Discuss the importance of informed consent and confidentiality in human services. What are they? What are their limits? What is the importance of boundaries? List some basic human needs end how those needs are met (through employment, family, friends, faith community, etc.) What are some of the reasons for why some individuals are not able to meet their basic needs? Looking at this Week's reading, which movement in history do you feel really changed human services? What is the value of understanding the history of social welfare provision and the roots of the human services discipline? How can gaining a historical perspective of social welfare provision help human service workers meet the needs of their clients more effectively and compassionately? Discuss your own experience in human services (or intended career) and how you intend to use your degree. Describe the theoretical frameworks used in human services and discuss how they are different in nature from many psychological theories of human behavior. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the ecological systems theory and other similar theories used in human services in helping to understand human nature and behavior? Discuss the importance of informed consent and confidentiality in human services. Week 2 Share your thoughts on the evolution of the US Child Welfare System; specifically what do you think is the most effective way of dealing with the problem of child maltreatment (foster care, kinship care, institutional care, or family preservation)? How is this different from the ways child maltreatment use to be handled (institutions, orphan trains, etc.)? Share your thoughts and impressions of the generalist skills and competencies discussed in Chapter 3. What do you feel are your strongest skills, and in what areas do you feel you need improvement?
Week 3 Discuss the relationship between deinstitutionalization, mental illness, and homelessness. Share your thoughts on current human service intervention strategies, including visiting clients on the streets, mental health courts, etc. Share your thoughts on the impact of locus of control in the domestic violence relationship, including how the abuser and victim of abuse attribute causality. How can human service workers use attribution theory in helping victims make effective life choices? Week 4