Government Support Reflection

Throughout this course, and through my own personal experiences as well, I have come to understand that there are incredible nuances and difficulties when it comes to navigating the world of public assistance. While, in its essence, it’s a service designed to make the lives and experiences of the less fortunate much easier, it often creates nearly as many issues as it strives to solve. Understanding the difficulties that arise is crucial to a career in this field, and I sought out a firsthand experience in order to gain more appreciation for this struggle by filling out an application for government benefits. In the following paper, I seek to discuss my feelings and thoughts about filling out this application and the subsequent implications, as well as consider the challenges that those in need of benefits may face, and how social workers could use this information to improve the process for all who need it. In this experience, I found the application process for government benefits to be arduous, confusing, and in some instances quite upsetting. The website for this process is fairly straightforward, but that is an opinion I am able to have after years of continuous
I had not realized how complicated applying for government assistance could be, or the emotional and psychological toll it could take on the head of a struggling household. It was easy for me to visualize the many ways that this process could be incredibly difficult for many people, and how intimate knowledge of this matter could be crucial to a social worker in order to assist their clients in the specific ways they need. I can also envision ways in which this process can be adapted for people of all backgrounds and ability-levels. Finishing this assignment, I find myself grateful for the opportunities I am afforded and even more motivated to improve the lives of those who may be disadvantaged in as many ways as