Applications+to+21+st.+Century+Rural+Practice

Applications to 21st Century Rural Practice

Weinbach states: "As social workers, we are accustomed to helping clients meet their needs - it is our ethical responsibility (Weinbach, 2008)." Imagine creating a productive work environment and helping a client to meet their needs in a setting similar to this. Where would the social worker/ practitioner start? There seem to be so many needs in this picture, what needs would come first and how would we be productive?

Main Entry: **ru·ral** Pronunciation: \ ˈ r u̇ r-əl\ Function: //adjective//Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin //ruralis,// from //rur-, rus// open land — more at [|room]Date: 15th century — **ru·ral·i·ty** \r u̇ - ˈ ra-lə-tē\ //noun// — **ru·ral·ly** \ ˈ r u̇ r-ə-lē\ //adverb//   Graphic courtesy of [|www.backroadbusinesses.com]
 * of or relating to the country, country people or life, or agriculture

The term rural is usually used to refer to an area that is some distance from a city, however not all rural areas are the same, just like people they each have their own unique qualities with various strengths and needs. Because of isolation rural social work organizations lack:    § Valuable Resources § Technological Advancements § Specialized Services § Professional Development § Economic Stability  (Pohl, 1999, pp.36-44)  Valuable Respurces: Deficites in valuable resources make creating and maintaining a productive work environment challenging for social service organizations in rural communities. How do rural communities overcome these challenges in order to meet the needs of the clients?Rural social work practice is most effective when it incorporates an emphasis on connections, community, and culture. Rural communities can do this by:   § Organization must make efforts to form relationships § Organization must build trust in the community § Organizations must participate with the community § Organizations must focus on the strengths of the community § Organizations must incorporate multi-level system of management § Organization must understand cultural competency § Organizations must evaluate outcomes of practice (Riebschleger, 2005, pp. 109-122)  <span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 132%;">Technological Advancements: Rural areas are also slow to incorporate improvements in technology. Technology is impoartant and valuable in the work we do because it can help to increase productivity. For Social Service Organizations can benefit from technology by: <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 132%;"> § Management of the agency- filing, record, keeping, and organization § Management of cases- tracking, case notation, and time management § Research for current policy, planning, and trends of the organization § Improving direct service to clients by- diagnostic tools, assessments, and intake § Access to training tools via internet, phone, and teleconference § Reduces isolation of workers and clients by providing a larger network (Davenport, 1999, pp. 45-58)

<span style="color: #800000; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">Specialized Services: One way that rural areas can increase specialized services is for agencies to form collaborations with each other to broaden service delivery. A good example of this in West Virginia is the Early Childhood Education collaborations that have formed across the state begining in 2001. The West Virginia Early Childhood Community Collaboration Stategies 10/2001 has been inluded here to provide backgound information about a successful collaboration in West Virgina. <span style="color: #800080; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 120%;">

Professional Development: This can be done by providing staff with opportunities for continuing education however this can be challenging in rural areas as well because: Economic Stability is also weak in rural areas because:
 * Shortage of professionals
 * Distance to training facilities, programs, universities, ect.
 * Opportunities available for training
 * Lack of industry and development
 * Lack of funding and programs
 * Lack of federal and state funding to rural areas
 * Lack of infrastructure to support gowth

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">[|Rural Social Work] This video has been included to help demonstrate the power of motivation and what great things can be done when people are motivated to empower others to make changes. This video reminded me that people are motivated by different things and for different reasons. For example what is motivating the client may be very different than what is motivating the worker. The client in this example may be motivated by needing to get their basic needs met however the worker may be motivated by self-actualization or the need for achievement. This video take place in Honduras, which is considered a developing country far from the United States, in distance and development. However, it is important for rural social workers to understand that correlations can be made between rural areas and, "third world," countries. In the US there is a biase toward urban policies and programs which leaves rural communities with problems that are not addressed such as: cycles of poverty, unemployment, and loss of family farms or businesses. As the world becomes more urbanized, rural communities face greater hardships and economic concerns. This same phenomenon can be found in developing countries (Pohl, 1999, Pp.31-33).

People served in West Virgnina <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">​ This link has been included to provide information about the demographics and population of cleint in West Virginia.

<span style="background-color: #008080; font-family: Impact,Charcoal,sans-serif;">​ Graphic courtesy of []

Dealing with potential for dual relationships is a necessary part of rural social work practice and management. As Weinbach (2008) notes competition and conflict will always be a part of work enviornments. In rural practices this issues are also likely to carry over into the multiple social arenas illustrated below. Galambos etal (2005) states that "essentially rural social workers are never off duty within their communities since they often live and work in the same town causing professional and personal relationships to blend".
 * Dual Relationships in Rural Social Work Practice

As Galambos etal (2005) notes in illustration below, potential dual relationships exsist in many areas associatied with rural practice.**


 * Type** ||


 * Definition** ||

Graphic courtesty of Calambos, etal (2005)
 * Examples** ||
 * Business Transactions || client-owned or client-employed businesses || grocery store, gas station, bank, farm implement store, telephone and electrical companies ||
 * Community committees or clubs || worker-client joint affiliation and memberships || Parent Teacher Association (PTA), gardening and quilting clubs, 4-H, American Legionnaires, and Rotary club ||
 * Community events || community-wide participatory activities || fund raisers, parades, celebrations, dances, and dinners ||
 * Social events || activity attendance that supports community members || athletic events, weddings, anniversaries, funerals, sporting events, hunting and fishing activities ||
 * Residence location || geographical proximity between client and worker || same neighborhood ||
 * Organizational location || attendance at the same organizations || schools, hospitals, and places of worship ||
 * Social and friendship networks || mutual worker-client social networks || spouses/partners, children, relatives, and friends ||
 * Incidental occurrences || addressing each other in public places || greetings on the sidewalk ||


 * =<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 190%; text-align: center;">Work Environment = ||

Graphic courtesy of [] The work environment may also involve the social interactions at the workplace including interactions with peers, subordinates and managers. Generally, and within limits, employees are entitled to a work environment that is free from harassment. A **hostile work environment**<span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 190%; text-align: center;">exists when unwelcome sexual conduct interferes with an employee's job performance or creates a hostile, intimidating or offensive work environment.http://www.money-zine.com/Definitions/Career-Dictionary/Work-Environment /http://www.money-zine.com/Definitions/Career-Dictionary/Work-Environment/ ||
 * <span style="background-color: #c0c0c0; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 190%; text-align: center;">**Work Environment** is a term used to describe the surrounding conditions under which an employee operates. The work environment can be composed of physical conditions such as office temperature or equipment such as personal computers. It may also be related to things such as work processes or procedures.