Moving Target

"Danger Zone: I'm all alone and I'm a moving target"

Many a time, during networking events and happenstance meet ups with veteran social workers, I keep hearing the sighs and longings for yesteryears where "Social Workers' really did social work", "Got down and dirty in community work", "Conducted intensive home visits" and "Advocated strongly for clients' needs" in a time which was really "tough" and "difficult". 

There are also calls for Social Workers in Singapore to be exposed to third world conditions so that they would be able to really "do" social work, and also understand the skills needed to be a truly effective professional. 

There is a lament on how social workers today are not handling the real problems of society, being office based aircon loving people, and preferring that their clients come to the FSC for appointments instead of really conducting outreach and home visits to identify clients in need. They resort to "armchair" counselling and forget the true nature of social work. 

Although I strongly respect these individuals and the contributions they made to Singapore's social development (really I do, in fact most of them are my professional mentors), I can't help but feel very uneasy in response to these statements. I will admit that times certainly were tough in Singapore's socio political climate 30 - 40 years ago, and it was not easy supporting and empowering the community in need. Efforts towards community reorganisation and outreach in social welfare development by these pioneers of the profession are to be applauded. 

However, I firmly believe that these statements are unfair.

Unfair because:

1. Problems have to be taken in context.

As society develops through increased industrialisation and modernisation, problems also evolve. Who is to say a parent's struggle with managing the behaviour issues of her 10 year old son whilst juggling the role of a single income breadwinner in the family is any less stressful than the plight of the homeless slum-living poor man in Post war Singapore? How do we explain increasing suicide rates amidst the anomie generated from modernisation? 

The question that begs an answer: Are we in any way more happier than we are 50 years ago, in spite of available luxuries and modernities? 

As passionate social workers can be, they also struggle with managing their own livelihood within rising standards of living, and I see my contemporaries really putting in as much time available to support their clients and the community.

 

2. Social Workers have to evolve to evolving needs

The role of social workers are defined by society, hence what they are doing, is in response to the needs raised within society and the community. Whether it be counselling, outreach or case management, to be relevant has to adapt to the changing needs of the environment. Where basic needs have not been met, we strive towards case management to stabilise the family situation. Once stabilised, we collaborate with the family on the systemic issues to help them maintain this stability. One defining trait of the profession is the person in environment approach, where problems that are prevalent in society need to be researched on so that they can be addressed at the political level. And this is what we have been taught and aspire to do over the years. 

I believe that sending social workers overseas to 3rd world countries are worthwhile causes, but I think our ability to help should only be limited towards empowering the helpers of these countries, lest a colonial mindset be developed. We stand to learn more from these experiences than what we hope to teach the helpers of these countries, for the very fact that we lack the skills, experience, and knowledge for such community based work. Although gaining new perspective is important in our personal development, skills that you learn in such environments would be redundant back home, unless of course, you decide that working full time in such environments are your calling. 

In doing community work and outreach, it is also impractical to be as fervent as our predecessors in the face of the current political climate. A social worker in prison is infinitely many times more useless that a silent social social worker. There is a need to work against the system by paradoxically working within the system. 

 

3. We ARE doing those HOME VISITS!

Yes, we are! With advances in health, accessibility, and media awareness, it borders on the ridiculous to conduct regular home visits to perfectly healthy individuals and families, who can easily approach social service organisations on their own. It is just not efficient to conduct intensive home visits. 

But I dare say that social workers ARE conducting home visits wherever they are needed. Social Workers are working closely with the grassroots and conducting home visits to seek out families where child protection issues are at risk, possible mental health issues are being untreated, and where clients are unable to physically access social service organisations due to physical disability or multiple stress factors, such as the management of several children. 

Child protection workers are actively conducting home visits to assess the safety of children and promoting family preservation. I have a colleague who has been peed on by a baby, and on a separate occasion stepped on pee on the floor in order to assess a bed bound isolated older adult. I have seen social workers scramble through a maze of newspapers, rats and roaches, braving bed bugs to support their clients. I have even seen a colleague assist a mentally ill client to put on diapers when she was menstruating all over the chair the client was sitting on!

The bottom line is, where there is a need, I have seen social workers get down and dirty. Not pleasant sights, but the job gets done. 

 

 We have been criticised, bruised and battered too many times, often at many fronts.

We are trying our best,

please do cut us some slack..

 

 

(I would also like to add a disclaimer that this is in no way meant to insult or demean the veterans of our professions, but to present an argument for our case. I still respect you guys for what you did, and in fact you have inspired me to continue striving on! Love!)

 

Comments

[Tamara Suttle]

So happy to find your blog this evening and happy to subscribe via RSS.

[Fareez]

Hi Tamara! Nice to hear from you! Do tell me more about yourself and your journeys in the course of social work! =)

[Stuart Kaplowitz, MFT]

Social workers all over the world always have so many good things to do.

[Dr. Robin B. Dilley, Ph.D]

Social workers always have so many good things to do I agree and they are our link to counselling and people and in need.

[Monster LadyGaga]

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a boy throwing starfish from the beach into the sea.

The guy asked "Good morning unknown boy! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The boy said "Throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the guy said, "Eh, there are zillions of starfish on the beach. You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

"It made a difference for that one" The boy repeated, as if anticipating a reaction from the guy.

Both looked at each other for an awkward minute.

"Hmm"... Said the guy, eyebrows furrowed.

"What?!" Said the boy.

"Well, if you look there, the starfish you just threw earlier has washed up on the shore again. and most likely most of them will wind up here anyway tomorrow or the next day. But of course, I'm sure you're just happy that you made a difference to them today...kekekkeke"

The boy stopped still in his tracks and stared widemouthed at the guy.

"So you're telling me I've wasted my time throwing starfish here the whole day?!?!??!"

"Well..." the guy started, "I guess you probably made some starfish happy, and you're extremely pleased with that of course. But, I'll tell you what we could do. Maybe we can set up a net or something that would reduce the number of starfish that wash up the shore. We probably need to get some friends of yours to come down to help with this set up"

"Hmm that sounds like a great idea!" the boy said, "but its a big beach, and I'm too lazy to get my friends down and do so much work. Anyway it's late and its time for me to go back... BYE!!!!"

"Nice...." Muttered the guy as he continued his leisurely stroll on the beach.

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