SOCIAL WORK:CHILD WELFARE Essay Example

the quality of lives of their clients.

Social work has many diverse fields. One of them is the child welfare. Child welfare systems serve the most vulnerable children, the youths and also their families as well (Sharf, 2013). The systems protect the children who are at a risk of being exposed to harm. Social workers in this field face challenges in making critical decisions. This mostly happens when they are working in difficult situations with limited or no supervision, support or training (Sidell, 2011). The social workers are expected to do so much by the society such their load becomes too heavy to bear. They are not expected to discriminate any child who appears to be vulnerable yet they do not have the capability to deal with all the cases that come their way.

Some factor that poses challenges to the social workers may be political, social and economic. The factors challenge the policies that have been put in place by the system placing high demands on it. The system is put under pressure to respond to the needs of children and families affected by the factors.

An increasing number of families and children are getting into the system that poses yet another challenge in how to deal with them (Zastrow, 2009). This calls for a combined force though there are very few people who are willing to partner with the social workers to lend a hand. The social workers are expected to provide security to the vulnerable. They are supposed to make sure that everyone, including the vulnerable persons, is treated with respect and dignity. This sometimes poses a challenge since this is a large spectrum that

needs to be handled with much attention. It becomes very hard to pay the desired attention to every case that is presented to them

Another significant challenge is that there is no particular time a social worker in charge of the children’s welfare will find time to rest (Clark, 2007). Their responsibilities continue to increase exponentially. They at times wonder if they are doing more than enough or less than expected. The number of employees does not increase with the responsibilities. This leaves the available workers wondering if they should neglect some of their responsibilities to attend some. They have to act a macro as well as a micro role. According to American Public Human Services Association (2008), mentorship plays a major role in building a career. Social workers lack good mentors who could act as a motivation for them

Social workers are to some extent involved in health care. However, at times, they are expected to do so much in the same field though it is not their area of specialization (National Association of Social Workers, 2010). They may find themselves being asked to help in managing the population, creating accountable care organizations and the like. Social workers basically find themselves in hard situations since they end up in difficult situations despite the place they choose to work in or even the area they are best suited to work.

In addition, social workers are faced with the challenge of when to create time for their families and businesses. It becomes very hard for them to find time to talk with friends and family about issues outside the profession field. They have to make very hard decisions to

ensure they are productive in all fields of life. Being a social worker calls for self-discipline for one to succeed (Sharf, 2013).

Social workers are bound to adhere to the set codes of ethics. This is meant to allow them to evaluate and judge their practice. They are required to understand the code before they practice it. If they break or breach any of these codes, they risk being removed from the register of those workers allowed to practice. They are supposed to make very difficult decisions regarding treatment issues. They are also supposed to maintain professional boundaries at work.
A social worker is supposed to commit themselves to maintain high confidentiality when they are dealing with children welfare (American Public Human Services Association (2008). They are not expected to leak any information they get from their clients. In some cases, they may disclose the information to others but with a written consent from the client. In the case of a child, it becomes very hard since the child may not understand the procedures involved or the essence of the same. Sharing information about a client without their consent could be allowed if the client poses a danger to others or to themselves. This is known as the duty to warn which becomes a challenge even to the most experienced workers.

According to the NASW Code of Ethics, a social worker may face ethical challenges when interacting with other professionals since they are supposed to treat them with respect and avoid any sexual relationships with them (Sharf ,2013). They are supposed to collaborate with them to resolve disputes and offer guidance without invoking any suggestive moves. Those who

are reported as having violated the code either risk losing their job or face the law.
Ethical considerations might at times appear very difficult it is a broad area that requires a range of practical issues. Dual relationships between seniors in an organization are forbidden.
Social workers are faced by difficult circumstances when interviewing children without their parents’ consent. They are forced to bear false names and billings or even fake circumstances to get themselves through.
Social workers who specialize in child welfare are forced to mix their private life with the professional role. This is to make sure they do not go against the code of conduct set for them. When dealing with such issues as drug and substance abuse, they are supposed to get to the root of the problem. This may pose a challenge when it comes to dealing with drug dealers who may pose a threat to them. Some may offer to bribe then but the code of conduct does not condone fraud or corruption in any way.

A social worker who deals with the welfare of children is also supposed to have a commitment to the society as a whole. They are not expected to participate in activities that promote inequality or discrimination. They should instead engage in practices that promote unity and promotes the welfare of the community as a whole, making sure everyone is represented (Clark, 2007).

Social workers are not supposed to betray their feeling to their clients (Sidell, 2011). Even if they are stressed up, they are not supposed to tell or show it to them. It is pretty hard to separate work from private life. A problem that might be

a bother to one in the private life does not cease to be when they go to work.

In conclusion, social workers are at times faced with many challenges since their work is quite dynamic. They may be required to shift from one area to another. This sometimes proves challenging since they require time to adapt to the new environment. Nonetheless, all these challenges show that social workers go an extra mile to serve others while not considering their own welfare hence this shouldn’t be taken for granted. Therefore everyone in the society should appreciate them.