Author: Andre Coleman

This essay will be an analysis of my social work practice in my recent placement at Murston Primary School in Sittingbourne, Kent. This piece is a reflective piece on my time at this school and the issues I encountered while I was there. In order to accomplish this, this essay will be broken down into several sections.

The first section will serve as an introduction to the placement setting. It will provide a brief overview of the school and the area of Sittingbourne. The next section will move on to look at some of the issues that I encountered during my time at the school. Schools offer an interesting area of study for social workers because as a colleague of mine argued, “every issue comes through those school gates”. This essay will consider some of those issues and how they are resolved in this setting. It will consider some of the theories at play in this environment and examine what works well and what doesn’t work so well when it comes to practicing social work in schools. I will reference specific examples from my own time there to illustrate this. The third section of this essay will then turn to take a wider view of some of the issues at play in terms of having social workers in schools. Although social work placements in schools are fairly commonplace these days, they still do raise some fairly specific issues.

Throughout this essay, the focus has to remain on the service users, in this case the pupils at the school and to a lesser extent their parents and how their needs are being met. It will consider how anti-oppressive practices are at play in this setting and how successful they are. I want this piece to be a reflective piece. Reflection is a key component of learning within the caring professions as it forces you to critically analyse and evaluate what you may have done differently and what you will do differently should you encounter the same or a similar situations again. It would be useful to apply my experiences to a particular model of reflection as it will help me greater understand what I have learnt and help me to be critical about certain aspects of the experience as a whole. The reflective model I have chosen to use for this essay is Borton’s (1970) Developmental Model for Reflective Practice. It is one of a number of models I could have chosen (John’s model of reflection,1994; Kolb’s learning cycle, 1984; Atkins and Murphy’s model of reflection, 1994; Gibbs’ model of reflection, 1988 ) but Borton’s model best suits my purpose.

The model that Borton devised is based on 3 separate elements that work in a sequential, cyclical order. The first stage is the descriptive stage, or the ‘what?’. It makes the practitioner consider what the issue was, what their role in it was, and what the response was to the actions taken? The second stage is the ‘so what?’. This forces the practitioner to consider the theory and knowledge building that is an essential part of reflection. What do the events tell or teach one about the service user, about myself and about the model of care that I am applying. What was I feeling at the time and did these feeling affect my actions? What could I have done differently if presented with the same situation again and how has my understanding changed as a result of what I have been through. The final stage of this model is the ‘now what?’. This stage looks at how the situation can be bettered in the future. This is when broader issues may come into play.

Murston Primary School in Sittingbourne, Kent is a mixed, non-denominational school with approximately 140 students. Because a nursery school was opened last year, it now caters for students aged between 3 and 11. The majority of the students are white British but there are a few students from minority ethnic backgrounds. The population which it serves is fairly stable but temporary housing in the local area means there is some degree of transience and some pupils joining in Years 1 and 2 have had no previous experience of school. A high proportion of pupils at this school have been identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Their needs relate mostly to learning, speech and language difficulties, behavioural, emotional and social needs, autism and physical disability. A recent Ofsted report rated the school as good. The report stated that the school, “provides a good standard of education within a very safe, caring family atmosphere” (Ofsted, 2008: p. 4).

The school is in the Borough of Swale. While much of this borough is fairly affluent, there are a few pockets of deprivation. Sittingbourne is one of these areas. This is reflected by the well above average take up of free school meals.

This essay will now focus on three issues of the many issues that I encountered in my time at Murston Primary School. These are bullying, the inclusion of children with autism and finally self-harm. I have chosen these three areas to focus on because they are three quite diverse issues. Bullying is one that is widely covered and is a common problem in most schools in the UK. The inclusion of children with autism is a growing area of study as more and more is found out about this disorder. Self-harm among young children is an area that is often ignored because of the stigma that it still holds in our society. However, it is a very real problem and one that I encountered during my time at Murston Primary School.

Bullying is, “an unfortunate reality which occurs across disparate cultures and educational settings at about the same rate” (Carney and Merrell, 2001: p. 364). Hazler (1996) defines bullying as, “repeatedly (not just once or twice) harming others. This can be done by physical attack or hurting others’ feelings through words, actions or social exclusion. Bullying may be done by one person or by a group. It is an unfair match since the bully is either physically, verbally and/or socially stronger than the victim”.

Bullying has been identified as one of the top concerns that parents have about their children’s safety when at school. In response, the government has made tackling the problem of bullying a top priority. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCFS) recently published, Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-Bullying Work in Schools (2007). This report sets out a framework for schools to use in formulating anti-bullying strategies. A certain amount of leeway is given to schools to formulate their own responses to bullying but there are certain elements that all anti-bullying programmes should contain. The victims of bullying should be able to be heard; they should know how to report bullying and get help; they should be confident in the ability of the school to deal with the problem; they should feel confident that steps are being taken to help them feel safe; they can receive help to rebuild their confidence and they have to know that they can receive support from others. Those involved in bullying have to be aware that there are sanctions and learning programmes that will hold them to account for their behaviour and help them realise the harm they have caused. These pupils have to develop their emotional skills so that they can learn to behave in ways that won’t cause harm to others. They also have to learn how to repair the damage they have caused. The school as a whole has to be clear about the anti-bullying stance. There needs to be a collaborative effort between staff members and pupils to develop the anti-bullying work in the school. All pupils have to be clear that they can prevent bullying. Most importantly perhaps, anti-bullying has to be regarded as a collaborative effort not just within the school but with other schools within the area and with other agencies.

Not as much attention is given to the problem of bullying in primary schools as much of the focus is on the transition that pupils make when they move from the smaller, more personal environment of a primary school to the larger, and much less supportive secondary school environment (Eccles, Wigfield, & Schiefele, 1998). Pellegrini and Long (2002) argue that bullying during this transition is, “a deliberate strategy used to attain dominance as youngsters enter a new social group” (p. 260). However, another cause of bullying is the rapid changes that occur in body size. This is especially the case for boys. Pellegrini and Bartini (2001) argue that these changes lead to a reorganisation of social dominance hierarchies. The bigger the boy is, the more dominant he becomes over his smaller peers. This change is usually witnessed in secondary school as puberty doesn’t occur in males until the early years of secondary school. Hazler (1996) argues that bullying is most common between the ages of 9 and 15. There was a child at Murston Primary School who was much physically bigger than many of the other boys in the school who had had a history of fairly violent behaviour towards some of the other boys in the school.

I will refer to this boy as John. John is 11 and is in year six, so he is in his final year at Murston. He is from a minority ethnic background and he only joined the school the year previously. John has been identified as having some learning difficulties as his reading level and language levels are well below what they should be at his age. He is also a recipient of free school meals. John has had difficulties in adjusting to Murston and has been bullying two students in particular. Murston has a well developed anti-bullying plan which is especially important considering the high proportion of vulnerable students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school has a teacher who is in charge of the anti-bullying programme. She is well known to all the other staff and pupils. She is a well liked member of staff by the pupils and she has an open door policy where students are made to feel welcome. This policy may be so successful because as Smith and Shu (2001) argue, younger children are more likely to tell someone when they witness bullying. Other teachers are required to tell her if they suspect anyone of being bullied or bullying. In most cases she is able to successfully mediate between the two parties with parental involvement in all cases. However, in extreme cases she will contact the LEA who will first send a social worker to work with the two parties and then an educational psychologist. I was able to observe one of her sessions with John and also his educational psychologist who had been involved from when the problem had first been identified.

Olweus (1993) argues that sometimes staff at school can model bullying behaviour by belittling and threatening students. This was certainly not the case at Murston. John had not learnt this behaviour from his teachers. John was not a popular member of school. This is supported by Carney and Merrell (2001) who state that, “in early grades bullies tend to enjoy average or somewhat below average popularity among peers” (p. 370). John also bullied alone which is contrary to many of the theories of bullying that suggest that bullies tend to bully in groups (Smith and Shu, 2001). It became clear that John was acting out because he was having feelings of inadequacy due to language levels being so much lower than many of the other children in the class. He felt excluded from many of his peers and bullying was a way of getting rid of his frustration.

It would be useful to briefly apply Borton’s (1970) Developmental Model for Reflective Practice to this experience. This essay has adequately covered the ‘what?’ so far. I felt that the school was handling the problem well and were recognising that some cases require outside help. Because it had taken the educational psychologist many sessions to build up trust with John, I wasn’t able to participate fully as the school felt they were at quite a delicate stage with John. However, just from observing I learnt about the frustrations that cause bullying. Murston Primary School is in quite an advantageous position when it comes to bullying. Being so small, it is easy to identify problems when they arise and it is possible to deal with problems more effectively. I don’t think they can do much more in their anti-bullying programme.

The second issue this essay will look at is the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder in schools. This term covers a range of developmental disorders from autism to Asperger syndrome. This essay will focus on autism because there were several children at Murston Primary School with autism. There are three distinct behaviours that characterise autism. The first is that autistic children have difficulty with social interaction. Secondly, autistic children experience problems with verbal and nonverbal communication. The final characterising characteristic of this disorder is unusual, repetitive and very limited interests. Barnard (2002) states that the rate of autism spectrum disorder reported by teachers is three times higher in primary schools than it is in secondary schools. Autism is classified as a mild learning disorder and because of this, children suffering form it are encouraged to go to mainstream schools such as Murston.

Inclusion is a contentious issue in educational circles. It implies, “Inclusion implies a restructuring of mainstream schooling that every school can accommodate every child irrespective of disability” (Avramidis and Norwich, 2002: p. 131). The idea first came to the public attention with the publication of the Warnock Report in 1978. Croll and Moses (2000) state that, “support for the principle of inclusion of all children in mainstream neighbourhood schools has achieved widespread support, at least at a rhetorical level” (p. 4). It is often seen as the ideal but an ideal that is not fully achievable. The critical element to inclusion is how the teachers respond to it. Avramidis and Norwich (2002) argue that, “teachers’ beliefs and attitudes are critical in ensuring the success of inclusive practices since teachers’ acceptance of the policy of inclusion is likely to affect their commitment to implementing it” (p. 130). The view in the UK was fairly positive. Clough and Lindsay (1991) found that on the whole teachers were fairly happy with inclusion, provided the support was in place for them. However, inclusion is now widely seen as somewhat of a failure. Schools want to seem like they are inclusive, but they have yet to make adequate provisions for pupils with special educational needs. A 2004 Ofsted report entitled, Special educational needs and disability: towards inclusive schools, supports this view.

There are many issue surrounding the inclusion of autistic children in ordinary state schools. Murston is an inclusive school and an inclusive school that unlike many other schools is able to cater to the needs of students with autism. Barnard et al. (2000) state that inclusive schools, “must ensure that appropriate learning or other positive experiences take place. It is not simply about where an individual is educated or receives services or support; it is about the quality of such a service or support. Inclusive education is a process involving the restructuring of the curriculum and classroom organisation” (p. 6). Murston is certainly well equipped to deal with the demands placed upon them by these pupils. The school has realised that to adequately meet the needs of its service users it needs to involve the expertise of other agencies. Input has been sought from a number of specialist professions including educational psychologists, speech, language and occupational therapists. Teaching assistants have received extra training in dealing with children with autism and there are regular workshops for teachers as well. Not only are the teachers well trained, but there are a range of intervention programmes in operation to help not only the students with autism but also without autism. The 2008 Ofsted report made special mention of the provisions that Murston offers these students by stating that, “outstanding care, guidance and support mean pupils are exceptionally well looked after. Staff cater for everyone’s needs very well, including those children who are particularly vulnerable” (p. 5). Barnard et al (2000) argue that parents are happiest when schools recognise the individual needs of their child. From my time at Murston, I would say that this is a priority for the school.

As with the issue of bullying, Murston is in a fairly advantageous position due to it’s size. It is able to offer such fantastic support because it has a relatively small number of students. Although it does have a higher proportion of students with autism than many other schools in the area, most of the teachers I spoke to seemed very positive about the work they were able to do.

It is possible to apply Borton’s (1970) Developmental Model for Reflective Practice to my experience of inclusion. I got to assist in a few classes and on a number of instances helped out the children with autism. I didn’t feel sufficiently trained to deal with some of their more specific problems. However, my experience did teach me the importance of treating each child as an individual. I feel that Murston has a good system in place, aided by the fact that it is a very small school. It would be useful for them to be able to share some of their knowledge with other schools in the local area. This essay will now consider the final issue that I encountered in my time at Murston Primary School.

Deliberate self-harm is when someone injures or harms themselves on purpose. This can take many forms. It can range from taking an overdose to cutting or burning oneself. Gunnell et al (2000) claim that it is a problem that is growing and affecting more young people than ever before. Because of the social stigma attached to it, it is often a problem that goes unreported and as such there are no hard statistics about it. However, a 2004 report published by the Office for National Statistics estimates that about 1 in 12 children and young people deliberately self-harm. This leads to well over 24,000 hospitalisations every year.

There are numerous reasons why children and young people self-harm. If the individual is feeling worried, trapped and helpless by a problem they may be having, self-harm is a way of regaining control of the situation. Self-harm is also a way of relieving tension. Children sometimes lack the necessary language skills to truly express their emotions. This leads to them bottling up their feelings. The only way of releasing these is through self-harm. Thirdly, self-harm can be a form of punishment if the child or young person is feeling guilty about something they may have done or witnessed. Finally, self-harm may be a way of helping the child to feel connected after the emotional numbness that often follows a traumatic event.

Self-harm is often seen as something that girls do. Young et al (2007) do not go along with this assumption. They argue that while women are more likely to take this behaviour forward into later life, levels are similar between young girls and boys. Boys tend to favour the more violent methods whereas girls are less violent. One might expect that this activity is higher among people from lower socio-economic backgrounds as well but West and Sweeting (2004) dispute this. They argue that in actual fact this is not the case. Levels of health are the same across all groups of children and yond people in today’s society.

While I was at Murston Primary School, there was evidence that a girl in year 6 had been deliberately self-harming. I felt that the situation was dealt with very well by the staff at the school. The problem was identified quickly and guidelines based on a Royal College of Psychiatrists fact sheet were followed. The student was made to feel comfortable and it soon transpired that her mother had been quite seriously ill for some time. Her case was referred on to social services and her GP but again, the value of treating this girl as an individual meant that she was able to open up to staff in the first place. Self-harming behaviour is an indication that something is going seriously wrong in the life of that young person. There are no quick fixes to this problem. I feel that the school has a more than adequate care structure to deal with this problem.

Overall I felt my experience at Murston Primary School was very positive. I got to witness firsthand a wide variety of issues that affect the students on a day to day basis. I only chose the three examples above as I felt they gave an indication of the wide variety of issues that exist in a school setting. Having social workers in school is still a relatively new concept in many parts of the country. I felt that maybe this school was not set-up to have a full time social worker on the staff but I don’t think it needed one as it was a very small school. However, I do realise the value of schools working with social services, especially in areas such as Sittingbourne that do have fairly high levels of deprivation. There are a number of issues that arise from this and schools, working in collaboration with social services and other local agencies are best equipped to tackle these problems of social exclusion.

Most of the staff in the school were happy to allow me to shadow them but I felt a certain amount of hostility from some staff because it felt like I was looking over their shoulder and questioning their methods. This was not the case, for the most part I was simply observing. I did not feel it prudent to get involved in most cases because I had no knowledge of the background and in many cases the pupils already had a number of people from the caring professions already working for them. I was able to offer my help and expertise when it was required but for the most part I was happy to observe the interactions within this complex and challenging environment.

Bibliography and References

Avramidis, E. and Norwich, B. (2002). Teachers’ attitudes towards integration/inclusion: a review of the literature, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 17(2), pp. 129-147.

Barnard, J. (2000). Inclusion and Autism: Is it Working?, London: NAS.

Barnard, J. (2002). Autism in Schools: Crisis or Challenge?, London: NAS.

Carney, A.G. and Merrell, K.W. (2001). Bullying in Schools, School Psychology International, 22(3), pp. 364-382.

Clough, P. and Lindsay, G. (1991). Integration and the Support Service, Slough: NFER.

Croll, P. & Moses, D. (2000). Ideologies and utopias: education professionals’ views of inclusion. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 15(1), 1-12.

DCFS (2007). Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-Bullying Work in Schools, HM Stationery Office.

Eccles, J. S., Wigfield, A., & Schiefele, U. (1998). Motivation to succeed. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.),

Handbook of child psychology (Vol. 3, pp. 1017–1096), New York: Wiley.

Gunnell, D., Shepherd, M. and Evans, M.(2000). Are recent increases in deliberate self-harm associated with changes in socio-economic conditions? An ecological analysis of patterns of deliberate self-harm in Bristol1972-3 and 1995-6, Psychological Medicine, 30, pp. 1197-1203

Hazler, R.J. (1996). Breaking the Cycle of Violence: Interventions for Bullying and Victimization, Washington, DC: Accelerated Development.

Ofsted (2008). Murston Infant School: Inspection Report, HMSO.

Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school, Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

Pellegrini, A. D., & Bartini, M. (2001). Dominance in early adolescent boys: Affiliative and aggressive dimensions and possible functions, Merrill–Palmer Quarterly, 47, pp. 142–63.

Pellegrini, A.D. and Long, J.D. (2002). A longitudinal study of bullying, dominance, and victimization during the transition from primary school through secondary school, British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 20, pp. 259-280.

Smith, P.K. and Shu, S. (2001). What Good Schools Can Do About Bullying: Findings from a Survey in English Schools After a Decade of Research and Action, Childhood, 7(2), pp. 193-212.

Warnock Report. DES (1978). Special Educational Needs: Report of the Committee of Enquiry into the Education of Handicapped Children and Young People. London: HMSO.

West, P. and Sweeting, H. (2004). Evidence on equalisation in youth from the West of Scotland. Social Science and Medicine, 59, pp. 13-27.

Young, R. Van Beinum, M., Sweeting, H. and West, P. (2007). Young people who self-harm, British Journal of Psychiatry, 191, pp. 44 -49.

Kate Satchell
Reflection on personal experience in practice, relating to the legislation and standards applicable in my workplace and how legislation impacts on the communication process.

During this report I will draw on the information which I spoke about during my presentation. I will reflect on my personal experiences in practice, relating to legislation and standards that are applicable to my setting and research how legislation impacts on the communication process. I will draw upon my organisations practices, policies and procedures which facilitate effective communication and will identify any barriers which exist. The organisation that I work for are called First City Nursing Services and I will refer to them throughout my report, I have received confirmation that this is ok to do so.

Communication is a great deal more than just speaking verbally to another person, it’s all about getting your message and point across via obtaining information, giving information, sharing ideas, opinions and views and it is important to have good communication between service users and the service providers which assists in building a good rapport. There are four types of communication which include verbal, non-verbal, written and assisted communication for example, through use of computers etc. (buzzle.com, 2010)

As a domiciliary care worker I care for numerous service users with a variety of different care needs. Occasionally issues will arise if the member of staff who entered the individual’s house before myself has failed to fill in the Progress Notes/Medication/Nutrition Charts with all relevant information. This can cause inconsistencies especially where medication is involved as it may become unclear whether or not medication has been given. This may result in medication being missed, as the unrecorded dose cannot be given again in case of an overdose. First City have a very strict policy on recording and reporting and any staff member found not recording relevant information will be called in for a meeting and may face disciplinary action. (First City Handbook, 2015)

Health and social care is strongly influenced by different cultures, beliefs and values but it is also influenced by the guidance which is provided by legislations, charters, and codes of practice. Organisations like First City Nursing follow the guidance within these documents as it ensures that they are within the law in their practice.

A way in which legislations, charters and codes of practice influence the communication process is demonstrated by the fact that they allow the provision of equality. The current laws which guide the practice of health and social care are based on the principle of equality which does not allow discrimination of any individual, this includes staff, service users and anyone else involved in the service. (Equality Act, 2010)

For example, legislations such as those which provide fair employment, sex discrimination acts, racial discrimination etc. are some of the laws which have an influence in practice. These laws create a framework of the behaviour of the healthcare professional and form the basis of how they act and how they communicate. For example: the correct way of behaving to stay within the law is implemented into the policies and procedures and job description. The consequences of going against legislations will be a critical factor in the observance of a good communication practice (Cambridge Training & Development, 2000).

The Data Protection Act 1984 provides a good example of legislations in communication. This act provides protection to information which is confidential and should only be used when nescarry and for reasons known by the indivudals involved. Service users could lose trust from the service providers if confidential information is given out, making it important for laws to provide protection for this. Certain legislations are also made available to provide equality and anti-discrimination in the workplace. These factors are highly influential in shaping the communication practice and activities of people in health and social care (Moonie, 2005).

The code of practice is also highly influential in communication practices especially in consideration of the fact that they can affect confidentiality and privacy of information. For instance, the use and access to the internet for health and social workers are often limited and defined by codes of conduct, depending upon the institution, to be assured of good communication practices and work ethics. An example of this may be service providers using Facebook or other social networking sites and breaching confidentiality of a service user or of the service itself. First City Nursing have a very strict policy relating to this and suggest that no photos are taken when in uniform, no information regarding work or work locations is shared and any staff member in breach of this could face disciplinary action

The Data Protection Act provides restrictions and limitations on the use and access of personal information, especially those of the clients or the patients. Some of this information includes personal information, medical records, treatment history, and credit information. Record keeping is very important and should be adhered to and followed strictly. (Essays, UK. 2013)

Legislation, regulations and codes of practice as looked at within this report as well as in my presentation provides a number of benefits for the health and social care sector. It sets guidelines and standards which assist with meeting the individual needs, ease of administration of procedures, making efficient administrative practices, accurate documentation, and fostering a more dynamic communication practice. (Essays, u.k 2013)

Communication aids also provide assistance in improving practice, accountability, and quality of care. It allows service users and their service providers to communication effectively, enabling a person centred approach to be used by finding out the individuals wants and desires for their own care.

There is a great need for improvement in communication within the health and social care sector but by being able to identify ways by which such could be improved, via reading the written communication and speaking verbally with service users and providers, the health and social care sector can begin to pinpoint ways in which communication is failing and needs to be improved, this can lead to updates of legislation and the organisations policies and procedures.

In this paper, I aim to discuss the historical and political context of social work provision for the elderly. By using and reviewing the views expressed in previous work on the elderly in our society, I hope to demonstrate the context in which social work and social care operate. One of the concerns of this essay is the impacts of discrimination and oppression on the elderly. I will discuss how listening to the views of service users is crucial to developing effective methods of providing social care.

In the last two to three decades, a fairly wide body of academic work has become available, approaching the issues of ageing and of care for the elderly, within the discipline of Social Policy. Social Policy is an interdisciplinary field born from, and derived upon, other social sciences – economics, politics, sociology etc. (Tinker:1992:3) Within this field, the specific discipline of gerontology – the study of ageing – has developed in recent decades because the elderly population has increased so sizeably in the last 50 years. Cherry Rowlings wrote in 1977 that while in 1951, just

13% of the British population was of retirement age, by 1977 this had increased to 17.3%. (Rowlings:1981:27) Since the 1970s we have seen this trend continue.

This change can be attributed both to comparatively low birth rates, and the increased life expectancy. Businesses, the professions and the media are finding now that pensioners form one of their biggest markets. (Tinker:

1992: 3)

Rather than using medical and biological models, social gerontology focuses on the ways in which social and cultural factors influence people’s experiences of growing older. Tinker writes that the ‘elderly’ are unusual in that they have been labelled a ‘special group’ in our society, and yet the only think that marks them out is their age – unlike groups seen as ‘deviant’ they are ‘normal’ people – and we all expect to join this group in time. (Tinker:1992:4) However, although not labelled ‘deviant,’ the elderly have nonetheless been constructed as a problem, as Jacki Pritchard writes:

“An elderly person is thought to be of no use once they reach retirement age, probably because they are not seen to be producing anything for the society in which they live. They are considered to have ‘had their life.’”

She notes that this differs from other cultures, in which capitalism is less advanced. (Pritchard:1992:16)

And Nicholas Bosanquet has noted that the rate at which the elderly population is growing causes great anxiety in society. He cites Professor

Sir Ferguson Anderson as saying in 1976, “Britain faces social disaster because of the rate at which the proportion of elderly people is rising.” (Bosanquet:1978:7)

He goes on, “The emphasis has come to be more and more on the elderly as a burden – even as a threat to the standards of service or opportunity enjoyed by the rest of the population.” (Bosanquet:1978:79)

Changes in medicine have made illness and disability a problem particular to the elderly. Diseases that effected the young in previous centuries, have been controlled or wiped out in this country, and now children and young adults can expect to be in good health. Similarly, disability from birth is relatively rare; and blindness, deafness and mobility problems are impairments by far most commonly experienced by the elderly.

(Bosanquet:1978:21)

The medical model of disability has traditionally seen disability as naturally and inevitably arising out of a physical or mental impairment. The more contemporary social model, however, has argued against this, in saying that whilst a person may have a natural impairment, it is society’s failure to accommodate people with this difference to the ‘norm,’ which disables them. For example, though a person may be unable to walk and require the use of a wheelchair, this does not inevitably make their life so very different from the life of an able-bodied person. Rather, it is a lack of easy access to public buildings and transport, poor adaptations in housing and so on, which turn this impairment into a striking disability.

In the case of elderly people, because ill health and disability is now so much restricted to the oldest generations, it is seen as natural and inevitable that older people will lead very different lives from younger adults, and that the quality of their lives will decrease. However, this can be seen as only a construction, as many of the problems faced by older people could be altered by changes in public provisions and social care. Bosanquet notes that mental health, most significantly depression, are as great a problem as physical health for the elderly. He writes that this is because the most important factors people attribute to their happiness at all stages of life, are ones which elderly people are least able to take for granted. These include:

oHealth

oFamily life/friends. The elderly will almost inevitably face bereavement, but also having decreased transport/mobility, and fewer places to go where they can meet and make friends, both increases their sense of isolation and decreases their independence.

oFinancial/ home stability. The elderly live on pensions. The decrease in their health can lead to them losing their home. (Bosanquet: 1978:10)

The elderly are increasingly separated from the rest of the population. They suffer great isolation. But policy has been seen only as pension policy.

Nicholas Bosanquet argues that the Government needs to intervene not only when the elderly person has no relatives, but even in addition or instead of care from family. He stresses that policy must increase choice and opportunity, as the elderly find themselves unable to decide and control their own futures. (Bosanquet:1978:75-77)

One of the most fundamental issues facing the elderly is the problem of housing. Bosanquet reports that since the 1970’s, governments have been concerned with designing special flats for the elderly. These solve some housing problems and give people the opportunity to form small communities with others in their own age bracket. (Bosanquet:1978:92) He writes that this is not a new idea; in the Majority Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law I 1909, there is mention of special housing for the elderly.

However, the views of what elderly people require from housing has been deeply flawed, due to a failure of policy makers to listen to the ideas of the elderly, about what they need in day to day life. After the Second

World War, there was great interest in building small housing for the elderly. However, reports of the time did not view it as necessary to provide many special features or fittings for the elderly. The post-war Rowntree Report stated that bungalows were the preferable type of housing;

two-story houses provided problems for pensioners with impaired mobility, and the elderly often did not like living in flats, as they were not considered private or independent enough. The report stated that houses for the elderly people must be built with easy access to local shops, close to the person’s family and friends, and near housing for younger generations so that the elderly did not feel ‘cut off’ from the rest of society. The report did state that flooring and any stairs in the property must be designed for safety and ease of manueverability. This would mean using non-slip materials on flooring, and ensuring that stairs were neither too steep or built around awkward angles. However, these precautions aside, there were no provisions made for wardens or for providing a safe environment for those with health problems. (Bosanquet:1978:95)

Subsequently, between 1945 and the early 70’s, a good number of small flats were built, but these were not reserved exclusively for pensioners and many housed younger adults. Very few were built with any special design features which would have made them safer and more convenient for the elderly.

More recently the idea of sheltered accommodation has grown up, though many people see this simply as a compromise before the nursing home. (Bosanquet:1978:97)

Bosanquet concludes that the elderly need schemes which help them find a new lifestyle and to decrease their sense of isolation. Luncheon clubs, good neighbour schemes, day centres and holiday schemes are essential provisions in his view. He believes that these services are more important than simply focusing on income support; however policy makers have tended to see this is a luxury, rather than one of the essentials of government spending plans.(Bosanquet:1978:97)

He argues that services should increase their focus on the over 75s.

Younger retired people are more likely to still be living with spouses and in their own homes. More years after retirement, however, and any savings the person may have had will likely have run out, and pensions become increasingly inadequate whilst the cost of living actually increases, as for example the elderly person needs to spend more on maintaining their health, in heating bills and medicine/doctors fees. (Bosanquet:1978:124)

While this and many other books on the subject of elderly people outline the historical, political and economic factors in pensioner’s lives, they do not all cite the opinions of elderly service users themselves. Very often social policy and research is based on accounts given by social workers, or by representatives of a vulnerable group – for example the families of children or in this case elderly people. To address this, Jacki Pritchard’s book The Abuse of Elderly People includes a great deal of anecdotal evidence and transcriptions of interviews with elderly people. By focusing on cases of actual abuse, the book may appear to be dealing with an extreme aspect of poor care for the elderly – it may not be expected that abuse is a concern of the majority of older people. However, the principles of the book are useful as it outlines some of the ways in which older people are discriminated against, and how many of their needs and interests are oppressed. Pritchard is keen to stress the different areas in which elderly people may be abused – 1. Physical, which includes medical maltreatment and neglect. 2. Psychological abuse, including threats of abuse, humiliation, harassment, emotional neglect and threats of any kind of abuse. 3. Legal abuse, including material and personal exploitation. (Pritchard:1992:21)

Elderly people are not always given

othe right to choose

othe right to privacy

othe right to independence.

Pritchard considers it vital that if a person is mentally sound, and chooses to stay with their family even when the professional considers the family to be abusive, then the social carer must do no more than offer the elderly person support and inform them of their options. However, of course, there are different standards over what is mentally sound, and even what to do if someone is not. She is also keen to point out the difference in practices between the various professions involved in an elderly person’s life. Very often, the policies of the doctors, care home nurses, and social workers arein direct conflict, and the normal policies of one may seem unacceptable to another. Subsequently, what is important returns to ensuring the rights listed above are honoured, and judgement of whether or not this is done can be made only by the elderly person’s own experience. (Pritchard:1992:25)

Pritchard reports that carers are more likely to become abusive, when they themselves are denied adequate support. The carer’s sense of isolation, their resentment towards the tasks they undertake, and their lack of external support, leads to an increase in abusive behaviour towards the elderly person being cared for. As a common sense measure, therefore, policy must be adapted to provide support and respite for carers, in the interests of all parties involved. (Pritchard:1992:33)

In conclusion, it has been seen that many of the problems that elderly people face could be significantly diminished by improvements in social care. Rather than being ‘natural’ effects of ageing, these problems are more frequently caused by discrimination in society against older people. As society has placed most significance on the needs of younger adults, there have not been adequate provisions made for the elderly for housing, health care and social integration. In response to these needs, social work needs to take steps to reduce the oppression of older people. This will involve maximising elderly people’s ability to make independent choices in their lives, and to enjoy the same standard of life as younger adults. Above all, social workers and researchers should listen to service users as they explain what services they need.

Bosanquet, Nicholas (1978) A Future for Old Age: Towards a New Society.

Temple Smith: London.

Pritchard, Jacki (1992) The Abuse of Elderly People: A Handbook for

Professionals. Jessica Kingsley Publishing: London.

Rowlings, Cherry (1981) Social Work with Elderly People. Harper Collins:

London.

Tinker, Anthea (1992) Elderly People In Modern Society, Third Edition.

Longman: London and New York.

Introduction

At its most basic social work is a consistent and organised approach to the social problems of families and individuals. It is an approach that focuses on helping people to help themselves (Moore, 2002).^[1]Most practitioners enter social work because of a commitment to social justice, or at the very least a desire to help others and to see improvement and positive change in people’s lives. Modern social work, along with other public services, is being increasingly run along business lines and market principles. Today’s social worker therefore is confronted with the managerial approach, performance indicators, care managers and care packages. Given the current state of things where everything is guided by budgets and the need to satisfy those in charge by processing a case as quickly as possible one wonders whether a social worker has time to be guided by general ethical principles, let alone a specific code of practice. In the current climate it is easy to forget that social workers are committed to the view of the intrinsic human worth of each individual, and the concomitant view that each person deserves the best care and advice possible.

In 1948 the Universal Declarati^[2]on of Human Rights came into being. The declaration encapsulates a view of the inherent worth and dignity of the human person. The declaration espouses the notion of individual freedom on the basis that such freedom did not infringe the rights of others, these are the rights on which much of social work practice is based. This paper will begin with a general definition of ethics. It will then look at the ethics and values which underpin social work practice. There will be an assessment of social work values and of their relevance to anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice.

Ethics

Ethics are general moral principles that are intended to inform the governing of human behaviour. Thus, most people would hold to the view that some things such as cruelty and murder are always wrong, or unethical. Ethical codes, however, may be based on moral principles, but are not as generalisable or universally applicable. This is because they refer to particular professions and the way in which professional behaviour is governed. Such ethical codes cannot be said to be neutral or value free because they are contextual. They arise within a certain context and are applied to a particular purpose as such, ethical codes are influenced by the ideologies held in that context (Butler, 2000). The context being examined here, is that of social work practice. Codes of practice and ethics are often idealistic, because they may be seen as providing a blueprint for how a social worker should act when it is impossible to legislate for every situation, and this may result in a false sense of security (Banks, 2003). Social workers therefore, need to be able to recognise when the code of practice within which they are required to work, does not operate within a framework that is informed by human rights and social justice (Husband, 1995).

The Client’s Needs

Shon (1991) has argued that:

Professionals claim to contribute to social well-being, put their clients’ needs ahead of their own, and hold themselves accountable to standards of competence and morality. (Schon, 1991:11-12).

Some critics maintain that the way in which social services often operates is self-serving rather than serving the needs of the clients, yet social workers do police themselves and their profession. The way in which they do this is to think critically about what they are doing, why they are doing it, and what moral implications this may have. Certainly social work ethics should not lead anyone to believe that the social work profession should serve itself, rather the needs of the client should be most important. One of the ways this is achieved is by establishing clear relationship boundaries early on. This is because involvement with a client that is too personal is contrary to what the BASW has to say about social work ethics and values.

The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work (BASW,2001). ^[3]

Social work practice, in order to be ethical practice must be centred on the needs of service users Social workers of necessity intervene in people’s lives and have an influence on situations, ethical decision making is therefore a vital component of social work practice (Osmo and Landau, 2001). The Association is there to give advice to social workers on what constitutes ethical decision making in different contexts.

Ethical Decision Making

Decision making has to be grounded in the values and ethics of social work. Some of the issues that social workers have to deal with and that involve them in ethical decision making centre around balancing the rights of one individual against others, around public welfare and issues of institutional and structural oppression. This can make life difficult because the social worker has then to identify when institutions and structures are being oppressive and how the values of social work may be used to combat this. Decision making is also problematic because social workers are committed to confidentiality with respect to the people they work with. Sometimes a social worker is faced with a situation where he or she may, for the greater good, be forced to break the ethic of confidentiality because the client may be a danger to themselves of someone else. This causes a conflict of values and the social worker has, with the help of his/her supervisor, to balance the needs of the individual against the needs of the greater good.

At the very least social work should begin with a clear commitment to social justice which seeks to challenge poverty and discrimination in all its forms because social work has its roots in the nineteenth century moves to eradicate poverty and unemployment.

Everyone has the right to be protected from abuse and to be treated with respect. This is not easy when Government discourses express concern for inclusion and equality e.g. for those with mental health problems, then employ discourses which ignore factors such as race, gender and class and social circumstances, that are pertinent to any proper understanding of a person’s condition. The Human Rights Act of 1998 makes it mandatory for local authorities to act in ways that are conversant with the Act. Social workers help with the problems faced by people with disabilities. Social workers have a duty to be conversant with the Human Rights Act and the Community Care Act of 1990. Social workers are faced with making decisions concerning what defines a person with disabilities and also how to assess their needs. If the wrong form of care is prescribed, e.g. detainment under the Mental Health Act for a person who does not fulfil the specified criteria, then this could be an infringement of human rights.

Social workers are duty bound to base their practice on concepts of human rights and social justice but at the same time they need to be more aware of how the inequalities that they see in society might affect their practice (Cemlyn and Briskman 2003). Society does not always operate in the best interests of the individual person, furthermore, the introduction of market principles into social care can mean that the legal framework within which a social worker has to act may also (however much it is unintended) work against individual rights. Some commentators e.g. Challis (1990) maintain that prior to market principles and managerialism being introduced into social care, social workers operated with a much greater degree of freedom. It is arguably the case that the social worker is duty bound to act in accordance with a process that is informed by the valuing of the human person and the concept of human rights, and may, therefore, need to be prepared to work outside of a framework that (albeit unintended) prevents them from working according to this ethic (Cemlyn and Briskman, 2003). Wolff (2002) speaks of virtue ethics being the root of social work practice because of its concern with a just society and justice for individuals. Bearing this in mind social workers seek to engage in anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice in all that they do.

Anti-discriminatory and Anti-oppressive Practice

An emancipatory and anti-oppressive attitude is a critical component of ethical social work, social workers should be people enablers, enabling people to stand up for their rights and giving them a voice. Horton and Pattapen (2004) argue that in contemporary society individuals are often disempowered in numbers of ways and feel unable to cope with the rules that guide their lives. Social workers deal with the distress that results from this and in their practice should question social systems wherein an increasing number of people suffer from injustice, oppression, and exclusion from mainstream society. Anti-discriminatory practice means taking account of structural disadvantages i.e. how the structures of society often work against certain groups e.g. those with disabilities, women, and ethnic minorities. It also means that the social worker takes care not to use discriminatory language and to do their best to promote the dignity and self-worth of service users.

The ethos of the worth of individual human persons is often counteracted by current social work practice. Under the guidelines for social care social workers help individuals to choose what is best for them, in practice however, care managers are the people who hold the budgets and budgetary concerns can often be discriminatory disenfranchising the person that the social worker is trying to help (Postle, 2000). Social workers try to avoid this happening but they work in a state institution that often inadvertently works against the best interests of service users. This is why social workers need to be trained to view the world from the perspective of others so that they more easily recognise how the system oppresses (Moore, 2002)..

Conclusion

The ethics and values that underpin social work practice are dedicated to social justice and recognition of the inherent worth of each and every individual. Social workers do their best to work in partnership with service users and to do this in a way that includes and empowers people. Social workers are dedicated to help people move forward and take control of their lives, the idea is to shift the power balance away from the social worker and towards the person that needs help. The structures of society are, in some ways, discriminatory and oppressive and social workers recognise that white masculine values disadvantage people and they are therefore committed to anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice in their work.

Bibliography

Banks, S. 2003 From oaths to rulebooks: a critical examination of codes of ethics for the social professions European journal of Social Work Volume 6 No. 2 July 2003 p. 133-144

British Association of Social Workers (2002) The Code of Ethics for Social Work.http://www.basw.co.uk/.

Butler, I 2000. A Code of Ethics for Social Work and Social Work Research http://www.elsc.org.uk/socialcareresource/tswr/seminar6/butler.htm

Cremlyn, S and Briskman L. 2003 “Asylum, Children’s Rights and Social Work” Child and Family Social Work 8 (3) pp. 163-178

Husband, C. (1995) The morally active practitioner and the ethics of anti-racist social work. In: Ethical Issues in Social Work (eds R. Hugman & D. Smith), pp. 84–103. Routledge, London

Ife, J. (2001) Human Rights Social Work: Towards Rights-Based Practice. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

Postle, F. (2000) ‘The social work side is disappearing. I guess it started with us being called care managers’, Practice, 13(2), pp. 13-27.

Ring, C. 2001 “Quality assurance in mental-health care: A case study from social work” Health and Social Care in the Community 9(6) 2001 pp. 383-390

Schon, D. A. (1991) The Reflective Turn: Case Studies In and On Educational Practice, New York: Teachers Press, Columbia University

Slote, Michael. From Morality to Virtue. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992

Wolff, J. 2002 “Contractualism and the virtues” Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy Volume 5 No. 2 June 2002 p. 120-132

1

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the social policy on homelessness “Housing First”. In this paper I will include the history of this policy, how it was created, when and the basic elements of this social policy. To every issue there are opposing views and I will present those views along with the policy. No social policy is perfect and along with the strengths I will also expose weaknesses, the points will be explained throughout this paper. First I will discuss what homelessness is and then what are the factors that lead a family, child, vet or anyone for that matter into the category of homelessness.

Homelessness

What does being homeless mean? It means not having shelter, a place to sleep, eat and be protected against nature’s elements. This issue is a concern to social service providers, government officials and policy professionals. Homelessness has been a major social issue In America but it is during financial crisis that this problem raises. The word itself “Homelessness” has a bad connotation, when the word homeless is uttered the immediate thought is that of a substance abuser, vagrant or a person with a mental illness. Although these are contributing factors they are not the sole reasons why a person ends up homeless. There are also other contributing factors such as poverty, unemployment, social exclusion (such as sexual orientation), natural disasters, foreclosures, war or disability. Now in 2012 and as of recent years we have seen the U.S economy decline economically a result from the housing bubble burst, bank crisis and wars. These events have skyrocketed chronic homelessness, it is of no surprise that the precursors to the U.S recession are a major contributor (Szep, 2008).

Beyond Shelter

In order to understand the social policy called Housing First we must first discuss the history behind it.” Housing First” was introduced by a nonprofit organization called Beyond Shelter, this organization is based in Los Angeles. The non-profit organization Beyond Shelter was founded in 1988 in Los Angeles to fight poverty and homelessness within families with children (retrieved from http://www.beyondshelter.org/aaa_about_us/aaa_about_us.shtml). This organization introduced a model system called Housing First aka “rapid rehousing”. In 1996 the United Nations selected this model as 25 U.S best practices.

Housing First

Housing First is a public policy it is an alternative to a system of emergency shelter/transitional housing progressions(http://www.beyondshelter.org/aaa about us/aaa about us.shtml).It focuses homeless families to be able to move back into permanent housing. This is done first acquiring housing as soon as possible then providing counseling. It also focuses on intervention providing social services after the housing has been acquired rather than providing temporary shelter or transitional housing first (http://www.beyondshelter.org/aaa about us/aaa about us.shtml). In contrast to other programs where the issues that lead the person to homelessness are addressed first before helping the person acquire housing hence the name given to this public policy Housing First. For example many social or public policies function first by getting the homeless person from the street to public shelter, from public shelter to transitional housing program and from there to their own apartment. In the housing first or rapid housing the homeless person is first placed in an apartment or house then pin pointing the issues that lead to become homeless. The federal government uses this to guide federal policies in attacking the problem of homelessness by rent assistance, housing stabilization. In 2009 The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) provides homelessness prevention

assistance to households that would otherwise become homeless, and provides rapid re-housing assistance to persons who are homeless as defined by section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302).In 2008 Congress appropriated $25 million in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants for 2008 to demonstrate the effectiveness of rapid re-housing programs to reduce family homelessness( retrieved from http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/housing_first ).

Strengths

The strengths of this policy is that homeless people get a housing as soon as possible without conditions. Thereby, afterwards getting the necessary help to assist them in maintaining a permanent residence. The common practice of assistance to family homelessness is some kind of temporary housing. The problem is, when that runs out, people are still homeless. “; This approach is simply to get homeless people off the street and into a stable, more permanent environment (http://www.beyondshelter.org/aaa about us/aaa about us.shtml)”. The idea is that a person can do better once placed in a permanent housing. Then receiving the services they need to maintain that permanent housing. This policy also helps to foster self-reliance instead of dependence (http://www.beyondshelter.org/aaa about us/aaa about us.shtml).Also, Intervention services, housing options, and transitional support for the foster care system are strategies to end youth homelessness.

Weaknesses

The federal policy formed on the model of housing first is a good idea but economically how long can the federal government sustain this program. The burden falls on state and local funding to non-profit organizations to support these services. Now with the current state of economy can this realistically continue to financially support this policy? There is a need for all types of housing for all kinds ‘of homeless people, families with children, elderly and individuals with disabilities or addiction. When you champion one methods then what about the other programs that have transitional housing or shelters you create a competition for funds. The roots of the problems must be attacked first not the other way around and opposite of the “Housing Readiness” philosophy, which believes that people need to address issues that may have led to their own homelessness before they enter permanent housing. If anything in social work it is known and practical t used different methodologies .Housing first seems to ride on the idea that it is better to do the opposite. I don’t know about this because I think I would rather attack the problem that has caused homelessness for example if the reason for being homeless is finding a job to sustain oneself, finding services to a mental issues or substance abuse then that is more viable than getting a house first . How can one maintain the cost of paying even if it subsidized by the government without being able to keep a job because of substance abuse lack of employment or perhaps a mental disease. I understand that the model of Housing First also assist with these social services after they have a permanent home but again the root of the problem should be taken care of first. I believe that one must learn to become long term self-sufficient before being placed in the responsibility of permanent housing. Also what about immigrants? How would an immigrant homeless person be able to even participate in such a program? They would be ineligible to participate in such program without being a citizen or permanent resident. According to Paul Boden executive director of Western Regional Advocacy Project, he quotes “How can they cut Section 8 but believe in Housing First as a concept? They’re cutting housing but doing Housing First. It’s not just ironic; it’s hypocritical (Law, 2007, NHI)”.

My Interview

Now as far as the person I interviewed as part of my homeless policy project I would not see how this policy would apply to him. My interviewee would not be able to participate in this program for the simple fact that he is an illegal immigrant. If are undocumented, you are not be eligible for federal programs. Perhaps he would be in a separate category because of immigration status. I think in his case immigration policy would have to change in his case before the homeless policy does.

Conclusion

This policy is a very good policy in my eyes but there are shortfalls regardless of these shortfalls it does not fall short form being innovative. When attacking social problems there are variables and different perspectives. Scenarios are case by case and a one size shoe fits all is not realistic nor is it practical. What works for one population may not necessarily work for the other. Now our public, social and federal policy on homelessness is well intended it is not perfect. Affordable housing is a must and in order for that to occur our economy must be stabilized. It is like a domino affect the fall of one chip knocks the rest down and to get these chips back up it must be done one at a time. It is a long ardous time consuming process that must be done carefully and patiently. Every policy that we instill must be carefully reviewed evaluated and make sure that it applies to everyone and not just a certain population.

Social policy is a governments application for welfare development and social protection carried out in the community. The Margret Thatcher’s conservative administration and Tony Blair’s labor administration had different approaches towards the issue of community mental health care policy. The policy made vital steps towards the right direction but met obstacles on the way complicating its sustenance and achievement of desired goals. Generally it is believed that the policy did not meet its desired goals of helping the mentally ill patients in the communal setting.

Community care is the British policy of, deinstitutionalization treating and caring for mentally disabled people in their homes rather than in an institution or hospital. Institutional care was the target of widespread criticism prompting the government of Margaret Thatcher to adopt a new provision of community mental health care. This was after the Audit Commission published a report called making a Reality of Community Care which outlined the advantages of domiciled care (Baker, 1986).

Social policy is influenced by a number of factors that include needs of the population; demands from groups, priorities of the community, specific societal issues and critical incidents. The major intend of social policy on community care is to keep people in their homes where possible, instead of giving them care in other institutions. “It was almost taken for granted that this policy was the best option from a humanitarian and moral perspective. It was also thought that the policy would be cheaper” (Baker, 1986). Therefore this paper will focus on Margaret Thatcher’s conservative government and Tony Blair’s labor government to see how their different policy approaches have impacted upon the provision of community care of mental health. The paper will also be analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of both parties to ascertain where they have helped and where they have displayed poor services. Finally the paper will conclude by giving an insight on the impact of the current social policy on community mental health care.

Margaret Thatcher’s administration and community health care policy

When Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979, she made it clear that she would reduce public expenditure and make drastic changes for the betterment of the country. She was acutely aware that Britain’s welfare state system needed urgent restructuring as it was costing the country too much money in the event putting the country into economic free fall. Between 1979 and 1990 she successfully introduced changes to social policy, the organization and delivery of services and the role of the state welfare provision. As a result the era became known as Thatcherism.

In 1983 the Mental Health Act was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government to put in place safeguards for people within the hospital system. Section 117 of that act imposes a duty on district health authorities and social services departments in conjunction with voluntary agencies, to ensure that after Care service is provided for people after discharge from hospital.

The approach taken by the conservative government to social problems was known as the market liberalism or neo-conservatism, and this was very influential in the way it operated. Thatcher believed in having a ‘market economy’ allowing people to create their own wealth in the event taking care of themselves and their families without the interference of the government. This approach was evident in the health care and community care reform brought on board in 1990. The aim of this act was to standardize and improve community care and establish duties for the English Health Authority. This piece of legislations not only led the way in developing the new ‘internal market’ system in health and social care but divided the organization of care into “purchasers and providers of care” thus creating an artificial market to increase efficiency. It then caused a major development in the 1989 White Paper (Caring for people) as a response to the Griffins report. This was effectively putting the responsibility firmly at the doors of the health authorities and families thus freeing up more money to be put back into the system. However, due to flaws within the assessments, lack of funding and the failing of community care, people were being discharged into the community without proper supervision, care, help and support. As a result of this some individuals became homeless ending up on the streets while some are being cared for by overstretched family with financial difficulties.

Despite of the positive approaches on Margaret Thatcher’s implementations she had some bad sides too. As a result of these policies, a number of changes started to appear in the society, where members of families who suffered mental health had to rely on children to take care of them, which consequently put burden on them causing isolation, social exclusion and to some extent extreme poverty. Because of these negative impacts and lacking of a proper system in place for home care (proper monitoring and provision of communal health care officials to treat patients at home), Margaret Thatcher’s government was unable to adequately address the issue of community mental health care.

Community mental care act 1990

In the act passed in 1990 on community care health services (NHS ACT 1990), individuals with mental problem difficulties were able to stay at their homes while being treated. This state of affairs raised concerns especially after some individuals with mental health problems were involved in violent behavior against members of the public. Even though the community has recorded a few murder cases caused by people having mental health difficulties, it is more probable that healthy individuals can as well attack the mentally ill.

Mental Health is always portrayed in the media as negative but nothing has ever really been highlighted about the way people with mental ailments are being subjected to attacks and abused on a daily basis from the general public. It is sad to note that no one seems to take account of their plight, not even the government. So as much as this act made it possible for patients to be personally assigned specific community workers to monitor and take care of them, it posed a major risk in the community. These patients were under risk of being abused, attacked, neglected and untreated making the act look inefficient. Mental health patients eventually became uncontrollable ending up on the streets. These issues are usually prompting arguments between the public administration, health services officials and the department of social service on who should be held responsible of the whole matter. One such lack of help to detrimental effect was when Christopher Clunis, a mentally ill patient, stabbed and killed Jonathan Zito, an innocent person, in Finsbury Park tube station. This could have been averted had there been proper home care and supervision provided. These types of cases are common but there seems to be very little done to alleviate such tragedy.

There ought to be no contentment therefore in ensuring good quality community care for patients with mental problems. “The main challenges to the policy of the rundown traditional psychiatric hospital are the concern that homelessness is being increased among the mentally ill and the fear of public safety because of homicides by psychiatric patients” (Mathews, 2002). Other issues involve appropriate assignment of social workers who would take care and monitor these patients. Over the last few years activists in opposition to community care have diverted their aggression to the concern of public safety. These has prompted the government of Britain to put into practice a key review on mental health policy. It is also apparent that issues on public safety are the ones driving the review.

Tony Blair’s government’s approach on community mental health care

When Tony Blair was elected the people had high expectation that he would put in order the NHS system. Although he did not have any viable alternatives to the existing policies of Margaret Thatcher, he ridiculed them. He even used the same strategy to in his campaign resulting in a NHS historian, Charles Webster, calling it “the meanest spending package on the health service since the second world war”. His promise to the people of the country was that he would not cause any structural upheaval to the NHS but he would carry out some reform which would be gradual involving consultation and experimentation.

Unlike the decentralization that Margaret Thatcher adopted in her era which was against the ‘nanny state’ mentality, the approach adopted by Tony Blair was that of a democratic society. Despite his belief that the government should play a greater part in monitoring what goes on in the society and intervene when necessary to ensure that fairness, he was tolerant with the idea of free enterprise.

It has now been a decade since Tony Blair’s government vouched that they would tackle the NHS mental health service with vigor promising that equal priority would be given to mental health issues as that of heart disease and other ailments. This is what was stated by the then health secretary Frank Dobson in 1999. The National Services Framework for mental health 1999 (ten years plan) promised seven standards of care and treatment, these standards included primary care, access to services, prevention of suicide and caring about careers.

Regardless of this the labor government under Tony Blair made some changes within the health service. His successor Gordon Brown is worse as he has not made much with the NHS. He set his sight on more cuts and closures which effectively caused more damage to an already damaged NHS. He has not carried out the National Service Framework 1999 that had been promised by the labor government, so together they have failed to effectively implement the policies even though they have been in power considerably long. Their failures are also manifested further as the national frame work for mental health deadline expired last month and yet it still did not meet its targets. However the department of health announced a package of measures in January 2009 for the design and development of single sex accommodation within the health system. This will include a ?100 million Privacy and Dignity Fund for improvements and adjustments to accommodations. The new initiative came into effect as of April 2010 which was a big step in ensuring privacy needs of male and female patients are fully met.

Still some changes have been made by the two previous governments and their respective leaders (the Margaret Thatcher’s conservative party (1979) and Tony Blair’s 1997 labor party), with regards to the implementations of the Mental Health Act 1983 the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, and the National Service Framework Act 1999. Even though it still appears that not much has been done to help especially members of the ethnic minority groups. There are still disparities in the way services are being distributed and how they are being treated as patients compared to their white counterparts. For example, they are discriminated against more and are more likely to be given higher dosages of anti-psychotic drugs or sometimes even put into seclusion.

The Community Care Act 1990 was put in place mainly as a cost effective measure, thereby moving people with mental health issues out of hospitals into the community. However, some people are still not receiving the necessary care that was promised by the government, although to some extent they are being empowered by being encouraged to be more proactive in their own assessment and care plans. Of late these provisions are ineffective as they do not meet the required specification.

The organization of health services concerned with mental problem was simple previously before the current NHS and social reforms came into play. The government was responsible of the NHS and controlled fund allocation, functionality, and supervision of these health services. Local government played a very small role in the care for mentally ill individuals, there main was in housing and social work sustenance. Initially, it was the responsibility of sanatorium community divide.

In the 1980s important reforms were made to both the NHS and social services. These reforms were largely aimed at changing the management arrangements for delivering general health care in the NHS and at reforming the community care of elderly people provided by social services. Little thought was apparently given to how the reforms would affect the care of mentally ill people. We believe that these changes, each of which on their own might have been valuable, have combined to damage provision of care, at least for severely mentally ill patients (Mathews, 2002).

Mental health policy defines the vision for the future mental health of the population, specifying the framework which will be put in place to manage and prevent priority mental and neurological disorders.

Therefore as shown in this paper the approach to the social policy on community care and mental health should focus on communal mental health problems and generate solutions for curbing these predicaments. The primary aim of this policy is to identify the most useful and efficient measure to successfully address these issues. On other hand the bringing of new policies in the mental health sector has totally transformed mental community care provision. “Simple systems have been replaced with complicated organizational and financial structures requiring almost impossible feats by local health and social service staff to coordinate care for patients to whom continuity of care is critical for their survival in the community” (Mathews, 2002). Critical mentally ill individuals are ensnared by these problematical issues. The formation of a community care authority that is localized which is accountable for the issue at hand could be the best solution.

This essay will discuss ‘Poverty and social exclusion’. There will be a brief explanation of the terms that will be used throughout the essay. As we know, there are many writers who express their views; therefore references will be used to explore different writers’ understanding on certain subjects. Firstly it will focus on poverty and discuss different meanings in relation to poverty. Then secondly, it will look at different policies that have been an influence on poverty and social exclusion. Thirdly, it will consider all different factors that link to poverty and social exclusion. Finally, it will summarise the answer to the original question and discuss what has been covered throughout the essay.

Social Policy is a subject that relates to the welfare state, human well being and other factors that influence human well being. It includes many policies relating to: housing, education, benefits and other related policies that are put in place for the welfare of state and its people. Social Policies have been changing from time to time; therefore as social workers, it is important to be up-to-date. Policies are implemented by all people: employees, workers and general public. They promote and improve the welfare state as well as human living. This will be looked at in more detail later on.

The concept of Poverty can be described in two ways: the state of an individual whom may not be able to acquire the basic necessities such as: food, shelter and warmth. Another definition of poverty is when a certain part of society feels or is ‘excluded’. Blakemore and Griggs discuss that: “One way of seeing poverty as relative is to say that people who have incomes below half the national average are poor” (2007 p: 98). This could mean that one may have the basic necessities but lack involvement within the community, social life or living a luxurious lifestyle, which is also known as ‘Relative’ poverty. It is important that society is made aware of what poverty is and the role of different Social policies that are administered to tackle poverty and related issues such as social exclusion.

Social Exclusion itself is the result of poverty in most cases. One of the best definition that describes social exclusion was expressed by ‘Child Poverty Action Group’ by Walker and Walker(2007): Social exclusion refers to the dynamic process of being shut out, fully or partially, from any of the social, economic, political and cultural systems which determine the social integration of the person in society”.

Social policies were created for the purpose of stability and equality in society. One of the main aims was to change the environment the individuals live in and to enhance their lives, through which social inclusion would be applied. Although there are different Policies, there principles remain the same throughout all administered policies, which is to promote ‘Equality’ through three processes: ‘Fairness, Equity and Equal of Opportunity’.

In the early 1940’s, Beveridge report was put in place to reform social policy. Beveridge introduced child benefits, taxation and benefits for those who are unemployed. This was done through a weekly contribution of those who worked. “It shows with admirable clarity and directness how involuntary poverty can be abolished from British social life by a redistribution of about one-tenth of the national output of goods and services in favour of those citizens whose needs are greatest” (Owen, 1943, p743).

Another policy that was introduced later in 1990’s was ‘The Third Way’. This policy focuses on two aspects: ‘to make work pay’ and ‘to strengthen responsibility and community’. “It conveys the message that the reform of welfare systems is a moral enterprise that requires personal and emotional commitment by those engaged in its implementations” (Jordan, 2000). This involved focusing more on means- tested benefits’ and provide more support to low- wage workers through a tax system. The welfare programme looks at reformation by adopting tough enforcement methods in which the public is directed towards getting trained, qualifications and employment.

Bailey (2006) looks at the employment, poverty and exclusion. He touches upon the topic of welfare benefits and labour market. He discusses that ‘Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) policy statements have increased its focus on individuals having positive financial motivation to work, and move away from welfare benefits. They have introduced support through personal advisers for those who are unemployed. Also, Levitas (1998) mentions that although unemployment has had a negative impact on individual welfare, the Government argues that it is encouraging people to work, as it promotes the necessity of social inclusion through paid work.

Social exclusion is the result of poverty, as mentioned earlier. However poverty is linked to many complex factors that play a huge part in people’s lives. Majority of the factors are linked to one another, this creates more of a cycle that is hard to break unless policies are not implemented. Pierson mentions that “Social exclusion is a process that deprives individuals and families, groups and neighbourhoods of the resources required for participation in the social, economic and political activity of society as a whole” (Pierson 2002:7). Some of the components to social exclusion are: low income, unemployment, poor housing, and poor environment.

Adams (2002) discusses that ‘the higher risk of unemployment and low pay, the more likely they are to face poverty’ in comparison to other population. Several people who are unemployed suffer from deprivation in many areas. “For many people, employed work and its loss have great significance, since they define themselves, and achieve social status”. Vast people and families do care if they earn money and provide for the family. This involves the self esteem as well as their perception of their own status. In relation to this, Adam also discusses that unemployed people are more likely to experience poverty than others, all because of their low benefit entitlement, which would disable them from social activities. Since social workers are asked to develop a critical understanding of employment policies, it is important to understand such issues that relate to unemployment.

Sheppard (2006 p: 17) mentions that there are factors such as: neglect of proper care, drug abuse, crime as well as families and parents that are single and broke contribute towards excluding people socially. Those people were classed as ‘outsiders’ due to the amount of inadequate socialisation. He emphasised on the fact that parents are the central and that more commitment in childcare should be made to tackle the social exclusion issue. Sheppard also includes the argument that poverty brought many excluding effect: low levels of food and nutrition, mental as well as physical poor health and not to mention deprived environments. Therefore even if they maintained their hopes and desires to enter a more socially accepted lifestyles, it would be with such great difficulty. He uses the example of a homeless person applying for benefits without an address.

Payne (2006) focuses on the mental health element. She relatively talks about how Department of Health identifies mental health problems as one of the factors that influence poverty that associate with social exclusion. Payne also explores people with mental health should be included rather than excluded as social exclusion and poverty will only increase the mental ill health, therefore through this way, mental ill health could be decreased. In relation to this, strategies are set out to identify ways of getting people with mental ill health to explore the working environment; housing and community involvement, which may influence their mental ill health in a more positive way.

As we can see, Social Exclusion is a widespread subject that covers many areas of Poverty. The question still arises: ‘Are Social Policies the product of history and not logic’. This essay has looked at different policies and approaches that have been made to improve the welfare state. This essay may have justified that it is the product of history and not logic. However, some may argue that Social Policies are the product of history and logic combined together. Either way, this essay surely proves that policies have been and will change from time to time for the purpose of a better welfare state.

Since the earliest times of humanity, the social issue of childhood abandonment, and further the social planning for this problem, has been a reality. The issue, although a fairly common occurrence in society, is a rather understudied trend. Additionally, children are a particularly vulnerable population who are often thought to be the “property” of their parents. This fact alone makes children of less importance in research as they are thought to be under the care and guidance of their mother and/or father. On the contrary, however, most prevalently documented in existing reports on children is the variations of abuse and neglect, even though physical abandonment is just as relevant, if not more important. For example, “Who speaks for Joshua?” was a question raised by Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun in his discussion of the plight of three-year-old Joshua DeShaney who had been beaten by his parents until permanently disabled (Ashby, 1997). What people should be asking, but aren’t, is who speaks for the millions of orphans? Adults can speak for them, of course, but with varying interests and agendas and usually not within the interest of the actual children (Ashby, 1997). There is a much stronger focus on the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of children than on their complete desertion.

This problem is of particular importance because the number of children looking for families in orphanages, foster care, and on the streets is astonishing. It is also concerning that the children who are orphans have no control over their current situation, destiny, or fate. Sociological research has shown family to be one of the most important foundations of life; it is the first social group an individual is a part of, and the impact of the family system on an individual is crucial and wide-ranging. Social workers should better acquaint themselves with the issue of social planning for abandoned children to improve the current and future practice and policy in this area.

Introduction

“Currently there is no one central source which monitors the number of children abandoned across America” (Edwards, 2000). While the parental reasons for abandonment are wide ranging, the act of desertion most often results in the child becoming a responsibility of the state, in a child welfare agency, or can at times end in death. Childhood abandonment does not have one clear all inclusive definition. The act of abandonment itself can be as harsh as leaving a child on a door step, in front of a hospital or church, or simply leaving them on the streets to fend for themselves. It could also be seen as “parent’s neglect of a child over an extended period of time” (Mason, 2009, p. 29). While the issue of childhood abandonment remains a vast problem in itself, the social planning for abandoned children is also of immense concern. Children can no longer fend for themselves on the streets; orphanages and foundling homes are not sufficient for the individuals’ attention and stimulation either (Burstein, 1981). Thus, the move from the streets to foster care, relative guardianships, or adoptive families is necessary, yet remains extremely difficult for a variety of reasons to this day. There are many problems and difficulties encountered within orphanages, foster care, and ultimately the adoption of a dependent child that need be addressed by current policy.

History

The social issue of childhood abandonment has been prevalent throughout history and is quite possibly the most extreme form of child neglect. There have been accounts in ancient Greece, from the Hebrews, from Europe and many other ancient civilizations (Burnstein, 1981). In the book History of Childhood (1974), author Lloyd Demause, concluded that love for children did not exist in ancient society; he stated child abandonment was common among the poor until the fourth-century B.C. Perhaps one of the earliest documentations of child physical abandonment is with Moses, who was left by “his mother in a conscious effort to save his life” (Burnstein, 1981, p. 214). Childhood abandonment can be seen in virtually every society. As early as the colonization of North America, homeless, orphaned children were already running rampant.

As much of the literature illustrates, social planning for childhood abandonment was not considered a problem until the nineteenth-century. LeRoy Ashby notes in his book Endangered Children: Dependency Neglect and Abuse in American History (1997), “concerns about endangered and needy children have been particularly evident during times of social stress” (p. 2). He also notes that most often those who “discovered” childhood abandonment were only concerned of the disorder and squalor of the growing cities and not the children themselves (Ashby, 1997). This is because children were the “hope-or threat-of the future” and thus need to be protected (Trattner, 1998). The recognition of neglect like child abandonment was not seen in North America for some time, mostly due to the fact that children remained indentured servants and “property” of their parents; childhood was not considered a crucial development phase (Trattner, 1998). A transformative view of children came in the 1700s when society began to see children “as innocents whoaˆ¦deserved special attention and protection” (Ashby, 1997, p.16). Much of the initial response by the colonies in child welfare matters was the result of the 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law, which had significant implications for dependent children (Ashby, 1997). Similarly, the doctrine of parens patriae affirmed “the state is the ultimate parent of every child” (Ratliff, 2000). However, throughout the colonial and early national times, the extent of laws against child neglect crimes, and furthermore social planning for dependent children, remained rather unclear.

Some literature suggests that abandoned children have always been a concern in this country, but this fact is not well documented. The social problem of planning for these neglected children is not well recorded or detailed by any particular person or group of individuals seeing as its existence dates as far back to the earliest man. From the time of man’s arrival in the western world, “indenture and outdoor relief dominated the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries policies” regarding child dependency (Ashby, 1997, p. 14). However, for orphan and needy children in the 1700s, officials, fellow citizens, and familial networks responded with sympathy and concern; although their first interest remained with their own families and affairs (Ashby, 1997). Almshouses were established few and far between in the 1700s as small, emergency-only, traditional forms of child welfare (Ashby, 1997). The introduction of such almshouses and orphanages demonstrated that, by the nineteenth-century, new responses to child dependency were apparent. Many social work researchers would attribute the recognition of the social planning for dependent children to early-nineteenth century reformers who saw children as “the possibility for constructive altruism” (Trattner, 1998, p. 108). It was at this time that the child welfare movement swept into the beginning of the twentieth-century (Trattner, 1998). Although indenture systems were the way of early colonial times, they also contained suggestions of child welfare strategies which integrated a shift in values towards foster care and adoption (Ashby, 1997).

Values & Societal Institutional Arrangements

Values played a large role in identifying both the problem and possible resolutions with the issue of social planning for abandoned children in early America. First, the sensitive realization of children as more than property has been essential to the steps toward planning for dependent, neglected children. A change in early America came when society began to recognize children as “posing a sort of social problem [that can]aˆ¦produce legal responses” (Dingwall, Eekelaar, & Murray, 1984, p. 208). Charles Brace, the nineteenth-century’s most effective helper of children on the streets, was quoted in saying “the child, most of all, needs individual care and sympathy” (Olasky, 1994, p. 46). Although Brace is cited much more recently in the literature on dependent child, his thoughts and values are the same upon which the first institutions combating child dependency were founded. In addition, Fredrich Froebel posed that children needed to “exercise their minds and bodies” (Trattner, 1998, p. 111). Reformers began initiating institutions, such as the orphan asylum, as a solution for the mounting crisis of parentless children (Ashby, 1997). Society had finally begun to recognize the special needs of children and unearthed a new concern for “the best interests of the child.”

The recognition of family values and the family as an elemental social institution also helped interventions, which came about on behalf of the welfare of the child. Charles Brace’s goal was to find adoptive homes for the orphans “to get them under the combination of love and discipline that parents can provide” (Olasky, 1994, p. 46). Childhood abandonment is actually first mentioned in the literature “in relation to providing basic care for parentless children” (Burnstein, 1981, p. 214). Herein lies the fact that social planning for abandoned children has been an issue for many years. In 1729 the first orphanages in the United States were founded by nuns “to provide care for a group of children whose parents died in an Indian massacre” (Lewis & Solnit, 1975). This institution, as well as many others that have since developed, served as a somewhat “replacement family” for poor neglected children. In some instances, almshouses served to keep poverty stricken families together, allowing families, most often mothers and children, to sleep in the same ward (Ashby, 1997). Many more social agencies similar to these were formed all over North America throughout the 1800s. Another value set forth in this revolutionizing era was that of reforming poverty and unrest in society. Children sheltered in the orphanages were supposed to “learn virtue and pietyaˆ¦industry and cleanliness,” they were educated and taught the importance of hard work (Ashby, 1997, p. 17). Religious values were also on the rise at this time; evangelical religious beliefs and humanitarian attitudes began sweeping across America (Trattner, 1998). Of the 150 orphanages founded between 1820 and 1850, nearly all were tied to religious groups (Ashby, 1997). The combination of the familial, societal, and religious values assisted in the institutions established for the abandoned children in society.

Both the values and social institutional arrangements have influenced the understanding of this problem. Family, one of the most fundamental institutional arrangements for a young impressionable child, is nonexistent to an orphan. This has contributed to our understanding that each child is entitled to grow up within a family, “they need a safe, nurturing environment with at least one adult figure” (Rosenberg, 1992, p. 171). As a society that respects the welfare of children, it is thus the responsibility of individuals to set up well-running safe havens for these orphans. Furthermore, it is society’s responsibility to provide the utmost care and protection for neglected, dependent children; whether this is in an orphanage, foster care, or with an adoptive family (Rosenberg, 1992). Due to the familial focus of the almshouses and orphanages, society further realizes that these small, drab institutions are no place for a dependent child to spend their entire young life. Institutions set forth to house dependent children, as described previously, were intended to provide basic care for parentless children. Furthermore, it thus comes to one’s attention that these institutions can quickly become overcrowded and fall short of a real family. Many almshouses, as described by historians and social work researchers, “were vile catchalls for victims of every sort of misery [and] misfortuneaˆ¦herded together and badly mistreated” (Trattner, 1998, p. 113). In fact, most orphanages began as “temporary homes for children who had lost one or both parents” (Ashby, 1997). This raises the question of what to do once institutions won’t suffice as home to an orphaned child or is not a safe place for a youth to reside in; the issues with social planning for orphaned children are wide-ranging and never ceasing. Our understanding, therefore, is that the social planning for dependent children needs revamping.

Further Descriptions of the Problem

The problem of childhood abandonment affects over 400 million children who live on their own on the streets of hundreds of cities around the world (ISK). The Department of Social Welfare and Development documents over 100 abandoned children turned over to them every 2 months (100 kids abandoned every 2 months). It has also been recorded that a child becomes an orphan every 2 seconds, leaving the number of dependent children looking for families and homes at an alarming, increasing rate (ISK). The population most affected by the social planning for abandoned children is most directly the orphans themselves; however, the problem also affects society at large. With an ever increasing number of dependents, the state has an obligation to care for the growing number of parentless children. Organizations and institutions must sustain their moral values and keep up their work while at the same time receiving and/or raising adequate funds (Rosenberg, 1992). Agencies can often wither away from lack of finances and loss of morale; it is important to remember the welfare of the child and attempt to sustain almshouses, orphanages, and foster homes (Dingwall, Eekelaar, & Murray, 1984). Mothers of abandoned children are also being affected, psychologically and emotionally, dealing with the loss of a child they could not afford, did not plan for, or simply could not keep. The future of society is also affected, many fear that if the practice and policy surrounding child welfare does not improve, it is feared that the destiny of America is a national catastrophe; after all, children, even dependent, neglected, and poor children, are today’s future (Trattner, 1998).

The problem of social planning for abandoned children is namely impacted socioeconomically, by societal values, and by power, or lack thereof. The problem of childhood abandonment tends to persist most often when mothers are frightened that they simply cannot provide for their offspring (Burnstein, 1981). In this case, they will desert the child due to a lack of resources to sustain the child’s well-being. Similarly, the state struggles to afford the cost of the ever increasing number of orphans who are turned over to their care (Dingwall, Eekelaar, & Murray, 1984). The issue is initially presented, however, because society values family and the protection of parentless children. Furthermore, lack of power in society, related with economic problems can create a less than desirable outcome for caring for these dependent children. Varying child welfare agencies including almshouses and orphanages have continually struggled for funds to support orphan children, and furthermore, foster homes are few and far between for a variety of reasons. There is a serious lack of families willing and wanting to adopt, therefore leaving orphans to permanently reside in institutions that were meant to be only temporary. The problem of social planning for the abandoned child originated mainly because of the lack of sufficient funds and the power to raise these funds. It is difficult to make a difference, or even bring the problem to the attention of powerful individuals that could make a difference, thus perpetuating the issue. Societal values, as mentioned before, have contributed to the impact of childhood abandonment; family values and the welfare of society are both concerns that sparked the onset of social planning for dependent, neglected children (Ashby, 1997).

Society’s Response to the Problem

In response to the problem of social planning for abandoned children society has long had a desire to help “the immense number of boys and girls floating and drifting about our streets” (Ashby, 1997, p. 39). In terms of governmental action, several policies have been designed to remedy the social problem. From the year 1641, legislation has continually been passed to protect the rights and lives of innocent dependent children (Ashby, 1997). In the 1700s dependent children and orphans were not cared for but, on the other hand, were considered indentured work for families (Ashby, 1997). The first establishment of orphanages, as stated previously, came about from religious institutions in the 1800s; half a century later, “concern about growing up in orphanages, private agencies began placing orphans in foster families” (Murray & Gesiriech, 2004). Starting in the early 1900s, the first state laws “preventing child abuse and neglect were passed and the first federal children’s bureau was established” (Murray & Gesiriech, 2004). Mainly, the transformation of social services at the start of the early 1960s has affected the social planning for dependent children (Gilbert & Terrell, 2010). Since the first gain of financial support in 1962, there have been changes concerning social allocations, both selective and universal, aid in functioning and economic independence in families, income maintenance, and financial grants for services (Gilbert & Terrell, 2010). However, most of the continual of these policies’ focus has been on “maintaining the family unit” (Gilbert & Terrell, 2010).

The Social Security Act of 1935 authorized the first federal grants for child welfare

services, under what later came to be known as Subpart 1 of Title IV-B of the Social

Security Act (Murray & Gesiriech, 2004). More recently, in 2008, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, P.L. 110-351 was enacted. The purpose of the Act is to amend certain aspects of Title IV-B (Aid to Families with Dependent Children) of the Social Security Act in order to “connect and support relative caregivers, improve outcomes for children in foster care, provide for tribal foster care and adoption access, improve incentives for adoption, and for other purposes” (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008). The major provisions of the Act are as follows:

Allowed states to provide payments, and Medicaid, for kinship guardianship assistance under title IV-E for children whose relatives were taking legal guardianship and hence removing them from foster care

Provided stricter criminal background checks, including child abuse and neglect registry checks of relative guardians, and adults living in the guardian’s home.

Allowed services to continue for youth who left foster care, kinship guardianship, or adoption after age 16 by amending the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program

Helped at-risk children in foster care reconnect with family members through a variety of programs authorized by grants to state, local, and tribal child welfare agencies and

Doubled the incentive payment amounts for special needs adoptions to $4,000 and older child adoptions to $8,000 by extending the Adoption Incentive Program to the year 2013

Obliged child welfare agencies to notify all adult relatives of a child within 30 days of their removal and inform them of the options to become a placement resource for the child, and also required siblings to attempt to be put in the same placement

Required that all children receiving foster care, adoption, or guardianship payment to be enlisted in school full-time unless they were otherwise incapable due to a documented medical condition

Demanded the integration of healthcare services for children in foster care, including dental services and mental health

Required that caseworkers develop a personalized transition plan as directed by the child, 90 days prior to the child’s emancipation (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)

The coordination and focus of this policy, along with other statutes currently in place to combat the issue of social planning for abandoned children alleviates some of the adverse effects on the children.

In conclusion, the problem of the increasing number of abandoned children is neither a new issue, nor is the concern of social planning for orphans something newly relevant to the times. The historical overview of the social problem, including who first identified the issue, can provide a context with which to understand and provide groundwork for new directions possible in practice and policy. By examining the role of values and societal institutional arrangements, the problem can be better understood and combatted.

Examine the case study above and analyze the potential conflicts in values between the school, parent and the police. On the basis of your professional value base what could you suggest as a social worker to help and support Allen, his father and the school.

Allen, who is 15 years old, has a special needs statement for learning and behavioural difficulties and attends a referral unit (a special school with smaller class sizes and varied learning experiences) to meet these needs.

Recently Allen has stopped attending the unit, complaining of boredom, bullying and lack of teachers support to stop the bullying. Added to the concerns Allen has also been arrested on a couple of occasions from shoplifting, during school time, with others from the same referral unit.

Alan’s father, Peter, is concerned about him not going to the referral unit, but has not been into school to sort things out. He tells you (The Social Worker) he does not believe Alan’s story about the bullying but at the same time he does not appear to have done anything to challenge Allen’s absence.

The head teacher from Allen’s referral unit is clear in saying there is no bullying. He is keen for the education Department to prosecute Peter for failing to get Allen to attend school.

What Specific Elements of the GSCC Code of Practice and Social Work Values Are Relevant and Comment on How This Can Help in Applying the Law and Good Practice.
How notions of human rights, utilitarian and Kantian Philosophies Might Apply to this Situation.
How anti discriminatory practice can inform your working with the situation. Protect the rights and
The power that young people have in relation to school/social work agency and how other viewpoints can be balanced alongside the wishes and feelings of the young person.
Initial Assessment

Allen is 15 years old and currently displaying behavioral difficulties in school. He attends a referral unit, which is designed to attend to the needs of children with special needs such as Allen. He is also presenting with anti-social behaviors in that he was caught committing theft. This occurred during school hours. Additionally, Allen allegedly told mistruths about being bullied by other students, thus his reason for leaving school. It appears that the school is reaching out to Peter, Allen’s father, with no success. Peter has not been to the school to address Allen’s current behaviors.

Foremost, it is important to reflect on the differences in views and values caused by the current situation to better understand the complexities within it. Firstly, the school may not be able to provide additional services without parental consent and collaboration. Therefore, the school is limited in what services can be put in place. Additionally, school personnel may desire that discipline be applied at school and home in a consistent manner, which requires school involvement by parents. Another concern for the school is whether it can safely contain a child who is displaying high-risk behaviors. Although the school is required to work with Allen on his behavioral issues, the school’s resources are limited to children who are able to defray from harmful situations. In the case of this particular child, the school may not have appropriate staff that can provide additional safety and security so that Alan does not hurt himself within school property. There is also the chance that he may attempt to leave the school premises as he has done in the past. Without parental support and possible lack of services to contain Allen, the school may be concerned about liability. Eventually, if he becomes involved in a situation that is either harmful to himself or others, the school may opt to recommend he attend a lock-down facility.

Peter, on the other hand, may feel that school should be equipped to handle Allen’s behaviors, especially being that it is a school for children with special needs. Peter may be a single parent and/or have a very demanding job, which may make it difficult for him to attend school meetings. Despite these obstacles however, he is Allen’s legal guardian and is ultimately responsible for providing him with an appropriate educational environment. This entails collaborating with the school. His lack of presence in the school is a display that he is not adequately providing for Allen’s educational needs.

Police is obligated to keep Allen safe and at the same time required to enforce the law. Police is also the neutral force amidst the school system and Allen’s father. However, if Allen continues to break the law, the police department will be in the position to support the school’s recommendation for a more restrictive environment.

Although it is sometimes difficult for collaterals in a child’s life to work cohesively to provide the best level of care possible, it is all involved adults’ legal and ethical responsibility to do so. Therefore, while working with Allen, Peter and school staff should keep in mind that Allen is protected by stringent laws pertaining to children with disabilities. For instance, in my work with Allen, I must keep in mind the General Social Care Council Code of Practice and Social Work Values that specify the level of care participants such as Allen should be receiving. According to social work practice, I should remember the important principles set forth in this code. First, I should promote Allen’s interests. To do so, I must prove to Allen that I am invested in his well-being and in alliance with him. I should also strive to develop and maintain a relationship of trust and confidence with Allen. Otherwise, he will not be willing to work with me. I am also responsible for promoting Allen’s independence while also ensuring that he is not vulnerable to harmful situations, harmful to himself or to someone else. I am also compelled to respect Allen’s rights at all times. Following these guidelines ensures that I am adhering to legal and good practice standards.***********

Similarly, the school should also adhere to guidelines regarding how Allen is treated within the school environment. School staff should pay particular attention to laws set forth for children with disabilities. Due to Allen’s behavioral disability, the school cannot expel him, but rather should work with him in an attempt to resolve any concerns.

Allen’s father, Peter, is also responsible for Allen’s care and well-being. Peter is bound by child protection and welfare laws, which include specifications regarding parents’ responsibility to provide children with the appropriate educational opportunities. The fact that Peter is unable or unwilling to attend the school to address Allen’s behavioral and truancy issues can constitute as neglect due to the severity of Allen’s behaviors. In addition, Allen is engaging in high-risk behaviors which are potentially putting him in harm’s way while truant. This causes concern of liability by both the caregiver and the school.

Clinical Recommendations

Fortunately, Allen is protected by child laws which state that he cannot be expelled from school due to his behavior. This law was created specifically for children who suffer from learning disabilities ()********. They acknowledge this and many times use this, very rightfully, to their advantage. For instance, Allen may be well aware that he will not be expelled for the current behaviors he is displaying. Additionally, he appears to be manipulating the situation by falsely stating that he is being bullied. In spite of his acting out, however, Allen has the right to be treated fairly. Thus, the bullying should be investigated despite Peter and the head teacher’s feeling that it is not occurring. Additionally, appropriate services for educational and emotional advancement should be implemented, according to the guidelines specified by the Special Education Needs Code of Practice (2001).

It appears that Allen has been acting out behaviorally for some time. It is important to investigate what it is that is causing him to manifest his feelings through negative behaviors. It is vital that Allen begin to see an individual therapist so that he may have a safe environment to discuss his current stressors. I am a licensed Social Worker and would like to work with Allen on a weekly basis. Currently, Allen is socializing with others who are also engaging in the self-damaging behaviors. He is in need of a positive support system.

Peter is also in need of supportive services. I will refer Peter to a support group for children with learning and behavioral issues so that he may understand that other families also deal with similar struggles. If Allen is willing to attend, it may benefit him to view other children’s perspectives on their attitudes toward their educational and emotional difficulties (Social Care Institute for Excellence Research briefing 14).

Peter may not be cognizant of the severity of Allen’s behavior, which may be the reason he is not willing to collaborate with the school. It may be useful to provide outreach support by sharing pamphlets, making phone calls to the home and providing Internet resources so that Peter may be educated properly regarding Allen’s current needs. It is unsure whether Peter has a strong support system on which he is able to rely. It would be fruitful to explore family and friends that could assist him in caring for Allen when Peter is feeling overwhelmed.

The school may also benefit from social work services. Teachers and staff that work with Allen may need to discuss their struggles with someone who could provide clinically sound feedback. I recommend that personnel meet with me and the school psychologist once a week to discuss Allen’s behaviors and help teachers think through effective methods of intervention. Further, teachers may benefit from collaborating with each other and discussing methods of providing consistency for Allen throughout his school day. A mentoring program may also be valuable to Allen. A program that provides Allen with a mentor who is a little older and more mature may assist Allen in understanding perspectives other than his own. In the most ideal situation, Allen should be provided with a mentor who is just slightly older than he, so that Allen can confide in someone who understands his adolescent culture; yet is also a resource who could model positive, responsible behavior.

References

http://society.guardian.co.uk/scperformance/story/0,11025,629574,00.html

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SCIE Research briefing 14: Helping parents with learning disabilities in their role as parents

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Background

Playing computer games or video games becoming a dominant part in most people life especially teenagers. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 2005 (Cheryl, 2013) found that on any given day, 65% of 8 to 10 year old and 63% of 11 to 14 years old play video or computer game in US. Nowadays, due to the development of technology, people slowly diverted to social networking game. As there is a huge increase of number of teenagers playing social network over the year and create an opportunities for multibillion business to be growth. As continuity grown in social networking site also stimulate the growth of social networking games. According to a new statistic gather by Parks Associates, revenues in the social games market will increase by 500% from 2010 to 2015 (Parks Associates, 2011).Besides, according Datamonitor (2008), the value of the global online game market has rapidly expanded from US$3.4 billion in 2005 to US$13 billion in 2012. On average, there were over 4000 thousand new games being launched in the app store and play store (Miczaika, 2013). In other word, it is a big business industry that attracts many game developers to join in and it also showing that it would be essential to understand what motivated people to play and success in getting a significant share in the industry.

A social networking game can also know as casual game as due to its distinctive feature which using social networking as a platform such as Facebook and LINE which require user to login with social networking account before proceed to the gaming. According to Fields & Cotton (2012), social games can defined as games that use an external social network of some type to facilitate the user’s interaction with other players and these social interactions can help drive adoption of the games and retain players. One of the best examples to be use is the Farmville which record 60 million users (The Guardian, 2009). This once again indicates that social games have become very popular in recent years. One of the possible reasons for being such is due these games enable user to interact with other through sending gift or chat and competition among other gamer where different with traditional games which can play alone. Other than that, according to the White Night Mobile Game Conference (2013), there were over 64% diamond dash gamer login through Facebook to have access to the popular social networking games and the COO of Wooga, Jan Miczaika also saying that on average, gamer on Wooga play average 2 game on a given day. Over the year many research done to find out what is the impact of this phenomena as study how the social networking games bring what consequences to teenager on playing it such as drop in academic study and other. Most research that is conducted is mainly interested and focuses on how games are influencing the teenager’s behaviour such as how gaming lead to aggressive and violence behaviour which closely related how people behave.

Social networking games in these day providing people with a brand new insight of gaming to gamer. As social networking games offer a wide range of games from traditional games, casual games to skill games that meet various interests of gamers. However, the social networking games now has turn over become a multibillion dollar business, it also shown that there is a need to understand what actually make it some interesting to attract people to play on it especially teenager. According to Playfish (2009), the social gaming publisher, almost 80% of their gamer is 18-34 years old and male and female fairly divided. At the same time, another popular social gaming, Diamond dash which develop by Wooga is receiving 1.9 million visitor come each month through Facebook Request (Miczaika, 2013).Thus in this research we would like to focus on what motivates teenagers to play social networking game that provide better knowledge for the future development in the industry.

The rapidly growth on this social networking games industry has making it attractive enough to attract other game developer to develop social networking games. This once again shows that social gaming is today world the dominant in gaming industry to be developed in coming year times. In other word, this also shown that, this area of research is highly interested by many researchers. As to avoid and protect the platform users from spamming effect from other user especially game request, Facebook has introduced a new policy and setting of game as one of the approach to prohibit the spamming effect to be viral and this make difficult for developer to recruit new gamer and it would be more easier for them to understand what motivated people to play and help in the marketing and developing of game (Clipperton, 2013).

According to the perception of Self-Determination Theory, motivation can came from various intrinsic and extrinsic sources as it also focus on how the social and cultural factor influencing people’s motivation on engaging themselves in activities. Individual’s experience such as autonomy, competence,andrelatednessare one of the forms of motivation to engagement for activities (Self-Determination theory, n,p).Thus in the research, we would conceptualise and categories the motivation into few type so that it is measurable. For example, goal or reward, excitement, interesting graphic, peer effect, leader board. Leader boards can be one of the motivations that motivate teenager step into playing social games. As anyone who grew up in the video game generation they will never realise that leader boards are the invisible encouragement to motivate players try harder in the games (Mashable, 2011). Players will desire to do better to achieve high ranking in the leader boards as they may compete with their friends or nationwide.

1.2 Statement of Research Problem

As mentioned above, the purpose of doing this research is to investigate the reason that bring by the social networking games and their motivation towards the teenager to play the games. From our observation and searching, we found that there are a lot of researches have completed the study in this gaming scope. But we found that, most of the researches were more focus on the study of the impacts or the influences of playing games instead of what the reason behind that make them to play games. So, this is one of the reasons why we are conducting a research to figure out the actual reason that attaches the teenagers with the games. There are a few factors that motivates or connecting them with the game in their daily life. According to Scoresby and Shelton (2011), a computer game environment creates motivation through emotionally linking the player to the content. It is the interaction between sensory stimulation, environmental factors and a player’s internal tendencies that encourage involvement and enable immersion (Witmer and Singer, 1998). People are motivated by various factors such as own self-interest, care and also to satisfied their curiosity as well. According to the Self-Determination Theory, Intrinsic motivation can be characterized by free choice, interest, optimal challenge and psychological needs, such as reflectance, personal causation, competence, autonomy and social needs (Deci and Ryan, 1990). These intrinsic motivations are not necessarily internally rewarded but nonetheless they can sustain passion, creativity and efforts.

Besides, as the technology grows time by time, games on the internet especially social networking games are becoming popular as the generations nowadays tend to engage themselves on it. The social networking games such as the Facebook games, are one of the type of social networking games that loved by the teenagers. Social networking game functions by letting the players interacting with each other through various ways. The uniqueness of game study is its focus on the process rather than the results of game use (Barr et al., 2007). Games also possess interdisciplinary integration and interaction with player through multidimensional elements such as set, character, animation and music. So we can see from here, game study it involve a very complicated and extensive field that merits more attention from researcher (Kai-Shuan Shen, 2012). We found that previous researches mostly were study on the video games or other type of game but social networking game is still fresh for the researcher to investigate what is the attractive characteristic that linked the teenagers to the social networking games. The factors that engage teenager with the video games or other games type are different compared to the social networking game as this game type are new.

Different social networking game in different region has different cultural background which may have different motivations that lead those teenagers to engage to the game. Although there are few researches have done the study on this motivation’s perspective, but the research couldn’t represent the study in Malaysia. In Malaysia, there is still fresh for the research to study the reason why the social networking is interesting enough to be played by those teenagers. People in Malaysia may have different reason of motivation when they engaging with the social networking game compared to the other western country. This is because cultural background is different for those people from different country. They may have different interest towards social networking games. Sometimes a person engage with a particular online game is because he or she feels that the game is closely related to his or her cultural background, and thus, he or she will feel motivated to play the game. So, we will specifically study about why the teenagers in Malaysia are motivated to play the social networking game.

1.3 Research Objective

To investigate the motive behind playing social networking games

1.4 Research Questions

1.) What motivates college student to play social networking game?

1.5 Significance of study

In this 21st century, social media become part of life in this world and the people who get influence are increase complexly. Most of the people interact and use social media for different purpose. In this research, we want further explore the motivation behind the social networking games that motivate teenager to play and get a better understand and knowledge in this major industry.

1.6 Research Scope

The focus scope of this research is to analyse what are the motivation that motivate college student towards the social networking games. We will focus our study about what is the motive behind that makes college student o involve in social network games. As such, our primary target audience of this research would be college student who fall in between the range of age around 19-25, which is the people who born from early 1989 until 1995. Audience in these range of age are our targeted sample as they are those college students which is highly participated in playing games no matter in in the form of online or offline and they were most likely those core target audience of game developer.

From social media platform, such as Facebook, Google Plus, college student can get motivation to involve themselves to the use of information technology such as social media and social gaming with both motivation factors which including intrinsic and extrinsic reason. (Davist al., 1992). Social media and games have a powerful yet invisible power to keep all of us engaged and connected with each other in this world. In this research, we would use non probability sampling method to make a sample size that consist 200 people that age between 19 – 25 as to be accurate is all college student that play social network game.

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