Social Work

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Social Work

• Kelly McClarnon, LMSW
• kmcclarnon_at_ccccd.edu
• Room I229
• 700-945 pm

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Kelly McClarnon, LMSW

• Bachelors degree from Indiana University, B.A.
  Sociology
• Masters Degree from Indiana University, MSW
• Licensed in the state of Texas
• Youth counselor at St. Elizabeths Pregnancy and
  Adoption Agency, Indianapolis IN
• Social Work trainee at Riley Hospital Child
  Development Center, Indianapolis IN
• Clinical research specialist at Indiana
  University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN
• Clinical research coordinator at UTSW mood
  disorders research program and clinic, Dallas TX
• Social Worker at Parkland Hospital Psychiatric
  ER, Dallas TX

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Who Are You???

• Name
• Why Intro to Social Work?
• Plans for the future?

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Syllabus Overview
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Critical Thinking

• The careful scrutiny of what is stated as true or
  what appears to be true and the resulting opinion
  based on that scrutiny (Kirst- Ashman 2007)
• For example,
• Rich people are selfish
• Most lipsticks contain fish scales
• The world is going to end

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Critical Thinking

• Use your own judgment to consider the worth and
  relevance
• Scrutinize carefully what you are told
• Never take anything at face value

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Triple A Approach to Critical Thinking

• Ask Questions
• Assess the established facts and issues involved
• Assert a concluding opinion
• (Kirst-Ashman 2007)
• Critical thinkers question what other take for
  granted.
• Social workers must be critical thinkers!

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What is Social Work?

• The professional activity of helping individuals,
  families, groups, or communities enhance or
  restore their psychosocial functioning and
  creating societal conditions favorable to this
  goal
• (Kirst-Ashman 2007)

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Social Work Roles

• Helping people obtain tangible serves food,
  housing, clothing, income
• Providing counseling and psychotherapy with
  individuals, families, groups
• Helping communities or groups provide or improve
  social and health services
• Participating in the legislative processes
• (Kirst-Ashman 2007)

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Social Welfare

• Social welfare is a nations system of programs,
  benefits, and services that help people meet
  social, economic, educational, and health needs
  that are fundamental to the maintenance of
  society. (Barker 2003)
• Social Workers work to enhance social welfare

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Can you name some social welfare programs?
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Social Welfare Programs

• Medicare/Medicaid
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• State Childrens Health Insurance Plans (SCHIP)
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
• Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Adult Protective Service/Child Protective
  Services (APS/CPS)

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The Controversy of Social Welfare

• Should individuals be responsible for taking care
  of themselves independently of government? You
  reap what you sow
• OR
• Should society be responsible to care for all of
  its members, especially those belonging to
  oppressed groups? Every man is his brothers
  keeper.
• Constant political debate about what social
  services should and should not provide and who
  should receive these benefits.

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Perspectives on Social Welfare

• Residual- filling gaps when people fail to
  provide adequately for themselves
• Its their fault if they require outside help
• Institutional- peoples needs are a normal part
  of life
• Its not peoples fault that the require such
  services but rather an expected part of the human
  condition
• Developmental- social interventions that improve
  economic development
• Seeks to identify social interventions that have
  a positive impact on economic development

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Conservative-Liberal Continuum

• Conservatism- people are responsible for
  themselves, gov. should provide minimal
  interference
• if it aint broke dont fix it.
• pessimistic view of human nature
• people should take care of themselves

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Conservative-Liberal Continuum

• Liberalism- the philosophy that gov should be
  involved in the social, political, economic
  structure so that all peoples rights and
  privileges re protected in the name of social
  justice (Kirst-Ashman 2008).
• Tend to like change
• More optimistic about human nature
• Its the gov job to protect people and provide an
  environment in which they can thrive

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Conservative-Liberal Continuum

• Radicalism- the philosophy that social and
  political system as it stands is not structurally
  capable of truly providing social justice.

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Where are you?
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What makes SW so unique?

• Sw dont refuse to work with clients, and they
  tackle difficult and complex problems
• Look at the environment for change, not on only
  the individual (systems theory)
• Advocate to change unresponsive systems
• Believe the individual has the right to make a
  free choice and have a quality life
• Help clients make their own decisions they do not
  force people into specific ways of thinking or
  acting

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Foundation of Social Work

• Social Work Ethics and Values
• Ethics-Moral obligations to clients
• Social workers are committed to the dignity,
  worth, and value of all human beings, regardless
  of social class, race, color, creed, gender, or
  age (Kirst-Ashman 2007)

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Foundation of Social Work

• Diversity
• Appreciate differences and focus on strengths
• Sensitive to and address any hardships and
  negative treatment clients may face

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Foundation of Social Work

• Populations-at-Risk and Social and Economic
  Justice
• Populations-at-risk are groups of people with
  some identified characteristics w ho are at
  greater risk of social and economic deprivation
  than those in the mainstream
• Social justice promotes that idea that all people
  should have identical rights, protection,
  opportunities, obligations, and social benefits
• Economic justice concerns the distribution of
  resources in a fair and equitable manner.

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Foundation of Social Work

• Human Behavior and the Social Environment
• Assessing a persons functioning within the
  context of their environment

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Foundation of Social Work

• Social Welfare Policy and Services
• Sw must become actively involved in establishing
  and changing welfare polices for the benefits of
  their clients

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Foundation of Social Work

• Social Work Practice
• Forming relationships with clients
• Defining issues
• Collecting and assessing data
• Identifying alternatives for action
• Making and implementing plans
• Evaluating progress
• Termination

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Foundation of Social Work

• Research
• More effective practitioners by evaluating
  research outcomes
• Accumulated research helps build a foundation for
  planning effective interventions
• Research forms the basis for the development of
  programs and polices

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Foundation of Social Work

• Education
• Hands-on experience with internship experience

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Next Class

• Read Chapter 2
• Read over the syllabus
• Start thinking about where you will do your
  Service Learning