Introduction
The general theory of agency was developed in the field of sociology and it consists in one’s capacity to act independently relying on one’s principles, moral norms and ideas and not being influenced by so-called structure, which incorporates the factors causing person’s conformism, such as small social group, religion, nationality and so on. It is thought that social workers in order to improve their performance in this field have to rely on it during their activity.
Change Agents’ Features
The main feature of a person, who is to be called a change agent, is his ability to act as a catalyst for transformations and changes, not analyzing the character of these changes on matter whether they are positive or negative. But the main point is that change could be different. Ellen Netting (2005) mentioned that ‘change, like power, can be used in positive as well as in destructive ways; it can be incremental or radical’. Thus, in this work, paying attention to those, who have positively influenced certain social spheres, I will try to deal with possible ways how to become a change agent on my own. Donna Hardina in her ‘empowerment model of service delivery’ characterizes the potential practice activities the social worker, particularly change agent, provides. Change agent, to her mind, takes part in the following practice activities: he establishes strong networks, he is a program planner as well as he is an activist, who pays attention to personal development and increasing of his own skills (Hardina et al. 2007).
Change Agents – Contemporary and Historic
Taking into account such characteristics of a change agent, particularly the activities they provide, we would like to pay in this paper attention to two figures, who were somehow engaged into children’s issue. At first, I want to mention Jane Adams and Ellen Gates Starr, who founded one of the first educational places for those, who cannot afford it, for poor children and immigrant women. Other prominent and contemporary social worker, change agent, listed in top 9 social workers of all time, is Barbara Mikulski, who used to work with at-risk children, who needed special and additional care. She differs from Adams and Starr, since she obtained higher education, being extremely competent and well-qualified, what helped her to be elected to Congress, inter alia, to both chambers. Though, she always understood the problems of the poor, whom she has been helping for the whole life, particularly by preventing the ‘black neighborhood’ from being destroyed by the Government.
Social issues Change Agents Met
All the mentioned agents were aimed at providing educational and legal services, particularly for unsecured groups of society, later also medical ones. Additionally, Adams and Starr as well as Mikulski were aimed at combating poverty, which was among main social issues of that time. They also due to their activity have impact on positive changes in labor legislation, first two by limiting child labor, Mikulski by defending the interests of the poor in the highest legislative body.
Mentioned change agents also put much effort in order to understand the reasons for poverty through the principles of research, reform and residence. In macro social work sphere it is called ‘understanding of the context of the situation’ (Netting 2005). Not being rich and having limited resources, they, as true social workers, built their activity on the resources available in the community (Homan 2011).
Contributions and Outcomes of their Social Work
Leadership style
Homan (2011) proposed the algorithm in order to build a portrait of ideal change agent and it includes such categories as: ‘what you know, what values you have, what tools you use to be effective, how you recognize the need for action, how you recognize your ability to promote change, how you develop sanction, how you keep your personal life happy, how you establish personal effectiveness’. Basing my portrait on the spheres I will be working in, namely family and children sphere, and taking into account my desire to help such small social groups, I need to state the following own rules of leadership.
According to it, I will try to characterize my own leadership style as well as the social issues I am going to deal with. Becoming aware of four existing main models of leadership, i.e. charismatic, transactional, servant and transformative (Smith, Montagno, and Kuzmenko cited in Hardina et al. 2007), I have come to the conclusion that it is pragmatic and effective to rely on the one, which incorporates other models, which is modern and which is, to my mind, the best in the sphere of communicating with children, the sphere, which I have already chosen as a social worker, namely a transformative one, which is defined as such, which ‘occurs when a leader inspires followers to share a vision, empowering them to achieve the vision, and provides the resources necessary for developing their personal potential: they serve as role models, support optimism and mobilize commitment as well as focus on the followers’ need for growth (Smith cited in Hardina et al. 2007).
Children, who I work with, do not have to merely the ‘performers’ of my will. In contrast, they are to become leaders in future. I agree with the statement that ‘the role of leadership is also to lead the masses while learning with them and never imposing on them’ (Horton and Freire 1990).
Such model includes the activity from both leader as well as followers, since ‘children are more likely to learn something by doing’ (Horton and Freire 1990). To my mind, this model suits me most as well as it suits my pupils, who also teach me. Additionally, it has to be highlighted that any leadership has its own structure. My own style in the field of working with children will include, at first, communication methods so as to ‘make sure communication among members of my team is routine’ (Homan 2011). To my mind, it is the most important to ensure that children communicate, they share their ideas, they learn how to work in small groups, they are becoming adopted to the challenges they will meet in future.
Also, certain inter-organizational collaboration and interdisciplinary relationships will be established (Netting 2005). Since children differ according to their interests which often depend on whom their parents or other respected by them people are, we should invite the representatives of the professions, they are interested in. If somebody is admired by helping others, we can send invitation to either medical center or police office so as to show a person, who is engaged in such sphere.
In addition, everything will be structured in such way to make our meetings with certain employees regular, according to schedules. Additionally, I will deal with families, since they create the basis for the children’s development. That will lead to creation of personalities among children, who will have approximate thought about what they would like to do in future as well as it will be effective in order to better understand all the home circumstances, in which children are educated.
Social Issues and How they Will be Deal with
The main issues I am to deal with are proper children’s education, their protection from any inappropriate attitude from parents, development of their personalities as well as their ability to resolve different social conflicts, particularly spending some additional time helping the children from poor families. I will pay attention to the strategy of how to establish educational institutes in order to make children able to find friends, colleagues and other people, who share their views. Among other well-known collective forms of communication with children we can mention the experience, when a volunteer arrives once, for instance, per week to read to children in day care and to distribute books (Sen 2003).
During such meeting, we could find out whether children are protected and if they do not have any problems at home. It is always better to apply such precautionary principle, than to work later with consequences of home violence, for instance. Additionally, such problems as discrimination, often met at school, will be completely prevent and illuminated, for example ‘black students get suspended from school for fighting, and white children don’t’(Sen 2003). In our establishment it will be avoided.
How will the Ideas of Mine be implemented and How Code of Ethics and Change Agents’ Experience will be applied?
For such activity I will have to search for cooperation with organizations, which will provide us with a long-term, dependable source of funding (Fraser and Kick 2005). The other step is to develop social capital, for instance, provide children with necessary 21st century skills, which will make them demanded by the employers in future, resolving the issue of unemployment and poverty, which is inspired by Adams activity, particularly by her ‘research, reform, and residence’ principle.
Additionally, we will build our educational institution on on five main pillars of social work: ‘change–leadership, patience, high but realistic expectations, community-wide capacity building, and courage and candor about race’ (Fraser and Kick 2005). It will also help to work with problematic children, or so-called at-risk children, who were the subject of social work of Mikulski. Out activities will be aimed at formation of the ability how to resolve disputes in small groups, how to avoid biased and prejudiced attitude because of one’s race, wealth or nationality and so on. Additionally, in order succeed in combating discrimination, inequality, conflicts inside the group and in families we should follow Ethical Code (hereinafter – the Code) rules. All the workers, in accordance with rule 3.01 of the Code, have to be highly qualified, if they particularly work in the sphere of supervision, as we do. According to the rule 3.02, ‘our social workers and me, in particular, will provide children with only updated information, which will be filtered by the competent stuff. Anti-discrimination policy will be one of the major steps we will make, under the rule 4.02 of the Code, consequently, we will not ’practice condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination’
Conclusion
References
Fraser, J. & Kick, E. (2005) Understanding Community Building in Urban America Understanding community building in urban America. Journal of Poverty, 9 (1), 23-43 Retrieved from:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/546e4181e4b041f61f02c55c/t/566c11dca12f444cd6d14597/1449923036334/Understanding+Community+Building.pdf
Hardina, D. et al (2007) An Empowering Approach to Managing Social Service Organizations New York: Springer Publishing Company. Print
Homan, M.S. (2011) Promoting Community Change: Making it Happen in the Real World, Sixth Edition Boston: Cengage Learning. Print
Horton, M. and Paulo F. (1990). We make the road by walking: Conversations on education and social change. (Brenda Bell, John Gaventa and John Peters, Eds.). Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Netting, E.F. (2005) The Future of Macro Social Work Advances in Social Work, 6 (1), 51-59. Retrieved from:
https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/viewFile/78/66
6. Sen, R. (2003). Stir it up: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
