These are some reflections and pieces that spoke to me from Chapter Nine, Community Practice, by Hardcastle and Powers, (2004).
One implication for Social Workers to ponder is the future direction of human service agencies and also funding sources. According to Hardcastle and Powers (2004), the current trend is towards privatization. "The for-profit sector has an almost 36% share of the social services market, with a 50% growth projected over the next few years (p. 247). (THIS IS A BIG CHANGE) On the upside, "faith-based agencies in the not-for-profit sector also are expanding and serve as an exception to the commercialization trend"(p. 247). I don't know all of the implications of this--I suspect the focus on profit may shift focus on quality of service. In addition, the very rich are giving less since the 1980's because they are not getting the same tax breaks. Already social work is stressful, but the added changes point in the direction of additional hardships from a loss of resources and a loss of focus on service and reform.
An important reminder is that, "most of our important social reform came about through nonprofit activities--child welfare, civil rights, environmental protection, women's rights, workplace safety"(p. 248--originally from Salamon, 1992).
I couldn't help thinking back to a time I worked at a non-profit which served the needs of the community, yet ran at a high cost to the employees and ultimately-- due to this fact at the cost of the community. The board worked with the CEO as a team, much like it should --yet the CEO was misrepresenting and mismanaging and failed to keep the board properly informed. Unfortunately this went on for years, with several crisis's and upheavals until the board finally took control and fired the CEO--but it took many years and a persistent director to make this change. This can happen-- especially when the CEO is not qualified to be in such a position.
Hardcastle and Powers (2004) point out that "human service work is often stressful, not only because of inadequate resources, but also because it is both "moral work" and "gendered work" (p. 246). Social work holds it's own ethics and values--which play into decisions and particular jobs that require us to make decisions that may go against our own values and that require moral judgments about the worth of individuals and families. Hardcastle and Powers reference gendered work because women make up the majority of the direct service workers while men are more often in managerial positions. In addition to this fact, Hardcastle and Powers claim that feminine values of "altruism, caring and nurturing" and the need to be flexible conflict with a more structured masculine value orientation centered on efficiency. "This conflict, coupled with the lower pay attached to female-dominated occupations and industries and the fact that many of the clients of human serviced agencies are poor women and other "undeserving" poor, devalues human service work and demeans all human service workers" (p. 246). Again the funding is directly tied to this value and as such "might change the pattern of allocations significantly in the future"(p. 246). I appreciate the focus on how power is distributed in social work and how this distribution plays out in funding, and where value is placed. It's very important not to loose site of power inequities when working towards reform or change within agencies.
What I found most helpful are the tips provided for service workers when facing the need to work towards reform within agencies. It's important to understand formal and informal structures and lines of power. Hardcastle and Powers point to the importance of developing what they term "social capital" which is described as establishing positive relationships with co-workers and establishing "personal legitimacy" (p. 262). The reference to personal legitimacy has to do with developing personal expertise in an area of value. All decisions should be made with caution and taking time to lower personal and unnecessary risks. Refer to page 263 for a complete list of "rules of thumb for working the system" (p. 263).
Personally I align myself with organizational development strategies which are"cooperative, collaborative, and consensus building in nature"(p. 265). (when at all possible!!!)
One implication for Social Workers to ponder is the future direction of human service agencies and also funding sources. According to Hardcastle and Powers (2004), the current trend is towards privatization. "The for-profit sector has an almost 36% share of the social services market, with a 50% growth projected over the next few years (p. 247). (THIS IS A BIG CHANGE) On the upside, "faith-based agencies in the not-for-profit sector also are expanding and serve as an exception to the commercialization trend"(p. 247). I don't know all of the implications of this--I suspect the focus on profit may shift focus on quality of service. In addition, the very rich are giving less since the 1980's because they are not getting the same tax breaks. Already social work is stressful, but the added changes point in the direction of additional hardships from a loss of resources and a loss of focus on service and reform.
An important reminder is that, "most of our important social reform came about through nonprofit activities--child welfare, civil rights, environmental protection, women's rights, workplace safety"(p. 248--originally from Salamon, 1992).
I couldn't help thinking back to a time I worked at a non-profit which served the needs of the community, yet ran at a high cost to the employees and ultimately-- due to this fact at the cost of the community. The board worked with the CEO as a team, much like it should --yet the CEO was misrepresenting and mismanaging and failed to keep the board properly informed. Unfortunately this went on for years, with several crisis's and upheavals until the board finally took control and fired the CEO--but it took many years and a persistent director to make this change. This can happen-- especially when the CEO is not qualified to be in such a position.
Hardcastle and Powers (2004) point out that "human service work is often stressful, not only because of inadequate resources, but also because it is both "moral work" and "gendered work" (p. 246). Social work holds it's own ethics and values--which play into decisions and particular jobs that require us to make decisions that may go against our own values and that require moral judgments about the worth of individuals and families. Hardcastle and Powers reference gendered work because women make up the majority of the direct service workers while men are more often in managerial positions. In addition to this fact, Hardcastle and Powers claim that feminine values of "altruism, caring and nurturing" and the need to be flexible conflict with a more structured masculine value orientation centered on efficiency. "This conflict, coupled with the lower pay attached to female-dominated occupations and industries and the fact that many of the clients of human serviced agencies are poor women and other "undeserving" poor, devalues human service work and demeans all human service workers" (p. 246). Again the funding is directly tied to this value and as such "might change the pattern of allocations significantly in the future"(p. 246). I appreciate the focus on how power is distributed in social work and how this distribution plays out in funding, and where value is placed. It's very important not to loose site of power inequities when working towards reform or change within agencies.
What I found most helpful are the tips provided for service workers when facing the need to work towards reform within agencies. It's important to understand formal and informal structures and lines of power. Hardcastle and Powers point to the importance of developing what they term "social capital" which is described as establishing positive relationships with co-workers and establishing "personal legitimacy" (p. 262). The reference to personal legitimacy has to do with developing personal expertise in an area of value. All decisions should be made with caution and taking time to lower personal and unnecessary risks. Refer to page 263 for a complete list of "rules of thumb for working the system" (p. 263).
Personally I align myself with organizational development strategies which are"cooperative, collaborative, and consensus building in nature"(p. 265). (when at all possible!!!)
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