WAYNE STATE UNIVERSTY SOCIAL WORK 3010

VALUES

FH0825 1/31/2014

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INTRODUCTION

My discussion in the paper is about values. My values that interested me in social work and the values that has shaped my character. This paper will cover my childhood up bringing to my adulthood experiences. Ill discuss values that are related to the NASW code of ethics.

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CONCLUSION

In conclusion, my values as it relates to this assignment are the core of my being. My values are my determining factors in every decision I make, who I am and how I treat others. Values, in my opinion should act as boundaries as we live our everyday life. I feel its very important not only that we apply or values in all we do, its also detrimental that we pass these values down to our villages as well. Its our responsibility to ensure these values are instilled in our future generations as, without teaching them, how can they be held accountable for something they were never taught.

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My values are the main reasons Im interesting in this Social Work program. Being that my values are the things that I believe are important in the manner in which I work, live my life and interact and treat others. My values of Service, Social Justice, Dignity and worth of people along with Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity and Competence will be an asset as I practice Social Work.2 Ive experienced many life situations that helped me to shape my values and support my belief in social work. One very important experience stemmed from a very bad toothache I had
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as a young adult that needed medical attention. I was previously laid off from work and I didnt have any medical insurance and wasnt able to afford to see a doctor to have my tooth treated. The pain had become too unbearable to withstand and I went to emergency. I advised the receptionist that I had very little cash and no insurance. Unbeknownst to me, she was able to sit me down with someone who was able to enroll me in a program that allowed me to see a local dentist for care at a much discounted price that I was able to afford. Her kind gesture shaped my value of Service and Dignity by her willingness to help me when I couldnt help myself and to get me the right help thats I needed. Another situation goes back to me being in grade school and not being able to afford to bring my lunch daily. My school was able to approve me for free lunch offered in the school cafeteria. That shaped my value of Social Justice as I was allowed to eat along my same peers who were able to afford their lunch. It made me believe in Social work values because they were the ones who ultimately were able to approve me with the food assistance that I required to stay healthy. In my honest opinion, I feel the young people in the juvenile justice system population would have the most difficult time serving or advocating for. I believe its so due to fear and whatever situation led them to having to be behind bars and isolated. In a number of these situations, it may have been due to some form of violence. As a social worker having to service or interact with this population, it puts me at risk for becoming the object of their possible attacks. If they landed in such a facility, it could be possible that theyve committed several offenses that led them there. That leads me to believe they were already warned and about their actions and chose not to take heed. That makes it

difficult to work with this population because your service and advocacy could possibly land on death ears. 4. Ive learned throughout my life and have also experienced many instances where this population has rejected authority on many levels, starting at home. In most cases, they are from a single parent home. The single parent raising them may not be taken as seriously by the child as they would with two parents in the house. The child may then feel a sense of abandonment by the parent that is not there, causing the child to resent the parent that is there. This behavior spills outside of the home into the school, and sometimes rolls over into adolescent and beyond. If a child has no respect for parents, theyll usually not have respect for any authority figure. It starts at home and if a home is broken, it can create issues for this population of people. Me personally, I had both parents growing up, but that did not always guide me into making the best decisions as a youth. Sometimes my peers played a bigger role in my decisions and actions than my parents did.

Religiously and spiritually there would be no barriers to serving this population. My religious and spirituality would be an asset that I could use as a guide in helping this population. An example of that would be my religion teaches to love and not judge. When dealing with the youth population, being able to provide the help they need despite what they may have done/not done or what has happened to them is an important part of my job, religion and spirituality.

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I would assist someone from this group in a non-judgmental way by simply listening to them and letting them tell their story uninterrupted. By simply listening to them can give me a better path as to what kind of help they actually need. I would display positive regard by assuring them that Im there to help them as best that I can and to not judge them. I would try to keep an open line of communication open in case they needed to talk to me. I would let them know Im very empathetic to their situation.

Dignity and worth of the person along with Service will help me to best serve this population. Its very important when dealing with clients who are in need of help to not make them feel unworthy. They need to know they are just as worthy as the social worker thats providing them with the help they need. Their dignity should not be compromised due to the situation that they are in. Service to the client should be given according to each individual needs. Whatever services is needed to the extent that the client qualifies and does not abuse, should be given. As social workers we should want to help our clients to the best of our ability.

I would demonstrate these 2 ethical codes with this population by letting the clients know their worth as a person does not decrease when they are going through difficult times. Assure them

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that no matter the situation, I, as the social worker will still treat them with respect. As it relates to service, Ill demonstrate by doing what act or deed necessary to ensure they receive the held needed in an efficient manner.

I would let the client know that I enjoyed working with them and how I was able to learn from working with them some things that you can take with you on your journey as you continue to practice social work that will be very helpful should you have a similar experience. I would assure them that I want them to have the very best care available and its beyond my capability to provide the necessary care needed at this point. Id tell them I know a phenomenal person who has more experience in dealing with this kind of situation and would be able to produce a much better result than I could. Ill still work closely with your new social worker so that she has some history as to what goal we want to see accomplished, so please dont feel as if Im giving up on you. Its still my goal that you receive the best possible care so that is why Im referring you to one of the best in our region and shell take excellent care of you.

This part of the assignment has not affected my decision to become a social worker; it has enhanced my decision to want to become one even more. At first I was a little apprehensive about encountering the juvenile youth population. This assignment made me realize that if I felt

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this way about this population, I probably would need to change that. The truth is, they are human, they do exist and they deserve the same treatment, dignity, and services that all the other existing populations deserve. Working this assignment has now sparked my interest in the juvenile youth population. My future plans include placing myself in the next persons shoes before judging. Always remain humble and know that the person seeking help could have easily been me. Treat everyone you encounter, no matter the background, or circumstance with the same respect. I will start to show more empathy and understanding to others who make different decisions in life than I wouldve made. I will keep in mind that not every decision Ive made in life was right either.

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Reference Workers, N. A. (2008). NASW Code of Ethics (Guide to the Everyday Professional Conduct of Social Workers). Washington, DC: NASW.