https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc Social Work: an Atypical Profession en-us 2019-09-06 02:15:42 UTC 2019-09-13 02:15:24 UTC hello@padlet.com grace_collins2 https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381101684 "The unique contribution of social work practice is the duality of the profession's person and environment mandate: social workers must help society work better for people and help people function better within society" (Segal, 2015, pg. 3).
- Micro practice: helping individuals fit better into their environments
- Macro practice: changing the environment so that it works better for individuals]]> 2019-09-06 20:02:42 UTC https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381101684 grace_collins2 https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381338399 The worthy poor included widows, orphans, the elderly, and people with physical disabilities. The unworthy poor included able-bodied single adults and unmarried women with children born out of wedlock. It was only when the families of the poor could absolutely not provide economic support would the public authorities step in. Even then, the assistance was temporary and for emergencies only, in the hopes that the recipient would gain employment or marry someone who could support them.]]> 2019-09-08 18:14:38 UTC https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381338399 grace_collins2 https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381338816 Serena Rice, a social worker of 20+ years, writes, "I encountered firsthand the consequences of the belief that social policies should punish struggling people for their 'poor decisions.' I remember two young mothers, each with a child and no source of income.  They turned to our county welfare program for help to meet their children’s basic needs. Both mothers received a small monthly cash grant, but they were denied emergency housing assistance because each had 'caused her own homelessness' as determined by the welfare office. In desperation, they moved in with new boyfriends, neither of whom were willing to use birth control. The result was unwanted pregnancies. The response from the system was horrifying: these unborn children would receive no help from the state because their mothers had gotten pregnant while receiving cash assistance."
These mothers are just one example of how today's social welfare system is based off of the assumption that sometimes people's own failures are the reason for their poverty and therefore, should not receive government assistance or "handouts". The children of these mothers will now be entering the world at a disadvantage, right off the bat. And from there, the effects from the lack of assistance snowball: less income means it's harder to get diapers, food, and paying the bills, which then means the mother has to work harder and longer hours, leaving the children by themselves for longer (assuming she can't afford a babysitter), which creates stress for the whole family, and the effects go on and on and on.
In conclusion, the Elizabethan Poor Laws and the concept of the worthy and unworthy poor were invented and put into practice in 1601; however, the residual effects of these laws are still seen 400 years later. We continue to categorize people in need of assistance as worthy and unworthy of said assistance, while not looking at the whole picture, nor the long-term effects of these categorizations. ]]> 2019-09-08 18:17:46 UTC https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381338816 grace_collins2 https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381344502 Both baccalaureate social work and graduate social work students engage in micro practice or direct services to individuals, families, and small groups. They also engage in macro practice by conducting research into social problems and their solutions, engage in policy analysis and legislative advocacy, administer programs, and organize people to fight for social change. To effectively address problems, social workers must help individuals and families functions better and at the same time work to change societal conditions that limit individual and family functioning. (Segal, 2015, pg. 4)]]> 2019-09-08 19:02:32 UTC https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381344502 grace_collins2 https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381909831 Simpson, E. (2018, March 6). Our Perceptions About the "Unworthy Poor" Haven't Changed. Retrieved from https://talkpoverty.org/2015/08/20/unworthy-poor/

Segal, E. A., Gerdes, K. E., & Steiner, S. (2019). An introduction to the profession of social work: becoming a change agent. Australia: Cengage.]]> 2019-09-10 00:26:13 UTC https://padlet.com/grace_collins2/7kslnqnngtcc/wish/381909831