Empowerment Model In Social Work

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There are many aspects that affect social workers when working in Human Service Organisations (HSOs). This essay will firstly examine how HSOs differ from other bureaucracies, how a particular organisation may seek to bring about change in a client, how the external environment impacts on a HSO, why it is important for social workers to understand these aspects, and the importance of critically effective practice in providing quality service. Secondly the essay will look at other important characteristics for providing ‘good’ organisational practice such as effective communication, conflict resolution skills, accountability, leadership, dealing with changes and client empowerment. Finally, I will discuss potential issues, dilemmas and challenges …show more content…
It is important for social workers to actively engage in change strategies within their organisation, by doing this, social workers can “promote social work values and wider social change” (Hughes and Wearing, 2002, p.78). I believe that the use of the empowerment model is important to help social workers to provide quality service to consumers. Because service users are the ones using the service, it only makes sense that they should have some kind of input in the planning and development of those services. Holosko (2001) suggested a simple three step procedure of client empowerment consisting of “developing mechanisms to listen to these groups, allowing their concerns to be heard, and finally incorporating their concerns into the HSO” …show more content…
There are many characteristics of good practice such as effective communication, conflict resolution skills, accountability, leadership, strategies to deal with change and client empowerment which social workers can adopt to ensure quality service is provided to clients. Issues such as negative effects of managerialism, discrepancies between the goals of the worker and organisational goals, changes within the organisation, conflicts in female dominated workplaces and emotional burnouts may cause distress for workers, it is important that workers are aware that these may occur and have adequate procedures to deal with these, not only for their own benefit, but for the organisation and the

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