Advocacy

Find the Need

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It takes more than passion to be an effective social worker.  You need to have vision, you need to seek out people who have been successful, and you need to keep up to date with professional development.

In all of the books I have read on being an entrepreneur, they always talk about finding mentors and learning from other successful people.

One goal for this blog is to go out and interview leaders in the community and discover their biggest needs while also highlighting the needs they address. I have started a list of topics relevant to social work advocacy and a list of community leaders. I hope to highlight agencies and services that the general public may not know exist in the community or their need with their client populations.

http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/career-jobs/3_Components_of_Turning_Passion_Into_a_Successful_Social_Work_Career/

Awareness of Inspiration Porn

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Once again, the local news has their own focus on a story that leads to more worry than good.  I saw this news story on Facebook and couldn’t stop myself from sharing it with my friends, with a short commentary on inspiration porn and people with disabilities overcoming obstacles created by others.  Reading things like this are suppose to motivate the average person to ask, “what is your excuse?” Then we start generalizing people with disabilities for not trying hard enough to overcome actual limitations. Instead of allowing people to arrive at the same destination with different routes, we tell them there is only one way to do things. We reinforce that there is a difference in worldviews between people with disabilities and people without disabilities. We champion people who try their hardest to return to the majority group’s version of living without accommodations.

There are two excellent resources I have been following which at first glance may seem overly PC but that assumption goes away with awareness of the complex issues being addressed.  Autism Wars on Facebook and realsocialskills on Tumblr.  Both focus on autism or neurodiversity/neurodivergence.  Just remember that labels are for people that need them, and a specific label may be offensive to one person and identifiable to another.  There is also a need to be aware that there is a growing number of parents that exploit their children’s disabilities all over the internet without their permission or without thinking about how permanent the internet is and what long term damage it creates for individuals.  My parents were always aware of keeping me out of a spotlight.  Keeping me off the talk shows and off the stage of the ADA signing with President HW Bush in Washington.

I spent my entire childhood rejecting accommodations and pleading with people to be treated like normal with the rest of my peers.  However, I had many accommodations.  I had my very own nurse who was regarded as a teacher’s assistant in Kindergarten through second grade. The real issue was that accommodations were not explained to my peers and kids with special needs were often separated from their peers and lumped together.  Also, integration was often seen as a negative because you needed school wide awareness and you needed specialized staff and social policies in place for service delivery.  Only once do I remember having an accommodation introduced to my peers with the level of awareness it required for them to understand why it was needed.  That was 4th grade and I was supposed to have jaw surgery, so I was learning how to use an alternative communication device which resembled a label maker.

I also remember being in freshman gym outside the pool riding an exercise bike all alone, watching my peers swim through the glass doors and having an alternate gym class that I never attended show up as a grade on my report card each quarter.

Be aware of ableism and how disability rights organizations are still leaving people on the fringes of society.  Educate yourself on the issues of parental exploitation of their differently-abled children.  Stop using disability as something that can be overcome or needs to be overcome.  Educate people on the purposes of accommodations and make those accommodations available to people, as an awareness that they are indeed available.

http://wbay.com/2016/01/02/inspiration-for-a-new-years-resolution/?cid=facebook_WBAY_TV-2
 

Professionalism and Ethics

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In Wisconsin, the social work profession is one of the most highly regulated job fields. After earning my MSW from an accredited university, i was required to obtain licensure with the state. I first had to pass a state codes exam and then apply, study, and pass the national ASWB Masters exam. Also to maintain my license, I need 30 continuing education hours. For me, still in the job market, I must pay for all of my trainings myself, without any agency funding assistance.  I do know however, that substance abuse counselors are required to complete 40 hours of training per biennial.
I am glad that other states are making licensing requirements more strict. As social workers we work with protected populations. It is imperative that professionals be held to a high standard and remain conscious of their professional standards, practices, and behaviors in and out of the office.
I very much take professionalism seriously in all aspects of my life. I have a very small group of Facebook friends and everything I post is for friends. Most of my Facebook posts are nature photos or workout/physique updates.
Unfortunately I see a lot of professionals who are not conscious about what they post or what privacy setting their posts are under.
Let’s be mindful of what our profession requires and the limits or sacrifices that are made for practicing in this field.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/12/17/dcf-fires-workers-who-failed-get-licenses/KMfgcEdkfEkHyD5yjNBw2M/story.html

Providing People with Tools

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Social workers are responsible for providing clients with the tools to change. It is the client’s choice to accept or decline the tools. If a client calls saying they haven’t eaten in three days, you don’t run over and buy them a sandwich. You give them the phone number and address for the local food pantry. You make sure they have sufficient transportation but you make it an empowering choice for them to make.
A professor I had, James Brown told it like this: You’re washing dishes and out the window you see someone digging a hole and then they jump down into the hole. You’re not going to join them in the hole, stranding both of you, you’re  going to give them a ladder so they can climb out on their own.
You have to allow people to make their own choices and take action by themselves. All the books I read about successful people share the idea that you need to take action and that no one is going to come along and motivate you to start. You take action and empower yourself which in turn empowers others to take action.

Crisis Response Starts with Service Awareness

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Police being called to assist in mental health crises is one of the issues that isn’t mentioned in the linked article below. Yes, police are called in these instances however, it should not be the first response for a mental health crisis call.
In my community, NAMI conducts a crisis intervention team (CIT) training. This training is also offered to other professionals and community members. The main failure in other communities is when consumers are not aware of other available resources for crisis response. The Fox Cities has a 211 number you can call that provides a list of community services which also includes the county crisis line.
If a family member called someone without a weapon who had a professional license and training, situations could be handled through dialogue and the therapeutic relationship that develops when professionals meet with clients in intake appointments. Using community crisis services may also offer insight into the client who may already have history with a professional. Also, many people who have experienced trauma can see police presence as a triggering event, furthering the breakdown of a crisis response.
I don’t necessarily blame police, I blame their training protocols and the quickness in which a weapon is used when responding to a situation. In no way do I think police shouldn’t remain vigilant or protective of their own safety. However maybe there can be less of an emphasis on the fact that police carry guns and guns can exacerbate a crisis situation. There are tazers and rubber bullets that can also be used when people are able to properly assess the level of immediate danger.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2015/12/29/why-police-calls-involving-the-mentally-ill-often-end-in-tragedy/

Snow and Public Transportation

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Tonight and tomorrow, Northeast WI is expected to get between eight and twelve inches of snow. I rather enjoyed not treading or driving through snow.
For the longest time, I used public transportation as my means of getting places. It was convenient at the time, it fulfilled my need to be independent, and it wasn’t expensive. For the longest time, I also had anxiety about driving which I unfortunately listened to.
With the snow coming in a pretty impactful storm, I think about all of the people who continue to require public transportation to get to work or to school or various appointments. I also think about the businesses and services that are not mindful of the bus schedules and weather delays.
I used to volunteer at the Green Bay animal shelter which is located in an odd spot, nowhere near a bus stop. It was quite the trek in the snow. I would volunteer on mornings when I had afternoon classes at UW Green Bay.
I also used the bus when doing night classes for my MSW. Classes would end at 9pm and the last bus would come at 9:30pm. I would get home at 10pm. Bus go-ers sometimes have to stand in driveways and streets in the winter because of snow piles, which can cause issues of safety especially when visibility is low.
When I worked at the Boys and Girls Club in the evenings, I would often walk the 8 blocks through downtown to the bus terminal to catch my bus, rather than waiting an hour to catch it a mere few feet from work.
Public transportation seems to be a dwindling service in our area. They have raised prices and cut hours and bus routes. There is little effort being made to connect people between the different city bus systems. Now there are more hourly routes and less thirty minute routes.
So I would ask that agencies and services be mindful of the transportation limits that clients and consumers have to deal with to hold on to that same level of independence and dependence that I once had to work around.

Police and Social Workers Team Up

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In the area that I live, there is a volunteer crisis response team. They work in partnership with the county’s crisis hotline and also the police. This is a prime example of how crisis response should be handled.
I also like that the crisis team of police and social workers in the linked story below primarily focus their efforts on community outreach and establishing relationships with people in need of services.
Not enough agencies do proactive community outreach with the client populations they serve. And sometimes, crisis services are disconnected from each other or only select clients qualify for certain services.
There is still institutionalization in this country. Clients with aggressive behaviors are not served in community-based agencies, rather they go to hospitals or institutions. I believe that needs to change. I believe trained, licensed professionals need to stand up for these clients and attempt to prevent institutional crisis responses.
What are your thoughts? Does your community respond to crisis in a collaborative and professional way?

Source: Police and Social Workers Team To Help The Troubled

Homeless and Advocates Wary of New Outreach Plan

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From what I’ve read, it sounds like the NYC Police Commissioner is only half-hearted with following social service initiatives to fight homelessness. It appears they will look at out-of-state laws that they may implement to go after the homeless in a criminal manner.
I like that there are social workers advocating for the homeless who are not afraid to ruffle police feathers. Sometimes, it can be hard to go against police officers if you work with them every day or depend on them in a collaborative manner. (Another issue that a future post on community crisis will address)
I live in a city where homelessness isn’t out in the open but everyone knows it is still present. The homeless shelter is near the post office and the bus station is next to the library. There is always a police presence at both of these locations. If there are issues with the police and the homeless, it isn’t broadcast through out social service agencies. I just don’t understand why people treat homelessness like a crime. It’s like putting people who owe debt in prison.
Read the article and let me know if you have any ideas on solutions and policy changes. Having worked with primarily youth, homelessness is a new area for me. When a teen was kicked out of the house, we had to call the police and there were also issues with other kid’s parents harboring a runaway.
However, I do know several people who are homeless or in some sort of transitional housing. But that’s the thing about my current insight, everyone I know is getting some kind of shelter.

Source: Homeless and Advocates Wary of De Blasio’s New Outreach Plan

Social Workers and Money

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Is it time to stop blaming the field for the low incomes of social workers? Or that financial resources for services just simply dry up because of the overabundance of need? Well the article linked below suggests that social workers begin to develop a new, more positive outlook on finances.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anneke-krakers/social-workers-stop-asking-for-money-do-this-instead_b_8849114.html
The authors give one suggestion about becoming an entrepreneur. I think that suggestion is on point for the purposes of THIS website, and that I have begun to create a personal brand encompassing ‘Relentless Advance: Advocacy, Art, and Vision.’
I just recently finished reading the book, “Eat that Frog!” by Brian Tracy. In it there is a quote about self discipline that really stuck with me. Self discipline is “the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do, whether you feel like it or not.”
I now write out a daily list of things to accomplish and rank them on importance. This helps me stay on track and free from distractions. This is also perfect for the upcoming new year. Most people are waiting for someone to come along and motivate them to do what they know they need to do to be successful. Well, no one is coming. I feel like making the decision and staying dedicated to weight loss and weight lifting was the switch that turned me on to more successful ventures. I now know how to stay motivated and look at long term versus short term. I can’t tell you how much food I turned down in my previous retail job. They used to order pizza as employee appreciation. I just sat down and ate my packed lunch and politely declined the free food.
The article authors also suggest using business practices to help them succeed in finding a way to become successful in the areas they enjoy and are experts in. The next book on my personal reading list, is about the laws of business success. I just rewrote my resume and cover letter templates and I think they are big improvements from the mess I had been using previous.
Now, I’m going to spend an hour (every single day) working on my biggest success weakness; my speech. I was born with cleft lip and palate and had three separate identical surgeries to try and improve my speech functioning. So I have physical limitations but there are still things I can do to improve how I sound, how loud I sound, and how clearly people can understand me. And when people can’t understand you or tell you to continually repeat yourself, you stop trying and go silent.
“Self esteem is the reputation you have with yourself.”

Current Social Work Trends

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I stumbled onto a blog post/article while looking up some of the current trends in social work. The link to the original post is below. But it caught my eye.
http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/the-important-role-social-workers-play-in-mental-health-1214157
I think this article really speaks to people who want to get into the profession who aren’t enrolled in the educational requirements or licensing requirements yet.
When I wrote my admission essay for my MSW program, I talked a lot about some of social work’s key values. I focused on self-determination, social justice, and dignity. One of my main topics was the feminization of poverty, which I do not believe gets nearly enough attention in just basic awareness campaigns. You can link so many issues to the feminization of poverty, such as pay equity, non-subsidized child care, comparable worth, child support, and economic support services.
As someone with an MSW and an advanced practice license, mental health is still an increasing but also still developing issue in the field. When you combine mental health with trauma or the ways in which people react to crises, there are several varying beliefs or intervention techniques among professionals. We are seeing a lot of hot button issues surrounding trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and institutionalization. (Note: I love words that end in -zation)
In a future post, I will further discuss what I have been researching and interviewing other professionals about in regards to reactions to client traumas and crisis events.
However, one topic I have really focused my attention on is addiction and prescription drugs in relation to the correctional system. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am working on getting my Substance Abuse Counselor certifications (SAC-IT/SAC). And I currently volunteer in a peer support group for formerly incarcerated adults on and off DOC supervision. Prescription drugs are a very big business in the prison system, as is addiction. Since the 1970’s, the US has been trying to move away from institutionalization. However it does not appear that way when focusing on incarceration rates.
The WI DOC’s 2015-2017 budget is just over $1.2 billion.
(page 14 in pdf below)
http://doc.wi.gov/Documents/Web/About/DataResearch/Budget/Final%20Biennial%20Budget%20request-091514.pdf
And in the additional document below, WI’s current prison population is just over 22,000 inmates. The capacity however is around 16,000.
http://doc.wi.gov/Documents/WEB/ABOUT/DATARESEARCH/NOTABLESTATISTICS/FRIDAYREPORTS/fri_12_18_2015.pdf
So we are seeing some definitive needs when it comes to community support programs and agencies that keep people out of the prisons and remain in the community.

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