Explanation:
In Rhode Island and many other states, young people who reach the age of 18 can leave their foster homes or self-emancipate.
Under guidance from Columbia University’s School of Social Work and financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a professional development program will help social workers in the field do their jobs better.
In this case, a social worker engaged in the program reported that a young client in Rhode Island had come to her asking what benefits she could receive if she self-emancipated.
The young girl had not completed high school, had few job skills and had only temporary housing lined up. The social worker said that “if she could have only created a budget for this young client, perhaps she would see the very difficult circumstances that would ensue if she left foster care.”
We all know that creating and sticking to a monthly budget is not easy, but this social worker did not even know where to start.
Not unusual
Apparently this circumstance is not unusual. While the field is very demanding, many social workers readily admit that they have few personal finance skills, according to a survey completed by social work researchers Vernon Loke, Julie Watts and Sally Kakoti.
This fact was reinforced in a survey underwritten by New York Community Trust and the Calvin K. Kazanjian Foundation.
It revealed less than 50 percent of our nation’s social work baccalaureate and master’s degree programs taught future social workers about personal finance or the world of work.
Traditionally, the field of social work has had little interest or capability in educating clients in personal finance because this field of professionals was not expected to do so.
The national accreditation standards for collegiate departments and schools of social work illustrate this issue.
The very recently revised 18-page Education Policy and Accrediting Standard contains little if any mention of providing personal finance guidance to clients. In short, economic self-sufficiency – which includes personal finance and job-securing skills – seems not to be a priority.
There can be little wonder, therefore, that those in social service agencies spend much more time making their clients aware of national, state and local benefits instead of helping them learn how to earn and manage their money.
Education exceptions
Fortunately, there are some exceptions in social work education.
A consortium of eight schools of social work in New York City has developed a basic curriculum to help social workers develop an understanding of economic self-sufficiency.
The Consortium, including the University of Maryland, St. Louis University, Washington University and others, are helping soon-to-be social workers and those already in the field help their clients become economically self-sufficient.
There are also many organizations and companies that are trying to remedy the situation by providing materials and other services social workers can use with their clients.
These materials illustrate how low-income people can be good consumers by, for example, avoiding payday loans, establishing a bank account, developing and sticking to a budget, filing tax returns and other essential skills.
Once these abilities are internalized more sophisticated consumer and occupational skills can be conveyed to clients by social service providers.
Of course, this will only occur if those who teach social workers provide training in economic self-sufficiency to their students. In turn, this will only happen if social work educators deem economic self-sufficiency to be an essential part of social work education.
The Kazanjian Economics Foundation, the New York Community Trust, Council for Social Work Education, Columbia University and others are working to build personal finance skills in social workers.
The process is arduous and difficult, but one well worth undertaking.
Without it, clients of social service agencies will remain dependent upon the services and payments they receive instead of pursuing a life based on their self-sufficiency.
