SWSP2003 Critical Social Work Theories Assessment 3 – Report – Refugees

Report: Refugees

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Report: Refugees

PART A

Introduction

According to the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), refugees are individuals who escape from their countries due to persecution, conflict, or violence. They are usually afraid of going back to their countries because they could be persecuted due to conflicts in race, political opinion, being part of a particular community, religion among other factors. The most common causes being wars due to differences in terms of ethnicity, tribes, or religion. Human service providers need to ensure that they provide services to the victims, there are theories and discussions over how such issues need to be handled. Refugees and people who seek asylum are naturally marginalized and they face a lot of discrimination, however, some policies govern the legal practice of human service providers as they are addressing such issues. This report will, therefore, analyze the effectiveness of the policies and human service providers in their practice in finding a way to tackle the challenge. It will also look into the contemporary strategies that are implemented to promote social justice and conserving human rights among other factors.

Historical development of the welfare state

In 1944, Sir William Beveridge, a British liberal stated that “Social security is neither socialist nor capitalist. It is simply commonsense” (Oppenheimer, 2011). Welfare in Australia is therefore rooted in the representation of commonsense altruism, ensuring practical economics and being conscious in terms of politics. It, therefore, aims for benevolence as well as showing compassion for those who are disadvantaged in addition to providing solutions to the inevitable challenges that people face in our society (Morley, 2019).

Role of human service workers

It is important to note that refugees and asylum seekers have rights, deserve to be treated with respect and their well-being looked after. Currently, the number of refugees in Australia is about 10%, according to international law, everyone has a right to seek asylum as well as those who wish to settle in a country of their choice. Recent studies show that most of the individuals or families that go to Australia by plane form the majority of those who claim asylum and although it does not seem legal for others to access Australia by boat, those who used these means are indeed Refugees. The Australian Association of human service providers encourages human service providers to seek as much knowledge as they can to include and respect cultural diversity. Human service providers need to promote well-being, advocate for equality in terms of accessing resources and social change.

Since the response to refugees and asylum seekers has been politicized, these families and individuals may be ignored but human service providers need to protect them at all cost especially the minors. They also ensure that they consider the support systems that individuals or families have in their practice (Morley, 2019). Social inclusivity means respect of dignity and human rights to promote social justice, therefore, refugees and asylum seeks could be treated differently, for instance, refugees are accorded basic rights such as health or education, the latter accorded essential human rights. Human service providers, therefore, need to advocate for the rights of these individuals since government policies for asylum seekers who use boats could be refugees being subjected to further trauma. Within and outside the state, human service providers have a code of conduct that is standard despite their location, they need to respect individuals, advocate for social inclusivity, and promote well-being.

Theories

Functionalist theory, Emile Durkheim, explains the stability and possibility of social order in our society. Conflict theory, by Karl Max, explains how power and intimidation could be used to maintain order or spark conflict. Critical theory evaluates the structures, power systems in society with the aim of democratic social change (Granter,2019). Social exchange theory explains how social interactions involve rewards and punishments. This theory is related to how conflict could arise in the form of punishment when things are not done in an expected way making citizens flee to seek greener pastures.

These theories affect the provision of service since when there is a conflict between government laws and social services then human service providers need to work harder to advocate for the rights of refugees and those who seek asylum (Mullaly, 2010). The functionalist theory guides human service providers into investigating how they can stabilize society and establish order through social inclusion. Refugees and asylum seekers are vulnerable people and they need to be protected from scrutiny and discrimination. They guide the victims into understanding that power could affect their lives positively or negatively, therefore human service providers need to ensure that they protect them, their families and those who are completely helpless (Van, 2016) When the government of Australia announced that those who seek asylum but accessed Australia by boat could neither get a protection visa or any other visa, human service providers had to advocate for them to gain protection and by late 2016, the victims were asked to apply for the protection visa to gain the benefits that come with it.

Nature of disadvantage

Disadvantage happens when certain factors in the community such as conflict or unemployment and the social or environmental challenges in society. It makes certain people in our communities have a hard time accessing, enjoying certain resources or amenities in society (Mullaly, 2018). It could lead to ignorance of the welfare of the victims and that is where service providers come in to ensure that there is social inclusion. Once they understand how certain communities are disadvantages, they integrate with some programs in Australia to advocate for their needs and change their lives. Social inclusion ensures that individuals can access employment, have a platform for them to be heard, can counter the personal crisis, and get support from their families and the community (Lane, 2018).

Disadvantage could be in the form of social distress, community safety, access to quality healthcare or education, and economic constraints. In this case, therefore, refugees and those who are seeking asylum could lack any or all of the above. They understand that as much as they have a right to seek asylum, the country that they seek help from could reject them due to government policies among other factors, they could also face mental illnesses due to the distress as they try to secure protection and visas. They know that they have to negotiate with immigration and work with human service providers who will advocate for them.

Policies and practices

Policymakers need to first understand the dynamics of disadvantage for them to make policies that suit their needs or address the refugee and asylum seekers’ issues. High-level methods need to be used by policymakers and service providers to ensure that they implement policies that have a long-term impact (Webb, 2019). Communication between human service providers and users is prudent to build trust and understanding of the issues at hand. The approach used needs to be multi-dimensional such that as they evaluate the human rights violation, there is flexibility and there is progress evident. The Australian government ensures that there is a framework that incorporates asking relevant questions that are used in understanding disadvantage. The AASW also has a document (Scope of Social Work Practice with Refugees and Asylum Seeker) that guides service providers in using evidence in their practice.

The government is quite particular over who deserves asylum since there have been concerns over whether human traffickers have upgraded to using air travel, they have identified that most who seek asylum are not refugees and therefore need to be turned down. There have been policies on keeping them in detention before they are cleared since there have been security concerns at the Australian borders. There have been policies to allocate slots in the refugee as well as humanitarian programs to ensure that those who seek asylum are granted a protection visa. Those who arrive by air have had a higher chance of getting the visa unlike those who seek asylum using boat because the latter have no documentation and this makes it hard for them to process their visa. Also, their families are put in danger or traumatized by the event that they are not likely to attain this visa yet they are refugees, some have also drowned in the sea.

The minister of labor in Australia recently announced that the migration slots for refugees and asylum seekers will increase by about 71%. This will have consequences for taxpayers since the expected amount to ensure that this program is running will require about six billion dollars. This program has been running successfully over the years and as much as it is generous and provides quality services it will require that those who need these slots to arrive in Australia via air. This is because they arrive legally and whether or not they get the visa will entirely be decided by the Australian government. Those who do not get a permanent visa or illegally stay in Australia will be forced to go back to their countries. Service providers are also trained to be working with diverse individuals once they succeed in getting asylum and whether or not they get it through the government or labor does not matter (Webb, 2019).

Effectiveness of practice and policies

Once the migration department has understood the needs of these disadvantaged people, they allocate protection visas for the most deserving. These policies ensure that those who seek asylum legally get a chance to apply for the visa and also ensure that investigation is done thoroughly to ensure that human trafficking is not happening especially at the borders. The service providers are also well trained to ensure that they respect these individuals, advocate for them, and look after their well-being. This way the disadvantaged being the refugees and asylum seekers do not experience social inequality or division in society.

Challenges

When it comes to globalization and neo-colonialism the biggest challenge has to be how social work is interpreted from an international perspective. Policies and practices in different states are different from international social work due to various dynamics. The government and service providers need to first understand the state of welfare locally then begin their research on a global perspective. Before any changes are implemented, there is a need to understand the factors that affect welfare such as politics, religion, or economic factors. Refugees and asylum seekers are victims of conflict or the above factors. Human service providers also need to be fully equipped to implement policies and partners with other human service providers to further understand this service. Other challenges include funding, the methodology used to implement the services as well as a language barrier when social work of disadvantage becomes international.

Contemporary Practice

There are unique cases that human service providers need to handle every day and it is therefore essential that research is conducted regularly to strengthen their practice. The use of evidence is a present-day strategy that involves using the existing knowledge and intentionally integrating it with a more client customized experience. For instance, refugees and those who seek asylum have different reasons to do so and they have the right to, human service providers need to enhance their practice to narrow down their service to those who need it most. It ensures that future human service providers are ready to handle any case given to them by making sure they are more open-minded, diverse, inclusive, and culturally sensitive to the needs of their clients. Social intervention is another strategy that can be used to provide their services directly to the clients who need it. For instance, refugees flee from their countries due to various reasons such as political or religious conflict thus war, fear of persecution, among others and as much as there are similar cases among refugees, the social worker needs to individualize the service since there could be minors or family involved or the client may not want their family involved (Lane, 2018).

Conclusion

Refugees and asylum seekers are vulnerable people in society and human service providers are trained to handle them ethically and empathetically. There are policies put in place by the Australian government to ensure that the disadvantage enjoys social inclusion. It is also crucial that evidence is used in the present day to handle welfare issues.

PART B

“Pitch it”

Granter, E. (2019). Chapter 6: Critical theory and critical social work. In S. A. Webb (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of critical social work (pp. 61-71). New York, NY: Routledge.

1. Refugees and asylum seekers form about 10% of the Australian population, they mostly arrive there by air or boat. Those who arrive by boat are mostly refugees and processing their visas becomes hard because they do not have identification, air travel forms the majority of asylum seekers but there are slots allocated by labor and the government for those who deserve.
2. They are vulnerable people and that is where human service workers come in to ensure that they are treated with dignity, their welfare protected, and their rights upheld. Evidence is used in this process such that the possibility of human trafficking or any other illegal business is done away with. Policies also need an amendment to providing long-term solutions such as customizing services to fit the needs of the service users.
3. Being a refugee is never a choice but a consequence of circumstance, therefore, funding of the labor or migration sectors will ensure that those who need help are served accordingly, the methodology used to narrow down those who get the visa is also amended, for instance, the slots allocated annually for protection visas are increased as well as training diverse human service workers especially language-wise to work with refugees from the war-torn countries (Noble, 2016).
4. Conflict has torn families apart, affected the psychological well-being of individuals, minors could be traumatized, and barely have basic needs. As much as the disadvantaged have a right to seek asylum in countries they perceive safe, they deserve first or second-generation rights which are either political benefits or basic human rights.
5. The refugees deserve a chance to be part of a society that understands, respect and that does not disrespect them. They need to be in a society that embraces diversity and sensitivity to different cultures. Families need to be in an environment where the children have a healthy upbringing. International law and welfare need to have policies that ensure that in the case of refugees, there are sensitive measures to protect them. Security is also a crucial department that needs funding to ensure that people are not illegally trying to access Australia.
6. Taxpayers have recently been required to fund these projects that help the disadvantaged, further funding is required to ensure that there is a smooth transition for the refugees and the successful asylum seekers into getting permanent residence in a safe country.
7. References

Lane, S., & Pritzker, S. (2018). Power, empowerment and conflict, engaging effectively with power in political settings. In Political social work, using power to create change (pp. 77-109). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Lane, S., & Pritzker, S. (2018). Getting on the agenda, assessing the political context and

developing political strategy. In Political social work, using power to create change (pp. 113-147). Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Morley, C., Ablett, P., & Macfarlane, S. (2019). Engaging with social work: A critical introduction (2nd ed.). Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.

Morley, C., Ablett, P., & Macfarlane, S. (2019). Chapter 6: Theories for practice. In Engaging with social work : A critical introduction (2nd ed., pp.161-207), Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Mullaly, R. P. (2010). Civil society, citizenship and user participation. In Challenging oppression and confronting privilege: A critical social work approach (2nd ed., pp. ). Don Mills, Ont.: Oxford UP.

Mullaly, B., & West, J. (2018). Oppression: An overview. In Challenging oppression and

confronting privilege: A critical approach to anti-oppressive and anti-privilege theory and practice (3rd ed., pp. 1-33). Ontario, Canada: Oxford University Press.

Noble, C., Gray, M., & Johnson, L. (2016). Core concepts of critical supervision. In Critical supervision for the human services (pp. 205-124). London, England: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Oppenheimer, M., & Deakin, N. (2011). Beveridge and voluntary action in Britain and the wider British world. Manchester University Press.

Van Krieken, R., Habibis, D., Smith, P., Hutchins, B., Martin, G., and Maton, K. (2016). Power and the state. In Sociology. (6th ed., pp. 334-392). Melbourne, Australia: Pearson.

Webb, S. A. (Ed.) (2019). The Routledge handbook of critical social work. New York, NY:Routledge. (Note that this text can be accessed electronically through the ACAP library.

Webb, S. A. (2019). Introduction: Critical social work and the politics of transformation. In The Routledge handbook of critical social work (pp. xxx-xliv). New York, NY: Routledge.