Context of human services
CONTEXT OF HUMAN SERVICES
Introduction
The human service is a field that deals with ways of preventing and solving the problems that affect the human needs to improve the essence of life. Over the recent years, the employment sector has incorporated the human service professionals by providing job markets for them. The field is important since it gives an opportunity for social change (Chenoweth and McAuliffe, 2005, p. 67). Additionally, it acts as a means of maintaining public order and control in the community. Therefore, the paper is based on a personal reflection on the perception of human services. The article’s theme is that human services provide an opportunity for social change thereby supporting the claim using relevant information and examples in real life situations.
Personal standpoint
I agree with the claim that providing human services provides an opportunity for social change. Social change can be described as a collaborative action of individuals in efforts to address and provide solutions to social problems (Chenoweth and McAuliffe, 2005, p. 34). The field delivers services to the needy and those who survive in different life hardships. The services that are offered provide an opportunity for social change by creating a society in which organizations are just, safe and equitable. Additionally, they provide a comfortable environment where people are housed adequately, educated well, have healthy meals, decent jobs and can take charge of their lives.
Currently, the economic structure can be compared to a pyramid where 1% of the population gets 47% of the net wealth while 19% of the population controls 44% of the financial net worth (Moffat, 2011, p. 7). The remaining 80% of the population struggles to obtain a share of the 9% of the remaining net wealth. These statistics imply that 80% of the population struggles to get enough money to get houses, clothes, food and support for the families (Moffat, 2011, p. 7). In today’s political set up, the two main classes that dominate the society are the ruling class and the subjects. The people from the ruling class are wealthy and live luxurious lives. On the other hand, the subjects make it in life through survival tactics, which justifies the need for social change to minimize the gap and inequalities between the two groups (Jamrozik, 2009, p. 6).
The people from the ruling class are merely concerned with their welfare only thereby creating a social divide in the community. The country initiated the human service, which works with various needy groups such as children and families to bring social change in efforts to solve the problems that result from the political, social and economic environment. The human service ensures that these groups live a safe life. In cases involving domestic violence and physical abuse, the primary service workers, who work in close collaboration with the parents take the children to group homes (O’Connor, Hughes and Turney, 2006, p. 67). The workers restore peace in such homes so that the children can get back to their homes, which is one of the strategies that are used to implement and achieve social change.
The elderly in the society face different problems such as hunger, loneliness, and lack of support from their families and society among others. The human service intervenes by delivering prepared meals and assigning people to take care of them. In extreme cases, where the elderly are not in a position to live alone and support themselves, they are transported to the nursing homes where they obtain care. The workers provide help by providing jobs, food, and housing to the homeless people in the society as well. Based on the mental illnesses, the human services provide resources through support groups that help the mentally ill to have access to medical care services to improve their life conditions. The human service workers provide a rehabilitation opportunity to the people with criminal records and those struggling with substance abuse. Through the rehabilitation, they are taught values and morals, which they are expected to abide by. Other groups include veterans, immigrants, and people living with disabilities (Fawcett et al., 2011, p. 54). The human services promote social change by identifying and providing a solution to the problems that the people face.
How individual views have impacted the view
Different people have experienced and struggled with various issues such as poverty, addiction, and violence among others in life. Win such situations, we all need people, who can hold our hands and show that all is not lost by offering some help. Some of these people are individuals, organizations, and other groups that have the generosity and transformational ideas in the society. Therefore, based on the programs and group social services, it is sensible and logical to argue that human services help in transforming the social settings. I believe that teamwork and collaboration will assist in uniting people towards a common goal, which is achieving different social changes. Coming together in the form of human services helps people to identify the problems that they face and establish some methods that could help in resolving them (Jamrozik, 2009, p. 90). For instance, the human services provide support to the community to help them team up by establishing projects and alliances that are aimed at improving their lives.
As such, people fight the agendas and social disparities to achieve social change. I feel that people are likely to encounter recurrent problems if they focus only on how to move ahead as individuals without helping others to get ahead as well. Social problems can only be solved if people come together to fight them thus achieving the social change in the society. Coming up with strategies that will help people work together could ensure that they all move at par thereby minimizing the social and economic gap in the society. The human service is an example of teamwork efforts that have been established to provide an opportunity for the implementation of social changes in the community. Additionally, people must have a clear and shared vision to achieve the social changes. The human services field has an ultimate vision of helping the needy to improve lives and achieve social change.
Conclusion
Human services are essential since they provide opportunities that assist in achieving social changes. They provide support and solutions to problems that various minority groups in the society face. Such groups include the immigrants, elderly, physically challenged people, mentally ill, veterans among others (Fawcett et al., 2011, p. 54). They come up with programs that provide care and educate people to help them acquire skills that they can utilize in the job markets. The economic and political environment of a particular nation influence the lives of the citizens significantly. Therefore, the human services provide ways and chances to elevate people’s lives to help them realize their potential and move ahead. Collaboration is an important aspect of the human activities as they bridge the gap between people to ensure that they move at par. Collaboration helps in achieving the shared vision of social change that influences the society by enhancing equality, justice and the improvement of human life.
Bibliography
Chenoweth, L. and McAuliffe, D., 2005. The road to social work & human service practice: An introductory text. Cengage Learning Australia.
Fawcett, B., and Goodwin, S., 2010. G. Meagher and R. Phillips. Social Policy for Social Change, South Yarra: Palgrave Macmillan.
Jamrozik, A. W., 2009. Social policy in the post-welfare state: Australian society in a changing world. Pearson Education Limited.
O'Connor, I., Hughes, M. and Turney, D., 2006. Social work and social care practice. Sage.
Moffat, C. T., 2011. Helping Those in Need: Human Service Workers. Occupational Outlook Quarterly, 55(3), pp. 22-32.
