Introduction
The rate of people living on the streets in the country has been on the rise over the past years. Several organizations and concerned agencies are at the forefront of curbing the increasing state of living that is becoming normal to the majority of people of color and some native whites. Most of the individuals who do not have houses are experiencing severe poverty that hinders that from accessing basic shelter, food, and clothing to better their wellbeing. The conditions they face expose them to extreme levels of stress and anxiety, making them has acute mental health problems. The organization is aimed at ensuring people afford suitable housing and resources to reduce the alarming rate of street families.
Working in Topic Area
To become a social worker, an individual should hold a bachelor degree in social work. The certificate must be from one of the accredited university or college programs such as Spring Arbor University. Furthermore, a person may have a master of social work to increase chances of securing decent job opportunities in the field (Lyons, 2019). The key responsibilities in this area include teaching communities about the available resources and caring for the people in need, such as children and older individuals. Moreover, the occupation entails explaining to the people issues related to medical diagnosis, connecting needy families to organizations for support, and creating and implementing client treatment plans. In addition, the professional monitors and evaluates the improvement of the patient.
The greatest aspects about being a social worker includes good listening and communication skills, patience, ability to solve the problem. Furthermore, proper organizational and effective time management are necessary aspects to facilitate the handling of multiple clients. However, being a social worker presents several challenges that require an individual to manage (Wang et al., 2020). Some of the encounters include working with vulnerable clients, unpredictable schedules, emotional issues, and job burnout.
From the perspective of the case manager, the homeless issue requires adequate resources to facilitate the management of activities aimed at helping the marginalized group of people. Similarly, there should be proper coordination and leadership ability to ensure all the programs operate accordingly. In the case of clients, the following issues are significant concerns to them: inability to access necessary resources to evade poverty, unwelcoming home condition, and aspect of racism and discrimination in the responsible agencies.
Some of the job opportunities in social work include foster care, family therapy, corporate social responsibility, mental health counselor, and medical social worker. The named career paths operate closely with the community; hence they deliver similar services to the people (GĂźmĂźscĂź et al., 2020). The organizations that have the jobs in the area include Mental Health America (MHA) and the People Concern. The institution with job vacancies in the area is the Children’s Center of the Antelope Valley. The organization offers a number of compensation packages to employees, including life, medical and dental insurance. The vacancies available are outreach manager and public policy officer. The outreach position is entitled to a basic salary of $50,000, and the other post pays $70,000.
Regulations
Some of the federal laws that govern the provision services include Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act which provide strict guidelines on the confidential records of the clients. Another regulation is the Confidentiality of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Patient Records Act, which deters social workers from revealing information about clients’ treatment of alcohol and other drugs (Mello et al., 2018). Concerning qualification, the Model Social Work Practice Act regulates the education level needed to be a social worker. The Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) provides regulations that ensure the rights and safety of clients are maintained. The regulation regarding clients is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law facilitating the protection of sensitive health details of clients from being given to other people without their consent.
The code of conduct in social work is provided by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) in the region. Some of the ethical principles related to the employees entail the professionals’ primary goal, which is to assist individuals in need and solve social issues (Alston & Bowles, 2020). Furthermore, moral encompasses social justice, integrity, competence, and overall service to the community (Gillingham, 2019). From the perspective of the client, maintain ethical behavior promotes their values and dignity during service provision.
Service for the Client
In California, the People Concern is an organization that undertakes social works services to ensure it reduces the homeless issue in the region. The provider does not require much paperwork from the client to ensure nobody in service is left unattended. The basic requirements include the name and details of the client, nature of the social problem, location, and possible support groups. During the assessment, the officials use the given details to countercheck the relevancy of the information provided. The case manager develops plans to sue in solving the social problem basing on the perspective of the client (Coulshed et al., 2018). Furthermore, continuous evaluation is conducted to provide reports on the progress. Upon attainment of the objective, the manager and the team formulate discharge plans that ensure the client is free from the previous issues.
Other forms required by the organization are the intervention, compliance, and commitment paperwork. This document highlights the participation of the client in solving the social issue (Gibson et al., 2018). In cases where the clients are suffering from mental health issues, limited basic resources, lack of job opportunities, and housing problems, there are a number of organizations responsible for ensuring the requirements are delivered. They include Lutheran Social Services of Southern California deals with employment, California Registry which handles housing, Aviva Center provides education and food, MHA offers metal health support, and Children’s Bureau of Southern California. Other non-profit organizations that contribute effectively include Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission and Iris Global and Shelter Partnership.
Similarly, the local government has been effectively providing a safe working environment for the local communities and non-profit organizations engaging in social work in the area. The practice has enabled practical engagement whereby a good number of the marginalized group has received support from the institutions. Moreover, the connection between the service providers creates a proper channel for ensuring needy individuals are connected to the right source of the solution.
Conclusion
In summary, social workers play a vital role in ensuring the needy people in society receives better living standards. Organizations such as the MHA and the People Concern are committed to reducing the homeless factor that affects the most marginalized community in the country. The programs are geared towards promoting healthy standards of existence amongst the people. Despite the roles of the social workers, they encounter several challenges that hinder their effectiveness in the field. The federal, local, and state governments have developed rules and regulations to guarantee the country’s safe practice of social services.
References
Alston, M., & Bowles, W. (2020). Research for social workers: An introduction to methods. Routledge.
Coulshed, V., Mullender, A., Jones, D. N., & Thompson, N. (2018). Management in social work. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Gibson, K., Samuels, G., & Pryce, J. (2018). Authors of accountability: Paperwork and social work in contemporary child welfare practice. Children and Youth Services Review, 85, 43-52. Web.
Gillingham, P. (2019). Decision support systems, social justice and algorithmic accountability in social work: A new challenge. Practice, 31(4), 277-290. Web.
GĂźmĂźscĂź, A., Nygren, L., & Khoo, E. (2020). Social work and the management of complexity in Swedish child welfare services. Nordic Social Work Research, 10(3), 257-269. Web.
Lyons, K. (2019). Social work in higher education: Demise or development?. Routledge.
Mello, M. M., AdlerâMilstein, J. U. L. I. A., Ding, K. L., & Savage, L. (2018). Legal barriers to the growth of health information exchangeâboulders or pebbles? The Milbank Quarterly, 96(1), 110-143. Web.
Wang, Y., Jiang, N., Zhang, H., & Liu, Z. (2021). Organizational justice, burnout, and turnover intention of social workers in China. Journal of Social Work, 21(3), 456-475. Web.