determine my identity as a social worker. The first one, namely Systems theory, would argue that a social worker should acknowledge the significance of the position that one holds: being the very point of interaction of the governmental apparatus and a particular citizen. That is why a social worker should understand the amount of responsibility vested into one and act accordingly. The next conceptual framework which should be engaged is called Empowerment perspective. Indeed, a social worker is not a usual citizen: this individual is able to facilitate various changes in lives of the people that he or she works with. That is why a person who obtains such a position should always keep in mind that it is quite possible to help another person who is currently struggling with some personal problems. As a result the identity of a social worker, including mine, should be largely affected by the proactive desire to help people and find different ways to solve the currently existing problems. Finally, there is one last approach that should be engaged while considering the notion of identity, namely Strengths perspective. According to it, each social work possesses a unique set of traits, some of which are more developed than the others. As a result, it is advised that one would use one’s strong abilities in order to be as efficient and helpful as possible. That is why a social worker is encouraged to perform an assessment of one’s character, determine the kind of actions which one is very good at and focus on their development. As a result, the social worker will be able to become an outstanding specialist in a particular field. Personally, I determined the strong points of my practice and try to base my performance on them. Views of human diversity and cultural competence It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the development of transportation as well as technology has had a profound effect on the societies all over the world. In the result of it, the migration processes became an ordinary feature of the present day. That is why it is particularly significant for a social worker to acknowledge the notion of human diversity. One would make no mistake pointing out that this concept is closely connected to social work. To begin with, it is clear that different people in the society might need the help of a social worker. This means that the latter should not only be prepared to interact with people who come from different backgrounds, but also develop a clear understanding of what makes a person who one is working with different from others. All this leads to the logical outcome: a social worker should develop cultural competence. It is my strong belief that this particular notion heavily relies on several elements. First of all, a social worker should be absolutely free of prejudice. In other words, it is not permissible for a person who works with other people to be biased towards them as it will negatively affect the kind of help one provides. Secondly, a person should be familiar with a tolerant approach how to treat a person who come from a certain cultural background and adjust it according to the circumstances. Indeed, in spite of the fact that social workers might be trained to handle multicultural communication, it is important not to think in too general terms and accept the client as one is in order to build a better relationship. Personal and social values Finally, it would be quite important to state some of my personal and social values which are rather applicable when it comes to performing the social work. To begin with, I should note that I value honesty very much. Indeed, it is my deep conviction that honesty is the best policy when it comes to interacting with people in any field of human activity. That is why in the course of the social work, I will do my best to provide the accurate as well as objective information about the state of affairs to the clients. It would not be a mistake to suggest that the latter will greatly appreciate this approach which will contribute to building an effective relationship with them. The next value which is also quite important when it comes to personal interaction or social work is integrity. Nowadays, this value is heavily emphasized as there are more and more situations when the hidden motives could alter drastically the outcomes of the actions. It is quite clear the in social work, a client should be able to fully trust the social worker; otherwise, it is rather difficult to help the client if he or she will not disclose all the important information. In addition to that, a social worker should not only mean to help, but also do that actively as the other person does not only count on that, but an important part of one’s life might depend on it. That is why the person who performs social work should be helpful not only in words, but show the commitment to assist by deeds. The last value what should be noted in particular might be referred to as the Golden rule of interaction. While the previously mentioned values are largely focused on some aspects, this one holds implications for numerous aspects of interaction. Thus, I fully acknowledge that a social worker should treat the client in the similar way as one wants to be treated. In spite of the fact that the two individuals in question have a different amount of power, on some other level, the humane one, they are equal and, therefore, this should become a common ground for them to build a strong relationship with is full of trust. One would make no mistake that this approach might be considered to be a universal one as it is able to enhance cooperation in various fields of activity. It is clear that the first value, namely honesty, is compatible with the social work that I would like to be engaged in. In spite of the fact that there is might be information which may not be disclosed to the client or some guidelines that would require me to avoid conveying a certain message to the customer right away, it is clear that honesty should be regarded as a basis for the successful social work. Indeed, there is a certain image of the governmental apparatus as a big machine which can not easily focus on the demands of a particular person. However, a good social worker is able to eliminate this kind of thinking while being honest with the client. For example, if a certain procedure is taking a considerable amount of time, it is better to warm the client beforehand. Speaking of the relationship between integrity and social work, one would make no mistake suggesting that it is also an essential element for performing the latter in the correct as well as effective manner. The key point about integrity focuses on the harmony between the subjective and objective. Indeed, it may be rather easy to become a social worker in terms of compliance with guidelines and regulations for the job. However, it is rather clear that it would take some time for a person to become a true social worker whose only desire is to help a client. In the course of this professional evolution, it is important to acknowledge the stage that one is at and move forward. As a result, the social worker will show the client that he or she possesses good intentions and is willing to do one’s best to cope with a specific problem. At last, the Golden rule of interaction suits the social work perfectly. Since the latter is largely focused on the communication between people and exchange of the information, the Golden rule will make sure that there are no hidden motives between the two parties who are involved. In other words, this particular value will result into an effective framework within which the individuals will be able to interact and the efficiency of their interaction will be enhanced by the fact that each of them will adopt a position that will be mutually beneficial. In my opinion, this is an essential part of social work since it allows the official to find a mutual ground with the client and more forward effectively as a team. Brief literature review In spite of the fact that the social environment is able to have a positive influence on the human development, there are may be situations when difference obstacles might arise making life of a person rather difficult. A good example is the issue of domestic violence: while family is considered to be a fundamental unit of the society, it may also become a platform to exercising violent behavior and avoiding punishment for that. It must be noted the above mentioned problem can be found in the communities throughout the country (Schwartz, Steffensmeier & Feldmeyer, 2009). Indeed, the national scale of this negative social phenomenon makes it rather difficult to cope with, urging the government to utilize a systemic approach towards its resolution. Speaking of the population that is affected by it, one should point out that contrary to the stereotype, not only women are affected by domestic violence, but men and children might become targets of such behavior (Kubiak, Kim, Fedock & Bybee, 2012). That is why, it would not be wise to limit the perception of the issue by one group only, but it would be favorable to develop approach, according to which every people in a family may be a potential victim of domestic violence. Speaking of the causes that are most likely to contribute to the emergence of the above mentioned negative social phenomena, one should put emphasis on inequality of the parties involved (Anderson, 2014). This may also explain another aspect which should be taken into consideration while analyzing the situation from the point of view of the victim: overdependence of the latter. Indeed, domestic violence is likely to happen in dysfunctional relationships or those which feature a considerable lack of balance between the partners (Petering, Wenzel & Winetrobe, 2014). There are several solutions which were implemented in order to affect positively on this issue. One of the most effective one’s was the so called out of home placement. As has been previously mentioned, it is the domestic environment that allows the aggressor to conceal the acts of violence and have the victim within the close range. In addition to that, the latter understands that since there is no place for one to go, he or she should try to adapt to the situation. Out of home placements allow the person to break this vicious circle and avoid the negative situation (Ogbonnaya & Guo, 2013). Another quite effective approach towards helping a victim of a domestic violence is deeply rooted in psychology. It is quite obvious that when a person reports acts of such violence, the state of mind of such an individual is distorted and it may be restored by a careful approach and compassion (Kulkarni, Bell, Hartman & Herman-Smith, 2013). Indeed, the physical harm that is done to a person may not be the biggest part of the problem, but the lack of power to deal with it. That is why it is highly important to provide a person with understanding of this difficult situation. One may point out that the results of the solutions which were discussed above have been rather promising: out of home placement has helped numerous individuals in fleeing the aggressive environment and there have been improvements in intervention techniques to deal with victims. Personal Practice Model and Area of Interest Now, it would be quite valuable to make a connection between the Personal Practice Model which was expressed earlier and the issue of domestic violence. Being a strong proponent of Systems theory, I think that as a social worker I will be able to make my contribution into the proper functioning of the societal mechanism. Thus, it would not be a mistake that the society which is functioning properly will not allow manifestations of the uncontrolled or concealed violence. In other words with the help of my work, I will try to eliminate this negative social phenomenon, contribute to the stability of the social environment. The acknowledgement of human diversity and cultural competence will allow me to find a unique approach to every client and comfort a person who suffered from domestic violence in the most effective way. Finally, it would not be a mistake to point out that the values that I adhere to, namely honesty, integrity and the Golden rule of interaction, will greatly improve my practice as a social worker and help the people to improve their conditions of living. One might argue that the combination the above mentioned values will result into enhancing the experience that the client who I will be working with will gain. Keeping this in mind, one is able to suggest that all the three values are particularly suitable for the social work. Summary of Personal Practice Model All in all, my Personal Practice Model might be summarized in the following way: I will try to be honest with the clients; prove not only with my word, but with my actions too that I want to help; treat the client and trust in the same manner that I would like to be treated and trusted. I think I might benefit from widening my outlook by exploring new dimensions of diversity that might be helpful for social work. All this will result in the fact that I will base my performance on my strong sides and enhance my uniqueness as a social worker which will allow me to be more affective and help a considerably big number of people. References Anderson, E. (2014). Outlaws. The Good Society, 23(1), 103-113. Kubiak, S., Kim, W., Fedock, G., & Bybee, D. (2012). Assessing Short-Term Outcomes of an Intervention for Women Convicted of Violent Crimes. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 3(3), 197-212. Kulkarni, S., Bell, H., Hartman, J., & Herman-Smith, R. (2013). Exploring Individual and Organizational Factors Contributing to Compassion Satisfaction, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Burnout in Domestic Violence Service Providers. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 4(2), 114-130. Ogbonnaya, I., & Guo, S. (2013). Effect of Domestic Violence on the Risk of Out-of-Home Placement: A Propensity Score Analysis. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 4(3), 198-213. Petering, R., Wenzel, S., & Winetrobe, H. (2014). Systematic Review of Current Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Programs and Applicability to Homeless Youth. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 5(1), 107-135. Schwartz, J., Steffensmeier, D., & Feldmeyer, B. (2009). Assessing Trends In Womens Violence Via Data Triangulation: Arrests, Convictions, Incarcerations, And Victim Reports. Social Problems, 56(3), 494-525. Read More