News
2022-04-29
Advocates for the Vulnerable
Advocates for the Vulnerable
In Taiwan, Social Work Day is celebrated on April 2 every year. In order to establish a social work system, the government passed the Social Worker Law on April 2, 1997 and designated the day as "Social Work Day" to recognize social workers' contribution to society. The government encouraged social workers to enhance social work professionally and to expand social services’ network and vision.
Social workers in different fields have varied roles and responsibilities, but they all share the same goals, which are to assist vulnerable people through professional assessment and resource utilization and to motivate the clients to problem solve and increase social adaptation.
Social workers light a lamp of hope for those in difficult situations. Social work requires professionalism and commitment. In highlighting the contribution of social workers, we profile three of the Christian Salvation Service's social workers:
Tammi
Tammi has served at Christian Salvation Service for many years. She first arrived for a summer internship required by her college, but little did she know that her internship would lead to an association with CSS of more than 15 years! From her work with women's rescue and adoption cases, what have impressed her most are those clients in financial hardship whom she has worked with. When the clients receive financial subsidy, they seem to always spend the money in the blink of an eye, lacking a sense of long term planning. Tammi has found that most clients do not think about saving money for the end of the month as they spend it all at the beginning of the month. Therefore, with this approach, they remain financially vulnerable. As a result of this situation, Tammi has been spurred on to provide assistance to clients so that they can learn how to lead a better, more financially sound lifestyle.
Tammi has also taken inspiration from her clients. She cites an incident of a hardworking client. This client had a large family which included a family member with an intellectual disability. The client was the only provider for her family. More than just taking care of her family, she also finished school. Her positive attitude toward life impressed Tammi, and inspired Tammi’s passion. Another unexpected gain for Tammi was that what she learned at work could also be applied in large measure to the upbringing of her own children!
Joyce
Back in junior high school, Joyce realized some of her needs were neglected. She set her sights on being an adult who could take care of children's needs. After exploring the essence of various careers, she decided to pursue social work as her career. In high school, she joined a psychology study group and got to know people with various different needs. She realized that many problems could not be solved simply by just listening. Professional support was needed. This understanding reinforced her desire to become a social worker. During her college years, Joyce took part in various internships. During one of these internships, she participated in inclusive education for children with special needs.
She was well-prepared before she stepped into her social work career. At Christian Salvation Service, Joyce initially worked on domestic adoption cases. Currently, she works with child and youth foster families. She stated that she provides the adoptive and foster parents with encouragement, acceptance, and affirmation, while walking them through their anxieties about their parenting roles. Once they have built a relationship of security and trust, progressively, they can work on parenting methods or attitudes and create positive connection to their children. Joyce continues working in the field of social work. She hopes to continue her work in nurturing children together with others.
Toni
Toni is a senior social worker for Christian Salvation Service. Toni has served CSS for more than 35 years, and she is still doing her part to help those in need. One of her favorite memories is of the unmarried mothers' home founded by Christian Salvation Service in the early days. Toni's task was to teach these young women who were not able to stand on their own, how to do the daily chores such as cooking, cleaning, and keeping accounts, just like a supervising homemaker. Toni describes her relationship with these young mothers as roommates, as they lived together almost all the time during the last trimester of their pregnancy. Toni, who was at one time a nurse, is more than capable of caring for pregnant women and accompanying them during maternal examinations and their deliveries. She has seen many children born and then adopted. Toni has even been able to witness children grown up and return to visit their birth families. Toni also has a lot to offer when it comes to the adopted children searching for their roots. Root searching is a long road full of challenges. When a child reaches adulthood and begins to think about finding his or her roots, Christian Salvation Service is committed in our role to accompany the adoptee on the important journey of putting the pieces together, facing the joys and sorrows along the route to adulthood. However, the difficulties that social workers encounter when searching for their birth families are beyond the imagination of most average person. A search is often long and at times does not produce any definitive result. It is not easy to describe all that goes into search for someone. When complimented on her service and asked how she has managed to stay in the social work field for so long, Toni smiled and appreciated the compliment, but she empathized that with God’s help she just wants to do as much as she can.
Thank you to all social workers who work diligently on this path in the social work profession. Society is all the better for your contribution.
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