What Is The Impact of Social Workers On Our Society?
Despite all of our differences, one thing that everyone can agree on is the fact that the world is an extremely unpredictable place right now. Discrimination and unfairness are running rampant and people seem to only be concerned about their own self-interests. But the question here is: if everyone is only looking out for themselves, who will raise their voice for those who cannot do it themselves?
The downtrodden of society needs someone to advocate on their behalf, and this is where social workers come in. Social workers are an extremely important part of our society today. They choose to dedicate their lives to working for those whose voices are not heard by the world.
Social work takes immense dedication and patience as people in this field are constantly dealing with unfairness and harshness. They are making the world a better place, one case at a time. If you think that you have what it takes and you wish to right the wrongs of the world, then you too can become a social worker. All you would have to do is get the relevant qualification, which includes an online master’s in social work.
What exactly does a social worker do?
In basic terminology, the job of a social worker is to provide aid to individuals whose lives have been disrupted due to any reason. The social worker’s mission is to help individuals get his/her life back on track. In the broader context, social workers help communities and families too. A social worker helps people reconnect with societal institutions that will help them become functioning members of society again. This is done by helping people improve their skills and righting the wrongs that led to their downfall in the first place. Social workers help with everything, from helping children reunite with their families or find new families to helping unemployed individuals get jobs. No matter what the problem, a social worker helps individuals alleviate their suffering by getting them the help they need. There are two distinct types of social workers that help people.
Types of social workers
- Direct service social workers: Direct service social workers are those who help people navigate the problems in their everyday lives. They first identify people in the society who need help and then work with these individuals to bring about positive changes in their lives.
They help individuals deal with extreme changes in their lives like the death of a spouse or child, divorce, etc. For members of society who are struggling financially, social workers provide support by connecting them with programs like food stamps, etc. Furthermore, they work with children who have suffered from abuse or neglect by monitoring and removing them from harmful environments if the need arises.
- Clinical Social Workers: Clinical social work differs significantly from direct-service social work. Clinical social workers are medically trained workers who help individuals deal with their mental health issues. They not only diagnose emotional and mental disorders but also provide treatment for them. This can be in the form of therapy such as individual therapy, couples therapy, and family therapy or by connecting them with support groups.
Often times, clinical social workers join hands with other healthcare professionals to work out a well-rounded treatment plan for the individual. Once they realize that an individual has certain triggers or problem areas, they help that individual develop countermeasures to deal with their problems.
Working for the betterment of societies
Everything that social workers do leads toward one singular goal: the betterment of the society that we live in. If you look around yourself right now, you will find a lot of accomplished individuals who are doing well for themselves. But on the other hand, you will also find many people who are struggling. While the rest of us may only empathize with such people, social workers work with them to resolve their problems.
From making sure that children do not stay in abusive homes to providing help to the out-of-work widow, social workers help the underprivileged. Social workers often end up choosing career paths that they feel most passionate about and changing the world around them through their actions. For example, if you want to become a social worker and you love working with children, then there is a wide variety of social work you can do. You can work with child protective services to remove children from problematic homes or become a caseworker to foster children to help them find better homes.
Creating a better and happier society
With the world currently on the edge of chaos, social work is more important today than ever before. People who find that luck has not been on their side often end up taking the wrong path in order to lead a comfortable life. They often think of ways to make quick money and that leads them down the path of crime.
That is where social workers come in. A social worker will help an unemployed man get back up on his feet so that he doesn’t end up in jail or on the streets. Social workers clean up society. They take the problems plaguing an individual and find solutions. By helping people build their capacity for better futures, social workers are actively contributing to bringing down crime rates and creating a safer society.
Why social work is essential in these times?
The society is not just made up of put-together individuals who can solve any problem that comes at them through the help of money or support from family and friends. According to statistics, nearly 15% of Americans are living below the poverty line. These are individuals who constantly have to make life or death decisions every single day just to get by. These are the individuals who need social workers the most; they need help to guide them through problems like homelessness, hunger, addiction, and illnesses.
Furthermore, millions of people are suffering from mental health disorders and not all of them can afford to see therapists solve their issues or take the necessary medications to keep them in check. Social workers help these individuals take control of their lives by offering them free services and connecting them with subsidized aid.
One group that benefits the most from the help of social workers is children. Children cannot stand up for themselves and protect themselves when they are being beaten, molested or neglected. Social workers are the only hope for children who are born into such households. They advocate for better lifestyles for these children and play a huge role in shaping the kind of adults they grow up to be.
Conclusion
The impact of social workers on society cannot be measured simply because it is too significant. Social workers actually go out and solve the problems that you and I may only feel sad or scoff about. This is why we should all be inherently thankful to social workers for all that they do for society at large and consequently, for all of us.
