chapter 5 social work

_____ social agencies are run by some designated unit of government and are usually regulated by laws impacting policy.

Public

_____ communities are based on some commonality other than location.

non geographic

In the context of micro-practice roles, a(n) _____ role, social workers follow the planned-change process and help clients develop solutions to problems.

counselor 

In a(n) _____ role, a social worker might teach an abusive parent effective child management techniques.

educator

Social work with families combines _____ practice because it involves a small group linked by ties of an intimate nature.

micro and mezzo

Of the four types of support social workers provide to families, _____ support involves help such as money, rides, and shelter

Instrumental  

When social workers help clients in making the right connections and actions by providing important advice, the type of support provided is called _____.

informational support

A _____ group, a type of treatment group in social practice, consists of members who share common issues or problems and meet on an ongoing basis to cope with stress, give each other suggestions, provide encouragement, convey information, and furnish emotional support.

support

_____ groups are a type of treatment groups that aim at expanding self-awareness, increasing potential, and maximizing health and well-being

growth

____, one of the traditional methods of community organization, is coordinated effort to advocate for change in a social institution to benefit a specific population, solve a social problem, correct unfairness, or enhance people's well-being

social action

One of the traditional methods of community organization is the idea of _____, which is to involve as many people as possible within the community in a democratic manner to define their goals and help themselves.

locality development

A group of agency workers and clients who join forces to conduct a letter-writing campaign to legislators to place stoplights at a dangerous intersection is an example of a(n) _____ that serves community needs.

social action group

A group of staff representatives appointed to investigate, assess, and make recommendations about the quality of food served in a nursing home is an example of a(n) _____ that serves organizational needs.

committee

A(n) _____ is a task group serving client needs that meets to establish, monitor, and coordinate service plans on behalf of a client system

treatment conference

A(n) _____ is a group of representatives from a series of agencies or units within a single agency that meet to discuss issues of mutual concern. These task groups serve community needs.

delegate council

_____ assumes that change is best accomplished when the people affected by problems are empowered with the knowledge and skills needed to understand their problems, and then work cooperatively together to overcome them.

community capacity development 

Social workers practicing in rural communities should:

natural helping structure

Urban social workers must focus on using all of the following skills except:

relying on natural helping networks.

The National Association of Social Workers fulfills all of the following purposes except:

provide accreditation.

The _____ is an organization that develops guidelines for the social work curriculum in social work education.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

In social education, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the body that accredits a _____.

masters program

The licensure for clinical social work practice requires

a master's degree in social work with two years of post-master's direct clinical social work experience.

The _____ is an advanced National Association of Social Workers credential, designating social workers with a master's degree in social work as "qualified providers of social services."

Academy of Certified Social Workers

According to the survey conducted by Hull (2004) and Buchan, Hull, Rogers, Rodenhiser, and Smith (2004), in which of the following fields of practice is the greatest number of social workers with a bachelor's degree (BSW) employed at graduation?

corrections/criminal justice

According to the survey conducted by Hull (2004) and Buchan, Hull, Rogers, Rodenhiser, and Smith (2004), in which of the following fields of practice is the greatest number BSW alumni employed?

Child welfare/child protective services

According the survey conducted by O'Neill (2003), in which of the following fields of practice is the majority of social workers with a master's degree (MSW) employed?

mental/behavioral health 

Over one-third of social workers with a bachelor's degree (BSW) get their first social work job in _____ settings.

private non profit non religious

According to the survey conducted by Hull (2004), the majority of BSW alumni felt that their first major role was:

case management 

The research conducted by Brandwein (2008) indicates that male social workers earned

more than their female _____ counterparts, even when all other variables were controlled.

14%

The third step of the Triple-A critical thinking process used in social work practice involves:

asserting a concluding opinon

A proprietary social agency is run by some designated unit of government and is usually regulated by laws impacting policy.

false

A public social agency's primary purpose is to earn a profit for its owners.

false

When a public agency buys services from a private agency, a purchase-of-service contract is developed.

true

In the social work perspective, communities are entities in which citizens can organize or be organized to address mutual concerns and improve their overall quality of life.

true

Locality-based communities are based on some commonality other than geographic proximity.

false

Typically, closed questions in social work interviews begin with what, how, why, or could.

false

When social workers teach and inform clients about effective child management techniques, they are performing the role of the case manager.

false

Social workers in the broker role coordinate services provided by a number of agencies or services on a client's behalf.

false

Treatment groups in social work practice help individuals solve personal problems, change unwanted behaviors, cope with stress, and improve quality of life.

true

An example of a support group would be an urban neighborhood's youth activities group.

false

Social advocacy is a term used in the past to refer to macro practice in social work.

false

A treatment conference is a type of task group in social work that comes together to improve services to clients by developing, updating, and refreshing workers' skills.

false

A cabinet is a group formed to provide advice and expertise about policy issues to chief executive officers or other high-level administrators.

true

Problems of access and adequacy are critical issues in rural social work practice.

true

"Social Work" is a quarterly journal published by the National Association of Social Workers.

true

The Council on Social Work Education is the body that accredits bachelor's and master's programs in social work education.

true

The Diplomate in Clinical Social Work demonstrates the highest level of excellence and expertise for clinical social workers.

true

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of social workers will decrease by the year 2018.

false

Some states of United States feel that certification is a stronger word, implying more advanced skills than licensure.

false

At the macro level of social work practice, the second step of the Triple-A critical thinking process is to assist the client in the planned-change process.

false

Compare and contrast public social agencies, nonprofit social agencies, and proprietary social agencies.

Public social agencies are run by some designated unit of government and are usually regulated by laws impacting policy. For instance, a county board committee oversees a public welfare department and is responsible for establishing its major policies. Private social agencies, in contrast, are privately owned and run by people not employed by government. The services they provide include individual and group counseling, family planning, and other services for children and older adults (Barker, 2014). Private social agencies may be either nonprofit or proprietary. Nonprofit social agencies seek to accomplish some service provision goal, not to make a profit for private owners. Sources of funding for services can include taxes, private donations, grants, and service fees. Proprietary or for-profit private social agencies also provide some designated social services, often quite similar to those provided by nonprofit private social agencies. However, a primary purpose for the existence of a proprietary social agency is to earn a profit for its owners.

Explain the reason why social work with families combines micro and mezzo levels of practice.

Social work with families combines micro and mezzo practice because it involves a small group (i.e., the family) linked by ties of an intimate nature. Working with families is a very important aspect of social work (Rasheed and Rasheed, 2008). The major goal of family social work is to improve a family's ability to function. It might involve teaching parenting skills, helping the family address a crisis, or linking the family with needed resources.

Distinguish between task and treatment groups in social work practice

The main difference between task and treatment groups in social work practice is that the task group's aim is to achieve a desired goal or to implement a change in the group's external environment. In contrast, a treatment group's purpose is to alter group members' behaviors or attitudes in the internal group environment (Toseland and Horton, 2008).

Define social advocacy, planning and policy practice, and community capacity development.

Social advocacy deems the application of pressure as the best course of action to take against people or institutions that may have brought about a problem or that stand in the way of its solution—which frequently involves promoting equity or social justice. Planning and policy practice replace the traditional social planning approach (Rothman. 2007). Planning continues to involve "proposing and enacting particular solutions." Policy practice entails "efforts to change policies in legislative, agency, and community settings, whether by establishing new policies, improving existing ones, or defeating the policy initiatives of other people" (Jansson, 2011). Community capacity development assumes that change is best accomplished when the people affected by problems are empowered with the knowledge and skills needed to understand their problems, and then work cooperatively together to overcome them.

Compare and contrast the issues in rural and urban social work.

Social work practice in rural communities merits special attention. Social workers practicing in rural communities must address at least four special issues:

1. Generalist approach: Social workers must be true generalists who are prepared to work with individuals, families, groups, local organizations, and the community, using a wide range of skills to meet clients' diverse needs.

2. Interagency cooperation: Because fewer, more general services are usually provided by public agencies, it's critical for agencies and their staffs to work more closely together than in many urban communities.

3. Understanding the community: In rural social work, it is important to know the community's values and develop relationships with rural residents. People living in rural communities have different life experiences than those living in bustling cities.

4. Emphasizing the strengths inherent in rural communities: Because of the informal nature of relationships, rural clients are often integrally involved with informal social support systems of other people willing to help them out—sometimes referred to as natural helping networks.

Urban social work is practice within the context of large cities, with their vast array of social problems, exceptional diversity, and potential range of resources. Urban areas are characterized by a number of conditions:

1. Dense population: Population is denser and often contains diverse population subgroups (for example, ethnic, racial, cultural, age, sexual orientation).

2. Economic conditions: Urban economic conditions involve a range of industries, businesses, rent levels, and transportation availability and costs.

3. Environment: The urban environment is often a bustling tangle of concrete, traffic, noise, and questions about air quality—in sharp contrast to the more natural rural environment.

4. Lifestyle: An urban lifestyle entails more condensed interaction and contact with many people.

5. Political situation: The political situation may be intense with many layers of bureaucracy and numerous people in "the system" who have various amounts of power. Sometimes crime, corruption, and social injustice are evident. Conditions in urban environments are often very different than those addressed by rural social workers.

List the five purposes that the National Association of Social Workers fulfills

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the major social work organization with the largest and broadest membership in the profession. NASW fulfills the following five purposes:

1. It provides membership credibility. Most, if not all, established professions have an organization to which members can belong. Such membership bolsters members' professional identity, helps them identify with other members, and enhances the visibility of a profession.

2. It provides opportunities for networking. State, regional, and national conferences and meetings enable members to talk with each other and share news and ideas. Such meetings also provide a means for finding out about new career and job opportunities.

3. It provides membership services. These include "Social Work," a quarterly journal that addresses various aspects of practice; "NASW News," a national newspaper published almost monthly that focuses on relevant research; social welfare policy and service issues; and social workers' accomplishments around the country and the world; and newsletters published by some state chapters.

4. It sponsors organized efforts for lobbying on behalf of socially responsible social welfare policies and services. It exerts influence in support of causes and political agendas concurrent with professional social work values. It has also helped states establish licensing regulations for social workers.

5. It publishes policy statements on various issues (e.g., youth suicide, health care, people with disabilities, affirmative action, and environmental policy) to help guide members in their practice

Define accreditation, and cite the organization that provides accreditation for social work programs.

Accreditation is the official confirmation that a school, college, or program fulfills the necessary requirements in curricular development, program structure, resources, and academic achievement to assume that status. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is the body that accredits bachelor's and master's programs in social work education. CSWE develops guidelines for the social work curriculum. CSWE's membership is composed primarily of social work educators but also includes practitioners.

Cite and define the five categories of social work practice that jurisdictions may legally regulate.

Typically, there are five categories of social work practice that jurisdictions may legally regulate (ASWB, 2014). They are as follows:

Associate: This category involves use of the same examination used for the Bachelor's level, but requires a lower score for passing. Few jurisdictions offer the Associate option.

Bachelor's: Baccalaureate social work (BSW) degree upon graduation 

Master's: Master's degree in social work (MSW) with no post-degree experience

Advanced Generalist: MSW with two years of post-master's supervised experience

Clinical: MSW with two years of post-master's direct clinical social work experience

Describe the beliefs, attitudes, and values that characterize your community.

A community is a number of people who have something in common with one another that connects them in some way and that distinguishes them from others (Homan, 2011). A key feature of a community is the fact that participants share some mutual characteristic, such as "common location, interest, identification, or some combination of these characteristics" (Fellin, 2001). Thus, communities can be of two primary types—those based on geographic proximity and those based on common ideas, interests, loyalty, and a feeling of membership. In the social work perspective, communities are entities in which citizens can organize or be organized to address mutual concerns and improve their overall quality of life. Social workers have the responsibility to examine the community environment in which their clients reside. Although social workers are surely focused on how specific clients function as individuals, they are also concerned about the environment in which clients live and whether adequate resources are available

Describe the four types of social support systems to which social workers can help families get connected.

Social workers can help families get connected with social support systems that provide four types of support (Ragg, 2006). First, emotional support involves people "who can listen to the client, understand his situation, provide encouragement, and celebrate his successes." Second, instrumental support includes others "who can offer concrete types of help, such as money, rides, shelter, and so forth." Third, informational support embraces people "who can provide important information to the client so that she can make the right connections and actions." Fourth, appraisal support involves those "who can give honest feedback to the client on how he or she is performing and acting."

Mention the type of treatment or task group in social work practice in which you have participated. Describe the group's functioning, and explain the ways in which it can be improved.

Treatment groups help individuals solve personal problems, change unwanted behaviors, cope with stress, and improve quality of life. Efforts focus on clients solving their personal problems, enhancing personal qualities, or providing each other with support. There are five primary types of treatment groups—therapy, support, educational, growth, and socialization.

Task or work groups are those applying the principles of group dynamics to solve problems, develop ideas, formulate plans, make decisions, and achieve goals. Task groups in the macro social environment are formed to meet the needs of individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. Task groups with the primary purpose of serving client needs include teams, treatment conferences, and staff development groups. Task groups with the primary purpose of serving organizational needs include committees, cabinets, and boards of directors. Task groups with a primary purpose of serving community needs include social action groups, coalitions, and delegate councils.

Rank the following fields of practice according to the percentage of social workers with a bachelor's degree (BSWs) who are employed at graduation (1 = highest; 4 = lowest):

According to the research conducted by Hull (2004) and Buchan, Hull, Rogers, Rodenhiser, and Smith (2004), the employment settings of bachelor's in social work (BSWs) at graduation are as follows:

1. Corrections/criminal justice: 34.5%

2. Aging/geriatrics: 5.4%

3. Family services: 5.3%

4. Health/medical care: 2.5%

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, what are the four major categories of social workers?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites annual earning information for social workers (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). However, it does not distinguish between BSWs and MSWs. It also divides the fields of practice differently than the other surveys, structuring information within four major categories of social workers. These include:

1. Child, family, and school

2. Health care

3. Mental health and substance abuse

4. Social workers in other positions

Explain the three categories of health-care social workers

The health-care social workers help patients understand their diagnosis and make the necessary adjustments to their lifestyle, housing, or health care. Three specialties within the health-care category are notable. They are:

1. Geriatric social workers: They work with older adults and their families such as helping clients and their families adjust to nursing home placement.

2. Hospice and palliative care social workers: They help clients adjust to serious, chronic, or terminal illnesses.

3. Medical social workers: They help patients and their families by linking patients with resources in the hospital and in their own community.