Critical and Contextual Domain On Social Care
Outline
Introduction: a definition of social care practice and the factors that have influenced its evolution. Social care practice has been influenced by several domains; the critical domain comprising social contexts and political elements, and the contextual domain; comprising of theories and methods which are discussed in this essay
Body paragraphs
The Critical domain; social contexts: since the society is not homogeneous, social care practices must be customized to fit into the respective social contexts. Societies vary in terms of the levels of development and the handling of various social problems.
Political factors; the political scenarios in different regions vary significantly. In return, these determine the political decisions and working conditions. Additionally, this element influences how various social problems are handled in a region, influencing contemporary social care practice.
Contextual domain: theories and methods: a theory can be viewed as a prediction of what is likely to happen in a certain situation, while methods refer to the actual actions undertaken by a social care practitioner. Theories have provided a broad knowledge base for social care practitioners from which they can make inferences.
- Due to the various theories advanced, there is a wide range of methods from which social care practitioners can choose from patients’ conditions.
- Theories and methods have led to prioritizing patients’ needs and optimizing outcomes by revoking the reliance of practitioners’ intuition.
Conclusion
Critical and Contextual Domain On Social Care
The definition of social care practice has often been problematic to policy makers, but this field’s influence is widespread. Social care is a profession that entails the careful planning, devising, and execution of social services. Social care practice is dependent on various skills such as an ability to plan and draw upon certain evidence to inform policy (Lalor & Share, 2009). Social care practice entails a wide range of professions such as nursing, social work, and occupational therapy. There have been remarkable changes in social care practice due to constant evolutions in various domains of society. The single aspect that has remained unchanged over time is the operation base of social care practice, with an individual or a large community. This then means that there are multiple stakeholders at play in social care practice as the society and individuals are caught up in an intense and constantly changing relationship, each seeking to influence the other. This paper delves into two domains; the critical and interpersonal domain and how specific elements in these domains influence social care practice quality.
While addressing how the social contexts in the critical domain of critical thinking influence, it is essential to highlight that the societies are heterogeneous in terms of political, economic, and political climates (Lalor & Share, 2009). Therefore, individual social care approaches must be tailored to meet society’s specific contexts, mostly full of diversity. Social care practice operates in different social contexts, with a wide range of players who interact to inform social care’s nature in complex ways. For instance, healthcare practice or social work in developed countries such as Sweden and America will vary significantly from developing states such as most African countries (Ziemann, Brown, Sadler, Ocloo, Boaz & Sandall, 2019). Each region’s uniqueness in terms of social care practice arises due to a difference in resource availability, political climates, culture, religion, and national policies.
The personal contexts of the social care workers may influence the quality of care accorded to a patient. As much as social workers are professionals and employees, they are also citizen’s community members whose knowledge is grounded on their education, background, and interests (Dodds, 2016). An interplay between these factors influences their nature of interaction with a client, the assumptions, and the judgments that they may make when dealing with a client. There have been workers who have taken advantage of their clients’ vulnerability to advance their interests. For instance, a psychologist manipulating mentally depressed persons. While some countries would sanction strict legal ramifications for the social care practitioner to even revoke their operating license, such action would not be questioned in other countries that lack a stringent code of ethics (Ziemann, Brown, Sadler, Ocloo, Boaz & Sandall, 2019). This force has significantly shaped the contemporary social care practice and may explain the differences witnessed in nature and quality.
Another social context factor that may be intricately linked with the political element relates to the work policies and their influences on employees (Dodds, 2016). In most advanced countries, there has been a persistent shortage of practitioners, such as nurses and physicians. This means that the available individuals will have to undertake more tasks and experience more stress. In some cases, overwork matched with less remuneration translates into worker’s exhaustion and a general loss of motivation in the workplace. Patients and clients usually experience reduced motivation since they receive less attention from social care practitioners. Additionally, policies such as government funding influence the quality of services provided at the care provision points. Because of the inadequate remuneration, research reveals that most developed countries tend to gravitate more towards the private sector.
Moreover, social care practice is based on dealing with social problems, depending on the context. Examples of such issues are poverty, diseases, mental disorders, and the associated influences, such as the inability to afford quality healthcare. In some countries such as the USA, poverty affects only a limited population, while poverty is a mass phenomenon in most countries of Africa. This disparity in the social problems sharply contrasts the kind of intervention that social care workers from both regions would accord the community (Lalor & Share, 2009). Despite having the same problems, the role of social care workers varies significantly, especially shaped by the government’s role in both scenarios. The nature of intervention measures is determined by the resources and the government support available in both cases. As a result of these forces, social care practice has demonstrated significant disparities in different contexts. Domestic policies by the governments interact with social influences such as resource availability to influence the social care practice’s nature.
As previously discussed, social care practice is engaged with identifying problems facing the implementation of quality care and improving this through well-designed techniques. Consequently, social care is informed by a broad theoretical framework that guides in solving the identified social problems (Lalor & Share, 2009). There have been significant evolutions of theory and research methodology across the social sciences such as psychology and medicine, which have, revolutionized social care practice. The development of theory and methods in social sciences comprise the contextual domain of critical thinking and has significantly shaped the contemporary social care practice.
At the core of social care, practice is theory, which informs actions, perspectives, and dictates the practitioners’ approach to the care. On the other hand, methods are the specific actions that social care practitioners implement to reach the intended goal of care (Hagan, 2011). There has been a significant evolution of theory in the contemporary age, which can be associated with globally increasing knowledge levels. Regardless of the setting or the work that a social care practitioner undertakes, they hold a professional responsibility to know researched theories and draw evidence from such theories in social care practice.
The evolution of theories has been essential in informing a practitioner on the type of method to utilize with clients in various problematic circumstances. For example, in nursing, the polishing of the holistic approach to human health specifies that a social caregiver should consider the impacts of the body, mind, and soul when attending a patient. Therefore, when working with clients who may have suffered from a traumatic event, a social care practitioner will underline the connection between the mind and soul in relation to the body’s healing (Hagan, 2011). If the client is suffering from depression, the social care worker would know the method to use with the client, such as involving a counselor to ensure holistic healing. Therefore, the evolution of more theories has significantly influenced the specific techniques used to reach recovery.
Moreover, theories and methods have revoked social care practitioners’ intuition in observing and intervention, which could place the heath of a patient at risk (Teater, 2014). For instance, when assessing the cause of a child’s violent behavior, a social worker may explain the child’s behavior as a product of observational learning from the home environment or neighborhood, which is based on Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment. Therefore, social care is intricately linked with theory and methods whose credibility has been proven in coherence with social care (Hagan, 2011). in the contemporary world, social care embraces the approach that wisdom and professionalism are based on previous experiences where theories and methods have been utilized successfully.
Additionally, the sporadic evolution of theories has increased social care practitioners’ efficiency by giving them a wide range of theories and methods from which to choose from (Teater, 2014). With the evolution of multiple theories, a social care worker may select the theory and method which is best suited to approach a situation of decide to use the eclectic approach. Depending on the patient situation, a social care practitioner may choose to implement a specific method such as behavioral therapy while other practitioners may choose other approaches depending on the client and the anticipated goals (Hagan, 2011). The unique patient needs determine theories and methods to be applied. Suppose a method or theory proves not to work. In that case, a social care practitioner should consider reassessing the patient and adjusting the theories and methods to fit their needs or medical conditions best.
One significant way that theories have shaped the contemporary social care practice is the emphasis place on the environment as a shaping force of human experiences in the psychosocial theory. The psychosocial theory is a product of the psychoanalytic and psychosocial theorists, emphasizing the impact of the environment on human behavior (Teater, 2014). The basic ideas of this theory are that, an individual should be assessed in relation to their environment from which they derive their living. Therefore, this theory stresses the importance of establishing a relationship between a social care practitioner and a client and eliminating the barriers that could hinder a working relationship. This is a significant change in the social care since the relationship between the social care provider and a client is considered of paramount importance and an initial step towards healing. By focusing on the influence of the unconscious element of a person’s mind, social care practitioners have been able to account for certain behavior of clients by determining the influence of past experiences (Teater, 2014). Theories and methods have therefore shaped the practice of social care by influencing the approach of working with a client. This can be argued as positive influence because the client interests are prioritized and the outcomes optimized by providing a solid knowledge base.
In conclusion, the contemporary social care practice has and is still evolving due to the influence of various domains. In the critical domain, the interplay between social contexts and political factors greatly influences the practice of social care in various settings. On the other hand, theories and methods have evolved significantly over the past few years which have influenced social practice to prioritize more on patient needs as informed by the constantly evolving knowledge levels. In both of these domains, the core principles underpinning social care becomes more magnified especially in the evolution towards a more comprehensive social care practice.
References
Teater, B. (2014). An introduction to applying social work theories and methods. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Ziemann, A., Brown, L., Sadler, E., Ocloo, J., Boaz, A., & Sandall, J. (2019). Influence of external contextual factors on the implementation of health and social care interventions into practice within or across countries—a protocol for a ‘best fit’framework synthesis. Systematic reviews, 8(1), 1-9.
Lalor, K., & Share, P. (2009). Understanding social care.
Hagan, M. (2011). An Introduction to Applying Social Work Theories and Methods.
Dodds, S. (2016). Social contexts and health. Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Glasgow.