Client Advocacy
Advocacy is a concept that SW has borrowed from the legal profession. As an advocate the SWr becomes the speaker of the client by presenting and arguing the client's cause when this is necessary to accomplish the objectives of the contract.
According to Michael Sosin and Sharon concepts of advocacy in SW can be defined as " An attempt, having a greater than zero probability of success, y an individual or a group to influence another individual or group to make a decision that would not have been made otherwise and that concerns the welfare or interests of a third party who is in a less powerful status than the decision makers.
The advocate will argue, debate, bargain, negotiate and manipulate the environment on behalf of the client. Advocacy differs from mediation. In mediation, the effort is to secure resolution to a dispute through give and take on both sides. In advocacy the effort is to win for the client, advocacy efforts are frequently directed towards securing benefits to which the client is legally entitled.
reference : pg 625 of Social Work porcesses
Empowerment Process
This is one of the most important aspect of Social Work. Empowerment can be defined as "a process whereby the social worker engages in a set of activities with the client (...) that aim to reduce the powerlessness that has been created by negative valuations based on member-ship in a stigmatised group. It involves identification of the power blocks that contribute to the problem as well as the development and implementation of specific strategies aimed at either the reduction of the effects from indirect power blocks or the reduction of the operations of direct power blocks." (Solomon, B.: Black Empowerment: Social Work in Oppressed Communities, New York 1976.)
Ref : http://www.agef-saar.de/AHOI/Lima/Base/Chapter4.htm
http://www.johnlord.net/web_documents/process_of_empowerment.pdf
Empowerment is a process at individual, group and community level. Rappaport's (1987) concept of empowerment, "conveys both a psychological sense of personal control or influence and a concern with actual social influence, political power and legal rights" (p.121). In this sense, empowerment can exist at three levels: at the personal level, where empowerment is the experience of gaining increasing control
and influence in daily life and community participation (Keiffer, 1984); at the small group level, where empowerment involves the shared experience, analysis, and influence of groups on their own efforts (Presby,Wandersman, Florin, Rich, & Chavis, 1990); and at the community level, where empowerment revolves around the utilization of resources and strategies to enhance community control (Labonte, 1989).
The common theme in the process of empowerment are :
1. Powerlessness (social isolation, unresponsive services and systems, poverty and abuse)
2. Impetus to the Empowerment Process
(being involved in a crisis or "life transition."
• acting on anger or frustration.
• responding to new information.
• building on inherent strengths and capabilities
3. Support from People (practical support, moral support and mentoring) Research and analysis has suggested that "building on people's strengths" is one of the key ways to facilitate personal empowerment
4. Access to Valued Resources ( Parenti (1978) describes power as the ability to control powerful resources in order to get what you want, despite resistance. And since the sense of power and empowerment are closely related, to have the access to the kind of material and immaterial resources does empower people)
5. The Role of Participation in Community Life (Participation significantly advanced the process of empowerment for all of the people involved in the research. In fact, the process of participation itself was
empowering. Participants had noted that their feelings of powerlessness were accompanied by a lack of participation. As people gained in self-confidence, they would seek more avenues for participation; their involvement in community activity would in turn enhance their self-confidence and sense of personal control.
Therefore the elements of empowerment process include the following
experiencing powerlessness, gaining awareness, learning new roles, initiating participation and contribution.
Methods used in working with involuntary clients
Understanding involuntary clients, behaviors they exhibit to express it, steps for dealing with involuntary clients, principles and best practices.
Psychosocial approach
The psychosocial framework is a distinctive practice model that originated early in the profession's history. Its goals are to restore, maintain, and enhance the personal and social functioning of individuals. Drawing on psychological and social theories, it has evolved considerably from its Freudian and ego psychological underpinnings. It has incorporated new knowledge on gender and diversity. Assessment, the client–worker relationship, respect for diversity, and an appreciation of client strengths are fundamental to the psychosocial approach. It uses both individual and environmental interventions and can be applied to a broad range of client populations. There is empirical evidence for the utility of psychosocial intervention but more research on the psychosocial framework is needed. - Encyclopedia of Social Work
This model can be used only with clients who can verbalize their issues and is willing to commit long term involvement and with the desire for self knowledge or insight
underlying theories include psychoanalytic theory, social theories on culture, race, role,communication etc, systems theory.
The Psychosocial approach to Casework, florence hollis
Components of Problem solving process
Ref : Social work practice, a generalist approach , pg 76
social work processes , buelah compton, pg 389
Problem solving is a process by which the social worker examines the concern and need and identifies blocks to need fulfillment leading to problem identification and formulation. It seeks solutions for problems. The knowledge, values, skills of SWr is used in understanding the nature of the problem and in identifying the possible solutions. The stages in problem solving process includes :
1. preliminary statement of the problem
2, nature of problem
3. collection of information
4. analysis of information available
5. development of plan
6. implementation
7. evaluation of plan
Social case work is a process used by human welfare agencies to help individuals to cope more effectively with their problems in social functioning. in this case it is problem solving process with individual. Either with individual, groups, families or community, the components of problem solving process is pretty much same.
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