social work assignment

Social Work Toolbox: 37 Questions, Assessments, & Resources

This may be because of its unlikely position, balanced between “the individual and society, the powerful and the excluded” (Davies, 2013, p. 3).

Social work is a unique profession because of its breadth and depth of engagement and the many governmental and private organizations with which it engages.

Not only does it help individuals and groups solve problems in psychosocial functioning, but it also attempts to support them in their life-enhancing goals and ultimately create a just society (Suppes & Wells, 2017).

This article provides a toolbox for social workers, with a selection of assessments and resources to support them in their role and career.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

6 best resources for social workers, top 17 questions to ask your clients, 2 assessments for your sessions, social work & domestic violence: 5 helpful resources, our 3 favorite podcasts on the topic, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Demanding professions require dedicated and supportive resources that transform social work theory into practice. The following worksheets and tools target some of the most challenging and essential areas of social work (Rogers, Whitaker, Edmondson, & Peach, 2020; Davies, 2013):

Emotional intelligence

“Understanding emotion arises from the combined consciousness of how we perceive emotions and use our intellect to make sense of them” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 47).

For social workers, emotional intelligence is invaluable. They must develop and maintain awareness of both their own and their client’s feelings and use the insights to select appropriate interventions and communication strategies without becoming overwhelmed.

The Reflecting on Emotions in Social Work worksheet encourages social workers to stop and consider their feelings following an initial client visit.

In the worksheet, the social worker is guided to find some quiet time and space to reflect on:

• How do I feel about my initial visit?
• What are my thoughts regarding the purpose of the visit?
• How do I think I can proceed with developing a relationship with the client?
• How do I think the client feels about my visit?

Being self-aware is a crucial aspect of social work and will inform the ongoing relationship with the client.

Fostering empathy

Mirror neurons fire when we watch others performing an action or experiencing an emotion. They play a significant role in learning new skills and developing empathy for others’ experiences (Thomson, 2010).

Social workers must become more aware of service users’ experiences, as they can influence and affect the interaction with them.

Use the Fostering Empathy Reflectively worksheet to improve the understanding of your own and others’ emotions and increase the degree of empathy.

Observing others can make social workers more aware of human behavior and the emotions and thoughts underneath to increase their capacity for empathy.

Reflective cycle

Reflecting on situations encountered on the job can help social workers fully consider their own and their clients’ thoughts and feelings before drawing conclusions. Indeed, “successful reflection emphasizes the centrality of self-awareness and the capacity for analysis” (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 64).

Use the Reflective Cycle for Social Work to reflect on events, incidents, and behaviors in a structured and systematic way (modified from Gibbs, 1988).

Challenging social interactions

Good communication skills and confidence in social interactions are essential for social work. There will be times when you need assertiveness to challenge others to ensure the client’s needs are met (Rogers et al., 2020).

However, like all skills, social skills can be learned and maintained through education and practice.

The Preparing for Difficult Social Interactions worksheet considers how a situation or event may unfold through focusing on the essential issues.

Practice and role-play can help social workers prepare for a more successful social interaction and gain confidence in their coping abilities.

Motivational Interviewing in Social Work

“Change can become difficult for service users when they are ambivalent about the extent to which the change will be beneficial” (Davies, 2013, p. 451).

One method used by social workers to explore their clients’ intrinsic values and ambivalence is through motivational interviewing (MI). MI has four basic principles (modified from Davies, 2013):

• Expressing empathy Displaying a clear and genuine interest in the client’s needs, feelings, and perspective.
• Developing discrepancy Watching and listening for discrepancies between a client’s present behavior and values and future goals.
• Rolling with resistance Avoiding getting into arguments or pushing for change.
• Supporting self-efficacy Believing in the client’s capacity to change.

The Motivational Interviewing in Social Work worksheet uses the five stages of change to consider the client’s readiness for change and as input for selecting an appropriate intervention (Prochaska & DiClemente, 1986; Davies, 2013).

The client should be encouraged to create and implement a plan, including goals and details of the specific tasks required.

Respectful practices

Rogers et al. (2020) identified several fundamental values that social workers should be aware of and practice with their service users, families, and other organizations with which they engage. These include:

• Individuality
• Honesty and integrity

The Respectful Practices in Social Work worksheet encourages reflection on whether a social worker remains in touch with their values and the principles expected in their work.

Social workers should frequently think of recent examples of interactions with clients, families, and other organizations, and ask themselves (modified from Rogers et al., 2020):

• Were you polite, courteous, warm, and approachable?
• How well did you accept people with different beliefs and values from your own?
• Did you attempt to understand the person and their history?
• Were you professional, open, honest, and trustworthy?
• Did you treat each person equally, providing fair access to your time and resources?

A regular check-in to ensure high standards are being maintained and values remain clear will ensure the continued professionalism expected from a social worker.

The following questions provide practical examples; practitioners should tailor them according to timing and context and remain sensitive to the needs of all involved (Rogers et al., 2020; Suppes & Wells, 2017; Davies, 2013).

Open questions

Open questions encourage the respondent to reflect and respond with their feelings, thoughts, and personal experiences. For example:

• What is your view of what happened?
• What has it been like living with this issue?
• How could we work together to find a good solution?
• What are your greatest fears?

World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource

The Positive Psychology Toolkit© is a groundbreaking practitioner resource containing over 500 science-based exercises , activities, interventions, questionnaires, and assessments created by experts using the latest positive psychology research.

Updated monthly. 100% Science-based.

“The best positive psychology resource out there!” — Emiliya Zhivotovskaya , Flourishing Center CEO

Closed questions

Typically, closed questions are used to find out personal details such as name and address, but they can also provide focus and clarity to confirm information. Closed questions are especially important when dealing with someone with cognitive impairment or who finds it difficult to speak up, and can lead to follow-up, open questions.

For example:

• How old are you?
• Are you in trouble?
• Are you scared?
• Do you need help?

Hypothetical questions

Hypothetical questions can be helpful when we need the service user to consider a potentially different future, one in which their problems have been resolved. Such questions can build hope and set goals. For example:

• Can you imagine how things would be if you did not live with the fear of violence?
• Where would you like to be in a few years after you leave school?
• Can you imagine what you would do if a similar situation were to happen again?

Strengths-based questions

“Focusing on strengths helps to move away from a preoccupation with risk and risk management” and builds strengths for a better future (Rogers et al., 2020, p. 243). Strengths-based questions in social work can be powerful tools for identifying the positives and adopting a solution-focused approach.

Examples include:

• Survival – How did you cope in the past?
• Support – Who helps you and gives you support and guidance?
• Esteem – How do you feel when you receive compliments?
• Perspective – What are your thoughts about the situation, issue, or problem?
• Change – What would you like to change, and how can I help?
• Meaning – What gives your life meaning?

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Exercises (PDF)

Enhance wellbeing with these free, science-based exercises that draw on the latest insights from positive psychology.

Download 3 Free Positive Psychology Tools Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

Interventions in social work are often described as having four stages: engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation (Suppes & Wells, 2017).

The assessment stage typically involves:

• Collecting, organizing, and interpreting data
• Assessing a client’s strengths and limitations
• Developing and agreeing on goals and objectives for interventions
• Selecting strategies appropriate to the intervention

Assessment is an ongoing process that typically focuses on risk. It begins with the referral and only ends when the intervention is complete or the case closed.

Assessment will need to be specific to the situation and the individuals involved, but it is likely to consider the following kinds of risks (Rogers et al., 2020; Bath and North East Somerset Council, 2017):

General risk assessment

Risk management does not remove risk, but rather reduces the likelihood or impact of problematic behavior. Risk assessments are performed to identify factors that may cause risky behavior or events (Davies, 2013).

Questions include:

• What has been happening?
• What is happening right now?
• What could happen?
• How likely is it that it will happen?
• How serious could it be?

The wording and detail of each will depend on the situation, client, and environment, guided by the social worker’s training and experience.

Assessment of risk to children

A child’s safety is of the utmost importance. As part of the assessment process, a complete understanding of actual or potential harm is vital, including (modified from Bath and North East Somerset Council, 2017):

• Has the child been harmed? Are they likely to be harmed?
• Is the child at immediate risk of harm and is their safety threatened?
• If harmed previously, to what extent or degree? Is there likely to be harm in the future?
• Has there been a detrimental impact on the child’s wellbeing? Is there likely to be in the future?
• Is there a parent or guardian able and motivated to protect the child from harm?

Social workers must use professional judgment to assess the level of risk and assure the child’s ongoing safety.

Assessment process – Oregon Department of Human Services

The figures related to domestic violence are shocking. There are 1.3 million women and 835,000 men in the United States alone who are physically assaulted by a close partner each year (NASW, n.d.).

The NASW offers valuable resources to help social workers recognize the signs of existing domestic violence, prevent future violence, and help victims, including:

• We can help end domestic violence – information on how the White Ribbon Day Campaign is raising awareness of domestic violence

SocialWorkersToolBox.com is another website with a vast range of free social work tools and resources. This UK-based website has a range of videos and educational toolkits, including:

• Exploring Healthy Relationships: Resource Pack for 14–16-Year-Olds
• Parents’ Guide: Youth Violence, Knife Crime, and Gangs
• Family Meetings: Parents’ Guide and Templates
• Preventing Bullying: A Guide for Parents

Many of the worksheets are helpful for sharing with parents, carers, and organizations.

Here are three insightful podcasts that discuss many of the issues facing social workers and social policymakers:

• NASW Social Work Talks Podcast The NASW podcast explores topics social workers care about and hosts experts in both theory and practice. The podcast covers broad subjects including racism, child welfare, burnout, and facing grief.
• The Social Work Podcast This fascinating podcast is another great place to hear from social workers and other experts in the field. The host and founder is Jonathan Singer, while Allan Barsky – a lecturer and researcher – is a frequent guest. Along with other guests, various issues affecting social workers and policymakers are discussed.
• Social Work Stories Podcast hosts and social workers Lis Murphy, Mim Fox, and Justin Stech guide listeners through  all aspects of social work and social welfare.

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Social workers should be well versed in a variety of theories, tools, and skills. We have plenty of resources to support experienced social workers and those new to the profession.

One valuable point of focus for social workers involves building strengths and its role in solution-focused therapy . Why not download our free strengths exercise pack and try out the powerful exercises contained within? Here are some examples:

• Strength Regulation By learning how to regulate their strengths, clients can be taught to use them more effectively.
• You at Your Best Strengths finding is a powerful way for social workers to increase service users’ awareness of their strengths.

Other free helpful resources for social workers include:

• Conflict Resolution Checklist Remove issues and factors causing or increasing conflict with this practical checklist .
• Assertive Communication Practicing assertive communication can be equally valuable for social workers and service users.

More extensive versions of the following tools are available with a subscription to the Positive Psychology Toolkit© , but they are described briefly below:

• Self-Contract

Commitment and self-belief can increase the likelihood of successful future behavioral change.

The idea is to commit yourself to making a positive and effective change by signing a statement of what you will do and when. For example:

I will do [goal] by [date].

• Cognitive Restructuring

While negative thoughts may not accurately reflect reality, they can increase the risk of unwelcome and harmful behavior.

This cognitive psychology tool helps people identify distorted and unhelpful thinking and find other ways of thinking:

• Step one – Identify automatic unhelpful thoughts that are causing distress.
• Step two – Evaluate the accuracy of these thoughts.
• Step three – Substitute them with fair, rational, and balanced thoughts.

Individuals can then reflect on how this more balanced and realistic style of thinking makes them feel.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.

Society and policymakers increasingly rely on social workers to help solve individual and group issues involving psychosocial functioning. But beyond helping people survive when society lets them down, social workers support them through positive change toward meaningful goals.

Social workers must be well equipped with social, goal-setting, and communication skills underpinned by positive psychology theory and developed through practice to be successful.

Reflection is crucial. Professionals must analyze their own and others’ emotions, thinking, and behavior while continuously monitoring risk, particularly when vulnerable populations are involved.

The nature of social work is to engage with populations often at the edge of society, where support is either not provided or under-represented.

This article includes tools, worksheets, and other resources that support social workers as they engage with and help their clients. Try them out and tailor them as needed to help deliver positive and lasting change and a more just society.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Bath and North East Somerset Council. (2017, June). Risk assessment guidance . Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://bathnes.proceduresonline.com/chapters/p_risk_assess.html
• Davies, M. (2013). The Blackwell companion to social work . Wiley Blackwell.
• Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods . Oxford Further Education Unit.
• National Association of Social Workers. (n.d.). Domestic violence media toolkit . Retrieved November 17, 2021, from https://www.socialworkers.org/News/1000-Experts/Media-Toolkits/Domestic-Violence
• Prochaska, J. O., & DiClemente, C. C. (1986). Toward a comprehensive model of change. In W. R. Miller & N. Heather (Eds.) Treating addictive behaviors: Processes of chang e. Springer.
• Rogers, M., Whitaker, D., Edmondson, D., & Peach, D. (2020). Developing skills & knowledge for social work practice . SAGE.
• Suppes, M. A., & Wells, M. A. (2017). The social work experience: An introduction to social work and social welfare . Pearson.
• Thomson, H. (2010, April 14). Empathetic mirror neurons found in humans at last . New Scientist. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627565-600-empathetic-mirror-neurons-found-in-humans-at-last/

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

Thanks so much for including the Social Work Podcast in this article. One correction: Allan Barsky is a frequent guest, but Jonathan Singer is the founder and host.

Hi there Jonathan,

Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! We are delighted that you are reading the blog as we are fans of your podcast as well.

We will adjust this right away so we can give credit where credit is due 🙂

Thanks for all that you do!

Kind regards, -Caroline | Community Manager

Petra, it does not hurt to see this information again. Some social workers are new at their jobs and can always benefit from hearing this info repeated. If you want to hear from social workers only, then encourage your peers and or colleagues to write this stuff from their perspective.

This article is demeaning and patronsing! As social workers – we have done our (at least) 4 years at uni and this stuff is social work 101. As psychologists – I find you often think you know best and can “tell” other professionals how to do their jobs. So – if you want to write something to social workers – get a social worker to write it! Petra van Vliet – proud and loud social worker

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Hierarchy of Needs: A 2024 Take on Maslow’s Findings

One of the most influential theories in human psychology that addresses our quest for wellbeing is Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. While Maslow’s theory of [...]

Emotional Development in Childhood: 3 Theories Explained

We have all witnessed a sweet smile from a baby. That cute little gummy grin that makes us smile in return. Are babies born with [...]

Using Classical Conditioning for Treating Phobias & Disorders

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? Classical conditioning, a psychological phenomenon first discovered by Ivan Pavlov in the late 19th century, has proven to [...]

Read other articles by their category

• Body & Brain (52)
• Coaching & Application (39)
• Compassion (23)
• Counseling (40)
• Emotional Intelligence (22)
• Gratitude (18)
• Grief & Bereavement (18)
• Happiness & SWB (40)
• Meaning & Values (26)
• Meditation (16)
• Mindfulness (40)
• Motivation & Goals (41)
• Optimism & Mindset (29)
• Positive CBT (28)
• Positive Communication (23)
• Positive Education (37)
• Positive Emotions (32)
• Positive Leadership (16)
• Positive Parenting (14)
• Positive Psychology (21)
• Positive Workplace (35)
• Productivity (16)
• Relationships (46)
• Resilience & Coping (39)
• Self Awareness (20)
• Self Esteem (37)
• Strengths & Virtues (29)
• Stress & Burnout Prevention (33)
• Theory & Books (42)
• Therapy Exercises (37)
• Types of Therapy (54)

3 Positive Psychology Tools (PDF)

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Professions & Career — Social Work

Social Work Essay Examples

The positive effects of change in social work, social work: career goals and mission, made-to-order essay as fast as you need it.

Each essay is customized to cater to your unique preferences

+ experts online

The Importance of Social Work for Society

Bringing the meaning in life: why i want to be a social worker, ethical dilemmas in social work: solution to address the situation, the importance for a social worker to properly assess child development, let us write you an essay from scratch.

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Analysis of The Concept of "Social Work"

Career profile research assignment: a career of social worker, applications of statistics in social work research, reflection on my placement in ingle farm primary school, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

Expert-written essays crafted with your exact needs in mind

The Lessons I've Learned as a Social Worker with an Occupational Therapist and Nurses

A study on the social impact of jane addams, life and legacy of jane addams, documentation of previous learning experience: social worker, analysis of the dead goldfinch by george elgar hicks in relation to social work, jane addams and her contributions to social work, a study on jane addams’ philanthropic nature, how technology assisted social work aids various social work roles, systemic problems in the social services on the example of kyla and david, the sssc codes of practice for social workers, meeting with a social worker: a radical change of life, empowerment theory in social work, social work field education: self-assessment, social work case study questions and answers, social functioning in social work, social work application, my intrinsic motivation - that's why i want to be a social worker, a career in social work: pursuing my passion to make a difference, social work internship experience: a reflection, barack obama as a social worker.

Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being.

Females account for around 83% of all social workers. Healthcare social workers and family, child, and school social workers are the highest paying social work jobs. Social workers helped decrease the number of juvenile arrests by 68% between 1996 and 2015. Social workers provide over 60% of mental health services.

Mahatma Gandhi, Jane Addams, Alfred Neumann, Frances Feldman, Ida B. Wells, Harriett Rinaldo, etc.

Relevant topics

• Career Goals
• Dream Career
• Work Experience
• Administration
• Community Service

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

By Micah Beckman, MSW

This chapter was written by Micah Beckman, a social work MSW student, as her final Capstone project. The purpose of this chapter is to provide introductory knowledge regarding the history surrounding the social work profession and orient students to the professional roles and knowledge required to become an effective social worker. Self-Awareness and its importance are discussed and activities are provided to help students explore their individual strengths, weaknesses, beliefs, and motivations. Key characteristics and skills essential to the social work profession are identified and discussed for those students who are wishing to pursue a career within the social work profession.

The History of Social Work in the United States

Video: Legacies of Social Change https://vimeo.com/104132906

The inception of the social work profession in the United States can be traced back to the late 1800’s beginning with charity work performed by local churches and communities seeing to meet the needs of the poor. Some of the earliest social work interventions were designed to meet basic human needs of populations and placed great value in providing support, assistance, and resources to families and communities in an attempt to alleviate suffering (Nsonwu, Casey, Cook & Armendariz, 2013). The profession now known as social work ultimately began as a result of a practice originally known as “helping” others to improve the well being of individuals, families, and communities. Throughout the years the social work profession played vital roles in the facilitation of social changes aimed at diminishing inequalities among various populations. Through the practice of “helping,” social workers were able to address many social problems that plagued vulnerable populations through facilitating, advocating, and influencing individuals, communities, politicians, and law makers (Langer & Leitz, 2014).

Throughout the progressive movement era, many social workers emerged and were identified as key players known to have advanced the profession. These individuals came to be known as pioneers of the social work profession as their careers were devoted to improving the well being of individuals, families, and communities. In an effort to help conceptualize the social work profession, we will look closer at the origin of the social practice, as well as discuss a few pioneers and their contributions to the social work profession (Hansan, 2013).

In the early 20th century, Robert Hunter’s book Poverty was published. Hunter’s book placed a spotlight on America’s poor and challenged society’s long held belief that poverty signified moral failure (Hansan, 2013). Hunter’s book demonstrated a critical need to implement specific social measures in order to prevent the destruction of the working class population on the verge of poverty. Hunter additionally identified conditions known to breed poverty calling into question the need but also the tolerance for these unjust conditions particularly by a professed Christian population (Hunter, 1904).

Another known pioneer of the social work profession is Mary Richmond. Throughout her career, Richmond searched for answers surrounding the reasons and causes of poverty while also examining the interactions between individuals and their environments. Richmond believed that interventions and treatment approaches needed to be focused on the person within their environment. As a result of this belief, Richmond developed the circle diagram as a way to help her clients identify sources of power available to them within their own environment. One of Richmond’s biggest contributions to the social work profession was her book Social Diagnosis which was published in 1917. Richmond’s book focused on the practice of casework with individuals and was the first book to identify a systematic and methodological way to document and diagnose clients ( Social Welfare History Project , 2011).

Jane Addams is another well-known pioneer to the social work profession. Addams, along with Ellen Gates Starr, founded Hull-House in 1889. Hull-House was a successful settlement house located in an area of Chicago that was largely populated by immigrants. Residents of Hull-House were provided with multiple services which included daycare and kindergarten facilities for the children of the residents. Throughout her career Addams’ continued to contribute to the social work profession by advocating for the rights and well-being of women and children on several important issues, one of those issues being the implementation of child labor laws (Hansan, 2010).

Jane Hoey’s career as a social worker began in 1916 when she was appointed as the Assistant Secretary of the Board of Child Welfare in New York City. Throughout the course of her career she would work in multiple social welfare agencies: serving as the Director of Field Service for the Atlanta Division of the American Red Cross, the Secretary of the Bronx Committee of the New York TB and Health Association, the Director of the Welfare Council of New York City, and ultimately as the Director of the Bureau of Public Assistance. Hoey is best known for her role in the enactment of the Social Security Public Assistance Act which became law in 1935. Following the law’s enactment, Hoey became the Director of the Bureau of Public Assistance within the Social Security Administration and was responsible for organizing and implementing the distribution of the public welfare provisions ( Social Welfare History Project , 2011).

Additional Reading Material

Mary Richmond’s Social Diagnosis

https://archive.org/details/socialdiagnosis00richiala

Robert Hunter’s Poverty

https://archive.org/details/povertypoor00huntuoft

Social Work: What is it?

For over a century the answer to this question has been not only varied but also debated among members of the general public as well as in the professional social work community. The definition of “social work” may not be as clear as one may think when attempting to understand the meaning of social work. Embedded within these definitions of “social work” are common themes which can help to conceptualize social work. Although there are many varying definitions used to describe social work, what matters the most is the purpose of social work and what guides and directs social work practice. According to the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the purpose of the social work profession is to “promote human and community well-being”; which can be achieved through promoting social and economic justice and preventing conditions that limit human rights for all people.

Even after defining social work and identifying the purpose of the social work profession, there continues to be some misalignment among the profession with the overall mission of social work. This is not surprising considering the increasingly diverse populations being served by the profession. What is becoming increasing clear as the diversity of client systems continues to expand, is the critical importance of professional competence in order to meet the unique needs of individuals as well as emerging social issues. In an effort to better prepare new social workers to respond to these new challenges and social issues, the CSWE adopted a competency-based education framework, Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards, which gives students the opportunity to demonstrate and integrate social work knowledge and skills in various practice settings. More than ever social work requires a broad knowledge base in order to effectively meet the needs of others but also to help clients find hope in the process. Finding hope is essential to the social work practice as hope helps to empower diverse populations facing unique challenges (Clark & Hoffler, 2014).

The feelings associated with a sense of hope are considered to be fundamental to the social work practice. Hope is essential to social work as it allows those facing challenges to believe in a positive outcome and hope can play a major role in how the challenges/circumstances are viewed. A sense of hope is as essential to clients as it is for social workers who are helping clients. Social workers struggling to feel hope may communicate this verbally and non-verbally in their approach with their clients, ultimately impacting the effectiveness of the intervention. This is one of several reasons individuals wishing to pursue a career in social work should explore their personal values, overall worldview, beliefs, abilities, skills, and priorities as well as personal and career goals. This type of exploration is essential to determining whether or not a career in the social work field will be a good fit. In addition, individuals should also consider the demands, stressors, and challenges common to the social work practice giving serious consideration to whether helping the most vulnerable populations will negatively impact their own physical and/or mental health and overall quality of life (Sheafor, Horejsi, & Horejsi, 2000).

Additional Activities:

When in Doubt, Give Hope . (Speech starts at 2:20)

Allison Brunner a newly graduated MSW talks about her anxieties and doubts that recent graduates feel with their professional responsibility to hold hope for their clients. She describes her own doubts as a social worker, relates those to her personal moments of doubt and shares how she drew from those experiences to help her client. Using our experiences to benefit our clients rather than ourselves, is what we call “professional use of self.” And as Carl Rogers demonstrated many years ago, bringing our genuine self to the clinical relationship is one of the most important things we can do to help our clients.

Retrieved from: http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/GraduationSpeech2009.mp3

Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) versus Masters of Social Work (MSW)

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the minimum pre-requisite needed to gain employment in the social work profession is a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW). However, those with specific career goals may be required to obtain a higher level of education. Therefore, some may wish to pursue a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW).

Social workers may serve in all of these different roles in varying degrees at any time in their career.

There are some similarities between the two degrees which include the expectation that both BSW and MSW students complete supervised field placements within a social service type agency. The requirements related to the length of placement, expected tasks, and/or hours may vary based on degree. Common social service agency placements for both BSW and MSW students include places such as hospitals, schools, or mental health or substance abuse clinics. In addition to this requirement, both BSW and MSW graduates must be granted a license in the state they wish to practice. Licensure for an MSW requires a minimum of 2 years of supervised clinical experience following graduation and a passing score on the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) licensing examination.

There are several key differences between BSW and MSW degrees. One of the first differences is the pre-requisite for entrance into the programs. Typically the only requirement needed to enter into an accredited BSW program at a college or university is that the candidate has declared social work as their major. This differs from an MSW program as MSW candidates apply for entrance into the program after already having obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in which the graduate has likely earned credits in coursework areas related to psychology and sociology.

Another difference is the coursework required based on the desired degree. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), which accredits U.S. social work programs, designates BSW undergraduate programs teach students about diverse populations, human behavior, social welfare policy, and ethics in social work. Additionally, students are required to complete a supervised field placement at a social service agency. Baccalaureate social workers have the ability to obtain specialty certification in certain areas through their state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which offers specialty certification available in child, youth and family social work, gerontology, casework, and hospice, and palliative care. Master’s degree programs focus on developing clinical assessment and management skills and prepare students for work in a more targeted areas depending on the student’s interest.

The other important differences between the two degrees involves the type of employment each degree holder is eligible for and the earning potential based on the degree. MSW graduates typically earn a significantly higher salaries than BSW graduates. Individuals with a BSW degree tend to be employed in entry level jobs as caseworkers and are expected to provide direct services to clients through assessing, coordinating, and referring to area resources. The Michigan Board of Social Workers outlines the scope of practice/expected duties for social workers based on education and designated practice area (see chart below).

MSW graduates are often employed in clinical settings such as a hospital or a private practice setting and also in various administrative positions. MSW graduates can obtain either a Macro or Clinical license. The scope of practice differs depending on the type of MSW license. According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), a licensed Master Social Worker with macro designation can expect to be involved in administration, management, and supervision of human service organizations and perform functions that seek to improve the overall population’s quality of life through a policy/administrative perspective. These tasks range from collaboration, coordination, mediation, and consultation within organizations and/or communities, community organizing and development, research and evaluation, and advocacy/social justice work through involvement in the legislative process. A licensed Master Social Worker with a clinical designation (micro) typically work directly with individuals, families, and/or groups in an effort to improve the client’s overall quality of life. Social workers can expect to perform the following tasks/functions: advocating for care, protecting the vulnerable, providing psychotherapy as defined as “assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders, conditions, addictions, or other biopsychosocial problems.”

For a pdf of this chart, please see:  http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdch/mdch_sw_swgridforscopeofpractice_216194_7.pdf

What is a client? What’s in a name?

It is important that the social work profession accurately define and describe the relationship that exists between those who receive services and those who provide services (social workers). Over the years many terms have been used to describe the service-recipient relationship. Many of these terms have been scrutinized as failing to accurately describe the relationship that exists between the social worker and the service recipient. McLaughlin (2008) identified four terms commonly used to describe the social worker-service user relationship as patients, consumers, and service users. It is important to explore the language used to conceptualize this relationship because the social work profession seeks to empower the most disadvantaged and vulnerable of the population the language we use matters.

Client is the most widely used term used to describe the social work relationship.

The meaning and implications of the term “client” have been questioned as it gives the impression that the social worker is in a position of power over the client. In this instance a client would be viewed as someone who needs help but does not have the ability to help themselves, due to some deficiency either a lack of skills or ability, and therefore requires the knowledge of a social worker (McLaughlin, 2008).

The term “consumer” has been used to describe the relationship of those who use services the state offers. The meaning and implications of using the term “consumer” suggests that those receiving services has options and choices and the social worker is acting as a manager or a monitor of services and/or resources (McLaughlin, 2008).

The term “service user” has also been used in various social work settings. However “service user” may not be appropriate for use in all types of social work practice. For example social workers working in the arena of children’s protective services are mandated to respond to child abuse and neglect based on agency and state law. In this situation the service user would most likely object to the social worker’s response, therefore the service user would not be officially involved in the decision making process. Over the years social workers have been given a major role in the assessment of needs and risks over client groups and this role is often associated with a policing or surveillance role. In this way the relationship that exists between the client and social worker may get confusing and ambiguous (McLaughlin, 2008).

Common Roles of Social Workers

Over the course of their career, a social worker at any one time may perform multiple roles to varying degrees. The difficulty for many social workers is that over time the roles that involve direct case work have lessened; often social workers will find themselves in a position that involves little client involvement. One of the most difficult situations social workers will experience in their careers is the conflict they face while fulfilling some of the following roles often expected of a social worker at one time.

A social worker acting as a broker assists and links people with services or resources. In this role social workers assess the needs of the individual while also taking into account the client’s overall capacity and motivation to use available resources. Once the needs are assessed and potential services identified, the broker assists the client in choosing the most appropriate service option. The social worker as a broker role is also concerned with the quality, quantity, and accessibility of services. This role is expected to be up-to-date on current services and programs available, as well as familiar with the process for accessing those resources and programs (Zastrow, 2016).

Case Manager

A social worker acting as a case manager identifies the needs as well as the barriers of their clients. Occasionally case managers may also provide direct service to their clients. Case managers often engage with clients who require multiple services from a variety of agencies and work with the client to develop goals and implement interventions based on the identified goals. Social workers acting as case managers remain actively engaged with clients throughout the process by identifying and coordinating services, monitoring identified services and providing support when necessary, and finally providing follow-ups to ensure services are being utilized (Zastrow, 2016).

A social worker as an advocate seeks to protect client’s rights and ensure access and utilization of services they are entitled to receive. Social workers may perform advocacy work by advocating for a single client or by representing groups of clients with a common problem or identified need. Social workers may advocate with other organizations/providers and encourage their clients to advocate for themselves in order to address a need or obtain a service. Advocacy is an integral and fundamental role in the social work profession as it is necessary to promote overall wellbeing. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2015) “has specified social workers’ responsibility to the community and broader society since its adoption in 1960, and in 1996, strengthened its call to require  all  social workers to “engage in social and political action” to “expand choice and opportunity” and “equity and social justice for all people” (p. 27). Social workers acting in this capacity may advocate in varying capacities but often times may find themselves in a position of educating the public in order to garner support to seek changes in laws that are harming and impacting the wellbeing of clients. Social workers acting as advocates should always consider whether they are acting and advocating in a way that maximizes client self-determination (Zastrow, 2016).

Social workers acting as a teacher or educator often help in times of crisis for many clients. In this role social workers help clients develop insight into their behaviors through providing education aimed at helping clients learn skills to handle difficult situations and identify alternative life choices. In this role social workers aim to increase their client’s knowledge of various skills some of which include: budgeting, parenting, effective communication, and/or violence prevention (Zastrow, 2016).

A social worker acting as a counselor helps clients express their needs, clarify their problems, explore resolution strategies, and applies intervention strategies to develop and expand the capacities of clients to deal with their problems more effectively. A key function of this role is to empower people by affirming their personal strengths and their capacities to deal with their problems more effectively (Zastrow, 2016).

Risk Assessor

Social workers acting as risk assessors have been given a major role in the assessment of needs and risks over a variety of client groups. Assessment is a primary role for social workers and often times is what dictates the services and resources identified as needs for clients. Often time’s social workers acting in this role find themselves in precarious situations as the relationship between the client and social worker may be conflicting, especially when working in the mental health field. While working as a risk assessor in the mental health field the social worker may experience conflict between encouraging client self-determination and addressing safety risks.

It is common that social workers act as mediators and negotiators as conflict is the root of many areas of social work. Social workers acting in these roles are required to take a neutral stance in order to find compromises between divided parties. In this role social workers seek to empower the parties to arrive and their own solutions in order to reconcile differences and reach a mutually satisfying agreement (Stoesen, 2006).

R esearcher

A social worker in the role of researcher or program evaluator uses their practice experience to inform future research. The social worker is aware of current research and able to integrate their knowledge with the current research. Social workers acting in this capacity are able to utilize the knowledge they have obtained through gathering and examining the research to inform their practice interventions (Grinnell & Unrau, 2010).

Group Leader

Social workers who play the role of group leader or facilitator can do so with groups of people gathering for purposes including; task groups, psychoeducational groups, counseling groups, and psychotherapy groups. Task groups are like the name infers task oriented and social workers facilitate that process by understanding group dynamics. Psychoeducational groups are led by social workers who focus on developing members’ cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills in an area group members are deficient through integrating and providing factual information to participants. Social workers who facilitate counseling groups help participants resolve problems in various areas that can include: personal, social, educational, or career concerns. In psychotherapy groups social worker address psychological and interpersonal problems that are negatively impacting member’s lives (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2014).

Additional Suggested Readings

Kerson, T. S., & McCoyd, J. (2013). In response to need: An analysis of social work roles over time.  Social work, 58 (4), 333-343. doi: 10.1093/sw/swt035

Gibelman, Margaret (1999). The search for identity: defining social work – past, present, future. Social Work , 44 (4), 298-310. doi: 10.1093/sw/44.4.298

Characteristics and Skills of Effective Social Workers

Much like the definition of the term “social work,” the characteristics and skills required to become an effective social worker are also hard to define and require versatility in this complex and constantly changing environment. Competent and effective social workers are expected to have knowledge in varying intervention strategies and skills in order to enhance functioning and empower others. Effective social workers also must be willing to consider the needs of those being served when designing interventions seeking to enhance the wellbeing of others. In doing so many social workers may adopt specific roles or a combination of roles in order to effectively and efficiently meet the identified need(s). Some common elements and skills have been identified as effective across micro and macro practice settings. It is important to remember that when we are discussing effective social workers it is not just about what they do, it is also about how they do it (Sheafor, Horejsi & Horejsi, 2000).

Self-Awareness

One of the most important skills necessary for becoming a competent and effective social worker is self-awareness. Self-awareness starts with getting to know yourself and requires clarifying one’s own values and assumptions. Every day we are learning and changing as a result of our experiences, therefore self-awareness is a lifelong process that cannot be acquired through education and readings alone. This process requires understanding of past experiences and reflecting on the impacts of those experiences in relation to your world view and view of yourself. People who practice self-awareness can recognize, understand, and regulate their emotions. Self-awareness allows individuals to maximize their strengths by acknowledging their weaknesses. By recognizing areas of both strength and weakness, self-aware people can take proactive steps to manage their weakness and avoid setbacks (Sheafor, Horejsi & Horejsi, 2000).

Competence is essential in the social work world as there are numerous treatment approaches and intervention strategies available for clients. That being said, it is impossible for a social worker to be competent in every intervention strategy or treatment option. Social workers are expected to be knowledgeable in areas and intervention strategies they will be utilizing with their clients. According to Sheafor, Horejsi, and Horejsi (2000), generalist practice social workers need to be prepared to treat a diverse population of clients, which requires knowledge in a variety of assessment and intervention techniques.

Effective social workers can identify personal values, political beliefs and assumptions but also are willing to develop knowledge of other cultures through formal education and interaction. Professional development allows social workers to develop skills that will enable them to implement successful interventions. Cultural competence is also an area that should be considered when determining effectiveness. All social workers should continually seek cultural knowledge; through education and direct interaction. Culture is an area that is constantly changing and social workers should be prepared to engage in life-long learning in order to seek competence.

One of the most critical elements is the relationship between the social worker and the client. Specifically whether or not the client feels the social worker is genuine, supportive and empathetic towards them. A sense of empathy from the social worker increases the chances of building a therapeutic relationship with the client. Because of this, ability to empathize is essential for social workers. Dr. Brown (2013) suggests that empathy is the best way to ease someone’s pain and suffering and is the skill that fuels connections. Empathy is a choice that requires individuals to acknowledge their own vulnerabilities which is often why the ability to empathize is considered a difficult skill to develop.

Critical thinking

The ability to critically think is crucial to the social work profession. Social workers use critical thinking skills on a daily basis to problem solve issues. Critical thinking skills include the ability to ask thoughtful and appropriate questions aimed at empowering others to find their own solutions. It is by applying critical thinking skills that social workers are able to make accurate observations, evaluate client abilities/limitation and/or agencies abilities/limitations. Critical thinking skills can also help social workers generate possible solutions and identify appropriate interventions to implement based of their critical evaluation of the issues and known barriers. Critical thinking skills also aid in the social worker’s ability to examine and evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions (Sheafor, Horejsi & Horejsi, 2000).

Communication skills

Communication in the social work profession encompasses a wide-range of activities beyond the ability to communicate effectively with their clients and other professionals. Determining the best approach to utilize when communicating with clients and other professionals will require the use of critical thinking skills. Many social workers are often working in the role of helping others who are seeking to make changes. Therefore, effective social workers will use a combination of different strategies to help move clients towards change. Social workers with effective communication skills avoid directly telling other’s what to do and rely heavily of their ability to communicate in order to empower clients to identify their own solutions. Developing and utilizing effective communication skills help clients establish trust and promotes rapport building between the social worker and the client which increases the chances of a successful intervention.

It is important to understand that effective communication skills go beyond one’s ability to communicate verbally and includes the ability to communicate through written reports as well as non-verbally while displaying active listening skills. Effective non-verbal communication requires the social worker to portray and display an empathetic, non-judgmental attitude when listening and engaging with clients. Effective written communication skills include the ability to communicate concisely, professionally, and honestly in various written formats as there are multiple mediums in which a social worker must be able to communicate. Because of this, competency in using word processors, email systems, spreadsheets, databases and knowledge of grammar and spelling are an important communication skill. These tasks may seem simple and appear obvious, however may prove challenging. Over time communication skills can be learned with practice, regular reflection, and self-assessment (Sheafor, Horejsi & Horejsi, 2000).

Additional readings

D’Aprix, A. S., Dunlap, K. M., Abel, E., & Edwards, R. L. (2004). Goodness of fit: Career goals of MSW students and the aims of the social work profession in the United States.  Social Work Education ,  23 (3), 265-280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0261547042000224029

S upplemental Activities

Brené Brown’s TED Talk:  The Power of Vulnerability

https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability

Brené Brown on Empathy (2:53)

https://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw

Challenges Ahead

Rothman and Mizrahi (2014) identified a need to rectify an imbalance that exists between micro and macro social work practice to not only strengthen the profession, but to overcome the multitude of problems facing society. Historically the social work profession has addressed the needs of the population with a dual approach, encompasses both macro and micro practice social workers to achieve social progress. This approach requires involvement from social workers at every level of practice to bring about social reform as well as meet the needs of individuals and families.

Currently, the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) is pioneering an innovative approach to achieving social progress powered by science called “The Grand Challenges of Social Work.” The AASWSW identifies 12 challenges and major social problems impacting today’s society. Today’s social workers will need to address and implement effective approaches known to improve individual and family wellbeing in order to begin strengthening the social fabric of America.

The 12 challenges are as follows:

The challenge to ensure healthy development for all youth:  The AASWSW has identified the need to prevent behavioral health problems emerging in over six million young people yearly. Evidence has identified several effective prevention based approaches to address the severe mental, emotional, and behavior problems affecting today’s youth.

The challenge to close the health gap : More than 60 million Americans have inadequate access to basic health care. Even more disturbing – the majority of people with inadequate access also experience discrimination and poverty. There is an extreme need to develop new strategies targeted at improving the health of our society.

The challenge to stop family violence : Assaults by parents, partners, and adult children are common American tragedies that often result in serious injury, including death. This type of violence impacts society through various arenas. Effective intervention strategies have been identified and if implemented could help break the cycle of violence for many families.

The challenge to advance long and productive lives: Through identifying and engaging individuals with healthy and productive activities, overall health and well-being can be improved.

The challenge to eradicate social isolation : Social workers can help with this challenge by educating the public about the impacts of social isolation as well as, promote effective ways to make social connections.

The challenge to end homelessness: Over 1.5 million American’s experience homelessness at least one night a year. Homelessness affects health and well-being and often has lasting impacts on personal development. The challenge will be to implement and expand on proven approaches as well as, implement policies that promote affordable housing.

The challenge to create social responses to a changing environment: Climate change and urban development exacerbate the already existing social and environmental inequalities of marginalized communities. The challenge will be to develop improved social responses based on this knowledge as well as, helping those impacted by the changing environment through developing policies specific to helping those in need.

The challenge to harness techn ology for social good: A unique opportunity to access and target various populations and social problems exists because of advances to technology. The challenge will be for social workers to find ways to use technology to not only access knowledge, but to gain expertise for the advancement of the social work profession.

The challenge to promote “smart decarceration ”: With the United States having the world’s largest percentage of its population behind bars this could prove to truly be a grand challenge. “Smart Decarceration” calls for a reduction in the number of people imprisoned, as well as the willingness of a nation to embrace a new and proactive way of addressing safety.

The challenge to reduce extreme inequality:  One out of every five children live in poverty, while the top 1% owns almost half of the wealth in the U.S. Poor health outcomes and decreased overall well-being have been documented results of living in poverty. Inequality can be reduced through increased access to education, wages, tax benefits, and/or home ownership. Social workers should seek to adopt policies that promote equality.

The challenge to build financial capability for all: Nearly half of all American households are financially insecure, which means they do not have adequate savings to meet their basic living expense for three months. By adopting policies that support security in retirement accounts as well as, access to financial services that provide for financial literacy there can be a significant reduction in the economic hardships faced by families.

The challenge to achieve equal opportunity and justice: Historic and current prejudice and injustice in the United States impacts several groups of people by impeding and excluding access to education and employment. In order to overcome this challenge social workers must embrace and appreciate diversity and begin shedding light onto unfair practices.

Additional Reading/ Activities

Bent-Goodley, T.B. (2017). Readying the profession for changing times.  Social Work, 62 (2), 101-103. doi : 10.1093/ sw /swx014

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2016, March 28). #103 – The Grand Challenges for Social Work: Interview with Dr. Richard P. Barth [Audio Podcast]. Social Work Podcast . Retrieved from http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/2016/03/grand-ch a llenges.html

Activities for Chapter One

Activity #1

25 questions to help you get to know yourself

http://www.mistysansom.com/know-who-you-are-with-these-25-questions

• What does your ideal day look like?
• What did you want to be when you were younger?
• Who are you most inspired by? Why?
• Who would you love to meet? What would you ask?
• What habit would you most like to break? What habit would you most like to start?
• Think of a person you truly admire. What qualities do you like about that person?
• How do you like to relax?
• When was the last time you did something you were afraid of?
• What are you most proud of?
• What are you most afraid of?
• If life stopped today, what would you regret not doing?
• Who would you like to connect (or reconnect) with? Why?
• What qualities do you admire in others?
• What practical skills do you wish you had?
• Imagine you’re in your 90s. What memories would you like to have? What stories do you want to tell?
• What is your favorite book/movie/song? Why?
• If you could make one change in the world, what would it be?
• What do you love to do for, or give to others (not an object – something from you personally)?
• What excites you?
• What do you wish you did more of?
• Pretend money is no object. What would you do?
• What area of your life, right now, makes you feel the best? Which area makes you feel the worst? Why?
• Let’s jump forward a year. What would you like to have achieved in the past year?
• What piece of advice would you give to five year old you? Sixteen year old you? Twenty-one year old you? Right now?
• How do you want to be remembered in life?

Activity #2:

The Five Minute Personality Test

http://www.sagestrategies.biz/documents/FiveMinutePersonalityTestforclass.pdf

Activity #3:

Character Strengths Survey

https://www.viacharacter.org/www/Cha r acter-Strengths-Survey

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2014, July 8). #87 – Beginnings, middles, and ends: Stories about social work from Ogden Rogers, Ph.D. [Audio Podcast].  Social Work Podcast.  Retrieved from  http://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/07/ogden.html

Brunner, Allison (2009). When In doubt, give hope.” Social Work Podcast.  Retrieved from http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/GraduationSpeech2009.mp3

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2016, March 28). #103 – The Grand Challenges for Social Work: Interview with Dr. Richard P. Barth [Audio Podcast].  Social Work Podcast . Retrieved from  http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/2016/03/grand-challenges.html

American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare. (2017). Grand challenges for social work. Retrieved from http://aaswsw.org/grand-challenges-initiative./

Asquith, S., Clark, C. L., & Waterhouse, L. (2005).  The role of the social worker in the 21st century: A literature review . Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Education Department. Retrieved from http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2005/12/1994633/46334

Bent-Goodley, T.B. (2017). Readying the profession for changing times.  Social Work, 62 (2), 101-103. doi: 10.1093/sw/swx014

Blundo, R. (2001). Learning strengths-based practice: Challenging our personal and professional frames. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 82 (3), 296-304. doi:10.1606/1044-3894.192

Brown, B. (December. 2013). Brené Brown on empathy . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw&feature=youtu.be

Brunner, A. (2009) When in doubt, give hope [Audio file].  Social Work Podcast.  Retrieved from http://www.socialworkpodcast.com/GraduationSpeech2009.mp3

Clark, E. J. (2017). 10 essentials social workers must know about hope [Blog post].  Retrieved from http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/practice/10-essentials-social-workers-must-know-about-hope/

Clark, E. J., & Hoffler, E. F. (2014). Hope matters: The power of social work. Washington, DC: NASW Press.

Corey, M., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2014).  Groups: Process and Practice  (9th ed.) Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cengage Learning.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), Commission on Accreditation. (2016, July). Handbook of social work accreditation policies and procedures.   Retrieved from https://cswe.org/Accreditation/Standards-and-Policies/EPAS-Handbook

Gibelman, Margaret. (1999). The search for identity: defining social work – past, present, future. Social Work , 44 (4) p298-310. doi: 10.1093/sw/44.4.298

Grinnell, R.M., & Unrau, Y.A. (2010). Social work research and evaluation: Foundations of evidence-based practice  [9th ed.]. New York: Oxford University Press.

Hansan, J. E. (n.d.). Ida Minerva Tarbell (1857-1944): Journalist, muckraker. In  Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/tarbell-ida-minerva/

Hansan, J.E. (2010, December 14). Jane Addams (1860-1935): Founder of Hull House, social reformer, women’s advocate and winner of Nobel Peace Prize. In  Social Welfare History Project.  Retrieved from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/settlement-houses/addams-jane/

Hansan, J.E. (2013). Hunter, (Wiles) Robert (April 10, 1874 – May 15, 1942), social worker, author and socialist. In  Social Welfare History Project . Retrieved from  http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/hunter-robert/

Hunter, R. (1904). Poverty. New York: The Macmillan Company. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/povertypoor00huntuoft

Jane M. Hoey (1892-1968): Social worker, welfare administrator, government official. (2011). In  Social Welfare History Project . Retrieved from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/people/hoey-jane-m/

Kerson, T. S., & McCoyd, J. (2013). In response to need: An analysis of social work roles over time.  Social Work. 58(4) 333-343. doi: 10.1093/sw/swt035

Langer, C. L., & Lietz, C. (2014). Applying theory to generalist social work practice. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Mary Ellen Richmond (1861-1928): Social work pioneer, administrator, researcher and author. (2011). In  Social Welfare History Project . Retrieved from http://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/social-work/richmond-mary/

McLaughlin, H. (2008). What’s in a name: ‘Client’, ‘patient’, ‘customer’, ‘consumer’, ‘expert by experience’, ‘service user’—What’s next?  British Journal of Social Work ,  39 (6), 1101-1117. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcm155

National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (2015).  Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers . Washington, DC: NASW Press. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp

Nsonwu, M. B., Casey, K., Cook, S. W., & Armendariz, N. B. (2013). Embodying social work as a profession: A pedagogy for practice. SAGE Open ,  3 (3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013503835

Richmond, M. E. (1917). Social diagnosis. New York: Russell Sage Foundation

Rothman, J., & Mizrahi, T. (2014). Balancing micro and macro practice: A challenge for social work. Social Work ,  59 (1), 91-93.

Sheafor, B. W., Horejsi, C. R., & Horejsi, G. A. (2000). Techniques and guidelines for social work practice  (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2014). #87 – Beginnings, middles, and ends: Stories about social work from Ogden Rogers, Ph.D. [Audio podcast].  Social Work Podcast.  Retrieved from  http://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2014/07/ogden.html

Singer, J. B. (Producer). (2016). #103 – The Grand Challenges for Social Work: Interview with Dr. Richard P. Barth [Audio podcast]. Social Work Podcast . Retrieved from http://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2016/03/grand-challenges.html

Social Work Degree Guide. (2017). Five differences between BSW and MSW programs. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkdegreeguide.com/lists/five-differences-between-bsw-and-msw-programs/

Stoesen, L. (2006). Mediation a natural for social workers.  NASW News, (51)8. Retrieved from http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/news/2006/09/mediation.asp

Uehara, E.S., Barth, R. P., Olson, S., Catalano, R. F., Hawkins, J. D., … Sherraden, M. (2015). Identifying and tacking grand challenges for social work. (Grand Challenges for Social Work Initiative, Working Paper No. 3). Retrieved http://aaswsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/WP3-with-cover.pdf

Zastrow, C. (2016). Generalist social work practice: A Worktext  (11th ed). Chicago: Lyceum Books, Inc.

Introduction to Social Work at Ferris State University Copyright © 2017 by andes109 and Department of Social Work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

Writing Guide

Professional social workers create a variety of documents, including proposals, case reports, and treatment itineraries. Social work programs prepare students for these tasks through writing assignments such as research papers and essays. To prepare for these writing assignments, students should have a basic understanding of grammar, punctuation, citation styles, and essay formats before entering a social work program.

Professional social workers create a variety of documents, including proposals, case reports, and treatment itineraries.

Social workers handle vital information, which makes the ability to communicate clearly in writing a crucial skill. For example, a child welfare worker gathers information concerning the wellbeing of a child. If the phrasing in the related case report is too complicated, the professional may overlook safety details, which could endanger the child. Additionally, concise wording is important. Wordy documents can take excessive amounts of time to read, which could prevent social workers from considering other cases on a suitable schedule. To master the social work writing style, students should learn to provide necessary information succinctly.

Social work programs may begin assessing writing abilities during the application process through personal statements, so applicants should polish their writing skills before applying.

Featured Programs in Social Work

Types of writing social workers will do in school, personal statements.

Many applications require a personal statement that provides in-depth information highlighting the candidate’s qualifications and positive traits. Whereas a resume may briefly reference a volunteer opportunity at an organization, a personal statement could describe lessons learned while volunteering or elaborate on personal contributions that benefited the organization.

Schools examine these qualifications while reviewing statements, but they also consider the statements as social work writing samples and evaluate each applicant’s writing skills. For this reason, candidates should proofread these documents and include the standard introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. By following these practices, applicants demonstrate their understanding of college-level writing concepts.

Applicants should focus on strengths and experiences related to social work and avoid vague statements and cliches. Instead of noting their lifelong passion for the field, a student could address a single incident that sparked interest in social work. The school may provide a prompt on which applicants should base their statements. These prompts may involve career goals or ambitions in the social work field.

If the school lists personal statements as optional, applicants should consider submitting a statement to demonstrate their work ethic. However, if the school makes no mention of personal statements, students should refrain from submitting one, given the amount of application materials each school must review each year.

Social work courses may include essay examinations during which learners must answer questions in a limited time frame. Students rarely see the questions in advance. To prepare, students should become familiar with all major course components by attending classes, taking clear notes, and keeping up with readings and assignments. Study groups may also be beneficial.

To prepare, students should become familiar with all major course components by attending classes, taking clear notes, and keeping up with readings and assignments.

During the exam, students should begin by outlining the thesis and supporting evidence. This outline guides the student through the writing process and ensures the response remains on-track. These assessments often require three main supporting points, so students may include five paragraphs within these outlines: the introduction, three body paragraphs, and the conclusion.

Learners should also use time-management techniques during these assessments. Students may allot a certain amount of time for each paragraph, plus time to proofread. Using this strategy, students can write and polish each paragraph.

Candidates should carefully answer the assigned question, ensuring they read the question correctly. A single word can alter the prompt’s meaning. For example, an essay explaining how an event happened is different than one detailing why the event happened.

Research Papers

Whereas an essay may include personal opinions, a research paper focuses on facts. For example, an essay discussing a novel could include the student’s thoughts about the work. A research paper would use scholarly evidence to examine aspects of the novel, such as themes, characters, and historical significance.

Essays and research papers also differ in length. An essay may require only five paragraphs. A research paper, however, may be 10 pages or longer.

Students in social work courses can research topics such as drug or alcohol issues, government policies, child welfare, community involvement, and mental wellness. Social work research papers often include sections for methodology, literature, and research results, as well as an abstract and a reference list that fulfills APA requirements.

Students should use a variety of primary and secondary sources when writing research papers. Citing multiple sources reinforces the student’s claims. However, students should refrain from relying too heavily on quoted material; excessive quotations implies the writer does not understand the topic well enough to paraphrase the source information.

Learners may also submit papers to tutoring services before submitting to reduce the chances of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

How Do You Write an Essay?

Social work programs may require various writing assignments to prepare students to complete professional writing for social work practice. Each form of academic writing serves a distinct purpose, and an understanding of various writing styles provides a foundation to help students during these assignments.

Narrative papers often depict personal experiences, such as memorable vacations or first attempts at hobbies. Narrative works also include opinion pieces, such as book reports. When writing a narrative essay, students should have a clear focus.

Expository writing explores a specific topic and requires the writer to carefully examine the topic. The facts presented in an expository piece can come from research or, if the assignment’s structure limits research time, through means such as logic or an example. Cause and effect pieces, compare and contrast works, and process descriptions may all qualify as expository writing if they are meant to present information. All expository pieces should include a thesis and logical transitions.

Persuasive writing requires students to take a stance on a topic and to support that stance with evidence. Research is crucial to persuasive writing, and students should incorporate multiple sources to support their thesis. Additionally, writers should present countering opinions and prove the instability of opposing viewpoints through facts, logic, and examples. Ultimately, persuasive writing should convince readers that the writer’s position is the accurate stance on the topic.

Comparative

These assignments require students to compare two or more similar concepts, such as political positions, marketing plans, or fictional themes. Professors may assign topics or allow students to select their own. Before writing, learners should brainstorm similarities and organize them into body paragraphs. For instance, a student comparing two artistic pieces may construct paragraphs about color, medium, and setting.

Cause and Effect

This type of paper explains a presumed cause for a specific occurrence. For example, a student may claim that limited health insurance options lead to untreated illnesses in the United States. With this topic, the student could divide supporting evidence into separate paragraphs, such as the cost of health insurance, the benefits of health insurance, and the process of finding insurance information. Using this strategy, the writer covers various health insurance problems to verify the paper’s main point.

Citations Guide for Social Work Students

Using source information without proper citation leads to plagiarism, the act of claiming a source’s ideas without giving the source due credit. Consequences for plagiarism can include failing assignments, failing courses, being expelled from school, and enduring a lawsuit. Since departments require different citation styles, degree candidates should ensure they use the proper citation format for each assignment.

American Psychological Association (APA) Style

APA format was established in 1929 to create a common format for writing. These guidelines allowed writers to more easily interpret one another’s findings. Professionals in fields including psychology, criminology, and business use APA style.

APA format requires specific headers, page numbers, a cover page, an abstract, divided sections, and a reference list. APA in-text citations specify the author’s last name, the year of publication, and the page number. Students may substitute these details for the work’s title, “n.d.” (“no date”), and a paragraph number or section title, respectively, if the primary information is not available.

The company decided that the new marketing policy was “their best idea in 20 years” (Simmons & Hatfield, 2016, p. 23).

Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)

In 1906, the Chicago University Press established this citation style, which professionals in fields including history and philosophy employ today. Students following Chicago style may use in-text citations but often use footnotes or endnotes instead. Chicago style also requires a specifically structured cover page, page numbers, and a bibliography.

Footnotes and endnotes resemble bibliography entries but have different punctuation. In a bibliography, students use periods to separate a book’s publisher, publication place, and publication year. In footnotes and endnotes, this information is in parentheses. Additionally, endnotes and footnotes should include page numbers.

The company decided that the new marketing policy was “their best idea in 20 years” (Simmons and Hatfield 2016, 23).

Modern Language Association (MLA) Format

Established in 1883, the Modern Language Association supplies guidelines that many English, literature, and communication departments adopt.

MLA format includes a works cited page at the end of the document and specific page headers and numbers in the upper right-hand corner of each page. Basic assignment information, such as the student’s name, the date, and the course title, appears in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. MLA does not require a cover page, which separates this format from other styles. MLA in-text citations include the author’s last name and the page number.

The company decided that the new marketing policy was “their best idea in 20 years” (Simmons and Hatfield 23).

Associated Press (AP) Style

This style, established in 1977, covers wording, organization, and source documentation. Journalists and news reporters often use this format.

AP style uses brief paragraphs and concise sentences to quicken the pace of the writing. The style requires writers to abbreviate certain words, use a person’s first name only on the initial mention, and eliminate titles. Writers should also replace vague words with more specific options.

Instead of using parenthetical citations, writers can reference the sources in dialogue format. This detail and the lack of reference list are AP style’s distinct elements.

The company decided that the new marketing policy was “their best idea in 20 years,” according to Simmons and Hatfield.

The Best Writing Style for Social Work Majors

Most types of writing in social work require learners and professionals to use APA format. This style is ideal for social work professionals, who often work with documents containing vital information. When dealing with these types of documents, clear details and concise wording are essential. The rigidness of APA style helps writers provide an organized overview of the document’s topic.

Common Writing Mistakes Students Make

Active vs. passive voice.

When writing in active voice, writers state the doer of the action before the sentence’s verb. An example of an active construction would be, “He wrote the book.” Passive voice places the object of the action prior to the verb: “The book was written by him.” Though the information remains the same, active voice states the message more concisely.

Passive voice is a style error, not a grammar issue, and can even be useful in certain situations. Writers may use passive voice when the noun or pronoun undergoing the action supplies the sentence’s emphasis, such as in the following sentence: “The U.S. was founded in 1776.” Because passive voice serves certain purposes and has no technical grammar flaws, using unnecessary passive constructions is a common error.

In most cases, students should choose active voice for concision and clarity. Consider the sentence, “The food was enjoyed.” The reader cannot tell who enjoyed the food, whereas an active sentence with an equal number of words answers this question: “Jane enjoyed the food.”

Punctuation

Punctuation marks include periods, commas, semicolons, dashes, and quotation marks, and confusing their purposes may lead to flawed sentence structures. For example, a semicolon joins two independent clauses, or phrases that can stand alone: “The dog barked; it was loud.” Using a comma in this situation constitutes a grammatical error called a comma splice: “The dog barked, it was loud.”

Punctuation missteps can also alter meaning. In the sentence, “Please stop, David,” the comma before the name directs David to stop. “Please stop David,” on the other hand, would instruct an unknown person to stop David from performing a task.

Writers may confuse colons and semicolons. Colons indicate a pause before an emphasized idea, such as in the sentence,”She knew where to drive: Montana.” The colon places importance on the destination, Montana. Semicolons, on the other hand, may separate nested lists, as in the following sentence.

“The attendants choose between hiking, swimming, and basketball; running, yoga, and tennis; or weightlifting, bicycling, and baseball.”

Writers should become familiar with punctuation rules to craft accurate and clear sentences.

Grammar refers to language rules for phrasing and wording, including concepts such as verb tense and noun-pronoun agreement. Students may struggle with grammatical details, since the language includes irregularities that alter guidelines. For example, constructing past tense verbs often involves adding “d” or “ed.” However, irregular verbs use different formats; the past tense of “eat” is “ate,” and the past tense of “go” is “went.”

Writers may also struggle with homophones, which sound similar but have distinct meanings. Commonly confused homophones are “there,” “their,” and “they’re,” which indicates a place, shows possession, and is a contraction for “they are,” respectively. To avoid grammatical mistakes, learners should thoroughly study the language’s structure.

Writing Resources for Social Work Students

• Paradigm Online Writing Assistant This website guides learners through various stages of the writing process, including topic selection, revisions, and idea organization. Additionally, students may find information on different types of writing, such as argumentative works and informal pieces.
• Write Content Solutions This website provides tips on grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure and assists students with researching and citing sources. Students can improve their writing skills using practice worksheets available through the website.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab The Purdue OWL offers information on the writing process and assists applicants to undergraduate and graduate programs. Students can explore MLA, APA, AP, and Chicago formats through the writing lab.
• Writer’s Digest This website provides articles on creating pieces in specific genres, for individuals with particular levels of writing expertise. Topics include homophones and time management. The website also provides information about writing conferences and publications.
• TutorMe This website assists students struggling with essay structure or citation format. Tutors may help learners polish their writing through grammar and punctuation checks and general proofreading.

Take the next step toward your future in social work.

Explore schools offering programs and courses tailored to your interests, and start your learning journey today.

Breadcrumbs Section. Click here to navigate to respective pages.

The Social Work Assignments Handbook

DOI link for The Social Work Assignments Handbook

Get Citation

The Social Work Assignments Handbook is the complete guide to preparing for, carrying out and writing up a social work assignment or project. Designed to support students through their assignments from beginning to end, each stage is fully explained through friendly advice and practical guidance so that students can feel confident in their work, whether they’re writing up quantitative research findings or carrying out a literature review.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 | 20  pages, preparing to embark on your social work degree, chapter 2 | 14  pages, understanding assessment, chapter 3 | 27  pages, reflection and reflective writing, chapter 4 | 24  pages, developing critical thinking and critical writing skills, chapter 5 | 20  pages, gathering and analysing information, chapter 6 | 21  pages, planning and constructing an assignment.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions
• Cookie Policy
• Taylor & Francis Online
• Taylor & Francis Group
• Students/Researchers
• Librarians/Institutions

Connect with us

Registered in England & Wales No. 3099067 5 Howick Place | London | SW1P 1WG © 2024 Informa UK Limited

Reading and Case Study Analysis for Social Work

Professor betty kramer, social work 821.

The purpose of this initial assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the readings and your ability to apply course content to the mental health challenges faced by an elder and their family.

Instructions:

• Review lecture notes from Week 1 and all required readings for Week 1 and Week 2.
• Read the attached case study.
• Preliminary Assessment (Suspicions): Given what Vanessa shares with you, what might you initially suspect is causing her mother’s symptoms and why?  Be specific and provide and cite evidence from the reading to support your preliminary assessment.
• Engagement & the Clinical Interview: You will need to do a home visit to initiate the assessment.  What will you do in advance to prepare for the interview? How will you approach Mrs. Johnson?  What will want to accomplish during this home visit?
• Please list the various domains that you believe will be important to investigate as part of the assessment to determine the cause of Mrs. Johnson’s symptoms and the most appropriate care plan. Be sure to list the mental status tests and medical tests that you feel should be completed (see Ch. 4 McKinnis, 2009; Ch. 6 in Zarit & Zarit).  [Note: it is acceptable to provide bulleted list of points in response to these particular questions]
• Describe how that data will be collected (and by whom)?
• Provide a brief rationale for the assessment domains that will be included.
• Possible Recommendations: Assuming your preliminary assessment turns out to be correct, name 2-3 primary recommendations that you might make to Mrs. Johnson and her family? 
• Submit paper to Learn@UW dropobox by 9:00 a.m. before week 2 of class.

Daughter Requests Case Manager Consultation for her mother: Mrs. Johnson

Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. J.) is a 78-year-old, African American woman who lives in a small Midwestern city. About a year ago, her husband died suddenly of a stroke, leaving Mrs. J. to live alone in her home of 52 years. It was the home where she had raised her three children, all of whom graduated from college, have professional careers, and now live in other parts of the state. Her family is a source of pride, and her home has numerous pictures of her children and grandchildren.

About 3 months ago, Mrs. J.’s oldest daughter, Vanessa, got a call from one of the neighbors. Vanessa lives a 4-hour drive from her mother—a drive that can often be longer in bad weather. The neighbor stated that Mrs. J. had walked to the neighborhood store in her pajamas and slippers. Because Mrs. J. has lived in the community for several years, people have been watching out for her since her husband died, and someone gave her a ride back home. Mrs. J. doesn’t drive, and the temperature was fairly chilly that day.

As a result of the call, Vanessa went to Mrs. J.’s home for a visit. Although she and her siblings had been calling Mrs. J. regularly, no one had been to the family home in about 7 months. Vanessa was shocked at what she saw. Mrs. J. had been a cook in a school cafeteria earlier in life and always kept her own kitchen spotless. But now the house was in disarray with several dirty pots and pans scattered throughout different rooms. In addition, odd things were in the refrigerator such as a light bulb and several pieces of mail. Many of the food products were out of date, and there was a foul smell in the kitchen. Trash covered the counters and floor.

Vanessa contacted her siblings to ask them if their mother had told any of them that she wasn’t feeling well. Her brother, Anthony, remarked that their mother would often talk about Mr. J. in the present tense—but he thought that it was just her grief about his death. The younger brother, Darius, reported that his wife was typically the one who called their mother—about once a month. He didn’t know if there had been any problems—his wife never said anything about it to him. Vanessa also contacted the pastor of her church, Rev. M. He stated that Mrs. J. had been walking to church on Sundays, as usual, but he did notice that she left early a few times and other times seemed to come to service late. But like the brother, Anthony, he thought that this behavior was probably a grief reaction to the loss of her husband.

A final shock to Vanessa was when she went through her mother’s mail. There were several overdue bills and one urgent notice that the electricity was going to be cut off if the balance wasn’t paid. She owed several hundred dollars in past due heating, electric, and telephone bills.

Vanessa contacted her mother’s primary care physician (Dr. P.) who said that he had last seen Mrs. J. for her regular checkup 6 months earlier and that she had missed her last appointment a week ago. Dr. P. said that her staff had called to make another appointment but that her mother hadn’t called them back yet.  Mrs. J. is being treated with medication for arthritis, hypertension, and gastroesophogeal reflux (GERD). Her weight was stable, and her only complaint was some difficulty staying asleep at night. Dr. P. reported that her mother’s mood was sad but had improved some in the month before the last visit. The doctor asked about memory and concentration, but her mother denied having any problems with memory. Imagine that you a case manager at the local Senior Coalition.  Vanessa is calling you to seek advice about what to do. She would like you to do an assessment to help her determine what is wrong and how she can best help her mother.

• Follow us on Twitter
• Follow us on Facebook

Using Rubrics to provide Strength-based Feedback for Social Work Assignments

Posted By Laurel Hitchcock on Feb 4, 2019 | 0 comments

Editor’s Note: I am excited to welcome back Kristen Samuels, MSW, MS, MEd , the Field Director for University of Phoenix’s Department of Social Work , for this month’s guest educator blog post. Back in December 2018, I sent a tweet asking for advice on how to improve my grading practices, and turned the responses from colleagues into a blog post . Kristen was one of those colleagues and I asked her to turn her own tweets about strength-based feedback and rubrics into this blog post. Kristen can be reached at [email protected], or @KristenMSamuels on Twitter.

I recently returned to the classroom as a student in an EdD program. Although I certainly struggle with the workload, committing to life-long learning and taking the role of the student has made me a better instructor. As I am reminded of the anxiety that comes with unclear expectations or inconsistent grading practices, I become more aware of my own approaches for delivering feedback in my online classrooms. In discussions with my peers about the rigor and intensity of the doctoral writing process, we reflected on our individual fears in presenting written assignments to any of our former professors. Writing is an incredibly complex and emotive process. Students are asked to read, comprehend, apply, analyze, summarize, etc., and then present content in an integrated, accurate, and convincing way. It would be easy to miss a step and lose confidence in our position, and in that way, students are vulnerable when turning in written assignments. After putting forward long thought-out interpretations and opinions of the material, it is difficult to not view feedback as a personal attack on our intelligence. We wind ourselves up in self-doubt, and add undue stress when we throw in the impossible task of deciphering tone from an instructor’s feedback.

Strength-based feedback for Social Work Assignments

For this reason, and particularly for us as Social Work educators, we owe it to our students to present feedback with care. This can be as simple as avoiding capitalizing words (the online equivalent of shouting), and intentionally leading/ending feedback with what the student has done well in the assignment. Research on feedback tells us that affirmative comments acknowledges students’ efforts and encourages learning, instead of emphasizing grades (Stipek & Chiatovich, 2017). It is also an excellent way to model strengths-based approaches with our students!

This does not ignore our responsibility to offer corrective feedback, but in a way that promotes growth and ensures comprehension of the course objectives. Providing specific comments in areas where points were lost, can signal need for additional review and points of focus for future submissions. As supported by Gallien & Oomen-Early (2008), our responses should be an even mix of acknowledging their strengths and noted growth, as well as include strategies to promote reflection and deeper learning.  The major dilemma for any social work educator is how to give thorough and timely individualized feedback, which is critical to student success and helps maintain academic standards long term, while managing the process of grading including the amount of time and energy needed.    

For example, written assignments take a significant amount of time to thoroughly read and provide substantive feedback on. If the course objectives are best met through this means of assessment, your time will be well spent if you develop a rubric at the same time as the assignment. The audience of this blog is likely familiar with the term “rubric”, but you may want to consider the phrase “grading guide” with your students.

I prefer to provide written feedback to my student’s as opposed to verbal feedback by recording my reactions. My reason for this is accessibility. Although we assume that our students are connected with the services and tools that they need to be successful for our online courses, not all students self-report their needs, and I do not want them to miss out on this critical piece of learning. If the tool is embedded in your learning management system (LMS) such as Voicethread, it likely meets your institutions accessibility standards and is a fine alternative.

How I develop a rubric

As an instructor, I begin by developing an assignment in alignment with the course objective(s), and simultaneously develop the rubric. The objective(s) to be assessed in your assignment should be directly reflected in the assignment instructions, and then mirrored in the rubric. For example, if your objective is to “Describe typical stages of grief and explain how cultural, religious, and spiritual practices affect the bereavement process”, the assignment should expand on your expectations, and a line of your rubric should reflect measurement of those goals.  For example:

Course objective to be assessed in this assignment: “Describe typical stages of grief and explain how cultural, religious, and spiritual practices affect the bereavement process.”

(Relevant portion of) Assignment instructions: Briefly describe each of the stages of grief from the text. Identify at least 3 examples of cultural, religious, or spiritual practices from the case study provided. How might this affect the clients’  bereavement process?

(Relevant portion of) Assignment Rubric:

Final comments: “Well done, Alex! You’ve earned XX out of XX points for this assignment. You’ve done well identifying and explaining the 5 stages of grief, and 3 examples of cultural practices that influenced the client’s bereavement. Your interpretation of the client’s spiritual ritual was fascinating, I hope you’ll share this perspective with the class in our discussion forum! I would add to your “bargaining” stage that this serves an important role for the client, where they temporarily escape from their pain and take time to process their new reality. In this stage the clients’ emotional needs are high, so it is important to review their support system of family and friends.  I am seeing marked improvement in your writing style and APA, thank you for your hard work! This attention to detail will pay off not only in the course, but long term in your documentation skills in practice. Remember that a “Writing Guide” is posted in our course homepage with additional support including samples, resources, and best practices in formal writing. Overall, well done this week, Alex, I’m looking forward to seeing your work in Week 3. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to assist you before then!”

This final comments script can be easily altered for each student, keeping the basic framework and editing individual details. I prefer to use the indicators above – “Does not meet expectations”, “Approaches Expectations”, and “Meets Expectations” in my rubrics. I do not believe that “exceeding expectations” is fair to grade upon, but instead belongs in specific comments of praise and acknowledgement in the final feedback section. Generally, I develop my rubrics as follows:

• 70% content – listing each specific requirement to be addressed, as outlined in course/assignment objectives. Examples may include: Relevant content or analysis is accurately described and supported by research. Use of theory, examples, or other language are correct, comprehensive, and persuasive.
• 15% Organization and Structure – Effectively organized: introduction to provide background and preview points, body with logical transitions and appropriate tone, and conclusion reviewing major ideas.
• 15% Mechanics and APA – rules of grammar, spelling, usage, etc. are followed, intellectual property is appropriately cited consistent with APA formatting guidelines.

Designing detailed rubrics up-front saves time during the grading process. Making these available to the students along with assignment instructions clearly informs them of your expectations, provides them with an outline to organize their research, and helps minimize concerns of subjectivity in your grading process. It also speeds up the process for us as faculty, as you have already articulated what quality looks like in the final product, you simply need to provide detail on how they hit or fell short of these targets.

How do you use rubrics with your assignments?  Please post your comments and ideas below.

References:

Gallien, T., & Oomen-Early, J. (2008). Personalized versus collective instructor feedback in the online courseroom: Does type of feedback affect student satisfaction, academic performance and perceived connectedness with the instructor? International Journal on ELearning, 7 (3), 463-476. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/docview/210354848? accountid =134061

Stipek, D., & Chiatovich, T. (2017). The effect of instructional quality on low- and high-performing students . Psychology in the Schools, 54 (8), 773–791. https://doi-org.contentproxy.phoenix.edu/10.1002/pits.22034

How to cite this blog post: Samuels, K. (2019, February 4). Using Rubrics to provide Strength-based Feedback for Social Work Assignments [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2019/02/04/using-rubrics-to-provide-strength-based-feedback-for-social-work-assignments/

Author: Laurel Hitchcock

Dr. Hitchcock served as the editor for this blog post. The author is the Guest Blogger (Social Work Educator or Student).

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Laurel Hitchcock

Photo Credit: Jared Bash

• #SWvirtualpal
• Accreditation
• Assignments for Social Work
• Guest Educator Post
• Guest Student Post
• Interprofessional Education
• Presentations/Conferences
• Professional Collaboration Network
• Professional Learning Network
• Service Learning
• Simulations
• Social Media
• SW Field Education
• SW Practice with Tech
• Teaching with Tech

Archived Posts

Signup today to be notified of new updates!

Your email:

Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress

• School of Social Work >
• Information for Field Educators and Liaisons >
• Field Educator Resources >
• Orientation and Training Program >
• Learning Contracts & Performance Evaluations >

Learning contract and evaluation activities

Contact field education.

[email protected]

The Field Education Office has developed sample learning contract activities to help students and field educators generate ideas. These sample activities should not be copied and pasted; instead, they can be adapted to specific field placement sites or used in brainstorming. Please select a competency below to view the sample learning contract activities.

Competencies

• Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
• Shadow or interview professionals from other disciplines within their agency to learn their roles and how they interface with social workers (i.e. psychiatrists, nurses, etc.). Reflect and discuss in supervision.
• Review necessary agency policies and procedures related to the social work role. Understand confidentiality, documentation requirements and mission statements. Discuss in supervision.
• Meet regularly with field educator and explore ethical challenges encountered during placement. Discuss strategies for addressing these challenges.
• Engage in self-reflection to acknowledge and manage triggers that might come up so that they do not impact student’s ability to remain objective and present with clients. Practice at least one self-care activity weekly. Discuss in supervision.
• Develop a self-care plan to maintain healthy boundaries. Explore activities that promote student self-awareness, stress management and work-life balance.
• Attend and be prepared for weekly supervision by developing an agenda that identifies questions related to agency policies, programs and/or services. In supervision, discuss professional boundaries, self-care, social work ethics, professional growth and self-reflection. 

Competency 2: Advance Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic and Environmental Justice

• Identify any barriers to social, racial, economic and environmental justice for clients served by your agency. List and discuss ways to reduce or eliminate these barriers.
• Reach out to social workers, within or outside of the placement agency, who are involved with human rights advocacy. Conduct interviews to learn about their experiences and perspectives. Reflect and discuss in supervision.
• Attend a local community group (i.e. block club or community advisory board) aimed at promoting social, racial, economic and/or environmental justice. Assess impact on community members and develop strategies to raise awareness of these issues. Share your experiences and data in supervision.
• Identify a social justice issue and develop an advocacy plan, engage stakeholders and work toward even small positive change.
• Research environmental justice issues in your community. Explore disparities related to such things as pollution, access to healthcare or impacts of climate change. In supervision, discuss ways to address the issue within the agency.
• Discuss a current event that impacts how a specific service is delivered within the agency. Identify ways to advocate for the service or impacted population.

Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice

• Reflect on their own lived experiences and identify biases and cultural norms that may impact client services, demonstrating self-awareness and cultural humility. Continually discuss with field educator in supervision.
• Review the site’s policies and procedures to identify consistency with the principles of equity and inclusion, and identify any areas that need improvement. Propose amended policies to demonstrate anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Create a presentation or training demonstrating evidence-based practices relevant to the field setting. Submit the presentation to the field educator for review and/or present the materials for agency staff.

Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice

• Interview a researcher in a field related to the field setting and prepare a report that highlights ways in which current research can be integrated into field setting. Student and field educator will review the report and discuss in supervision.
• Utilize assessment tools with clients at field site, and/or research similar assessment tools to demonstrate effective client assessment. Discuss the pros and cons of the tools with field educator.
• Conduct an organizational analysis to demonstrate how the field site measures client outcomes and conducts quality improvement. Write a reflection about how the field site measures and adapts to continually improve client outcomes. 
• Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice
• Research and demonstrate knowledge of at least one local, state, and/or federal policy that impacts services to clients. Produce a report or summary and share with field educator.
• Identify at least one outside organization that the field site regularly works with (via contracts, client referrals, etc.) and describe their policies and procedures regarding client services. Discuss in supervision.
• Review the agency handbook and demonstrate an understanding of policies related to administration, and treatment provision.
• Describe how client services are influenced by macro-level policies that impact the organization. Create a brief case study that illustrates this influence and share with field educator.
• Attend an agency meeting/committee that discusses organizational policies and make at least one recommendation for policy improvement during supervision.
• Review at least one agency policy and apply a trauma-informed human rights perspective to make suggestions for improvement.
• Create materials to propose the implementation of policies that will advance at least one pillar of trauma-informed care.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations and Communities

• Participate in interviews with at least three clients and demonstrate skills of active listening, empathy and genuineness. Receive feedback from field educator.
• Participate in group meetings (staff or clients) and demonstrate skills of active listening, collaboration, power-sharing and receiving feedback. Receive feedback from field educator.
• Interface with staff at outside organizations to facilitate partnerships, and/or sharing of resources and information. Write a brief reflection about the experience and share it with field educator.
• Demonstrate cultural humility while interacting with people of all demographics (age, sex, race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, religion, etc.). Discuss in supervision.
• Develop materials for at least one initiative aimed at community outreach to address a problem that the agency provides services for.
• Demonstrate the ability to independently build rapport with at least three clients. Discuss in supervision and reflect on what worked and what didn’t.
• Demonstrate independence with the engagement skills of active listening, empathy, genuineness, establishing boundaries, and agreeing on a contract for work. Receive feedback on engagement skills from field educator.
• Demonstrate the ability to independently interact with other staff members, both verbally and in writing, in a professional manner. This includes the ability to collaborate, give and receive suggestions, and problem-solve.
• Participate in outreach to other organizations and/or community members to provide services and further the mission of the agency. Discuss the outreach strategies in supervision.

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations and Communities

• Obtain client’s consent and audio-record a bio-psycho-social assessment with a client, demonstrating the ability to engage client, establish rapport, and ask appropriate follow-up questions to obtain necessary information. Student will bring recording to supervision to process with Field Educator.
• Complete five assessments using [insert tool used by Field agency], demonstrating engagement, rapport-building and respect for client self-determination. Student and field educator will discuss in supervision; field educator will provide feedback.
• Apply trauma-informed human rights perspective and complete a community needs assessment, demonstrating ability to apply macro conceptual frameworks and knowledge of TI-HR perspectives. Student will submit needs assessment to field educator; field educator will provide feedback.
• Observe two social workers conducting an intake assessment and take notes demonstrating ability to identify generalist skills (active listening, empathy, reflecting feelings, summarizing). Student and field educator will discuss observations (including similarities and differences) in supervision.
• Complete family genogram and ecomap after observing (or conducting) biopsychosocial assessment. Family genogram and ecomap will be reviewed in supervision.
• Review existing community needs assessment report, applying a trauma-informed human rights perspective. Discuss needs, opportunities, strengths, additional questions in supervision.

Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations and Communities

• Develop and implement a culturally-inclusive "awareness" project for domestic violence awareness month.
• Co-facilitate weekly group sessions with [insert population of focus]. Discuss in supervision.
• Make referrals for assigned caseload of clients based on assessment of need, client readiness and knowledge of available and effective services in the community.
• Observe weekly group session with [insert population of focus]. Process observations in supervision.
• Provide ongoing case management for two clients per semester.
• Develop case presentation based on assigned caseload and present to field educator during supervision. Identify potential evidence-based interventions.

Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations and Communities

• Identify potential tools to collect data on the effectiveness of [insert intervention strategies used at agency]. Review results with the field educator during supervision.
• Develop survey to evaluate the impact of [insert agency program]. Collect feedback from field educator and other agency staff on survey prior to implementation.
• Conduct focus group with community members to better understand their perspective on [insert community program].
• Collect and review documents on previous program evaluation efforts in the agency. Discuss the purpose of the evaluation, methods used, results and how results were utilized.
• Identify client progress towards identified goals monthly. Discuss findings in supervision and make adjustments as necessary.
• Contact clients monthly to monitor/discuss unmet needs. Consider ways to adjust the intervention to address those identified needs. Discuss in supervision. 

Email us at [email protected]

Sample Learning Contract Projects for In-person or Remote Field Learning

These assignments can be useful adjuncts to in-person fieldwork as well as for when a disruption or stoppage in fieldwork occurs related to a public health issue or other event. They should be incorporated into student learning contracts and connected to relevant competencies.  

Examples include the following:

• Development of agency trainings on topics of self-care, ethics, etc.
• Development of curricula for groups or workshops on things like life skills, grief, trauma, intimate partner violence, etc.
• Development of written materials, such as handouts, flyers or brochures, for service recipients or wider community on topics such as voting rights, informed consent, etc.
• Agency-specific policy review with written recommendations on topics such as safety, use of social mediate, utilization of technology, etc. 
• Legislative policy review paper on laws and policies impacting the population students work with (ex- Indian Child Welfare Act, Emergency Mental Health Holds, Homeless Camping Ban, etc.) and provide a synopsis of key takeaways or prepare advocacy materials (letter to editor, develop key talking points, etc.)  
• Literature review on field-specific topics, i.e. effectiveness of an intervention, how interruption of services impacts mental health or economic stability, etc.
• Grant work, including researching potential funding opportunities and/or preparing specific sections of a proposal. 
• Community networking and Resource development, i.e. teleconferencing with various service providers, participating in resource mapping, and develop a list of resources for clients with services offered, referral process, etc. 
• Completing on-line trainings and providing a certification of completion and/or a written reflection paper.
• Engaging in volunteer work related to population served, or in response to community crisis and providing a written reflection paper. 

Assignments

Creating a virtual social work office: an innovative way to engage clients (5-10 hours).

Social workers are finding new and creative ways to engage clients in the pandemic. One way is through creating a virtual office. Clients can "visit," see helpful resources and activities, and schedule appointments. In this activity, students will enhance their technology skills and create a product that will help them engage with clients at their field agency. To participate, you can:

• View this presentation
• View Bitmoji Classroom Tutorial [19:12 min YouTube video]
• Create a virtual office using the instructions in the presentation
• Send out links and instructions for the virtual office to stakeholders at your field site

Watch Creating a Virtual Social Work Office: An Innovative Way to Engage Clients [10:02 min]

To cite: Shanahan, M. & Lynch, M. (2020). Creating a Virtual Social Work Office: An Innovative Way to Engage Clients. Retrieved from  http://socialwork.buffalo.edu/field-educators-liaisons/field-educator-resources/orientation-and-training-new/learning-contracts-and-performance-evaluations/learning-contract-evaluation-activity-search.html .

Self-Care Assignment (4-5 Hours)

Self-care is an important component of social work practice (and life in general), especially in times of stress. While many of you will have already seen some of these resources, and certainly given thought to your personal self-care, it is important to regularly re-visit our self-care plans and activities. We are in a time of unprecedented uncertainty and we want to encourage and ensure that students are taking care of themselves in positive and healthy ways. For this assignment, we want to students to spend around five hours engaging in the study of self-care, and developing a personal plan for yourself.

Review the following:

• Self-Care for Social Workers During the Coronavirus Pandemic (NASW Podcast)
• Six Domains of Self-Care: Attending to the Whole Person (Butler, et al. 2019)
• Kristin Neff: The Three Components of Self-Compassion (Youtube video)
• UBSSW Self-Care Starter Kit
• Kristin Neff: The Three Componentsof Self-Compassion (Youtube video)

Field Podcast Assignment (35-40 Hours)

This assignment can be done individually or with a partner. The purpose of this assignment is to help students learn about assessment, evaluation, and/or intervention skills while also learning about technology tools and resources that will help them be informed about social work practice. In this assignment you will also demonstrate your ability to present yourself in a professional manner, self-awareness, and ability to engage in critical peer consultation.

An audio podcast is a digital audio file made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, or other device. The content of a podcast can inspire, inform, or entertain an audience. An audio format can be used as a way to capture people’s attention and direct their concern to the topic you cover in ways that you cannot do in writing. You will save your audio file in an mp3 or mp4 format, which is the default for most recording devices.

Before you record, edit, and upload your podcast, you will:

• Listen to a podcast and rate it using the attached rubric
• Review attached material about storytelling best practices and audio technology
• Review YouTube videos related to creating podcasts
• Listen to a podcast that is similar to the type of podcast you will create
• Choose a topic, audience, and interview or discussion guide for your podcast. Draft your narrative: what’s the story you want to tell? What do you imagine will flow from this story? What will listeners want to know about your topic? How will you elicit or develop this information?

For your podcast - your podcast should focus on a topic that is relevant to your field agency, the podcast can then be shared with your field site to use as a resource. For example, if you are placed in a school, any topic about education and/or children and youth would be relevant. You could also highlight how your agency is adapting to the changes and stresses associated with the Corona Virus pandemic.

The podcast assignment has three parts:

1. Create a podcast between 15-20 minutes in length, including intro. 

• The intro should be 1-4 minutes and identify you (name and your role as a social work student), and any other people, include the date of the recording, and explain what is talked about during the podcast. It should also mention any distractions (that can’t be edited out) that happen during the podcast. You might also discuss background or relevance of the topic to social work, and what audience might benefit from listening. For best results, this should be created after the podcast is recorded.
• If you are conducting an interview, questions should help weave a story. If you are not interviewing, your narrative should still help weave a story. See story arc presentation handout.
• The podcast should end with a thank you (if interview) or other clear ending (where to find more information on the topic, etc.)
• The interview should be edited to cut distractions where possible, pauses, and add a very short (a few sec) intro/exit music or other appropriate sounds that enhance the recording.
• If you have external references, mention the website/article/etc as “show notes” which will be posted alongside your podcast if shared widely.

2. Have a peer review your podcast using the attached rubric. After the review, you may choose to re-record or edit any part of the podcast to address changes. Complete the reflection portion of your assignment. Your reflection should answer these questions: (a) what did it take to create your podcast; (b) what did you learn from creating the podcast, about technology and your topic; (c) how is podcasting similar and different to writing a paper on the topic; (d) how will you use podcasts in the future; (e) if you worked with a partner, describe how you divided the work and who did what.

3. Complete a short survey about this assignment. This survey is worth one hour of field time. You will upload the last page of the survey (confirmation of submission) to receive the extra credit. Your answers to the survey will not impact your grade, but will be used to improve the assignment in the future, and the information will also be anonymized and used for research if you give consent. The survey will ask you about your learning and strengths/weaknesses of this assignment.

Complete a reflection paper that covers: (a) what did it take to create your podcast; (b) what did you learn from creating the podcast, about technology and your topic; (c) how is podcasting similar and different to writing a paper on the topic; (d) how will you use podcasts in the future; (e) if you worked with a partner, describe how you divided the work and who did what.

Consider sharing your podcast with the Field Team at [email protected] and/or via social media. For example, your podcast can be published with accompanying text via Wordpress or other blogging site, and a link to your post can be shared on Twitter or other platform using the hashtag #UBSSW. 

• Digital Storytelling: Tools, Techniques, and Traditions (Sage et al., 2020)
• Three files posted below, Podcasting for Social Work, Consent Form, and Rubric and Checklist

Cultural Humility Assignment (9-15 Hours)

The online version of this module, Conversations About Culture: Video and Lesson Plan, can be found on this website .

The content is designed to facilitate skills for effective cross cultural communication and collaboration. The very important concept of cultural humility is a central focus. Cultural humility entails acknowledging difference, and positioning ourselves as people interested in learning and understanding. Cultural humility is particularly relevant to a trauma-informed, human-rights-based approach to social work practice; it underscores the dignity and value of the individual and empowers the client as expert in their experience.

Because the process of self-reflection is so important for the development of cultural humility, sample reflection exercises are provided. Learning objectives include the following:

• Define the concept of cultural humility;
• Discuss the difference between cultural competence and cultural humility;
• Highlight the role cultural humility plays in social work practice;
• Explore the dynamics of difference;
• Reflect on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes which are associated with becoming culturally self-aware and valuing diversity;
• Increase awareness of unconscious cultural stereotypes, and the impact of these on service recipients.
• Introduction Video - This video defines the concept of cultural humility and highlights related components. Cultural humility is defined as an ongoing process of self- reflection and self-critique. It entails working collaboratively with clients, and embracing difference. Students, faculty and practitioners reflect on the role of cultural humility in their work and share their insights.
• Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practice s Video
• Standards and Indicators for Cultural Competence (NASW)
• Retrieve from UB Libraries: Fisher-Borne, Jessie Montana Cain & Suzanne L. Martin (2015). From Mastery to Accountability: Cultural Humility as an Alternative to Cultural Competence, Social Work Education, 34:2, 165-181, DOI: 10.1080/02615479.2014.977244
• Optional Additional Readings and Videos

Technology in a Pandemic Assignment (4-5 Hours)

The use of technology, both personally and professionally has profound impacts on our lives and our work. Recently, CSWE and NASW have put out standards for the ethical use of technology and making tech proficiency a critical component of social work education. This assignment allows students to explore various uses of technology and their implications for practice and self-care.

• Listen to the following podcast: New York Times: Alone Together podcast (7 minutes)
• Review at least 4 blog posts on Laurel Hitchcock’s Social Work Technology Blog
• Read: The Tech That Could Be Our Best Hope for Fighting Covid-19—and Future Outbreaks
• Watch: How Technology is Being Utilized to Mitigate the Covid-19 Virus
• What ways are you using technology for self care and to stay connected to peers?
• How have you been using technology in your field placement? Do you have any new or innovative ideas of ways that technology can be implemented in your field placement?
• How can technology be used in social work to improve practice?
• Do new technology (social media) pose any unique risks or threats in an environment that the Covid-19 pandemic?

Training or Volunteer Participation Reflection Assignment

This sample reflection paper assignment can be used in conjunction with training, volunteer or other activities assigned by the Field Educator. 

Write a Reflection Paper (at least 3-5 pages) on the training you attended, responding to the prompts below, and addressing where possible connections to competencies 1-9. 

Submission instructions: Students can submit their reflections, noting number of completed training hours plus time spent completing this reflection, directly to their Field Educator. 

(1-2 Pages) Respond to the following prompts

• What I learned
• What I would do differently
• My thoughts going forward

(1-2 Pages) Next, consider any connections to the nine Social Work competencies.

• Competency 2: Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
• Competency 3: Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
• Competency 4: Engage In Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
• Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 8: Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 9: Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

SOWK 135 Social Work Professional Exploration

• Course Description

Social Work Professional Exploration is the study of social work practice and settings of practice. Topics in the course are centered on social work practice in places such as child welfare, schools, domestic violence shelters, hospice, hospitals, mental health clinics, assisted living facilities, and early intervention programs. Interviewing a social worker, touring a social service agency, and developing a community resource database are key components of this course.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the  Academic Course Catalog .

Course Guide

View this course’s outcomes, policies, schedule, and more.*

*The information contained in our Course Guides is provided as a sample. Specific course curriculum and requirements for each course are provided by individual instructors each semester. Students should not use Course Guides to find and complete assignments, class prerequisites, or order books.

Social workers practice in a variety of settings. This course exposes the student to different types of social work practice settings and prepares the student with foundational knowledge about the role of social workers. It includes an interview of a social worker who has a degree in social work or who is licensed in social work as well as outreach to various community organizations. This course will also introduce the student to some of the research examining different social work practices. This course is designed primarily for social work students who will receive a pre-professional experience in social work.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations.

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and  Student Expectations , the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Resource Database Assignments (8)

Each module in the course, students will identify four agencies in their local community or surrounding area that serve the population of study for that module. Students will call each agency to gather essential data and document their collateral contacts in the form of a progress note. Students will complete the required information in the Community Resource Database excel sheet and submit the updated database document weekly. By the end of the course, students will become knowledgable of thirty two agencies in their local community. 

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to submit a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 350–450 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150–250 words. Each thread and reply must follow current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F). Turn It In scores must not be over 30%.

Journal Article Review Assignment

The student will write one Journal Article Review.  For the review, identify 1 scholarly journal article that reflects research applicable to the practice setting covered in the assigned module’s Learn material and use this article as the basis of a 2-page review. The student must choose an article from the approved article list provided in the course.

The student will choose one scholarly article from the list provided below to write an article review in APA format following the template provided and a minimum of 2 content pages (does not include the title and reference pages). Journal articles are typically written with common sections that provide specific types of information. Use the template as a guide only to research needed content for your review. Read, comprehend, and write content by paraphrasing, using your own words, for the information provided in the article.

There is a template provided for the paper.  Each article review must follow current APA format and include a title page and a reference page. The title page and reference page do not count towards the length requirement. (CLO: A, D)

Quizzes (7)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain multiple-choice and true/false questions, and have a 15-minute time limit. (CLO: A, C, D, F)

Social Work Experience Assignments (5)

Students are expected to identify a degreed Social Worker and complete one in-depth, in-person interview addressing the questions provided as well as demonstrating appropriate follow-up lines of questioning. Students should also complete a tour of the agency the Social Worker is affiliated with, noting important information about the agency and services provided. 

If a student is unable to complete an in-person interview and tour, the student may request permission from their instructor to complete two in-depth phone interviews with additional written course requirements. An in-person interview is the preferred method of completion for this assignment. 

Components of this assignment are as follows:

Agency Selection Assignment : Studetns will dentify a degreed social worker who is willing to be interviewed in person and provide a tour of their social service agency. Fill out the Agency Selection Form and submit for a grade.

Interview and Tour Assignment:  Students are expected to identify a degreed Social Worker and complete one in-depth, in-person interview addressing the questions provided as well as demonstrating appropriate follow-up lines of questioning. Students should also complete a tour of the agency the Social Worker is affiliated with, noting important information about the agency and services provided. Students should submit a 3–4-page interview information paper in APA format using the questions provided in the assignment instructions .

If a student is unable to complete an in-person interview and tour, the student may request permission from their instructor to complete two in-depth phone interviews with additional written course requirements. An in-person interview is the preferred method of completion for this assignment

Social Work Exploration Reflection Assignment : Students will complete the written Powerpoint presentation based upon the instructions provided, answering the questions provided, including the appropriate references and citations in APA format. This will be at least a 6 slide presentation in APA format.

Appreciation Assignment : This last assignment is an expression of appreciation of the social worker’s time given on your behalf.  The student will handwrite or email a thank you note to the social worker they interviewed. A copy of the handwritten or emailed thank you note should be submitted for a grade.  

Evaluation Assignment: At the time of the interview, please ask the Social Worker to complete a confirmation and evaluation form. In addition, students will complete a self-evaluation form regarding their interview experience.

Have questions about this course or a program?

Speak to one of our admissions specialists.

Inner Navigation

• Assignments

Have questions?

Are you ready to change your future?

Apply FREE This Week*

Request Information

*Some restrictions may occur for this promotion to apply. This promotion also excludes active faculty and staff, military, non-degree-seeking, DGIA, Continuing Education, WSB, and certificate students.

Request Information About a Program

Request info about liberty university online, choose a program level.

Choose a program level

Bachelor’s

Master’s

Certificate

Select a Field of Study

Select a field of study

Select a Program

Select a program

Next: Contact Info

Legal first name.

Enter legal first name

Legal Last Name

Enter legal last name

Enter an email address

Enter a phone number

Full Address

Enter an address

Apt., P.O. Box, or can’t find your address? Enter it manually instead .

Select a Country

Street Address

Enter Street Address

Enter State

ZIP/Postal Code

Enter Zip Code

Back to automated address search

Start my application now for FREE

Career Areas

As part of The Walt Disney Company, you will contribute to the stories and experiences that touch the lives of people around the globe.

JOB CATEGORIES

• Business Support & Operations
• Business Development
• Human Resources
• Consumer Products
• Creative & Content Development
• Data & Analytics
• Guest Service & Operations
• Maritime & Cruise Operations
• Marketing & Communications
• Sales & Distribution
• Operations Support
• Production & Entertainment
• Life At Disney

Candidate Resources

Explore resources that can help guide and inform you on your candidate journey.

Students & Recent Graduates

Explore how you can be part of the Disney story, as a student or recent graduate.

KGO-TV (ABC7) Assignment Desk News Intern, Spring 2025

Links open in new tabs.

ENJOY THE MAGIC

Because our employees and cast members are at the heart of everything we do, Disney offers a competitive total rewards package that includes pay, health and savings benefits, time-off programs, educational opportunities and more.

*Benefits and eligibility may vary by business and location

"I didn't think it was possible that something I did for fun - telling sports stories through stats - could become my job until I came here."

Ana, Sr. Researcher, ESPN

Job Summary:

About the Role & Program

KGO-TV (ABC7) is an ABC-owned television station (OTV), located in San Francisco near the city’s iconic waterfront. The station is in the #8 ranked television market in the country! You will have an opportunity to participate in developmental programming and contribute to daily operations of a major market television station.

The internship program is designed to provide you with an educational experience that complements your academic studies. The Assignment Desk is the hub of the newsroom and offers an exciting look at how our team produces and builds a newscast every day!

The approximate dates of this internship are January 2025 to early June 2025.

What You Will Do

Attend production meetings, answer phones, and help cover the news

View and log tapes and transcribe interviews

Research new topics (including online/social media news research) and assist in the planning of news stories

Observe editors, writers, producers, directors, and technical crews

Required Qualifications & Skills

Previous experience (academic or internship) in journalism (print and/or broadcast); television, news and news media production; and/or television news script writing

Experience using Microsoft Office

High attention to detail and experience multitasking in a fast-paced environment

Preferred Qualifications  

Major or previous coursework in Broadcast Journalism, Communications, producing, writing, editing, or related major

Experience using social media for news gathering

Familiarity with newsroom software

Be enrolled in an accredited college/university taking at least one class in the semester/quarter (spring/fall) prior to participation in the internship program OR must have graduated from a college/university within 6 months at time of application posting OR currently participating in a Disney College Program or Disney Internship

Undergraduate students in their Junior or Senior year or recently graduated within the past 6 months preferred

Eligibility Requirements & Program Information

Candidates for this opportunity MUST meet all of the below requirements:

Be at least 18 years of age

Have not completed one year of continual employment on a Disney internship or program

Possess unrestricted work authorization

Additional Information

Able to have a consistent, reliable work schedule throughout the internship

The approximate dates of this internship are January 2025 to early June 2025

Fully available to work 20 hours per week during a Monday through Sunday schedule (hours and days to be determined by your supervisor and could include nights and/or weekends)

Able to provide own housing for the duration of the internship program​ in the San Francisco, California area

Able to provide/have reliable transportation to/from work​

About Disney Entertainment Television:

Disney Entertainment Television is a collection of renowned content brands at The Walt Disney Company creating original entertainment and news programming for the company’s streaming platforms Disney+, Hulu and Star, and its broadcast and cable networks. Its extensive portfolio is comprised of ABC Entertainment, ABC News, ABC Owned Television Stations, Disney Branded Television, Freeform, FX, Hulu Originals, National Geographic Content and Onyx Collective, in addition to Disney Television Studios, which include 20th Television, 20th Television Animation, ABC Signature and Walt Disney Television Alternative. Responsible for over 4,500 hours of programming a year across more than 300 programs of all genres, Disney Entertainment Television’s creative brands are at the forefront of groundbreaking storytelling, captivating audiences and generating critical acclaim. In 2023, Disney Entertainment Television’s programming excellence earned 163 Emmy® nominations across daytime, primetime, news & documentary, and children’s & family categories.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with KGO Television, Inc, which is part of a business we call Disney Entertainment Television.

KGO Television, Inc is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION FOR EMPLOYMENT APPLICATIONS

The Walt Disney Company and its Affiliated Companies are Equal Employment Opportunity employers and welcome all job seekers including individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or apply for a position, email [email protected] with your request. This email address is not for general employment inquiries or correspondence. We will only respond to those requests that are related to the accessibility of the online application system due to a disability.

Having technical issues? View the FAQs for help.

Hiring Process

Where does your story begin.

Explore Disney Careers and the Life at Disney blog to learn about all the amazing opportunities waiting to be discovered at The Walt Disney Company.

Be Part of the Story

There are many different brands and businesses to explore. Once you've found the opportunity that is right for you, take the next step by completing your application.

The Next Chapter

Once you've applied, you will receive an email allowing you to access your candidate dashboard. Create your login and make sure to check your dashboard often to see your application progress.

Explore this Location San Francisco, CA

Famous for grand-dame Victorians, cable cars, a dynamic waterfront, and a soaring golden bridge, San Francisco truly has it all. With trend-defining cuisine ranging from Michelin-starred dining to outrageous food trucks; world-renowned symphony, ballet, theater, and opera; plus almost boundless outdoor adventures, San Francisco justifiably stands out as one of the ultimate must-visit cities on any traveler’s wish list.

Related Jobs

No jobs were found.

OUR CULTURE

Related content.

Executive Leadership

Our senior executives bring tremendous experience, visionary thinking and a shared commitment to excellence, creativity and innovation to the day to day operation of the company.

Social Responsibility

Explore our commitments and our work to create a better world through our stories, experiences, operations, and philanthropy.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Disney, we are committed to creating a better world. A world of belonging where each person feels seen, heard, and understood. A world filled with hope and promise.

Heroes Work Here

Heroes Work Here reflects the long history of respect and appreciation Disney has for the U.S. Armed Services. We recognize the commitment and dedication it takes to serve your country, both as military personnel and military spouses, and value the leadership skills and sense of purpose it has instilled in you.

Sign Up for Job Alerts

Get the latest job opportunities as they become available.

Watch Our Jobs

An asterisk indicates a required field.

Job Category Select a Job Category Administration Animation and Visual Effects Architecture and Design Asset Management Banking Building, Construction and Facilities Business Strategy and Development Call Center Communications Creative Culinary Data Science and Analytics Engineering Finance and Accounting Food and Beverage Gaming and Interactive Graphic Design Health Services Horticulture and Landscaping Hotel and Resorts Human Resources Legal and Business Affairs Licensing Maritime and Cruise Operations Marketing and Digital Media Merchandising Operations Production Project Management Publishing Quality Assurance Research and Development Retail Operations Sales Sciences and Animal Programs Security Social Responsibility Sports and Recreation Stage Productions Supply Chain Management Talent Technology Theme Park Operations

Location Select Location Amsterdam, North Holland Anaheim, California Atlanta, Georgia Bay Lake, Florida Branson, Missouri Bristol, Connecticut Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires F.D. Burbank, California Canutillo, Texas Celebration, Florida Charlotte, North Carolina Chessy, Île-de-France Region Chiba, Chiba Chicago, Illinois City of Taguig, Metro Manila Commerce, California Coral Gables, Florida Coupvray, Île-de-France Region Cypress, Texas Destin, Florida Dublin, Leinster Elizabeth, New Jersey Emeryville, California Fresno, California Glendale, California Greater Manchester, England Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh Istanbul, Istanbul Jakarta, Jakarta Special Capital Region Kapolei, Hawaii Kissimmee, Florida Lake Buena Vista, Florida Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lantau Island, Islands District Las Vegas, Nevada Lisbon, Lisbon District Livermore, California London, England Los Angeles, California Madrid, Madrid Makati City, Metro Manila Marne-la-Vallée, Île-de-France Region Melbourne, Victoria Mexico City, Mexico City Milan, Lombardy Minato-ku, Tokyo Montévrain, Île-de-France Region Moore Park, New South Wales Morrisville, North Carolina Mumbai, Maharashtra Munich, Bavaria Myrtle Beach, South Carolina New Taipei City, Taipei New York, New York Orlando, Florida Papenburg, Lower Saxony Paris, Île-de-France Region Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Raleigh, North Carolina Richmond, Victoria San Antonio, Texas San Francisco, California San Marcos, Texas Santa Monica, California São Paulo, São Paulo Seattle, Washington Secaucus, New Jersey Seoul, Seoul Serris, Île-de-France Region Sevierville, Tennessee Singapore, Southington, Connecticut Sydney, New South Wales Taipei City, Taiwan Tampa, Florida The Woodlands, Texas Tlalpan, Mexico City Toronto, Ontario Town of Southington, Connecticut Tulalip, Washington Vancouver, British Columbia Vienna, Vienna Washington, DC Winter Garden, Florida Wismar, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Woodburn, Oregon Zurich, Canton of Zurich

Job Level Select Professional Operations / Production Internships / Programs Management Executive Business Support / Administrative Talent

Email Address

Country/Region of Residence Select Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia, Plurinational State of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Great Britain Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Barthelemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan Da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French Part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten (Dutch Part) Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Tahiti Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Vietnam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe

By clicking "Submit", you agree to our Terms of Use (opens in new window) and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy (opens in new window) .

By clicking "Submit", you agree to our Terms of Use (opens in new window) and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy (opens in new window) . If I have elected to receive marketing messages or newsletters, I may withdraw my consent for these marketing messages at any time.

By clicking "Submit", you agree to our Terms of Use (opens in new window) and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy (opens in new window) , Cookies Policy (opens in new window) and EU Privacy Rights (opens in new window) .

How we use your personal information and your rights:

• Your personal information is controlled by The Walt Disney Company Limited of 3 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9PE, United Kingdom.
• When you visit or shop with Disney or use any Disney product, service or mobile application, other members of The Walt Disney Company Family of Companies may also use your information to provide you these services, personalise your experience and send you service related updates and communications.
• You have a number of rights including the right to request access to, change, or remove your personal information, or to change your marketing preferences (including withdrawing your consent at any time.) Please see our Privacy Policy (opens in new window) to learn more about managing your marketing preferences or deleting your account.
• Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by emailing: [email protected] .
• You have a right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office: https://ico.org.uk/ (opens in new window) .
• For more information about Disney's data collection and use practices please read Disney's Privacy Policy (opens in new window) .

By clicking "Submit", you agree to our Terms of Use (opens in new window) and acknowledge that you have read our Privacy Policy (opens in new window) and Collection Statement (opens in new window) .

For more information about our general data collection, use, and practices, including how to manage your preferences, please read our Privacy Policy (opens in new window) . I have read and agree to the Terms of Use (opens in new window) .

I have read and agree to the Terms of Use (opens in new window) .

I have read and understood the Privacy Policy (opens in new window) and understand the nature of my consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of my personal data and the consequences of such consent.

I agree that The Walt Disney Company (Southeast Asia) Pte. Limited may share personal information which it collects within The Walt Disney Family of Companies and their respective successors, assignees, and transferees.

I have read and understood the Privacy Policy (opens in new window) and Supplemental Privacy Policy for Singapore (opens in new window) , and understand the nature of my consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of my personal data and the consequences of such consent.

I have read and understood the Privacy Policy (opens in new window) and Supplemental Privacy Policy for Malaysia (opens in new window) , and understand the nature of my consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of my personal data and the consequences of such consent.

I have read and understood the Privacy Policy (opens in new window) and Supplemental Privacy Policy for Philippines (opens in new window) , and understand the nature of my consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of my personal data and the consequences of such consent.

I have read and understood the Privacy Policy (opens in new window) and Supplemental Privacy Policy for Thailand (opens in new window) , and understand the nature of my consent to the collection, use and/or disclosure of my personal data and the consequences of such consent.

Confirm Email

Work getting underway on Queensland’s biggest ever social and affordable housing project

Work is planned to start next week on Queensland’s biggest ever social and affordable housing project, jointly funded by the Albanese and Miles Labor Governments.

The big housing build will deliver 490 homes in Woree and will be the biggest social and affordable housing project to be built in Queensland.

It’s aimed at older Queenslanders who are looking to downsize from their current home, and will in turn free up larger homes for families.

The complex will include 245 social, 223 affordable and 22 specialist disability apartments.

The purpose-built, architecturally-designed precinct features modern, low maintenance and energy efficient one and two-bedroom homes for people over 55 and those with disability, and is set among landscaped gardens and picnic grounds.

The Woree site has direct access to transport routes, the Bruce Highway, the local shopping centre and the Woree Aquatic Centre.

The project is being funded through the Miles Government’s Housing Investment Fund, as well as lending from Housing Australia, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) and ANZ as well as a capital grant from the National Housing Infrastructure Facility.

Community Housing Limited (CHL) and Tetris Capital are joining forces to deliver and manage the homes with construction undertaken by FCC Construction Australia and Modscape.

Adopting innovative construction methodologies to help solve the housing crisis, FCC Construction Australia will be joined by local modular housing supplier, Modscape, to help deliver the impressive package of works, with most of the materials and labour planned to be Australian sourced.

Once complete and tenanted, CHL will provide onsite staff and work with support partners to deliver lifestyle programs aimed at reducing social isolation and encouraging active lifestyles.

Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2026, weather and construction conditions permitting.

Quotes attributable to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese

“Housing changes lives, and my Government is determined to work with the Queensland Government to deliver more homes all across the state.

“In spite of the No-alition of the Liberals, Nationals, Greens and One Nation we are determined to increase housing supply.

“This project will deliver hundreds of homes in regional Queensland, while complementing our plan to deliver thousands of homes through our Housing Australia Future Fund all around Australia.”

Quotes attributable to Premier of Queensland Steven Miles

“Every Queenslander deserves a safe place to call home. “One of the most important things a government can do is build homes for the most vulnerable – something I’m proud to be doing every day.

“In Woree, this 490-home precinct is the biggest housing build in our state. That’s our Homes for Queenslanders plan in action.  

“I have a plan to build more homes, faster while supporting first home buyers, renters and the most vulnerable, and I will do what matters every day to relieve the housing pressures we face while also planning for the future.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Northern Australia Madeleine King

“Every Australian needs a roof over their head and a place to call home.

“I’m very proud to be part of a Government that is taking practical steps to build more homes for more Australians.

“This project is a great example of how the Northern Australia Investment Facility is supporting social infrastructure and making lives better for people living in the North.”

Quotes attributable to Housing Minister Clare O’Neil

“This is about reducing housing stress for Queenslanders and Australians everywhere, because the more homes like these that we build, the more affordable housing becomes.

“This is a fantastically innovative project that shows the Commonwealth is back in the game of partnering with States, Territories and the housing sector to build housing at scale, and to make housing more affordable."

Quotes attributable to Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon

“To build more homes faster, we’re partnering with community housing providers and rolling out hundreds more modular homes. This project in Cairns does both.

“Our Homes for Queenslanders plan is delivering - whether it’s building or buying more social homes, working with community housing, helping first homeowners, supporting renters and those sleeping rough.”

Quotes attributable to State Member for Cairns Michael Healy

“It’s the Miles Government that has been doing what matters for the Far North – with $1,000 off power bills, 20 per cent off car rego and building more homes locally.

“I’ve fought hard for more homes to be built – because it’s what matters to our community - and I’m excited to see what is the largest social and affordable housing project in the state get underway in Cairns.”

Tell us whether you accept cookies

We would like to use cookies to collect information about how you use ons.gov.uk .

We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve our services.

You’ve accepted all cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Hide

• Release calendar
• Methodology

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: August 2024

Social insights on daily life and events, including important issues, cost of living, and artificial intelligence from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).

This is the latest release. View previous releases

Contact: Email Public Policy and Social Insights team

Release date: 20 September 2024

Next release: 18 October 2024

Table of contents

• Main points
• Important issues facing the UK
• Cost of living
• Attitudes towards artificial intelligence
• Data on public opinions and social trends
• Data sources and quality
• Related links
• Cite this statistical bulletin

Print this Statistical bulletin

Download as PDF

1. Main points

The following information is from data collected from 7 August to 1 September 2024, based on adults in Great Britain.

When asked about the important issues facing the UK today, the most commonly reported issues were the cost of living (86%), the NHS (81%), the economy (66%), crime (65%), immigration (60%) and housing (58%).

Crime (65%) and immigration (60%) being reported as important issues facing the UK today has gradually increased since we first started asking this question in October 2022 (49% and 43%, respectively).

Around half (49%) of adults reported that their cost of living had increased in the past month, and around a half (49%) reported it had stayed the same.

We also examined people's attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI) using data over the period 10 April to 30 June 2024.

Around 1 in 6 (17%) adults said they often or always recognised using AI; this awareness was higher among adults aged 16 to 29 years (35%), decreasing with age to just 5% among those aged 70 years and over, and was also higher among men (22%) than women (12%), and among adults with a degree or equivalent (23%) than those with no degree (15%).

Just under 4 in 10 (37%) adults strongly agreed or agreed that AI would benefit them; adults in professional occupations (56%), Asian or Asian British adults (55%), adults aged 16 to 29 years (54%), those with a degree or equivalent qualification (53%), and men (44%) were more likely to report this.

Adults were more likely to report using AI in their home (37% of all adults) if they were parents of a dependent child (50%), qualified to degree level or equivalent (46%), or aged 30 to 49 years (45%).

The majority of adults (65%) reported they have not undertaken any learning on AI in the past 12 months; those most likely to report this were retired (84%), in administrative and secretarial occupations (75%), without a degree (72%), and women (70%).

Areas of AI that people would like to know more about included how AI is regulated (44%), how to judge the accuracy of information generated by AI (42%), how to recognise when they were using AI (42%), and AI ethics and responsible use (35%).

2. Important issues facing the UK

Estimates in this section of the release are based on data collected between 7 August and 1 September 2024 (the "latest period").

The cost of living (86%) and the NHS (81%) have remained the two most commonly reported important issues facing the UK today. Those reporting the cost of living as an important issue has gradually decreased since we first started asking this question in October 2022 (from 93% to 86% in the latest period).

The proportion of adults reporting the economy (66%) as an important issue has also gradually fallen (down from 79% in October 2022). The proportion of adults reporting crime (65%) and immigration (60%) as an important issue has increased since October 2022, when these proportions were 49% and 43%, respectively (Figure 1).

Figure 1: The cost of living, the NHS, and the economy have been the most commonly reported important issues facing the UK since October 2022

Proportion of adults reporting each important issue, great britain, october 2022 to september 2024.

• Question: "What do you think are important issues facing the UK today?"
• Base: All adults.
• Respondents could select more than one option, estimates and associated confidence intervals for all response categories are provided in the datasets associated with this release.
• The length of each data collection period presented in this time series may be different.

Download the data

Estimates of important issues by age group are available for all time periods collected in Table 26 of our  Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: personal well-being and loneliness dataset provided with this release.

3. Cost of living

Cost of living increases.

In the latest period, we continued to ask adults about their experiences of changes to their cost of living.

Around half (49%) of adults reported that their cost of living had stayed the same in the past month, and around half (49%) reported that their cost of living had increased (Figure 2).

The proportion of adults reporting increases to their cost of living has gradually declined from 80% in the period 12 to 23 October 2022, to 49% in the latest period. Those reporting that their cost of living has stayed the same has increased over the same period, to 49% reporting this in the latest period.

The small proportion of adults reporting that their cost of living has decreased has remained stable and was 3% in the latest period.

Figure 2: The number of adults reporting an increase in their cost of living has fallen since October 2022, while those reporting that their cost of living stayed the same increased over the same period

Proportion of adults reporting changes to their cost of living in the past month, great britain, september 2022 to september 2024.

Source: Opinions and Lifestyle Survey from the Office for National Statistics

• Question: "Has your cost of living changed compared to one month ago?" 
•  In the period 27 March to 7 April 2024 changes were made to the survey design to allow us to measure the short and long-term impacts of the cost of living. These may have impacted responses to this question.

Download this chart Figure 2: The number of adults reporting an increase in their cost of living has fallen since October 2022, while those reporting that their cost of living stayed the same increased over the same period

Estimates of the cost of living by age group are available for all time periods collected in Table 4, Table 5 and Table 13 of our Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: household finances dataset  provided with this release.

4. Attitudes towards artificial intelligence

Our monthly survey continued to ask adults about their opinions on artificial intelligence (AI). Data on AI for the latest period can be found in our Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: artificial intelligence (AI) dataset provided with this release.

In our analysis, we used a pooled dataset covering 10 April to 30 June 2024 to explore what different groups of the population understood about AI, including their opinions about AI use and learning.

Being able to recognise when using AI

Around 1 in 6 (17%) adults in Great Britain reported that they can often or always recognise when they are using AI. Around half (50%) of adults reported that they can recognise AI some of the time or occasionally, and 33% said they hardly ever or never recognised using AI.

Adults most likely to report they can often or always recognise AI were:

younger (35% of adults aged 16 to 29 years compared with 21% aged 30 to 49 years, 9% aged 50 to 69 years and 5% aged 70 years and over)

adults with a degree or equivalent (23%) compared with adults without a degree (15%)

men (22%) compared with women (12%)

Men in each age group were more likely than women to report that they often or always recognise using AI. This includes those aged 16 to 29 years (42% among men, 29% among women), 30 to 49 years (28% among men, 13% among women), 50 to 69 years (11% among men, 7% among women) and 70 years and over (6% among men, 3% among women).

Figure 3: The proportion of men and women who often or always recognised the use of AI decreased with age, with men more likely to report higher levels of recognition across all age groups

Proportion of adults by age and sex reporting that they can often or always recognise when they are using artificial intelligence (ai), great britain, 10 april to 30 june 2024.

Question: How often do you think you can recognise when you are using artificial intelligence (AI)?

Base: All adults

Download this chart Figure 3: The proportion of men and women who often or always recognised the use of AI decreased with age, with men more likely to report higher levels of recognition across all age groups

Benefits and risks of using ai.

When asked which statement best reflected their view about the benefits and risks of AI, around half (46%) of adults felt that the benefits and risks of AI were equal, with 27% feeling that there were more risks than benefits. Around 15% felt that there were more benefits than risks, and 12% reported that they "don't know".

Adults more likely to report that there were more benefits to risks included:

those with a degree or equivalent (24%) compared with those with no degree qualification (12%)

men (20%) compared with women (11%)

non-disabled people (18%) compared with disabled people (11%)

those aged 16 to 29 years (17%), 30 to 49 years (21%) or 50 to 69 years (12%), compared with those aged 70 years or over (8%)

Perspective of adults on the benefits of AI

When asked to what extent adults agreed or disagreed that AI will benefit them, 46% neither agreed nor disagreed, 37% strongly agreed or agreed and 17% strongly disagreed or disagreed.

Those more likely to report that they strongly agreed or agreed that AI would benefit them included:

adults working in professional occupations (56%) compared with those working in skilled trades (27%)

Asian or Asian British adults (55%) compared with White adults (35%)

adults aged 16 to 29 years (54%) or 30 to 49 years (44%) compared with those aged 50 to 69 years (28%) or 70 years and over (19%)

those with a degree or equivalent (53%) compared with those with no degree qualification (30%)

men (44%) compared with women (29%)

Figure 4: Adults aged 16 to 29 years, men, and adults with a degree or equivalent are among those more likely to agree that AI will benefit them

Proportion of adults reporting the extent to which they agree or disagree that artificial intelligence (ai) will benefit them, great britain, 10 april to 30 june 2024.

• Question: "To what extent do you agree or disagree that artificial intelligence (AI) will benefit you?”.
• Percentages may not sum to 100% because of rounding.
• Base: All adults, except for occupation where the base is all adults in employment.

Download this chart Figure 4: Adults aged 16 to 29 years, men, and adults with a degree or equivalent are among those more likely to agree that AI will benefit them

Areas in which people had knowingly used ai in their lives.

The most commonly reported areas in which adults had used AI in the past 12 months were in their home (37%), the way they travel (27%), their finances (26%), and in their work or education (25%). Please note that responses relate to informed use and replies assume a level of understanding of AI. 

Older adults aged 70 years and over were more likely to say that they had not knowingly used AI in the past 12 months (54%) compared with all adults (31%).

Younger adults aged 16 to 29 years were more likely to report using AI for their work or education (44%) compared with all adults (25%). Those aged 30 to 49 years were more likely to report using AI in their home (45%) compared with all adults (37%); for travel (31% compared with 27%); and for their finances (31% compared with 26%).

Adults who were managers, directors, or senior officials (42%) were more likely than all adults (26%) to have used AI for their finances.

Adults with a degree or equivalent, or those who were a parent of a dependent child, were more likely to have used AI in a range of settings including their home, travel, finances, or work or education (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Adults were more likely to use AI in their home if they were a parent of a dependent child

Proportion of adults reporting in what areas of their life they had used artificial intelligence (ai), great britain, 10 april to 30 june 2024.

• Question: "In the past 12 months, in which areas of your life, if any, have you used artificial intelligence (AI)?”
• Respondents were able to choose more than one option.

AI for work or education

Adults living in London were more likely to have used AI for work or education (34%) compared with 25% of all adults. Adults were also more likely to report this if they worked full-time (36%) compared with part-time (27%).

Those more likely to report that they have used AI for work or education were adults working in professional occupations (51%), managerial directors and senior official roles (46%), or associate professional occupations (37%) compared with adults working in caring, leisure and service occupations (20%) or skilled trades (15%).

Adults working in universities or other grant-funded education establishments (52%) were more likely than those working in local government or council (31%) or in health authorities (31%) to have used AI in work or education.

Figure 6: Full-time workers were more likely to have used AI for work or education than those who work part-time

Proportion of adults reporting they have used artificial intelligence (ai) in their work or education, great britain, 10 april to 30 june 2024.

• Question: In the past 12 months, in which areas of your life, if any, have you used artificial intelligence (AI)?.
• Base: All adults, except for occupations, sectors and working hours, which are all adults in employment.
• Not all occupations or sectors are shown.

Download this chart Figure 6: Full-time workers were more likely to have used AI for work or education than those who work part-time

Actions taken to learn about ai.

The majority of adults (65%) reported they have not undertaken any learning on AI in the past 12 months.

Those more likely to report this were:

retired adults (84%)

older adults (77% for adults aged 50 to 69 years and 84% for adults aged 70 years and over)

those working in administrative and secretarial occupations (75%)

adults without a degree or equivalent qualification (72%)

women (70%)

The most commonly reported actions taken to learn about AI were adults self-learning in their own time (22%) and adults learning from friends or family (16%).

For those self-learning in their own time (22%), this action was higher for unemployed adults (39%), adults working in professional occupations (37%), those aged 16 to 29 years (37%), adults with a degree or equivalent qualification (35%) and men (30%).

For those learning from friends or family (16%), this action was higher for younger adults aged 16 to 29 years (26%).

Women (18%) were more likely to report taking this action than men (14%). Those with a degree or equivalent qualification (20%) were more likely to report taking this action than those with no degree qualification (15%).

Areas of AI that people would like to know more about

When asked which areas of AI people would like to know more about, commonly reported areas were:

how AI is regulated (44%)

how to judge the accuracy of information generated by AI (42%)

how to recognise when they were using AI (42%)

AI ethics and responsible use (35%)

Those aged 16 to 29 years were more likely to want to know about how AI is regulated (51%) and about AI ethics and responsible use (42%) than adults aged 70 years and over (37% and 22%, respectively).

Adults aged 50 to 69 years (47%) and aged years 70 and over (45%) were more likely to want to learn how to recognise when they are using AI.

Adults aged 70 years and over were more likely (37%) than other age groups to report that they do not want to know more about AI (Figure 7).

Qualifications

Those with a degree or equivalent qualification were more likely than those with no degree or equivalent qualification to want to know more about:

how to judge the accuracy of information generated by AI (57% compared with 36%)

how AI is regulated (55% compared with 39%)

AI ethics and responsible use (51% compared with 28%)

what businesses and institutions use AI for (31% compared with 19%)

how to use AI to find information (24% compared with 20%)

how AI can help with household tasks (23% compared with 17%)

In contrast, those with no degree level qualification (14%) were more likely than those with a degree or equivalent qualification (10%) to report they would like to learn about what AI is.

Parents of a dependent child were more likely than adults without a dependent child to report that they wanted to know more about how AI can help with household tasks (26% compared with 17%) and how to use AI to create or share content (16% compared with 9%).

Figure 7: Adults aged under 50 years were more likely to want to know about how AI is regulated, AI ethics and responsible use than those aged 50 years and over

Proportion of adults reporting in what areas of artificial intelligence (ai) they would like to learn about, great britain, 10 april to 30 june 2024.

• Question: "Which of the following areas of artificial intelligence (AI), if any, would you like to know more about?”

5. Data on public opinions and social trends

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: household finances Dataset | Released 20 September 2024 Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) of people's experiences of changes in their cost of living and household finances in Great Britain.

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: personal well-being and loneliness Dataset | Released 20 September 2024 Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) of personal well-being, loneliness and what people in Great Britain felt were important issues.

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: artificial intelligence (AI) Dataset | Released 20 September 2024 Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) on the public's awareness, opinions and expectations about artificial intelligence (AI).

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: artificial intelligence (AI) by personal characteristics Dataset | Released 20 September 2024 Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) on the public's understanding of artificial intelligence (AI).

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: working arrangements Dataset | Released 20 September 2024 Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) related to the working arrangements of people in Great Britain. 

Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: social mobility Dataset | Released 20 September 2024 Indicators from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) relating to social mobility and life opportunities across different generations in Great Britain.

6. Glossary

Deprivation.

Deprivation is represented by the  Index of Multiple Deprivation  (IMD) and is the official measure of relative deprivation for small areas in England. The IMD ranks every small area in England from 1 (most deprived area) to 32,844 (least deprived area).

Deciles are calculated by ranking the 32,844 small areas in England from most deprived to least deprived, and dividing them into 10 equal groups. These range from the most deprived 10 percent of small areas nationally to the least deprived 10 percent of small areas nationally. To ensure robust sample sizes, we have further grouped deciles into quintiles.

Disability status

To define disability, we refer to the  Government Statistical Service (GSS) harmonised "core" definition of disability . This identifies "disabled" as a person who has a physical or mental health condition or illness that has lasted or is expected to last 12 months or more that reduces their ability to carry out day-to-day activities. Respondents are asked the GSS harmonised questions in the survey, meaning that disability status is self-reported.

Parental status

In the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN), an adult is defined as a parent if they are the parent of a dependent child living in the household. In this case, dependent children include children and stepchildren.

A dependent child is someone aged under 16 years, or someone who is aged 16 to 18 years, has never been married, and is in full-time education.

Other definitions

Definitions of all breakdowns of estimates used in this bulletin are available in more detail in the Notes tab of our  accompanying datasets .

Statistical significance

This bulletin presents the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) data as a summary of results. Further data, including confidence intervals for the estimates shown in the charts presented, are contained in our associated datasets. Where comparisons between groups are presented, 95% confidence intervals should be used to assess the statistical significance of the change. For more information on these terms, see our  Uncertainty and how we measure it for our surveys methodology .

7. Data sources and quality

The analysis in this bulletin is based on adults aged 16 years and over in Great Britain. This is based on two time points. Data referring to the "latest period" are based on 2,254 responding adults for the period 7 August to 1 September 2024.

The analysis in  Section 4: Attitudes towards artificial intelligence  is based on the period 10 April to 30 June 2024. This comprises responses from 11,755 adults collected during six waves of data collection for the following periods:

10 April to 21 April 2024

24 April to 6 May 2024

8 May to 19 May 2024

22 May to 2 June 2024

5 June to 16 June 2024

19 June to 30 June 2024

Pooling six waves of data together increases sample sizes and allows us to provide estimates among different groups of the population.

Survey weights were applied to make estimates representative of the population, based on our population estimates. Estimates for some groups of the population may be subject to greater uncertainty because of smaller sample sizes for these groups (for example, younger adults).

For all estimates in the datasets,  confidence intervals  are provided. Where changes in results from previous weeks are presented in this release, or comparisons between estimates are made, associated confidence intervals should be used to assess the  statistical significance  of the differences.

Further information on the survey design and quality can be found in our  Opinions and Lifestyle Survey Quality and Methodology Information (QMI) .

8. Related links

Economic activity and social change in the UK, real-time indicators: 19 September 2024 Bulletin | Released 19 September 2024 Early data on the UK economy and society. These faster indicators are created using rapid response surveys, novel data sources and innovative methods. These are official statistics in development.

Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain: July to October 2023 Article | Released 4 December 2023 Analysis of the groups of the population affected by recent increases in the cost of living using data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey and of the characteristics associated with financial resilience from the Wealth and Assets Survey.

Private rent and house prices, UK: September 2024 Bulletin | 18 September 2024 The Price Index of Private Rents (PIPR) produces rent price and inflation statistics for the UK, tracking prices paid for new and existing tenancies in the private rental sector. Includes headline UK House Price Index statistics.

Retail sales, Great Britain: August 2024 Bulletin | Released 20 September 2024 The Retail Sales Index (RSI) is an important economic indicator and one of the earliest short-term measures of economic activity.

Public awareness, opinions and attitudes towards artificial intelligence: July to October 2023 Article | Released 30 October 2023 An analysis exploring adults' awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) use and attitudes towards the adoption of AI, including benefits and risks.

Understanding AI uptake and sentiment among people and businesses in the UK: June 2023 Article | Released 16 June 2023 An exploration into the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how people feel about its uptake in today's society and business.

9. Cite this statistical bulletin

Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 20 September 2024, ONS website, statistical bulletin,  Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: August 2024

Contact details for this Statistical bulletin