Constructing Social Work Practice: A Dynamic Model - Paper Example

Social workers strongly believe in design and base every practice strategy on identifying the person in the environment or person in the circumstance. From this perspective, the person is believed to participate in the social environment, and his or her actions cannot be separated from this system. This person is influenced by social, environmental, and professional contexts.

Social workers have been prominent in operations of influencing mental health legislation, including the new social models in mental health support the significance of the engagement of the profession not only civil and political but also social, economic, as well as cultural rights. Even though mental health social workers can sometimes be overwhelmed by the lots of work, as well as expectations bestowed on them, looking for possible places of influencing the mental policy environment onto social perspective cannot be overlooked.

Social work introduces knowledge, skills, and values to service delivery of individuals who are mentally distressed. Together with the multidisciplinary environment of modern mental health services, social workers are professionally educated with skills grounded in social sciences, the law in association with vulnerable persons special care services knowledge for people across the life cycle, as well as a value base which focuses on anti-discrimination and oppression.

Mental health social work undergoes various challenges which include retention and recruitment of new practitioners, as well as building expertise and confidence to sustain a distinct voice in medically dominated multidisciplinary context. Important to note is the fact that social work significantly contributes to mental health services and it forms an essential component in their development (Northouse, 2015). Even so, like any other profession, social workers are unable to afford to rest on their laurels. Within the increasingly rapid innovations in the world, varying demands and pressure, there is a need for a flexible and well-trained workforce.

Theory and practice

The compatibility of theory and social work practice relates to its core in both practice and theory. Historically, social workers have been relational practitioners have the setting up of the vocation. In the mental health area, social work operates in a changing context of concepts as well as values. This is a representation of theoretical context for practice which shapes the way in which services and policies are developed.

For example, the concepts of evidence-based practice have emerged as dominant influences in the way all disciplines offer clinical services. Originating from the evidence-based medicine movement; evidence-based practice involves a consistent, explicit and judicious application of the most relevant research evidence to various clinical domains, and interventions of rehabilitative and preventive nature (Healy, 2014). In addition, the focus of evidence-based practice is in the evaluation of research evidence in accordance with research techniques in which randomized clinical trials are seen to have stronger evidence for efficacy.

Social workers deal with people of different ages, some of whom have issues while others are judged to be a problem. Other troubles are indeed individual while others are often experienced as social or even societal. Environments can sometimes interfere with or assist the process. Welfare legislation changes, social policy, and political climates, often content to meet the demands of who, through no fault of their own, are considered vulnerable, while other times policy and practice are keen to motivate citizens to have responsibility for their own conduct and welfare. Whatever the social climate or political mood, social workers are requested to deal with difficult aspects of human conditions (Hepworth et al., 2016). In any case, practitioners are to operate intelligently and more effectively, they are supposed to make sense of people as well as their social environments.

References

Healy, K. (2014). Social work theories in context: Creating frameworks for practice. Palgrave Macmillan.

Northouse, P. G. (2015). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications.

Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D., & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2016). Empowerment Series: Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills. Nelson Education.