SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH FAMILIES
Social work is referred to as an academic profession and field that entails families, groups, individuals, and the entire community to enhance obtaining tangible social services, psychotherapy, counseling, and the to improve social functioning. Social functioning is how individuals go about their social roles. Social work practice is often categorized either into microwork or macro work. Microwork involves direct work with small groups or individuals, while macro work consists of working with communities and social policy to foster change in large groups. To conduct assessments, to develop interventions, to engage with client systems, solve social and personal problems, social work applies social sciences such as sociology, psychology, law, and economics. Various practice concepts and strategies include:
Regulation of sexual behavior: is described as a process in which humans and animals express and demonstrate sexuality. The role of the family is to provide an individual with the understanding and knowledge about the moderation of sexual behavior. Because no community wants to leave an individual to direct their sexual behavior as they please, there are unwritten and written rules that prohibit certain sexual behavior that is greatly influenced by values, religious beliefs, and norms. Another strategy is changing the role of women. In our society today, changing the role of women is the most dramatic and is usually cited as social metamorphoses. Women are today taking up jobs that were believed to be for men, they have gone extra miles to choose their own different path from what the society had chosen for them, women are changing on the basis of how the community viewed them and also on how they see themselves. In society today, women pursue financially and psychologically rewarding careers to obtain materialistic assets in order to enrich the rudimentary essentials of family living. Education is also a key concept. The first education that a child gets in the family when growing up is through socializing. Today education is an essential feature in the community, and many individuals recognize it. Families, through parents, provide education by sending their children to school to improve their qualifications. The other concept is that of Affection, Protection, and Emotional support. To develop morality aspects of uprightness and values, an individual requires protection, affection, emotional support, and friendship. In the case that a family member undergoes problems or difficulties, the other members possess these responsibilities to offer support. In a case that a person lacks the psychological requirements, he or she can run into problems leading to declined growth and development.
To begin with, education being a very vital component that is highly recognized in our community today, each parent with the capacity to send their child in school should do so. This is because through education, an individual increases his qualifications that may be used as the basis for job or employment provision. The educational tier increases as one completes various educational stages that are a requirement to attain the competency in multiple disciplines. The education gained can, in turn, be a great advantage not only to the individual but to the family and the society at large. Changing the role of women should also be emphasized not only in the family but in the community at large. The stereotype that it’s only men who can do various tasks should be combated, and women should be empowered to challenge their brains and pursue the financially and psychologically rewarding jobs to enrich the basis of the family living. Women should also be empowered to participate in leadership, and it has been believed for ages that women cannot lead in areas where men exist. Still, through empowerment and situational change, women have stood out to take the roles of men. For example, in cases where the man dies before the woman, the woman usually takes the role of a father to protect, care, and provide for the entire family. In the case one family member faces a difficulty or problem, the family members who possess the responsibility of affection, emotional support, and protection usually come through to comfort their members. For example, when a family member undergoes nervous breakdown due to maybe the loss of a loved one or a job, the other family members will always be around to offer emotional support.
In the current society, many family problems originate from lack or insufficient finances. For instance, in Nigeria, a significant number of families live below the daily recommended international standards of one dollar, and it’s challenging to obtain basic needs and other needs like education, which is highly valued in the world today. As a result, several conflicts emerge due to misunderstanding of what the available money should be used for. In the case of Nigeria, to overcome the problem of insufficient finances, which causes many issues, the government has resorted to providing services to families through a significant agency called the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (FMWSD). Some government has also provided free primary education to ensure that children obtain basic education. Another challenge is sexual behaviors and issues relating to sexuality. Since issues relating to sexuality is not considered to be a major problem and is not usually discussed in public and in reality it might pose a problem to an individual and the entire community. For instance when one of the family members is rendered infertile, this issue will not be discussed in the open but it could pose a threat to the continuity of the family. When the family members do not regulate the sexual behaviors of other family members, they may end up in promiscuous activities and end up contracting STDs which affects their health and taint the family’s name. This problem can be solved by providing sexual education to family members at an early age. Change in family circumstance such as bereavement of a family member or loss of a job is also a challenge. Divorce can affect the children whose parents are separated; this means that they will not be able to continue with their education as usual or access other basic needs. In the case of the death of a sole breadwinner, this will lead to severe economic hardship for all family members.
To conclude, families should put into practice the strategies and concepts like regulation of sexual behavior and changing the role of women to enhance social functioning. Social sciences like sociology and psychology should be introduced to the community. Sexual education should be provided to family members and the community at an early age so that they can avoid contracting sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. The community should be enlightened on the benefits of education and other practices like the use of birth control to regulate population growth.