Assisting the disadvantaged and change their lives
(Summary of 2019 International Conference on Developmental Social Work: Dialogue with Social Innovation)
Pei Chun Wang shared her experience of helping underprivileged families
When people can't get rid of poverty, how can those who are trapped in change their lives? If "work" is the only answer to the situation, what about those economically disadvantaged households who are incapable and physically weak? En-Wang Human Resource Service of Persons with Disabilities, Eden Social Welfare Foundation, shared how to empower the economically disadvantaged people to break the employment dilemma in the "2019 International Conference on Developmental Social Work: Dialogue with Social Innovation".
Rong, 48, used to be a temporary employee in the Taipei City Government. She had to undergo long-term surgery and medical treatment due to illness. Although she had millions of debts, she also worried that she would have to face huge repayment pressure as soon as she had economic income. Among the many service users of Eden's Hope Human Resource Center, Rong's dilemma is just one of the cases. Yi-Hsuan Lin, the leader of En-Wang Human Resources Center, said that there are many factors that can make a case stuck in poverty. It may be due to age, debt, care issues, health factors, lack of employment skills, or insufficient risk awareness. The various pressures and resistances that service target must face in their lives can easily lead to the following three job search difficulties:
"These three factors are likely to cause the instability of the service target's employment and unable to work continually." Yi-Hsuan Lin shared that service targets who face multiple difficulties, En-Wang Human Resource Service provides "one-on-one individualized service", which provided customized service plans for service target with different status and situations. En-Wang's one-on-one individualized service model can divide into three stages: clarifying service objects ’needs, discussing solution strategies, and implementing resources.
It also merges developmental social work's elements, such as: discovering the advantages and potentials of service target, and improving their abilities through empowerment courses, so as to have the opportunity to accumulate assets and get rid of poverty.
Pei Chun Wang, director of En-Wang Human Resources Center, mentioned that it is necessary to clarify the importance of the first issue among multiple difficulties with the service target. Take Rong as an example, during the interview, she found that her physical condition can not afford in the labor market, so improving Rong's health became the primary goal.
"We often find that when our service targets come to us, they felt hopeless and helplessness for their future. They think that no one will reach out and help them, and that they are experiencing the worst situation in their lives and have nowhere to go "When faced crisis like this, Pei Chun Wang said, the service user would think that life has no chance to turn around and lose their confidence.
True help won't reach until the problems' been clarified
"What we need to do is go help the service target to improve his or her self-awareness." Not only provide his / her job or skills, but also assist him / her to establish a correct and good thinking mode, in order to develop his / her substantial ability. "We will continue to encourage service user to think that they will find a better working environment. They can have the ability to advocate for themselves and create their own working conditions." By empowering themselves to rebuild self-confidence, they can believe they have the ability to create New future.
Pei Chun Wang mentioned that during the service process, staff must constantly think: Does providing job opportunities to the service user be the end of poverty alleviation? If the service user has a job, but still cannot leave the cycle of poverty and change himself, he will only be in trouble again. To end poverty, we must start from the root. By changing the values of service user, assist them to build self-confidence that they can change their lives and increase confident for their future.
"In this process, we have to change the traditional service and methods." Pei Chun Wang
said, "Not only the empowerment, but also to accompany him / her, change his / her thought, and allow him / her slowly accumulate abilities and power. This is also the way that En-Wang Human Resources Center implements developmental social work.
Self-value and confidence are the priorities to be rebuilt inward
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