SOCIAL WORK and FAMILY

We are all born with a family. Family is essentially made of those people who look after, who play a crucial role in our upbringing and who teach us such lessons in life, which can never be learned through any textbook.

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•What is the Meaning of Family?

•Mother

•Our mother brings us into this life. By creating us she gives us the chance to live a life. She looks after us, every breathing moment of her life, thus imbibing the meaning of love and care.

•As her love oscillates from unconditional to tough love it helps us understand your flaws, strengths, our limits and capabilities. A mother is the one with whom we make our first bond.

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•Father

•He is the first man in our life and the one who knows the how to fix for every problem.

•He may not be in most of the photographs taken at family function as he is the taking the shots.

•He not just provides a financial support, but also an emotional one.

•The role play of a father-teaches us to take responsibility, dedication and hard work .

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•Siblings

•Siblings are the part of our life. No matter how much we fight with them, get angry with them, hate their ways of living or are jealous of them,

•It has taught to share, to love and to be there for someone.

•Relatives

•Relatives are the support system of the family. In times of crisis and in times of happiness, no matter what situation we are in, we always find relatives by our side to help us come out of it.

•Relatives share the burden of our sorrow and grief and double the essence of happiness..

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•Family Concepts

•At the macro sociological level, the family is a social institution present in all human societies. As such it fulfills different functions in a variety of ways.

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Elaine Leeder (2004), the most common functions are listed below:

•Procreation

•Socialization

•Regulation of Sexual Behavior

•Division of Labor

•Economic Provision for Members

•Affective and Emotional Needs

•Status-Giving Properties

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•micro sociological level

•A family unit is a group of people sharing a relationship based on biology, marriage or adoption and who fulfill the functions listed above, and who usually live together

•Depending on the number of generations sharing a household, sociologists distinguish between nuclear family – household composed of parents and children –

•and extended family – a family unit comprising additional relatives such as grandparents, siblings or cousins

•A fundamental social group in society typically consisting of one or two parents and their children.

•Two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place.

•Family is one of the most important and primary social institutions.

• simplest and most elementary form of society.

• basic of all social groupings. 

•provides the most enduring relationship in one form or other.

•Sociological View

•Contemporary society generally views family as a haven from the world, supplying absolute fulfillment. The family is considered to encourage "intimacy, love and trust where individuals may escape the competition of dehumanizing forces in modern society."

•A place where warmth, tenderness and understanding can be expected from a loving mother, and protection from the world can be expected from the father

•Definition of family

•According to Burgess and Locke “ The family is a group of persons united by ties of marriage, blood or adoption constituting a single household interacting with each other in their respective social role of husband and wife, mother and father, brother and sister creating a common culture

•According to G.P Murdock

•The family as a social group characterized by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction.

•MacIver

•Family is a group defined by sex relationships sufficiently precise and enduring to provide for the procreation and upbringing of children.

•Talcott Parsons

•Families are factories which produce human personalities.

•Main characteristic of family

•Universality- Inevitable part of human society

•Emotional basis- sentiments of love, affection, sympathy, cooperation and friendship

•Limited size- It is a smallest social unit

•Types and forms of the family

•On the basis of marriage: family has been classified into 3 major types:

•Polygamous or polygnous family-more than one husband or wife  at the same time

•Polyandrous family-more than one husband at a time

•Monogamous family- one wife or husband only at one time

•On the basis of the nature of residence family has been classified into 3 types:

•Matrilocal residence

•Patrilocal residence

•Changing residence

•On the basis of ancestry or descent family can be divided into 2 types

•Matrilineal family

•Patrilineal family

•On the basis of size or structure and depth of generation

•Nuclear or single unit family

•Joint family

•On the basis of nature of relations

•Conjugal family: which consists of adult members among there exist sex relationship

•Consanguine family: which consists of members among whom there exits blood relationship- brother and sister, father and son, mother and son, mother and daughter

• family roles

•Instrumental and Affective roles:

•Individuals within a family have to fulfill both instrumental and affective roles to maintain healthy family functioning

•Instrumental role

•Provision of physical resources(e.g., food, clothing, and shelter), decision making and family management.

•Affective role

•Emotional support and encouragement to family members

•Five essentials roles for effective family functioning

•1.Provision of resources- basic and most important -instrumental role

•2.Nurturance and support: providing warmth, comfort, and reassurance for the family members (e.g,a parent comforting a child after he/she has a bad day at school, or a family members supporting one another after the death of a loved one.

•3.Maintenance and managements of the family system

•Leadership, decision making, handling finances, maintaining appropriate roles with respect to extended family, friends and neighbours, maintaining discipline and behavioral standards

•4.Sexual gratification of marital partners:

•5.Life skills development:

•Physical,emotional,educational, and social development of children and adults.(e.g., A parent helping a child make it through school, or a parent helping a young adult child decide on a career path

•Family Role inadequacies

• Kudushin and Martin(1988) identify eight types of problem that can precipitate the need for child welfare services

•1.Parental role unoccupied

 The absence of one parent, whether temporary or permanent

•Due to death of a parents,hospitalizatiion,imprisoned, migratory work, military services, divorce, or illegitimacy

•2.Role rejection

•Rejection of parental role- when parents feel overwhelmed or burden by child rearing tasks

•The result is indifference, neglect,abuse,abandonment and desertion

•3. Intra role conflict

•Disagreement between  fathers and mothers over responsibility for child care and conflicting expectation about parenting style

•E.g., conflict between care giver versus bread winner

•4.Inter role conflict

•Conflict between parental roles and their other occupational or social roles,

•Work place demands, social obligations, inmay conflict with the duties and obligation of parenting

•5.Role transition problem

•Change in marital status, employment, the family constellation, or living arrangements

•6. Child incapacity or handicap

•Children with special needs, such as physical illness, mental retardation, emotional disturbance, require intensive care

•7.Deficiency of community resources

•Community condition and environmental stresses such as inadequate housing, unemployment, poverty, discrimination, inaccessible health and human services can adversely affect families ability to function

•8.Parental incapacity

•Unable to implement their parental role adequately because of physical, mental, or emotional incapacities

•This include emotional immaturity, illness, physical handicaps, retardation, chemical dependency, and lack of adequate information about child care

•Child welfare

•It encompasses programs and policies oriented towards the protections, care and healthy development of children(Linderman,1995)

•Contd….

•Addressing the emotional, behavioral or health problem of children

•When necessary providing permanent families for children through adoption or guardianship.

•Key activities of the child welfare system

>   Receive and investigate reports of child abuse and   neglect

 >  Family support:

Ø Family programs and services in order to maintain healthy families, support families at risk and protect children.

ØChild protection:

ØProtecting children at risk by removing them from their families and finding substitute care

ØChild placement:

ØFinding  temporary substitute care, such as foster and group homes, for children who cannot continue to live with their parents or guardians

ØAdoption:

ØFinding permanent homes for children who cannot live with either of their parents

ØFoster care:

ØRecruiting  foster homes and providing training and support as well as monitoring foster homes

•Role of social worker in family and child welfare settings

•Child, family, and school social workers may be known as child welfare social workers, family services social workers, or child protective services social workers.

•These workers often work for individual and family services agencies, schools, old age homes.

•These workers provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families.

• Workers assess their client’s needs and offer assistance to improve their situation. This often includes coordinating available services to assist a child or family.

•They may assist single parents in finding day care, arrange adoptions, or help find foster homes for neglected, abandoned, or abused children.

•These workers may specialize in working with a particular problem, population or setting, such as child protective services, adoption, homelessness, domestic violence, or foster care.

•Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving in child or spousal abuse

•They may conduct research, advocate for improved services, or become involved in planning or policy development

•Some family social workers specialize in working with senior citizens,

• organizing support groups for care givers or for children of seniors

•Give many advice to elderly concerning housing, transportation, and long –term care

•Work with employees who are experiencing job-related stress and challenges

•Family social worker need to be very emotionally stable and mature

•Able to handle a high degree of responsibility

•Able to work independently with out supervision

•Able to work in team setting and get along with coworkers

•Roles of sw in a family and child welfare

Marriage counselor

Family counselor

Lawyer

Media person

Teacher

health

•In schools,

•social workers often serve as the link between students' families and the school,

•working with parents, guardians, teachers, and other school officials to ensure that students reach their academic and personal potential.

•They also assist students in dealing with stress or emotional problems.

   school social workers work directly with children with disabilities and their families.

• In addition, they address problems such as misbehavior, school bullying or shyness,teenage pregnancy, drug and alcohol problems and advise teachers on how to cope with difficult students.

•School social workers may conduct workshops to entire classes on topics like conflict resolution.