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Essay / My Personal Values and Their Impact on My Life
Table of ContentsIntroductionFaithPersonal ResilienceConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionSocial work practice raises many different ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. Doel (2016) recognizes that these dilemmas can arise due to a conflict between our personal values and our professional values. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Our values shape who we are and what is most important to us in our lives. Early in our careers as social workers, we learn how we can become more aware of our values and how they may be different from those of other people from different cultures and backgrounds. The following assignment will focus on some of my personal values that have had a significant impact on my life. I will also try to explore how I think these values may conflict with or complement professional values in my social work practice. I also consider why I think this might influence my social work practice and what I should change when these conflicts arise. FaithFrom my birth, I was raised in a faith which acquired many values in my life and from a young age, I was redeemed to live my life according to biblical principles. One of the values I was taught is that marriage is considered sacred and that one should not have sex before marriage. I was taught that having this value contributes to a balanced and happy family lifestyle. I have also been led to believe that homosexuality is wrong and should not be practiced. This, along with having sex before marriage, is considered a sin. While attending a particular group session at university, it became apparent to me and others in my group that I was quite uncomfortable being shown photos of same-sex homosexual couples , men and women. A member of the group then asked me if I was homophobic, which made me wonder if I really was. This session made me realize how much my beliefs impact me, even now, since I don't consider myself homophobic. But I still wasn't comfortable with the images presented. It made me aware of the conflicts that faith can cause due to differences in values. There are many different conflicts in my faith value that I could consider, but I chose to look at homosexuality because it is a topic that I was shocked to find that I felt uncomfortable with. I was comfortable (the images) and I felt that I would come across this. often as part of my social work practice. One of the BASW direct practice preparation frameworks is that a social worker “applies anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive principles in practice.” A social worker must be able to understand and see the importance of diversity and how it can shape people's lives and even identities. This was made clear to us early on in our careers as social workers. But not only must social workers understand this diversity, they must also identify and promote it. This leaves important questions such as: How can I promote someone who practices homosexuality when I have values that say promoting such a practice is wrong? And how can I show service users that I am comfortable with their sexuality? I have a very strong interest in working with children and families, particularly in the area of foster care andof adoption. Say, for example, a case arises in which I am asked to place a child with a same-sex couple who are hoping to adopt? To what extent would my values conflict with practice? From a young age, I was taught that a man is the head of the household and a woman would be there to help support her husband or father in his role. A same-sex couple is completely contradictory to what I was led to believe. As social workers, we must practice and promote equality. Thompson (2019) reminds us that promoting equality means seeking to ensure that individuals are not treated unfairly. Having equality does not mean we have to believe everything we hear, because we are not all robots programmed to believe and accept everything we are taught. However, practicing equality means ensuring that individuals or groups of individuals are not treated differently or less favorably on the basis of their specific protected characteristics, including race, gender, disability, religion or belief and sexual orientation. As a social worker, we must embrace the values of person-centered care, which means we must respect the rights and equality of all individuals and put aside our own personal beliefs and values. In my previous example, when we placed a child from a same-sex couple, I would have to put my beliefs and faith aside and focus on what is most important, which is the well-being of the child . As long as there are no safeguarding issues, the fact that they are a same-sex couple should have no bearing on my decision as a social worker, whether or not to place a child in that home. Having a faith and a spiritual life can complement my work practice. Matthews, I (2009) states that “spirituality is what we can use to demonstrate our worldview in action. This manifests itself in how we respond to others, how we develop connections and relationships, and how we demonstrate a sense of responsibility to other people and communities. Spirituality can help us build relationships with others. Also, for me personally, spirituality allows me to mentally reconnect with myself, my feelings and my hope in life. This then helps to reinvigorate me, so to speak, when times get tough and I need a moment to breathe. In social work practice, we can expect to face a very heavy workload and have difficult cases to deal with on a daily basis. So, having this spirituality will complement my social work practice as it will be helpful when I need to take a moment to reconnect with myself and also to self-heal. Personal Resilience The next value I would like to focus on is personal resilience. In a previous relationship, I experienced domestic, emotional and financial abuse. It was an extremely difficult time for me. I like to look for the positive in any bad situation and going through this has allowed me to develop a personal resilience which I believe is now an important value in my life. I understand that this personal resilience is a strength that will complement my social work practice in many ways. In social work practice, particularly when working with children and families, domestic violence is currently on the rise. A recent report indicates that domestic violence in the UK is at its highest level in 5 years. Domestic violence also has no boundaries, regardless of race, culture, social classor where we live, anyone can be affected. There is no doubt that I will encounter domestic violence as part of my social work practice and that as a social worker I will help families, women, men and children who have been affected by domestic violence. Safelives.org.uk (2019) tells us that social workers have been working with victims of domestic violence for years. However, even after all this time, the role of social workers in this area is still not well understood. Recent findings have shown that many social workers today find this particular field unbearable and are unable to meet victims' needs, which can include housing, child care, transportation and legal aspects. Drawing on my own lived experience of domestic violence, I feel that I would be able to effectively advocate for those who have suffered or are currently experiencing the same abuse. Building my personal resilience and continually valuing it will allow me to empower victims to not only survive abuse, but recover from it, however it affects their lives. This experience is one of the main reasons I wanted to become a social worker, because I believe social workers are there to empower people. For example, one of the codes of ethics for social work, proposed by the BASW, is to focus on the strengths of all individuals and promote their empowerment. This accountability would be particularly important when it comes to victims of domestic violence. A social worker will need to help them feel able to escape and stay away from their abuser. Therefore, having such personal resilience and experience is a good complement to social work practice, especially when it comes to domestic violence, as you can use your own personal experience and example of resilience to encourage victims to develop their own personal resilience. Drumm M (2013) identified that using your own personal story in social work practice can not only be therapeutic for service users, but can also empower, encourage personal growth and build resilience. Helping victims survive domestic violence is about more than just one case. to help them escape from the offender. A social worker must also promote social justice and try to achieve the best outcomes for them, recognizing that they are experts in their own lives. Questions I might ask myself are: “Would my emotions be affected when a case like this arose in practice? and “How might my experience create a compliment rather than a conflict to put into practice?” » It's good to recognize that some domestic violence situations will stir up a mix of feelings in me and trigger my own reactions. The years spent developing my value of emotional resilience will give me the strength to reflect on the positive outcomes of my experience and integrate these positive elements into my social work practice. Social work is rewarding, but it can also be emotionally demanding and extremely stressful. Developing personal resilience is not only good for our well-being, but also helps us manage stress effectively. Building on this resilience will help me to be able to cope with the different situations that arise in social practice. For example, one thing you can do is practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is a/