social workers

Social Work is a profession carried out by trained professionals or Social Workers in many different countries . Accordingly, the nature of social work can vary widely, but its broad aim is to assess and meet people's social needs by providing services which enable them to live in safety and with independence and dignity. The aims and values of Social Workers must reflect the culturecultural and societysocial norms of the society in which they operate, in order to cater appropriately for the needs of the people they serve. For this reason, the actual work undertaken by Social Workers can vary widely between countries.

What do Social Workers do? - In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, a social worker is a trained professional with a recognised social work qualification, employed most commonly in the public sector by local authorities. Spending on social services departments is a major component of British local government expenditure.Social workers may also work in a variety of other settings and this is often the case in the United States, where they tend to be employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs. Social workers in Britain and the United States may also work with community health agencies and voluntary sector employers. Other social workers work as psychotherapists, counsellors, or mental health practitioners, normally working in coordination with psychiatrists, psychologists, or other medical professionals. Additionally, some social workers have chosen to focus their efforts on social policy or academic research into the practice or ethics of social work.

Clinical -

Child abuse

battery (crime)Battered women's shelters

Workers' compensation for on-the-job injuryinjuries (Vocational rehabilitation)

Birth control and family planning

Family crisis intervention

Administration and coordination of services for disabled infants, children, and adults

Hospital settings

Providing short-term counseling and referrals to workers through employee assistance programs

Gerontology/aging issues

Social services - MainWelfare

Administering government welfare programs

Needle exchanges, and drug addiction

Shelter Programs (ie homeless shelters)

Food bank programs

Adoptions and foster care monitoring

Policy and advocacy -

Helping the povertypoor organize for better conditions - both Economicseconomically (food banks, buying clubs) and politicspolitically - votevoting blocks during election campaigns, running candidates, organizing demonstrations

Providing assistance to work through government red tape, including other social work agencies

Tenants' rights

Refugee assistance (refugee camps, relocation, political asylum help)

Program evaluation to determine if various programs are providing services as they should, or how a program may be improved.

Advocacy, community support, and counseling for adults and children with mental illness

Education -

AIDS awareness

*medicinemedical support, counseling

School social worker

Social work as a Profession -

United Kingdom - In the UK, the title "social worker" is protected by law (since 1 April 2005) and can be used only by people who have a recognised Social Work#Qualificationsqualification and are registered with the General Social Care Council (in England), the Scottish Social Services Council, the Care Council for Wales/Cyngor Gofal Cymru, or the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.The strategic direction of statutory social work in Britain is broadly divided into children's and adults' services. Social work activity for children and young people is under the remit of the Department for Education and Skills while the same for adults remains the responsibility for the British Department of Health. Within local authorities, this division is usually reflected in the organisation of social services departments.

Qualifications in Social work -

United Kingdom - The main qualification for social work is the undergraduate Bachelor's degree (BA, BSc or BSW) in social work, offered at British universities from September 2003 onwards. There is also available a master's degree (MA). These have replaced the previous qualifying award, the postgraduate Diploma in Social Work (DipSW), which was first awarded in 1991 and will be phased out across the UK by 2009. Purporting to be either a social worker or a student social worker without registering with the Social Work Register and holding or undergoing training for the recognised qualifications is now a criminal offence. Social workers must renew their registration every three years. These regulations offer protection to vulnerable people by guaranteeing the professional regulation of people working as social workers. They also promote workforce development, as all social workers must participate in at least five days of professional training each year in order to be eligible for renewal of their registration.After qualifying, social workers can undertake further training under the social work 'Post-Qualifying Framework'. Until 2007, there are four awards available under this framework:

Post-Qualifying Award - for advanced social work practice and management

Mental Health Social Work award (in England, Approved Social Worker award; in Scotland, Mental Health Officer award) - qualification to work with people with mental health needs under the Mental Health Act 1983Mental Health Act

Child Care Award - qualification to work with children and young people

Practice Teaching Award - qualification to work as a tutor, supervisor and assessor for social work students on their work placementFrom 2007, the General Social Care Council and UK partners are implementing a new framework which unifies these awards in a simpler structure allowing broader study to count towards higher and advanced social work awards.

United States - A social worker practicing in the United States usually requires a master's degree (Master of Social WorkMSW) or a bachelor's degree (BSW) in social work to receive a license in most states. In some areas, however, a social worker may be able to receive a license with a bachelor's degree in any discipline.The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest organization of professional social workers in the United States. A person with a BSW is considered a "generalist" and the MSW is considered "a specialist or advanced generalist; a Ph.D. generally provides research, teaching, or policy analysis often in higher education settings.

Challenges - Certain types of social workers are more likely to suffer criticism than most other workers because they often work in scenarios which are highly emotionally charged. Examples include:

taking a child away from parents who are regarded as unfit

failing to remove children from parents who subsequently hurt or kill them

organizing demonstrations

supporting activities that are highly controversial - abortion, needle exchangesSocial workers would respond that often problems with social workers can be traced to poor pay, inadequate training, excessive case loads, inadequate funding, and bad government policies. The reason social workers are singled out is because they are the ones who directly face and deal with the public.Social workers are often criticized because they are identified with the bureaucracy of their organizations. Social workers often have to ask clients to fill out time-consuming paperwork and sign large numbers of documents as a requirement of their jobs. Clients and others thus tend to think of social workers as paper-pushers.In response, in many regions social workers are seeking efforts to professionalize the profession. Many regions have passed legislation making it illegal to use the title ''social worker'' without a license. This prevents unqualified persons from acting under the title of social worker and has resulted in the creation of discipline boards. These boards have the authority to punish social workers who violate their legislation through fines, suspension or revocation of their license. This protects the public by having social workers accountable to their code of ethics.

See also -

School social worker

External links - Professional associations / Regulatory bodies:

basw.co.uk - British Association of Social Workers

casw-acts.ca - Canadian Association of Social Workers

ifsw.org - International Federation of Social Workers

naswdc.org - National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (in the United States)

oasw.org - Ontario Association of Social Workers

gscc.org.uk - General Social Care Council, UK regulator for social workers (England)

sssc.uk.com - Scottish Social Services Council, UK regulator for social workers (Scotland)

niscc.n-i.nhs.uk - Northern Ireland Social Care Council, UK regulator for social workers (Northern Ireland)

ccwales.org.uk - Care Council for Wales/Cyngor Gofal Cymru, UK regulator for social workers (Wales)

aasw.asn.au - Australian Association of Social Workers (Australia)

Other related links -

ifsw.org - Definition of Social Work Adopted July 2000 by the International Federation of Social Workers. German translation also available at: sozialarbeit.at - Austrian National Federation of Social Workers

socialworkcareers.co.uk - Social work careers (UK)Category:Community and social service specialistsCategory:Academic disciplinesde:Soziale Arbeites:Trabajo socialhe:עבודה !סוציאליתnl:Maatschappe lijk? !werkja:ソーシャルワー� �ーpl:Praca? socjalna DEBUG REDIRECT (social work)

National Foster Care Network
An informational resource for social workers, foster and adoptive home recruiters and educators promoting foster and adoptive home recruitment and retention skills.
http://www.fostercarenetwork.com/

American Foster Care Resources, Inc.
Founded in 1983, AFCR is a nonprofit, tax exempt corporation dedicated to the research, development and production of informational and educational resources for and about family foster care. As a publisher, AFCR strives to provide resource materials to foster care providers, the children in care and their families, and, the placing agency's staff and administration.
http://www.afcr.com/

Family Institute of Westchester
Located in Harrison, NY, FIW has been training post-graduate marriage and family therapists for nearly 30 years. Specialized training, workshops, supoervision,m agency training, supervision of supervision, referrals to staff assoicated marriage and family therapists
http://www.fiwny.org/

New York University
Founded in 1831 to enlarge the scope of higher education: includes thirteen schools, colleges, and divisions at five major centers in Manhattan.
http://www.nyu.edu/

NASW
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world. Access to code of ethics, journals, books, career advice, news and information amongst other resources and links.
http://www.naswdc.org/

IFSW on the Web
The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is a global organisation striving for social justice, human rights and social development through the development of social work, best practices and international cooperation between social workers and their professional organisations.
http://www.ifsw.org/

Canadian Association of Social Workers
As a federation of the 10 provincial and one territorial social work organizations, the CASW serves a national role in strengthening and advancing the social work profession in Canada. Site available in English and French.
http://www.casw-acts.ca/

U.S. Dept. of Labor -- Bureau of Labor Statistics
Official website of Bureau, with news, current data, articles, links and other information about employment, wages, working and the economy
http://www.bls.gov/