Hsm_Personal_Leadership_Plan

HSM Personal Leadership Plan University of Phoenix Axia Student HSM Personal Leadership Plan * I currently work for the Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Services, as a Social Service Assistant. After completing my degree I plan to stay at this job, but advance to a social worker. According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, the child welfare system is a group of services designed to promote the well-being of children by ensuring safety, achieving permanency, and strengthening families to successfully care for their children. While the primary responsibility for child welfare services rests with the States, the Federal Government plays a major role in supporting States in the delivery of services through funding of programs and legislative initiatives (2008). Social workers work with their clients to find a solution to problems clients may have with the upbringing of their children. The caseloads are overwhelming and require good time management and prioritizing. Human Services social workers work in the areas of child protection, children’s services, adoption, and intake.  They also join with families and the community to promote long-term safety, well-being, and permanent families for children.  Work includes assessing child safety, abuse/neglect, and signs of danger; client strengths and capability; family functioning; case planning; and petitioning for protective custody and placement. Becoming a social worker is a goal I continue to work towards. A social worker at the Department of Human Services, Child Welfare is considered a leader. Social workers have caseloads that they oversee and are responsible for them. Actions and measures taken in each case reflects on the social worker such as; making the decision to remove a child from a home because of allegations suspected. Making ethical decisions are critical because you’re affecting every person in the family. Children are close with their parent’s regardless if the parent is the abuser or not. According to Johner, A social work relationship represents a fiduciary relationship. The client places his/her confidence and trust in the social worker, and depends on the social worker's judgment or counsel. As a fiduciary, the social worker is expected to (1) practice with integrity and to act in accordance with her professional standards of conduct and (2) respect the inherent rights and dignity of the client. As a fiduciary relationship is based on unequal power and responsibility, it is the social worker's obligation to resist abusing this power and to practice in an ethical manner (2006). As an individual, I know I won’t have a problem with making ethical decisions. I have a very strong personality and my one goal in the human service field is to help families. For some leaders or workers, it’s the power trip that makes them feel like they’re doing a good job, for me it’s the results and feedback that makes me feel like I’m doing a good job. My vision is to make sure that my decision making will benefit my clients in a positive way. Some decision I make won’t seem very positive to clients at first, but it’s the outcome that counts. My number one priority will be to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing. In the future I hope to affect someone’s life in a positive way. By being someone who will be there to guide and encourage families through their tough time is what a social worker should be. Social workers are faced with ethical decisions all the time. Either way, every social worker should deal with clients in an ethical way and make ethical choices. By becoming a social worker I know I can’t solve this social problem, but I can help assist it and end the cycle of abuse in families. According to Iannelli, Children of all races and ethnicities can be victims of child abuse. Although the incidence of child abuse and neglect has been decreasing in recent years, more than 1.25 million, or 1 in every 58 children in the United States, were abused in 2006. More than half, 61 percent of the children (771,700 children) were victims of neglect, meaning a parent or guardian failed to provide for the child's basic needs. Forms of neglect include educational neglect (360,500 children), physical neglect (295,300 children), and emotional neglect (193,400) (2010). Child abuse is one hundred percent preventable and communities need to work together to end it. References Child Welfare Information Gateway . (2008). How the Child Welfare System Works. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from U.S Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/cpswork.cfm Johner, R. (2006). Social Work Relationship. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/content/view/30/44/ Iannelli, V. (2010, April 21). Child Abuse Statistics. Retrieved November 28, 2010, from About.com: http://pediatrics.about.com/od/childabuse/a/05_abuse_stats.htm