Social Work in Barangay Concepcion Dos

Hello and welcome to a new blog post! In this post, we will be tackling social work from a new perspective—one that is more local and applicable to us. Continue reading to learn more about social workers and social work programs in our community.

Who are Social Workers?

Social workers aim to help the people in fulfilling their needs especially their overall well-being. There are different kinds of social workers such as medical social workers, mental health, family social workers and several more, but there is a kind of social worker who focuses on either individual, families or small groups which is the community social worker.

The members of a community are diverse since it is composed of different gender, races, religions and different social economic classes. They are unique since they encourage the people to actively participate with the social worker. Also, they help their clients regain strength after being affected by whatever issues or calamities that has discouraged them to live normally as explained in the site (“Social Workers”, 2017).

In the Philippines, social work is considered a professional work. An official social worker needs to pass the licensure exam and be acknowledged by the state before they could start practicing social work. Several programs are made that focuses on helping the Filipinos especially communities which are often affected by natural calamities and are negatively affected by the social issues in the country. An example is when social workers from two popular TV stations (GMA and ABS-CBN) helped the victims of typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban and also the victims who are in Marawi. These social workers assess the needs of the citizens. Also, they interact with them to make them feel at ease making the clients feel that they can trust the social workers in telling their concerns.

Our Community: Concepcion Dos

In order to have a more in-depth perspective on social workers in a local setting, let’s take a look through the lens of Concepcion Dos, Markina City. We have interviewed Kagawad Frederick Ifurung, a three-time elected kagawad in the barangay. He heads the committee on Senior Citizens and Transportation. He is as well the chairman for peace and order in Barangay Concepcion Dos. The interview mainly consisted of discussions about Barangay Concepcion Dos and the social work aspect in the locality.

However to be more precise and accurate on our understanding, a short introduction from Kagawad Ifurung on Barangay Concepcion Dos would be necessary. Kagawad Dick proudly shared that  barangay Concepcion Dos is different from other barangays. Barangay Concepcion Dos, as said by Kagawad Ifurung is a “non-problematic barangay” and “is mostly filled with residents who are financially capable”.  Fortunately, there are no major problems encountered such as killings. Most of the problems or crimes reported in the barangay are considered light such as pick pockets, snatching and akyat-bahay as one of the most intense. Moreover, 90% of Concepcion Dos are made up of private subdivision and there are no squatters. The locality is very peaceful and the residents are very disciplined in following simple rules and regulations that are given in their area. Thus, it can be concluded that Concepcion Dos is a barangay that does not experience much problems in terms of crimes and finance unlike other localities.

The barangay hall wherein the interview with Barangay Kagawad Ifurung was conducted is located in Pio del Pilar St., Markina City. The main service that the barangay hall focuses on is health services. A small health center is located beside the barangay hall wherein there were always ample amount of residents getting check-ups or treatments.

Social Workers and Social Work Programs

After the brief introduction of the barangay, the discussion proceeded to the main topic which is social work. Kagawad Ifurung shared information and his insights on the aspect of social work and the social programs in Concepcion Dos.

The only social workers in the barangay are health social workers. They are termed by Kagawad Ifurung and by the residents as “health workers”.  As aforementioned, a health center is located beside the barangay hall and the health workers are to be found there helping the people. Social workers in barangay Concepcion Dos also assess outreach programs together with nurses to assist patients as well.

The functions of the health social workers include enabling and helping the sick, helping pregnant women and educating them proper ways of breastfeeding and other tasks needed to be learned by mothers. They also serve as case managers who help the residents get access to free services such as anti-flu vaccinations, anti-dengue vaccinations for children below eight (8) years of age, medications for senior citizens, and much more. In addition, the health social workers of Concepcion Dos are also brokers who refer the residents in need of more medical consultations and treatments to medical professionals such as doctors who are also available in the health center. They may also refer to specialists from the Red Cross.

Recipients of Social Work Programs

  Many residents have been receiving the social work programs in Concepcion Dos. Recipients include the children and babies for they are able to get vaccinations such as anti-flu vaccinations, anti-dengue vaccinations and measles vaccine. They are also able to receive check-ups from in-house medical workers and health workers.                                                                                                                      
                               

Other recipients are the pregnant women who are taught by the health workers proper ways of breastfeeding, what to do during pregnancy and are checked-up regularly to assess the situation of both the baby and the mother.

 Lastly, the elderly are also recipients of the social work programs of the community for they are given help in terms of medical concerns. Moreover, all residents of the community especially those who are unable to pay for private hospital treatments are recipients of the programs carried by health workers.

Dealing with other Social Problems

Other social problems not related to health are handled by social workers from Department of Social Welfare and Development. Such problems and crimes include the following: child abuse, using kids for robbery and mental disabilities. Children are involved most of time since their young minds can easily be manipulated such as the abused children and those children who are asked and payed to steal. When they are able to catch or report on people with such cases, Kagawad Ifurung said that there is not much that they can do. Once the conflicted person is brought to their barangay hall, they can only give food and temporary shelter to them because they cannot put them to jail nor treat them because of the following reasons; most of them are minors and mental disabilities at instances wherein the individual does not do any harm to others are not crimes. Thus, they report these instances to social workers from DSWD. After doing so, the reported people will be brought by the social workers from DSWD with them to be referred to other professionals such as doctors and lawyers, to be mediated with people who are giving them problems, to be counselled or to simply be given food and shelter. Furthermore, the DSWD does not only cater to minors but also to poor communities who are in need of attention in fulfilling their needs on a daily basis.

Problem with DSWD Social Workers

However, Kagawad Ifurung said that a huge downfall of the social workers in DSWD is that they “do not take immediate action on the issues”. He told us that there are instances wherein the children whom they referred to DSWD were found in Concepcion Dos just a few weeks after they were taken by the social workers. This means that the social workers and the institution may have failed to serve their purpose of assisting and teaching child delinquents. He wants the social workers from DSWD to give more focus on their jobs in order to fully help the people in need of their guidance. However, he also said that the DSWD is a state-funded institution and not locally funded by their barangay. They may be more focused on other more extreme cases on different parts of the country. We asked Kagawad Ifurung if he wants to have an in-house social worker that would attend to the problems of the barangay handled by the DSWD instead. He answered no because he wants them to be directly and straightly attended by social workers from DSWD who can more easily give them resources and direct them to other professionals because DSWD is state handled and can acquire more resources to those in great need.

Synthesis

All in all, Barangay Concepcion Dos is a barangay that focuses on health social work. Health social workers are readily available at the health center beside the barangay hall. Various treatments, consultations and programs are executed by health workers to assure the medical well-being of the residents. Those in need of other form of social work assistance such as problems regarding mental health and child delinquency are redirected by the barangay officials to DSWD. However, the barangay officials are unsure of DSWD capability of helping their clienteles because there are instances wherein they see the clienteles out of DSWD’ headquarters a short time after they have been redirected. Thus, Barangay Kagawad Ifurung urges the DSWD social workers to improve their work to ensure that the better lives that social workers are tasked to help humanity achieve 

Social Workers (2017). Retieved from https://socialworklicensemap.com/become-a-social-worker/social-worker-careers/community-social-work/

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21st Century Superheroes: Social Workers Who Are They?

Are you feeling down? Or is your family facing tough problems? Do you need someone to save you from the inner villains in you? 

Or

Is helping others a passion that you want to pursue in the future?  Do you want to be the pioneer for a better world to live in? Do you want to be an Avenger yet still remain as a normal human?

Well then you have come to the right blog that will help answer your super questions!

Social workers are professionals whose aim is to protect individuals, families, groups and communities from various inflicted problems and lead them to improved lives. The most vulnerable and necessitous in the society are most commonly supported by social workers (Jones, 2001). In addition, they are advocates of social change, empowerment, liberation and the total wellness of individuals that would greatly verdict the wellness of the community. Thus, social workers are like superheroes who dedicate their lives fighting atrocity, protecting the people and battling the many different problems that humanity encounters and struggle with.

However, misconceptions on social work have been apparent through the years. People think that everyone with a kind heart can work as a social worker (St. Olaf College, 2017). This is not the case because social work demands not only a kind heart but countless time, extreme effort and boundless commitment. In fact, social workers have a bachelor’s degree in social work and have passed the state license exams for social workers. Most of them continue their studies in graduate schools to develop their knowledge in their chosen fields and help their clients better.

SKILLS, TRAITS AND COMPETENCIES

The social work superheroes are well-rounded and have a lot of superpowers.

Although humble and modest, social workers are also very competent especially since they have finished a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and have passed the licensure examination for social workers. The following competencies, skills and qualities are mandatory for social workers to execute their many roles and responsibilities.

    1. Critical Thinking

·         Social workers are logical in handling the information that would greatly be of value to their clients. They are systematic in solving problems, making sure that the process would be feasible and effective to the parties involved in the social work service. Moreover, social workers must know what is wrong and right and know what should be applied to lead their clients into betterment.

                                            2. Conduct Research 

·         Social workers are able to research and conduct researches to widen their knowledge on their specialization. Through researches, they are able to learn from fellow social workers and other professionals so that they could make better interventions and decisions for their service. In addition, social workers can also impart their proficiency and experiences that would be of help to others. Lastly, through research social workers can discover more about their clients and know the many probabilities that would arise in the process.

    3. Make Referrals

·         Social workers are able to direct their clients to other social workers or professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists and doctors. Referrals are done in order to give a more holistic and fit solution to the conflicts of the clients. Hence, referrals are important to suffice the needs of the social workers’ clients.

    4. Communicate Effectively

·         Communicating effectively is another competency since it will both benefit the social worker and the client. Not all clients (especially young clients) can comprehend easily what a social worker is trying to say and due to this, they need to have their own way of communicating for their message to be delivered properly.

    5. Respect Diversity

·         Meeting different kinds of people is expected if you are working in the field of social work. The clients will be different from one another and that is why a social worker’s job is to respect the clients’ differences and be aware of their words and actions while interacting with them.

    6. Compassionate

·         This competency shows the good heart of the social worker. It includes knowing how to empathize with their clients, showing concern and caring for those who are sick and hurt. With this competency, the clients are able to feel a social worker’s willingness while attending to them. 

    7. Listening Skills

·         A social worker’s listening skills is an important competency for this will be used usually especially while interacting with their clients and to fully understand their thoughts and experiences. The clients mostly address their concerns and stories to the social worker. In this case, if the client will notice the social worker’s inattentiveness, there is a possibility for the clients to become hesitant in speaking

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION

Like Superheroes who have a myriad of superpowers, social workers also have various career opportunities wherein they can apply their superpowers. These are only some of the career opportunities and areas of specialization of social workers since their work is boundless and versatile.

1. Mental Health

Social workers who focus on the area of mental health help those who are experiencing mental and emotional stress. They provide therapy (after undergoing more studies and getting a license as a clinical social worker) to those whose mental health condition is unwell. There is a diverse scope of mental health services that social workers in this field can provide. They may be found in community mental health centers, mental hospitals, private organizations and schools evaluating the clients’ mental health, recognizing mental disorders, evolving treatment plans and assisting in the daily lives of people with mental health disorders.

2. Medical/Health

This area of specialization of social workers has the highest demand and highest rate of workers in the social work field. They provide care to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, and other more institutions. Medical social workers guarantee that patients are cared for properly, provide physicians information on their patients and help patients and their families recover from the impact of illness and death. In addition, they also counsel patients who have been discharged, patients in need of maternal and childcare counseling, and patients in need of counseling because of death and/or certain diseases.

3. Corrections and Substance Abuse

Social workers in the field of corrections and substance abuse are incorporated in prevention of crime, rehabilitation of criminals and assistance in helping those addicted in illegal substances. They may be found practicing in rehabilitation facilities, prisons, private sectors, organizations and juvenile detention facilities.

4. Family and Child Welfare

Social workers in this area of specialization help people care for themselves as parts of the family and their children. They give services to families in circumstances wherein they are greatly affected negatively. Children who are neglected and abused by their parents and those who come from low-income families who cannot be cared for properly are the clients given services by social workers. Family and child welfare workers perform with child protective services to investigate child abuse and neglect reports and intercede whenever the home of a child becomes unsafe for him or her (University of Southern California, 2016).

5. School

School-focused social workers serve as the liaison between the school and the students’ families, being the bridge that connects the children’s personal lives and education to ensure that their needs are fulfilled. They are responsible in addressing various school issues and programs such as sexual education, crisis intervention and health education. They also provide counseling-- vocational counseling, school adjustment counseling, behavioral management and help on personal problems.

6. Elderly

Geriatric social workers are those who are focused in giving services to the elderly. They help the seniors to adjust and cope with their troubles especially at their old age. They give help with financial issues, medical care, mental disorder and social problems.

Among the various areas of specialization, social workers can practice within different career opportunities. They can be researchers, planners, administrators, teachers or supervisors. They can work in micro-level social work which focuses on individuals and families, in mezzo-level social work which focuses on communities and macro-level social work which focuses on the government policies and NGOs.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As superheros who help improve lives of others, they have certain roles and responsibilities to fulfill in order to ensure the quality of their services. Chadron State College (CSC) lists the six roles and responsibilities of social workers.

·  - Broker

Making referrals to connect a family or individual to other professionals or resources is one of the roles and responsibilities of social workers. They also make sure that the connection they linked is potent through following up frequently.

·  - Advocate

Fighting for the rights of others and working to acquire vital resources by persuading others of the needs and rights of the people of society are one of the roles and responsibilities of social workers. Social workers are advocates of those who are underrepresented and vulnerable. The context of the social workers’ advocacy ranges from local to national level. There are social workers who take part in international human rights advocacies.

·   - Case Manager

Locating services and assisting clients to access those services are also roles and responsibilities of social workers. Complex situations and those who are homeless or elderly, have immedicable physical or mental health problems, are disabled, victims of violent and domestic crimes and vulnerable children need a more intense managing from social workers.

·   - Educator

Teaching people about resources and how to improve skills such as budgeting, caring for and disciplining children, effectively communicating, understanding medical diagnosis and preventing violence are also expected from social workers.

·   - Facilitator

Gathering masses of people for different causes such as community development, self-advocacy, political organization and policy change and also roles and responsibilities of social workers. They must initiate symposiums that would be valuable to various communities. Social workers take part as group therapists and task group leaders.

·  - Organizer

Various community organization and action including economic development, union organization and research and policy specialists are some of the aspects that social workers are involved with.

In addition, it is the role and responsibility of social workers to sustain and uphold respect from the innate worth and dignity of everyone. Though they may experience difficulty, they must help children, assist those with life-threatening problems, aid people to battle addictions and much more. Furthermore, it is their role and responsibility to withhold social justice through living with integrity, care, empathy and compassion.

EXCLUSIVE: STUDENTS INTERACTING WITH SUPERHEROES

As the famous saying “Experience is the best teacher”, we will be sharing our experience with social workers in their various institutions. This is for you to vicariously understand the essence and soul of social work through the best teacher, experience.

Last October 5, the class of St. Frideswida went to St. Maria de Mattias Center to be more enlightened about social work. Sir Jonathan, who is a social worker, introduced to us the center, which is a non-government organization which aims to fulfill the needs of the children. He shared to the class that the center only accepts female Catholic children whose ages are range from seven to seventeen years old. Before they could let the children be part of their organization, they do a thorough check of the children’s background: the situation of their family and the place where they stay in to see if they really need the assistance of the center. Sir Jonathan even used the words “poorest of the poor.” Furthermore, they also accept the children with high academic standing to also break the society’s stigma that children from poor families are uneducated and. They let the children go to their respective schools and provide their needs thanks to the generosity of the people. Additionally, the centers are being run with the help of the sisters who willingly teach the children and care for them. The center provides programs such as values formation for the parents to also teach them as they would apply these values every time they are with their children in their own place.

According to Sir Jonathan, being a social worker is also a profession wherein you need to be acknowledged by the state to be official. It is a profession that is done with willingness and not to be discontinued whenever one feels like it. He added that working as a social worker, a person has to learn to detach. Since he also has a family, he cannot be emotionally attached to his clients too much for it could lead to negative outcomes. Being a social worker is also a well-rounded profession and is not limited to only helping the “poorest of the poor”. They can also aim to help their surroundings; the environment and as an activity the class of St. Frideswida experienced planting with him.

What struck us the most is how we can see Sir Jonathan’s happiness and passion on his job. As we observed, his smile almost never left his face. The children adore him and he adores his clients too. After working in a very different field as a marine officer in the past, he found greater joy in social work and helping others. He serves as a concrete example of the saying “follow your heart” because after choosing the path that her heart desires, he was able to not only fulfill himself but also the people and their needs.

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The class of St. Ehrenthrudis went to St. Camillus Medhaven, a Philippine-based nursing home and orphanage. St. Camillus Medhaven also seeks to help the people, particularly the elderly and the people who are completely abandoned by their loved ones. They provide their needs such as food, shelter and medicine to maintain their health. Furthermore, this nursing home has a good number of caregivers who ensure the state of the elderlies and provide a good service to them. With the good service being provided to them, some of the elderly prefer to stay in the nursing home  for good since no one will take care of them and they’ll have no place to go. Indeed, social workers have made the nursing home feel like the true homes of the elderly, making them feel the love and acceptance they may not feel at their own homes.

St. Ehrentrudis admired that the elders who can still move on their own choose to participate the mass that is being held in the orphanage. They observed that they employ social workers who completely are willing to do the job properly and are hands-on in watching the elderlies. Their facilities are maintained which is a benefit for the lolos and lolas since it has an effect on their health. Having service-oriented social workers is a major factor since the elderlies in the nursing home are lacking in terms of affection and love that were supposed to be given by their relatives. Having these kinds of caregivers will fill those gaps in their hearts.

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The class of St. Clodesindis went to Marikina Youth Home, a youth home for the Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL). They met Miss Shelly, who is working in the field of social work for already seventeen years and introduced to them their youth home. She explained that the youth home caters to adolescents fifteen to twenty years old and these adolescents have been engaged in crimes and if they reach the age of 18, they are to be placed in the city jail. She shared further that a number of them stayed until the age of 20 because they were caught violating or doing an act which is prohibited by the law.

The students were able to interact with a sixteen year-old and he admitted to have been engaged in drug related crimes and as theft, but dreams to be a seaman in the future to help himself and his family. This proved that there are still children in the youth homes who have good intentions and the institution is greatly effective in helping the children. Soon the number of those children delinquents may hopefully decrease, one of the reasons being the social workers who tirelessly help them improve themselves. 

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All in all, social workers offer themselves to be of service to people who are unable to help their selves. From tirelessly studying social work theories, to taking up the state exam, to applying their learnings to the society, social workers have tenaciously been proven to be vital pillars of humanity. These humble professionals have made a big impact especially to those who they have helped tremendously. If not for social workers, many people would be entrapped on their conflicts, unable to seek for help. However, social workers aren't as strong and bulky as Hulk, they aren't as fast as Captain America, nor are they as powerful as Superman. Instead, they are their own superheros, striving until their every last energy into giving their utmost best to their clients. 

Sources:

Jones, C. (2001). Voices from the front line: State social workers and New Labour. British Journal of Social Work, 31(4), 547-562.

https://msw.usc.edu/mswusc-blog/the-five-most-popular-social-work-careers/

https://careersinpsychology.org/become-a-geriatric-social-worker/

https://wp.stolaf.edu/socialwork/social-work-myth-buster/