Elder Abuse and Psychosocial Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Elder Abuse and Psychosocial Simulation - Essay Example Afterwards the interviewer remains alert and moderate in asking questions (Knapp, 2007). In terms of non-verbal actions the interviewer applied broad leads, such as neutral expressions. The intention was to support continued talking by the patient. However, the interviewer placed less time on open body posture. In terms of making observations, the interviewee appeared tense, especially in what appears to be some biting of the teeth. Nevertheless, the interviewer showed interest in the patient issues and still managed to come across as relaxed, by attempting to shift her body posture to a small level. The interviewer was trying to display an interest in what the client was saying. Gestures in some instances became an issue due to misinterpretations arising from the two diverse cultures. In addition, voice also became an issue due to timing and tempo since in some instances, the interviewer pitch and inflection did not bring out an understanding (Wachtel & Wachtel, 2011). The interview er applied non-verbal actions such as open facial movements displaying empathy as a part of intentional efforts to communicate experiences of suffering. For instance, the use of verbalizing implied thoughts such as the interviewer voicing what the client appears to have fairly evidently implied, instead of what the client had really said (Wachtel & Wachtel, 2011). The intention was to make conscious of the unconscious (Quinn & Tomita, 2002). Secondly, the interviewer applied neutral responses, and this displayed some interest and involvement in what the client was saying. The exact use of silence and some cases voice-tone was meant to offer time for the patient to present thoughts and feelings into expressions. The silence enabled the patient to verbalize while regaining composure. The interviewer seemed a little bit nervous initially when the camera gear was being setup, and this then reflected on the client sense of edginess. This was evidence by overusing of reflection which then made the client a little bit annoyed when her own words and statements were being continually repeated. However, as the interviewer began conversing with the client, she got somewhat more comfortable as both of them established a good human connection. The interview began with a chatting session with the client prior to the camera rolling. The intention was to first gauge the client awareness of the questions and then let him think about any solicitous responses. The caregiver managed to leave the room after a couple of questions were asked and she felt reassured about the interview session. However, the caregiver seemed to possess more ability in encoding the client emotional outlay. In particular, she was able to accurately decode the client body movements and voice-tone cues. On the other hand, the client did not know how to make clear his feelings, and he seemed to hold back tears at times while pacing and fidgeting, maybe because he feared that he will be labeled crazy. In wra pping matters up, I provided cues to the client that the session was coming to an end before summarizing the key answers and then thanking the client for his time. The interviewer was fairly comfortable with the questions concerning abuse and neglect as she used extensively reflective listening, while reacting with affirmative proclamations.

Legal framework for social work in United Kingdom Essay Example for Free

Legal framework for social work in United Kingdom Essay Social work is defined as a professional and academic discipline that will seek to have improvement on the individuals, groups’ and communities’ quality of life and their well-being through having policies, conducting researches, organizing communities and teaching for the good of the people affected by social limitations that may include poverty, mental and physical sickness, social injustice including violation of human rights. International (Federation of Social Workers 2000). These groups may include school dropouts, the elderly in the society, juvenile offenders, drug and alcohol abusers and the homeless Social workers will work in different settings within a set of framework of legislation and practices. The setting may include a school situation, the service users’ home, a hospital or a public sector premise Social work values Social work is argued to be value based. Since it is a profession on, social work ethics (values) thus refer to a set of guidelines that have to govern the way professionals treat the people they interact with and the sort of actions that are regarded as right or wrong. They offer a vision and discernment (Bernstein 1970) Social work in the United Kingdom occurs in four spheres. The first sphere is majorly a concept relates to the moral philosophy that creates the ethical arguments on social work. The second sphere is based on the legislation that has created an environment for practice of social work with reference to the social work cases. The third sphere is the political ideas and concepts and their influence in shaping and sculpturing the social work models, social work methods and practices. The last sphere presents the historical part of the beginning of social work as a profession and its struggle for professional identity. These spheres are extended, mid range and restricted definitions of social work ethics and values (Bernard et al 2008, p. 6) This paper will focus on the second sphere in reference to the United Kingdom. Social work and law Social work as a profession has to follow certain laws and regulations which govern the profession. The legal framework involves the statute laws and case laws and tries to explain the relationship that links them. Moreover, it details legislation of the government under acts of parliament, the international laws, policy guidance, and the local government circulars that articulate the purpose and guidance principles of legislation. The Health and Care professional Council code of practice As a social worker, it is paramount to be aware of the legal obligations required of them to cretae a healthy and safe working conditions. The General Social Care Council code of practice imposes more duties for employers of social workers. The code states that (Brayne Carr 2002, P. 49) The social worker shall protect and promote interests of the service users The social worker will strive to establish, maintain trust and confidence of the service users The social worker will promote independence of the service users while giving them protection from possible harm The social worker shall respect the rights of the service users while ensuring that their behavior will not harm other people and themselves The social worker shall uphold the public trust and confidence in the social care services The social worker shall be accountable for quality in their work and taking responsibility for maintenance and improvement of their knowledge ACTS OF PARLIAMENT The Carew standard Act 2000 This Act has a significant role in the social care work as it did extend the registration regime for the social care in England and that of Wales for provision of the children’s services, the Act requires the following: Registration of children homes Registration of family centre’sRegistration of the independent fostering agencies Registration of voluntary adoption agencies Registration of support agencies To be a permanent registered member one has to meet a set of regulations tailored to each individual service. In coming up to a decision whether the regulatory requirement shave been fulfilled, the registering authority must have a regard to minimum National standards. England’s registration authority is Office for Standards in Education, Childrens Services and Skills (OFSTED). The Social workers and the social care services cannot function without having satisfied the above requirements. As a social worker or a social care service provider, there is a need to have knowledge to avoid prosecution by Law The health and social care Act 2012 This bill was agreed upon by both houses and obtained the Royal Assent on the 27th of March to become an act of parliament. The bill created an independent National Health Service Board to promote choices made by the patients in regard to their health issues and reduced the administration tool of the National Health Service. A National Health Service Board was also created to allocate resources and provide guidance on commissioning of social care services. Powers of the government’s ability to commission services on behalf of patients were increased. The function of the Care Quality Commission was strengthened and Section 209 of this Act amended. The powers of the new law under Section 60 of the 199 Act gave her majesty the power by order in the council to regulate social workers and social care practitioners of England. This placed the role of social workers and the role of social health care providers directly under her majesty (Britain 2012, p. 9). This Act placed a lot of Significance on Social Care services being provided in the United Kingdom. A consideration on the adult social care was emphasized. For example, allowing the transfer of public health to the local authorities through local health and the well being boards. Various new bodies have emerged such as the Local health watches which have a function of checking on health and the social care standards. Children’s Act 2004. In England, the law protects the right of children. Section 11 and 12 of this Act places a statutory duty on all agencies to co-operate and promote the welfare of the children. The government guidance for social workers and other professionals that interact with children is that: the social worker has a duty of keeping the children safe. There should be constant feedback to the children social care local authority on suggestions and assessment and lastly every person who has a role should not think that he/she has the absolute right to the child’s needs. Professionals sometimes fail to report the abuse and neglect cases do not face penalties for crime however; they might be subjected to professional discipline Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 The bill got a Royal Assent on 8th of March. The bill aimed to give strength to the social enterprise businesses sectors and make relevant the concept of social value and its importance in the placing and providing of public services. With this bill a National Social enterprise strategy was created to encourage the engagement in social enterprises. The local government act 2000 section 4 was then required to have a sustainable community strategy proposal that promote the engagement of social enterprise in their areas. The Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 This Act brought together the different fields of social work into a single Social service department in every local authority. With this establishment, an emphasis was laid on a co-ordinated and comprehensive system of approach to the social care, the support of families and identifying the need for people to seek aid. The formulated departments then became responsible for domestic aid, residential accommodation and recreational services. Care council of Wales All social workers should be registered. It is one of the bodies mandated to register and regulates the activities of the social workers and all other social care in Wales. The care council is set up under the Care Standards Act 2000. It includes the codes of professional practice, conduct rules, and a well established guideline on the complainant’s procedure. Some other features accessed include consultation services, annual reports, the newsletters and the e-bulletins. Registration of workers ensures that there is as constant data of available social workers and social health care workers in a given state or region. It is easy to verify a genuine worker and avoids imposters who might be out on criminal activities Care and Social services inspectorate Wales This is a body mandated to regulating and inspecting the establishment of agencies that offer social care services in Wales region. It carries out duties on behalf of the ministers of Wales. It has been given power under Act 2003 of the Social and Health care to look into the handling of social services by the local authorities. On their website, one is able to raise a query on social workers conduct for necessary action. Rights and freedoms of Social workers and limitations Guide to information sharing Social work is a professional duty. When dealing with children, England places emphasis on effective information sharing between the local agencies and the social workers on identification and assessment of service provisions. These are defined in â€Å"Working together to safeguard children (PDF). Under this guidance, paragraph 1.24 states clearly that fears that arise on sharing personal information should not hinder promotion of a child’s welfare and safety. All social workers and social care provider thus are required to have an efficient information discernment process to avoid a scenario of neglect in believe that another individual will do the task. Limitations to this guide These provisions however do have limitations. In Wales’s guidance on information sharing is found in chapter 14 of Safeguarding children working together under the Children Act 2004 (PDF). In these guidance paragraph 14.5 overlaps the guidance for professionals in England. It states that â€Å"The safety and welfare of a child or young person must be put into consideration first when making decisions about sharing information about them† and that must be, â€Å"an overriding public interest in disclosing information.† The guidance then further goes on to give the way forward in sharing on information. Paragraph 14.6 states that â€Å"the best way of ensuring that information sharing is properly handled is to work within carefully worked out information-sharing protocols between agencies and professionals involved, and taking legal advice in each case where necessary. Guide to Loss and damage Social workers have been mandated with a legal duty of caring and service providers. In essence these role places the employers with responsibility of paying up damages their employees suffer while in line of duty. In the event those being taken care of suffer adverse damage as a result of social work interference, then they are entitled to sue the social work company for negligence. These may be as a result of physical damage, emotional or psychological damage. While this is the case, the law prohibits the suing of social workers when performing certain statutory functions like safeguarding children. Employers need to understand the times which their employees may be liable to protection under the law and when not. Legislation on discrimination on Personal privacy In line of duty, social workers provide aid services. In order for them to carry out these functions effectively, it is paramount for them to have knowledge of the raft of legislation that protects individuals for discrimination basing on their gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability or ethnicity. These are domestic laws of the United Kingdom and are complemented by European Convention on human right which protects the citizens of the United Kingdom against unjustified state interference with their life. It is always possible for government and social work agencies getting into people’s life when they are not willing. In this event then the public can resort to the human rights protection of privacy and autonomy. Social workers and social work agencies need to have knowledge of the rights and privileges granted to the masses under the European convention for both parties to avoid violating them while at the same time helping individuals who have had their rights contravened The Human rights Human rights are legal obligations that are to be adhered to universally. Human rights are defined as â€Å"the universal right to standard living that is adequate for healthy and well being of individuals and their families.†(Roosevelt 2000, p.5). The global social work perspective embodies this by stating that â€Å"The struggle for dignity and fundamental freedoms, which allows for the full development of human potentials, boils down to two words: human rights.†(IFSW 1996). With this law, special work in the United Kingdom is bound to human rights which are considered sensitive to human race and collective citizenship. The social work must then be conceptualized and sensitized to the culture in which the services are offered. Thus a social worker in England should be able to accept the culture and laws of a state or region in which he/she is working in. Conclusion Social work and social care has a pivotal role in service delivery to the society. This view cannot go unnoticed. The values, ethics of social work such as respect for humanity, equality and service to all have played a major role in helping the less privileged in the United Kingdom. The beneficiaries have included the mentally ill, the old, women and children. The United Kingdom having realized the vital role of social care came up with various laws not only to check but to guide the professionals in their field of work. These laws have been defined in various Acts of parliament, Scholarly publications and various codes of ethics and conduct of the Social work profession. Social workers and social care workers interact with different people on daily basis. In order for a harmonious and efficient system of operation to uphold, these laws and various publications have played a major role. However the legal stipulations have also had a negative side of the story being felt where they h ave had to hamper the operations of social workers and social care practitioners. Technological advancements and constant reviews of challenges that have risen in the working environment of this profession I believe can act as a catalyst to new ideas to command this noble profession to greater heights in the United Kingdom References BRITAIN, G. (2012). Health and social care act 2012: chapter 7. [S.l.], Tso. BRAYNE, H., CARR, H. (2012). Law for social workers. Oxford, Oxford University Press. BRITAIN, G. (2012). Health and social care act 2012: chapter 7. [S.l.], Tso. BARNARD, A., HORNER, N., WILD, J. (2008). The value base of social work and social care. Maidenhead, England, Open University Press. ROOSEVELT, E. (2000). Universal declaration of human rights in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian, Arabic. Bedford, Mass, Applewood Books. HEALY, L. M. (2008). International social work: professional action in an interdependent world. Oxford, Oxford University Press. REAMER, F. G. (2006). Social work values and ethics. New York, Columbia University Press. BERNSTEIN, P. (1997). American work values: their origin and development. New York, State Univ. of New York Press.BANKS, S. (2012). Ethics and values in social work. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, Palgrave Macmillan. (2004). Children Act 2004: Explanatory notes. [S.l.], Stationery Office. Source document

Tropical Areas in Florida Essay -- Tropics

The Trouble with Tropics Florida, like many tropical areas, has two seasons: the wet season and the dry season. During the wet season (June through October), water is plentiful, lawns grow green, farmers grow their crops and kids wakeboard in the park. But, of course, flooding is a problem. In the dry season (seven months: November through May), grass turns as brown as a desert bush. The source of Florida’s water is the Lake Toho/Kissimmee River/Lake Okeechobee system, and the level of the lake system rises and falls between the seasons. At low levels during the dry season, Florida residents must be mindful to conserve water and animals are left to fend for themselves. Water resources have the potential to be unsustainable without management. Florida water resources fluctuate, so life can be difficult. The South Florida Water Management District was created to maintain sustainability of Florida water resources. Today, tourists come to visit the beautiful tropical climate of Florida’s beaches, wildlife, and palm trees. South Florida wasn’t always so pristine. Florida used to be a much soggier swampland. Mosquitoes were so plentiful, that some early pioneers of the area joked that they must be the state bird. Because of Florida’s flat geography, rainfall was the determinant factor in every facet of South Florida’s environment.1 After a large rain, water would stand in floodplains and flow from river to river like water in an ice tray without canals or dams to control the flow of storm waters. Standing water would remain for weeks or months leaving disease and water damage behind.1 During the dry season, farming became difficult. Droughts were common and crops and cattle would thirst without a reliable source of ... ....dep.state.fl.us/coastal/habitats/coral.htm. 6. Facility and Infrastructure Location Index Map. May 2002. South Florida Water Management District. http://www.sfwmd.gov/images/pdfs/facility_map_overview.pdf. 7. Wetland Wildlife. 8 Dec. 2004. University of Florida. http://wetlandextension.ifas.ufl.edu/wildlife.htm. 8. Land Management Annual Report. 2003. South Florida Water Management District. http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/clm/lsd/images/pdfs/lsd_ar03.pdf. 9. Environmental Restoration Efforts. South Florida Water Management District. http://www.sfwmd.gov/org/wrp/env_rest_efforts.html#lakeo. 10. Central and Southern Florida Project Comprehensive Review Study (Restudy) Update and Background. July 1999. http://www.evergladesplan.org/docs/backgd.pdf. 11. ACCELER8 Everglades Now. South Florida Water Management District. http://www.evergladesnow.org/a8_overview.shtml.

Ozone layer depletion Essay

The increased cancer levels caused by exposure to this ultraviolet light could be enormous. Recent studies estimates that 60 million Americans born by the year 2075 will get skin cancer because of ozone depletion. About one million of these people will die. In addition to cancer, some research shows that a decreased ozone layer will increase rates of malaria and other infectious diseases. According to recent studies 17 million more cases of cataracts can also be expected. . The environment will also be negatively affected by ozone depletion. The life cycles of plants will change, disrupting the food chain. Effects on animals will also be severe, and are very difficult to foresee. Oceans will be hit hard as well. The most basic organisms such as plankton may not be able to survive. If that happened, it would mean that all of the other animals that are above plankton in the food chain would also die out. Other ecosystems such as forests and deserts will also be harmed. The planet’s climate could also be affected by depletion of the ozone layer. Wind patterns could change, resulting in climatic changes throughout the world. Global warming is the continuing rise in the average temperature of Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. Global warming is caused by increased concentrations of green house gases in the atmosphere, resulting from human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels. Some of the effects of global warming and climate change on the environment include the folloing

Bertie Ahern Essay

Bertie Ahern is present Prime Minister, or Taoiseach, of Ireland, heading the Irish government since 1997. Ahern is a prominent statesman of European stature with great political acumen and wisdom that has helped him to successfully manage a potentially volatile coalition of multiple parties and many independent candidates. Ahern has an illustrious political career where he served as minister of Labor and Minister of Finance in the governments of Charles Haughey and Albert Reynolds. Ahern’s electioneering skills and party management capabilities have been universally praised, being a prominent factor in his rise to the highest position in Irish government. Political Baptism Born in 1951, Bertie Ahern was well groomed politically since his younger days due to an intensely political environment at his home . His father had fought in Irish War of Independence and the Civil War and Bertie closely observed the events, gaining crucial understanding of the complexity and challenges of Irish political system. Although professionally Ahern took the job of accountant, but his political inclination was evidently manifest when he joined Fianna Fail in 1968, at a young age of 17 . In the campaign for Fianna Fail in 1969 general elections, Ahern was spotted by senior party leader Charles Hughey, who was much impressed by the youngster’s electioneering abilities, political maneuvers, capacity of resource management and brilliance for political logistics . The first creditable evidence of Ahern’s electioneering brilliance was registered in his own landslide win in 1977 in his very first effort for elected office. His party had also scored a large win in the Irish parliament and although young and inexperienced by age, Ahern developed a close association with Hughey, who had become a stalwart of politician and one of the strongest competitors for the post of Prime Minister. Ahern was recognized for his talents by being appointed as Assistant-Government Chief Whip. The tumultuous political conditions of Ireland saw it facing election both in the year 1981 and 1982. Ahern was successful in increasing his own victory margin each time, while his canvassing for the party, his handling of party-men and his abilities in mobilizing them did not fail to impress senior party leaders. Fianna Fail lost the elections of 1982 and had to sit in opposition till 1987, a time that saw Ahern’s increasing influence and growth as a seasoned party man and political leader . Ahern was appointed party’s spokesperson and got elected as Mayor of Dublin. In 1987 Ahern’s electioneering abilities were once again on display when he campaigned along with Hughey, Reynolds, and MacSharry and Fianna Fail returned to power. Ahern worked closely in developing the party manifesto that would appeal to largest number of electorates. Eventually Charles Hughey became Taoiseach and Ahern was given the cabinet post for labor . His negotiation skills coruscated in this capacity as well when he became instrumental in introducing various trade related reforms, collaborating with trade unions, and creating the consensus for national economic agreement. Ireland saw another election in 1989, where Fail party lost several seats and lost its marginal lead in the parliament. To form the government Fail had to enter into a coalition with other parties, a step that many party-men deeply resented and opposed. However, Charles Hughey knew that in the capacity of Ahern he had a truly gifted negotiator and campaign manager with abilities correct the complex political equation and help his party form the government again.