Did Newspaper Err By Calling Volunteer a Social Worker?
Eleanor Rainford. Photo courtesy of the New York Times
The New York Times did a bang-up job on this profile of Eleanor Rainford, 83, a volunteer with a Community Service Society program called ACES.
Rainford, who has held her slot for more than two decades, helps vulnerable clients apply for appropriate entitlement programs.
“She’s pretty good; she knows her stuff,” ACES program director Rebecca Haase said of Rainford, who doesn’t know how to use a computer and is partly deaf in one ear.
But does the article go wrong by identifying Rainford as a “volunteer social worker”? It takes years of education and training to become a professional social worker and many are concerned the job title is applied to people who are not social workers.
According to the article, Rainford was a school teacher before she became an ACES volunteer. Social workers what do you think?
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Clearly there is a huge difference between aspects of Social Work (helping the underprivileged and/or the disabled with their government/county applications assistance forms, charity work, basic counseling). I think the public needs to be educated about the role of a social worker, the social work field, the different specialized areas in social work, and the demanding education and training. I think it is wrong to identify this nice and helpful lady as a Social Worker because it is false and misleading. I am a Social Worker in the medical field and I often hear county case works or Medi-Cal eligibility workers identified as Social Workers and that not right because it is a misrepresentation of the profession. Furthermore, Social Workers are professionals that earned their degree (time, money, education). Lastly, when I apply for a Social Work position they ask for my degree, my training, they rigorously quiz my counseling skills, and they want to know about my experience as a Social Worker; they do not ask me if I know how to fill out government/county assistance forms or ask me about charity/volunteer work. I say all of this with respect to the Social Work profession and with complete regard to those who are county workers and/or those who graciously offer their time to volunteer/charity work.
This is the ultimate in deception…no one should refer to themselves as a professional unless they are licensed in that profession or specialty. It is unethical to “pretend” or practice a licensed profession without a license in that profession…no exceptions.
Can we just make it simple ,that Social Work a study, which has been evolved through the volunteer social work from the Past when social work was confined to a self motivated concern on voluntary basis, and over a period of time it has sytematically studied the behavioural, social, cultural,legal,international aspect and step by step converted into a detailed research study on humanity and developmental issues, thereby making it one of the most noble profession which still needs to be recognised by the public eye as a Profession.We can differentiate that a voluntary social worker may not be an expertise as lack of systematic study and social work ethics and principles can be seen. Professional social workers are well aware that we need to have a non-judgemental behaviour which is one of the principals of professional social work, now this may be hard to find in a voluntary social worker.THIS can be explained to the media as well…..there is a difference between a journalist who pursues mass communication and gets into print media as a freelancer and a journalist who does freelancing on hobby basis…Phew! that was a long one…..it was froma far place India, had to be long discussion……Regards Sadiya(Masters of Social work, India)
I agree with the first two posts: you are a social worker only when you are granted a degree in social work. No exceptions.
Blah blah blah.. Degrees are what loser wwanna bee’s hide behind. How many of YOU were the first to hold an Aids patients hand? Did mother Theresa have a degree in social work ? How about helping someone rather than criticising someone who did real social work for free. For 30 years!!!!