Classnotes for 9/5/02     
1. Handed out and went over 1)HCC outline of course content, 2) Syllabus, 3) Personal Information sheet. 
2. Re-introductions: Who are you? Why are you here?
  Summarized themes that emerged: lots of folks planning to go on to four-year schools, but for most, motivation for taking a course in human services: interest in going into the field as a career. 
3. Lecture and discussion:

What does  'Human Services' refer to, exactly?  It's a 'holistic' approach to human needs, which takes into account all of a person's needs, not just those traditionally dealt with by social workers or counselors.

Why is helping people a 'career'? "Helping others is a natural part of everyday life, so it is hard to think of it a specialized activity which we must be trained for. Problems are a part of living and we all at some point will be involved i n the helping process, either asking for or giving support."

Human service work includes a huge range of roles, from friend or volunteer to highly paid, extensively trained professionals.         We listed some of the roles or jobs of human service workers that we knew of including case managers, counselors, employment-related workers, teachers, health-care workers, customer service providers, etc
Others we might include:
  • traditional social worker
  • mental health therapists
  • workplace counselors and job coaches
  • school guidance counselors
  • Big Brothers/Big Sisters 
  • custodial care workers
  • Girl and Boy Scout leaders
  • parent advocates
  • mentors,
  • health care workers
  • community organizers
  • priests, ministers, rabbis, and other faith-based service providers

and many, many more....Obviously some of these helping roles require more expertise than others. However, true 'human service workers' - not just  a 'social worker' or 'job coach' -  tend to be generalists, people who are knowlegeable about a wide range of resources and strategies of intervention, and who can flexibly take a range of roles in providing services and supports to others in need.
Why are so many of these 'human services' needed? Once, cultures and communities were much more stable over time and these needs were met within informal networks of support that were woven into of community life. 
  • Today, often extended family members, long-term neighbors and friends, church-based supports, etc are no as readily available as they were years ago. Continuing mobility and other kinds of changes disrupt/destroy community and family connections.
  • Government and non-profit agencies have taken on some of the support roles and 'safety-net' functions that were once woven into the informal fabric of a community.  
  • Some human service needs have, in a sense, been created by changes in our values, norms, and laws. For instance, where in the past, beating a child might have been accepted as a parent's right, now it is no longer acceptable or legal; it calls for human service intervention.( Some other social changes: child labor laws exclude children from work roles, but we have to find something harmless or constructive for them to do with their time and energy such as recreational programs. Compulsory schooling means we have to have services that deal with truancy.
  • Many previously existing supports and services have been curtailed by changes in laws and government policies. ("welfare reform", "managed care", the push to pay down government debt which has cut back on government spending, etc)
  • Extremely rapid technological changes have left many people behind without the training or education needed to succeed.
  • Rapid economic changes have had an enormous impact. For example, globalization of capital investment in production has moved many of the once well-paid but low-skill manufacturing jobs out of the country. At the same time, there has been huge growth of low-pay service industry jobs. This  has resulted in very low unemployment, but an increase in employed 'poor' people. Thus, in Connecticut, the state with the highest per-capita income in the richest nation in the world, 10% of all children go to bed hungry each night, and many families are one paycheck away from homelessness.
These are very challenging times: the economy combined with the philosophy of our current government policies are presenting society with a growing number of unmet human needs. Such times call for creative and flexible responses from human service workers in meeting these needs as best we can, as well  increased coping skills in dealing with these challenges and the stresses they create. 
HOMEWORK FOR NEXT WEEK:  Read to the end of Chapter 1. Also find and report on a human service agency not yet listed in the Encyclopedia of Human Services, or some aspect of a listed agency that is not yet included.   ( Be sure to list the agency name, location and phone number, what services they offer and any specific populations they serve (low income? homeless? children under age 3? etc), and what they charge for their services. Last, lbring in listing from the want ads for current job openings in the human service field.