Legal framework for social work in United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

Legal framework for social work in United Kingdom Essay Legal framework for social work in United Kingdom Introduction            Social work is defined as a professional and academic discipline that will seek to have improvement on the individuals, groups’ and communities’ quality of life and their well-being through having policies, conducting researches, organizing communities and teaching for the good of the people affected by social limitations that may include poverty, mental and physical sickness, social injustice including violation of human rights. International (Federation of Social Workers 2000). These groups may include school dropouts, the elderly in the society, juvenile offenders, drug and alcohol abusers and the homeless            Social workers will work in different settings within a set of framework of legislation and practices. The setting may include a school situation, the service users’ home, a hospital or a public sector premise Social work values            Social work is argued to be value based. Since it is a profession on, social work ethics (values) thus refer to a set of guidelines that have to govern the way professionals treat the people they interact with and the sort of actions that are regarded as right or wrong. They offer a vision and discernment (Bernstein 1970)            Social work in the United Kingdom occurs in four spheres. The first sphere is majorly a concept relates to the moral philosophy that creates the ethical arguments on social work. The second sphere is based on the legislation that has created an environment for practice of social work with reference to the social work cases. The third sphere is the political ideas and concepts and their influence in shaping and sculpturing the social work models, social work methods and practices. The last sphere presents the historical part of the beginning of social work as a profession and its struggle for professional identity. These spheres are extended, mid range and restricted definitions of social work ethics and values (Bernard et al 2008, p. 6)            This paper will focus on the second sphere in reference to the United Kingdom. Social work and law            Social work as a profession has to follow certain laws and regulations which govern the profession. The legal framework involves the statute laws and case laws and tries to explain the relationship that links them. Moreover, it details legislation of the government under acts of parliament, the international laws, policy guidance, and the local government circulars that articulate the purpose and guidance principles of legislation. Health and Care professional Council code of practice            As a social worker, it is paramount to be aware of the legal obligations required of them to create a healthy and safe working conditions. The General Social Care Council code of practice imposes more duties for employers of social workers. The code states that (Brayne Carr 2002, P. 49) The social worker shall protect and promote interests of the service users The social worker will strive to establish, maintain trust and confidence of the service users The social worker will promote independence of the service users while giving them protection from possible harm The social worker shall respect the rights of the service users while ensuring that their behavior will not harm other people and themselves The social worker shall uphold the public trust and confidence in the social care services The social worker shall be accountable for quality in their work and taking responsibility for maintenance and improvement of their knowledge Acts of parliament The Carew standard Act 2000            This Act has a significant role in the social care work as it did extend the registration regime for the social care in England and that of Wales for provision of the children’s services, the Act requires the following: Registration of children homes Registration of family centre’s Registration of the independent fostering agencies Registration of the voluntary adoption agencies Registration of support agencies            To be a permanent registered member one has to meet a set of regulations tailored to each individual service. In coming up to a decision whether the regulatory requirement shave been fulfilled, the registering authority must have a regard to minimum National standards. England’s registration authority is Office for Standards in Education, Childrens Services and Skills (OFSTED). The Social workers and the social care services cannot function without having satisfied the above requirements. As a social worker or a social care service provider, there is a need to have knowledge to avoid prosecution by Law The health and social care Act 2012            This bill was agreed upon by both houses and obtained the Royal Assent on the 27th of March to become an act of parliament. The bill created an independent National Health Service Board to promote choices made by the patients in regard to their health issues and reduced the administration tool of the National Health Service. A National Health Service Board was also created to allocate resources and provide guidance on commissioning of social care services. Powers of the government’s ability to commission services on behalf of patients were increased. The function of the Care Quality Commission was strengthened and Section 209 of this Act amended. The powers of the new law under Section 60 of the 199 Act gave her majesty the power by order in the council to regulate social workers and social care practitioners of England. This placed the role of social workers and the role of social health care providers directly under her majesty (Britain 2012, p. 9). This A ct placed a lot of Significance on Social Care services being provided in the United Kingdom. A consideration on the adult social care was emphasized. For example, allowing the transfer of public health to the local authorities through local health and the well being boards. Various new bodies have emerged such as the Local health watches which have a function of checking on health and the social care standards. Children’s Act 2004.            In England, the law protects the right of children. Section 11 and 12 of this Act places a statutory duty on all agencies to co-operate and promote the welfare of the children. The government guidance for social workers and other professionals that interact with children is that: the social worker has a duty of keeping the children safe. There should be constant feedback to the children social care local authority on suggestions and assessment and lastly every person who has a role should not think that he/she has the absolute right to the child’s needs. Professionals sometimes fail to report the abuse and neglect cases do not face penalties for crime however; they might be subjected to professional discipline Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012            The bill got a Royal Assent on 8th of March. The bill aimed to give strength to the social enterprise businesses sectors and make relevant the concept of social value and its importance in the placing and providing of public services. With this bill a National Social enterprise strategy was created to encourage the engagement in social enterprises. The local government act 2000 section 4 was then required to have a sustainable community strategy proposal that promote the engagement of social enterprise in their areas. The Local Authority Social Services Act 1970            This Act brought together the different fields of social work into a single Social service department in every local authority. With this establishment, an emphasis was laid on a co-ordinated and comprehensive system of approach to the social care, the support of families and identifying the need for people to seek aid. The formulated departments then became responsible for domestic aid, residential accommodation and recreational services. Care council of Wales            All social workers should be registered. It is one of the bodies mandated to register and regulates the activities of the social workers and all other social care in Wales. The care council is set up under the Care Standards Act 2000. It includes the codes of professional practice, conduct rules, and a well established guideline on the complainant’s procedure. Some other features accessed include consultation services, annual reports, the newsletters and the e-bulletins. Registration of workers ensures that there is as constant data of available social workers and social health care workers in a given state or region. It is easy to verify a genuine worker and avoids imposters who might be out on criminal activities Care and Social Services of the inspectorate of Wales            This is a body mandated to regulating and inspecting the establishment of agencies that offer social care services in Wales region. It carries out duties on behalf of the ministers of Wales. It has been given power under Act 2003 of the Social and Health care to look into the handling of social services by the local authorities. On their website, one is able to raise a query on social workers conduct for necessary action. Rights and freedoms of Social workers and limitations Guide to information sharing            Social work is a professional duty. When dealing with children, England places emphasis on effective information sharing between the local agencies and the social workers on identification and assessment of service provisions. These are defined in â€Å"Working together to safeguard children (PDF). Under this guidance, paragraph 1.24 states clearly that fears that arise on sharing personal information should not hinder promotion of a child’s welfare and safety. All social workers and social care provider thus are required to have an efficient information discernment process to avoid a scenario of neglect in believe that another individual will do the task. Limitations to this guide            These provisions however do have limitations. In Wales’s guidance on information sharing is found in chapter 14 of Safeguarding children working together under the Children Act 2004 (PDF). In these guidance paragraph 14.5 overlaps the guidance for professionals in England. It states that â€Å"The safety and welfare of a child or young person must be put into consideration first when making decisions about sharing information about them† and that must be superseding public interest in revealing the information. The guidance then further goes on to give the way forward in sharing on information. Paragraph 14.6 states that â€Å"the best way of ensuring that information sharing is properly handled is to work within carefully worked out information-sharing protocols between agencies and professionals involved, and taking legal advice in each case where necessary. Guide to Loss and damage            Social workers have been mandated with a legal duty of caring and service providers. In essence these role places the employers with responsibility of paying up damages their employees suffer while in line of duty. In the event those being taken care of suffer adverse damage as a result of social work interference, then they are entitled to sue the social work company for negligence. These may be as a result of physical damage, emotional or psychological damage. While this is the case, the law prohibits the suing of social workers when performing certain statutory functions like safeguarding children. Employers need to understand the times which their employees may be liable to protection under the law and when not. Legislation on discrimination on Personal privacy            In line of duty, social workers provide aid services. In order for them to carry out these functions effectively, it is paramount for them to have knowledge of the raft of legislation that protects individuals for discrimination basing on their gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability or ethnicity. These are domestic laws of the United Kingdom and are complemented by European Convention on human right which protects the citizens of the United Kingdom against unjustified state interference with their life. It is always possible for government and social work agencies getting into people’s life when they are not willing. In this event then the public can resort to the human rights protection of privacy and autonomy. Social workers and social work agencies need to have knowledge of the rights and privileges granted to the masses under the European convention for both parties to avoid violating them while at the same time helping individuals who hav e had their rights contravened The Human rights            Human rights are legal obligations that are to be adhered to universally. Human rights are defined as â€Å"the universal right to standard living that is adequate for healthy and well being of individuals and their families.†(Roosevelt 2000, p.5). These are also embodied by global social work perspective by stating that â€Å"The struggle for dignity and fundamental freedoms, which allows for the full development of human potentials, boils down to two words: human rights.†(IFSW 1996).The presence of this law, social work in the United Kingdom is bound to human rights which are considered sensitive to human race and collective citizenship. The social work must then be conceptualized and sensitized to the culture in which the services are offered. Thus a social worker in England should be able to accept the culture and laws of a state or region in which he/she is working in. Conclusion            Social work and social care has a pivotal role in service delivery to the society. This view cannot go unnoticed. The values, ethics of social work such as respect for humanity, equality and service to all have played a major role in helping the less privileged in the United Kingdom. The beneficiaries have included the mentally ill, the old, women and children. The United Kingdom having realized the vital role of social care came up with various laws not only to check but to guide the professionals in their field of work. These laws have been defined in various Acts of parliament, Scholarly publications and various codes of ethics and conduct of the Social work profession. Social workers and social care workers interact with different people on daily basis. In order for a harmonious and efficient system of operation to uphold, these laws and various publications have played a major role. However the legal stipulations have also had a negative side of the story bein g felt where they have had to hamper the operations of social workers and social care practitioners. Technological advancements and constant reviews of challenges that have risen in the working environment of this profession I believe can act as a catalyst to new ideas to command this noble profession to greater heights in the United Kingdom References BRITAIN, G. (2012). Health and social care act 2012: chapter 7. [S.l.], Tso. BRAYNE, H., CARR, H. (2012). Law for social workers. Oxford, Oxford University Press. BRITAIN, G. (2012). Health and social care act 2012: chapter 7. [S.l.], Tso. BARNARD, A., HORNER, N., WILD, J. (2008). The value base of social work and social care. Maidenhead, England, Open University Press. ROOSEVELT, E. (2000). Universal declaration of human rights in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, Arabic. Bedford, Mass, Applewood Books. HEALY, L. M. (2008). International social work: professional action in an interdependent world. Oxford, Oxford University Press. REAMER, F. G. (2006). Social work values and ethics. New York, Columbia University Press. BERNSTEIN, P. (1997). American work values: their origin and development. New York, State Univ. of New York Press. BANKS, S. (2012). Ethics and values in social work. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. (2004). Children Act 2004: Explanatory notes. [S.l.], Stationery Office. Source document

Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird & Telephone Conversation Essay

The dictionary defines prejudice as a learned, preformed, and unsubstantiated judgment or opinion about an individual or a group, either favorable or unfavorable in nature. Through the study of the book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and the poem Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka, ones understanding of prejudice and what makes up prejudice changes considerably for what could be perceived as for the better or for the worse. Being ignorant of what is happening or not knowing and properly understanding what prejudice is can make it easy to turn a blind eye to what is happening around you. Learning what prejudice is makes one more conscious of what is happening right next to you in everyday life. Being educated about prejudice is one step closer to a more peaceful life but prejudice will likely never completely disappear, like George Aiken says, â€Å"If we were to wake up some morning and find that everyone was the same race, creed and color, we would find some other cause for prejudice by noon.† Ones perception of the concept of prejudice is primarily determined by the environment in which one grew up. As Sydney Smith said, â€Å"Never try to reason the prejudice out with a man. It was not reasoned into him, and therefore cannot be reasoned out.† It is evident that ones opinion of other people reflects back to the ethics that they were brought up with. From the eyes of the young and innocent Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, we follow the story of Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley and Tom Robinson in the deceivingly quaint town of Maycomb where these two innocent men’s lives are ruined by the evil of other men and women. The two men are the ‘mockingbirds’ of the story, good, innocent people, hurt by the injustice, hatred and prejudice of a small town... .... Red pillar-box. Red double-tiered Omnibus†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Like Tom Robinson in To Kill A Mockingbird, the West African man is unjustly discriminated against because of his race and the colour of his skin. In comparing and analyzing these two texts, one gains a better understanding of the concept of prejudice. There is no logic or reasoning behind prejudice, which is why it is hard to stop it. We all like to think that one day the world will be free of prejudice and everyone will be considered equal and we hang on to that hope as in the words of Martin Luther King Jr, â€Å"Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.†

Dreaming Expository Essay

Folio Task 3 – Expository Writing 1. To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe. Statement of explanation: This piece of writing is in the form of an expository essay. The purpose of this expository essay is to explore and discuss what it means to accomplish great things, and how these dreams and aspirations can be anything more than just a dream. This essay agrees with the statement that ‘to accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.Saying that it is simply not enough to have dreams and goals, and it is also not enough just being a hard-working person. It takes a combination of both dreaming and aspiring to greater things, and also a person or people that are prepared to work hard and who believe in what they do, in order to eventually accomplish something ‘great’. The audience for this piece of writing is for a collection of expository essays written by students, for other students who may benefit from seeing other pieces of writing that relate to their studies. Accomplishing great things does not often stray far from being persistently hard working. To accomplish great things, it often takes far more than just luck. It takes a combination of hard work, planning, having goals and ambitions and having belief in what you are striving to accomplish. For most people in life, ‘great things’ do not come easily, and do not come without the sacrifices that sometimes have to be made. For most, great things are a result of the belief and trust that one has within themselves, and the time, effort and planning that needs to be inaugurated for great things to be accomplished. Great feats will never be accomplished if there are no dreams or ambitions in the first place. It is true in saying that in order for great things to be accomplished, a lot of hard work and planning needs to be involved, but these great dreams and ambitions will never come true if they never existed in the first place. In order for something to be ‘great’ and for it to seem satisfactorily accomplished, it needs to have started off as a simple pipedream or aspiration, so it has room to grow and develop fully into something great. There are no shortages of examples of dreams and aspirations in David Malouf’s Dream Stuff. For example in one of the short stories, Closer, the youngest of a very strict and religious family, Amy, dreams that one day her family will re-unite and her Uncle Charles will be accepted and loved once again by his family, forgiven of his sexuality. It is never known if Uncle Charles will be re-united with his family, but it is certain that for Amy, dreaming about this happening makes it all seem more plausible and that it might one day actually come true. If Amy did not have this dream, this desire to see her Uncle walk back on to her side of the fence – both in the literal and metaphorical sense – then Amy would have lost hope and would not continue being the ambitious and optimistic girl that she is. Great things will never be accomplished or earned if hard work and planning is not somehow involved. As much as there needs to be aspirations and goals for dreams to start, they will very rarely come true unless actions are implemented and planning is used. Hard work and planning are just as, if not more important than the initial spark that will hopefully turn out to one day be ‘great’. If a person truly wished to accomplish something great, then not only their heart, but also their mind must be entirely focussed on what they hope to achieve. They must know and understand what they want to accomplish, and then plan, work hard for it, invest time in it, and take action upon it. This is the only way that a person can completely earn and feel wholly satisfied with what they desire to accomplish. For example, in David Malouf’s Blacksoil Country, another short story in Dream Stuff? the newly colonised family are an unsavoury and a somewhat unpleasant example of how some dreams, whether they are desired by all or not, can come true. The father of the family dreams of owning his own land for agricultural and farming purposes, and he takes his inquisitive 12 year old son and very unwilling wife to the outbacks of Australia. But due to the lack of knowledge and poor communication, the son becomes the unfortunate victim and losing his life to the racial discrimination that was very prevalent in those days. But the father’s dream of owning is own land, and moving to Australia would not have come without hard work and it quite clearly did not come without any sacrifices. It is true to say that dreams and ambitions are very important and are a vital part of accomplishing great things. Great things cannot even be considered to be accomplished if there is no dream or goals or aspirations to begin with. But it is also true to say that these dreams and ambitions cannot transpire or emerge from anything more than a dream, if hard work and planning is not involved. These dreams will rarely become anything more than just dreams if the person is not wholeheartedly committed and has full belief in what they are doing. In conclusion, it takes a combination of both – the initial dreams and aspirations, but also hard work, commitment, planning and most importantly, belief in what you are aiming to achieve.

The Concept Of Individual Rights - 1787 Words

The concept of individual rights refers to the freedom each individual possesses to pursue life without interference from other individuals or the government. A community is a collection of said individuals, with common interests and values, who take up community responsibilities to ensure that the collection holds objective standards that are beneficiary to all. Even though these concepts are intrinsically linked, in that one cannot survive without the other, there is often a desire to separate them and define where one ends and the other begins. Human social life can often be seen as a unity of two seemingly contradictory behavioral ideas: status competition and reciprocity. Status competition is the practice of striving to establish†¦show more content†¦Considering the teacher-student relationship between Socrates and Plato, similarities between the two’s philosophies are quite obvious, though they might be conveyed in different ways. In The Apology, Socrates presents his defense to his jurors when on trial for teaching nontraditional philosophies and, allegedly, affecting the community adversely. In this account, Socrates explains that his behavior stems from a prophecy by the oracle at Delphi which claimed that he was the wisest of all men. Recognizing his ignorance in most worldly affairs, Socrates concluded that he must be wiser than other men only in that he is aware of his own lack of knowledge. In order to spread this peculiar wisdom, Socrates explains that he considers it his duty to question supposed wise men and to expose their false wisdom as ignorance. In a famous passage, Socrates says that God specially appointed him to the city, â€Å"as though it were a large thoroughbred horse which because of its great size is inclined to be lazy and needs the stimulation of some stinging fly† (The Apology, 30e). Without him to rouse, persuade, and reprove the community, Socrates claims society is lia ble to drift into a deep sleep of unproductive activity and ethical laziness. When people ask why Socrates cannot quietly mind his own