the goal on caring of social work essay brainly

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Introduction, my grandmother, dispossession, marginalisation and deprivation, transfer of technology, commitment to caring, best interests of elderly people, creating caring communities, acknowledgements.

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Developing the ‘Caring Being’ in Social Work: Reflections on my Grandmother’s Life

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Manohar Pawar, Developing the ‘Caring Being’ in Social Work: Reflections on my Grandmother’s Life, The British Journal of Social Work , Volume 53, Issue 3, April 2023, Pages 1368–1384, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac210

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The article is a personal story about my grandmother and how she experienced care in her old age. By sharing my grandmother’s life story about caring and reflecting on it, I inductively develop a thesis on caring and argue that caring is an asymmetrical phenomenon, and we can do better. The discussion includes the role of caring in social work practice and how to inculcate a focus on caring among workers so that they may contribute to creating caring communities. First, it exposes the complex phenomenon of dispossession at both personal and political levels and its implications for caring for elderly people. Secondly, it suggests the need for basic technology transfer. Thirdly, it points out the significance of emotional and material care and commitment to caring and challenges to sustaining it, and the need for innovations to enhance human caring. Fourthly, it emphasises the best interests of elderly people when choosing the place and space for caring arrangements. Finally, to creating caring communities, it suggests implications for integrating reason and emotion, and altering the professional values-base and policies. Social workers and similar professionals can contribute to caring communities to meet the challenging needs of growing ageing populations in the world.

My general concern in this article is on the role of caring in social work practice, how to inculcate a focus on caring among social workers and how social workers can contribute to creating caring communities and societies. I am selecting one example of the many more vulnerable groups in society where caring practice is, I believe, critical. My focus will be on elderly people, but other comparable examples would be disabled people, children, mental health sufferers, refugees and displaced persons, and some sections of indigenous communities.

So, I am going to deliberate about caring for elderly people, and specifically a lack of such care, as a major global issue. I believe that social workers, along with other professionals, have the potential to develop ‘caring beings’ in societies where all vulnerable people, like elderly people, are cared for and not marginalised. To address such a topic, it is important to clarify what I mean by caring as the term ‘care’ like ‘welfare’ has been vulgarised or had negative meanings attached to it ( Midgley, 1995 ). We all care for each other. Generally, doctors, nurses, social workers, teachers, volunteers and other professionals do care for the people they work with; however, caring has different connotations and categories.

We can care for people through demonstrating genuine love, affection and warmth, or we can provide a distant and unemotional service. We can care for people by providing only material assistance, or we can also provide spiritual support. We can care for people by providing medical assistance and employment services, and so on. And we often care for people who are dependent, sick and vulnerable. Care may be attended to directly by the concerned people or can be arranged through third parties. All such categories of approaches to care are important and needed. But there is a difference between caring with genuine emotions of love, affection, warmth and concern and without such. The concept of care includes the former, and I am concerned about how to develop and sustain it, along with other types of care, rather than the latter. In our world with its increasing elder population, significant numbers of people disabled physically or by mental health issues or drug addiction, massive numbers of displaced persons, and so on, it is imperative that we significantly raise the existing level of care, and so the numbers of caring people.

I would like to develop my thesis on caring inductively through reflecting on some of my life and work experiences ( Jasper, 2011 ; Liamputtong, 2013 ; Sealy et al. , 2021 ). We all, or most of us, need and like to receive loving care, affection and warmth, but do we offer similar care to others, both generally and professionally? There are some who only keep offering care and do not receive it. Caring is an asymmetrical phenomenon in our societies, and I would argue that we can do better. First, I will share a story of my grandmother. Then I shall discuss the phenomenon of dispossession and marginalisation globally; the need for the transfer of basic technology at local levels, the essential commitment to caring, the centrality of the best interests of such as elderly people, and the need to create or cultivate caring communities and societies.

I was raised by my grandmother from the age of ten to sixteen years. I was also significantly influenced and shaped by the usual societal processes, and later by professional social work’s philosophy, values and ethics, some aspects of which stem from Kant’s, Bentham’s and Aristotelian philosophical positions. Perhaps, many people know about Kant, Bentham and Aristotle and their philosophical positions, but they do not know about my grandmother’s life and my experiences with her. Thus, I share some aspects of her life story and its lasting impact on me.

I came to realise that my grandmother had led a tough life, with her struggle continuing till the end. At a relatively young age, she became a widow and single mother. My mother was the only daughter and supported my grandmother. My grandmother farmed on her own and lived independently. After all the harvesting was done, during one summer, she came to visit my mother in our village. After a month or so when she returned to her village, she found that her house was occupied by her brother-in-law. He had moved her belongings to another small place. He dispossessed her of her legitimate house and also part of the farmland, for which there was no redress. So, she led her life for several decades without access to her own legitimate property.

Every day she walked seven to eight kilometres, often with some weight on her head, and did hard work on her farm in all harsh weather conditions. Despite this situation, her care, love and affection for me were uncompromising, and whilst her body permitted, she continued working.

During her ageing process, she suffered from chronic toothache without any locally available treatment. She had no toileting facilities and one night whilst getting up to go outside to urinate, she fell on her bed on the floor and could not get up till next morning, to then realise that there was some fracture that was not allowing her to stand up. From then on, she had to be physically lifted by others to perform day-to-day basic activities. A doctor suggested a hip operation, but my grandmother refused the surgery. Her leg was straightened and plastered, but she was not able to keep the leg still and her leg turned, became short, and the fractured area maladapted and the tissue grew on it. She also suffered from prolapse, which was treated with some initial resistance. She was unable to walk and became bedridden. A rope was tied to the wall to help her walk along the wall by holding the rope to access the bathroom, or two people lifted her to the bathroom.

Knowing of all this suffering and agony, when I travelled from my home in Australia, I took a walking frame hoping that it might help her to walk. This simple walker made a big difference to her life. With its help she managed to walk short distances on her own. I organised other basic materials such as a cot, pots, a toilet chair, a wheelchair, just to facilitate possible mobility and comfort. My mother was so much committed to taking care of her, she refused to go anywhere. When necessary, if she had to go, she returned on the same evening, knowing well that no one is there to look after her mother. Unfortunately, and unexpectedly my mother passed away and this devastated my grandmother. She had been unaware of her daughter’s condition but knew something was wrong. Losing her only care provider challenged us to organise alternative care for my grandmother, as the rest of us were living away due to our own work commitments.

We deliberated about admitting her to a nursing home or similar aged care facilities, but were conscious of the further emotional, psychological and social damage removing her from her existing social and physical milieu, her comfort zone, might cause. Her bed was in the front room and from there she was able to watch familiar people walking on the street and people were able to see her. It was not the best arrangement, but it helped to reduce her isolation. We organised paid care in the home, but that was mostly bereft of love, warmth and affection, and my sibling visited her weekly to supply rations. She refused to take meals and lived on just breakfast a day. We also organised a village doctor to attend to day-to-day health issues. Whenever I visited her, which was only possible occasionally and for short durations, I assured her that I would come back again. Mostly she led the life of lying on her bed, for over a decade, even not able to lie normally, experiencing isolation and a lack of emotional and loving care.

We knew that her body was obeying the laws of nature and that she was gradually declining. In 2012, whilst on sabbatical with several academic commitments and appointments, I deliberated in my mind on going and staying with my grandmother during what would be her last days. Emotionally, I wanted to be with my grandmother and care for her. Rationally, I was committed to implementing my sabbatical commitments and appointments in the USA. My decision was influenced by my professional sense of responsibility, my commitment to keeping my appointments in the USA and achieving the objectives set in the sabbatical application. My decision was thus influenced entirely by organisational rules and procedures.

As part of my sabbatical, whilst in New York with my family (wife and two children), I received a call from the village doctor advising me that these may be the last few days to see my grandmother. My body was then in New York, but my heart and mind were with my grandmother. Paradoxically, I attended the United Nations Non-government Organisations’ working group meeting that was making a case for human rights of elderly people, whilst feeling that in a way I was one of the violators of their rights. I was divided and emotionally drained. I did not feel confident to abruptly start on an unplanned journey and leave my wife and children in a strange place. We travelled to Washington, and I settled the family with a kind-hearted colleague, Professor Fredrick Ahearn, and attended to all my appointments. But my grandmother’s situation was worrying me, and I received one more call from my village doctor that now my grandmother was in a critical stage. Still, I pursued my appointments with knots in my stomach and a heavy heart. In the American Catholic University’s Cathedral, I sat and prayed for my grandmother. Finally, leaving my family in Washington, I travelled to Mumbai, only to read in an email the sad news that my grandmother was no more. I had failed by thirty-six hours to see her alive, a promise I failed to keep.

These life experiences with my grandmother may not be unfamiliar to many, particularly if their work focuses on elderly people, but what is their global relevance? This narrative is not just my grandmother’s story; it is perhaps the story of a majority of grandmothers, grandfathers and elderly people, especially in developing countries.

I now reflectively consider the broad question of caring and elderly people from several perspectives. The first concerns the dispossession, marginalisation and/or deprivation of the members of such vulnerable populations as elderly people.

Dispossessing and marginalising people is a global phenomenon that has been occurring at an increasing rate. It is not only limited to land and property; it extends to all facets of the lives of people like my grandmother. A great majority of women in the world are marginalised and often dispossessed ( UN Women, 2017 ) and, through that process, often discriminated against, oppressed and suppressed ( Young, 2006 ). They are removed from basic and genuine caring and love and deprived of human dignity. If we genuinely love and care for such people, we will not be witnesses to their oppression and subjugation and violation of their rights and dignity, without acting. A large number of women in some parts of the world do not have access to decent sanitation and safe water. Over seventy years of our social development efforts, various social and legislative measures, so many international and national policies and programmes, millennium development goals (MDGs) and sustainable development goals (SDGs), and much theorising in the pursuit of equal status and equality for women globally, we have made only incremental progress. Why is progress so slow? Is it that men are not willing to share power and resources with women? Women continue to be discriminated against and dispossessed in their home, in organisations, in communities and in the corporate world. They are often used as instruments. Transformative and swift change is needed to achieve equal status, if not higher, for all women in the world. I believe the practice of genuine caring has that transformative power.

Some elderly people are left without a safe home, trustful relationships, safety and peace of mind even by their own kith and kin who compel (often through abusive and or violent methods) elderly people to hand over their assets, or they acquire them without their permission, especially in vulnerable circumstances. There are also cases of utter neglect, revealing uncaring and untrustworthy practices by those who are supposed to be most dependable and responsible for taking care of their own elderly people.

A dispossessing culture has prevailed for centuries. A small number of countries have colonised most of the world and dispossessed the local people of their culture, language and lands. For example, Aboriginal peoples in Australia and other indigenous peoples in various countries have been victims of this global dispossessing phenomenon. In a way, we are all products of the dispossessing culture and advertently or inadvertently and or directly or indirectly contributing to such a culture, which continues to prevail in contemporary times. Moreover, whether it is in the name of religion, politics, ethnicity, a desire to dominate or drought and poverty, people continue to be dispossessed of their lands and homes. Mass refugee movements from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, many countries in Africa, and again recently Myanmar (the Rohingya people) and Ukraine show the practise of uncaring cultures and individuals, especially in relation to children, women and elderly people, who are the most affected.

Globally, many people are deprived of a clean environment due to such as the over-use of fossil fuels and over-consumption of material goods causing climate change—global warming, pollution, drought, famine and floods—affecting elderly people and other more vulnerable people. There is a dire need to care for the environment and ecosystems as a critical aspect of caring for such as elderly people, among others.

Moreover, one form of dispossession often leads to others. Having been dispossessed of their land and culture, some people become dispossessed of their identity, their meaning making, their spirituality and their peace of mind. Do we care for them? Do we love them? Do we meaningfully connect with them?

Today, the most powerful dispossessing and marginalising force affecting elderly people is the market. Some state-approved market policies, banking and financial institutions, and unscrupulous aged care sector operators, together or individually, have created a market that entices elderly people insidiously into certain arrangements that lead ultimately to dispossession or a significant reduction of their finances, property and social networks, leading to more dependency on the market. The motive, whilst ostensibly providing care, is often more geared to generating a profit, and in many instances, it is bereft of genuine care and love for elderly people. Although there are many instances of neglect and inadequate or inappropriate care, using these market mechanisms and provisions has become almost the norm rather than the exception. Once elderly people are caught in this market system, they have found it hard to get out of it. Having dispossessed people of their most loved and last resort assets, are market forces antithetical to providing genuine love and care for elderly people? What roles can social workers play in humanising the market for elderly people?

Turning to a second issue, an alternative to displacing elderly people from their homes is to offer them care where they are and when they need it most. A great majority of elderly people, when their circumstances allow, would like to lead an independent and dignified life. This may, however, become impossible, for example, after experiencing a fall that leads to disability and dependency. According to the World Health Organisation ( WHO, 2017b ), approximately 37.3 million falls, severe enough to require medical attention, occur each year. About 80 per cent of fatal falls occur in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, the WHO (2017a ) states that approximately 28–35 per cent of people aged sixty-five years and over fall each year, increasing to 32–42 per cent for those over seventy years of age. Where possible and practical, and where ready access to medical and technological facilities and services is available, most of these falls are effectively treated and rehabilitation follows. But some elderly people continue to suffer and are unable to cope or adjust to the effects of falls, particularly in the technologically underdeveloped world and in rural and remote areas. In the contemporary digital era, a lot of technological advancements have occurred in terms of the design of products that are useful to elderly people, enabling them to lead independent lives and enhancing their comfort, dignity and quality of life. Here, I am not referring to sophisticated digital technology, patent rights, etc. Simple equipment such as a walking frame or a toilet chair or frame, can greatly contribute to the independence and dignity of elderly people. Unlike the issue of technology transfer in the general field of development, I am of the view that basic simple technological support can be transferred and shared, with necessary adaptation if required, to all the needy elderly people across the world. To demonstrate our commitment to caring for elderly people, we should be able to facilitate the transfer and sharing of technology without any market-profit forces preventing this. I know that in most cases this will make a difference to the quality of life of elderly people. As global social workers, it is fair and just to initiate such technology transfer and sharing, within and between countries, to aid elderly people. However, such technology transfer and sharing are not occurring today, despite our globally well-connected world, and that is simply unjust because it is possible. Is it largely not happening because we do not really care?

So often the exploring of needs and the necessary caring responses bring us back to the question of a commitment to caring. Even the process of technology transfers, including simple and basic aids for elderly people, cannot replace the care, love, affection, respect and warmth that elderly people require, because both material and emotional care are critical. Some do have access to both emotional and material care, some only to one of these, and some to neither. Often it is only elderly people who end up caring for elderly people within the family and informal care contexts ( da Silva et al. , 2018 ).

We need to recognise that the philosophy and practice of caring is not easy or straight-forward. Although caring is often a most pleasant and satisfying activity, regular, consistent and long-term caring can be tiresome, stressful and painful ( Louise et al. , 2021 ). The human beings’ enthusiasm for caring can diminish day by day, despite carer policy provisions such as carer payments and carer respite arrangements in some countries. It is human to experience stress and burnout whilst providing long-term care ( Ransome-Wallis et al. , 2021 ). We should recognise that it is easier to arrange material care than emotional care.

A serious and concerning situation is where people withhold or refuse to provide emotional care due to relationship issues and other circumstances. This can involve emotional abuse and stress on all sides.

Caring policy provisions are available only in a small part of the world. What is available to the majority of elderly people globally is emotional care provided by the informal family and extended family contexts. How do the majority of families and communities in some parts of the world cultivate this commitment to the often relentless care for elderly people, and usually with great resilience? In most parts of the world, formal caring provisions and respite are unheard of. However, there is also a gender element as most of such caring responsibility falls unfairly on women. This was experienced by grandmother and mother, who cared for each other till my mother was alive. Professional social work services did not exist in their rural context. I wondered, if the services were there, would the caring for them have improved? Without any professional service, where do they draw their caring strength from? Is it their belief system, religion or their spirituality? Is it their sense of responsibility? Is it their character of caring? Or simply, is it not really there and only a romanticised version of the caring for elderly people in the so-called less developed environments?

In some other parts of the so-called developed and urbanised world, intergenerational care transfer seems to be occurring asymmetrically. Generally, most of the adults or elderly people care for children. But when children become adults and adults become elders, care transfer from young adults to elderly people appears to be lacking, although often much desired. Many elderly people seem to be empathetic about their offspring/daughters/sons’ circumstances and learn to live without expecting any care from them for as long as is possible. Of course, this analysis does not apply to single elderly people who do not have children and relatives, which is today in many countries an important consideration given lower than previous marriage rates.

There are also technological advancements that may replace some aspects of human care provided to elderly people. For example, research in artificial intelligence and robotics is making significant progress. Robots are produced to provide companionship, improve safety in the home, prompt reminders for medication or meals and help with therapy. For some elderly people in some nation-states (e.g. Japan), due to their demographic situation, this approach may be realistic and practical. Hay (2017) argues that robots may be inevitable and the best option for servicing elderly people; however, elderly people are hostile to robots ( Hudson et al. , 2017 ) and there are many who believe in the importance of the human touch.

This is a real challenge for social workers and the helping professions. Whilst engineers, information technologists and artificial intelligence specialists are undertaking significant research to replace certain human activities, social workers also need to undertake significant research on families, groups, communities, cultures and societies where they work to clarify how people cultivate caring qualities, so that they can use that knowledge to develop caring (beings) people in communities. The need and demand for the human touch and emotional care will not diminish, but what is likely to diminish is both people’s capacity to understand the human need for caring and the willingness to offer care for elderly people and others. Social workers can thus thwart this threatening danger from impersonal technological responses to need.

Keen observers may not find it difficult to see a process of some new generations being deprived of love, caring affection and warmth, which are innate qualities or needs of human beings. If they are continuously exposed to an uncaring culture and process, they may become accustomed to it, as human beings are highly adaptable. It appears that, combined with the market forces, as argued earlier, the process of dispossessing is not limited to land, property and other materials, but extends to innate human qualities of love, care and affection. This may not be an exaggeration. For example, providing today a warm hug or other forms of affection and love does not seem to make some people as happy as providing them with an Ipad or a smart phone. Then, when a friend comes to visit, their focus stays on the electronic screen (smart phone or tablet). This makes me wonder whether people are or will be gradually dispossessed of the qualities of love and human emotional caring for others? It is possible, at least in some societies that young adults may buy robots for their ageing parents and be happy that they have then met their caring responsibilities, like they do now by admitting them to nursing homes.

It is important that social workers be innovative in building knowledge and skills for developing caring beings in societies. Practising human touch, a genuine expression of emotions of love, and care and warmth, and developing caring compassion, responsibilities and relationships, are necessary if we are to do justice to human nature. Social workers have the great opportunity to rescue human basics. The emerging elder care robots cannot be allowed to compete with or substitute this human caring power.

Assuming that such human caring potential exists in families and communities, and I do believe it does in most parts of the world, it is critical to make care arrangements for elderly people in their own familiar and natural environment, which is their home as far as this is possible. Given a choice, most people do not like to leave their homes in the last phase of their lives. Doing so might cause psychological and physical discomfort just as dispossessing people from their land is traumatic and has lasting effects on them. Dispossession breaks social networks and the physical and spiritual attachment to the land/home. Most elderly people wish to breathe their last in their own homes. Whilst providing or/arranging care for elderly people, the greatest convenience and comfort to the greatest number of family members is not a useful guideline or principle, if applicable at all. The best interests of elderly people should be the main focus ( Tuckett, 2006 ). Many a time, arranging care in their homes may appear as illogical and inappropriate to some family members and relatives, and be not supported by the evidence in social workers’ assessments. Relatives, doctors and others may suggest or push for alternative care arrangements outside the home. Despite many seemingly compelling arguments against, it is critical to consider what is the genuine wish of the elder person and to respect that wish, though it may have hurdles and appear problematic and even neglectful in some sense. For social work practitioners, all this is basic knowledge, and one may wonder why I am raising questions and narrating like this?

I repeat this mantra of caring for elderly people in their homes, unless there are health and safety issues involved, because this is the reality for elderly persons and their families in most parts of the world. This approach naturally educates family members, their children, neighbourhoods and communities about what care is, what pain is, what suffering is, what neglect is, what abuse is and what care giving and receiving is. It provides opportunities to pass on improved care practices, if done appropriately, to the next generation of caretakers. In essence, it helps to prepare caring beings. Many government policies and programmes are encouraging this approach, although perhaps more because of economic and budgetary issues. Most importantly, this purposeful practice and culture of caring in homes are needed to fight against the trend of increasing numbers of unnecessary and low-quality nursing homes and other aged care facilities. This trend is there because there is a demand and there are market forces in play in the name of providing services to generate employment, income and profit. Offering quality care may not be the market’s first priority. Even if that be so, it is important to acknowledge the necessity of nursing homes and other aged care facilities, as these have a place, and there are some good providers, including non-profit ones.

On the other hand, the culture of nursing homes and aged care facilities in some countries is a great obstacle to cultivating and developing caring beings. Many people, who are socialised into this culture, believe that nursing homes and aged care facilities are the only ways for caring for elderly people. In fact, some begin saving money in advance to follow this approach. In some other cases, as argued earlier, market institutions create what are in effect conditions for dispossessing, and diminishing the assets of elderly people. This narrow tunnel approach of caring for elderly people overlooks caring issues, remains insensitive to multicultural needs, and in some respects relinquishes family members’ and citizens’ caring responsibilities and contributes to suppressing caring feelings, often with guilt involved. This approach ultimately wipes out caring practices within families and cultures because everybody believes that nursing homes and aged care facilities are the only ways to care for elderly people. It also creates dependency on the aged care market sector. To exploit this dependency and in anticipation to the growing ageing population, the market is poised to build ever more nursing homes and aged care facilities. Institutionally arranged care is mostly bereft of the human touch and emotional care. In addition, like sometimes happens in families, there is abundant evidence of neglect, abuse and regulatory lapses in aged care institutions. These and similar issues present great opportunities for social workers to invent new approaches to caring for elderly people. To me that approach lies in the challenge of cultivating caring beings, families and communities, caring character.

I am sure that social workers, along with other helping professionals, can significantly contribute to cultivating caring beings, families and communities. Towards that end, when and where socioeconomic circumstances allow, we should encourage people to stay with their elderly people, demonstrating their genuine love and care. Caring value-oriented professional codes and policies and programmes can be purposely designed to create socioeconomic circumstances that will facilitate caring practices by individuals, families and communities. Already some favourable policies exist in relation to paid parental leave, primary carer leave, work from home provision, carer payment provisions, work–family balance policies, etc.—in some countries, mostly developed ones. Similar policies focusing specifically on caring for elderly people may be developed for all countries. Policies have the power to change caring behaviour.

It is critical to look at the social work profession’s values and see whether they incorporate caring values and practices or constrain us from building caring beings and societies. Although Aristotelian ideas address some shortcomings of Kant and Bentham’s thoughts ( Pawar, 2014 ), Harman (1999 , p. 328) and Houston (2003) have questioned the practicability of the ideas. Kant (1724–1804) is from Germany and his ideas of deontology, moral rules for action based on reason/rationality, objectivity, impartiality, unbiasedness, duty and respect for others ( Kant, 1964 ), have influenced social work codes of ethical values and principles ( Pawar, 2014 ). But Kant’s ideas do not recognise the ambiguous, messy, indeterminate and uncertain nature of social life and disconnect from the real world ( Rossiter, 2006 ; Crigger and Godfrey, 2011 ). Bentham (1748–1832) is from Britain and his ideas of ethic of consequentialism is based on the tenets of hedonism—maximising pleasure and minimising pain, and utilitarianism—greatest happiness to the greatest number of people, have also influenced social work. Bowles et al. (2006 , p. 61) argue that the influence of Bentham’s ideas is important in social work ethics as most of what is done is designed or intended to have positive effects. But these ideas tend to ignore, the process, the motives, the actor, the minority and actions with little consequences ( Harstell, 2006 ; Houston 2012 ; Pawar, 2014 ). Aristotle (384 to 322 BC) is from Greece, his ideas focused on what is excellent (arete), what is practical and wise (phronesis) and what typifies human flourishing (eudaimonia) ( Aristotle, 1976 ). One may wonder, what my illiterate grandmother (unknown—2012) from India has to do with these great philosophers and their ideas.

Generally, social work codes of ethics, though many countries where professional social work exists do not have their own code of ethics, appear to be heavily influenced by Kant’s and Bentham’s philosophical theories, which focus on reason/rationality, objectivity, impartiality or unbiasedness, duty and respect for others, and outcomes such as hedonism and utilitarianism, respectively ( Pawar, 2014 : Pawar and Anscombe, 2015 ). Although these have some strengths, it is time for us to examine critically whether in any way they are limiting our action and relevance globally, for there are other important theories such as Aristotelian virtue ethics, ethics of care ( Slote, 2001 , 2007 ; Hugman et al. , 2021 ), faith and spirituality which need to be reflected in social work’s practice codes and value-bases to enhance our caring action and global relevance. McBeath and Webb (2002 , p. 1020) state that ‘virtue ethics can be used to offer an account of the modes of moral existence shaping the being of a good social worker’. Towards that end, the significance of caring relationships, and that caring as a virtue needs to be cultivated ( Hugman et al. , 2021 ). The virtue of care is inextricably rooted in the caring relationship, and attentiveness, responsiveness and responsibility at both interpersonal and institutional policy levels ( Gilligan, 1982 ; Tronto, 1993 ; Sevenhuijsen, 1998 , 2000 , 2003 ; Hugman, 2005 ; Gray 2010 ; Houston, 2012 ).

I am of the view that rationality and outcomes are important, but too much emphasis on these may skew our practice and instrumentalise our processes and decisions. Most of our work is measured by market mechanisms. Whether it is taking decisions in child protection, mental health, hospitals, nursing homes and aged care facilities, and social protection agencies, our practice generally focuses on objectivity, reason and rationality. But social work is a subjective profession that must encompass also emotions, feelings, love and care. Both head and heart are vital in our practice. If most of the practice is dominated by the head, I just wonder whether we are missing on vital care-giving and care-receiving in our lives, in families, communities and society as a whole. This issue becomes increasingly relevant in societies where the ageing population is growing fast and disrupting the demographic balance.

Ambiguity, uncertainty, subjectivity and uniqueness of circumstances are the nature of the social work profession, and we need to rejoice and honour this nature in our practice. Good decisions and right decisions are critical in practice. Following only head-based decisions or following only heart-based decisions does not ensure good and right decisions. Under the unique circumstances of ambiguity and uncertainty, had I listened to my heart, I would have gone to my village, cared for my grandmother and seen her passing away whilst surrounded by caring. That decision might have satisfied her and certainly made me guilt free by fulfilling my promise to return. But, I followed the head and achieved other outcomes and outputs. In hindsight, it was neither a right nor a good decision. In my case, I had abundant opportunities to achieve the same outcomes and outputs later, but I had no other opportunity to care for my grandmother. This was the last one and I tragically lost it.

In no way am I suggesting that social workers are not caring in their practice. I believe most social workers are caring, or try their best to care for the people with whom they work. However, there is a potential to compromise caring-oriented practices because of market forces and the routinisation of practices. As it is an emotionally demanding profession, it is important to ensure that social workers not only care for themselves and others but also receive care from others. In any reckoning, unfortunately, care-oriented practices within the social work community, though so very relevant, seems to me to be today quite limited.

In view of the growing ageing population in many countries and societies and the high demand for caring for them, along with adverse market forces that are displacing caring practices, my question is can social workers and the social work profession contribute to creating or cultivating caring individuals, families and communities, so that they can care for elderly people and other vulnerable groups, by themselves—that is beyond the kith and kin relationships? This ambitious approach not only helps to overcome one of the critiques that caring is parochial but also addresses the gaps created by intra and international migration, as many migrants, though willing, are not able to provide direct care for their elderly relatives. The purposeful creation of caring communities and societies will be able to address this gap.

If this gap is not proactively addressed, the social work fraternity, both globally and locally needs to think about the critical issue of poverty of caring. Like ideas of universal basic income, floated and tested in some parts of the world, it is important to contemplate and conquer universal basic care for all elderly people, wherever they are and whenever they need it. It is not unrealistic to visualise this caring future. If technological disruption, as predicted, creates 35–40 per cent unemployment, and if universal basic income becomes a reality, people will need to creatively and constructively engage in irreplaceable human caring for others. Despite the influence of robots and electronic monitors, and before they forget human caring practices, we need to create attractive opportunities for people to articulate and ventilate emotional caring practices with humans. If we do not do it now, people will be forced to live with robots and with a sense of emptiness in their hearts! For social workers and similar professionals, this is an opportunity that may not long be available, to create human caring communities and societies.

As stated in the Introduction section, through an inductive journey of my life experiences of caring for my grandmother and reflections on them, I have emphasised the role of caring in social work practice and the need for social workers to create caring families, communities and societies. Based on that journey, I have tried to expose the complex phenomenon of dispossession, at both personal and political levels, in terms of dispossessing women, elderly people, some nations and cultures through various processes, and considered its implications for caring for elderly people. Secondly, I have argued for basic technology transfer at the local level to enhance the comfort, caring and dignity of elderly people. Thirdly, I have pointed out the significance of emotional and material care and commitment to caring, the threat or challenges to sustaining caring and the need for innovations to enhance human caring. Fourthly, I have emphasised focusing on the best interests of elderly people when choosing the place and space for caring arrangements. Finally, regarding creating caring individuals, families and communities, I have suggested examining, and altering where necessary, the values-base of professional codes and policies, by integrating reason and emotion or compassion when making decisions about caring. I believe that social workers and similar professionals can contribute to creating caring communities and societies to meet the challenging needs of growing ageing populations in the world. I must admit that this paper is based on my personal experiences and reflections on them, it is not scholarly, and I have made statements and assertions without using citations, although I know that such evidence exists. The intention of my reflections is not to reduce the vast nature of the caring issue to my personal story, but to expose the issue of caring critically and meaningfully for elderly people and similar needy groups so that it can be constructively addressed. I hope my contemplation may contribute to enhancing caring for elderly people globally. Personally, I have gained a lot from my own reflections and hopefully, it has offered some insights to others to think about caring, caregiving and receiving, and imagining what is involved in creating and living in caring societies.

An earlier version of this article was delivered as The M.C. ‘Terry’ Hokenstad International Lecture 2017, at the 63rd Council on Social Work Education Annual Programme Meeting, 19–22 October 2017, Dallas, USA. I would like to thank the lecture organising committee. I am grateful to David Cox, A. W. (Bill) Anscombe, Terry Hokenstad, Karen Bell, Susan Mlcek, Karen Kime, Monica Short, Lynelle Osburn, Marie Sheahan, Simran Rajkumar, Venkat Pulla, and John Healy for their comments on the article. Thanks are also due to the blind peer reviewers and the editors of the BJSW for their comments and suggestions.

This research article did not receive any funding.

Conflict of interest statement. None declared.

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Objectives of Social Work and its Purpose

Last Updated on December 30, 2022 by Team TSW

Objectives in general are the statements or formulations, what we seek to achieve. The Preamble to the American Council on Social Work Education’s ( CSWE ) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards on objectives of Social Work states: Social work practice promotes human well-being by strengthening opportunities, resources, and capacities of people in their environments and by creating policies and services to correct conditions that limit human rights and the quality of life. The social work profession works to eliminate poverty, discrimination, and oppression. Guided by a person-in-environment perspective and respect for human diversity, the profession works to effect social and economic justice worldwide.

Table of Contents

Objectives of Social Work

For the convenience, the objectives of social work can be classified into the following groups:

Objectives prescribed by the social work scientists

Some of the greats in the field of social work have defined social work objectives as :-

Witmer prescribed two objectives of social work such as

• To give assistance to individuals while removing difficulties which they face in utilizing basic services of the society and
• To facilitate effective utilization of community resources for their welfare.

Friedlander gave three objectives of social work as:

• To bring change in painful situation of individuals,
• To develop the constructive forces both within and around the individual and
• To enhance the democratic and humanistic behavior of the individual.

Gordon Brown has given four objectives of social work such as:

• To provide physical or material support.
• To help in social adjustment,
• To help in solving the psychological problems and
• To make adequate opportunities for the individuals in problems for raising their standard of living which can prevent problems from intruding.

Generic objectives of social work

Following are generally and universally accepted objectives of social work :-

• To enhance the social functioning and interactions of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities by involving them in accomplishing goals, developing resources, and preventing and alleviating distress.
• To solve psycho-social problems. Problems what cause stress, inferiority, depression, excessive anger all affects mental realm and are example of psychological problems.
• To fulfill humanitarian needs such as love, affection, care, security, empathy, and independence etc.
• To solve adjustment problems.
• To enhance human well-being and alleviate poverty, oppression, and other forms of social injustice
• To create self-sufficiency. This means that social worker must help clients to help themselves.
• To make and strengthen harmonious social relations. There must not be the feeling of inferiority in the mind of people and nothing should stop them in making harmonious relations.
• To make provision of corrective and recreational services.
• To formulate and implement social policies, services, and programs that meet basic human needs and support the development of human capacities.
• To develop democratic values among the people. Feeling of fraternity, liberty, empathy, equality should be inculcated in the client. this will not only improve the client but atmosphere of the society as well.
• To provide opportunities for development and social progress.
• To conscientize the community.
• To change the environment in favor of individual’s growth and development.
• To bring change in the defective social system for social development.
• To pursue policies, services, and resources through advocacy and social or political actions that promote social and economic justice.
• To provide socio-legal aid to the needy who cannot afford to meet them.
• To develop and use research, knowledge, and skills that advance social work practice.
• To provide rehabilitative services to the client so that he/she can do well even without guidance from social worker.
• To develop and apply practice in the context of diverse cultures.

We can safely sum-up objective of social work and say, Social Work aims to maximize the development of human potential and the fulfillment of human needs.

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10 Focuses to a First in Social Work Essays

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Introduction

Before you start, this is a long article. You might prefer the pdf version here .

So… You want to write a great social work essay?

It’s deceptively difficult, isn’t it?

I remember the time I got back my first assignment from university. I was so excited.

How high would I get?

Then I saw the mark.

Was it out of 50? No, it wasn’t. it was out of a 100. That’s when I realised that I had

Sitting at the edge of the pool, I felt like crying. I couldn’t believe it. I had come all the way from Singapore to England… to fail?

That’s when I realised I truly needed to bring up my game. If I was not going to be serious, the 35 would not be an isolated event, but a continual series.

This short article covers the series of steps I took to move from failure to first. I hope it helps you on your own journey in social work too.

In this short book, the first 3 focuses cover what happens before your coursework has been assigned. It covers the basics of class-going, reading, and creating the right study environment.

Focuses 4 to 7 cover the writing process, from understanding the essay- writing process, to planning deadlines, to the actual writing itself.

Focuses 8 and 9 share about how you can polish up the essay before submitting, before 10 suggests how you might use the returned coursework as a springboard to your next A.

Note: Please bear in mind, this bears relation to academic papers we must write as part of the social work course and not the performance on placement.

Focus 1: Understand what tutors want

If you don’t know what your tutors want, they will never give you what you want – a high grade. Therefore, it’s important that you and I turn up for our classes. I know, I know, it’s a travesty when universities force you to turn up for class at 9am.

But there’s no excuse if a first is what you want. Appearing at lectures is essential to see what tutors are focusing on when they teach you something. It also helps to see what tutors know, and more importantly, do not know, when they teach.

Why do I say that?

When you write an essay, the thing that differentiates an average essay from an A+ essay is the number of unique insights you give. Rehashing what your tutors have said is simply not going to get you a high grade.

Therefore, when you appear at their lectures, see what they have focused on, you can start giving your own insightful take on what they have said.

To put it more simply,

Basic arguments + Unique Insights = Mark attained

Secondly, when you turn up for your lectures and seminars, you build a treasure trove of insights that other students give when they are in class.

It’s no use to appear at the last lecture, hoping that the tutor is going to give you all the essential tips for scoring an A+. It doesn’t work that way.

Consistency is key.

Focus 2: Read right

When I see students lug their 6 pack Red-Bulls to the library, bring the blanket, and prepare for an overnight stay at the library, I empathise with them.

Why? Because just 5 years ago, whilst I was studying for my A Levels, I was like them. I thought that doing well meant that you had to sacrifice on your sleep, spend long hours at the library, and down litres of caffeine.

When my A-Level results were released, I was deeply disappointed. All those hours of suffering at the hands of caffeine, worrying about work…all that hadn’t worked? What had I done wrongly?

Many things.

But for one, I realised I had not focused on consistent work. Instead, I had focused on bursts. I had failed to realise that the assessment started the day lessons started . This was a crucial insight.

This meant that lessons were no longer a joke, a chance to play with my friends, or to laugh at the homework I hadn’t completed.

It was when the assessment started .

Putting in effort during classes is vital for reducing the amount of work you do for your final assessment. But it does not mean doing everything that the tutor asks you to do.

Nor does it mean reading everything the tutor tells you to read.

When I was at university, everyone used to joke about how they never had to do readings, and yet still managed to survive.

I know readings are long and boring.

But they are important to build your understanding of the topic. In social work, this is vital.

For example, understanding the method of practice is important to help you choose the right method to write about. One that engages you enough to spend weeks researching, writing and editing. You cannot write about something you are not interested in.

There’s an important caveat though – you don’t have to read everything. With readings being hundreds of pages, you would not have enough time physically to read all.

To help you determine what to read, Newport developed a useful heuristic.

Readings that make an argument > Readings that describe an event > Readings that provide context

For example, a reading that explains why we use the relationship-based approach is more important than one describing Gillian Ruch, who brought it into prominence, which is more important than an article describing BASW’s 2019 theme of relationship- based practice.

This is not an excuse to skip readings, but to read the ones that truly matter.

Focus 3: Create the right study environment

When the deadline is close, we often bring along packs of Red-Bull to the library, hoping that the wings Red-Bull gives is going to help us to sail through this assignment.

It works when you want to turn in a mediocre assignment, but for a first, it doesn’t work very well.

That’s because your brain is on a sugary high, and is focused on getting the job done. Rather than trying to draw unique insights from the readings, you are focused on getting the essay out of the door.

To create the right study environment where this cramming does not need to happen, there are 3 essential tips that helped me.

Firstly, study alone.

When you are studying in a group, the tendency is for you to chat from time to time, go out for breaks, laugh together, and end up with little work done. But I’m a social person! Sure, that’s important. But you can always be sociable after the work is done.

This way, you focus entirely on the work that is in front of you, rather than the friend that is beside you. You face little distractions that will take you away from developing a great essay.

Secondly, study in a quiet area.

This is as clear as it gets. studying whilst lying on the bed, with Netflix in front of you, and trying to type out a great essay is not a great idea.

Cal Newport, founder of the famous Study Hacks website, calls it ‘pseudo-working’. Sure, you can complain about the hours you spent on your essay, but how much of it was quality time, instead of quantity time?

When you want to write your essay, take yourself to a library with few distractions around you, and focus.

Lastly, study smart. We are human. Expecting yourself to focus for 2 consecutive hours is impossible.

Rather, it becomes more productive when you focus for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, focus again for 25 minutes, before resting again for 10 minutes.

Called the Pomodoro technique, this breaks work down into more manageable chunks rather than an impossible mountain.

Focus 4: Understand the writing process

Rather than seeing an essay as a whole process of writing, breaking it down into its sequential parts will make the job much more organised, and much, much, more effective.

In the first step of research, determine the necessary sources for your arguments.

Find at least 2 references for each argument before moving on. Reference those arguments correctly, indicating the page number. This makes it easy to put everything together later.

Then, we move onto the writing section. In this section, before you even start writing, construct a proper topic level outline for your essay.

Discuss this outline with your tutor, and get their feedback. Most tutors can’t give direct feedback on written drafts, but they can give feedback on written outlines.

This is important to ensure that your essay is moving on the right track and not going into potential dead-ends. This process of consulting your tutor is explained in the next section.

Then, start writing!

Focus 5: Plan deadlines

After you get your assignment, the next step is to start planning!

It doesn’t matter where you are going if you don’t have a plan. If you don’t care about what grade you get, don’t bother planning! It will be a waste of your time.

But if you do, then plan. The point of planning is that it breaks up what you are doing so that you can know what exactly needs to be done to get to the end.

Here, I have developed a simple worksheet for you to keep track of your writing.

Write down the dates, and keep yourself accountable to them by showing them to a friend.

Focus 6: Consult your tribe

Whatever you are writing, I can guarantee that you will not do well if you keep your outline to yourself.

Why am I so sure?

As humans, we are subject to the confirmation bias.

Bestselling author Rolf Dobelli (2013:23) describes it as the:

‘mother of all misconceptions’, because it is the ‘tendency to interpret new information so that it becomes compatible with our existing theories, beliefs and convictions’. Rolf Dobelli, The Art of Thinking Clearly

This means that however bad the outline you plan is, it will look brilliant to you. Why? Because you are the one who planned it.

That’s why it’s important to give someone you trust, such as your tutor, another colleague, or even your placement supervisor, a quick read through to ensure that you are on the right track.

Tell them to be honest with you about the theories you are using, the arguments you are going to make, and if they have any suggestions for you. This way, you ensure that you are on the right track to success before spending too much time on it.

Even though it might look troublesome and embarrassing, consulting others is very is important.

During my last practice analysis, my mark dropped from a previous high of 85 to 65, simply because I was too arrogant to ask. Just because my first practice analysis had been an all-time high of 85, I thought this meant that I no longer needed any consultation.

Well, now I know.

It’s a little too late now, though.

But I hope that sharing this with you shows you the importance of sharing your outline with someone else, and having the humility to take their feedback into consideration when you craft your eventual essay.

Focus 7: Argue well

This is a distillation of the most useful tips I learnt from 24 years of arguing in school, as a debater, as a writer, and as a student. It is meant as a list of guidelines you should use as you write your essay.

Firstly, when writing your essay, you need to offer a roadmap to the marker. Don’t let them get lost. Where are you taking them on the journey through your essay? For me, it has been useful to write the introduction last , after I’ve been clear about the main arguments and conclusion I will make.

Secondly, always be clear about what your argument is.

Don’t assume that your marker is going to understand it without you stating it explicitly to them. I would suggest you state it within the first two sentences of your paragraph.

Use clear markers such as, ‘I would argue that…’, ‘This essay believes that…’.

Thirdly, connect the dots between each paragraph and your question. Remember to link your argument to the question with concluding words such as therefore, thus, in summary , to illustrate to your marker that you are drawing a link between what you have said to what the question has asked.

Fourthly, let your voice shine through.

During my last assignment, I made the mistake of referencing every other sentence I wrote. An example is shown below.

The social pedagogy approach guided how I related to A. The 3 key concepts involve ‘haltung, head-heart-hands, and the common third’ (Ruch et al. 2017:1016). ‘Haltung’ brings one’s whole self – ‘rational, emotional and practical’ to develop sincere relationships (Ruch et al. 2017:1016). With A, I brought the ‘haltung’ of authenticity. My practice analysis, 2018

Authenticity is not ‘hustling for acceptance and changing who we are to fit in’ (Brown 2018:25). It was embracing myself, and using my ‘self’ to influence A.

My marker commented that it felt quite turgid and stilted. She meant that it had felt unnatural. She had felt that whilst I had referenced well, my own voice had not come through. Therefore, whilst evidencing is good, I would argue that your own perspectives must first be explained before you start throwing in references. This brings me to my next point on referencing.

The best students understand how to question the evidence that is given to them, rather than copying the references wholly from the source. Thus, rather than using references in a descriptive manner, start using it in an analytical manner.

Descriptive

I used the relationship-based approach (Ruch et al. 2017) to work with X.

Ruch (et al. 2017) recommends bringing the authentic self into work with clients. However, with X, I found that this was not necessarily helpful as he tended to overstep boundaries, taking advantage of my kindness.

I hope these 5 tips help you to write better essays.

Focus 8: Work consistently

I like to think of essay-writing as something similar to chopping a tree. You can chop a tree in a day, but it’s difficult. Rather, taking small chops consistently ensures that you can give it a good ‘THWACK!’ each day, and come out alive.

I am aware that you might be reading this as another act of procrastination, telling yourself that you are going to go back to that essay after reading yet another article on how to write a good essay.

Well, it’s not going to work that way.

Working consistently helps. Period. If you like pulling all-nighters, rushing through your essay on the deadline, I cannot stop you. But I’m here to tell you that there is a better way.

To deal with procrastination, your mind needs to be assured that it is going to be able to rest. It hates the fact that you might put it through another all-nighter again, and it starts likening your early attempts to work to an all-nighter.

Thus, to start the ball rolling, building momentum, start with 5 minutes.

5 minutes is all it takes. If you can’t do 25 minutes of reading, just tell yourself, ‘I will do 5 minutes of studying today.’

Time yourself with a stopwatch. The probability is, after 5 minutes, your mind will start gathering momentum and will continue to work.

Use the Pomodoro technique described above to have regular work-rest cycles.

Here is another important tip.

When writing your essay, go offline. As we have discussed in Focus 3 – Understand the writing process , essay-writing is split into research, writing and editing. When you are researching, it’s fine to be online. But when you are writing, go offline.

This removes unnecessary distractions like email, social media, and notifications.

When you go offline, you find it much easier to go into the flow, rather than trying desperately to switch between your browser, your word processor, and your phone. It makes you less likely to procrastinate, because there is nothing to procrastinate on.

Rather than telling yourself that you are going to finish 3000 words on the final day, why not set yourself a more manageable goal of 300 words over the next 10 days? Consistency, not craziness is key to your excellence.

Focus 9: Review your paper

Someone once said, ‘it’s not about the plan, but about the planning.’ Similarly, in essay- writing, it’s not about the final essay, but it’s about the process of constantly reviewing what you have written. We have researched. We have written.

Finally, we come to the editing portion. In his book ‘How to be a Straight-A Student’, which I thoroughly recommend for every student, Cal Newport suggests three different edits.

• Read the paper carefully on the computer, ensuring clarity of argument.
• Fix obvious flaws.
• Rewrite when flow needs improving.
• Print out your essay and read it out loud.
• Highlight or mark any passages that seem unclear and edit it.
• Read over for the final time to fix any remaining flaws.

I don’t know about your tutors, but my tutors were very strict on things like referencing, naming of clients, and naming of organizations.

Editing ensures that these small chinks are ironed out, creating a beautifully crafted paper, ready for a first!

Focus 10: Ask for feedback

No matter how well or how badly you do, it’s vital to learn from it. Don’t simply let it go.

I would say that this is the most important factor in getting a first at social work. Reading the comments about your essay, and the markings on the essay are not particularly helpful in and of themselves. It’s only when you begin to have a conversation about them that it starts becoming helpful.

When you know the points you did well at, you can focus on including more of them in your next essay, so that you can get an even higher grade.

When you know the points you could even improve on, eliminating those pain points ensures that you make the marking process an easy one for your marker.

Arrange a call with your marker to review what you had done well or not so well over the course of your essay.

Many students forget that social work is a social science subject. This means that many of your assignments will be based on your writing capability, rather than your ability to write the CORRECT answer.

There is no correct answer in something subjective like social work. Instead, markers grade you on how well you argue your point, the unique insights you give, and the evidence you have combed through to get to your point.

Therefore, getting your tutor’s feedback on your writing ability, and the points you could improve on is helpful for your future essays. Look at it this way. your tutors do this for a living.

That means they have seen hundreds, if not thousands of essays. They have also probably written hundreds of essays themselves to get to where they are.

They know what qualifies as good writing. Teasing from them the principles of arguing was perhaps the most important lesson of my university experience.

Social work essays can be tough. But they are not that tough.

If you follow the steps here, I hope you find them a little easier.

• Appear at lectures and seminars.
• Ask questions.
• Store insights from classmates and tutors.
• Read right.

You don’t have to read everything!

• Study alone.
• Study in a quiet environment.
• Study smart.
• Have clear dates for significant milestones.
• We are guilty of the confirmation bias.
• Ask for feedback
• Offer a roadmap to the reader.
• Be clear about what your argument is.
• Link your paragraph to your question.
• Let your voice shine through.
• Analyse the evidence.
• 300 words everyday is better than 3000 words on the last day.
• Argument adjustment pass
• Out loud pass
• Sanity pass
• Ask for feedback.
• Ask your tutors: What have I done well? What can I do better?

I hope you enjoyed this short article that distils the essence of how I turned from failure to first in social work.

What helps you get your A? Add a comment below.

Cheers to your next A,

Useful resources

These are a list of resources that transformed my study habits. If you have the chance, read them, and you will see why.

Dobelli, R. (2013) The Art of Thinking Clearly . London: Sceptre Books Newport, C. (2007) How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less New York: Three Rivers Press.

Wong, D. (2012) The Happy Student. Singapore: Write Editions.

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Social Worker Professional Goals

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• LinkedIn Guide
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• Work-Life Balance
• Professional Goals
• Social Worker Resume Examples
• Social Worker Cover Letter Examples

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Different types of career goals for social workers, client advocacy and service goals, professional development and education goals, networking and collaboration goals, policy influence and leadership goals, self-care and resilience goals, what makes a good career goal for a social worker , career goal criteria for social workers, relevance to social impact.

• Identify Community Needs
• Set Measurable Outcomes
• Engage in Advocacy Work

Advocacy and Ethical Integrity

• Identify Core Ethical Principles
• Develop Client Advocacy Strategies
• Enhance Cultural Competency Skills

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Identify Key Partnerships
• Engage in Cross-Discipline Training
• Develop a Referral Network

Continuous Learning and Specialization

• Identify Core Specialties
• Set Educational Objectives
• Engage in Skill Workshops

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12 Professional Goal Examples for Social Workers

Develop cultural competency, enhance therapeutic communication skills, advocate for social justice, expand knowledge in a specialization, strengthen crisis intervention abilities, build community outreach programs, pursue advanced education, implement evidence-based practices, develop leadership and supervisory skills, improve self-care and resilience, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, utilize technology for social innovation, career goals for social workers at difference levels, setting career goals as an entry-level social worker, setting career goals as a mid-level social worker, setting career goals as a senior-level social worker, leverage feedback to refine your professional goals, embracing constructive criticism for professional growth, incorporating client feedback into career development, utilizing performance reviews to sharpen professional objectives, goal faqs for social workers, how frequently should social workers revisit and adjust their professional goals, can professional goals for social workers include soft skill development, how do social workers balance long-term career goals with immediate project deadlines, how can social workers ensure their goals align with their company's vision and objectives.

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Navigating the journey to mental wellness, providing empathetic, expert guidance

Guiding individuals towards mental wellness, fostering resilience and self-understanding

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Providing compassionate care, bridging health professionals and patients' needs

Providing compassionate care, assisting in patient recovery and maintaining health records

Providing critical care across borders, adapting to diverse healthcare environments

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Social Work — The Importance of Social Work for Society

The Importance of Social Work for Society

• Categories: Social Work

About this sample

Words: 449 |

Published: Feb 12, 2019

Words: 449 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Works Cited:

• Bate, J. (2017). The journey of the magi. In Ted Hughes: The unauthorised life (pp. 24-25). HarperCollins.
• Eliot, T. S. (1998). Journey of the Magi. In T. S. Eliot: Collected Poems, 1909-1962 (pp. 98-99). Faber and Faber.
• Gioia, D. (2013). The journey of the magi. In The Norton introduction to literature (Shorter Eleventh ed., pp. 1172-1173). W. W. Norton & Company.
• Guthrie, M. (2018). “Journey of the Magi” by T. S. Eliot. Retrieved from https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/69645/journey-of-the-magi-by-t-s-eliot
• Hargrove, N. (2012). Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFmCvNUlmf8
• Lance, P. (2009). “Journey of the Magi” by T. S. Eliot. Retrieved from https://www.gradesaver.com/the-waste-land-and-other-poems/study-guide/summary-journey-of-the-magi
• Langer, J. (1998). The Christian allegory of T. S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi.” Christianity and Literature, 47(3), 337-353.
• Miller, J. E. (2010). The journey of the magi by T. S. Eliot. Masterplots II: Poetry (Revised Edition), 1-2.
• Sencicle, L. (2014). The journey of the magi: symbolism and themes. Retrieved from https://www.albert.io/blog/the-journey-of-the-magi-symbolism-and-themes/
• Tate, A. (1968). T. S. Eliot: The man and his work. Penguin.

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