Social work standards and regulations are essential components that promote specialized service delivery and encourage the practice’s development. Caseworkers need to demonstrate proficiency in their engagements; established and authorized organizations promote their undertakings by evaluating and regulating the occupation. Social Work England is one of the leading bodies that develop and implement a code of ethics for experts. The development of particular principles assists to regulate the actions of the specialists, their functions, and settings to guarantee high-quality services and provide a conducive workplace. The organization enforces the principles as thresholds required to maintain a safe and operational occupation. Qualified social workers must reflect the standards, values, and diversity principles of the practice to have a positive impact on society. Knowledge and expertise in community issues are necessary components that facilitate the comprehension of how socioeconomic and cultural factors influence people, their families, and communities. Thus, I have engaged in various professional and educational projects to learn, improve my acquaintance of community engagements and enhance proficiency in values enforced by Social Work England. This discussion demonstrates how I have met Social Work England’s principles through professional and educational assignments.
Standard 1.5 is the first regulation of interest enforced by Social Work England to recognize inconsistencies in diverse communities; it counters the effect of depravity and discrimination on individuals, families, and societies. Hence, I had a reflective discussion to enhance my understanding regarding incongruities observed in various populations and identifying challenges experienced by families and societies. Social Work England (n.d) recognizes the significance of identifying the variances observed in different groups and the implication of depravity on people’s ability to have progressive life outcomes. In this regard, I interacted with the CEO of Migrant Leaders, Elham Farad, to discuss the issue of empowering people and populaces by providing resources instead of giving periodic assistance. The organization supports the first and the second generations of migrants in England to progress in their careers. It also mentors young people from underprivileged, ethnic minority backgrounds on productive professional pathways. The charity runs a model “to provide a rod, as opposed to fish only”. The interaction with the CEO helped me learn how to identify socioeconomic challenges experienced by young migrant workers in England. Besides, I learned how to develop and implement standards for assisting young immigrants and empowering them to accelerate their career growth through practical interventions. The discussion expanded my knowledge about opportunities available for young migrants and ways to improve their aspirations. As a result, I have reinforced my social work capabilities necessary to motivate young people to accomplish their dreams and address social disparities.
The second standard is 1.6, which promotes social justice and helps to mitigate and resolve disparity and inclusion issues in England. The regulation significantly focuses on eliminating barriers that prevent people from engaging in socioeconomic activities irrespective of their backgrounds. To demonstrate this standard, I have supported Crisis Organisation to promote social justice and help to mitigate inequality and inclusion issues experienced by people from various ethnicities. The input aligns with Social Work England’s effort to enforce regulations that eradicate socioeconomic inequalities experienced by minority groups from diverse sociocultural backgrounds. Thus, social work professionals must commit to addressing discrimination in institutions that serve individuals, families, and communities. As an aspiring social worker, I have participated in Crisis charity projects in London to promote fair treatment of renters. Notably, support includes promoting fair treatment for housing benefits tenants, sponsoring people seeking housing benefits, and encouraging property-owners to accept renters under housing-benefit schemes. My engagement with the organization revealed the growing concern related to escalating cases of discrimination and bias against tenants relying on housing benefits; they experience limitations of accommodation choices. Thus, I support the charity through donations and creating public awareness to challenge discrimination suffered by tenants. Based on my experience with the organization, I have appreciated the need to encourage people to invest in housing projects and accommodate homeless people. Hence, I endorse crisis efforts to fight current discrimination and promote housing rights of tenants and homeless persons.
Thirdly, Social Work England enforces standard 3.14 to assess how cultural and social factors influence people and their resilience toward loss, change, and uncertainty. This standard focuses on the physical and emotional wellbeing of people and communities and the ability to cope with calamities. Thus, I have volunteered at UK Age to promote the organization’s capacity to evaluate sociocultural factors that influence people. My responsibilities revolve around working with aged populations from diverse cultures to understand how sociocultural aspects affect their life. Besides, I used the COVID lockdown break for shopping, providing grocery services, and collecting medication for an elderly couple. Service delivery to beneficiaries is based on the organization’s procedures that help the elderly without making them become dependents. My involvement in the organization’s programs enabled me to identify needs arising from elderly populations and develop coping mechanisms. In addition, I developed skills to help older adults manage their health and finances. Interacting with the Indian couple was a remarkable experience that helped me understand the implication of social and cultural isolation. It is worth noting that ethnic disparity is a significant factor that influences service delivery in some homecare facilities caring for people from minority groups. Thus, I endeavor to support social inclusion to address sociocultural discrimination in society by contributing to policies that eliminate discrimination.
Standard 4.4 is another regulation enforced by Social Work England that requires social workers to exhibit a good knowledge of social work subjects and fundamental characteristics of the practice. They must also develop adequate and relevant knowledge of contemporary societal matters and procedures affecting social work. In this regard, I have been reviewing current social work developments and events to stay updated. Following the news and reading newsletters from leading social work organizations has been a great way to acquire updated information. For example, I have monitored the development and the execution of the national advisory forum that encourages collaboration among social workers and seeks the contribution of social work beneficiaries. The forum was established to engage stakeholders, including partner organizations, licensed social staff, individuals with lived social work experiences, training and education providers, and students. I believe the forum is an exceptional opportunity for partners, social workers, and recipients of social services to engage in a national discussion and raise standards of social work. Besides, I have learned about the launch of Social Work Week, supposed to take place in March 2021. The event is a means to inspire social workers and interested parties to reflect on the remarkable accomplishments, proceedings, and encounters experienced in the profession. The event will help Social Work England staff reflect on developments in regulation and successes in the joint resolution to promote positive change across all sectors that support social work.
Reference
Social Work England. (n.d). Professional standards. Web.