Purpose of Human Services
Nature and Purpose of Human Services Joanne Bryant HS/302 July 25, 2011 Tami Frye Nature and Purpose of Human Services The purpose of the human services throughout history has remained basically the same, to help those that cannot help themselves. To varying degrees though the interpretation of the above statement has changed and evolved. The act of helping has taken on many shades of gray, questions of; “Are we helping too much or too little? ” have gridlocked political parties and law makers. Another continual changing element is the criteria defining those who cannot help themselves.
Determining if one needs help because they are lazy and refuse to do for themselves or if one indeed is trying but just cannot seem to get ahead. Is it even our place to judge them? Or should we just provide blanket care when and where needed regardless of environment or circumstance? Barring the limitations of financial support and much needed quality education and tools, human service workers provide millions of clients each year with assistance in the simplest of needs such as food and shelter as well as the complex needs like mental health and substance abuse. Historical Overview
As with most of American laws and social structure, the origins of social services have evolved from the historic implications of the European models. Beginning in the middle ages of England the Fuedal system in fact viewed the poor as personal servants and estate care takers. Much like slavery the rich and elite class would own those less fortunate, using them as manual labor or household servants. The attitude was one of pity and a sense of obligation or responsibility to house and put to work the poor. Overtime this attitude changed from pity to disdain, the public viewed the oor as dirty vagrants and lazy. During the 1500s various acts introduced by Parliament to deal with the increasing population of poor people, the culmination was referred to as the Elizabethan Poor Laws, enacted in 1601. A national system paid for by taxing property owners and provided aid to the “deserving poor” and providing working materials to enhance trade. It also mandated the family’s role of the elderly and dependent, families were expected to care for each other in sickness and health where possible and were mandated to house their aging parents and grandparents.
The system, while lacking specific tools to empower the poor, did provide for a more compassionate approach, and this was the norm until the 1800s. The increased needs of an ever-growing population required more intervention than just a defining a criteria to care for the poor, it required a community involvement or commitment from individuals to reach out and give to the needy. Charitable Organizations stepped forward to provide the poor with resources and programs to assist them outside of their governing parliament. There was still a disproportional amount of charities as compared to the growing number of homeless and hungry.
Largely in part to environmental circumstances beyond many individuals control, drought, plague, and the ever-changing focus of trade, all contributed to why people could not provide their own basic necessities. America as a young country has the advantage of history as its gauge to serve its poor population, and although we have this advantage we too have struggled with how to serve the less fortunate. We enacted the Social Security Act in 1935 to provide a safety net for American workers, those too old to work could collect the money they paid into the system all those years of working and be ensured of medical coverage and treatment.
A system that now; in 2011, is in danger of being exhausted, leaving those who have paid into it in jeopardy of never seeing any of that money when they retire. America also developed a welfare system designed to give monetary assistance to dependent children of the poor, but with widespread fraud and essentially case overload this system had to go through reform and completely be overhauled in 1996. Intervention strategies Many obstacles and situations plague those who seek assistance, they could just be laid off and need help feeding their children or it could be s severe as a mental disorder that prevents them from keeping a job and adequate housing. In the case of an individual facing job loss the order of assistance can come in the form of rent or utility assistance. Preventative measures can be implemented to ensure that the individual and their family are not displaced from their home or go without food and education. Those suffering from mental disorders often turn to drugs in order to self medicate or take the pain out of their mental state. When mental disorders are mixed with drugs it is hard to find the right means of intervention.
These cases require immediate resolution but those resolutions are not always readily available. A research study performed by the Urban Institute (Trends in Mental Health and Substance Abuse at Nations Community Health Centers, 1998 to 2003) and contracted by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found that in 2003 12 million people of color, poor, uninsured, and Medicaid recipients are cared for by community health centers, and this number is increasing rapidly because of our economic instability as a nation.
In fact between 1998 and 2003 health centers grew by 22% and is still not enough to handle all those in need of primary medical care or clinical therapy for mental health issues and drug abuse. Center that have on-site mental health/substance abuse programs have seen decreased specialty practitioners and increased primary care physicians being employed, largely due to budget constraints and in huge part due to the increase in people who have no insurance or are poorly insured.
Community Health centers have become the safety net for the American public and expansion grants have been recently introduced as a way to increase the treatment options for the mentally disabled/substance abusers. The importance of funding more centers and hiring these specialty practitioners enables the mentally disabled a safe place to address their drug use without fear of criminal charges or entanglement into the legal system. If they are allowed to seek help and rehabilitation voluntarily, it stands to reason that they are less likely to commit crimes in the future to support themselves and their habits.
Ethical considerations: The client practitioner relationship has to be approached with the utmost respect. Practitioners have a moral obligation as well as a legal obligation to make sure their clients are aware of confidentiality requirements and disclosure policies. The client has to feel safe in his or her environment to communicate openly about his or her needs and concerns, whereas the practitioner has a legal obligation to disclose any harmful statements made by the client in reference to specific people or self.
The right to know laws make it so they even have to disclose directly to an individual when a life threat is voiced toward a named person. When both the client and the practitioner are aware of their guidelines and are comfortable with each other they can proceed with the business of getting the client the services he or she is seeking. Conclusion: Human Service workers are at the core of social services both in the small communities of our country, and in the big cities.
Their cases vary in degrees of severity and require specialized knowledge at times, however there is one common thread that holds true through history, every human on this earth deserves to be treated with compassion and empathy. Those that chose to serve in this capacity find themselves enmeshed in large case loads and very little time, let alone budget and program tools, they have to be diligent and relentless in their pursuit of fair treatment for their clients. Advocating where necessary and reprimanding when called for.
Communicating clearly with intentions of improving the human condition, not only to their clients but also to the public will foster a healthier attitude surrounding those seeking assistance and the hope is to motivate younger generations to do the same. There will be a greater need for human service workers as the world’s population continues to grow and the environmental and economic climates continue to change. A shift in the humanitarian services sector rather than the big corporate greed machines is needed, thus leading to shelter, medical services, education and nutrition being more important than the money, and politics involved.
References Trends in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services at the Nation’s Community Health Centers: 1998-2003. Druss, Benjamin G, MD, MPH; Bornemann, Thomas; Fry-Johnson, Yvonne W, MD; McCombs, Harriet G, PhD; Politzer, Robert M, ScD; et al. American Journal of Public Health, suppl. Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved98 (Sep 2008): 126-131. Martin, M. E. (2007). Introduction to Human Services: Through the Eyes of Practice Settings. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon Publishing. EBOOK COLLECTION
