Analyze The Impact Of A Current Social Work Problem On Individuals, Families, And Communities

For your Signature Assignment, you will analyze the impact of a current problem on individuals, families,

and communities. In this analysis, please work on the Grand Challenges problem/issue you began

addressing in Week 1. Because the earlier assignments lead to this one, it is vital to integrate the feedback

you have received from your professor into this assignment.

• 1 — Write an introduction that describes how the chosen social problem is defined
  • What are the observable signs by which this problem can be known?
  • What is the prevalence of the problem (locally, statewide, nationally)?
  • Who is affected by the problem? What specific groups or individuals?
  • Is the problem increasing or decreasing? Why?
  • Does the problem obstruct social justice?
  • Does this problem relate to your agency? If so, how?
• 2 — Provide a historical overview of the problem
  • How did it become a recognized social problem?
  • What values or ideology led the issue to be defined as a problem?
  • Discuss your chosen problem/issue within the context of social welfare and identify particular agencies that could best help the individual/family experiencing the social problem/issue.
• 3 — Identify the purported cause(s) of the social problem and the most serious issues associated with it
  • How is the social problem identified and defined? By whom?
  • Are there alternative ways to define this problem? Provide an example.
  • Do different groups disagree over the causes and extent of the social problem, and the best
  • way to resolve this issue?
• 4 — Discuss the strengths of the affected population (the persons who are experiencing the social
• problem) and what impact do these strengths have on the social problem
  • Do others acknowledge these strengths?
  • How can these strengths be incorporated into problem-solving measures?
  • What strengths of the social system exist that pertain to this social problem?
• 5 — Identify a social policy or program developed to address the social problem
• 6 — Provide a brief overview of the literature
  • Examine the relevant literature and the best ways to intervene in this issue at the micro-level of social work practice.
  • Examine the relevant literature and discuss ways to intervene in this issue through mezzo social work practice.
  • Examine the relevant literature and discuss ways to intervene in this issue at the macro-level of social work practice.
• 7 — Identify social work values and ethical standards that are relevant to this issue. Describe a potential ethical dilemma and discuss how you would resolve that dilemma.
• 8 — Conclude by indicating how you as a future Master Social Worker would advocate on behalf of the family or individual (e.g., what would you advocate for, what dimension (level of practice) would you advocate at (micro, mezzo, or macro), and what would your advocacy entail).

Support your assignment with at least five scholarly resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including seminal articles, may be included.

Length: 10-12 pages, not including title and reference pages

Your assignment should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the

course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect graduate-

level writing and APA standards.

WEEK 1 assignment

In this analysis, please work on the Grand Challenges problem/issue you began

addressing in Week 1. Because the earlier assignments lead to this one, it is vital to integrate the feedback

you have received from your professor into this assignment.

2-What is social work? Describe how social work differs from other helping professions.
I define Social Work as an enormous discipline that involves various modalities and practices, undertaken

with the goal of bringing about individual well-being, empowerment, and happiness. Social Work embraces

transactions ranging from humanitarian rescue missions, advocating for policies that would allow families to

improve their circumstances

and obtain access to government assistance, to counseling those who are troubled or facing end of life.

The role of the Social Worker is to make sure that everyone in society has equal opportunities, that their

human rights and civil rights are respected, along with the right to self-determination and the right to enjoy

essentials of life,

to include quality health care, accommodations for disability, freedom of choice, and freedom from discrimination on account of race, gender, religion, and education. The social worker’s task is to promote equality and social justice and assist the client to improve their life and meet their goals for a better future, though therapy or social worker services
3-Explain your goals in the field of social work and potential roles and skills you would like to gain when you

 complete this MSW program.
My goals in completing this program is to gain clinical knowledge so that I may expand my role to become a therapist for individuals in need of counseling. I find it very rewarding to help people arrive at a solution to their

problems and help them achieve their goals as well.  I also hope to make progress in meeting the grand challenges described by Uehara et al. (2014), in particular the goal of achieving a more meaningful and productive life.

4-Describe an individual who might serve as an inspiration for you in the field of social work. How does this person operate day-to-day as a social worker?
Working at  Social services agency, my program director inspires me to pursue an MSW degree. My program Director was a dedicated professional in her position. She was a good role model for every person who worked

under her leadership. In her position she faced daily crises and maintained her composure in a professional way and helped the individuals involved to use problem solving skills to resolve the issues.
5-Explain how you will use the NASW Code of Ethics as a model for your social work practice.

                As Pritzker et al. (2021) pointed out, the NASW Code of Ethics does not always give clear guidance on how to handle ethical challenges. The article focused on social workers in political settings, but the principles can be applied to other settings as well. I will apply these principles to the long-term health care setting (in a nursing home facility),

where I have worked as a social services staff member.

The starting point for applying the code of ethics are the core values of acting with competence and integrity, dealing with people with dignity, achieving social justice and integrity,   acknowledging the worth of the person, and extending service.  Pritzker et al. (2021) described two approaches for dealing with ethical dilemmas: the deontological approach, meaning a absolute right or wrong approach, and the teleological approach, which involves compromise.

One example of an ethical dilemma I faced involved my talking to a resident about how he missed his family and

friends in the nursing home. I was helping him explore other options and he was grateful to me for listening.

My executive director reprimanded me for meeting with a resident privately in my office. She warned me not to let

him use me as a therapist. I was not violating any company policy, so I decided to continue talking to the resident when he asked me, and to try to avoid her learning about it. I thought that it was important for me to be there for the

residents, even though my director did not approve. I would also try to avoid having a confrontation over it so I

would not put my job at risk. In this way I was honoring the code of ethics principles of showing integrity to the

residents, dealing with people with dignity, acknowledging the worth of the person, and extending service.

Applying the core principles of the NASW Code of Ethics made me feel comfortable with my decision.

6- What is a social work problem that you would like to address in this course? Review and choose one of the Grand Challenges of Social Work to guide you.

One of the Grand Challenges that I would like to learn more about is safely reducing our incarcerated

population. Being incarcerated is a life-changing event that limits the person’s opportunities for school and meaningful work for the rest of their life. In addition, prison itself is a harsh experience and exposes the inmates to violence

and other criminals. I would like to find ways to prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system as

well as alternatives to prison sentences (Uehara et al., 2014).

7-Review the Identifying and Tackling Grand Challenges for Social Work article in your Course

References

Pritzker, S., Barros Lane, L. & Lane, S.R. (2021). ‘Just one person in the middle’: Ethics and political social work practice. Journal of Policy Practice and Research, 2(1), 20-39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42972-020-00014-x

Sawyer, K. B., & Clair, J. A. (2021). Hope cultures in organizations: Tackling the grand challenge of commercial sex exploitation.. Administrative Science Quarterly, p. 1.

https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392211055506

Uehara, E. S., Barth, R. P., Olson, S., Catalano, R. F., Hawkins, J. D., Kemp, S., Nurius, P. S., Padgett, D. K., & Sherraden,

M. (2014). Identifying and tackling grand challenges for social work (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative,

Working Paper No. 3).  American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.

https://grandchallengesforsocialwork.org/

wp-content/uploads/2015/04/FINAL-Identifying-and-Tackling-GCSW-4-2-2015-formatted-final.pdf

WEEK 1 assignment

In this analysis, please work on the Grand Challenges problem/issue you began

addressing in Week 1. Because the earlier assignments lead to this one, it is vital to integrate the feedback

you have received from your professor into this assignment.

 Professor feedback