Research Articles Base: Free Behavioral Norms Topics

Sample Behavioral Essay: The Conflict Resolution Method

Society today has modernized the social rules which bind us all. And to regulate the interactions within the community, legal procedures had been formulate to solve these disputes when the individuals come into conflict and are not able to come up with an agreement by themselves. People are so occupied with the turbulent character of conflict that they celebrate its resolution at various levels: within our family, community, and nation and at the international level. Conflict resolution, like conflict and cooperation itself, is a natural process. I consider the Natural Conflict Resolution method to be my most preferred method since to live and enjoy the benefits of social living, individuals must come together and resolve the need for endless and useless mitigating competition and solving conflicts of interest. Furthermore, this follows the natural process of conflict management and is an essential fixture in any social group of any group-living creatures. As such, in referring to the evolutionary theory (Csányi, 1989) which says that it is logical to anticipate conflict resolution designs as natural phenomenon which works on asserting the unity of groups and the consociated benefits this brings to every member. This makes sense considering that solving a natural phenomenon can be done by a natural process too. Furthermore, even the least spontaneous forms of conflict resolution, such as the mediation of international conflict, are based on the natural fundamentals of the phenomenon, that is, interpersonal relationships. In sum, conflict among monkeys, people, and even entire groups or nations follows a certain dynamic that is universal, and so is its resolution. An area to consider as one of the weaknesses of the Natural Conflict Resolution method is the emotion which is also thought as an intervening component between both the internal and external elements which leads to the conflict of interest and its resolution. Different internal and external stimuli produce different emotions of variable intensities, which in turn contribute to different behavioral and physiological responses. Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Sample Behavioral Essay: The Conflict Resolution Method

Society today has modernized the social rules which bind us all. And to regulate the interactions within the community, legal procedures ...

Effect of social networking to students’ study habit

Effect of Social Networking to Students’ Study Habit Introduction With the rapid phase of the changing generation, the youth is now more demanding in acquiring technologies that will suit to their needs, especially in when it is applied to their studies. Certainly, the access in Internet or in the World Wide Web is easy and there are many benefits can be gained. The use of this accessibility is applied mostly on the professionals such as medical practitioners, business tycoons, and even government officials. The purpose of their usage the Internet is different in terms of their needs and various marketers also applied their expertise on it. Apparently, the growing numbers of users are members of different social networking sites and most of them are students. Social Networking Social networking such as Cyworld in Korea, Facebook one of the largest social networking sites in the U.S., Myspace, and many others has been plagued the websites of the Internet accessibility. Many individuals, mostly students and their friends are engaged in social networking. Social networks are made to entertain and to interact with the other people even if they are miles away. There are many various styles used by the social networks to accommodate their visitors like enabling the host to create his or her mini-homepages and considered as a way to express their own ideas. Part of creating their own world through the web is decorating them with vivid colors, wallpapers, characters, and even music and videos ( 2009). Due to the continuous change in cultural and social aspect and with the accordance of technological revolution, the social networking’s essence in the face of the Internet and Web is still in question. There are many sites that are pushing their limitations to follow the success of the Google in terms of marketing and generating revenues which is a significant factor between the search engine and on networking sites. Now, ask every student and they will definitely tell you that they had an account ranges from 1 to 3 in different social networking sites. With this fact, the networking sites is a subject for scrutiny because they can contribute of influence the individuals especially children. And they are unaware that these social networking can gradually affect their studies that will reflect on their grades.  The Analysis It is true that an interactive world can help the students to do their assignments efficiently and accurately. The young members of population have started the marketers to start experimenting with alternative forms of communication. The birth of social networking sites and its growth is enormously fast and the members are unlimited ( 2009). The only purpose of the social networking is to follow the success of Google in which they also adopted the advertising-based model. But the social networking sites did not realize that their adaptation of the advertising-based model is not sustainable since the students are only accessing their site just to interact of communicate with their friends and not to purchase their products online. There is so much promise in advertising online, especially when there are large marketers, but if the target of the online site is the middle aged people – the success is seemingly blurred. Study and Social Networking The fusion of study and Internet sites opened the doors for positive and negative results (2009). Almost 80% of the students said that the use of social networking sites such as Facebook does not affect their grades (2009). This idea brought out the issues about the study habits of the students. The effect of social networking on the student’s study habits results in different ranges. Many studies show different results about the students who use social networking. There are instances that the student who uses Facebook often has consistently lower grades, in which on the other study’s result is different. The higher-education officials and social networking experts said that there is a long-term research about the determination of the social networking sites on the academics of the students and on their grades (2009). There is a majority numbers among the student’s population who uses social networking sites that received grades according to their performance. The academic performance of the students is different from the other that suggests to the idea that there is, somehow, an impact of social networking over the academics and their study habits.  Conclusion However, it is logical to think that the students who used to view their network account more than necessary in a day is highly risky in failing grades, than the one who can manage her or his time and maintaining the routine to finish all his assignments before clicking the icons on his homepage.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Effect of social networking to students’ study habit

Effect of Social Networking to Students’ Study Habit Introduction With the rapid phase of the changing generation, the youth is now more...

Community care management and planning

Community care management and planning   1. You are asked to identify key contemporary legislation and social policy issues in relation to Nora and Elvis.             In the field of society and life, issues concerning moral ethics and values are often the most usual topics. Morality governs every person’s move. But just why are people so caught up in morality and norms? What are social policies and their implications to social work practice? To be able to grasp these ideas, we must first shed light on the terms. What are norms? Norms are unspoken bylaws to which people adhere to. It’s an understood law. It is sometimes socially enforced. According to The Emergence of Norms, she contests that norms allow people to act and coordinate their behavior in certain situations. But the emergence of self-interest will prevent such coordination and cooperation (1977). Morality is an idea which pertains to the concept of right and wrong. Many arguments have been filed for this concept, arguing that it is maladaptive in certain aspects. But as of the moment, we shall use the definition given above. Social policy refers to the guidelines created for the betterment and wellbeing of the human society. The guidelines aim to meet the needs and the welfare of the people. Assessing the health status of people experiencing neurological and physical disorders has three main assessment components: (1) Interview, (2) physical examination, (3) general and special social, physical and medical diagnostic treatments and studies. People’s individual reactions to crisis are psychologically necessary and grief reactions occur. Social work values are values which concerns itself with the moral and social clauses of the given work. In the context of this paper, we shall apply and discuss all of these terms to be able to arrive at a conclusion. It is a fact that culture will not be successful and effective in its ways and processes without the presence of communication as the ‘culture of goodness and excellence’, can be reflected through leaving out in communication. This is only possible if people within the society comprising of different sectors from the academia, government, private sectors and business firms attest that communication is vital for the development of goodness and excellence in culture from within Nations, from putting substance to the government laws and regulations so that the education to be imparted and inculcated to the students will be of greater function to those who respect it as exercised properly by the authorities from various academic fields that can be of relevant factor in promoting the goodness of culture and the excellence of culture through communication as the latter provides the clear emphasis and justification of certain rules and principles to be applied in everyday living. Moreover, in the Language of Morals notes that uses of the word, “good,” are meaningless unless there is a stipulation that “x” is “good with respect to y.” Often, textbooks make comparisons between poor examples of student prose with revised versions that are “better” and offer seemingly cogent explanations of what makes writing effective. The tendency in these books is to ignore the contingent character of language and to concentrate on essential zed forms, implying that if students mimic these forms; their writing will also manifest traits of excellence. Even teachers who complicate the lessons in these books by focusing on the ways that language produces knowledge and prompts social action must consider whether and how to teach students to become more effective rhetors. Should students be expected to learn the conventions of academic discourse by mimicking pre-established forms that signify one is writing “academically” and presumably, “intellectually”? What gets left out of the picture is that the specified criteria implies a particular idealized type of writer whose speech patterns bear little resemblance to the modes of communication to which most students are accustomed. The idealized author is often an academic whose prose is an instance of one type of discourse that suits a specific rhetorical context that implicates the academic’s needs. These things make a bad impression upon people and often lead to the social issues like social exclusion. Social exclusion is a phenomenon in which a person or a group of persons are discriminated by society due to a certain factor that they posses or lack.             In the case of Nora and Elvis, it is highly recommended for them to receive government aid due to their lack of capacity to go about their everyday life. Nora, having been recently widowed, is prone to dementia. Furthermore, having been recently diagnosed with bone cancer, care for Elvis is suddenly put aside since she needs care herself. Elvis, on the other hand, is diagnosed with down syndrome.             A number of legislations can be attributed for the betterment of Nora and Elvis. According to the National Assistance Act of 1948, Elvis and Nora are eligible for assistance in residential accommodations. This is due to the fact that Nora and Elvis are both over 18 years of age and are both impaired physically, mentally and financially. Furthermore, Elvis and Nora are also eligible for services under the CHRONICALLY SICK AND DISABLED PERSONS (SCOTLAND) ACT 1972. According to this act, the local authorities are to make sure that mentally and physically incapacitated citizens in their area are rendered certain services to make their life all the more manageable. According to a circular that was given out in 1972 (CIRCULAR SWSG12/72 5456 6 September 1972), the following are the duties of the authorities with regards to the person(s) concerned: “(a) the provision of practical assistance for that person in his home;   (b) The provision for that person of, or assistance to that person in obtaining, radio, television, library or similar recreational facilities;   (c) The provision for that person of lectures, games, outings and other recreational facilities outside his home or assistance to that person in taking advantage of educational facilities available to him;   (d) the provision for that person of facilities for, or assistance in, traveling to and from his home for the purpose of participating in any services provided under arrangements made by the authority under the 1968 Act, or, with the approval of the authority, in any service provided otherwise than as aforesaid which is similar to services which could be provided under such arrangements;   (e) the provision of assistance for that person in arranging for the carrying out of any works or adaptation in his home or the provision of any additional facilities designed to secure his greater safety, comfort or convenience;   (f) Facilitating the taking of holidays by that person, whether at holiday homes or otherwise and whether provided under arrangements made by the authority or otherwise;   (g) The provision of meals for that person whether in his home or elsewhere; and   (h) The provision for that person, or assistance to that person, to obtain a telephone and any special equipment necessary to enable him to use a telephone. “(Scotland.gov database, 2007).             According to the Care in the Community policy, passed by the government under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980’s, mentally ill people can be treated at home. Medical paraphernalia and drugs were easily available, thus, making it easier for the patient to be taken care of at home. The National Health Service and Community Care Act of 1990, says that a mentally ill person can be assigned with a specific social worker who can meet their needs.   2. As a social worker how would you address issues of ethical social work practice with this family within the context of working with other professionals while recognizing the rights of the service users?             When working with vulnerable families, such as Nora’s and Elvis’, controversies are bound to come up, especially in the field of social work practice. There are many issues to be considered in the care of Nora and Elvis. For example, as Elvis is autistic, he needs to be cared for in a proper institution. However, the Care in the Community policy says that a person who may be mentally or physically ill can be treated in the comfort of their own home. Now, as a social worker, I need to make sure that the authorities grant that service to Elvis, no matter how mentally deranged he may seem to be. According to some researches, people tend to think that mentally ill people have the capacity to hurt normal people. This is true in few cases. Cases wherein normal people are hurt by mentally incapacitated people are relatively few. However, cases where mentally ill patients are hurt by normal people are high. Therefore, it would be better for the person to be treated at his own home under the supervision of a social worker.             When it comes to the care of the mental health patient, a social worker collaborates with the patient, family, and others in the conduct of nursing practice; however, ethical issues must also be taken into consideration. Mental health can be a very challenging area to work in and as an experienced social worker, I have a great admiration for the skills and commitment social workers give. There are many qualities that a social worker must possess.             A social worker must adopt a quality of mental health practice. The social worker systematically enhances the quality and effectiveness of social work practice. As a social worker, I have demonstrated quality by documenting the application of mental health nursing process in a responsible, accountable, and ethical manner. I also use creativity and innovation in social work practice in order to improve the delivery of care. When I feel that the desired outcomes of quality are not achieved, I start to plan that I should incorporate new knowledge to initiate the desirable changes that are needed in the mental health area. The social worker should communicate with the mental health patient, family, and other health care professionals regarding the care of the patient and the social worker’s role in the provision of that care. The social worker must know when to ask and collaborate with other people because handling a mental health patient is very difficult. Especially when it comes to creating a documented plan for the mental health patient, the social worker’s role becomes more difficult. Thus the social worker must collaborate with the patient, the family, or other health care professionals in creating a documented plan focused on outcomes and decisions related to care and delivery of services appropriate for the mental health patient. Aside from collaboration with health care professionals in the hospital or other health care setting, the social worker also has to collaborate with other people outside of the health care field. Collaboration among the social worker, school nurses, and medical practitioners is also advised and can result in establishment of multi-focused violence and suicide prevention programs with evaluation criteria and the ability to be replicated. These programs should include staff training in violence and suicide awareness and crisis intervention as well as group leadership instruction. The social worker can also join or establish support groups to decrease isolation and increase coping skills among patients that are at risk for depression and suicide. Certain social, political, and economic actions on behalf of a patient’s mental health are inherently compatible with professional values, and should be considered by all social workers. Social workers can be excellent participants and leaders on community action boards, bringing to them special healthcare system knowledge.             In the aspect of resource utilization, the social worker must utilize organizational and community resources to formulate multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary plans of care for the mental health patient. Additionally, the social worker must develop innovative solutions for the mental health care patient’s problems that would address effective utilization of resources and the maintenance of quality. Furthermore, the patients should be subjected to therapy. The purpose of therapy is to help people with physical, mental or developmental disabilities achieve a maximum level of independent living by developing the ability to perform the activities of daily life. Therapists work with patients of all ages, most of whom have suffered from a stroke, arthritis, hand injuries, schizophrenia or depression. Therapists work in a variety of health care and educational settings including general or acute care hospitals, physical and psychiatric rehabilitation facilities, mental health centers, long-term care institutions such as human development centers and nursing homes, schools, doctors’ offices and private practices . 3. Choosing either Nora or Elvis how would you evaluate the care management role from the perspective of service users and providers taking account of the financial management and planning in social work practice. The goals of the overall service program are to identify areas of actual or potential risk, prevent, as much as possible, injuries to patients, visitors, and to prevent or limit financial loss to the government. Financial loss can occur in a number of ways. From a management perspective, the primary concerns are those financial losses associated with the inherent risks that exist in providing health care services, which can result in a patient instituting a medical malpractice claim or lawsuit against the practitioner, or the inability to receive the service. Management in practice typically involves some mixture of anticipation-“looking forwards”, and resilience-“bouncing back” (1996). Misjudging risk can be very costly. Human intuition and past experience are no longer adequate guideposts for handling new exposures. Risks are emerging at an increasing pace and across a broader spectrum-from global Internet liability and hidden construction defects to ever-present terrorism threats (2005). The active management of capital structure requires that financial executives determine the optimal mix of debt and equity financing, traditional versus nontraditional financing employed, and the appropriate levels of fixed rate and variable rate debt. Financing options available to tax-exempt healthcare organizations, including interest rate swaps and other derivatives, have increased dramatically in recent years. These mechanisms can significantly decrease an organization’s all-in cost of capital without requiring the issuance of additional debt ( 2006). A comprehensive policy that addresses the strategic issuance and management of debt and derivatives can provide a roadmap to guide a health system toward achieving increased capital access, added financial flexibility, and the lowest possible cost of capital, all within board-approved risk guidelines (2006). Measuring risk for a return to the organization is a revolutionary new approach. Risk managers, C-suite leaders and consultants agree: the business of risk management has changed radically in recent years. The days when the job simply meant buying a risk transfer policy for a competitive price are over. How well an organization the government handles today’s ever-increasing complexities of risk–especially compared to other organizations in its space–is about much more than the simple mitigation of loss. When risk is managed and reduced, the results are not only internal financial and operational advantages, but a measurable competitive advantage that affects every area of the company, from the costs of risk in the marketplace, to social worker’s  morale and retention, to the government’s position in the global economy . Today’s complex challenges require a new approach. With the right system, process and tools, risk can be fundamentally turned around from its traditional role as a “necessary evil” of business to a positive center of opportunity and gain for organizations of every size ( 2005). Organizations in every industry can also apply and benefit from a return-on-risk approach. For example, a hospital that improves risk management in clinical operations will be able to see measurable improvements in medical outcomes as a result of these enhancements. Better outcomes will, in turn, result in reductions in medical liability costs, improved nurse retention, enhanced patient safety and patient satisfaction, lower workers compensation costs and a stronger reputation in the community (2005). A hypothetical example of a government that is especially vulnerable to adverse effects of risk can be used to illustrate how return on risk can deliver on its promise. Suppose that a medical error in the operating room results in a million malpractice case. When the verdict is handed down, the government can expect a huge malpractice insurance premium hike. But with a return-on-risk approach, that government has not just been waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. Immediately after the incident, a systems-wide analysis of the risk drivers behind the incident would begin. A team including representatives of finance, clinical care, marketing and human resources would be assigned to evaluate both the potential causes of the incident and the risk implications for patient care, for finance, for marketing and for risk and retention of staff. Knowing the hazards of a certain situation is the starting point of every process of risk management. It is also the most important since every succeeding phase of the risk management program depend on it. Hazards must therefore first be detected; then possible risk scenarios analyzed and assessed in reference to past and present history. To foster that understanding, emphasis is placed on educating employees about risk management and their role in helping control losses. The education starts when an employee comes to work at the facility. On a monthly basis, nurses new to the facility and those who want a risk management update on issues such as claims and legal issues are brought together for a meeting. The concept here has been to involve all employees in the risk management program. It doesn’t get done by itself. Everyone within the government should help set direction, coordinate and plan. Ironically, today’s risk-filled world demands that organizations develop good capabilities to handle risk, even as chaos and complexity make it difficult to implement effective risk management policies. At a minimum, they need to implement a structured approach to managing risk. Efforts to identify risk, assess its impacts, prepare to handle it, and control it must be carried out explicitly. While the employment of formal risk management processes may not allow you to estimate the likelihood of specific risk events accurately, it will increase the risk sensitivity of managers and employees and reduce the number and impact of the surprises the organization is likely to encounter. Leaders within organizations must act ethically while working to resolve legal dilemmas in ways that are beneficial to the organization’s finances and public image.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Community care management and planning

Community care management and planning 1. You are asked to identify key contemporary legislation and social policy issues in relatio...

Values, Ethics and Dilemmas in Social Work as applied to Learning Disability

Values, Ethics and Dilemmas in Social Work as applied to Learning Disability Introduction             In the field of sociology and life, issues concerning moral ethics and values are often the most usual topics. Morality governs every person’s move. But just why are people so caught up in morality and norms? What are social policies and their implications to social work practice? To be able to grasp these ideas, we must first shed light on the terms. What are norms? Norms are unspoken bylaws to which people adhere to. It’s an understood law. It is sometimes socially enforced. According to The Emergence of Norms, she contests that norms allow people to act and coordinate their behavior in certain situations. But the emergence of self-interest will prevent such coordination and cooperation (1977). Morality is an idea which pertains to the concept of right and wrong. Many arguments have been filed for this concept, arguing that it is maladaptive in certain aspects. But as of the moment, we shall use the definition given above. Social policy refers to the guidelines created for the betterment and wellbeing of the human society. The guidelines aim to meet the needs and the welfare of the people. And lastly, social work practice. According to the (NASW), “Social work practice consists of the professional application of social work values, principles, and techniques to one or more of the following ends: helping people obtain tangible services; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services; and participating in legislative processes. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior; of social and economic, and cultural institutions; and of the interaction of all these factors.”               Social work values are values which concerns itself with the moral and social clauses of the given work. In the context of this paper, we shall apply and discuss all of these terms to be able to arrive at a conclusion. It is a fact that culture will not be successful and effective in its ways and processes without the presence of communication as the ‘culture of goodness and excellence’, can be reflected through leaving out in communication. This is only possible if people within the society comprising of different sectors from the academia, government, private sectors and business firms attest that communication is vital for the development of goodness and excellence in culture from within Nations, from putting substance to the government laws and regulations so that the education to be imparted and inculcated to the students will be of greater function to those who respect it as exercised properly by the authorities from various academic fields that can be of relevant factor in promoting the goodness of culture and the excellence of culture through communication as the latter provides the clear emphasis and justification of certain rules and principles to be applied in everyday living. Moreover, in the Language of Morals notes that uses of the word, “good,” are meaningless unless there is a stipulation that “x” is “good with respect to y.” Often, textbooks make comparisons between poor examples of student prose with revised versions that are “better” and offer seemingly cogent explanations of what makes writing effective. The tendency in these books is to ignore the contingent character of language and to concentrate on essential zed forms, implying that if students mimic these forms; their writing will also manifest traits of excellence. Even teachers who complicate the lessons in these books by focusing on the ways that language produces knowledge and prompts social action must consider whether and how to teach students to become more effective rhetors. Should students be expected to learn the conventions of academic discourse by mimicking pre-established forms that signify one is writing “academically” and presumably, “intellectually”? What gets left out of the picture is that the specified criteria implies a particular idealized type of writer whose speech patterns bear little resemblance to the modes of communication to which most students are accustomed. The idealized author is often an academic whose prose is an instance of one type of discourse that suits a specific rhetorical context that implicates the academic’s needs. These things make a bad impression upon people and often lead to the social issues like social exclusion. Social exclusion is a phenomenon in which a person or a group of persons are discriminated by society due to a certain factor that they posses or lack. This paper aims to provide the needed justification and confirmation that an understanding of one social policy does indeed enhance social work practice.   Discussion             Social policies are aimed to provide better lives for people in the society. Many social policies are aimed to tackle social issues that affect the society’s life on a day-to-day basis. Issues that affect the function of the society is tackled and taken cared of, with regards to social policy. There are many policies existing around the world today, many them are aimed at the following social issues: Ø  Abortion and its regulation Ø  The legalization of euthanasia Ø  The laws and morality clauses in the context of marriage, divorce, and adoption Ø  Poverty, welfare, and homelessness According to Mills, the men of today feel that they live in a place where there are a “series of traps”. According to him, it was because people chose to look at their lives in a limited scope. If one were to view it in a grander scale, one would see that the issues in one’s personal life is greatly influenced and interlocked with public issues. In this paper, we shall utilize the concept of sociological imagination in order to tackle the social policy regarding healthcare.   Sociological imagination             Healthcare is one of the major issues that concern the people of today. According to “In the United States, around 85% of citizens have health insurance, either through their employer or purchased individually.” But in another reference material, from reviews regarding the book by  entitled “As Sick as it Gets”, the United States is the only country that charges its citizens for healthcare. The following is an excerpt from the review.  “Dr. Mueller explains the economic, political, medical and moral necessity of a universal healthcare system for the United States. The only advanced, industrialized nation, that does not have a national healthcare system is the United States. Americans pay 40% more for health care than the next highest-paying country.  The Pharmaceutical industry is the most profitable business in the U.S.    Drug companies alone made billion in profits in 2002, that’s nearly 18% profits after taxes.  The World Health Organization rates American healthcare 37th in the world.   There are 42,000,000 people who have NO insurance and another 45 million underinsured in America.. Patterns of illness are difficult to determine, were it not for the Sociological Imagination paradigm brought up  (quoted from “As Sick As it Gets”, Mueller)               In the context of healthcare, sociological imagination can scope of understanding from the people who may or may not be involved in the presented above and increase the possibility of upping the debilitating state of health, not only in the United States but also the rest of the world. In individual contexts, the person involved in the activity may view the happenings as a part of an even greater happening. If only one may view this in this manner, it is possible to alleviate the state of healthcare around the world.   Sociological Imagination in the context of social issues regarding hunger             Hunger is one of the most widespread social issue and one of the most difficult to alleviate. In the statement by the hunger site, it described the hunger and other related issues that threaten human life everyday. The following is an excerpt from the site. “It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. That’s roughly 100 times as many as those who actually die from these causes each year. About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five. Famine and wars cause about 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families facing extreme poverty are simply unable to get enough food to eat. The Hunger Site began on June 1, 1999. In 1999, a year marked by good economic news, 31 million Americans were food insecure, meaning they were either hungry or unsure of where their next meal would come from. Of these Americans, 12 million were children. “ ( 2007).                                     Social policies regarding hunger are increasing in number throughout the years. This is in response to the continuous hunger problems around the world. More than a million people die of hunger every day. Due to the increasing death polls, many nations have raised their alarm. Much legislation is passed every week to alleviate the hunger in the world. Many issues and policies regarding hunger have been passed. In Brazil, a social policy regarding hunger ha been passed. It is entitled, “Brazil’s Zero Hunger Program in the Context of Social Policy”. The paper is a review regarding the implementation of the policy with regards to Food Security in Brazil. It also analyzes the structural elements which promote the positive changes regarding the food shortage in Brazil.              These social policies should be continually reviewed and revised in response to the continuous change in the patterns of hunger.             Social work practice must be continually put in line with the social policy and the social issue being tackled.   Social Work Policy with Regards to Social Exclusion             Social exclusion is a phenomenon in which a person or a group of persons are excluded from the society. In the definition of social exclusion by  (2006), they defined social exclusion as             “… inequalities arising from the interplay of social differentiation and restricted entitlement and access to resources which compounds vulnerability, restricts prospects for upward mobility, and increases the probability of inter-generational chronic poverty.”               Social exclusion is a phenomenon which not uncommon around the world. The issue between the black and white Americans is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The black Americans, before some radical changes occurred later in this century, were segregated and referred to as an “inferior” race compared to the white Americans. They even went so far as to separate, or “segregate the black Americans from the whites. Though some changes have occurred in the last few years, remnants of social exclusion are still evident in their day to day lives. The black Americans are not the only victims of social exclusion. In many cases, even people from the same race victimize their own brethren. Many factors can be considered why social exclusion takes place. The following, taken from the study by  (2006), are some of the factors that affect the phenomenon of Social Exclusion. Ø  ascribed identities (caste, race, gender, ethnicity), Ø  differences in cultural beliefs or practices (religion, language, ethnicity), Ø  nationality or citizenship based on birth, Ø  attributed and real differences with respect to ability (the mentally and physically challenged), Ø  ‘Lifestyle choices’ based particularly on sexuality (homosexuality, sex workers). In the case of the black and white Americans it is the factors of nationality and citizenship and ascribed identities played a major role in social exclusion. Other forms of social exclusion have occurred ever since man decided to build a civilization. Another example would be on the fact that women were mostly excluded from many activities that may have been beneficial to women as well. It is a given fact that women were only allowed to vote earlier in the last century. The right to suffrage were only bestowed upon women when a women stood up to be recognized as an equal to man. And soon after many posts were open to women who were only open to men before. Social policies regarding social exclusion have been passed in order to stop these types of discrimination. Because of the growing understanding throughout the world, many nations are now in the process of eliminating social barriers and are more open to change for the better. The Czech Republic now has a social policy regarding social exclusion. Its main purpose was to guarantee the solidarity and welfare of its citizens.   Conclusion             Therefore, social policies do enhance the social work practice. As in the context of healthcare, the policies which surround this social issue can indeed enhance the type of work practice that is applied for this issue. Same holds true for every other type of issue that may involve the public and the society itself.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Values, Ethics and Dilemmas in Social Work as applied to Learning Disability

Values, Ethics and Dilemmas in Social Work as applied to Learning Disability Introduction In the field of sociology and life...

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