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With reference to changes in government policy and ideologies of welfare, debate the significance of the shift from victorian ‘pauper’ to 21st century ‘service user’ and its impact on social work practice and values.

By charting changes in government policy and welfare ideologies, this essay will discuss the significance of the move from the Victorian ‘Pauper’ towards the 21st century ‘Service User’ and examine how this has influenced social work values and practice. But first, brief consideration must be given to offering a definition of these terms. The Oxford English Dictionary (2009: online) defines a pauper as somebody with no property or means of livelihood; who is dependent upon charity from others; and a beggar. Terminology has changed dramatically and the term ‘service user’ emerged in the 1990s as the generic name for people social workers work with (Pierson & Thomas, 2006: 560). In contrast to ‘pauper’, the Collins Internet-Linked Dictionary of Social Work by Pierson and Thomas (2006: 560) states:

“its popularity has spread among practitioners, managers and social work educators alike as it seems to convey the more contemporary emphasis on those who receive the service having some rights and influence over that service” (Ibid.).

All societies have methods of assisting those in financial difficulties (Payne, 2005: 13) and the 1601 English Poor Law was the first national welfare provision that lasted in one form or another for 350 years (Spicker, 2008: 78). However, in the 18th century, the Poor Law Report demonstrated the current allowance system was demoralising and promoted idleness (Fraser, 2009: 53). This, coupled with a proliferation of paupers and escalating relief costs, led to the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 which heralded the introduction of workhouses, designed to deter everyone but the destitute from applying for support (Thane, 1996: 31). It was hoped by replacing outdoor relief with the workhouse, the faults of the current system would be corrected (Fraser, 2009: 55). Ultimately, it provided a harsh alternative to self-help that the pauper would only accept when destitute; and fearing the workhouse, they would hopefully find employment (Ibid.: 55-56). This was in keeping with the general social philosophy of the time that supposed “men were masters of their own fate and that the individual had within his grasp the power to find his own salvation” (Ibid.: 56). Those requiring assistance were blamed for their position and expected to find solutions to their own self-imposed misery (Sullivan, 1996: xiv). Therefore, the Victorian Poor Law divided the needy into the deserving and undeserving poor; with the deserving worthy of philanthropic assistance whilst the undeserving was punished for their feckless behaviour (Ibid.). In essence, the Amendment Act successfully forced able-bodied men to take responsibility for themselves (Thane, 1996: 33).

Throughout the 1880s charitable responses to suffering grew (Payne, 2005: 36) and the Charitable Organisation Society was established in 1869, aiming to persuade charities to organise resources so they were distributed to those best able to use them (Thane, 1996: 21). The COS was not an alternative to the Poor Law, but the flip side of the same coin (Payne, 2005: 36) and its principles encouraged people to become self-dependent and only helped those with potential to support themselves (Thane, 1996: 21). It provided charity for the ‘deserving’ and hence, left those without potential to become self-dependent to destitution or the Poor Law (Ibid.: 21-34). Furthermore, COS endeavoured to find lasting solutions to people’s problems, without removing them from their environment and pioneered the practice of case-work whereby investigations were conducted into clients’ backgrounds who were then helped if deemed worthy (Ibid.). Much had to be said for this case-work approach, which provided a real attempt to investigate the nature of the people’s problems (Ibid.) and essentially, through the development of this method, created social work (Payne, 2005: 38).

Many people following COS principles in theory found it challenging to abandon those in desperate need in practice (Thane, 1996: 23). Hence, dissatisfaction generated new voluntary approaches, including the Settlement Movement, which initiated modern community work (Ibid.). Residential settlement Toynbee Hall was established in 1884 where graduates would live and work among the poor; a model replicated throughout the country by the end of the century (Ibid.). It aimed for them to utilise their moral example and education to foster social development (Payne, 2005: 37) and its warden Samuel Barnett believed class harmony and material improvement would only improve when the rich regarded the poor as equally worthy individuals (Thane, 1996: 21).

Moving to the twentieth century, following the Second World War, fundamental welfare changes were introduced under the Labour government in accordance with a blueprint proposed in the 1942 Beveridge Report (Bochel, 2008: 192). Subsequently, the period from 1945 until the 1970s is considered:

“One of political consensus on key issues, stemming from a combination of the economic philosophy of Keynes, and the social policy of Beveridge, enshrining the ideas of the mixed economy and the welfare state” (Ibid.).

During this period it was assumed societies had progressed, rendering the state responsible for providing universal welfare provision for citizens (Payne, 2005: 50). Subsequently, the state established a range of social services in the new era of welfare capitalism and this social security was regarded as the instrument that would eradicate poverty (Sullivan, 1996: xiii-3). The welfare state was created to put welfare on a new footing (Briggs, 1961 cited in Spicker, 2008: 121) where everyone, not just the poor, had the right to access services (Spicker, 2008: 121). This contrasted starkly to when support was confined to the destitute and deliberately made unpleasant under the Poor Law (Checkland & Checkland, 1974 cited in Spicker, 2008: 121) and this commitment to universalism provided an obvious change from the past (Sullivan, 1996: 54). Moreover, social work was becoming accepted as part of universal welfare provision alongside health, housing and social security (Payne, 2005: 50) and in the 25 years following the war, a gradual professionalizing shift occurred (Lymberry, 2001: 371). Subsequently, following the 1968 Seebohm Report and the 1970 Local Authority Social Services Act, the three existing personal social services were reorganised into unified local authority departments (Sullivan, 1996: 195-196). It was hoped this would “provide a more co-ordinated and comprehensive approach to the problems of individuals, families and communities” (Seebohm Report, 1968 quoted in Lymberry, 2001: 371). Fundamentally, this was a period of proliferation and consolidation for social work with the hope it would contribute towards creating a more equal society (Lymberry, 2001: 371).

This movement to the welfare state from the Poor Law is referred to as the progression to ‘institutional’ welfare from ‘residual’ provision (Wilensky & Lebeaux, 1965 cited in Spicker, 2008: 92). Residual welfare catered for a limited number of people, was provided under sufferance and regarded as a public burden (Spicker, 2008: 92). Furthermore, the Poor Law was punitive in nature, limited liabilities through deterrence and deprived paupers of their rights (Ibid.). Contrastingly, institutional welfare covered the general population’s needs, regardless of their financial circumstances, and offered protection to everyone (Ibid.). It was built on accepting mutual responsibility, considered dependency to be normal, and was based on the premise of a right to welfare and citizenship, (Ibid.). Theoretically, this universalism provided the only way to guarantee high quality of services were available for all and removed the stigma associated with state services (Sullivan, 1996: 54).

During the two decades after the war, governments believed in Keynesian demand management techniques and Beveridges social ideas (Ibid.: 90). However, from the late 1960s these economic policies failed and the UK faced a fiscal crisis of the state (Ibid.). Subsequently, when the Conservatives were elected in 1979, the ideology of the New Right dominated and heralded a change from the post-war welfare consensus (Lymberry, 2001: 372). This period was characterised by Neo-liberal thinking, which fundamentally questioned the state-delivered institutions forming the welfare state, and these beliefs have affected policy-making and the welfare system during recent decades (Ellison, 2008: 61-67). For example, Thatcher’s government was dedicated to rolling back the state and denying mutual commitments among citizens because allegedly society did not exist but comprised of competing individuals instead (Lowe, 1999: 307). They aspired for those dependent on the state to become independent because:

“If those in need were encouraged to look passively to the state for help, they would be denied the invigorating experience of self-help and of family or community care” (Ibid.).

Therefore, the New Right were committed to re-moralising society, just as Poor Law reformers of the 1830s had before them, with a return to Victorian values (Ibid.). This generated a reduction in benefits and conditions stipulated for accessing these were toughened (Clarke et al., 2000: 3). Furthermore, an increasing stigma was attached to publicly provided welfare and it was, in some respects, criminalised by linking US notions of ‘welfare dependency’ and ‘demoralisation’ to UK ideas of ‘scrounging’ and ‘undeserving’ (Ibid.). Fundamentally, welfare had come full circle when:

“Individualism as the motor of economic and social policy in the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s gave way to the collectivism of that classic welfare state only to re-emerge in the late twentieth century” (Sullivan, 1996: xv).

New Right emphasis on the sanctity of marriage and family, the demonization of those who threatened these and their promotion of a social order based on ‘Victorian values’ impacted on social work (Lymberry, 2001: 372). It was forced to abandon its pretensions to providing a universalist service and focus on statutory duties, omitting the preventative remit laid out in the Seebohm Report (Ibid.). Furthermore, it underlined individuals looking after themselves and their families (Bochel, 2008: 194). Subsequently, social work changed after the Barclay Report of the 1980s, which introduced community social work strategies and encouraged local authority social services departments to develop alternative ways of meeting social need (Sullivan, 1996: 196). This approach envisaged moving from the traditional one-to-one focus towards facilitating self-help by communities, social networks, and individuals (Ibid.). Moreover, it heralded the movement of social workers from therapists to enablers, supporting informal carers instead of providing the care themselves (Ibid.).

When looking at New Labour and their ‘Third Way’ approach, a decisive shift has occurred in the role of the recipients of social work services. For example, Blair (2000 cited in Jordan, 2001: 529) intended to change the welfare state from delivering passive support towards active support, promoting citizens independence instead. Taking the middle ground between free-market principles of the Conservative years and old style socialism it meant services would demand more from citizens, requiring people to contribute to a responsible community (Jordan, 2001: 529-530). This tougher approach to welfare is evident in expecting many single parents, the disabled, and those receiving employment benefits to actively seek employment (Ellison, 2008: 67). Additionally, benefits are now less generous and more strictly means-tested than in the height of Keynesian welfare (Ibid.).

Furthermore, the development of anti-oppressive practice signals a change in the attitudes towards the role of users of social work services. Anti-oppressive practice has emerged over the last decade, forms part of the critical social work tradition, and is concerned with transforming power relations at every level in practice (Healy, 2005: 172-178). Theorists believe the social work role is political with social workers holding a privileged status in comparison to service users (Ibid). Therefore, social workers must be critical and reflective in order to not replicate oppressive social relations in practice (Ibid.). Furthermore, it promotes working in partnership with service users with power genuinely shared at both an interpersonal and institutional level (Dalrymple and Burke, 1995: 65 cited in Healy, 2005: 187). Thus, service users opportunities for participation in decision-making should be maximised (Healy, 2005: 187).

Social work has been affected by the unabated advancement of consumer capitalism and service users are expected to be more involved in arranging and managing services (Harris, 2009: 67). The New Right ideas emphasised that citizens had a right to freedom and choice (Ibid.: 68) and recent Conservative and Labour administrations have encouraged citizens to participate in welfare services; utilising market-like approaches to consultation and increased empowerment in decision-making (Bochel, 2008: 194). Efforts have been made to promote service user participation in planning and development with the view that their active role improves health and social care services (Carr, 2004: 2). Furthermore, the importance of individual choice in improving provider effectiveness, the notion of citizens rights and responsibilities and a belief that individuals involvement in decision-making results in solutions that better meet their needs have been underlined (Bochel, 2008: 194-195). This is evident in the Direct Payments scheme, endorsed on the basis of choice and independence, and demonstrates that the state increasingly expects citizens to be competent enterprising, managerial and autonomous individuals (Scourfield, 2007: 108). However, as Scourfield (Ibid.) asserts this raises concerns about dependent citizens and emphasises:

“a danger of using independence and choice as central organizing principles is to forget how and why the public sector emerged in the first place—to ensure that those who are necessarily dependent are treated with respect and dignity, to ensure a collectivized approach to risk, and to ensure that secure and reliable forms of support outside of the market or the family are available”.

Additionally, as Carr (2004: 2) found, the extent to which service user participation leads to improvements in services varies and there is little monitoring and evaluation of the difference user participation is making. Furthermore, despite citizenship, choice, community, social inclusion and autonomy being key to New Labours programme, (Blair, 1998 cited in Humphries, 2004: 95) Humphries (2004: 95) contends Labour’s pursuing of neo-liberal economic and morally repressive policies has degraded public services; punishing and excluding those “regarded as having been ‘given a chance’ but having ‘failed’”. She proposes it is social workers who are expected to implement the surveillance systems that operate these policies and under New Labour a shift has occurred towards social work having an increasingly negative and narrow practice focussed on restriction, surveillance, control and exclusion (Ibid.: 93-95). Thus, social work is concerned with the moralistic side of Labours policies rather than with empowering people instead (Jordan, 2001 cited in Humphries, 2004: 94). Moreover, since 1993, increasingly punitive and repressive measures have been introduced to deter asylum seekers from coming to Britain and if they are granted access they enter an inhumane and inferior ‘welfare’ system (Humphries, 2004: 100). Acts such as the 1993 Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act and the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act removed those subject to immigration controls from the welfare state (Ibid.: 101) and Cohen (2003 cited in Humphries, 2004: 101) describes the asylum support system as the creation of a modern day poor law based on coercion and lack of choice.

This essay has documented the move from the use of the Victorian term ‘pauper’ to the 21st century term ‘service user’ by looking at shifts in government policy and welfare ideologies and its impact on social work. Looking back, one would hope we have progressed from the Victorian Poor Law that blamed the pauper for their need of assistance and deterred them from accessing support by rendering it as unpleasant as possible. However, when observing the stringent means-tested benefit system and New Labour’s tough approach welfare, ascertaining whether we have moved forward becomes questionable. Zarb (2006: 2), referring to how older couples can be separated due to housing and care allocation, questions whether citizens are still treated like the paupers in the Poor Law era who were regularly split up for not meeting the parishes criteria for support. Furthermore, to finish, Wynne-Jones (2007: online), writing on the Joseph Rowntree Foundation website, highlights that today the media still assigns different types of morality to types of poverty:

“The ‘undeserving poor’ are the Asbo kids and the hoodies, the drug-addicted and long-term unemployed. On the other hand, the ‘deserving poor’ look a lot like middle Englanders fallen on hard times”.

Having spent time with a group of troubled young people on a Peckham estate, following the death of Damilola Taylor in 2000, she believes that it is through the stereotyped comedy characters such as Little Britain’s ‘Vicky Pollard’ that Middle England reveals how threatened it feels about the ‘undeserving poor’; utilising comedy as a means of criticising our societies ‘underclass’ (Ibid.). She maintains that as Middle England laughs from the unease that people like this exist on our poorest estates, years on from Damilola’s death, we are still failing those, like the group in Peckham, who are “damaged so badly by life that their only empowerment is to attack others” (Ibid.). Therefore, to conclude, whilst a change in terminology has occurred moving from ‘pauper’ to ‘service user’, it is problematic determining how far attitudes towards those in need of assistance have genuinely changed for the better.

Reference List

Bochel, C. (2008) “State Welfare” in Alcock, P. et al., (2008) The Student’s Companion to Social Policy, 3rd Ed, Oxford: Blackwell.

Carr, S. (2004) “SCIE Position paper 3 Summary: Has service user participation made a difference to social care services?” available at http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/positionpapers/pp03-summary.pdf accessed on 17th December 2009.

Clarke, J. et al. (2000) “Reinventing the Welfare State” in Clarke, J. et al. (2000) New Managerialism: New Welfare? London: Sage.

Ellison, N. (2008) “Neo-Liberalism” in Alcock, P. et al., (2008) The Student’s Companion to Social Policy,3rd Ed, Oxford: Blackwell.

Fraser, D. (2009) The Evolution of the British Welfare State, 4th Ed, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Harris, J. (2009) “Customer-citizenship in modernised social work” in Modernising Social Work: Critical Considerations, Bristol: Policy

Healy, K (2005) Social Work Theories in Context: Creating Frameworks for Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Humphries, B. (2004) “An Unacceptable Role for Social Work: Implementing Immigration Policy” British Journal of Social Work 34: 93-107 available at http://bjsw.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/34/1/93 accessed on 17th December 2009.

Jordan, B. (2001) “Tough Love: Social Work, Social Exclusion and the Third Way”, British Journal of Social Work 31: 527- 546.

Lowe, R. (1999) The Welfare State in Britain Since 1945, 2nd Ed, Houndmills, Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan

Lymberry, M. (2001) “Social Work at the Crossroads”, British Journal of Social Work 31: 369-384 available at http://bjsw.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/3/369 accessed on 22nd December 2009.

Oxford English Dictionary (2009) available at www.oed.com accessed on 23rd November 2009.

Payne, M. (2005) The Origins of Social Work: Continuity and Change, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Pierson, J. & Thomas, M. (2006) Collins Internet-Linked Dictionary of Social Work, Glasgow: Harper Collins.

Scourfield, P. (2007) “Social Care and the Modern Citizen: Client, Consumer, Service User, Manager and Entrepreneur” British Journal of Social Work 37: 107-122 available at http://bjsw.oxfordjournals.org.ezproxy.lib.le.ac.uk/cgi/reprint/37/1/107?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&title=Social+Care+and+the+Modern+Citizen%3A+Client%2C+Consumer&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=HWCIT accessed on 24th November 2009.

Spicker, P. (2008) Social Policy: Themes and Approaches,2nd Ed, Bristol: Policy.

Sullivan, M. (1996) The Development of the British Welfare State, London: Prentice Hall

Thane, P. (1996) Foundations of the Welfare State, 2nd Ed, London ; New York : Longman.

Wynne-Jones, R. (2007) “Deserving vs Undeserving” available at http://www.jrf.org.uk/reporting-poverty/journalists-experiences/deserving-undeserving accessed on 16th December 2009.

Zarb, G. (2006) “From Paupers to Citizens: Independent Living and Human Rights” available at http://www.scie.org.uk/news/events/humanrights06/gerryzarb.pdf accessed on 17th December 2009.

Good Practice: Adults

This assignment will focus on a case from practice, demonstrating the challenges in promoting independence specifically in vulnerable elderly adults while balancing risk and autonomy. Furthermore, this work will demonstrate problem solving skills, drawing on legislation, research and principles of good practice in the context of Adult Services from an inter-professional perspective.

The Department Of Health defines a vulnerable person as:

“Someone who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.” (DOH 1999).

Background of case:

Mrs A is eighty two years old, has mild learning difficulties and lives alone in her own home since the death of her husband one year ago. She has a daughter who visits occasionally due to their difficult relationship. Mrs A was referred by her GP as she had been feeling unwell for some time; she has diabetes and sometimes forgets to take her medication. Mrs A has refused help in the past by various care services due to lack of trust and sees their involvement as an intrusion in her private life.

Working within the field of the elderly in adult social services is described as Gerontological Social Work (Nathanson and Tirrito 1998). There are specifics needs that older people experience, the more informed a social worker is about the elderly and their requirements the better chances are that the social worker will provide the right services.It is essential to gain a clear understanding of economic, social and cultural factors and life perspective followed by an understanding of the need for service.

The Valuing People policy is the first White Paper in almost forty years since Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped (1971).The aim then was to close large institutions and to integrate people into the community (www.mind.org.uk). Valuing People aimed to transform the lives of adults and children with learning disabilities through a person-centred approach and to enable people to become empowered in order for them to be included in society. This policy is one in a series of policies that are an example of the political driver of change such as the White Paper, ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services (2006) that are aiming to transform social care and to give service users more choice and to make the system more personalised (Johnson & Williams, 2007).

The 1989 White Paper, ‘Caring for People’ states the duties of local health authorities to assess people needing social care and/or support. It is based on the assumption that community care is the ‘best’ form of care available. The White Paper states that the proposed changes are intended to, first of all, enable people to live as normal a life as possible in their own homes or in a homely environment within the community. This is especially important in the long-term needs of the elderly, whom have long expressed their wish to be able to stay in their homes. Furthermore, local authorities must provide the right amount of care and support to enable people to achieve maximum independence and provide people with a greater say in their lives and the services they need. This is particularly significant with elderly people. Many older people are not in need of 24-hour care that a nursing home would provide they may just need a small amount of help, maybe for a couple of hours a day.

Although the majority of people over the age of 65 live independently and have no major care needs, a significant minority do have some problems with physical and mental health. 1 in 10 elderly people suffer from forms of senile dementia. It can be seen that it is simple day-to-day things that most elderly people require assistance with. Their main wish is clear; they simply want to stay in their own homes or in the homes of their family. (HMSO 1989).

The Social Worker requires Mrs A’s consent to an assessment and if eligible, a care plan, while making it clear that she has the right to refuse. When working in partnership with a service user and their family, the worker needs to take account of Trevthick’s (2002) fifteen points to effective partnership working. These include explaining to the family their role and power to intervene. A clear mandate is the basis of a partnership-based intervention and sensitivity given to power imbalances involving family consultation and participation in decision-making and problem solving (Bray 2001). The whole team working with Mrs A have a duty to be aware of her individual rights to confidentiality, choice, dignity, respect, autonomy, cultural, and equity.

“Elderly people need to be active participants rather than active recipients. The task is not to look after, but to motivate, empower and promote self-esteem.” (Hughes et al 1995).

A number of vulnerable adults are oblivious to the fact that they need any help; therefore it is essential that when a concern is highlighted, it is acted upon instantly to prevent the situation deteriorating. Many adults are also too proud to ask for help and as a result recognition of their vulnerability is only identified as shown in Mrs A’s case by a GP. Detection of vulnerability may also be triggered by an admission to hospital or a concernedfriend or family member contacting the social services department. During a visit by the social worker, it is clear that Mrs A had been seriously neglecting her needs; she is underweight and neglecting her hygiene. The misuse of medication is in itself a risk of covert self abuse, and could have resulted in her death.

Abuse can take place in many different contexts and it is important not to exploit a vulnerable persons civil rights. Mrs A has mistrust with other people becoming involved in her life. Therefore when and how to intervene builds on the concept of significant harm introduced in the Children’s Act. When making an assessment of an individual, many factors need to be considered, for example, the extent of vulnerability and risk of repeated acts that meet the criteria of the Community Care Act 1990. To ignore the assessment of older people can be an example of ageism in its own right, contributing to an elderly person feeling disempowered.

Assumptions about older people include older people are poor, lonely, are ill, no longer contributing to the economy and seen as a burden. When working with older people it is important not to make these stereotypical assumptions and generalise. Not all the elderly have the same characteristics; a sixty five and a ninety year old are classed as one group. “Although aging is inevitable, and people experience similar patterns and problems of aging, there are also wide-spread differences in aging patterns” (Applewhite 1998:5). Acknowledging that each individual will be at a different stage in his or her life, needs and circumstances will vary, including different ethnic minority groups to avoid making ageist assumptions and avoiding all stereotypes and stigmas. To work effectively with older people, one must develop anti ageist practice. Midwinter (1993) says that old age is like having returned to a second childhood where others will make decisions for you.

Working in partnership, the Social Worker and the GP/nurse may encourage Mrs A to engage respite care (enablement) for up to six weeks to avoid being admitted to hospital. During respite care an assessment of her needs will evaluate the level of support that will be required (if any) when Mrs A returns to her home. Mrs A’s daughter may request that her mother be put into a care home, while Mrs A is adamant that she can care for herself at home with some support. Within the risk assessment process family members may worry about the social worker’s ability to recognize potential risk for their relatives, therefore a balance between extending barriers in some areas of risk and minimizing risk in others areas needs to be made. Using a utilitarian approach, it is the social workers job to assess the whole situation and work for a solution in the best interests of all concerned. (Banks 2001:28). The Social Workers ultimate aim is to support Mrs A’s rights to control her life and make informed choices about the services that she receives (GSCC 1.1).

Good practice dictates working in partnership with service users to encourage greater trust and empowerment of clients. In turn, they are likely to feel more confident in talking about their fears, and worries and possible abuse. Health and Social care agencies working together is only a part of an overall strategy to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. Enabling service users to recognise abuse and knowing how to alert others to this is another strategy. It also ensures an agreed approach that all involved are aware of and can monitor. Protection is provided by the clarity of the situation. It is important that health and care social workers act as good role models in terms of worker-user relationships as this helps the service user to recognise when the relationship is abusive. In addition, it is important for professionals to enable service users to know how to protect themselves, such as building positive self-esteem through knowing their rights and knowing how to complain. (Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998).

An Adult Protection policy will identify and help support Mrs A’s decisions for her care and help her to understand risks and the services available to her. The social worker has to constantly question their own judgement and ensure they listen to the service user’s view while assessing if Mrs A is capable of making an informed choice taking into account her rights and the needs of her family. It is a requirement to assess if Mrs A has the capacity to make her own decisions and if she is incapable by reason, for instance, of mental illness under the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the decision will be made for her. If it is deemed that Mrs A has capacity she has the right to live in whatever way she chooses; should her choice includes staying at home without help from services her health could be at risk and she may enter a ‘revolving door’ policy in and out of health care provision.

Providing support to Mrs A does not eliminate her susceptibility. If an individual is living alone and receiving services to support their needs, they still have a level of vulnerability. Elderly people at home are more at risk from abuse by strangers than if they were living in supported accommodation. They are at risk from people calling and gaining access through force or intimidation, who either steal from them or charge very expensive rates for minor repairs. They are also at risk from physical and sexual abuse as there is no one there to stop the perpetrator. Mrs A has health and social care needs and is seen to be at risk from self-neglect and possibly neglect by others, including services if insufficient or inappropriate support is provided to adequately support her well being. (Pritchard, J 2008).

Home may be Mrs A’s choice, however the assessment will consider balancing risk and autonomy. The social worker can identify Mrs A’s strengths and skills and identify ways in which these can be improved upon. There are services available that can supply security systems to protect from theft, and physical abuse, and other environmental variables, these are implemented with clear guidelines and the coordination of multi agency workers, working together to deliver a programme of care in the best interest of Mrs A’s needs and individual choices. Parsloe (1999) stresses that there is a strong presumption that older people should exercise choice and be given opportunities to take risks towards maintaining their independence and self-determination unless or until their capacity to do so is seriously impaired. This notion is acceptable, but as seen with Mrs A there is also a high risk of illness due to poor self medication; this is sometimes overlooked as the risk-taking model is more promoted than risk minimisation. People are allowed to take a well-informed risk so long as they do not endanger themselves or others GSCC (2002). A presumption in this case is that Mrs A has capacity: the challenge here is to recognise that service users ‘have the right to take risks and helping them to identify and manage potential and actual risks to themselves and others; (GSCC 4.1).

The provision of the practice setting is governed by law which consists of primary and secondary legislation together with government guidance which must be followed by all local authorities. Section 46 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) sets out community care plans and lists the available services which include laundry services, meals on wheels, social work support and residential care. This act places a duty under section 47 on social workers to conduct a needs-led assessment if it is apparent that a person might need community care service.

Once a community care assessment is carried out, the care manager will make a decision about whether to provide support or not to the service user. Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) provides an eligibility framework for adult social care to identify whether or not the duty to provide services is triggered. Should the criteria be met, a multi disciplinary team approach working together to ensure Mrs A’s choice to stay at home is paramount with regard to her rehabilitation and care plan. The team have a duty to provide a network of support that promotes independence and to monitor Mrs A’s ability to care for herself in the community. Multi-agency working of care planning and the single assessment process has encouraged greater inter-agency working together, with the client’s needs being central to the process. Rather than working separately, and each agency providing their own service without reference to the others, joint working encourages a sharing of approach and less replication of services.

A pilot of Individual Budgets was introduced for two years in 2005 to 13 local authorities. Individual Budgets is a system that brings resources together from different funding streams into a single sum that can be spent flexibly in accordance with a service user’s needs and preferences. Service users are free to choose the money as a direct payment or request the local authority to provide services, or even use a mixture of both A care worker can be sought from the LA or a personal assistant (PA) appointed by Mrs A , paid for with direct payments ensure that her autonomy and choice is maintained. In practice, an agreement can be made to review Mrs A’s care and remove the care if it not required or increase the care package should additional need be identified at a future review.

Direct payment stems from the four principles of Valuing People that are rights, inclusion, choice and independence. The Government’s vision was that the uptake of direct payments would give people more choice in how they choose to live their lives. However, the uptake of direct payments since the introduction of the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act (1997) had been slow, mainly due to a lack of awareness and people, including professionals, can be very wary of change and taking on the unknown.The government therefore introduced new legislation in 2003 to make it a duty for local authorities to offer direct payments (www.dh.gov.uk), but figures (2006) reveal that out of a possible million people only around 46,000 had taken up direct payments (www.eastern.csip.org.uk). It raised issues that service users experienced and set out eleven objectives which included people facing lack of choice and control, social isolation, housing, health, and poor partnership between professional agencies, voluntary groups and families.

The main stakeholders from the implementation of Valuing People are people with learning disabilities themselves and their families/carers, as they were instrumental in pushing the government to push through the policy.The government is clearly one of the main stakeholders and it could be argued that this was an economic driver of change. Latest figures from the Individual Budgets Pilot study reveal that the costs of people using budgets compared to commissioned services is not much different, but long-term, costs will be reduced as people become more independent and their support hours are reduced (www.dh.gov.uk).

The introduction of ‘Putting People First’, published by the DH in December 2007is a shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care over a period of three years. Key elements are: prevention, early intervention and re-enablement, personalisation, information, advice and advocacy. This presents change for people who receive services and importantly for social care workers that will need to implement these changes in their work. The changes in social care that have been taking place since the policy have meant that the role of the social worker is changing and the publication of the Local Authority Circular “Transforming Social Care” (2008:4) described the role of the social worker as being “focused on advocacy and brokerage, rather than assessment and gate keeping”. This involves improved skills in listening, working in partnership with service users, families and other professionals and empowering people to take control of their lives. The changes are proving challenging because it means a shift in the balance of power and allowing people to take more risks. A person-centred approach to supporting Mrs A is the method used within this case study, before direct payments this had been more about supporting people in the community.

The principles ofrights, inclusion, choice and independence set out as the vision in Valuing People have clearly been achieved in some people’s lives, and is effective for service users such as Mrs A who prefer to maintain their privacy at home and choice of care through direct payment. It can be seen to transform service user’s lives in that they are living independently and feel included in society.There are many people living in residential care; they spend most of their hours in centres and lead very oppressive lives.McCabe,M. (2006:12) describes the failings of institutional care as having “inflexible routine, lack of choice, dependence on others and lack of privacy” and community care creating maximum dependency.However, care needs to be taken so that people are still supported when they do live independently, specifically service users who have spent years in residential care and not prepared them to live in their own homes; adequate risk assessments are needed to address any areas that could leave them vulnerable.

References

Applewhite, S. (1998) Elders and the Twenty-First Century. Issues andChallenges for Culturally Competent Research and Practice.New York: Haworth.

Banks, S. (2001). Ethics and Values in Social Work 2nd ed. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Publishers.

Department of Health (2001) Valuing People. London: Department of Health.

Department of Health (2001) National service framework for older people. London: Department of Health

General Social Care Council (2002) Codes of Practice General Social Care Council

HMSO (1989) Caring for People: Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond. London, HMSO

Johnson, K. Williams, I. (2007). Managing Change and Uncertainty in Social Work and social care. Lyme Regis: Russell House Publishing Ltd.

Jones. R. (2005) Mental Capacity Act. Manual, Sweet & Maxwell cited in Pritchard, J (2008) Good Practice in the Law and Safeguarding Adults: London, Jessica Kingsley.

McCabe,M.(2006) Depression among older people: prevalence and detection. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 21(7)

Thomas, A. (2008) Leadership and Management in Health and Social Care Heinemann

Midwinter, E (1993) Encore: Guide to Planning a Celebration of Your Life: Southampton, Third Age Press

Nathanson, I. Tirrito, T. (1998) Theory into Practice. Gerontological Social Work. New York: Springer.

National Assistance Act 1948 London, HMSO.

National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 London, HMSO.

Parsloe P. (1999) Risk Assessment in Social Care and Social Work. London, Jessica Kingsley.

Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 London, HMSO

Shakespeare, T. (2000). Help. Birmingham: Venture Press

Trevithick, P (2002) Social Work Skills – a practice handbook, Buckingham, Open University Press

Introduction

Food is a necessity for life, yet millions of people every day go without it, due to a lack of global food security. Food has been used for millenniums to bring people together, yet there are people in poverty every day that don’t know where their next meal is coming from. With the population steadily growing, now is a more important time than ever to eradicate hunger around the world.

Description of the issue

With the population set to have increased by more than 35% (Foley, 2014) in 2050, we will be faced with the reality of having to feed nine billion people. For this to be achievable, crop production would need to double, as it would have to significantly outpace population growth. With millions currently starving around the world, global food security doesn’t seem achievable. However, if we work together and are guided by the principles of human flourishing, the agriculture industry should be able to grow alongside our population, eventually resulting in food security for all.

Reasons why this issue is one associated with social justice

The United Nations (un.org, n.d.) defines social justice as “an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability”.

Food stability is an issue associated with social justice due to the millions of people starving around the world every day because of a lack of access to food, or an inability to purchase it. Food is a necessity to live, and therefore should be available to all, regardless of geographic location, economic status, or any other disability.

Stakeholders involved in this issue and analysis of their perspectives

Scientific research and development bodies play a vital role in the issue of food security going forward. Global partnerships such as CGIAR work towards research for agricultural production in the developing world. Their aim is to “identify significant global development problems that science can help solve; collect and organize knowledge related to these development problems; develop research programs to fill the knowledge gaps to solve these development problems; catalyze and lead putting research into practice, and policies and institutions into place, to solve these development problems; lead monitoring and evaluation, share the lessons we learn and best practices we discover; conserve, evaluate and share genetic diversity; and strengthen skills and knowledge in agricultural research for development around the world” (CGIAR, n.d.). Through their aims, they hope to achieve four main goals: reduce rural poverty, improve food security, improve nutrition and health, and have sustainably managed natural resources. CGIAR believe that science can make radical changes to the current issue of food security, and it has been cited that “one dollar invested in CGIAR research results in about nine dollars in increased productivity in developing nations” (CGIAR, n.d.). Partnerships and bodies such as CGIAR want the current situation in regards to food security to change, as they realized that the present condition is neither sustainable, nor fair, and while it may not be easily fixed, scientific breakthroughs make the issue of food security appear to be one that can be solved.

Farmers make up for 60% of the worlds population (apcentral.collegeboard.com, n.d.), yet they are constantly under threat from large corporations buying up their land. Many countries also face the issue of how to ensure increased efficiency in farming the land we already have, as Foley (2014) states “most of the land cleared for agriculture in the tropics does not contribute much to the world’s food security but is instead used to produce cattle, soybeans for livestock, timber, and palm oil. Avoiding further deforestation must be a top priority.”

There are currently “yield gaps” between existing production levels and those possible in areas such as Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. “Using high-tech, precision farming systems, as well as approaches borrowed from organic farming, we could boost yields in these places several times over” (Foley, 2014), which is important in providing more food to the world, while not increasing the size of the agricultural footprint. If farmers were able to invest in these technologies, such as subsurface drip irrigation, cover crops, and mulches, there may be a high upfront cost, but they would be producing more, which would lead to them increasing their profit once the produce is sold. With a higher profit, these small farmers may be able to better stand their ground against large corporations. These methods of organic farming are also more environmentally friendly, which is important as issues such as climate change have a large impact on agriculture.

While it is often believed that small farmers are better, putting more heart and soul into what they do, there is still a role for multinational agribusinesses in the road towards food security. Many of these businesses, such as Monsanto, have been working to develop products, and methods to help farmers grow more on the land they have.

Agribusinesses work closely with the scientific research and development bodies, as they are often the largest investors. Companies, like Monsanto, have spent millions on developing agricultural innovations in key areas, such as breeding, where they select the more desirable traits from existing plants; biotechnology, where they add these beneficial traits into the DNA of another plant; integrated farming systems (IFS), which helps farmers utilise the resources they have for maximum yield, while reducing the amount of wasted resources; and chemistry, where studies are done to minimise environmental impact of herbicides, while still protecting crops from pests (Monsanto.com, n.d.).

Companies like Monsanto recognise that they need to invest further in agriculture, as the lack of food security means that they are being badly perceived, and largely blamed, due to their for-profit nature, and their use of terminator genes in their seeds, leaving a heavy financial burden on farmers, as they are unable to use the seeds again for next year. Many foods are already genetically modified, but Monsanto’s lack of ethical boundaries in doing so (such as the terminator gene to boost their profits, and crops that will only work in conjunction with their other products to gain and to capture a captive market), has resulted in public outcry against the corporation worldwide. Protest against the company has come from all corners of the globe, not just the United States, and Australia, as it is the farmers in the developing world that are most effected. These sort of issues need to be addressed if we are to produce enough food for the growing population, as all farmland needs to be utilised efficiently, not just those farmers who can afford it.

Analysis of the issue in relation to the common good and the principles of human flourishing

The common good can be defined as benefiting everybody in the world. Human flourishing comes from the Greek word eudemonia, which is a core idea to Aristotelian philosophy. It promotes the idea that by working together, and finding meaning in our lives, we will flourish as a whole. The principles of human flourishing guide us in ways we can work together and find the meaning we need to achieve this.

Global food security is an issue affecting the word, where the current injustice of the many people left malnourished needs to be responded to at a global level. The common good urges us to work together in collaboration to take responsibility for those around us, and pursue conditions in which we can achieve a life that is good for all, not just a majority. In order to achieve this, we must fight against injustices, such as Monsanto’s mistreatment of small farmers, at both local and global levels. Charity organizations can only do so much to help, and promoting the common good often challenges many current social values, and social structures that allow these injustices to take place without government interference.

The main principles of human flourishing relating to the issue of food security is: the dignity of the human person, preferential option for the poor, stewardship of creation, and solidarity.

The dignity of the human person is an important principle in food security, as it promotes the rights of those who may not be able to bring attention to their needs themselves. Avocation is important, as it is often those who need the most help that are unable to ask for it. Many small farmers in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe are struggling to produce enough food, not just for global consumption, but also for themselves. Due to their nature as small farmers and not multination businesses, their voice isn’t often heard when speaking out against the problems in the agriculture industry worldwide, such as Monsanto’s use of terminator genes in their seeds, which further disadvantages the poor.

The poor cannot afford to keep buying new seeds every season, often relying on the seeds gathered from last season to replant. This keeps costs low for small farmers, and allows them to increase their profit margin. Monsanto’s use of the terminator gene means that the seeds can only be used once, and often only used when combined with other Monsanto products. Monsanto has been suffering public backlash over these issues for years as a result. A preferential option for the poor would see governments and not-for-profit organizations providing resources, such as non-genetically modified seed, or fertilizer, to these smaller farmers, allowing them to kick start their production. This would utilize the land already cleared for farming, and reduce environmental impact as well.

Stewardship of creation is the principle of looking after the planet. Agriculture has already lead to “an area roughly the size of South America” (Foley, 2014) being cleared for crops, and even more land “roughly the size of Africa” (Foley, 2014) has been cleared as pastureland for livestock. This has resulted in the loss of whole ecosystems, and is not sustainable. Particularly with the rise of global warming, deforestation is not an option. In order for us to maintain the planet for future generations, we must use the land we have available more efficiently so we can still produce enough to provide food security. It is our responsibility to care for the planet, so it can care for us in return.

Solidarity is the principle that it is our responsibility to care for each other across racial, economic, cultural, national, and ideological differences, while promoting rights for every person. In order to accommodate their needs, we must first recognize that everybody is different; while there are people starving in developing nations around the world, there are also many homeless and hungry people right here in Sydney that require our help. Their needs may differ greatly, despite their common problem of a shortage of food. Solidarity is recognizing those abroad, as well as those at home, and working towards global food security together.

A proposed resolution for realising the common good

In order to reach global food security by 2050, we must take steps now to be able to achieve the common good. With scientific developments, we are able to better develop the land we already have available, allowing us to produce more without further damaging the environment. By utilising high-tech farming systems, we can work towards reducing the yield gaps we currently have, boosting the output from these areas, as well as providing a much more reliable source of income to these small farmers.

With the scientific research and developments that have taken, and are currently taking place, small farmers are able to better understand the best ways to work their land, not only to create a higher yield, but also to save and use resources more efficiently. This helps the environment, as up to 70% of water is used in agriculture, and also saves the small farmers money.

A big part of realising the common good is understanding our part in it on an individual scale as well. We may not be scientists or farmers, but by participating in actively changing our diet, we, too, can help global food security be achievable by 2050. As Foley (2014) states, “for every 100 calories of grain we feed animals, we get only about 40 new calories of milk, 22 calories of eggs, 12 of chicken, 10 of pork, or 3 of beef. Finding more efficient ways to grow meat and shifting to less meat-intensive diets—even just switching from grain-fed beef to meats like chicken, pork, or pasture-raised beef—could free up substantial amounts of food across the world”.

Conclusion

Global food security is an issue that affects us all. Agriculture is one of the oldest and largest industries in the world, but it still has a long way to go before it is able to cater for the growing population. However, the issue has been recognised, and together, we are working towards eliminating hunger, and providing food security by 2050.

Social Work as a profession is heavily influenced by political rhetoric and ideology albeit there has been a shift in governmental philosophy from the beginnings of the profession. Due to Neo-Liberal ideas commonly adopted by the main political parties in the United Kingdom, social work services are beginning to be based on free market principles. Social work and social care services have seen an increase in privatised quasi markets. The role of the social worker in all of this is one that can be contested and is certainly not static; it is a profession that I believe should attempt to be diverse and fluid. The aim of this essay is, to discuss too what extent there is a social work role beyond ‘the rationing of scarce services and managing of poor people’ (Ferguson and Lavalette 2013:108) This will be achieved by looking the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy and what it means for social workers in a statutory children’s and families team before drawing a conclusion. I intend to highlight the importance of early intervention as laid out in GIRFEC and what this means for social workers. GIRFEC also emphasises the importance of joint up working and I intend to highlight some of the failings of this and the tensions this creates for social workers on the front line. Finally, I will look at how GIRFEC is being put into practice by drawing on research from the Institute of Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS); Changing how we work: a case study in East Lothian. Firstly, however it is important to briefly explore the beginnings of policy implementation and how todays austerity measures effect policy being put into practice.

Social work services go back over one hundred and fifty years but it was during the late 1960s that it became apparent that a framework of legislation was needed. This resulted in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. The Kilbrandon report 1964 was a major driver in this act along with the white paper Social Work and the Community 1966. The Kilbrandon report called for the introduction of children’s hearings and ‘introduced a new way of dealing with what were described as children who were in need of compulsory care’. (Fabb and Guthrie 2007:150) Smith and White (2008:21) add that ‘the thinking of the Kilbrandon Committee was strongly educational, reflecting longstanding views that social wellbeing and social cohesion through education should be the ambition of the system.’ The Kilbrandon report is still one of the most significant policies in relation to social work practice.

Ferguson and Lavalette (2013) highlight how austerity measures and welfare reform mixed with the marketization of social work services is impacting on the social work task. Neoliberalism is an ideology now adopted by the main political parties in the United Kingdom and is a take on classic liberal beliefs such as ‘free trade and the free market’ (Hoffman and Graham 2009:) Neo-liberal theorists believe that the role of welfare should not lie with the state and they ‘question the need for the majority of publically funded, state delivered, or state regulated institutions that, taken together, comprise a welfare state.’ (Ellison 2012:) This can be seen in society today in many ways, for example, with the introduction of universal credit and benefit capping both making an attempt to reduce welfare costs. This could also explain the ever growing involvement and use of the voluntary or third sector in social work services.

GIRFEC: The aims of the policy

GIRFEC was introduced by the Scottish Government in 2008 in an attempt to improve the way in which work is undertaken by professionals working with children and their families. The policy was developed after a string of recommendations and reports surrounding child protection, one of which being It’s everyone’s job to make sure I’m alright Report of the Child Protection Audit and Review(2002: 1) which highlighted the importance of ‘a Scotland in which every child matters’. Another significant report was my turn to talk? (Scottish Executive 2006:), which highlighted that ‘child-related professionals and decision makers across Scotland have both moral and legal obligations to encourage and support children’s participation.’ I believe that this push for child participation will in turn promote active citizenship for children. From these reports and others it was clear that new policy guidance was necessary and so GIRFEC was adopted. GIRFEC aims to co-ordinate the services’ children receive as well as managing the consistency in the delivery of these services. The Scottish Governments guide to getting it right for every child (2012:6) states that ‘it is the bedrock for all children’s services’. Putting the child at the centre of the services they receive is high on the agenda throughout and the policy puts a high emphasis on multi-agency working and the importance of early intervention. The policy was created in respect to ten core components and has a strong set of values that were developed from the Children’s Charter 2004 which ‘reflects the voice of children and young people and what they feel they need, and should be able to expect, when they have problems or are in difficulty and need to be protected.’ (Scottish Government 2004)

The wellbeing wheel, my world triangle and resilience matrix, together known as the National practice model, are assessment tools used within GIRFEC to effectively manage and analyse the information required for a child’s plan. The wellbeing wheel consists of eight indicators of wellbeing that ‘are the basic requirements for all children and young people to grow and develop’ (Scottish Government 2012:10). These are: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible and Included. (SHANARRI). Deep rooted in this, is the four competences from the Curriculum of Excellence: a successful learner, a confident individual, a responsible citizen and an effective contributor. I consider the combination of well-being and the curriculum for excellence to be a strong indicator for the push for multi-agency work that is evident throughout the policy.

GIRFEC: A drive for early intervention and multi-agency working and the tensions these bring.

Early intervention is one of the key themes running throughout the policy. The Changing Lives Report of the 21^st Century Social Worker Review illustrates a four tiered approach to early intervention, incorporating the social workers role. (Scottish Government 2006:31). It stresses how social workers are involved in the early stages of intervention and how as crisis situations develop, other universal services step back. I wonder how involved we really are at tiers 1 and 2 and believe this will vary between local authorities.

The Scottish Government(2006:31) state that, ‘social workers have a significant contribution to make at tiers 1 and 2, supporting and informing the delivery of services both within social work and across partner agencies.’ However, McGhee and Waterhouse (2011:1097) contradict this by arguing that:

‘for social work, early intervention has taken on a different meaning from that at tiers 1 and 2 … early intervention begins at tier 3 and concerns individuals who already present significant vulnerability and risk and who are beyond the remit and capacity of universal services.’

This points out that early intervention may frequently be the responsibility of health professionals and education. However, early intervention at tiers 1 and 2 is perhaps what social work should be about it with its professional values pushing towards social justice. The Highland ‘s children services practice guidance (2013:11)

‘emphasises the critical part played by health and education services in supporting the development of all children. Difficulties or concerns are identified at an early stage and steps taken to ensure that additional help is available when needed. Help is given as quickly as possible and in consultation with children and their families.’

This backs up what McGhee and Waterhouse argue early intervention is like for social workers; their idea that social workers are not involved at tier 1 and 2.

Another Key theme to shape GIRFEC is that of the importance of multi-agency working. Although GIRFEC calls for a push towards a better system of multi-agency working it is not something that is new to the literature. (Wilson et al 2011) Multi-agency became high on the political agenda after the death of Victoria Climbie who ‘was slowly tortured to death despite the involvement of four social service departments, three police child protection teams, health agencies and voluntary agencies.’ (Marinetto 2011:1164) An inquiry into Victoria’s death highlighted the breakdown between professional organisations and called for better co-ordination between services and organisations. With the importance of professionals working together and sharing information stressed here it is no wonder that it is such a key feature in policy documents. The principle behind multi-agency working sounds simple; ‘professionals with different backgrounds, from different intellectual disciplines and with different roles work together to provide care and support to service users and people around them.’ (Payne 2007:146)

However, for social workers there are tensions to be considered. Atkinson et al (2005) looks at research carried out into multi-agency working and highlights eight challenges; fiscal resources, roles and responsibilities, competing priorities, non-fiscal resources, communication, professional and agency cultures, management and training opportunities. Some of the problems identified within these areas were that there was no financial support and many workers did not know what was being asked of their individual role between them and the rest of the multi-agency team. There were often different primacies amongst the different professions leading to conflict. As a social worker it is imperative that I aim to overcome these tensions and difficulties. In regards to GIRFEC, I expect that the introduction of the named person will help coordinate the multi-agency approach although lack of funding and resources is something that is always going to be a threat to the smooth running of a statutory children and families team attempting to work alongside other professionals under the GIRFEC framework.

The Audit Commission (2009:3) states that ‘Effective joint workingneeds active leadership and purposeful relationship management.’ The report highlights how working together in multi-agency teams is not without risk and that difficulties can arise if the agencies have not developed effective relationships. Strong leadership seems to be a key theme throughout the literature. The Scottish Government (2010) states that ‘Partnership working requires leadership at all levels and across services. In order to make partnership working effective, leadership needs to be the responsibility of everyone.’ If this is adopted and everyone is clear on what their roles and responsibilities are it should enable an effective way of working.

How can we implement GIRFEC into practice?

In October 2012, IRISS worked alongside East Lothian Council to enable them to implement GIRFEC. The sub group working together involved social workers, police, child protection, the third sector, education and health. Collins (2013:) states that she had

‘initially conceptualised this project as a means to help an organisation reflect on and improve their use of evidence, however, as the project progressed it became evident that the lessons really centred around how a multi-disciplinary team can learn to work together well and change the way they work.’

So here we have a positive example promoting the practice of multi-agency working, however, arriving at this conclusion was not easy. The study points out that in the beginnings people were reluctant to the prospect of the group – ‘We don’t even have the same beliefs.’ (Collins 2013:5) The next problem to address was that when it came down to it, people didn’t fully understand the best way to comprehend GIRFEC- ‘The problem is interpretation of GIRFEC. Some people are putting ‘safe’ at the top of the pyramid. But safe is not the only thing. It doesn’t have to be the most important.’ (Collins 2013:7) These difficulties are only to name a few, but as the group moved onward planning strategies were implemented, based comprehensively on reflection which the group named ‘the action research cycle’ (Collins 2013:16), with successful results.

Conclusion

Going back to Ferguson and Lavalettes quote, it would be ethically undermining to say that social work is about rationing limited resources and welfare management and that the GIRFEC policy aims to tackle every aspect of a child’s well-being with a multi-agency approach. Although as previously highlighted, the importance of multi-agency working is not new to the literature, within GIRFEC there is a drive for a more effective method in which universal services can work together in partnership with a thrust towards early intervention, although it may be argued that social workers are being locked of this. To an extent, I agree with this and believe that austerity measures are influencing this and together with welfare reforms and an ever growing number of families living in poverty then at present social workers roles may be changing but I am uncertain at present as to say to what extent. What I am certain of is that the service users within a statutory children’s and families team will be effected whether it be through the ever increasing cost of living and proportion of them relying on low income wages or through local authorities having to cut funding to specialised services and protects.

Introduction

Generalist social work practice is one of the conceptual framework developed to guide social workers on social delivery. This approach was developed following the Milford conferences in 1990s. By definition, generalist social work entails a way of viewing practice. It focus on the association between system, on a client-centered and use of appropriate theories and approaches meant to improve people’s well being (Council on Social Work Education 2008). It is always expected that the social work should entail multifaceted approach and that any social worker employing generalist perspective must be ready to engage in direct and indirect intervention based on multilevel assessment (Council on Social Work Education 2008). The generalist social work is also expected to be client-centered and problem-focused in process of helping the client advance social functioning. It should be based on research.

As it shall turn out, generalist social worker must be able to skillfully select and apply multifaceted intervention modes and should carry out multilevel assessments and intervene at one or more levels depending on client situation. A generalist social worker should be well-versed with the individual, group, family, community and institutional intervention methods. Generalists social worker should be competent in different treatment skills (Council on Social Work Education 2008). He or she should be able to intervene with complex activities than only referral and should engage in the full spectrum of direct services. He should be even competent in policy and program development, organizational and community development. The generalists social worker should work based on evidence based research rather than traditional chores, which comprises only of referral

Generalists social work should help different groups in the society experiencing social problems or needs. Rape victims are example of individuals who need the assistance of the generalist social worker. Victims of violent crimes are most vulnerable to many conditions and should be assisted accordingly (Council on Social Work Education 2008). Social workers are expected to identify these victims and take necessary and appropriate measures to assist them recover from trauma. Before exploring the generalists social work practice with victims if violent crime, this paper will first elaborate who the victims of violent crimes and why they deserve special attention from generalist social worker.

Rapeis a form of forced sexual intercourse whereby the resistance of the female is prevented by threats of great and immediate bodily harm such as use of knife or gun. It is very common crime. The choice of this group of victims is prompted by the fact that rape is one of the most serious assault and is characterized by stigmatization (Council on Social Work Education 2008). In fact the victims of rape may decide not to seek any medical assistance because of the stigma. In addition, rape is not only associated with physical injuries but also with the psychological torture and trauma. Fortunately, rape victims may seek help from multiple formal social systems, which include the legal, medical, and mental health system including the rape crisis centers (Council on Social Work Education 2008). This means that the victims of rape deserve special assistance from social workers.

Rape also takes place mainly when there is political instabilities. For example, Ghitis (2010) reveals that in any battle ground, rape must take place. He adds that possibly millions of women who have suffered rape during wars are now telling their stories and taking action with the help of legal specialists and women’s rights groups. History also justifies that sexual assault inevitably accompanies armed conflict and war. In fact some researchers has used rape to mean a weapon of war and as a phenomenon with important tactical and strategic dimensions (Council on Social Work Education 2008). For example, rape during Bosnian War was used to change the ethnic make-up of the conquered territory. Similarly, rape during Rwandan genocide was strategically done to clear Tutsi population. In Rwanda, for example, the number of rape victims is estimated to be about 500,000.

The incidence and frequency of rape is also significantly high. The study by the Federal Bureau of Investigation reveals that a rape case occurs in every ten minutes but is underreported. The analysis also shows that 1 in every 15 women will be raped sometime during her life if the current trend continues. It is also important to note that most of the attention is focused on the rapists. Most policies are designed to punish the rapists. Little has been done to help the rape victims. Rape being a social factor, generalist social worker is considered the most appropriate person to assist the rape victims. The next section of the paper presents the intervention that the generalist social work profession can make to address or intervene in the problem of rape. The analysis would be based on the framework proposed by the Council on Social Work Education, which places emphasis on the use of evidence to inform practice and practice to inform research (Council on Social Work Education 2008). According to the CSWE, the generalists social work should take the role of a broker, an advocate, a mediator, educator, social actionist and also as a clinician (Council on Social Work Education 2008).

Evidence based practice of generalists social worker in helping rape victims

As indicated, the general social work practice should no longer entail the traditional roles such as referral. Firstly, the generalists should diagnose and identify the needs of the rape survivors or victims that should be addressed. There are many problems that the rape victims could wish to be solved. The first need is that most rape victims may encounter rape ordeal when they were not expecting. This means that the need to be informed about what to do and where to seek medical, mental health and social and legal services (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). The second need is that after medical treatment, the rape victim needs to go through professional counselling for emotional trauma and its consequent social disruption. They also need legal assistances in aspects such as information about rights, advocacy and representation in the criminal justice system. Rape is also associated with consequences such as unwanted pregnancy and also HIV and other venereal diseases. They need thorough intervention on these matters (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). Based on these needs, it is apparent that rape victims needs a comprehensive range of services from different fields such as law, mental health, and social life. The only challenge is that most of the rape victims are in a state of extreme emotional crisis. They are not prepared to go through all these fields and may even have little knowledge on what to do altogether.

Generalist social worker act as a coordinator and referee

Generalist social worker is considered an integral agency who should take the responsibility for developing the program and for organizing and coordinating additional support services. Social worker should be the one to guide the victim of rape on where to seek primary care and where to seek the secondary care. It is indisputable that many services may be available in the community already. However, accessing these services may be the major obstacle. Generalist social worker, according to Council on Social Work Education (2008), should be the one addressing the obstacles barring the rape victim from accessing the appropriate services. The generalist social worker should act as a coordinator and should bridge different facilities with an aim of improving management of rape victims. For example, the hospitals may be ready to manage patients and families in crisis but may face financial limitation as an obstacle and hence may not be able to sypport all the services necessary for a comprehensive rape-treatment program (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). However, with the intervention or help of generalist social work, the victims can get assistance from the financial programs and facilities that are meant to aid the patient in accessing necessary treatment. Generalist social work is therefore acting as a coordinator who should coordinate different programs together and also as a referral agent who should refer the victims to the relevant services.

Generalist social work as a counselor

Council on Social Work Education (2008) considers counselling as an integral part evidence based practice in the management of rape victims or rape survivors. The experiences that such victim go following disclosure of their problems is always unbearable. It has been shown that most of them undergo different forms of victimization. They also receive insensitive treatment, survivor blame and most of them are not offered adequate social services. All these can worsen their state of health. In fact it has been shown that most of them undergo what is called second rape or second sexual assault based on the nature of victimization they experience (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). For example, it has been shown that survivors experience with medical and criminal justice agencies closely mimic the nature and /or dynamics of actual rape experiences and can be even more re-traumatizing Collings, 2009). The generalist social work is meant to counsel the rape victims on the best way of containing the situation.

The generalist social work should offer appropriate counselling to the rape survivors and make them understand the situation and also value the importance of social services. There generalist social work should be a source of hope to the rape survivors because they usually receive a lot of resistance not only from society but even from their mothers, in case the rape survivor is a child (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). They should help the rape survivors recover from the otherwise second rape by counselling them that their future is still bright and assuring them that there exists many social services apart from the medical services that can be utilized (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). During counselling process, the counsellor should provide the victim of rape with current data regarding the value and responsiveness of the support services. They should also help in educational process. They can, for example give seminars on the emotional trauma of rape. It is always important for social worker to be knowledgeable about the criminal justice system.

Generalist social worker as a clinician in helping rape survivors

As stated earlier, generalists social worker should have clinical competence. Rape victims or survivors normally require medical assistance. Despite the fact that there are hospitals, those working in the hospital may not have enough expertise to handle the rape victims. Many researchers have proved that healthcare providers are not trained on how to handle the case of rape victims (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). For example, instead of sympathizing and emphasizing with them, the healthcare practitioners may victimize the rape survivors. This is evidenced by the study by Collings (2009), which indicate that most of rape survivors undergo different forms of victimization in the hospitals. They also receive insensitive treatment, survivor blame and most of them are not offered adequate social services.

All these can worsen their state of health. In fact it has been shown that most of them undergo what is called second rape or second sexual assault based on the nature of victimization they experience. For example, it has been shown that survivors experience with with medical and criminal justice agencies closely mimic the nature and /or dynamics of actual rape experiences and can be even more re-traumatizing. This means that generalists social worker could be the best clinician to address the medical needs of the rape survivors because generalist social worker is not only trained in clinical competence but also in how to handle the victim of rape without imposing any form of victimization or secondary rape. Generalist social work should therefore diagnose the physical injuries sustained by rape victim or survivor and administer appropriate intervention. The generalist social worker should also test whether the victim contracted the venereal and STI and administer the appropriate intervention.

Generalist social worker as a broker in helping rape victims

It is indisputable that the rape victims are in need of many resources and services. However, most of them may not have information as to where to obtain such resources and services. It is therefore the role of the generalist social worker to act as a bridge and to let the rape survivors access the required services and resources. As a broker, generalists social worker should not have personal vested interests.

When broking, they should be guided by a number elements. Firstly, they should recognize the victim as an individual with fear and preferences which should be solved at the end of plan or brokerage process. They should also turn the brokerage plan into reality and should take into consideration the risks and benefits of the brokerage process.

Generalists’ social worker as a mediator in helping rape victims

As stated earlier, rape victims undergo different forms of victimization. They also receive insensitive treatment, survivor blame and most of them are not offered adequate social services. It is also shown that survivors experience with medical and criminal justice agencies closely mimic the nature and /or dynamics of actual rape experiences and can be even more re-traumatizing (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). Because of this, most of the rape cases are underreported despite the fact that they occur in every ten minutes.

The stigma and the traumatizing experiences that the rape victims go through prevent them from even seeking medical assistance. Generalists social worker is therefore expected to mediate the process and help make decisions that are meant to benefit the rape survivor. In fact in court cases, the generalist social worker should be the one representing the client.

Ethical considerations

It should be noted that the generalists social worker should work towards benefiting all the affected groups. He or she should promote social justice by ensuring that all members of society access the societal resources that a society offers (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990). They should help the most vulnerable groups in the society. Despite the fact that they may act as brokers, they should not use this role to benefit themselves. They should expand institutional resources such as adequate education, political participation and should strive to promote fairness and respect. They should not cause further trauma to the rape victims (Schatz, Jenkins, & Sheafor, 1990).

It is also important to note that most professionals may defy their professionalism and perceive the rape victim as the cause of problem and hence the professional and personal values conflict. In such case, the generalist social worker should try to maintain his or her professional values.

References

Ghitis, F. (2010). Pushing Back Against Rape as a Weapon of War. World Politics Review (Selective Content), 1.

Collings, S. J. (2009). Where the streets have no names: factors associated with the provision of counselling and social work services for child rape survivors in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Journal of Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 21(2), 139-146.

Schatz, M. S., Jenkins, L. E., & Sheafor, B. W. (1990). Milford Redefined: A Model of Initial and Advanced Generalist Social Work. Journal of Social Work Education, 26(3), 217-231.

Council on Social Work Education. (2008). Education policy and accreditation standards. Retrieved from http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation/2008EPASDescription.aspx

Domestic Violence

Generalist Social Work

Generalist social work practice is the knowledge, skills, and value ethics to enhance human well-being and promotes social and economic justice. Dealing with domestic violence as a social worker you much network, gathering up all the information you would need to help the victim or the perpetrators.

Social workers provide services to victims and perpetrators. Direct services to victims of domestic violence include counseling and support through shelter programs, individual counseling through private setting, and social justice community organizing effort to prevent domestic violence from occurring. Social workers provide services to victims of domestic violence through shelter; the services provided empowerment and advocacy.

Victim population

Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior which involves violence or abuse by the person against another in a domestic context such as marriage of cohabitation. Domestic violence is use to gain or maintain power or control over their partner. Domestic violence can happen to anyone regardless of age, education, race, religious, gender, or sexual orientation; the problems of domestic violence is often overlooked, excused, or denied. One of the earliest conceptualizations of domestic violence was based on a cyclical conflict model known as Cycle of Violence, Cycle of Violence is a pattern often experienced in abuse relationship.

Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women. Studies suggest that

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up to 10 million children witness some form of domestic violence according to (Social Work and Family Violence page 36). Boys who witnessed their parents’ domestic violence when they grow older are twice as likely to abuse their spouse or significant other as those that did not witness domestic violence. Most domestic violence incident are never reported. According to Albert R. Roberts more than 60% of domestic violence incident happen at home.

Types of Domestic Violence

The types of domestic violence are physical, emotional, financial, identity, and sexual abuse which can turn into martial rape. Domestic violence often occurs when the culprit believes that abuse is justified and acceptable. Physical abuse is an act of another party involving contact intended to cause feelings of physical pain, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm. Examples are hitting, chocking, and biting, shoveling, arm twisting, slapping, kicking, and burning. Physical abuse also consent of holding your partner down preventing them from leaving, also smashing, damage, stealing, or

selling their possession.

I think everyone at some point of their relationship has been emotional abuse. Emotional abuse can be verbal or nonverbal. Emotional abuse is undermining an individual sense of self-worth; any use of words, voice, action, or lack action use to control, hurt,or demean another person. Some examples of emotional abuse include name calling, humiliation, screaming, controlling where the victim goes and what they do, and harassing. Another type of abuse is financial abuse. Financial abuse is any type of behavior that maintains power and control over finances. Examples of financial abuse are

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controlling financial assets and effectively putting them on an allowance, damaging their partner credit score, preventing the victim from working, and taking credit cards, checks and money. Identity abuse is using personal characteristic to demean, manipulate, and control their partner. Examples are ridiculing partner’s physical challenges or exploring them, stating that their partner will never have another relationship because they are fat or ugly, and using stereotype and negativity.

The last type is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is any type any forced or coerced sexual act or behavior motivated to acquire power and control but also demeans or embrace your victim. Some example of sexual abuse is unwanted touching, forcing sex or sexual actions on your partner withoutconsent using force or roughness that is not consensual, forced sex which is also rape. Rape with an object, refusing to comply with the partner’s request for safe sex, treating their partner as a sex object,

or withholding sex as a punishment.

Victim

The victim is a 29 year old black female with no job, her religion is Baptist, she has no handicap conditions, and she is a high school graduate. Her socioeconomic status is poor. The victim is married with four children. The victim stays in a 3 bedroom and 1 bathroom house. She describes her neighborhood as being okay. She is a homemaker and her husband is the financial provider. Her husband makes all final decision.

Growing up her father occupation was a preacher and the mother was forces to quit her job. Her father is in jail and her mother is dead. She has two sisters. As a child the victim’s family stayed in an apartment complex. Before the crisis the victim describe

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her family as being normal. She stated “We had the typical family my family was normal.” The victim revisited the time when they had a Halloween party. They did not go out for candy but her mom dressed up in a costume. They made popcorn balls and ate candy until their dad made it home. After that they watched a family movie then went to bed, that night they all slept in one room.

The victim’s family is considered close knit. Her two sisters stay in apartments in bad neighborhoods. One of her sister has 4 children, she does not work, and she is engaged. The other sister has 3 children and is expecting one; she works at a fast food restaurant, and is engaged. The victim and her sisters were raised by their mom. Later that year in 1996 they moved in with their grandparents.

All of the pain started when the victim’s father started using drugs. The victim father was on drugs very bad. She witnessed her father physical and verbal abusing her mother. He threw glass plates, slapped her in the face, threw her against the wall, and called her bitches and whores. At the age of 10 the victim started getting raped by her father. The first time he did it her mom was not a home they were there alone; she was watching TV. She stated “He grabbed me from the front room and said youare in big trouble.” She did not know what she did that was wrong. He took her into her mother’s bedroom pulled her pants off and her underwear off and raped her. She said“The only thing she remembers is screaming and hollering.” She did not tell her mom. She told her best friend and made her promise not to tell anyone. The victim got pregnant at the age of 11. After her mom gained knowledge about the rape, she left only to find out she was pregnant by her father. The victim’s mother moved out of the state of Mississippi for two weeks. While she was

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out of the state her mother took her to have an abortion. They moved back to Mississippi and moved in with her parents. Two weeks after movingback her husband was coming to his in laws house begging her to come back making promises that he was not going to do drugs, he was not going to physical abuse her, or ever touch his daughter again. Shortly after that they all moved back in with their father. After a week of moving back in the father came home in a rage. Her parents begin arguing and during the argument he grabbed his shot gun. He left the room they was arguing in and went to the daughter’s bedroom, grabbed his oldest daughter from the bed by her ponytail and begin dragging her to the back room of their apartment. The sister ran out of the apartment once he grabbed the sister and dragged her to the back. Her mother begged and pleaded, crying “Please let her go, I’ll do anything.” The mother gained access of the daughter and they headed for the window. When the first gunshot went off she was pushing the screen out of the window, the second gunshot went off she push her daughter out of the window, the third gunshot went off when her mom was out of the window. They fell from a two story building. Her mother’s last words were “Is my daughter okay. The victim was unconscious with a broken leg and a broke back. After the tragic accident her father fled the scene and went to his mom’s house. When the police arrested him he said, “The drugs made me do it.” The victim says “Not a day go by that she don’t think about her mom, she also stated that her mom birthdays and Mother’s Day is the hardest day of the year for her.” One of the victim sisters did not remember much from that night; she remembers her dad coming in the room with a gun screaming. After she took her sister

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out the room, her and the baby sister ran out the apartment andran down stairs and hid behind some bushes.

The victim was unable to make her mom’s funeral because the condition that was inflicted on her; they recorded the funeral for her. Her father got life for the crimes he committed.

The victim father committed plenty of the domestic violence crimes.

Ethical Issues

Ethical issue is a problem or situation that requires a person or organization to choose between alternatives that must evaluated as ethical or unethical. As a social worker many of the people we work with will be victims; most males will have battered their partners. Social workers find themselves being challenge by difficult ethical decision. Ethical perplexity comes about in situations when you have to choose between two or more relevant but contradictory ethical value. Personal ethics is ethics that a person identifies with respect so people and situations that they deal with in everyday life. Professional ethics refers to the ethics that a person must adhere to in respect of the interaction and business dealing in their professional life. Domestic violence perpetration would say if I can’t have you no one will; as a social worker that will be a threat. You will have to break confidentiality and protect a life. You can not influence your views of

clients and affect the willingness to take action on the profession’s value base. When you become a social worker your personal values should be put aside for professional ones. The degree of conflict we experience will vary with the degree of personal commitment

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and the deeper the commitment to personal value, the greater the possibility of conflict with professional value. (Grooch and Olsen, 1994 page 6) You have to remember that someone else may believe and something else. Social workers are expected to embrace a diversity of value and people.

Policies

The FVPSA (Family Violence Prevention and Service Act) is a bill is the only funding source dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence; they funds emergency shelter and related services and programs for domestic violence. The bill creates grant funding for states, tribes, and domestic violence coalitions. The bill support the needs of children exposed to violence it also addressprevention of children from victimization.

Laws in Mississippi

Mississippi have two domestic violence crimes simple domestic violence and aggravated domestic. A person is guilty of simple domestic violence if he or she commits a simple assault against a current or former spouse, child of a current or formal spouse, person with whom the offender lives or formerly lived as a spouse or as a child of that person, family member who lives or previously lived with the offender, person with whom the offender has a child. A person commies a simple assault if he or she attempts to physically injure another person, intentionally or recklessly cause physical injury to another, negligently causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon, or threatens another person, causing that person to feel afraid that he or she is about to suffer serious physical injury. (Mississippi Code 97-3-7) A reckless act is one that is committed, not

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necessarily with intent to harm another, but without regard for the outcome. Pushing someone out of the way in a crowd so that you can get through, without intending to injury the person, could be an assault if the person falls and is injuries. A negligent act is one which is not intentional but which occurs because the actor fails to excise reasonable care. An accidental shooting can be a negligent assault if it results from a person not being careful enough when handling or firing a gun.

Aggravated domestic violence is guilty of aggravated of domestic violence if he commits an aggravated assault against a spouse, family member, or romantic partner. A person commits aggravate assault if he or she attempt to cause serious bodily injury to another person. Intention or reckless cause’sserious bodily injury to another while acting with extreme indifferent to human life. Attempts or causes bodily injury to another person with a deadly weapon or by other means likely to cause death or seriously bodily injury, or causes injury to a child who is in the process of boarding or exiting a school bus if the offender has failed to stop for the bus according to traffic laws. (Mississippi Code 97-3-7) To act reckless is to act with extreme indifference to the value of human life, the actor does not need tointend to injure to the victim. He or she may attend to shot a person other than the victim but take no precautions to avoid hurting others. He or she may shoot a gun into a crowd appear menacing but without regard for whether he or she actually injuries someone in the crowd. To be reckless or to act with extreme indifference to human life is to act with extreme carelessness.

Micro, Mezzo, and Macro

Social work is divided into three practice micro, mezzo, and macro. Micro the smallest

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group; the individual the victim. Mezzo deals with the neighborhoods, institution. Macro is the large group, the whole group deals with the communities. Intervention that might alleviate domestic violence should be applied at all three levels micro, mezzo, and macro.

The micro level focuses on personal interaction with the victims on individual levels. Micro level could embrace a school social work counseling on an abuse student. As a social worker at the micro level you can help by empowering the person that you are helping with domestic violence. You should also build up their confidence find out what they are really good at. The mezzo level change people by ringing them together who are not as intimate as a couple, but can build and benefit from social network. The best thing to do as a social worker on the mezzo for domestic violence is group therapy. The macro level focuses on the general issues. Macro level is policy changing. Looking at domestic violence from the macro level is recognizing that the issue is recognizing that the issue of males control over women is throughout society. Macro deals with policy changes with law enforcement, protective order, prosecution, the churches, and the oppression of women.

Domestic violence may occur at the micro level, but it is also a macro problem. Social workers are involved with violent families, but also must be working at a community level and on policies that will be less tolerate to domestic violence.

Assessment is the evaluation or estimation of the nature, quality, or ability of someone or something.

Domestic Violence Jones 12 Assessment

Assess the immediate safety needs of the victim

are you in danger

Assess the pattern and history of the abuse

How long has the violence been going on

Asses the connection between domestic violence and the patent’s health issue

What is the degree of the partner’s control

Asses the victim’s current access to advocacy and support groups

What resource you used or tried

Assess victim’s safety; Is the future risk or death or significant injury or harm due to domestic violence

Make sure the victim is safe Intervention

Inventions

Intervention is the action of process of intervening; interference by a country in another’s affair.
Goals for effectively responding to domestic violence victims

Increase victim safety

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Listen to the patient and provide validating messages

You don’t deserve this

Provide information about domestic violence to the patient
Listen and respond the safety issues

Show the patient a brochure about safety

Make referrals to local resources

Explain any advocacy and support systems

Follow up steps for health care practitioners

Keep contact with the patient

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Abstract

Domestic violence is one of the most unreported crimes due to fear of retaliation. Fear and promise for changes are what keep the victim in the relationship so long. Most victims think that if they leave their partner will harm them. This paper is about domestic violence and the social worker views of domestic violence.

References

Dr. Joan McClennan Social work and Family Violence 2010

Roberts R. Albert Handbook of Domestic Violence 2012

Rosenberg Jessica Working in Social Work 2009

Grooch and Olsen 1994

The World Health Organisation defines Mental Health as ” a state of complete physical and mental well being, and not merely the absence of disease” (World Health Organisation, 2010) For tuning in purposes is a difficult concept given Mental health is wide ranging and people are effected to varying extents. The Department of Health and Social Services describes mental health as a continuum of experience ranging from mental health and well being through to severe and enduring mental illness.

“We all experience changes in our mental health state, influenced by social, personal, financial and other factors. Major life events such as a close bereavement, or leaving home, can impact significantly on how we feel about ourselves, for example, leading to depression and anxiety.” (DHSSPS, 2003:18))

This is an important starting place to understand the impact of Mental Health on the service user’s life and how it affects them. Post Natal Depression is defined as a “mood disorder that begins after childbirth and lasts more than six weeks” (Medical Dictionary aˆ¦aˆ¦.)

Article 3 of the Mental Health (NI) Order 1986 highlights ” Mental illness as a state of mind which effects a persons thinking, perceiving, emotion or judgment to the extent that requires care or medical treatment” (Mental Health (NI) Order 1986). Therefore Postnatal depression would be considered a mental illness.

In order to gauge the issues that may be arising for Mrs Andrews it is useful to consider this within the context of life span development theories. Erickson (Cited in Bee, 1999) describes the ages of 26-40 as the “Generatively versus stagnation” (1999:278) a time when rearing children and occupational achievement are the focus of life. This has relevance in considering how to support Mrs Andrews to move through this stage given her current emotional state.

It also necessary to consider the stages of the children Mrs Andrews is caring for and gauge the amount of pressure and the demands they place upon her at this stage in their lives. Brian is two and according to Erickson is at the “Autonomy versus shame and doubt stage”(Bee, 1999:279), therefore requiring support and reassurances from his parents.

“if a child’s efforts for independence are not carefully guided by a parent and they experience repeated failures or ridicule, then this results of all the new opportunities for exploration may be shame and doubt instead of a basic sense of self control and worth” (Bee, 1999:279)

Christine is 3 months old and according to Erickson’s stages of development is within the “Basic trust versus basic mistrust” (Bee, 1999:276), however given the concerns of the service user and referral information it may be useful to consider this in tandem with Bowlby’s theory on attachment (Thompson 2002). This theory pays particular reference to early childhood attachments being secure and central to this is the notion of maternal deprivation. The emphasis is on a child s relationship with its mother and and “children who do not enjoy such a relationship will be hampered in their development” (Thompson 2002:14)

In preparation for working with Mrs Andrews I must consider relevant legislation. The laws effecting people with Mental Health difficulties affects other people also i.e. The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons 1978 and Health and Social Care Act 2001. Additionally to this I have also given cognisance the Human rights Act 1998, particularly 6 and 8 outlining the right to fair trial and the right to a private and family life which I feel makes reference to social services intervening no more than necessary than to foster this families independence and to ensure that any assessment of need is fair and non bias.

As highlighted previously post natal depression is recognised as a mental illness under the Mental Health Order (NI) 1986 given this Mrs Andrew is entitled to an assessment of her needs, treatment and additional supports to help her manage her condition.

The Children (NI) Order 1995 outlines a child’s welfare is paramount and in light of the information contained within the referral pertaining not only to Mrs Andrews mental health but also potential relationship issues the children could be considered children in need, in accordance with article 17 section b which defines a child in need as a child who’s health or development is likely to be significantly impaired without service provision for them.

Information Specific service user

Mrs Andrews is 27 years old and mother of two children, Brian who is 3 years old and Christine who is 3 months, she has been married to husband Terry for four years.

Mrs Andrews has reported to the GP she is having difficulties bonding with her young baby and that her relationship with her husband has become strained. Mrs Andrews has no previous symptoms of depression with her first child Brian and has told her GP he was an easy baby to look after sleeping through the night. Mrs Andrews also reports low moods and struggling with her daily routines. The GP is querying postnatal depression.

My objectives when meeting with Mrs Andrews will be to discuss how she is feeling currently and explore her daily routine. I will also discuss what supports she has in terms of her husband and other family members and in light of Brian’s age and stage of development whether he attends any mothers and toddlers groups. Lastly I will explore Mrs Andrews feelings in relation to her daughter and the differences between the experiences she had with her first child.

Specific Phase of Work

As a student social worker visiting Mrs Andrews at home I will need to be aware of how she may feel before I arrive.

The main questions on clients mind in individual work is “what is this going to be about?” and “what kind of worker is this going to be”

(Shulman, 2009: 56)

Therefore I should consider Mrs Andrews potential feelings about my visit and her understanding of why I am there. I recognise she may be concerned about my visit and that she may feel she is perceived as a bad mother and I am there to judge her. Mrs Andrews may however view my visit as a life line in her current situation, viewing me as someone who can offer hope and be a potential support.

I recognise that Mrs Andrews is the expert in her own situation and it will be up to me to gain from her the information to best meet her needs.

“A general rule of social work is the more information gleaned the more is learnt about peoples reactions by asking open questions” (Coulshed & Orme 1998: 95).

Some possible objectives Mrs Andrews may have may be to change her situation, or to feel better and manage her routines. Mrs Andrews may have issues she needs to discuss that she may not have spoken about yet perhaps in relation to her husband and the support she needs. I will want to ensure Mrs Andrews feels listened to and has control of her situation.

“Supporting services users rights to control their lives and make informed choices about the services they receive” (NISCC 2002: 1.3).

Tuning in to own feelings

When Tuning in to my own feelings, I recognise I will be nervous and apprehensive during my first visit. In light of the information gathered from the referral, I recognise I have concerns about my ability to understand the complexities of Mrs Andrews life and the pressures she is under.

I realise I have significant experience of direct work with service users and relevant experience of working with service users with Mental health difficulties, however my previous work experience has had different objectives as I would be involved more from the child care perspective. Mrs Andrews has been referred to the Community Mental Health Team as the service user and while the children’s needs are paramount and may have to be referred on to the childcare team, I will have to be conscious Mrs Andrews herself is my priority and a holistic assessment of her needs undertaken.

My intention would be to have a positive first meeting and as well as completing all the relevant reading I will strive to work in partnership with Mrs Andrews in order to find the best supports for her situation. Partnership is an important social work value, Parrott (2006), highlights the importance of working in partnership with service users in order to check validity of information being gathered rather than assuming it is correct.

I would not intentionally oppress or discriminate against service users, however I feel it may be difficult not to unconsciously oppress given my lack of experience. Thompson’s Personal, Cultural, Structural model will be useful in helping me identify and be aware of how this could impact on my practice.

“Our thoughts feelings and attitudes about particular groups in society, will to a certain degree at least, be shaped by our experiences at a personal level” (Thompson:2006:27)

I recognise while I am a female a similar age to Mrs Andrews there will be challenges in my role to fully grasp the complexities of being married and caring for two small children given this is not my experience.

I feel that given this is my first visit with Mrs Andrews, I will want to gain as much understanding of her situation as I can. I will use all my communication skills and in particular focus on skills of empathy.

Shulman (2009) cites empathy as an important skill when working with people, highlighting that it is critical the worker begins to tune in and gain understanding of the service user in the beginning stages. Howe (2008) agrees on the importance of empathy stating:

The ability to show empathy, to see and feel the world from the others point of view, is particularly important quality that defines a successful social worker (Howe: 2008:173)

Non verbal communication is also important in particular Egan’s (1990) SOLER acronym I intend to use this as a means of conveying openness and approachability thereby encouraging Mrs Andrews to share her story.

Word Count 1648.

Bibliography

Books

Bee, H. (1999) The Developing Child, Allyn/Bacon

Coulshed, V. & Orme, J. 1998 Social Work Practice. 3rd ed. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan

Egan, G. 1990. The skilled Helper. 4th ed. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole

Howe, D (2008) The Emotionally Intelligent Social Worker. Palgrave: Macmillan

Northern Ireland Social Care Council Code Of Practice for Social Workers. 2002

Parrot, L 2006. Values and Ethics in Social Work Practice. Exeter: Learning Matters.

Shulman, L. (2009) The skills of Helping Individuals, Families, Groups and Communications. USA Thompson/Cole

Thompson, N (2002) Building the Future,

Thompson, N. (2006) Anti Discriminatory Practice, Palgrave: Macmillan

Information Booklets

Department of Health and Social Services. (2003). Promoting Mental Health, Castle Building: Belfast

Websites

World Health Organisation 2010: http://www.who.int/topics/mental_health

4.0 Introduction:

The findings and analysis presents all the information that was gathered based on the methodology employed in the earlier chapter. The role of this chapter identifies findings which had revealed and explained employees understanding and perception towards work-life balance incorporated within MEGA through analyzing data.

Gender Differences towards work-life balance:

Balancing work and non-work commitments requires time management which could be a bit of a challenge. The diagram below illustrates such comparison between both genders. Findings on the average level of employees able to balance work and family life responsibilities on a weekly basis revealed that majority of the respondent indicated that they are seldom able to balance both. The results were given from both genders where the 35 percent of respondent that chose that they seldom are able to balance both were women as opposed to the remainder answered yes they are always able were men.

The researcher findings had revealed that apparently women tend to be the ones that basically are seldom capable of achieving work-life balance on a weekly basis. Also the diagram shows that men are better able to have a better work-life balance whether it is often or always as compared to women.

Furthermore in addition from the questionnaire another finding was analyzed where it was revealed that from both genders the mean is higher in women who have children compared to men. Figure illustrate that the women within MEGA has the higher number of children as against men who has twice as least.

Also analyzing the data in figure () there are three times more women than men working in MEGA. The researcher analysis is drawn upon that the expectancy rate of women is higher to experience conflict trying to balance both work and family responsibilities as opposed to men within this particular organization is because there are more women working in MEGA as against to the number of men employ.

Causes of Work-Life Balance Conflict

The causes of work-life conflict were analyzed by the researcher to find out the reason behind it. The researcher findings weren’t a bit surprise by the results from employees. From the figure, the researcher found out that the major causes of conflict between balancing work and personal responsibilities was relating to these four factors within MEGA. The job-relating factor that influences work-life conflict the most was insufficient flexibility in the workplace. Eighty-nine percent (89%) of employees responded that they had difficulties balancing work and personal life responsibilities as a result of not having enough flexibility as compared to sixty-seven (67%) was other contributing factor. Timing of meetings/training was the least whereas working long hours was minimal.

Participants were asked to indicate which of the following hinder you in balancing your work commitments in the workplace. Figure ( ) depicts the findings on the relevant categories that hinder employees work achievement.

An examination of the chart point out that caring for children at been scored highest where 63 percent of respondent imply that this issue hinders them to achieve work commitments. Followed by a close responds to other and leisure time activities where 23 percent indicated other and 18 percent imply leisure time. The remainder answered further education.

The participated managers and supervisors were then asked to describe the importance of work-life balance within the organization. Based on the answers given by managers and supervisors to describe the importance of work life balance, all participants agreed 100 percent that there is positive outcome for having balancing in the organization. They all relate work-life balance as means of assisting employees to reduce stress level which in turn would deliver substantial high productivity, job satisfaction and some level of commitment to the organization.

The researcher analysis of the causes of work-life balance conflict is related mainly to insufficient flexibility in the workplace. The result suggests that employees don’t have a problem working long hours or overtime. However perhaps if employees are/were given sufficient flexibility to manage both responsibilities tend them would be more likely to minimize work-life conflict. As Robertson (2007) stated in the literature review, organizations that offer flexibility in the workplace give employees the advantage to have good balance between both responsibilities whereas evolving to healthy employees and in return healthy employees are good for business succession.

Conversely taking care of children has been pointed out to be the most significant hindrance factor for employees to achieve work commitments in MIC. As Hudson (2005) stated earlier that employees are more likely to be less productive, less committed and highly decisive of leaving the organisation once they are experiencing increased stress due to work/life conflicting issues and are perceived of having no control over balancing work and non-work demands. To be of the same opinion the author analysis is drawn upon where managers and supervisors all understand the importance of incorporating work-life balance in the workplace. All respondents had coincided with Hudson (2005) statement of employees level of positive outcome to organization.

Policies

On the questionnaire, employees were asked if they currently use any of the work-life policies provided by the organization. The author received 100 percent of all respondent answering that they all use work-life policies that are provided by the organization, however it is a question of how do they utilize such policies. Another question was implied asking if employees were given approval of such work-life policies provided by the organization.

Question
Yes
No

Are you given approval of work-life policies

83%

17%

Out of one hundred 83 percent stated that they are given approval whereas the remaining 17% had imply that they are not given any approval.

Managers and supervisors were asked what is the organization typical way or tools used for assisting or promoting work-life balance. From the interview, the author found that there are work-life policies implemented within MEGA, however there are only a few. Employees are given six (6) days which is applicable as casual leave to assist with personal errands only at manager’s discretion of granting approval. In addition flexible workings hours are administered where employees can start work from 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. where they are allow ? hour and finish work between 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in the interim employees must work 7? hours per day. However employees are required to work back their hours by the end of the week in the event that they request time-off or does not work the required amount of hours per day.

From the questionnaire, employees were further asked to what extend do the work-life policies make a difference with balancing work and personal issues. From the findings, it revealed from the figure ( ) that 22 percent reply stating that it made slight difference whereas 53 percent of respondents indicated that the work-life policies implemented within the organization makes no difference towards their daily responsibilities.

An investigation into MEGA employees’ attendance records was examined from 2009 to 2010 to make a comparison for how many casual leave was taken and to indicate if there was any trend. Figure ( ) illustrate such findings for both years.

The standard deviation of days taken by employees was 23.00 in 2009 and 23.87 in 2010. The figure also shows that majority of employees utilized the full amount of casual days which is six (6) for both 2009 and 2010 followed by the utilization of five (5) casual days.

With correspondent to casual leave, from the interview managers were asked how the work-life policies and procedures implemented for employees are. Again from the interview the author findings had revealed mixed respondents from both managers and supervisors. Apparently employees are granted casual leave and flexible time based on each department and managers discretion.

In addition to the findings during the interview participants were asked if there are any kinds of penalty or negativity towards employees who avail such policies. Again this question was answered in accordance to each department manager. Majority of the managers explain that employees are not hinder from career progression or promotional achievement however employees must work back the time that are required to work, to complete deadlines and shortage of employees. If employees are not subjective to such rules there would be a reduction in their salary. Supervisors viewed the same responds indicating agreement to the managers. However supervisors stated further that employees are kept back from promotional development in MEGA based on their attendance records not by such individual contributions and commitments to performance.

Based on the findings relevant to the work-life balance policies incorporated with MEGA, the author analysis is interpreted as there are work-life policies implemented within the organization, however the methods used to assist employees is not substantially sufficient to fulfill with such balance of work and personal life responsibilities. Yes employees are given flexible working time however 1 hour difference is not considered as a lengthy time to promote it as a method for work-life balance. Also the flexible working hours does not make much difference to majority of the employees. Employees who have such powerful policies to assist them with solving work-life conflict are more likely to deal with balancing both issues easier. Galinsky and Stein (1990) found that employees who have the power to solve work problems were likely to suffer lower stress and felt their job caused less interference with their life.

Furthermore even though employees are given approval of such work-life policies, the permission of approval of policies are practice differently in each department. In addition to deal with such work-life challenges majority of the employees result to the utilization of all or most of their casual leave. To a further extent, the findings draw that management resent employees of utilizing such policies. As already explained in the literature review utilization of work-life policies can be perceive a factor correlated to less job security and negative career progression (Rodbourne 1996).

Managing Balance:

Managers and supervisors were asked to describe the importance of work-life balance. The average respondent by managers and supervisors provided relatively the same answer where they understood that work-life balance is a way of being able to balance both the demands for work commitments and personal life responsibilities as a means of everyday position.

Do you think if employees have good work-life balance the organization will be more effective and successful?

Employees were asked that if employees have good work-life balance if the organization would be more effective and successful. Figure indicate the respondent from employees pertain to the question.

Based on the respondent the majority of employees answered yes to that question. In fact findings revealed that 90% of employees strongly believed the organization would be more effective and successful if the employees have good work-life balance. Furthermore based on the question asked, employees were also asked to specify on the same question how the organization would be successful based on their answer whether the answer was yes or no. The majority of the respondent who answered yes had basically the same response. Majority of the respondent answered by implying that if employees have good work life balance employees tend to work more efficiently whereby the level of productivity would definitely increase because employees are less overwhelmed and would be able to concentrate better.

The qualitative findings of employees getting good work-life balance in the workplace were questioned. What could the organization do to help employees balance both work and family life commitments? There were mixed views expressed towards organization assistance with work-life balance. Average respondents had expressed that the organization could be more considerate by acknowledging that as employees they experience challenges juggling both commitments by trying to accommodate important family appointments and demands for work deadlines.

The stances by employees had pointed out also that the organization should offer more flexibility in terms of achievable flexible working hours. One respondent stated that “organizations should be a bit flexible for the competing responsibilities of getting the kids ready for school, travelling to work, long hours of congested traffic, picking up the kids from school and getting home late at evenings Monday to Friday”. While other respondent stated that management need to be more lenient towards employees utilizing such work-life policies that are implemented within the organization.

Based on the available answers that was collected through the use of this questions employed, it inherently seems that the organization would benefit by become successful and more effectively from employing good work-life balance. Both managers and supervisors already have an understanding of what is work-life and the importance of incorporating. In fact from the literature review Tourn (2007) had imply that the organization can benefit from work-life balance where the returns would be gains of productivity, lower turnover rate and loyalty from employees. Also Thompson et al., (1999), had implied the same concept. If organizations cannot foster good work-life integration then employees experiencing both private and work stress will likely to suffer from low concentration and in the end lower productivity (Thompson et al., 1999). The greatest benefit for a good work-life balance to be effective and successful is in fact suggested that the organization promote such execution. So it is safe to imply that the evidence speaks for itself.

Support for Work-Life Balance

Further to the findings, during the interview participants were asked to describe the present work environment position with regards to employees’ contributions, level of productivity and commitments to the organization. Almost five out of six of the managers explained the present work environment as remotely satisfactory because there is teamwork amongst employees for getting the work done and most of the time deadlines are achieved. One manager explicitly describe the work environment as unbalance because frequently employees are reporting sick whereas work responsibilities have to delegated to a department that is seen as shortage of employees. Supervisors also viewed this question differently by implying that there is reasonable dissatisfaction in the workplace because employees are slightly frustrated and tends to completed only what is necessary on a daily basis. Furthermore supervisor described it as unbalance satisfaction because employees are reporting late or sick frequently causing overlapped of their responsibilities to other employees that are present.

From the answers given the researcher draws analysis that the work environment as intrinsically unbalance. Employees are told to take on addition work responsibilities added to their regular job requirement because some employees are frequently reporting sick.

Furthermore respondents were asked to indicate which of the following in figure ( ) assist them towards balancing work and family commitments. Based from the figure shown below, a frequency percentage of 44.7 percent disclose that the use of work-life leave available within MEGA was the one to help with the balance of both work and family commitments. Also on further assessment 32 percent of the respondents acquire support from family members followed by a close range of 31.2 percent of support from their supervisors. However statistical finding discover that the participated respondents had specified that the least amount of work-life balance support are from managers by a 16.5 percent.

Also to add to work-life conflict, from figure ( ) it has been understood that employees employed within MEGA do not obtain full support from theirs managers. As the researcher recall from the literature review, employees who have family-supportive managers and work in organization that offers family-friendly initiatives tends to stay with the organization (Powell 2010).

Participated managers and supervisors were asked during an interview done separately, how managers and the organization currently emphasize work-life balance in the workplace. Answers from both managers and supervisors were somewhat a mixed viewed from the interview. The managers explained that employees are given support where employees can approach the managers with stress relating to feeling overworked and personal issues for the managers are humans and have family lives also. However supervisors begged to differ from managers acknowledgment. Supervisors stated that managers are remotely negative towards employees especially when it comes to problems that are not actually work-related.

From the findings it seems that managers had implied that they are supportive towards employees when in fact they aren’t. Employees and supervisors have both agreed that managers are inflexible towards their employees in the workplace. As Herlihy & Maiden (2005) suggested that in order for employees to be effective at work, managers themselves need to be able to make unique contributions to the organisation that lies within the contexts of their own personal condition. So it is evident that managers themselves need to have an imbalance in work and personal life issues in order to contribute and be fully support ive of work-life integration.

Overall Discussion

From the whole findings that were questioned and examined by the author, the results underline some very importance relationship and differences between the work-life policies and implementation with respect to both employees and the organization. Management already have a clear understanding of what is work-life balance is and the high importance of promoting work-life in the workplace. Management somehow believe that the organization have work-life policies incorporated within the workplace that would assist employees but based on the research done about work-life balance, those methods used by MEGA are not sufficient and well foster to assist with balancing work and life issues.

MIC entire organization workforce consists of majority of women employ compared to the men and majority of the women has more than 1 child. Friedman & Greenhaus (2000) already noted that women make up half the workforce in organization and is increasing in higher levels. Amongst the gender difference most women in MIC are seldom able to balance both their work and family life on a regular basis. However despite the gap in the gender difference, employees generally are dissatisfied with working arrangement of work-life balance carried out in the organization. Almost the whole of management perceived the present work environment as balance where employees’ level of commitment and productivity are satisfactory, however the supervisors are not 100 percent in agreement with the level of contributions achieved by employees. The findings from the questionnaires answered by employees also incline grounded analysis that MIC present work environment is not as balance as management perception towards it, the author is in agreement with the employees and supervisors responds.

Results suggest that the two main factors associated to work-life conflicts within MIC are insufficient flexibility and working overtime. In relation to this employees not have a problem with working overtime however flexibility needs adjusting to assist them to achieving balance with work and personal life demand. Thomas and Ganster (1995) found that proper scheduling which gave a group of employees more control over their time had in fact reduce conflict between work-life responsibilities. In addition employees major hinder for achieving work within MIC is taken up by the responsibilities of taking care of children, other personal responsibilities and leisure time.

Given the findings of employees utilizing such policies management are negative towards employee for submitting to such action. In this regard, Hein (2005) had explain that employees tend to be hesitant to proceed to use them because of career concerns or the fact that they receive negativity from line managers and tends to discourage them from using it.

The importance of supportive work environment mainly from MIC management is what employees are stipulating on. The result found that employees get a lot of support from family members and supervisors however employees are not fully supported by some of management where they receive negative attitude and resentment from management. The organization foster supportive measurement to accommodate employees yet for majority of employees some departmental culture is embodied in the attitudes and behaviours of their immediate line manager. Such support from managers mitigates the negative effects of work-life conflict occurrence. Employees who have family-supportive managers and work in organization that offers family-friendly initiatives tends to stay with the organization (Powell 2010).

http://www.bia.ca/articles/AReportontheImportanceofWork-LifeBalance.htm

http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/2009/09/IE0909019I.htm

http://www.healthatwork.org.uk/pdf.pl?file=haw/files/Work-lifeBalance.pdf

The Corsten Report (2007) on women in the criminal justice system states that ‘equal outcomes require different approaches’. Critically consider this statement with reference to research and practice.

In order to demonstrate that equal outcomes for women do require different approaches within the criminal justice system, this essay intends to look at the behavioural and situational differences between female and male offenders. It will highlight the inadequate facilities available for female prisoners. It will also look at the historical differences between crimes committed by males and females and the growing trend of women involvement in drug offences. This essay will also examine the status of mental health of women within the criminal justice system and explore if this issue is more prevalent amongst female offenders.

‘Women and men are different. Equal treatment of men and women does not result in equal outcomes.’ (Corsten Report, 16: 2007) According to Covington and Bloom (2003) numerous feminist writers have demonstrated and documented the patriarchal nature of our society and the variety of ways in which the patriarchal values serve masculine needs. ‘Despite claims to the contrary, masculinist epistemologies are built upon values that promote masculine needs and desires, making all others invisible’ (Kaschak, 11: 1992).

Women are often invisible in the many angles of the correctional system, and this invisibility can act as a form of oppression. Most prisons and institutions are not specific to women’s needs. For example, mother and baby units are limited within the prison system. The UK government website reports that there are only seven prisons within the UK that provide this service. This service may be detrimental to a mother bonding with her child. Another consequence of limited mother and baby units is that the mother and child will be separated and this may result in the child being placed with a relative, or in some cases the care of the state.

The Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI) highlighted inadequate services for women within the prison services in Northern Ireland. Ash House is Northern Ireland’s only female prison and holds up to seventy-one women. This is situated within a predominately male prison.

Covington and Bloom (2003) argue that there are numerous areas in which day-to-day practice in the criminal justice system ignores behavioural and situational differences between females and male offenders. Probation officers may have to consider the situational differences between female and male offenders. For example, recommending a custodial sentence for a pregnant woman may have long term emotional implications for both mother and child.

It is important to note that an understanding of the distinction between sex differences and gender differences, are relevant to practice within the criminal justice system. According to Covington and Bloom (2003) sex differences are biologically determined, however, gender differences are socially constructed. They are assigned by society and they relate to expected social roles.

However, do crimes committed by men differ from crimes committed by women? The Ministry of Justice statistics 2011 state that women are more likely to commit crimes such as shop lifting and theft, while men are more prone to violent crimes. Pat Carlen (1998: 10) notes that women’s imprisonment ‘incorporates and amplifies all the anti-social modes of control that oppress women outside prison’. According to Scraton and Moore (2006) what persists is the failure within the criminal justice system to accept that women’s crimes are different to men’s, committed in different circumstances.

The National Prison Survey (1992) supports the argument that ‘the economic, ideological and political conditions in which most women break the law are different to those in which most men commit crime and that, therefore, they pose less of a threat to society and could be safely punished in the community.’ (National Prison Survey, 1992).

However, some commentators claim that there is an increase in some violent and drug offences committed by women. According to Corsten Report (2007) despite an increase in some violent and drugs offences by women, the nature and seriousness of women’s offending has not, on the whole, been getting worse and the disproportionate increase in the women’s prison population over the last ten years is more likely the result of courts using custody more frequently for women for less serious offences. The Corsten Report (2007) states ‘the majority of female offenders have committed non-violent offences and present little risk to the public’ (Corsten Report, 16: 2007)

In light of the complexities involved regarding women receiving custodial sentences, should the criminal justice system be more lenient towards women? Nicolson and Bibbings (2000) claim that several penal reformers have been less concerned about whether or not gender factors actually do affect a woman’s chances of receiving a custodial penalty, and more concerned to argue that, for a variety of reasons, gender considerations should shape sentencing and that women in particular should not receive prison sentences, unless their crimes meet certain criteria of ‘dangerousness’ and/or ‘seriousness’.

However, Nicolson and bibbing (2000) argue that the central concept implicit in this argument is not gender, but risk, that is, ‘the degree of threat posed by the offender’ (Nicolson and Bibbing, 78: 2000). If risk should be a major criterion for the imposition of a custodial penalty, it is arguable that it is a criterion that should be applicable in the cases of men, as in the cases of women.

Practitioners within the probation service have a duty of care to all members of society. Therefore if a woman poses a risk to society it would be considered appropriate by the probation service to recommend a custodial sentence to prevent risk and protect society.

A main argument put forward in regards to differential treatment for women in the criminal justice system is based on assumptions that there are hierarchies of role worth. ‘Women, as mothers, have especially important roles to play in relation to the upbringing of children and that the damage done to children when their mothers are in prison is, in most cases, far too high a price to pay to achieve an appearance of formal equality of punishment between male and female offenders.’ (Nicolson and Bibbing, 80: 2000)

The Corsten Report (2007) claims that the home and children define many women’s lives. To take this away from them when it may be all that they have causes huge damage to women. ‘Many women still define themselves and are defined by others by their role in the family. It is an important component in our sense of identity and self-esteem. To become a prisoner is to almost become a bad mother.’ (Corsten Report, 20: 2007)

On the other hand, this argument depends on the value assigned to certain social roles. According to Nicolson and Bibbing (2000) it could equally be applied to any categories of worker seen to perform life enhancing work or scarce skills, for example, doctors, nurses, fathers as breadwinners, all carers and various more. Therefore, this argument cannot be allowed to remain gender-specific.

Hollin and Palmer (2006) state that by examining criminal statistics, it is evident that women are less likely than men to commit crime, to be involved with the criminal justice system and to serve a custodial sentence. According to the Ministry of Justice criminal statistics (2011) there were 351,150 court proceedings involving females and 1,139,135 involving males. In regards to custodial sentencing; in 2011, a lower proportion of women in comparison to men, whose pre-sentence report recommended immediate custody went on to receive this sentence (84% of women compared to 90% of men). This research indicates that statistically, men are more likely to commit crime.

The Corsten Report (2007) further analysed risk within women’s role in the criminal justice system and claim that many women involved in the system present a far greater risk to themselves. They have been recognised as more ‘troubled’ than ‘troublesome’. ‘Many have a history of being subjected to serious sexual or other violent abuse. Many are themselves ‘victims’ in whose favour the government is committed to rebalance the criminal justice system’ (Corsten Report, 17: 2007).

The argument highlighted by the Corsten Report (2007) is that many women in prison have suffered sexual and domestic abuse, therefore, the state should spend more time seeking out and punishing the crimes of sexual and violence that are routinely committed against women, rather than punishing those women whose criminal lifestyles have often been prompted by their past experience with their criminal tormentors, who still remain unpunished for their crimes.

This could have implications for social work practice. Therefore, past experiences should always been taken into consideration when making recommendations within a probation report. Sexual and domestic abuse may feature to a higher degree in the case of female offenders. This should be highlighted and taken into account when making recommendations.

None the less, not all victims of sexual crimes are female and we also need to consider young people of all genders. Nicolson and Bibbing (2000) argue that recent research indicates that high proportions of young people who end up homeless, in state care or penal custody have had serious crimes committed against them by adults, who will never be brought to trial. The same research suggests that ‘these adult depredations often occasion their young victims’ first steps into criminal trouble’ (Nicolson and Bibbing, 79: 2000).

Nicolson and Bibbing (2000) argue that recent research indicates that high proportions of young people who end up homeless, in state care or penal custody have had serious crimes committed against them by adults, who will never be brought to trial. The same research suggests that ‘these adult depredations often occasion their young victims’ first steps into criminal trouble’ (Nicolson and Bibbing, 79: 2000).

Nicolson and Bibbing (2000) conclude that although this imbalance of punishment between the old and the young people does not excuse the crimes of young people who were criminally abused in childhood by their elders, it does call into question the state’s right to punish them as if they were solely to blame for their actions. Therefore, the argument highlighted by the Corsten Report (20007) should not only apply to women who have had criminal offences committed against them in childhood but also men who have been similarly abused as children.

As stated previously, there has been an increase of drug related crimes among women. Drug addiction plays a huge part in all offending and this seems to be disproportionately the case with women. ‘Around seventy per cent of women coming into custody require clinical detoxification compared with fifty per cent of men. Women often have more complex poly substance misuse.’ (Corsten Report, 2007: 19)

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and rimes (2008) a large number of female prisoners worldwide are in need of treatment for substance addiction, though only a minority have access to treatment. McIvor (2004) argues that drug use amongst the most common features of women in custody in many countries. In the USA, ‘a national survey showed that women in prison used more drugs and used them more frequently than male prisoners. (McIvor, 2004: 143)

It is arguable that women withdrawing from drugs and alcohol can be impulsive, volatile and unpredictable, leading to higher risk of self-injury. According to Moller et al (2007) the rate of both self-harm and self-inflicted deaths is substantially higher in prisons than in the community, with women being fourteen times more likely than men to injure themselves while in prison.

The Corsten Report (2007) supports Moller et al (2007) highlighting that in 2005, notwithstanding the small number of women in prison compared with men, fifty-six percent of all recorded incidents of self-harm occurred in the female estate. In the first nine months of 2006 self-harm incidents in the female estate accounted for fifty-one per cent of all incidents. Women are also more prone to self-harm repeatedly. Moller et al’s (2007) argument, backed up by the Corsten Report (2007) brings to light that self-harm in prison is a huge problem and more prevalent among women prisoners.

In 2005, over half of all inmates, in the USA, in state or federal prisons and jails met criteria for classification with a mental health problem. According to Mallach and McIvor (2013) the prison population in England and Wales contains a high prevalence of mental health problems, with one study suggesting that over ninety per cent of prisoners have one or more psychiatric disorders.

The Corsten Report (2007) argues that mental health problems are far more prevalent among women in prison than in the male prison population or in the general population. ‘Up to eighty per cent of women in prison have diagnosable mental health problems.’ (Corsten Report, 19: 2007) Mallach and McIvor (2013) further reinforce this argument by claiming that female prisoners are considered to be more likely to experience mental health problems and to have more complex levels of mental health need.

The above research may have implications for social work practice within the criminal justice system and it is important that mental health is taken into consideration when making recommendations and adequate resources for women with mental health issues should be available within the prison system if they pose a risk to society.

In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that if society wants equal outcomes for female offenders then it may require different approaches within the criminal justice system. The behavioural and situational differences dictate different approaches are required. This is exemplified in the case of pregnant women who require specific needs and special consideration, as this can have implications for society as a whole. On the other hand, the judicial protection of women could be seen as an ideological front for patriarchy, in that traditional roles are reinforced within society.

Historical research indicates that women’s offences differ from men’s. None the less, there is a growing trend for women to be involved with drug offences. The Carsten Report (2007) has highlighted that mental health problems are far more prevalent among women in prison than in the male prison population. This may be due to the fact that many women in prison have suffered sexual and domestic abuse. This highlights that women are still oppressed within society and that the criminal justice system has failed to recognise this issue. The prison system is also more geared to the needs of male offenders and offers inadequate resources to female offenders.

Corston Report. (2007) A review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the

Criminal justice system. London: Crown Publication.

Covington, S and Bloom, B. (2003) Gendered Justice: Women in the Criminal Justice System. USA: Carolina Academic Press.
Hollin, C and Palmer, E. (2006) Criminogenic need and women offenders: A critique of the literature. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 11, pp179-195.
Malloch, M and McIvor, G. (2013) Women, Punishment and Social Justice: Human Rights and Penal Practices. London: Routledge.
McIvor, G. (2004) Women Who Offend. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Moller, L. Gatherer, A. Jurgens, R. Stover, H. Nikogosian, H. (2007) Health in Prisons: A WHO Guide to the Essentials in Prison Health. WHO Regional Office Europe.
Nicolson, D and Bibbings, L. (2000) Feminist Perspectives on Criminal Law. Cavendish.
Scratan, P and Moore, L. (2006) Degardation, Harm and Survival in Women’s Prison. Social Policy and Society, 5, pp 67-78.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2008) Handbook for Prison Managers and Policymakers on Women and Imprisonment. United Nations Publications.
Warner, J. (2012) Women and Crime. ABC-CLIO
Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland: Report on an announced inspection of Ash House, Hydebank Wood Women’s Prison. 18 – 22 February 2013
Ministry of Justice. (2011) Statistics of Women and the Criminal Justice System.

https://www.gov.uk/life-in-prison/pregnancy-and-childcare-in-prison – Accessed 18/12/2013 20:36

1

Ethnography: A Look at Gender Difference in Social Interaction

An ethnographic approach was chosen for this study because it has the potential to provide a descriptive, interpretive, evaluative and authentic vision of society (Hammersley & Atkinson, 1995). The observation was done by myself. I went to the Marketplace Mall in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on March 4^th. I stayed from one o’clock to three o’clock in the afternoon. I sat on a bench close to the food court, and observed people who were age 18 and up. I observed the ways in which males and females were different when it came to social interaction.

Literature Review

The article “Gender and relationships: Influences on agentic and communal behaviors” talked about agency and communion. According to the article, agency is the striving for mastery or power, and communion is the striving for intimacy and connectedness (Suh, 2004). According to measures of masculine and feminine sex roles, men make decisions easily, don’t give up easily, and are competitive, outspoken, and outgoing. Females like kids, and are warm, emotional, considerate, tactful, gentle, and helpful. Gender differences appear primarily in group or social contexts. Stereotypic beliefs are that women are communal and men are agentic (Suh, 2004). Women do domestic work more than men, have fewer hours in paid employment, and are said to have occupations of lower status. Men are more agentic with male friends, than women are with female friends. Women are more communal with female friends, than men are with male friends (Suh, 2004). This relates to my observation in the way my hypothesis was formed. I used stereotypes, and labels that men and women already have, as a knowledge base for what I might observe.

The article, “Putting Gender into Context: An Interactive Model of Gender-Related Behavior,” stated that the enactment of gender takes place within social interaction (Deaux, 1987). This enactment takes place due to self-verification and self-presentation. They are naturally interwoven together. Because people monitor behavior internally and externally, they are concerned with self-presentation and self-verification simultaneously (Deaux, 1987). When I was doing my observation, I did notice people monitoring their behavior, or their child’s behavior. I focused more on who each person was interacting with, instead of how they were interacting.

In Deborah Tannen’s article, “You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation,” she made a good point about the history of women and talking. In history, women were punished for talking too much. In Colonial America, they were held underwater, or even gagged. Women were believed to talk too much; however, studies find that men talk more in meetings, groups, and classrooms (Tannen, 1991). Men feel good with public speaking, while women feel good with speaking in private. Women’s language of conversation is a way to establish connections, negotiating, and maintain relationships. Men talk as a means to preserve independence, negotiate and maintain status. “Home is where there is the silent man and talkative woman” (Tannen, 1991). That’s the distinction between public and private speaking. My observation contradicted this article. More women were interacting and communicating than men. However, I was interested in the historical aspect of the stereotypes we have today, and this gave a little hint as to what kinds of things happened to women, who spoke out of turn back in the colonial time period.

An interesting topic that arose from my observation was the use of mobile phones. In “Community and social interaction in the wireless city: Wi-Fi use in public and semi-public spaces,” Hampton talked about how a few studies have addressed how wireless internet use in public spaces influences social life. Recent years have seen growth in availability of wireless internet access in public places (Hampton, 2008). Mobile phones make community instantly accessible, and social ties are reachable anywhere at any time. Hampton made the point that mobile phones create a private sphere of interaction in public spaces. When people engage with mobile phones, they create a private cocoon that reduces the likelihood of public encounters (Hampton, 2008). To get a picture of what this means, while I was observing, a middle aged male was sitting at a table alone, but he was talking on his phone to someone. One could tell he was absorbed in the conversation because he did not take notice of any one that walked by him, and he stayed sitting there for about 45 minutes after I had sat down and started my observation.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis I formed before the observation at the mall was, “Middle aged females will be more social with the same gender, than older or young females. Young males will be more social with the opposite gender, than middle aged or older males.” I created this hypothesis on the basis of past experiences when shopping with my mother, and my friends. There always seemed to be more females of middle age than any other age group. At the mall, there would always seem to be many more young males than any age group. I also used basic stereotypes that everyone hears growing up. Such stereotypes include, “women are supposed to be submissive and do as they are told,” and, “men are always in charge.” I do not personally believe in these; however, I did use them as a basis for my hypothesis.

Methodology

Over spring break I went home to Davie County, North Carolina. It is a rural town with a small shopping mall. Not many people actually go to the mall, because Walmart is just down the street. I chose to go to the Market Place Mall, instead of Walmart, and sit at the food court. I got there at one in the afternoon, on Tuesday, March 4^th. Not a lot of people were there. I sat down on a bench beside the food court, and I took notes on my phone, so I would not draw attention to myself. I figured I would have attention if I had a notebook in front of me. I watched everyone that walked by me, because no one was sitting in the food court. When the people would walk by, I would record their age range, gender, and whether they were alone or with someone, and what gender those someone’s were. I would also record if they were interacting together. I stayed for two hours just sitting there on the bench, collecting data. When I finished at the shopping mall, I went home and wrote down everything I had on my notes in my phone. Then i drew up a spreadsheet in excel, and put in all of the information I collected. It helped me organize, and get precise calculations.

Field Notes Summary

In total, I observed 152 people over the two hour time period. There were 50 males and 102 females. 68 were middle aged adults. Out if the 68, 24 were men. 15 of the men were alone, 4 were with the same gender and 5 were with females. Also, out of the 68 middle aged adults, 44 were women. 13 of them were alone, 26 were with the same gender, and 5 were with males.

Out of the 152 people I observed, 40 were older adults. 14 were men. 9 of them were alone, 2 were with the same gender, and 3 were with females. 26 out of the 40 were women. 16 of the older women were alone, 6 were with the same gender, and 4 were with males.

Out of the 152 people, 42 were young adults. 13 were men. 5 of them were alone, 3 were with the same gender, and 5 were with females. There were 29 young women. 7 of them were alone, 16 were with the same gender, and 6 were with males. I also observed two teenagers there. They were the only teenagers I noticed being there.

A little less than half of the people I observed were alone. To be exact, 65, out of the 152 people, were alone. Phone use was not a wide spread action I saw people doing, if they were alone. I only saw 8, out of the 65 people, on their phones.

When it comes to social interaction, over half of the people observed were partaking in some sort of communication with each other. 87, out of the 152 people, were interacting. I saw 50 females talking with each other, and I saw 9 males talking with each other. There were 28 people partaking in interaction with the opposite gender. That includes two sets, of a male and female, holding hands.

Conclusion on Hypothesis

Restating my hypothesis, middle aged females will be more social with the same gender than older females, and young males will be social with the opposite gender than middle aged or older males. My hypothesis was completely right. The first part of my hypothesis was that middle aged females were more social with the same gender then older females were. The data I collected about the 152 people I observed showed that 59% of middle aged females were social with the same gender, while only 23% of older females were social with the same gender. The second part of my hypothesis was that young males were more social with the opposite gender than any other age group of males. The data I collected for the 152 people I observed showed that 38% of young males were social with the opposite gender, while only 20% of middle aged males were social with the opposite gender, and 21% of older males were social with the opposite gender.

What I found most interesting was the difference between men and women’s social interaction, in general. Judith Hall published an observational study on nonverbal gender differences and discussed the cultural reasons as to those differences. In her study, she noted women as smiling and laughing more, as well as having a better understanding of others’ nonverbal cues. She believed that women were encouraged to be more emotionally expressive in their language, thus better developed in nonverbal communication. Men, on the other hand, were taught to be less expressive, to suppress their emotions, and thus be less nonverbally active in communication and more sporadic in their use of nonverbal cues. This builds on what I found in my observation. There were more women that I observed, but in total, there were more men who were alone. Actually, over half the men I observed, 29 out of 50, were alone, while 36 of the 102 females, I observed, were alone. That’s only 35 % compared to the 56% of men.

What I Learned

What I learned focused on men and women. With women, I learned that they interact more with females, than males, at the mall. I also learned that more middle age women go to the Market Place Mall than any other age group, according to my observation. With men, I learned that they interact more with females, then males, at the mall. I also learned that most men come alone to the mall, according to my observation.

References

Deaux, K., & Major, B. (January 01, 1987). Putting gender into context: An interactive model of gender-related behavior. Psychological Review, 94, 3, 369-389

Hammersley, M. & Atkinson, P. (1995). Ethnography: principles in practice. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge.

Hampton, K., & Gupta, N. (November, 13, 2008). Community and social interaction in the wireless city: Wi-Fi use in public and semi-public spaces. New Media & Society, 10, 6, 831-850

Igarashi, T., Takai, J., & Yoshida, T. (January 01, 2005). Gender differences in social network development via mobile phone text messages: A longitudinal study. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 5, 691-713.

Knapp, M., Hall, J., & Horgan, T. (2013). Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction (8 ed.). Cengage Learning.

Suh, E. J., Moskowitz, D. S., Fournier, M. A., & Zuroff, D. C. (2004). Gender and relationships: Influences on agentic and communal behaviors. Personal Relationships, 11(1), 41-60

Tannen, D. (1991). You just don’t understand: Women and men in conversation (p. 113). London: Virago.