social work
In today’s society, social work has gained a lot of attention as it is considered an essential act of helping people who are facing different challenges. Becoming a social worker requires several years of education and training. There are much different social work; children and family, mental health, and high school social workers. Most social workers help individuals and groups in managing problems in their everyday lives. Besides, they work with the community to develop programs that help the most vulnerable population. Social workers pursue a variety of career paths. A social worker’s professional environment shapes their responsibilities and daily tasks. The challenges that face the community where a person comes from may inspire someone to pursue a social worker career. I am interested in the DCF social worker career, and I look to pursue it in it. DCF works toward establishing the safety and well-being of the commonwealth community by stabilizing and preserving families. The primary reason for choosing to pursue a career as a DCF worker is because I want to work with children, make a difference in their life. Besides, I want to be in a position to help people who are facing different challenges in their day to day activities.
Generally, the DCF social worker focuses on saving children’s lives and bringing change in their life. A social worker can take a child out of an abusive home or environment, whether physical or mental abuse. There are many parts of the world where children face many challenges, such as lack of food, shelter, diseases, and many others. Such states include New Hemisphere, Massachusetts, Indiana, and Oklahoma. The target population for a DCF social worker is the children and families. As stated earlier, the work of DCF social workers is to save children’s lives. The data and statistics of these States signal the need for social workers to change the lives of many children living there. According to the U.S. Bureau, the children population in Massachusetts is broken into different characteristics. The data comprise of children who are 17 years and below. These characteristics include; children in the married-couple family, male, family, biological, adopted, stepchildren, and those living in public welfare facilities. Although many children are in the married-couple family, the rest is in a single-parent household is likely to face some challenges such as economic hardship, domestic violence, depression, and many others. These challenges affect the children’s lives to the extent that some suffer from mental disorders, drop out of school, and even attempt suicide. A small percentage of children who are adopted still faces life challenges and hardships. These life conditions call the responsibility of DCF social workers to save and change the lives of children.
Another state where numerous data about children can be obtained is New Hemisphere. The new hemisphere is among the states in New England where children from the Age of 0- 17 face challenges. Overall, the children population’s data in the hemisphere indicate that there are more than two million children. Half of this number lives in poor health conditions due to poverty. 21.3% are homeless due to the separation of parents or death. Around 20% of the children in the New Hemisphere are neglected, thus facing economic hardship; some have remained homeless while others have been adopted. Although those adopted are believed to have a better life than the homeless, sometimes they are involved in sexual abuse, forced labor making their lives quite difficult. Due to the high rate of drug abuse, family conflicts and separation have gone high in New Hemisphere. As a result, the percentage of children living in dire conditions and experiencing difficulties is high. Oklahoma State is also considered to have a large population of children facing different challenges. Marriage and divorce data of Oklahoma comes from the CDC and shows that the marriage rate of 6.8% and the divorce rate is 4.1%. The high divorce rate means children are left with a single parent who can face challenges when raising them. The birth rate for unmarried women is 42%. Besides mortality rate is high. Furthermore, Indiana State provides adequate data about children and the challenges they are facing. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Indiana has a 9.9% divorce rate leaving many children homeless. Approximately 15% of children are homeless.
Children face many challenges in these four states. Some challenges are similar in all states, while others vary depending on the state. These challenges call for the responsibilities of DCF Social workers. In the new hemisphere, children are likely to face the following challenges: economic hardship, parental divorce or separation; living with someone who was mentally ill, living someone who has a drug problem, victim or witness of the neighborhood violence, a witness of the domestic violence, attempted suicide, the parent having served jail for some time, being mistreated or discriminated due to ethnicity difference. There are also socioeconomic challenges, including not graduating from high school because of a lack of school fees, unemployment, and health insurance. These negative experiences are associated with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACES are stressful events that may have negative impacts on children’s health and well-being. These early experiences have an impact on individual development and subsequent emotional, cognitive, and biological functioning. Furthermore, ACEs are associated with health outcomes such as drug abuse.
The challenges children face in Massachusetts include domestic violence, hunger, depression, forced labor, and lack of shelter. Children in Oklahoma face challenges such as economic hardship, diseases, and lack of parental love since many children are for unmarried women. In Indiana, state children are likely to face sexual abuse, domestic violence, hunger, economic hardships, and many more. Some of these challenges are similar in all states: domestic violence, economic hardships, hunger, neglect, child abuse, and homelessness. Other challenges are different from one state to another. Some challenges faced in New Hemisphere, such as neighborhood violence, racism is not available in these other three states. In Massachusetts, there are challenges of hunger and diseases that are not present in other States.
There are many resources available for the children and family that help support and change their lives when faced with different challenges. Some of the resources are used by social workers to carry out their responsibilities and duties. Based on the research findings on the Childcare awareness of the New Hemisphere, the available resources were grouped as the state, family, and community resources. State resources include the Child development Bureau which is focused on enriching the lives of children and families through quality health care, N.H. Easy provides health and food assistance to children who are starving. Community action programs are dedicating to improving the lives of children. The programs consist of a group of social workers who have met the required requirements and training to help change the lives of children experiencing difficulties. Child trauma experts provide resources in Massachusetts at the Child Trends and Child Trauma Training centers; these resources help children react to their parents, caregivers, and community members. Children return to their normal functioning when they receive support from caregivers or social workers. In Oklahoma state, resources for helping children from their challenges are community-based programs and state. Counseling institutions and child caregivers help improve and transform the lives of children who pass through difficult times due to challenges such as neglect, abuse, domestic violence, among others. Similarly, most resources are health-based in Indiana State since the state is widely known for food insecurity and poor health. Such resources include; Child health programs for supporting children who are battling with different disorders due to stressful experiences from home setup.
DCF social worker focuses on saving and transforming the lives of children and families going through different challenges. Social workers have a lot of tasks to perform in the four states. Already there are good numbers of them in those states. Given the difficulties the children and families undergo in the new hemisphere, social work career can be challenging. As a result, support, training, and supervision are offered to social workers. It provides flexible working arrangements to help the staff maintain life/work arrangements. Also, social workers have ongoing professional development opportunities, and they are given tuition assistance to pursue their MSW. Other benefits are paid leave, health insurance, pension plan, and life insurance. New Hemisphere prefers the master’s degree in social work to get employed. Based on the 2020 report, DCF social worker receives an average salary of $65954, but the range typically ranges between $59840 and $73056. To attain your license as a social worker in New Hemisphere, one must log 3000 hours of supervised clinical social work practice after receiving the degree. One must also pass the Association of Social workers ASWB Clinical Level Exam and pass the New Hemisphere Board of Mental Health practice exam. The scope of work, salary, and license requirements varies from one state to another.
In Massachusetts, DCF social worker requires to maintain the highest degree of professionalism in the community and courts and maintain ongoing communication. He should also be family-centered, child-driven to achieve the targeted goals. The salary for a social worker in Massachusetts is $53215. To possess a license as a social worker in the state, you must have completed 60 hours of college coursework in social work. In Oklahoma, a social worker earns an average yearly salary of $63270. You will need to have a minimum bachelor’s degree in a social worker licensed by the Oklahoma State Board to become a social worker. This makes it expensive to become a social worker at the state. Those having master’s degrees in social workers are most preferred and paid a high salary. Lastly, in Indiana State, a social worker’s career is very demanding and flexible as long as you meet the targeted goals. To become licensed as a social worker in Indiana State, a minimum requirement is a bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW). However, with the master’s degree, you are eligible for all three licenses provided by the board. The salary for a social worker in this state is $49169 in a year.
In conclusion, the career of DCF Social worker requires high discipline and professionalism. To work as a social worker, you must be committed because it is associated with many challenges. In some States, resources to assist you may not be available, and the job is very demanding. The targeted population for DCF social workers is the children and families. A DCF social worker’s responsibility is to save lives and transform children going through challenges such as domestic violence, neglect, economic hardships, sexual abuse, and many others. Some of the sates where the social worker’s job is very demanding include New Hemisphere, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Indiana. Social workers’ career in these states varies depending on the salary, license requirements, and scope of work as discussed above. Lastly, the Social worker is a career that I love and looking to pursue.
References
Bremer, F. (2018). Historical Journal of Massachusetts. Historical Journal of Massachusetts, 46(1), 22-45.
Adams, G., Allen, E., Gangopadhyaya, A., & Kenney, G. M. (2019). Child Care Challenges for Medicaid Work Requirements.
Smith, K. (2018). Parental Substance Use in New Hampshire: Who Cares for the Children?.
Baughman, R., & Whitmore, E. E. (2018). 2018 NEW HAMPSHIRE CHILD SUPPORT GUIDELINES REVIEW REPORT.
Lawson, E., & Das, D. (2020). To leave or to stay? The differential factors that determine turnover and retention of Massachusetts social workers. International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 6(4), 566-586.