Human Services Organizations as Systems

Assignment: Human Services Organizations as Systems

Social workers use the person-in-environment approach to understand the relationship between individuals and their physical and social environments. This ecological perspective is a framework that is based on concepts associated with systems theory. Systems theory guides social workers when they assess how factors in the environment such as school, work, culture, and social policy impact the individual. Although social workers commonly use the systems approach to focus on the individual, they may apply this approach to human services organizations as well. Human services organizations exist within the context of the social, economic, and political environments, and any type of change in one aspect of the environment will influence the organization’s internal and external functioning.

For this Assignment, consider how administrators of human services organizations may apply systems theory in their work. Also, consider what you have discovered about the roles of leadership and management and how these contribute to an organization’s overall functioning.

Assignment (600-word in APA format):

–  Explain how systems theory can help administrators understand the relationships between human services organizations and their environments.

– Provide specific examples of ways administrators might apply systems theory to their work.

– Finally, explain how leadership and management roles within human services organizations contribute to their overall functioning.

Must contain at least 4 references and citations. At least 2 of the references and citations Must use the following.

Lauffer, A. (2011). Understanding your social agency (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.

· Chapter 1, “Where Your Agency Came From and Where It’s Going” (pp. 2–31)

· Prequel to Chapter 2, “Meet the Staff Members” (pp. 35–37)

· Chapter 2, “Concepts, Theories, and Classifications” (pp. 38–65)

· Chapter 7, “Organizational Culture” (pp. 210–240)

· Chapter 8, “Leadership, Management, and Governance” (pp. 243–280)

Mulroy, E. A. (2004). Theoretical perspectives on the social environment to guide management and community perspectives: An organization-in-environment approach. Administration in Social Work, 28(1), 77–96.

External Factors Impacting an Organization

Discussion: External Factors Impacting an Organization

Last week, you explored how systems theory and the ecological perspective emphasize the interaction between a human services organization and its environment. Any change in one part of the system effects change in another part of the system. Because organizations are not immune to their environment, local, national, and global events affect them.

Social workers in administrative roles must be able to identify and analyze the external factors that affect the function of the human services organizations for which they work. Though you may apply leadership and management skills as you assume an administrative position, you may also be able to repurpose many of the assessment skills you use in clinical practice for macro social work. Just as you gather information about a client and develop strategies for treatment at a micro level, so too, at a macro level, you gather and analyze information about a situation or program and identify appropriate strategies that will support positive organizational functioning.

For this Discussion, you address the Phoenix House case study in the Social Work Case Studies: Concentration Year text.

Provide a 300-word Discussion Post covering the following areas, content, and headings:

–  An analysis of the supervisor’s role in the Phoenix House case study

– Identify leadership skills that might help the supervisor resolve the issue.

– Identify which aspect of this situation would be most challenging for you if you were the supervisor.

– Finally, explain how you would use leadership skills to proceed if you were the supervisor.

Support your post with at least 3 specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

Social Work Supervision, Leadership, and Administration: The Phoenix House

I am the senior social worker at a program called Phoenix House. Phoenix House is an after-school program supporting at-risk middle school youth. It is funded in part by local school districts. Students are generally referred to Phoenix House by school administrators or parents.

I supervise a staff of four full-time social workers and two social work interns from a local university. Staff responsibilities generally include helping students with homework, individual and group counseling, field trips, and recreational games and activities.

Students are usually referred to Phoenix House when school administrators feel that the student is on the cusp of expulsion or long-term suspension from their school, usually due to disciplinary issues. Parents of students may also enroll their children in the Phoenix House program if they feel it will be beneficial. Parents are made aware of Phoenix House and its services through PTA meetings and via school administrators when a disciplinary incident takes place. Although it is free of charge and funded primarily through school district funds, parents are discouraged from using Phoenix House as an after-school or extracurricular activity for their children.

The average clients of Phoenix House are boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14. The clients possess a range of presenting issues, mostly relating to inappropriate behavior. Some of the clients have been involved with the juvenile justice system in some form or fashion. Almost all of the clients have been suspended from their school at one point or another. Common problems with clients at Phoenix House include fighting, bullying, stealing, and vandalizing.

The staff I supervise have quite a bit of experience working with juveniles with behavioral issues. Some of them have worked in juvenile detention facilities and others have worked at court-mandated youth programs.

We have recently accepted a new client named Daniel. Daniel is a 13-year-old, Caucasian male. Daniel was enrolled by his mother when he was suspended from his school after a marijuana cigarette was found in his book bag by school security staff. It was the first time Daniel had been suspended from his school and the first time a disciplinary report had been filed on him.

Sarah, one of the social workers, asked to speak to me concerning Daniel. Sarah had spoken to Jim, one of our social work interns, about Daniel and the appropriateness of his presence at Phoenix House. Jim is concerned that Daniel is not a “good fit” at Phoenix House because he does not seem to match up with the character and attitudes of the other clients. Sarah shares Jim’s concern and is also concerned that the other clients may be a harmful influence to Daniel.

Sarah is Daniel’s counselor, as well, and has gotten permission from Daniel to share some of his statements from their counseling sessions. The statements indicate Daniel has no idea how the marijuana cigarette got into his book bag and that Daniel suspects it was put there by another student as a joke or as a means to get rid of it during bag searches. Sarah, who has years of experience working with at-risk youth, indicates that she believes Daniel. Daniel has also gone on to state that his mother has a tendency to overreact, and this may be the reason why she enrolled him in the Phoenix House program instead of listening to his explanations.

In response to Jim and Sarah’s concerns, I contacted Daniel’s mother, Lisa. Lisa listened to my concerns but did not feel that it would be right to remove him from the Phoenix House program. She said that even if he had done nothing wrong, Daniel could learn a valuable lesson about consequences by being in the Phoenix House program. I attempted to explain to Lisa that this is not really the purpose of the program and also indicated that Phoenix House is not meant to be a typical after-school or extracurricular program. Lisa retorted that it is her right to enroll her son in the program, and in her opinion, the end result of Daniel being in the program will be positive in nature.

I have shared this conversation with the staff at our weekly meetings. The staff seem convinced that Daniel will not have a positive experience at Phoenix House and feel he is being picked on and bullied by the other clients despite their efforts to prevent it. Some staff members have also pointed out that this may be an ethical issue because they feel the situation violates the social work value of “Do no harm.”

importance of using articles from peer-reviewed journals compared to information from the Internet.

Assignment: Peer Reviewed Social Work Journals

Reflect on the importance of using articles from peer-reviewed journals compared to information from the Internet. Ask yourself who evaluates the accuracy of information that you might obtain websites like Wikipedia and what form of accountability there is to ensuring that information is up-to-date, reliable, and valid.

Review the Final Assignment: Article Review and Critique in Week 10 for this class. Note that you will have to locate an empirical research article from a peer-reviewed journal. Begin to search for an article. Practice navigating the databases in the library by searching topics of interest. (Note: At this point, you do not need to identify the actual empirical research article. The goal of this assignment is to begin getting comfortable navigating the databases in the library).

For this Assignment, complete the following:

  • Identify a list of 10 peer reviewed social work journals from the library that you might find helpful relative to your social work practice interests.
  • In a 100-150 word paragraph, discuss why using research studies from peer reviewed journals is important to the development of knowledge in social work. For example, discuss the advantages of having articles reviewed by other scholars and researchers. Then using a case illustration, describe how articles from peer-reviewed journals can help to inform your social work practice decisions with clients, communities, agencies, and/or social work policies.

Journal: Leadership and Management—A Personal Perspective

Assignment: Journal: Leadership and Management—A Personal Perspective

Last week, you began exploring the similarities and differences of leadership and management roles and the contributions these roles make to an organization’s functioning. Social workers need to be aware of these similarities and differences in order to determine which management or leadership skills are most appropriate in a given position or situation.

This week, you have focused on the influence of external factors on an organization’s functioning with a special focus on their impact on the leadership of social workers in supervisory roles.

As you have explored leadership and management roles, skills, and behaviors, you may have become aware of how these align, or do not align, with your personal skills, strengths, and interests. You may also have begun to consider how external factors might influence you if you were to assume a leadership or management role in social work.

For this Assignment, you assess your strengths and areas for growth in order to determine what aspects of leadership and management are a good “fit” with your personality, leadership style, and relevant skills. You also address how external factors might influence you as you serve in a leadership or management role.

Assignment (300-words): Complete the following with consideration for an American Male:

  • Assess your strengths and areas for growth with regard to both the leadership and management roles based on what you understand about these roles so far. Be sure to address whether your skills and interests align better with the leadership or management role.
  • Identify at least one area of growth in either of these roles you would like to further develop, and explain why.
  • Identify two significant external factors that might influence your work if you served in a      leadership or management role in social work. Explain why these external factors are significant and how they might affect your work as a leader or manager.

Explain what sociologists mean when they say that identities are socially constructed.

NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED WITHIN 24 HOURS>>>>>>>

ORIGINAL POST:

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS TO WRITE A RESPONSE TO THIS POST!!

  • “Explain what sociologists mean when they say that identities are socially constructed. Select a particular racial or gender identity, and give an example of a characteristic of that identity that is socially constructed (rather than based on any biological truth)
    • When sociologist say that identities are socially constructed they’re saying that it’s a distinction that has been placed on us by society. The racial identity that I decided to give an example of is the Black Americans. A “characteristic” or stereotype that has been placed among Black Americans is that they are rude and loud. This is obviously a stereotype that is socially constructed because how can you just look at someone and assume that they are rude and loud.
  • Stratification refers to the hierarchical ranking of individuals within a given group (Newman 2016). Describe the stratification system of either race or gender (use the identity you selected above) and explain how this hierarchical ranking is a social construction rather than based on biology.
    • With racial inequality in play Black Americans are on a low scale of the stratification system. Racial inequality is a huge ongoing problem in society today. From slavery to the now public hate crimes against Black Americans it’s a big problem that still plays a big role in society.
  • Chapter 1 in your text argues that what is at stake with these social identities is power and privilege. Using either race or gender, describe how one of the theories of inequality discussed in Chapter 1 (structural-functionalism or conflict theory) would explain why some groups within the identity experience inequalities.
    • Structural-functionalism is basically how society works together in order to function as one (Newman 2016). With that being said this theory suggest that in order to make society function properly there has to be some inequalities to be just. It suggest that some people in the world should be rich, some poor, some unfair, and even some criminals to contribute to society for it to function the way that it is functioning. “

PLEASE WRITE A RESPONSE TO THIS DISCUSSION POST….. 100-200 words

According to McMichaels, how is the concept of “development” (or human development) related to colonialism?

 

1) First, read the following statement by Frank.

“[O]ur ignorance of the underdeveloped countries’ history leads us to assume that their past and indeed their present resembles earlier stages of the history of the now developed countries. This ignorance and this assumption lead us into serious misconceptions about contemporary underdevelopment and development. Further, most studies of development and underdevelopment fail to take account of the economic and other relations between the metropolis and its economic colonies throughout the history of the world-wide expansion and development of the mercantilist and capitalist system.”

(Random note from prof: In the last 3 weeks, you read multiple summaries of this very history “of the world-wide expansion and development of the mercantilist and capitalist system.” Therefore, you should be able to envision some of this history Frank references!)

Frank was one of the first academics to directly challenge narratives that “development” was a pathway to affluence for postcolonial (underdeveloped) countries. In your own words, what are the “economic and other relations between the metropolis and its economic colonies” that Frank says created the conditions of underdevelopment in South America? (Give one example from the text.)

2) According to McMichaels, how is the concept of “development” (or human development) related to colonialism? In your opinion, do you think he would argue that our global focus on development (popularized after decolonization) is better than colonialism?

3) First, read the following statement.

“But as the contemporary African material shows so vividly, the ‘global’ does not ‘flow,’ thereby connecting and watering contiguous spaces; it hops instead, efficiently connecting the enclaved points in the network while excluding (with equal efficiency) the spaces that lie between the points.”

According to Ferguson, what “hops” and does not flow? (Hint: it is not water and not just “global”. Be specific.) Why is this relevant to the social life of people in African countries? (Give one example from the text.) Also, can you see how Ferguson’s vision and Frank’s vision of capitalism are similar?

4) In your opinion, do you think that Sassen would attribute some of Covid’s disproportionate impact on people of color to globalization?
Explain why or why not. Please see the data here for reference: https://data.newamericaneconomy.org/en/immigrant-workers-at-risk-coronavirus/

A brief Historical background of Each Country.

Please provide the following information for each country you chose in your “Hofstede Scale Upload”

1. A brief Historical background of Each Country.

2. Their 3 dominant Hofstede Dimension Scores and evidence which demonstrates each dimension. 

3. Identify and define the significance of at least 3 cultural artifacts for each country

4. In conclusion, reflect on how the knowledge you gained benefits you intrinsically and extrinsically.  Also, add whether what you’ve learned inspires you to visit the county or not. Be specific and honest

5.Post Your presentation in this assignment on the day of your assigned speech slot.

Note: please use this link to find the country I have choosen and dimension scale https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country-comparison/france,germany,switzerland/

Media, Socialization, and Identities

Media, Socialization, and Identities

The mass media act as an agent of socialization, teaching individuals the social and cultural ideals of their society. As individuals, the media not only teach us about society’s expectations and desired behaviors, but we also learn which social identities our society values the most and which are seen as less desirable.

For this discussion, you will examine what role the mass media play in replicating and reinforcing the stratification systems connected to a variety of social identities.  Read the article, The Objectification of Women in Advertising (Links to an external site.), https://www.thebalancecareers.com/creating-ads-4161815 and review The Role of the Mass Media in Representations of Age, Social Class, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality, and DisabilityPreview the document to address the following:

  • For the first part of this discussion, select two of the following social identities: age, class, physical ability, body size, sexuality, and/or ethnicity. For each of the two identities you select:
    • Describe the system of stratification for that identity in the United States.
    • How do the media generally portray this identity group? In particular, do the media representations convey any messages about which members of this group society values most?   Please provide an example for why or why not.
    • Explain how the media representations either reinforce or challenge the associated stratification system.
  • Next, consider gender and beauty ideals.
    • What beauty ideals do the media in the United States reinforce for men? For women?
    • Corporations use the media to sell their products; however, in doing so, they are also reinforcing society’s norms and values about which bodies are most highly valued in our society. Describe a recent commercial or advertisement you have seen, and explain how it reinforces society’s beauty ideals.
    • Describe one real-life consequence for either men or women who do not meet society’s beauty ideals that are reinforced by the media. This short article (Links to an external site.) https://www.newsweek.com/poll-how-much-beauty-worth-work-74305 may help you with this component.

Your initial post should be at least 500 words in length. Support your claims with examples from the required material(s) and/or scholarly resources, and properly cite any references both in text (Links to an external site.) and in a references list (Links to an external site.) at the end of the post.

Self-Care As a Leader and Advocate

Self-Care As a Leader and Advocate

INTRODUCTION

Leadership is an active role: ‘lead’ is a verb. But the leaders who tries to do it all is headed for burnout, and in a powerful hurry.

– Bill Owens

In this unit, you will be guided to synthesize your work throughout the course to develop a sustainable plan for how you will engage in leadership within the counseling profession. The unit readings examine success strategies to engage in self-care as a leader and advocate. You will identify your plan for finding a leadership mentor, identifying leadership opportunities that speak to your passion, and addressing leadership competencies. You will focus on strategies to become a transformational leader while promoting wellness, preventing leadership compassion fatigue and burnout, and engaging in productive leadership behaviors.

Reference

BrainyQuote. (n.d.). Bill Owens quotes. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/bill_owens_167736

Self-Care As a Leader and Advocate

Analysis of a Nonprofit Organization

Analysis of a Nonprofit Organization (4+ pages)
for this assignment, you will introduce your new nonprofit organization. The purpose is to create a development plan that describes your organization’s mission, objectives, services or programs, marketing strategies, and use of volunteers.  The development plan represents your nonprofit: created, developed, and led by you.

Be sure to read these handouts:
* Publicity
* Planning Community Programs

Objectives:

  1. Identify a community need that is not being met (or not being met sufficiently) in the Middle Tennessee area, and develop an idea and plan for a nonprofit to address this need.
  2. Come up with one service program this nonprofit will offer to the community.
  3. Identify marketing strategies you can apply to build your program or service.

Assignment: The steps to completing this assignment are as follows:

Research: Pay attention to the news, social media, conversations with family and friends, etc. as a starting point. Then, dig into data about the issue you care about. What is the status of the situation (e.g., rates of homelessness among LGBT youths; number of shelter dogs euthanized each year)? What other organizations are addressing this need, and what types of services do they provide? How will you differentiate yourself?

And, remember: There is a difference between a problem and an issue. A problem is a broad area of concern, such as health care, pollution, racism, unemployment. An issue is a solution or partial solution to a problem. The first step is to analyze the problem and decide what kind of solution to work toward. Then decide how to frame it in a way that will gain the most public support.