I am applying for a social work job. What is meant by "a strength based perspective and "within a child centre

Question

The job is for a family counsellor. The job is to assist families whose children are at risk of being removed by Dept of Child Safety. Job advert states that applicant will provide family interventions from a strengths-based perspective, within a child centred framework.

Answer 1

You will want to look at the work by Dennis Seleeby who coined this term in social work.  It often stands in contrast to the medical model or deficit/diagnosis model.  http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Strengths-B...

http://www.reclaimingfutures.org/sites/d...

If you don't have a degree in social work you will be at a serious disadvantage.

DA

Answer 2

It does not sound like you've taken any courses in social work studies.  Social work can achieve an income up to $60,000 per year, however, many social workers start out at around $9,000 to $12,000 per year !!!!!!!!!!!!!

When you get the knowledge and the experience, then you can begin the ladder climb to better jobs that pay more.

You need to start at the community college level to learn the things you do not know now, and after you get your Associate Art degree in social work, then transfer up in education and apply for internships for the beginning experience you want to get.  Once you are qualified, you will be able to find openings to start your career.

Our answering your questions will not help you to get a job in social work, you have to be qualified first.

Answer 3

Strength based means.....that you try to identify people's or family's strengths.  Lets say you are working with a family on welfare and the mother doesn't have work experience but has this hobby of being  really good at arts and crafts.  You would identify that as a strength.  The strength based theroy is operating against the medical model, in that when working in social work in the past there has been the focus on what is wrong with the person or family; looking for the disease or defeciet or diagnosis.  Strength based encourages the social worker to find what is good about the person what are there strengths.  Many people in poverty have become very knowledgable about things like, criminal law, renter's rights, food banks, etc.  

Another example would be if the family you are working with has many Aunts or cousins that can be a source or strength or resource...that would be a strength.  Lets say they have a strong cultural identity and practice that grounds them...that is a strength.  Good luck with our job.