Challenges faced by the People of Community Sample for Students

Question: Discuss about the Social Work Practice. Answer: Introduction Communities, individuals and families are often faced with some challenges which affect the quality of their life. One of the most common challenges that face people is the inability to afford essential services. Apart from the ability to afford; these services could be unavailable. These trends are very common in especially developing countries and Poverty is the most common reason for this trend. If people cannot get basic services such as healthcare, the quality of life also affected. There often some vulnerable groups in the society including children, the old and women. These categories of people are the most affected in case of any challenges in their communities. They are prone to neglect, deprivation of essential services among other crucial services. That is where the role of as social worker comes in (Allen,2012) A social worker is, therefore, a person whose sole concern is to help individuals, communities, groups and families to enhance their welfare by helping them acquir e necessary skills and ability to use personal and community resources to provide solutions to their challenges. Social work practice, therefore, means the practical application of theories and methods of social service by social work professionals, to intervene, access, diagnose and prevent social problems for individuals, families groups, organizations including, neglect, domestic violence and drug and substance abuse (Agnew,2014) This essay provides an analysis of domestic violence, its ethical principles and potential moral issue and dilemmas My main area of interest in social work practice has been an issue to do with domestic violence. Domestic violence is said to have occurred in a situation where one partner in an intimate relationship willfully intimidates, assaults, batter and abuse the other with intent to gain control over them .cases of domestic violence are very prevalent in the modern society and are not a persevere for any gender. Although many tend to associate domestic violence with major women, the assumption that it is only women who usually gets assaulted is wrong because even men get attacked, only that the reported cases have always remained (low Cook, 2009). However, the prevalence of domestic violence cases perpetrated by men against women are higher than those perpetrated by women against men, and for that reason, social workers tend to majorly focus on women and children because they are the most affected There is, however, no uniformity in the cases of domestic violence. In some cases, it might be more severe and prevalent while in others it might be less severe and less widespread but the primary motive remains constant efforts by one partner to gain absolute control and power over the other. The term is also broadly defined to include other members of the family besides intimate partners such parents, siblings and children among others. Instances of domestic violence are also existent in all communities, cultures, countries, religious denominations, age groups and among people with different levels of income, levels of education, living in rural or urban areas and even among people with different sexual orientations. Apart from married couples, the unmarried, divorced, homosexual, heterosexual and cohabiting couple also experiences domestic violence (Bashall, Hague Mullender, 2011). Advocacy against Domestic violence can be traced back to the year between the 1960s and 1970 with the introduction of feminist movements to advocate for human rights. Domestic violence against women at that time became common because woken had started gaining ground. What resulted was the formation of battered women movement which was triggered by the current social movements of the time such as womens health, anti-rape and womens liberation movements. The first women shelter was established by Erin Pizzey in Chiswick, England to take care of domestically abused women. This became the first internationally recognized women shelter. It was followed by other Battered women shelters in parts of United States of America such as Boston and Massachusetts as the cases of women battering became widespread (Roberts,2007). Social has been of primary importance in providing support to the victims of domestic violence for some years in these shelters, courtrooms and emergency rooms. Regarding ca re of domestic abuse victims, social work focuses on empowering abused women economically and psychologically. One fact remains that however, the cases of domestic abuse might be prevalent among some women, they find it hard to have control over their lives and sometimes they may tend to hold on to their abusive relationships because of their powerless nature. Women are the most impoverished people in many societies and because of this factor; they have no voice in the situations that affect them. This is where the role of women comes in to try and empower them to reduce the prevalence of domestic abuse against women (Directory of battered women's shelters in the U.S., 2008). Domestic abuse comes in various forms. Physical abuse is among the most common cases of domestic violence. It involves the use of physical force against a partner through beating; kicking burning etc. Physical abuse can cause death, severe body harm or disability. Sexual violence is also common .This occurs when one person is forced to engage in a sexual act without their consent. Sexual abuse is very common in abusive relationships in which a person might be compelled to engage in sex because of the desire to avoid more harm on them by their partners. Emotional abuse occurs when a person continually demeans the other through constant insults, criticism and humiliation (Bodenheimer, 2016). This is a very complex form of abuse that people may not easily understand and is a characteristic of an unhealthy relationship. Psychological abuse is causing fear in others through threats, intimidation and coercing. It is also common in many relationships and marriages. Social workers play some roles in as far as domestic violence is concerned. They provide direct services to domestic violence victims through shelter programs majorly centered on empowerment and advocacy. They also play a role in civic education that is aimed at reducing cases of domestic violence (Cefrey, 2009). Ethical principles relating to Domestic violence. Ethical principles in this context pertain the rightful conduct of social workers while dealing with victims of social violence. It is concerned with regulating how they deal with such victims. Social workers are obliged to observe the following ethical principles (Sokoloff, 2015). Trust. Being trustworthy is an imperative component of the social work practice. Domestic violence might bring about the need to divulge as much information as possible. In this case, Social workers are supposed to honest in all their dealings with Domestic violence victims. They should operate in an honest, open and reliable way to gain the full trust of such casualties. They are required to explain each decision that they take as well as the intervention strategies that they adopt and avoid any exploitation of their victims through their services (Johnson, 2008). Professionalism. Social workers are also expected to develop professional relationships with their clients. They should not attempt to have control of the lives of such victims but should allow them to make their choices and decisions. Their relationship with the victims should be based on respect, confidentiality, reliability and privacy. Professionalism also requires them to practice effective communication with the victims and adopt a collaborative approach in dealing with the victim's problems (Holland Scourfield, 2015). Providing information, this principle requires social workers to divulge as much information as possible to the victims on the strategies that they intend to use to change the circumstances that are affecting them. Providing information make it possible to make informed decisions and have a chance to willfully consent or dissent (Sutton, 2009). Maintaining Confidentiality, Confidentiality is also a critical principle, through their interaction with Domestic violence victims; Social workers might get hold of very sensitive information from the victim. They have a responsibility for maintaining the confidentiality of such information and only share it out with the consent of the victims to avoid breaching the privacy contract of the victims (McCue, 2008). Upholding and promoting human dignity. Additionally, social workers should be careful how they deal with domestic violence victims. They should always strive to ensure that they support their spiritual integrity, physical, emotional and psychological wellness. For this reason, they should always work to make sure that they seek to avoid further harm to the individuals by promoting the victims best interests (Reamer, 2007). Recognizing individual strengths. While domestic violence victims might have experienced similar problems, possess different attributes and strengths. A Social worker should focus on the identification of these individual strengths and concentrate on empowering them. Using Authority by human rights. Social workers also have the responsibility of ensuring that they use the authority assigned to them responsibly and in an accountable and respectful way. In all their dealings they should ensure that they safeguard the well-being of domestic violence victims and enable them to have as much control over their lives as possible. They should respect the victims choices, wishes and the preferences of such victims and fully involve them in decision making irrespective of the existing circumstances (McCue, 2008). Potential Ethical dilemmas in dealing with Domestic violence victims, an ethical dilemma is defined as a complex situation that often involves two moral imperatives whose obedience might result to some form of transgression. There are many ethical dilemmas that social workers are faced with in dealing with victims of domestic violence. While confidentiality is an important ethical obligation it is also an ethical dilemma experienced by social workers, For example in severe cases of domestic violence especially those that involve severe physical injury such as loss of parts of the body and or burns, the victims might be contemplating on committing suicide due to hopelessness. In such a situation, social workers is faced with the dilemma of observing a code of confidentiality and fail to prevent suicide or break the privacy law and protect the client and the public (Roberts, 2007). Differences in Values and Morals, Social workers are also faced with a dilemma regarding their moral and values and those of the client. Every individual has their sets of values and morals. While social workers are required to control their opinions and feelings while dealing with the client, sometimes they come across situations in which there is a conflict between their moral and values and those of the client. For example, a Christian social worker who believes that it is wrong for people to retaliate may face an ethical dilemma in trying to help a domestic violence victim who wishes to retaliate for the wrong act done against them (Mizrahi,2008). The right to self-determination, the right to self-determination requires social workers to ensure that their clients have control over what happens to their lives. This means that a social worker should not dictate what a client needs to do but should allow them to their decisions on what is best for them. However, a social worker could be faced with an ethical dilemma either to act in the best interest of the client or leave them to respect their right to self-determination and leave them to act in the way that they deem fit (Lundy Lundy, 2011). Conclusion Domestic violence is a serious issue that social workers have to deal with in the course of their practice. This is an issue that dates way back in time and has continued to persist even in the modern times. Anybody in the society can be a victim of domestic violence irrespective of their economic, social or political class. Domestic violence does not only affect the victims but also their families and the society. In their attempt to deal with domestic violence, social workers have to observe certain principles such as the confidentiality of their clients. They are also supposed to ensure that they ensure the best interest of their clients. However, this may hard to achieve sometimes because of the ethical dilemmas that they are likely to face in the course of their practice such as allowing their clients to do what they like and failing to achieve what is best for them. References Allen, M. (2012). Narrative therapy for women experiencing domestic violence: Supporting women's transitions from abuse to safety. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Agnew, E. N. (2014). 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