Social Work Exam Notes

Avoiding Judgment and Understanding Perspectives

  • It's crucial to avoid judgment when working with people, even if you have personal feelings about their actions.
  • Suspending judgment is essential for effective intervention and assistance.

Defining Services to Children, Youth, and Families

  • Key Programs and Legislation:
    • Social Security Act of 1935:
      • The cornerstone of American social welfare policy.
      • The starting point for future social welfare policies.
    • U.S. Children's Bureau (established in 1912):
      • The first law recognizing the federal government's responsibility for the welfare of children.
      • Parents considered as the overarching parent and responsible.
    • Head Start Program:
      • Based on the belief that children's lives are impacted by their environment (ecological systems theory).
      • Encompasses programs focusing on:
        • Physical development
        • Social development
        • Emotional development
        • Cognitive development
      • Prepares children for formal education.
      • Children who participated in Head Start: performed differently from those who came straight from the home environment.

Prevention Programs

  • Designed to enrich the lives of children and families and prevent barriers that might hinder their development.
  • Examples:
    • Social workers in schools: Help address problems that arise on campus immediately.
    • Free school lunches: Support children's nutritional needs.
    • After-school programs: Provide structured time to keep kids constructively engaged and prevent them from getting into trouble.
    • DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program: Aims to open up conversations about drug abuse.

Unintended Consequences of Policies:

  • It's essential to consider the unintended consequences of any policy.
  • Analyze the problem that led to the policy and the policy's intended goals.
  • Example: Food stamp program:
    • Intended to provide extra resources for food acquisition.
    • Unintended consequence: Some individuals misused the program for personal gain, leading to the switch to a card system.
  • When analyzing policy:
    • Identify the goals and objectives.
    • Determine if the policy meets those goals and objectives.
    • Identify any unintended consequences.
  • This will require picking apart the problem and the policy created to address that problem.

CAPTA (Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act):

  • Established in the early 1970s.
  • Established the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect.
  • Requires states receiving federal funds to strengthen child maltreatment programs, including state definitions and reporting laws.
  • Professionals delivering services to children are legally bound to report any abuse that comes to their attention in good faith.
  • Protections against frivolous claims:
    • Consequences for making inaccurate reports for personal gain.

Older Adults: Needs and Services

  • Major Challenges:
    • Loss of Social Role and Purpose:
      • Retirement can lead to a reduction in socialization opportunities and a loss of purpose.
      • Socialization becomes crucial for cognitive development and physical health.
    • Physiological Aging:
      • Impacts mobility and independence.
      • Health issues affect the ability to perform daily tasks.
    • Ego Integrity vs. Despair (Erik Erikson's Stages of Development):
      • Older adults reflect on their lives and either achieve a sense of integrity or fall into despair.
      • Regret about things they cannot change can lead to despair.
    • Loss of a Significant Other:
      • The death of a long-term partner can have a profound impact on older adults.
    • Social and emotional factors significantly impact their physiological performance as they age.

Criminal Justice System: Four Components

  • Legislative:
    • Defines certain acts as criminal or not (laws).
  • Law Enforcement:
    • Seeks to deter crime and apprehend and prosecute lawbreakers.
  • Judicial:
    • Interprets laws and determines the guilt or innocence of those accused of breaking the law.
  • Correctional:
    • Supervises and rehabilitates individuals who have been found guilty of breaking the law.

Juvenile Justice System: Key Facts

  • Youths: substantially more crime-prone than adults (based on research).
  • Juvenile arrest rate: for serious property crimes and violent crimes is significantly higher than for adults.
  • Property crimes: such as theft and burglary, and status offenses such as truancy and curfew violations, are common among juveniles.
  • Younger offenders commit crimes in groups more often than adults.
  • Reasons for higher crime rates among juveniles:
    • Lack of understanding of value of things
    • Developmental stage: Maturing brain and hormonal changes.
      • Pushing against boundaries: A natural part of adolescence.

Social Work Core Values

  • Service
  • Social Justice
  • Dignity and Worth of a Person