Community Social Work In Modern Society Social Work Essay

Community Social Work In Modern Society Social Work Essay This study is an overview of current government proposals for the Big Society within community social work. In July 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron launched a project called the Big Society. It is considered by Mr Cameron that communities deserve to be empowered to have more of a say in what happens in their local area. The belief is that by doing this, many of the local services provided by the government can be taken over and run by community and voluntary groups, with Mr Cameron describing the project as a big advance for people power (www.bbc.co.uk/news, accessed: 30/10/2010). The theory base of community social work from a historical and modern perspective will be presented and evaluated. The study will provide a literature review of community projects in both neighbouring UK countries and Inner City London; examining their effectiveness in creating community empowerment to enable the possible resolution of social depravation. Particular attention will be paid to the differences that each geographical location possesses in terms of economy, culture and class diversity when considering each project and how this relates to its success. A maximum of four projects will be chosen to compare and evaluate and the study will conclude with lessons learnt for future social work in community work practice with the inclusion of messages from the Social Work Reform Board. The Big Society Debate However, Camerons notion of the Big Society has come under much criticism. The Guardians Jonathan Freedland has written a stinging attack on Mr Camerons proposals and his article posted What is Community Social Work? The idea behind community social work is the belief that peoples problems can be countered by liaising with the people within their social network. This may include friends and relatives, and neighbours. Social workers need to seek and reinforce such support networks for service users and aim to facilitate their growth where it has become apparent that such has lapsed. The work should be seen as both a protective and preventative strategy and is now considered to be the Par excellence of intervention strategy for promoting social inclusion. (Walker and Beckett, 2005, pg93). Therefore, community social work is effectively a method of promoting the social inclusion of individuals and their families by empowering them to seek and create the interventions they require. Walker and Beckett (2005) inform that social work is at the cutting edge of individuals, families or communities attempts to manage life challenges that have been influenced by both economic and social policy, welfare systems and the way they are made up internally. However, there are differing views on the concept of empowering people and using socially inclusive methods within social work. The first view is that the empowerment of service users may be considered to be self-evident if the worker sees the problems people are facing as products of the an unfair economic system that, Disenfranchises the weak, vulnerable, disabled or poor from equal participation and access to the resources produced by society. (Walker and Beckett, 2005, pg93). The aim of social work here would be to attempt to get service users involved and try to empower them to find a way of accessing the services that are available to them. Payne (1995) suggests of this issue that although public policy statements do aim to prove the value of community participation and user empowerment, community work may indeed, Draw attention to inequalities in service provision and in power which lie behind severe deprivation and therefore also become part of the struggles between people in powerless positions against the powerful. (Payne, 1995, pg165-166). The second view on the empowerment of service users is that it can give them (service users) an increased expectation of what can be available to them. It is believed that in this case, social workers may think that the correct thing to do would be to reduce the expectations of service users, forcing them to accept the situations they find themselves in and that they may become socially excluded just because that is the way it is. If this does become the case, social workers may fail to assist in the delivery of services that are available to service users, instead just seeking to help service users to manage with what they believe is available to them. Perhaps the best way to consider empowerment for service users is to use Trevithicks (2000) model of when practising social work you are either (a) doing things to service users, (b) doing things for social workers, or (c) doing things with service users. Community social work first came into being following critiques of community work after identifying that such was considered to be a completely different activity to that of social work. These critiques found that community workers and outreach workers were becoming marginalised from their colleagues within proper social work agencies. In order to prevent this from happening further, there was what was deemed a positive movement to embrace some of the principles and practices of community work within social work. Coulshed and Orme (1998) inform us that although independent community action has continued throughout history by being supported by dedicated community workers, policy developments that incorporated both the language of community and the work involved began to inform the actions of statutory social work as of the late 1970s. Despite this being the case, it is thought that such movements towards community care initiatives were not what social workers had necessarily thought to be correct. The above moves were initiated via the Seebohm Report (1968). An article by Eileen Munro said of the actions brought about by the report, The division between (varying) social work was seen as the problem, so social services departments were created to offer a joined-up service. (www.guardian.co.uk/society, accessed: 9/10/2010). These actions included the creation of social services departments that would have smaller administrative units with area teams serving their own geographical localities. It was believed that such would improve access to service provision for those placed within each locality and a wider sense of identification with the local area for social workers. Decisions could be made dependent on the person and their local need as opposed to the generic, centralised decisions that took place previously. Seebohms report also stated that each area-based organisation should change the relationship that social workers held within the relative catchment areas that the workers were operating. The report said of this that the departments should, Encourage, support and promote voluntary effort and engage in assisting and encouraging the development of community identity. (Seebohm, 1968, paragraph 477). Despite this change in the arrangements for which social services were delivered, Seebohms report did not properly address what it was community workers, or indeed social workers working with communities were actually supposed to be doing. Although the Seebohm report had considered the basic notions of community social working, the terms and principles of such were not defined fully until this was done by the Barclay Committee and published in a report in 1982. This definition was as follows: Community social work is, Formal social work which, starting from the problems affecting an individual or group and the responsibilities and resources of social services departments and voluntary organisations, seeks to tap into, support, enable and underpin the local networks of formal and informal relationships which constitute our basic definition of community, and also the strength of a clients communities of interest. (Barclay, 1982, p xvii). The emphasis on the role of the community within society continued following the Barclay Committees report and re-emerged towards the end of the 1980s. In more recent times, the Griffiths Report of 1998 looked at care in the community and was based around an aim of closer partnerships between statutory services and local communities as part of a larger welfare spectrum. The National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 too pushed towards an emphasis on community work although Adams et al (1998) questions whether the theory was actually put into practice. Adams et al also speculate as to the difficulty that community social work continues to face as a result of continuing changes to social policy. In modern social work, it is considered by Beckett (2006) that it is beneficial to work with groups or families as opposed to working with individuals. Therefore it seems sensible that such an approach would naturally in some respects at least lead towards working within communities. Community social work is generally considered to be a similar activity to that of group work. This is because community work interventions usually involve the worker attempting to encourage the development of groups. However, community work is aimed more along the lines of self-help or social action in consideration of the group work spectrum. Community social work does not allow for the worker to do things for people, be that for individuals or indeed groups, but wishes to promote The development of organised activity by the community itself (Beckett, 2006, pg94) through either the self-creation of resources to meet its needs or even by joining forces to campaign against the authorities for not provid ing the necessary facilities. Henderson (2000, pg72) says of such an approach that At the core of the methods and skills is the idea of organising: helping people to come together to form an autonomous group. The above shows that in this context, the community worker is considered to be something of an enabler rather than the fixer within community projects. Despite this, it is also believed that community workers although being employed by the state and therefore still considered as an outsider within the community with which they are working take on a degree of benevolent paternalism as opposed to developing the necessary collective community action. Popple (1994, pg24) says of this, Historically community work has developed from two distinct roots: benevolent paternalism and collective community action. With the above in mind it is important to remember that the term community is still rather vague. It is borne from the notion that a complete neighbourhood can function as its own entity as opposed to acknowledging that neighbourhoods consist of many differing communities. Individual interest, ethnic communities, geography, familial extensions and workplaces all form part of communities, yet will often extend far beyond the neighbourhood in which they are formed. Community social work is according to Smale et al About the processes the workers engage in, the relationships they make and how they maintain and change them. adding These processes generate the specific aims and objectives of the workers and those they share the work with. (1988, pg23). The most important things that must be recognised by any community worker is the type of community that they are working with or indeed the type of community that they are assisting to help build. Evaluating Community Projects The Study So Far Conclusion

Fall of Rome - the militarys role :: Ancient Rome Roman History

Fall of Rome - the military's role The Military's Role in the Beginning of the End of Rome The fall of Rome occurred over many centuries and was caused by several factors including military decay, barbarian invasions, and the failure of the government to respond to these problems. While these problems existed to a greater of lesser degree, since the end of the 2nd century, their effects were accelerated by the reforms of the emperors Constantine and Diocletian. These reforms changed Roman life as well as the face of the Roman army, moving it away from its classical infantry-based structure to a more cavalry-based system. The army was reorganized into lightly armed troops called "limitanei" who defended the border, and large mobile armies composed of troops called "comitatenses". The border troops were given land to live on around forts they protected. This structure led to farming becoming the job of the border troops so that they could feed as well as protect those on the frontier. Over time, this in turn led to out of date weaponry and neglect in training. The weakness of these troops meant that more mobile troops were needed to compensate, and an easily penetrable border as a result of the weakness led to the need for highly efficient mobile armies. Since t he cavalry were the most mobile unit of the army, they began to be the favored military unit. With forces strung along the border and concentrated large mobile armies, an increased number of recruits were required; however, land owners were reluctant to let themselves or their kin be recruited because that left less workers for their farms. At the same time, the division of the empire into outer imperial provinces and inner provinces controlled by the Senate had its own effect. Since the armies largely remained in the outer imperial provinces, the people of the inner provinces were out of touch with the army and were no longer attracted to service, again reducing the available pool of recruits. One reason that many avoided Army service was because Roman citizenship was now offered freely, where in prior times military service had been a path to citizenship. The result was less manpower available for Rome. The Roman army was left with no choice but to recruit barbarians, who could in this way both find employment where they had no skills, and hope to obtain Roman citizenship.

Writing and Pepperoni Pizza Lovers

[pic]Essay #5: Division/Classification ASSIGNMENT Write a 3-page essay classifying different types. The essay must focus on types of a specific object or person. The essay is not intended to be an inventory of descriptions, but rather a fun analysis that leads to an overall conclusion about what you discovered in the details of each type. Requirements †¢ 3 pages Introduction (creative hook/lead and use Adios â€Å"Encircling† to get into the body of the essay—a 2-paragraph introduction is acceptable) †¢ Support Paragraphs (effective use of all: â€Å"Flow†, â€Å"Pause†, â€Å"Time Warping†, â€Å"Splitting the Second,† â€Å"Transitioning†) †¢ Conclusion (use a creative conclusion combo of your choice) †¢ Use transition words/expressions. †¢ Use varied sentence structure that demonstrates knowledge of correct punctuation. †¢ Avoid 2nd person point of view (you), contractions, and repetition. Avoid use of cliche expressions and overused words (i. e. things, nice, beautiful, however). †¢ Limit use of to be verb to no more that 4 times in the essay. †¢ Clear thesis statement †¢ Creative Title Step One (5 points): Due October 26, 2012, by midnight via email ([email  protected] com) Choose a topic and get approval from the instructor. Some examples of people include: people in an airplane, people in a waiting room, people at a specific party, types of parents, types of drivers, types of bosses, types of sneezers, types of snorers.Some examples of objects include: types of pizzas (stick to one particular kind like all types of pepperoni pizzas), types of other foods, types of couches, types of jeans, types of candy (chocolate bars, after dinner mints, etc†¦). You are not limited to these ideas; however, be prepared to think of another idea if the first one should not be approved. Therefore, check your email frequently for a response. When considering your topic, reme mber to choose something that will allow you to enjoy writing about it and will allow you to use all our stylistic tools effectively. Step Two (10 points): Due November 1, 2012, by midnight via email ([email  protected] com) Write a formal outline with your thesis and 3-4 main points. This must be a sentence outline, as we have already discussed in class. You will find an explanation about formal outlines on page 45 of The Brief Wadsworth Handbook. The example on page 46 of the handbook is a topic outline (not the kind you will be preparing). Follow basic outline conventions. Send your outline in the body of the email! Use the subject heading: â€Å"Essay #5 Outline†.The outline should organize the ideas that you intend to discuss in your essay. No late outlines will be accepted for credit. I will, however, comment on late outlines. All students who email me their outlines will get general commentary for improving the outline in order to result in a better paper. You may ne ed to revise the outline, so you will need to be checking your email periodically in order to make the necessary changes in time to write the paper. If you have changes to make on the outline and you do not implement them by November 3, 2012, you will receive 0 points for this assignment.Also, there will be a 1-point deduction for every time you need to revise, so get it done right the first time. You may only move on to writing the paper if I indicate so in my commentary. Follow the example below. Thesis: Pepperoni pizza lovers should not be grouped as one happy bunch of Italian-pie devotees. I. Too-conventional-to-try-anything-else pepperoni pizza lovers are one type. A. Charlie has not really acquired a taste for pepperoni pizza in order to be considered an expert. B. This person just eats pepperoni pizza because it is a standard favorite.C. This person has never really made any earth-shattering decisions in his/her life, for he/she lives in fear of being different. II The taste gratification seekers of the pepperoni pizza lover bunch are a second type. A. Gary Gratification Gurumaniac chooses pepperoni pizza merely for the flavorful spices of the thin sausage disks from Italy. B. This person generally opts for spicier food choices, so when pizza is on the menu, pepperoni satisfies Billy Taste Bud and Buddies the most. C.In general, this person spends a lifetime of seeking spice in his life: pepperoni pizza is his target at the neighborhood pizza parlor. III. The pepperoni pizza critic is a third. A. Having done extensive research in Italy, Cristoforo Critic di Italia is the expert and has earned the right to use his thumbs to signal â€Å"belissimo† or far-from-belissimo. B. As a connoisseur of pizza, he won’t be found delving in the cheesy-thin-crust-pepperoni delights of the lower class: the hut that sells a low quality version, Papa John’s sad imitation of gourmet, and oh, not the â€Å"D†one, a blasphemous attempt to produce pepperoni pizza.C. This person can only be found in gourmet get-ups that seat ten lucky guests for an evening of white table cloths, shiny silverware, a carnation in a vase, and the star of the evening, pepperoni pizza. D. The self-proclaimed pepperoni pizza expert will also be heard saying, â€Å"Only the best will do;† his superficial expertise is a disguise for his addiction to the best; otherwise, Domino’s would have been a thumbs up too. Conclusion: One’s taste for pepperoni pizza comes from one’s attitude toward life. Note: Please be aware that your first draft of the outline may not be approved. Check your email for responses. In other words, just doing it will not get you the credit–doing it correctly will. Step Three (10): Due: November 13, 2012 Write a 3-page essay in MLA format for Peer Review. Please bring a hard copy only. Keep in mind that grammar, sentence variety, clever word choice, and paragraph unity and organization, and effect ive use of Adios techniques are necessary to create an amazing piece of writing.Be careful not to create an inventory of types. Don’t forget to create an amazing title! Note: Students who do not have a complete draft of Essay #5 or do not have one at all on the day of the peer review will receive a zero for this assignment. Students who arrive after the peer review will receive a zero for this assignment. Step Four (100): Due: November 15, 2012 Make sure you do not miss an opportunity for great detail, entertaining narrative, and stylistic flair. Proofread and turn in the final draft for instructor review is due.Include your revised outline. (A 10-point deduction will be made if you do not turn in the outline and/or do not follow correct MLA format, including tampering with the margins, font size and style. ) This final draft should be something a reader will enjoy reading; this is your mission. An essay will be considered â€Å"on time† when it is turned in at the tim e all essays are collected. Turning in an essay after the collection time will be considered late, so do not plan to print during the break or arrive tardy to class.Late essays will be accepted no later than one class meeting after the original due date. The final grade of late essays, however, will be dropped one full letter grade. Step Four (100): Due: November 15, 2012 Post your Essay #5 to Turnitin. com by this date at 12:45pm (the start of class). On Writing Style†¦. Do’s: Getting up late is usually the reason for speedy vehicle vermin to cause chaos on the road. The triple-dose snoozers seem to be under the prolonged state of slumber, as they cut in front of those who steer courteously along the freeway.When the Lone Ranger low rider goes by handling his Tonto Toyota in unconventional ways, Ms. Daisy and her chauffer can only wonder, â€Å"What was that loud blur? † Road mayhem is credited to this group of freeway fiends. Watch out! Don’ts: Some drive rs are in a hurry. They cut off people on the busy road and don’t seem to care how they affect the drivers around them. They are probably in a hurry to get to work because they got up too late or had car trouble. Nevertheless, they are a threat on the road. [pic]

T4 Slips and Other Canadian Income Tax Slips