Care Context of Social Worker

Care Context of Social Worker Critically explore the care context in which social work operates, demonstrating an understanding of sociological and social policy concepts, drawing examples from practice. Introduction What constitutes social work is largely defined by the state and by Government policies. That is to say it defines the legal framework through which the responsibilities of social workers are defined. These refer to the people that social workers have a responsibility towards, how those responsibilities should be carried out, and the broader framework which underpins social work practice (Brayne and Martin, 1995). The general legislative framework as it applies to social work practice actually applies to the local authority that employs social workers, but, nevertheless it is part of the general legal guidelines under which social workers engage in practice. This paper will look at practice and the framework within which social workers operate from the perspective of users with mental health problems. The Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 states: Every local authority shall establish a social services committee, and †¦there shall stand referred to that committee all matters relating to the discharge by the authority of- (a) their functions under the enactments specified in the first column of Schedule 1 to this Act This paper will explore the problems that many users with mental health problems encounter and it will consider how policy and its resultant initiatives can impact on the lives of services users. This discussion will be set within the context which welfare services are delivered in Britain. It is difficult to give a definition of the rights and responsibilities of social workers without some way of ensuring that these are fulfilled. At the very least everyone has the right to be protected from abuse and to be treated with respect. This is extremely difficult when current Government discourses, while expressing concern for those with mental health problems, then employ discourses which ignore factors such as race, gender and class and social circumstances, that are pertinent to any proper understanding of a person’s condition. Hannigan and Cutliffe (2002) are of the opinion that the medical model of health, which locates disability in the pathology of the individual, is flourishing in mental healthcare and under the terms of the 1983 Mental Health Act this often results in medical treatments that may involve, for example, the use of drugs or electro-convulsive therapy without the person’s consent. In Britain the law has a definition of mental disorder, which includes four separate conditions: mental illness, mental impairment, severe mental impairment, and psychopathic disorder (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999:9). The first of these conditions is not defined. The second two conditions refer specifically to people with learning difficulties. The final condition refers to people who may be antisocial, unusually aggressive, and who may pose a threat to themselves and those around them. It is assumed that this legal definition accords with psychiatric definitions of mental disorder when this is not necessarily the case. It is within this context that mental health workers, and often approved social workers also, are left to determine the conditions under which a person may or may not be detained under the terms of the 1983 Mental Health Act (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999).With regard to people with mental health problems (for whom similar provisions for those with other disabilities apply) Schedule One of the Local Authorities Social Services Act of 1970 is relevant and states that local authority social services should make proper provision for those who are mentally or physically disabled. It would s eem that contrary to the terms of the Act the legislative framework does not make such a provision in that it uses unclear definitions with which a social worker operates. It is a context which disenfranchises those who are already at a social disadvantage. Studies on inequalities in health suggest that that class, gender and race determine how a person is treated in a care context. In the mental health arena there are a number of studies (e.g. Pilgrim and Rogers, 1999) which tend to suggest that black males are particularly disadvantaged in this area. Section 136 of the 1983 Mental Health Act gives the police the power to detain someone for 72 hrs in a safe place if they are considered to be a danger to themselves or other people, and irrespective of whether they have actually done anything. Some research (Bean et al, 1991) has shown that under this section Afro-Caribbeans are two and a half times as likely as whites to be detained in this manner. Giddens (2001) maintains that in many of our social structures an aura of institutional racism still operates. It is arguably the case that this affects the treatment of black males with mental health problems and necessitates the social worker exerting particular care in this context in deciding whether a person should be detained under the Mental Health Act or whether they are fit to be left to care in the community . Since the Human Rights Act of 1998 local authorities have a duty to act in ways that are conversant with the Act. Social workers help with the problems faced by people with disabilities. When working with people with mental health problems or other disabilities social workers need to be aware of the Human Rights Act and the Community Care Act of 1990. Social workers are faced with making decisions concerning what defines a person with disabilities and also how to define their needs. The community care system is not straightforward and the legal requirements often not precise. If a social worker prescribes the wrong form of care e.g. detainment under the Mental Health Act when a person does not really fulfil that criteria, they could be infringing that person’s human rights. Policy needs to be carefully and more clearly formulated in the care context so that social workers can effectively carry out their duties to service users. Conclusion This paper has attempted to explore, in too few words, the care context within which social workers operate. It has done this from the perspective of someone working in the mental health arena. The care context of mental health is fraught with problems which are, or can be, exacerbated by the legislative framework. In many respects social workers from all backgrounds face similar difficulties and there is no ‘right’ way, in many senses the contemporary care context is suffused with the view that ‘you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. 1,000 words Bibliographhy Bean, Bingley, Bynoe et al. 1991. Out of Harm’s Way:Mind’s Research into police and psychiatric action under section 136 of the Mental Health Act. London, Mind. Brayne and Martin 6th ed. 1999 Law for Social Workers London, Blackstone Press Mandelstam and Schwehr 1995 Community Care Practice and the Law London, Jessica Kingsley Disability Discrimination Act 1995 http://www.drc-gb.org/thelaw/thedda.asp http://www.after16.org.uk/pages/law5.html Giddens, A. 2001 4th ed. Sociology, Cambridge, Polity Press. Hannigan B and Cutcliffe J 2002 Challenging contemporary mental health policy: time to assuage the coercion? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37(5), 477-484, London, Blackwell Science, 2002 Pilgrim, D. and Rogers, A. 1999. A Sociology of Mental Health and Illness. Buckingham, Open University Press.

Oedipus Rex Essay -- Literary Analysis, Sophocles

Even though Oedipus is a hero, we should not admire him, as the intentions for his actions are self-centered. This distinction is necessary to help us better understand the difference between being a hero, and a hero worth of admiration. It is important to know that somebody’s admiration must ultimately stem from the intentions of their actions rather than the results of their actions alone, so we can act accordingly in the future. Oedipus is a hero, as defined by Johnston. According to Johnston, ‘a hero is someone who confronts fate in a very personal manner and whose reaction to that encounter serves to illuminate for us our own particular condition’ (Johnston, Part 2). Oedipus definitely confronts fate in a personal manner. Among other things, he challenges the mysterious qualities of fate by pursuing the Shepherd despite warnings from Jocasta (Sophocles, 71). Oedipus follows through on confronting fate with his individual approach of uncompromising persistence and integrity (Johnston, Part 3). Even at the end of his downfall, Oedipus maintains that Kreon should banish him and that he must obey the curses he himself ordered for the murderer of King Laios (Sophocles, 89-90). Despite being so broken and publicly shamed, Oedipus still persists with his former way of interacting with fate : noble defiance (Johnston, Part 3). Although this quality itself is admirable, Oedipus takes uncompromising to the extreme, losing insight on everything else. Oedipus becomes ignorant to his surroundings, leading to his downfall (Johnston, Part 3). Oedipus’ story also challenges the fundamental belief that life should be rational and just. (Johnston, Part 3) His story illuminates that fate is arbitrarily cruel and will sometimes pick the gre... ...gender, she did not let this discourage her, but rather become the motivation to start the Million Signatures Campaign, demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iranian law. For her work, Ebadi received death threats against herself and her family and had to seek refuge in Canada as the current regime increased its prosecution of ‘political dissidents’. Although Ebadi, like Oedipus, had to ultimately live outside their community for living completely on their own terms, she was motivated by her intention to better the lives of others living in a similar situation as she once faced. On the other hand, Oedipus, although caring for the wellbeing of Thebes, is must more motivated to realize his greatness and sense of self than to rid Thebes of its worries. The difference of intentions makes Ebadi the admirable hero, and Oedipus, just a heroic man.

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Essay

Carlo asserts â€Å"War is a wonderful thing, in movies and in books.† By close reference to the novel, explore how war shows people at their worst and their best. The novel Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, written by Louis De Bernieres in 1994, explores â€Å"humanity; we sigh at their suffering as they are ripped apart and forever changed by war.†1 The quotation in the title is spoken by Carlo quite early on in the novel, at the end of chapter 15, titled ‘L’Omosessuale (4)’. He is referring to the idea that war is repeatedly shown to be patriotic, heroic, and indeed wonderful especially in film and literature. However, from Carlos’ experiences in Albania, he knows the true reality of war, as he has seen and experienced the suffering. We can trace Carlos’ progression of thought through his personal chapters; all entitled ‘L’Omosessuale’. He begins saying, â€Å"How wonderful it was to be at this war†(p.119) We hear him describe crossing the foreign border as â€Å"exhilarating†, and he and his comrades view themselves as â€Å"the new legionaries of the new empire that would last ten thousand years.†(p.119) This was his view at the very beginning of war, before he had really experienced any suffering. As he is yet to encounter any conflict, it is likely he has been influenced by the propaganda at the time, organised by the Italian leader, Mussolini. The next quotation is said slightly further on during Carlos’ experience, â€Å"How wonderful it was to be at war, until the weather turned against us.†(p.120) It is here that we begin to hear of some of the suffering that Carlo and his comrades had to endure, such as â€Å"we were ten thousand men soaked to the bone†(p.120). The real tragedy of war is death, and Carlo has had direct experience of this. He says, â€Å"War is wonderful until someone is killed†(p.122). This is when De Bernieres chooses to use graphic images to show the suffering that Carlo and his comrades endure. â€Å"I realised that I was covered with gory scraps of human flesh that were freezing fast to my uniform†(p.122). Finally, Carlo says the quotation in the title, â€Å"War is a wonderful thing, in movies and in books† on page 124. It is here that Carlo has realised the actuality of war, and can see that this idealised version is fictitious and can only be seen in movie and in books. â€Å"War scorches a trail through all of their lives. What seems, at the beginning of the novel, like a game, a challenge to manhood, a matter of honour, an occasion for political satire, becomes an appalling reality.2 Carlo asserts that war is shown to be wonderful in movies and in books. However, De Bernieres does not follow this trend, and shows the war for what it is. De Bernieres’ characters starve and die slowly with their entrails hanging out; he depicts the horror that they have to endure to fight for their country, and the suffering that they are put through. In Albania, Carlo says â€Å"It was as though a portion of my mind has disappeared, or as though my soul had diminished to a tiny point of grey light†(p.138). De Bernieres also shows the gore and bloodshed caused by the war, when he describes the death of Francesco. In chapter 19, L’Omosessuale (6), De Bernieres uses Carlo’s narrative to tell the reader the true details of Francesco’s death, and then the sanitised version for his mother. As well as this showing Carlos’ considerate nature, it also confirms that many people did view the war in a very different light from its reality, including Francesco’s mother. â€Å"He died on a fine day, Signora, with the sun shining and the birds singing.† â€Å"(He died on a day when the snow was melting and when, beneath that carapace, there were emerging a thousand corpses, knapsacks, rusted riffles, water bottles, illegible unfinished letters drenched in blood)† (p.148). Corelli wrote the novel, after falling in love with the Island of Cephallonia, and wanting to inform readers about what happened to this Island during World War II. For this reason, he has depicted a very real and veritable account of atrocities that occurred during the Second World War. â€Å"Everyone is shot, without regard for rank or role, even the medics and the chaplains.†3 However, in the film adaptation of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, directed by John Madden, war is viewed in a very different light. De Bernieres has said of the film â€Å"The problem is that film-makers take out all your good ideas and replace them with a load of stupid ones.†4 The depiction of war in the film is very different and many scenes seem to have been â€Å"watered down†5, in order to appeal to far wider audience. The movie has been widely criticised, after changing the story line drastically from a tragic story of the destruction and consequences of war, to a love story between Corelli and Pelagia. â€Å"Where de Bernià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½res’ book makes it clear from the start that war is unforgivingly ugly, for a long time the film’s only hint of this is a glimpse of Mandras’s battle-scarred feet.†6 Although much of De Bernieres novel depicts the horror of war, some of the consequences of war are indeed wonderful. Corelli and Pelagia would have never found love without the intervention of war in their lives, and although ultimately war destroys their love, the moments spent together made the war endurable. The prefatory poem at the beginning on the novel shows Louis De Bernieres hinting, even before the novel has begun, that war will be an important theme throughout. ‘The Soldier’ by Humbert Wolfe describes the waste of war, and the loss of lives and of youth. Links are evident between this poem and Captain Corelli’s mandolin as they both explore the way in which war has an effect on different people. The presence of war on the Island of Cephallonia has various effects on different characters and can expose people’s flaws and merits. An excellent example of this is the contrast shown between Mandras and Antonio Corelli. Corelli has been drawn into a war that he really has no heart for. â€Å"You mean you’re a soldier by mistake?† (p. 206, Pelagia). He has no desires to be a soldier and his character is often seen as anti-military. When giving punishments he does not follow the rules that are expected of him, â€Å"To everyone’s surprise the captain pointed his pistol straight into the face of one of the culprits†(p.324). However, although he had no intention of doing so, Corelli proves to be an excellent comrade and shows morality throughout the war. â€Å"This is my morality, I make myself imagine that it is personal†(p.351). This is greatly contrasted with the character of Mandras. He has very high expectations about the life of a soldier and feels he has to prove himself to Pelagia and the rest of the Island. He resents those who know more than him, yet does not want to prove himself intellectually, as he believes â€Å"no man is a man until he has been a soldier†(p.80) Carlos’ assertion that war is wonderful in movies and in books reflects a idealised view of the war. However, Mandras believes that this view was the reality of war and he felt that becoming a soldier would make him more worthy as a man. â€Å"I’ll come back and everyone will say, That’s Mandras, who fought in the war. We owe everything to people like him.† He is indoctrinated by what is expected of him, and is predicted to conform. However high Mandras’ expectations were, the war does not elevate him, it brings him down. During his experiences in war he saw others abuse their power, and now feels he has a right to do the same, The war de-humanises him, and instead of changing him for the better it changes him for the worse. The war in Cephallonia showed the best and the worst in people. In Antonio Corelli’s case it displays his merits as he has the opportunity to exercise his humanity in the treatment of others. From the beginning of the novel, Corelli is represented as a laid-back, light-hearted leader. Although he has a great talent as a leader, he is very modest and introduces Carlo as â€Å"one of our heroes, He has a hundred medals for saving life and none for taking it†(p.202). He proves himself as an excellent comrade and Captain by being faithful to his men until the very end. â€Å"There is no honour in this war, but I have to be with my boys†(p.392). His introduction of La Scala also shows good comradeship, as it is a humorous and practical solution to having to use communal toilets. This is also a crucial element of the novel, as before they go to join the shooting line up, they sing to maintain their composure. He also shows his forgiving nature when he chooses to forgive Gunter for what he has done. â€Å"I forgive you. If I do not, who will?†(p.397). He says of himself â€Å"I am not a natural parasite†(p.305) and this is seen clearly when he avoids any confrontation with Pelagia. He is uncomfortable about living with Pelagia and her father â€Å"Tonight I shall sleep in the yard and tomorrow I shall request alternative accommodation†(p.204). Corelli’s fondness for animals is De Bernieres way of showing positive traits in a character. The fact that Corelli is so attached to Psipsina shows that he is an admirable man and the reader feel connected to him. â€Å"The captain had some engaging traits. He tied a cork to a piece of string, and sprinted about the house with Psipsina in hot pursuit†¦and if the animal happened to be sitting on a piece of music, he would go away and fetch another sheet rather than disturb her†(p.250) Corelli also shows fondness for children in his relationship with Lemoni. Although there is a language barrier, the two are able to communicate on a different level, and are able to enjoy each other’s company. â€Å"The child was whooping and laughing, and it appeared that what was transpiring was a lesson in Italian. ‘Bella fanciulla,’ the captain was saying. He was waiting for Lemoni to repeat it. ‘Bla fanshla,’ she giggled.† (p. 211) He also appears to have a very different attitude than other soldiers, when he arrives in Cephallonia with his mandolin strapped to his back, and not a gun, as you would expect from a soldier. The mandolin â€Å"that was called Antonia because it was the other half of himself.† This love for music is another engaging trait that the captain has, and is one of the reasons Pelagia falls in love with him. We also see this originality to his character when Gunter Weber, a german soldier, introduces himself. Weber says â€Å"Heil Hitler†, yet Corelli says â€Å"Heil Puccini†, showing he has a very different attitude to the war, and will not be led by anyone. This again shows his love for classical music, as Puccini was a great composer, whom Corelli was an admirer of. His relationship with Pelagia is clearly one of great love and admiration, however it also contains sexual desires, which are never consummated. â€Å"Such slender fingers, such pink nails. He imagined them engaged upon amorous and nocturnal things, and realised that he was disturbing Psipsina.†(p.259, Corelli) This shows ongoing respect for Pelagia and her father, and also shows Corelli’s caring and considerate temperament. In contrast to Corelli, the character Mandras is brutalised by war. He believes that war will change him for the better, yet it changes him for the worse. He becomes a victim of propaganda and a victim of his insecurities. Before he leaves for war he tells Pelagia â€Å"I’m a Greek†¦not a Fascist†(p.214) War changes him for the worse as he is very easily led and allows others to influence him. This may have had a positive effect on Mandras if he had chosen Iannis to guide him, yet he chooses Hector, the leader of a branch of the ELAS. Joining this group causes him to abandon his personal values, and this is seen when he whips the old man. â€Å"Mandras did not even notice that the man had stopped moving, had stopped screaming and whining†(p.233). He manages to blank out the emotions that he should be feeling, and begins to enjoy the power he holds over this old man. â€Å"If you didn’t think about what it was, it sounded weirdly beautiful†(p.234) After returning from the war, he becomes much more manipulative, especially towards Pelagia and Drosoula. â€Å"Mandras had begun his exile into inaccessibility by dramatising the idea of death†(p.180). Pelagia was â€Å"convinced that he was doing it on purpose as an act of vengeance or punishment.†(p.180). This shows a very cruel side to Mandras that we have never seen before, and it clearly takes the war to bring out this negative side of his character. He has clearly been indoctrinated by the propaganda of the war, and this is seen in chapter 63, when he recites communist slogans. â€Å"The party is never wrong. Whoever is not with us is against us†(p.447) He does not seem to be questioning what he has been told, he just repeats it. He has experienced others abusing their power during his time with the ELAS and now sees this as an approved way of behaving. â€Å"De Bernià ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½res explores power and its abuse†7 He insults and belittles Pelagia after he returns from fighting and tortures her further, even though he should see that she has suffered enough during the war. De Bernieres shows a side to Mandras that readers have never seen before. He represents him as evil and sadistic, and we see Mandras refer to Pelagia as a â€Å"slut†. His morals have disintegrated following his fighting with the ELAS, and feels that he can do whatever he wants. This is due to the fact that the ELAS would make up their own rules for their comrades to follow. The war de-humanises Mandras and he represents the damage that can be inflicted by extreme politics. In Mandras’ death, De Bernieres wants readers to feel pity for him, as it is clear the communist party has seriously indoctrinated him. He dies as a victim of the war, and a desire to prove himself worthy, and this also evokes compassion in the reader Carlo is a character in the novel who shows how war can bring out the best in people. He is a very honourable character, and has to live with the secret that he is homosexual. He puts aside his desire for Corelli in order to help the romance between Pelagia and Corelli develop. â€Å"I have loved you with the same surprise and gratitude that I see in your own eyes when you are with Pelagia†(p.384). He shows true bravery in front of the firing squad when stepping in front of Corelli to save his life. â€Å"Antonio Corelli†¦had found in front of him the titanic bulk of Carlo Guercio†(p.399). De Bernieres uses Carlo’s narrative in the chapters entitled L’Omosessuale, and this allows the readers to sympathise further with the silent suffering that Carlo has to endure during the war. His writings are eloquently written and his language is poetic and beautiful, showing the gentle side to his character. â€Å"He died on a fine day, Signora, with the sun shining and the birds singing.†(P.148, Carlo) â€Å"Father Arsenios was saved by the war†(p.292). De Bernieres absolves Arsenios after the war and liberates him from his former self. However, the characters perceive him as a mad man and cannot see that war has brought about his finest hour. He is referred to as the â€Å"crazy priest† yet he feels he is a saviour and â€Å"it is probable that, had he lived, Arsenios might have become a saint†(p.295). De Bernieres chooses to depict war in a graphic and realistic light in his novel, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Although in many films or books war is shown to be wonderful, this idealised version is proved wrong in De Bernieres novel, as he shows the suffering that the soldiers were forced to endure. He shows that the war has different effects on different people, and it can expose their faults or their merits. Mandras is forever changed by the war, as he returns indoctrinated by the communist party. His death proves that his natural environment is the sea, where he can be accepted and does not have to prove himself. In contrast Corelli’s merits are shown to be more prominent as the war develops, and also as his love for Pelagia develops. The reader is drawn to the character of Corelli, even though he is an occupying soldier, as he shows compassion, kindness and respect during his time in Cephallonia.

Critical Lens       - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 811 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/09/19 Category Literature Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? One may think it is unfair to try so hard to accomplish a goal, and in the end it seems that all their hard work and everything they lost paid off for nothing. David Mamet once said â€Å"†¦it is the human lot to try and fail † I agree with this quotation because it cannot be truer in my own life, as well as the tragedy Antigone by Sophocles in which two tragic heroes Creon and Antigone have to endure the pain of trying and failing. To the naked eye it may seem although Creon and Antigone are the complete opposite of one another, however Creon and Antigone are enduring the similar experiences throughout the play despite the despise they have for one another. Creon and Antigone both have the characteristics of tragic heroes but demonstrate those characteristics in different ways. Both Antigone and Creon have belief in their freedom, Antigone believes that her stature to decide what’s right should not be compromised because of the fact that she is a woman; While Creon believes he has the freedom to do whatever is necessary to assert his authority. Creon and Anitgone   exhibit extreme pride or â€Å"hubris† in which Creon believes that his power over rides the power of the gods and Antigone is willing to give up her own life just to ensure her pride that she would do whatever it takes to honor her brother. A sense of commitment is demonstrated when Creon is determined no matter what to carry out his punishment on Antigone, and Antigone is willing to withstand that punishment by Creon. Both characters exhibit a capacity for suffering or â€Å"pathos†. Antigone is willing to withstand the pain of killing herself when placed in a tomb. Creon does not feel any guilt when sending Antigone to her death in the tomb, however after Creon’s son, Haimon , kills himself Creon shows his vulnerability and that he does in fact have the capacity to suffer. A sense of vigorous protest is shown in both characters as well. A ntigone feels betrayed because she carried out the will of the gods but was punished for carrying out the right thing to do, and believes that the gods and the senators of the government should have supported her in her time of great suffering. Creon blames his own weaknesses for the tragic death of his wife and son this exhibits the vigorous protest he has towards his past completed actions. Throughout the play a Transfiguration occurs in both Antigone and Creon in with purification or â€Å"catharsis† is exhibited within the character. By the time Antigone is being sent to her death her view starts to change in which she starts to question the power of the gods and why they did not help her and why she was robbed of the rest of life by not being able to have a family or grow old. Creon starts to question his own authority and whether or not he made a justifiable decision for the state as well as his own family. In both of these instances the character undergoes severe suffering which causes them to change their hearts and undergo purification and purges them of their original feelings. Literary elements consisting of irony and metaphors play a distant role in this play by Sophocles. Irony is found in the fate of Antigone when she is engaged to be married to her cousin, Haimon, but her engagement is ended with her being sentenced to death by her uncle and future father-in-law   Creon. The outfit she wears at the time of her death is described, dramatically and ironically, as her wedding dress â€Å"This search, at our despairing masters word, we went to make; and in the furthest part of the tomb we described her hanging by the neck, slung by a thread-wrought halter of fine linen: while he was embracing her with arms thrown around her waist, bewailing the loss of his bride who is with the dead, and his fathers deeds, and his own ill-starred love†. Metaphors are also found in the play â€Å"Sirs, the vessel of our State, after being tossed on wild waves, hath once more been safely steadied by the gods: and ye, out of all the folk, have been called apart by my summons † Creons speech contains a metaphor calling Thebes a ship of state and that a king and his citizens must put the state above all. In the lifes of Antigone and Creon in the play Antigone by Sophocles display hardships to the greatest extent, and it seems as though they fail at everything they try. David Mamet said â€Å"†¦it is the human lot to try and fail † though these characters may fail at their attempts in the play they give readers the power to gain pathos which provides insight to the true suffering in their lives. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Critical Lens  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  " essay for you Create order