Summary Social work 378 - Perspectives, theories and models

Evaluate the sustainability of the ethnic sensitive perspective
for social work intervention. Focus on the purpose, characteristics and
application. Use practical examples to illustrate your answer.

Introduction

 This perspective is very important within South Africa
 Many clients face problems which stem out of discrimination – history of
Apartheid within South Africa has led to many of these problems.
 Will look at….

Purpose of the ethnic sensitive perspective

 To ensure that social worker is attentive to ethnic, cultural and religious diversity
among clients
 That the problem and effects of discrimination are addressed in practice – for
example, someone who cannot find employment due to their ethnicity, maybe
from another African country (Xenophobia)

Characteristics

 Is a conceptual lens – draws attention to the fact that many of the clients served
by social work agencies are members of an ethnic group – thus, social work
and the agencies need to be attuned to that reality
 Client’s social class, ethnicity and religious beliefs have significant impact on
help-seeking behaviour – also on whether a particular approach (even a
specific type of service) will be perceived as needed, relevant and useful
 Example – a social worker rendering services to a family of higher social class
and economic standing – what they define as a problem is not what you would
define as a problem – need to understand it according to their framework and
background, because to them it is a problem.
 Example – Christian social worker rendering services to a Muslim client who is
not being included in any neighbourhood activities due to religion
 Effects whether a client sees a particular situation as a problem, which possible
solutions make sense and how the client expects to be treated by the service
system and its service providers

,  Example – some African cultures – do not regard eye contact as respectful, and
if a social worker ascribes to this culture, but the client does not, they will need
to adapt their behaviour when working with this client.


 Every person is simultaneously part of:
a) a sustaining subsystem – includes powerful influences as those of our
economic, political, legal and educational systems
b) Nurturing subsystem – consists out of a person’s more intimate
relationships, such as those within one’s family, support networks, and
neighbourhood.
 Conflict, tension, alienation and deflated self-esteem can result if there is an
incongruence between the values and beliefs represented by a person’s
nurturing system and those of the sustaining system
 Example – individual supports ANC, but family supports DA, or any other party
– conflict due to political ideologies
 It is becoming increasingly important that social workers become culturally
competent.

Evaluation

 Extremely relevant in all service rendering.
 Especially in SA
 Very sustainable due to most problems arise due to some form of
discrimination.
 And will always be relevant within this type of service rendering, which will
always be rendered by all social workers across the globe.

,Cognitive-behavioural theories

Overview

 Comes from two related streams of psychological writing – behavioural and cognitive
models
 Social learning theory – Bandura – most learning is gained by people’s perceptions
and thinking about what they experience
 Cognitive theory – Beck & Ellis – argues that behaviour is affected by perception or
interpretation of the environment during process of learning – inappropriate behaviour
arise from misperception and misinterpretation

Main features of behavioural work:

 Focus on specific behaviours that worry client and others
 Relies on behavioural principles and learning theory
 Factors influencing behaviour is ID by changing factors in the situation and looking for
resulting changes
 Intervention based on research as evidence of effectiveness
 Progress monitored by using subjective and objective measures

Ideas underlying behaviour therapy

 Conditioning – process by which behaviour is learned – connected more or less
permanently with stimulus
 Social learning and modelling – discussed below

Process of intervention

1. Assessment
 Features – Payne
 Emphasis on visible behaviour causing problems, or the absence of expected
or adaptive behaviour
 Attributions by people of meaning to stimuli
 Present behaviour and thoughts and feelings that go with it
 Target sequences of behaviour
 Identify controlling conditions
 ID people’s labels, but avoid prejudiced attributions
 Flexibility in listening leading to hypothesis about behaviour
 SEE TABLE 6.1 IN LIT – PAGE 48

,  Sequence
 Gain description of problem from different viewpoints
 Get examples of who is affected and how
 Trace beginning of problems, how they changed and what affected them
 ID different parts of problems and how they fit together
 Assess motivation to change
 ID thought patterns and feelings which come before during and after incidents
of the problem behaviour
 ID strengths in and around the client


2. Problem demarcation
 Problems must be reduced to their component parts
 Chart covering antecedents, behaviours and consequences for specific events can be
useful
 Should focus on precise descriptions of behaviours, rather than judgements about it
 Look at observable and changeable behaviours
 Problems need to be put into hierarchies – consider agency priorities, clients’ views,
their capacity and motivation to make one change rather than another, the availability
of mediators and whether goals are fair, feasible and non-discriminatory


3. Aims
 Increasing desired behaviours
 Decreasing undesired behaviours
 Maintaining desired behaviour
 Goals should be fair and feasible


 Negotiate contract:
 Responsibilities of parties involved
 Advantages of parties
 Consequences if agreed to contract is not adhered to
 Ways of monitoring progress


4. Intervention
 Find basis for evaluating change