Role of Professional Values in Community Service Work Essay

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of professional values within the context of community service work, addressing key aspects such as the four main domains of human service (public health, public safety, education, and work), the concept of social justice, and the social barriers encountered by both clients and workers in the field. The essay also explores various theoretical approaches, including the systems theory, that underpin professional community service work, emphasizing their application in understanding and addressing client issues. It highlights the importance of ethical considerations, cultural competence, and the role of community service in promoting social responsibility and improving the quality of life for individuals and communities, particularly focusing on the Australian context. The essay underscores the significance of social justice in ensuring fair and impartial relations within society and advocates for the rights of marginalized communities. The analysis includes the social barriers faced by both clients and workers, such as cultural differences and communication gaps, and it concludes with a summary of the significance of community services in fostering societal development and well-being.

Running Head: INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY SERVICES
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Introduction to community services
Student details:

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The following essay is based on professional values essential in the community services. Just as
the professional values play an important role in every sector, similarly these values have
extraordinary status in community service work. The work of community services includes the
services, which are delivered to the people of society for their welfare and development. The
community service helps in developing an augmented sense of social responsibility – a global
view of society and a nature of giving back and serving others. There are numerous domains of
human services, which should be equally followed by people while delivering services.
Throughout the process of serving, others in community the workers have to face various
difficulties not only the tem but the clients as well face problems in getting services. Thus, there
are theoretical approaches, which are to be followed while offering services in order to reach an
acceptable and satisfactory outcome. The social iniquities act as social barriers, which are
commonly faced by the clients and the workers both. The community services are unpaid job
roles and it is distinct from volunteering.
Professional values is a generic term for the ethics which should be followed in a profession, for
instance the people who are working for social/ community services are required to hold a strong
work ethic, possessing an optimistic attitude towards problems, adaptability , integrity and
honesty, self-motivation and confidence (Parrott, 2014). People should be loyal and devoted
towards their work. The main aim of the social workers is to sustain, epitomize and progress the
values present in social work profession. In order to meet the cultural competence and
understanding the cultural diversity, the social workers must coach themselves to understand
different circumstances in society (O'leary, Tsui, & Ruch, 2012).Social or community service as
profession includes six core values, which are social justice, maintaining the dignity and worth of
an individual in the society. It also includes building strong and central human relationships and
delivering the services with honesty and integrity.
There are numerous domains of human services, four main domains of human service in
Australia are public health, public safety, education and environment conditions. The workers of
community services focus on these domains to ensure good quality of living for Australians.
Health and vitality includes reduction in the population facing disabilities and life satisfaction.
Another domain of public safety is reducing the measure of bad environment. The bad
environment leaves harmful impact on the overall mental and physical wellbeing of an

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individual. The Australian Community of Workers Association (ACWA) is a responsible
authority in Australia which takes care of the division of community service workers under
specific group. Recently, the ACWA will be launching an Australian Journal of Community
Works. This journal will focus on the aspects of community works (ACWA, 2019).Thus, it is
essential to keep a check on the safety of the people. Education conditions of the country highly
influence the living conditions of the people. Improved education qualifications leads to better
living conditions, better health and increased public involvement. Last and the most important
domain of human services is work, the working conditions and the ratio of total number of
employed people in the nation. More the number of employed people lessen the chances of
suffering from poverty. The ability of individuals increase to meet the basic needs like food and
shelter, employment helps in keeping the households away from poverty and leads to personal
wellbeing (Tyler, 2015).
Social justice is a wide and complex concept, which helps in establishing fair and impartial
relations between people and the society. The social justice in Australia makes sure that every
individual citizen residing in the nation –indigenous and non- indigenous holds right to make
choices about his/her living. Social justice is imparted in the daily life activities; the term social
defines society as whole, which states every single person should enjoy basic amenities like
running water, two square meals and proper education. It is an idea of providing employment
and ensuring good health of people in society (Harvey, 2010). Social justice also means
recognizing the distinctive rights that Indigenous Australians hold as the original people of this
land. There are various right provided by the Australian Government including the right to a
distinct status and culture (Evans, 2016).This right helps in promoting and practicing the cultural
activities of the indigenous communities. The right to self- determination helps the indigenous
communities to keep a control on their decisions regarding future. Another right, which promotes
social justice in Australia, is the right to land, which provides religious and cultural base to the
indigenous communities residing in Australia. Social Justice advocates the rights of indigenous
community. Herein, it can be observed that the prime focus of social justice is over the minorities
or the indigenous communities as the government of Australia is taking steps to improve their
living conditions. The social justice as a concept builds support for the empowerment and
development of indigenous communities (Harp, Scherer, & Allen, 2017).

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While delivering the social services the social workers face various social and personal barriers.
For instance cultural background of the clients acts as restraint for the workers, if the cultural
background of the clients is old school, it will get difficult for the workers to deliver social
services. The client may or may not understand the need of reform and can stick to the traditional
values previously followed by him/her. Another major social barrier is communication, the
communication gap between client and the worker acts as barrier in understanding the problem
of the client. The communication error can lead to failure in the achievement of set goals. It is
observed that not only the workers but the clients also face social barriers in receiving the social
services. For example, the ancient beliefs or thinking perspective prevailing in the society may
act as a barrier in application of the domains of human services. People do not want to bring
changes in their pattern of living and wish to sustain the in the existing conditions. It is difficult
for the workers to bring changes in the thinking perspectives of the client. It is seen that
sometimes those who adapt new changes are isolated from the society. The cultural and social
values of the community from which the client belongs also acts as a restraint for the community
service workers. Apart from this the there are various other factors as if economic status of the
client stops him from following the guidelines proposed by community service workers in long
run. Low rate of cultural adaptability is another social barrier, which influences the minds of the
clients. People belonging from indigenous communities have set cultural values and trends,
which are difficult to change. The indigenous communities are the communities who have
immediate need of human services but they are unable to cope up with the contemporary
alterations (Turner, 2017).
The theoretical approaches are used and applied when there is a need of understanding the actual
cause behind the problem. The theoretical approaches can be applied in the community services
as well. It will help the workers to understand the root cause of the client’s problem. Hence, it is
suggested teat the application of theoretical approaches is beneficiary in the community service
program. There are different theoretical approaches like psychosocial theory, transpersonal
theory, Social cognitive theory and system theory. The system theory explains human behavior
as juncture of effects made by the different interrelated functions. The theory can be applied on
students, families, children and whole society. Numerous eminent psychosocial and social

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thinkers have advanced the System theory in community services. The system theory is used to
develop universal and similar view of different individual present in the society. It can be fully
applied in the situations where two different cultures/viewpoints or situations interact and
connect with one another. The system theory concludes that the actions, reflexes and behavior of
an individual is derived from various factors present in the environment. There behavior and
actions of colleagues, parents, family, peers, environment a school and home, economic and
health conditions are responsible for any change in the behavior of an individual (George &
Wilding, 2013). Some of the most common interventions of system theory are strengthening one
part of the system to improve the allover conditions. Networking and referrals refers to principle
of referring the sufferers to experts to seek solutions to their problems. Another intervention is
encompass which is a flow diagram helps in understanding the interrelation between family and
society. The genogram, which is a representation of structure of family in a model of tree and
explains relationship with the extended families. The application of system theory can be stated
as one of the most interesting and important aspect of a social worker’s life of community
services. The social workers can apply this theory throughout their life while practicing the
social services (Banks, 2012).
It can be concluded that the community services are very essential for development, growth and
progression of the society. The social or community service workers are supposed to follow the
professional values, which resembles their devotion and positive attitude towards seeking
problems to issues to the clients. The dispersion of social services in interrelated with social
justice. The laws and policies of social justice are related to minorities and the deprived class in
Australia, which faces an immediate need of treatment, and conduct which can be provided by
the community service sector. There are mainly nine domains that are focused to measure the
well-being of an individual. Some of these domains holds significant place, which cannot be
occupied such as health, environment, education and security of people. Therefore, it becomes
essential to keep these four domains in view while delivering social services. There are various
theoretical approaches, which can be applied in the process of social services. One of the most
commonly used theoretical approaches is the system theory. This theory helps in learning about
the actual cause of the problem and finding ethical and acceptable solution for it.

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Bibliography
ACWA. (2019, August 19). Australian Community Workers Ethics and Good Practice Guide.
Retrieved from Australain Community Workers Association:
http://www.acwa.org.au/resources/ACWA-Ethics-and-good-practice-guide.pdf
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Evans, T. (2016). Professional discretion in welfare services: Beyond street-level bureaucracy.
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Turner, F. J. (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches. Oxford: Oxford
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Tyler, T. R. (2015). Social justice. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.