Introduction
This essay will focus on the role of a social care worker, specifically, the history of the profession, what the practice has learned from its predecessor, and how it has evolved into the current model of social care practice that is seen today. These subjects will be researched through relevant books, web pages, and scholarly journals.
Historical Context of Social Care Practice
“The master says it’s a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it’s a glorious thing to die for Ireland and I wonder if there’s anyone in the world who would like us to live.”
Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes
Before there were social care practitioners, there was the Church. In 1868, the first industrial schools in Ireland were created and facilitated by both Catholic and Protestant churches, and they were public. They were created to care for neglected, orphaned, and abandoned children (Caranua n.d.). By 1908, the Children’s Act was introduced and included some loose parameters for schools around feeding, teaching, clothing, and housing children. The system, as it stood, suffered from an extreme lack of regulations as well as a duty of care, and became a source of abuse, disease, neglect, maltreatment, and in many cases, death, for young people (Caranua n.d.). The safety, protection, and well-being of children within the Church’s care, was virtually non-existent. So it was that in May of 1999, the Taoiseach, Bernie Ahern, apologized on behalf of the government to the survivors of child abuse within the industrial schools, acknowledging the responsibility of the Irish State. The government vowed to tackle the issue of past abuse, as well as provide counseling to survivors (Caranua n.d.).
The current social care practice seen in Ireland was born out of ‘serious deficiencies in the running of children’s centres… and the recognition of the need for professionally trained staff, as is stated by Kennedy and Gallagher (Kennedy and Gallagher p. 12) (2009 p. 12). It was influenced by international models that distanced themselves from institutions and focused on the community (2009 p. 13).
In 1972, several decades before this apology, the national organization representing care workers, known as the AWCC (Association of Workers with Children in Care) began their inception. The organization had only 73 members at the time and has since changed its name and evolved into a wider provision of care to include different sections of the public who required social service (2012 p.2). The word ‘social’ was included, as it best described its professional outreach, and the IASCW (Irish Association of Social Care Workers) now holds over 1500 members. The current mission of the IASCW is to provide its members with advocacy, representation, and support in the practice of Social Care Work, as well as an opportunity to improve the Standards and quality of Social Care Work in Ireland (2012 p.2) (Social Care Ireland 2019).
With increasing professionalization and regulation within the practice, there is hope that many issues that care has faced in its past will be addressed in its future. (2009 p. 20)
The Current Model of Social Care Practice and Moving Forward
Social care practice, by today’s definition, is complicated and ambiguous as some government agencies do not have a standard definition. Unfortunately, the consequences of an undefined profession can lead to vague career and salary structures. Several different bodies have attempted to clarify what it means to be a social care worker, and as Share and Lalor state, those bodies are usually involved in the provision, management, or funding of social care in the education and training of its practitioners (2009 p. 5)
A definition from the Irish Association of Social Care Educators (IASCE) states that:
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“ a profession committed to the planning and delivery of quality care and other support services for individuals and groups with identified needs.”
It is important to highlight the term profession within this definition, as it indicates that it is not done on a voluntary or amateur basis, and requires access to a specific body of knowledge, skills, and awareness (2009 pp.5-6). In Ireland, the minimum qualification needed in order to practice as a Social Care Worker in the publicly funded health sector is a 3-year Level 7 Degree. The social care students are trained to optimize the personal and social development of those with whom they work, and are involved in a number of varied supervised work placements.
Although there are social care workers in the field currently who hold no qualifications, in time, social care professionals will be subject to statutory registration with the Health of Social Care Professionals Council (CORU). This will require any individual wishing to work as a social care worker, will legally be required to register with CORU (Social Care Ireland 2019).
Social Care Practice in the Field
Social care practitioners usually work within two main areas of practice, which are direct service to clients, and organizational activities. Direct service to clients can include examples of group/individual intervention, counseling, life skills training, assessments of a child/family, abuse interventions, and many more. Organizational activities can include case management, financial budgeting, staff training/supervision, court appearances, etc. (2009 pp.17-18).
Social care practitioners are usually employed by the state (statutory) sector, non-governmental sector, and community-based organizations. Regardless of the employers, the role of the practitioners is to work alongside the service users in order to maximize and empower their growth and development. They plan and provide care to vulnerable groups and individuals of all ages who are marginalized, disadvantaged, or have special needs (2009 p. 18).
The role of a social care worker is very important within Irish society, and it is crucial that continuous growth and learning within the field is practiced in order to be nurture capable, professional, and dynamic practitioners. The active role of maintaining and improving one’s knowledge, skills, and competencies in order to develop professionally is called Continuing Professional Development or CPD (Social Care Ireland 2019). There are several methods of contributing to professional development including, but not limited to, completing an academic course, reflecting on current practices, researching/reading related articles, etc. CPD is highly beneficial to a service user as it enhances the effective delivery of services and a high provision of a standard of care (Social Care Ireland 2019).
Collaborative Practice (Internal/External Staff and Clients)
The goal of a social care practitioner is to create a positive experience for the client. By nature, social care practice deals with conflict on a very regular basis, as users and team members come from different backgrounds, experiences, expectations, and skill sets. It is important to recognize that in order to develop one’s own practice, and best assist the client’s needs, social care practitioners must be open and willing to collaborate with other colleagues as well as the clients and their families. These colleagues could include the internal staff which belongs to a specific organization, but can also include external members of staff which are used to assist the client such as the An Garda Síochána, Medical Practitioners, Social Work Services, Monitoring Officers, etc. (Tusla - Child and Family Agency n.d.).
Conclusion
The role of the social care practitioner is complex, yet highly rewarding. The profession has evolved over decades, from the industrial schools run by the Church, to what social care practice is today. It is seen, essentially, as a much more dynamic, comprehensive, inclusive, and community-based service. Social care practice will continue to develop as CORU is introduced in the coming years, and it is hopeful that the new regulations will strengthen the profession, and ultimately create a better service for the users and the community.
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