social science assignment on ways to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders livelihood
Question
Task: How to utilize social science assignment research techniques to identify appropriate strategies to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders livelihood
Answer
Introduction
This social science assignment highlights how Social Workers work effortlessly for the improvement of people’s lives by supporting universal human rights and safeguarding their well-being (Dhavaleshwar, 2016). Social workers are often referred to as human rights workers because they remind the communities of the basic human rights they are entitled to. Social workers help them advocate for their human rights and fulfill their needs. This social science assignment provides in-depth knowledge about the difference that professionals in social work and community welfare work are making in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (ATSI) in Australia. The ATSI community have been experiencing social and emotional trauma because of the effect of cultural identity loss, generational trauma, loss of generational lands, discrimination, substance abuse and poverty (Agyat Jeevan and Albert, 2020). Due to this trauma, they are experiencing several issues such as unemployment, lack of education, lack of access to proper medical services, broken families, crumbling mental health leading to alcohol consumption and substance abuse. Maintaining proper social and emotional well-being is vital for the overall physical health of an individual.
Making a difference through social and community welfare work
The social workers working for this community focus on the social and emotional disadvantages experienced by them. They acknowledge the fact it is necessary to adopt culturally responsive techniques which will reduce the challenges faced by the population. Social workers and community health workers in today's world are making a difference in society by working with the marginalized population, recognizing and vocalizing their needs, offering more perspective in context to the social and emotional well-being of the deprived communities and letting them realize that someone cares for them. This social science assignment observes that the social workers aim to make a difference in the lives of these people by providing support and conducting various social work programs and activities. The community welfare workers aim to safeguard the political and civil rights of the ATSI community, which contributed to the formation and implementation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and other such reform policies.
The social workers realize the significance of accepting second generational rights such as the right to proper education, housing facilities, access to proper health care services, right to employment and earning a basic income. They work closely with the clients belonging to the ATSI population and provide assistance to claim these rights (Duthie, King and Mays, 2013). However, these rights cannot be fulfilled in the absence of services or gaps in the existing services to be provided to this community. The community health workers play a major role in exposing the gaps in services. It is due to these service gaps that the communities are deprived of human rights and experience severe issues. Some of the major gaps in services provided to the ATSI community are problems in accessing primary health care facilities and education centres(Davy et al., 2016). It is challenging for the community to gain these mainstream services because of varying barriers in society. The ATSI population undergoes various chronic illnesses and symptoms such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, mental health issues and addiction. They are deprived of receiving primary education, which contributes to the high unemployment rates, ultimately leading to poverty.
This social science assignment also explores the role of mistakes and errors surrounding the communities. The subject of mistakes and errors has received significant attention in the contemporary literature, and the optimistic aspects of being wrong and failure have been often highlighted (Sicora, Lu and Lei, 2020). There are two chief forms of error: errors in problem-solving or in planning and errors in execution. This differentiation is also crucial in social work, particularly during the failure of intervention as a result of inadequate valuation in light of a more in-depth and detailed assessment of the situation. In this theoretical framework, it can be seen that the main cause of failure is not always wrong professional judgment.
As per Gibson (2014), the environment in which social workers operate is highly complex, and the failure to live up to the prospects can result in negative judgments from others along with fostering a sense of inadequacy. Social work for the past couple of decades has moved towards being a clinical degree and a mental health profession. The profession, over time, has done a poor job in hiring and connecting with individuals that were interested in working with the poor, grassroots organising, politics and other social justice issues.
As per the social science assignment findings, the profession of a social worker is one of the very few professions which assists in enhancing people's lives in society, especially ones that are facing uphill battles. A professional and qualified social worker facilitates his/her service to distinct people and has to work with young people, families, alcohol and drug abusers, the elderly, the homeless people, people with learning or physical disabilities, trauma and so on(Rahman T M, 2020). People that are facing a crisis in their lives can raise significant challenges and make the social workers' jobs much more difficult. The social worker, as a result, needs to be empathetic and a great listener toward individuals who need help. The art of being non-judgmental is a crucial trait for social workers. Apart from that, having emotional intelligence and problem-solving skills can assist social workers in serving people effectively.
As per The Australian Association of Social Workers (2020), in the social work profession, ethical decisions can be complex since it requires time for reflecting critically and contains all those with interest in the result of the decision. It is crucial for social workers to be mindful of their own ethical, worldview, historical, cultural, spiritual, religious, professional and societal prejudices and values, along with their probable influence on their professional judgment.
In order to make a difference at the macro level, it is imperative to negate, repair and change scale systematic issues which impact large groups of people or an entire culture or community. It is crucial for the workers to intervene and advocate at a large scale impacting entire communities. The social workers must conceptualise social issues, and their solutions on a continuum from mezzo practice with groups and families to micro practice with individuals to macro practice, which interacts with communities, institutions and society at large. Macro social work comprises petitioning local or crafting laws and federal and even state governments for funds to assist communities(Hoefer, 2014). On this social science assignment we also observe it also encompasses supporting Indigenous autonomy and rights over their resources and land, working on divestment campaigns targeting private and public institutions and advocating for the development and use of renewable resources.
First nations are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders living in Australia for more than decades. In Australia, there is a number of Aboriginal people who plays a significant factor in the country. The Aboriginal people, who are considered First Nation people, are the traditional owners of the country that worked in nurturing the traditional methods for years. The Aboriginal people are helping the community to work in peace and harmony and live a healthy life following traditional approaches. The Aboriginal people advocate for other people to live a healthy life and follow traditional approaches to healthy living. As per social science assignmentobservations, they promote sustainable and healthy food systems and improve the population in the country (Browne et al., 2020). In generating the economy in the country, it has been identified that the Aboriginal and Torres people are playing a major role in developing various businesses. In 2016 the Aboriginal people or first nation people added business of nearly $2.2b and %6.6billion to the Australian economy. It represents 0.1 to 0.4 per cent of the Australian GDP. It identifies that Aboriginal and Torres People are also the major contributors to the Australian GDP and in promoting people to live a healthy life with healthy eating habits and by following traditional approaches (PwC, 2018).
TheSocial Learning Theory allows for observing, modelling, and imitating the attitudes and behaviours of people. It allows for understanding how people’s behaviours and attitudes influence and impact an individual (McLeod, 2016). As per the theory in social work, as Aboriginal and Torres people are the First nation people, they play a major role in business and in developing the GDP of the country. It has been identified that Aboriginals and Torres People are promoting the healthy living approaches by following traditional methods in the country and other human beings have to follow these things to bring improvement in themselves and in the community. It is evident that Aboriginals and Torres people are facing certain health challenges, and they need to be mitigated and controlled for their healthy living (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2020). To make a difference as per the theory, I will be working on the factors like childhood protection, LGBTQI+ community, Alcohol and Drug consumption, etc., as this needs to be reduced, and people should live a healthy life with freedom. I will be working on these subjects with various organisations that support these things for reduction, and it will help me gain more in-depth knowledge and serve equality and respect in the community and in the country.
Conclusion
In social work, it is evident that they operate in highly complex and this can lead to bringing failures with a sense of inadequacy. It has shifted towards a clinical degree and mental health profession. Social work is considered a significant factor as it plays a vital role in enhancing the lives of people in the community by taking healthy and effective approaches. They provide services to young people, alcohol and drug abusers, homeless people and other related factors. Aboriginals and Torres People are the First Nation people that have a major contribution to the Australian economy and in following healthy living approaches. As per social learning theory used on this social science assignment, it is evident to learn from other people brings improvement and progress in self.
References
Agyat Jeevan and Albert, B. (2020). Core Issues Facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/345787773_Core_Issues_Facing_Aboriginal_and_Torres_Strait_
Islander_Peoples [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Australian Association of Social Workers (2020). Code of Ethics. [online] Australian Association of Social Workers. social science assignment Available at: https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/1201 [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2020). Diabetes Web report |. [online] www.aihw.gov.au/. Available at: https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/5020b399-3e7e-4762-852e-21d99769c8be/Diabetes.pdf.aspx inline=true [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Browne, J., Gilmore, M., Lock, M. and Backholer, K. (2020). First Nations Peoples’ Participation in the Development of Population-Wide Food and Nutrition Policy in Australia: A Political Economy and Cultural Safety Analysis. [online] www.ijhpm.com/. Available at: https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3916_d21ed0dd6efd6fccb641c227776a87d5.pdf [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Davy, C., Harfield, S., McArthur, A., Munn, Z. and Brown, A. (2016). Access to primary health care services for Indigenous peoples: A framework synthesis. International Journal for Equity in Health, [online] 15(1). doi:10.1186/s12939-016-0450-5.
Dhavaleshwar, C. (2016). (PDF) The Role of Social Worker in Community Development. [online] ResearchGate.social science assignment Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312297019_The_Role_of_Social_Worker_in_Community_Development [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022]. Duthie, D., King, J. and Mays, J. (2013). Raising awareness of Australian Aboriginal peoples reality: Embedding Aboriginal knowledge in social work education through the use of field experiences. The International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives, [online] 12(1), pp.197–212. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017680.pdf [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Gibson, M. (2014). Social Worker Shame in Child and Family Social Work: Inadequacy, Failure, and the Struggle to Practise Humanely. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264157281_Social_Worker_Shame_in_Child_and_Family_Social_ Work_Inadequacy_Failure_and_the_Struggle_to_Practise_Humanely [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022]. Hoefer, R. (2014). (PDF) Evidence-based Macro Social Work Practice: History, Arguments, Benefits and Applications. [online] ResearchGate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279716548_Evidence-based_Macro_Social_Work_Practice_History_Arguments_Benefits_and_Applications [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
McLeod, S. (2016). Albert Bandura | Social Learning Theory | Simply Psychology. social science assignment [online] www.simplypsychology.org. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html#:~:text=Social%20learning%20theory%2C%20proposed%20by [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
PwC (2018). The contribution of the Indigenous business sector to Australia’s economy. [online] www.pwc.com.au/. Available at: https://www.pwc.com.au/indigenous-consulting/assets/the-contribution-of-the-indigenous-business-sector-apr18.pdf [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Rahman T M, M. (2020). INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK. [online] ResearchGate. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343230491_INTRODUCTION_TO_SOCIAL_WORK [Accessed 13 Jun. 2022].
Sicora, A., Lu, W. and Lei, J. (2020). Exploring mistakes and errors of professional judgement in social work in China and Italy: The impact of culture, organisation and education. Journal of Social Work, social science assignment [online] p.146801732091987. doi:10.1177/1468017320919879.
