Code Of Ethics: Service. Social Work Senior Field Joseph Young November 8, 2008

What is Service? Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and to address social problems. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, service is defined as: The occupation or function of serving. Contribution to the welfare of others.

How Can We as Social Workers Incorporate service while being professional. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional skills with no expectation of significant financial return (pro bono service).

What is “Pro bono”? Pro bono is a term used that means free of charge. Although social workers are compensated for their work, at times it requires them to step outside of the typical 9 to 5 job description. At times, the job may be more demanding, and require you to give more of oneself. This is when the pro bono comes in. This is because you are doing the act out of generosity, and your passion for the work.

Nature Of The Work Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people’s lives. Social workers assist people by helping them cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationships, and solve personal and family problems. Some social workers help clients who face a disability or a life-threatening disease or a social problem, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, or substance abuse.

Nature of the Work Cont. Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving child or spousal abuse. Some social workers conduct research, advocate for improved services, engage in systems design or are involved in planning or policy development. Many social workers specialize in serving a particular population or working in a specific setting.

Types of Social Workers. Child, family, and school social workers provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the well-being of families and the academic functioning of children. They may assist single parents, arrange adoptions, or help find foster homes for neglected, abandoned, or abused children. Some specialize in services for senior citizens. These social workers may run support groups for the children of aging parents; advise elderly people or family members about housing, transportation, long-term care, and other services; and coordinate and monitor these services. Through employee assistance programs, social workers may help people cope with job-related pressures or with personal problems that affect the quality of their work.

In schools, social workers often serve as the link between students’ families and the school, working with parents, guardians, teachers, and other school officials to ensure students reach their academic and personal potential. In addition, they address problems such as misbehavior, truancy, and teenage pregnancy and advise teachers on how to cope with difficult students. Increasingly, school social workers teach workshops to entire classes.

Child, family, and school social workers may also be known as child welfare social workers, family services social workers, child protective services social workers, occupational social workers, or gerontology social workers. They often work for individual and family services agencies, schools, or State or local governments.

Medical and public health social workers provide psychosocial support to people, families, or vulnerable populations so they can cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, or AIDS. They also advise family caregivers, counsel patients, and help plan for patients’ needs after discharge from hospitals. They may arrange for at-home services, such as meals-on-wheels or home care. Some work on interdisciplinary teams that evaluate certain kinds of patients—geriatric or organ transplant patients, for example. Medical and public health social workers may work for hospitals, nursing and personal care facilities, individual and family services agencies, or local governments.

My Conclusion In closing, every social worker should exert themselves past the job description. This field of work requires more than just the norm. We are to help out those less fortunate than us. Poverty stricken, and the needy. Their lives are in our hands. Our service is what keeps them going day by day. We are the voice for the voiceless, the home seekers for the homeless, and the advocates for the children. If we do not provide such services, we can not reach our clients the way they need us to.

Works Cited Bureau of Labor. U.S. Department of Labor. 9 Nov 2008 <http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos060.htm#nature>.