Everything about Social Service totally explained
Social work is a discipline involving the application of
social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people, groups, and societies. It incorporates and uses other
social sciences as a means to improve the
human condition and positively change society's response to chronic problems. Social work is the profession committed to the pursuit of
social justice, to the enhancement of the
quality of life, and to the development of the full potential of each individual, group and community in society. It seeks to simultaneously address and resolve social issues at every level of society and economic status, but especially among the poor and sick. Social workers are concerned with social problems, their causes, their solutions and their human impacts. They work with
individuals,
families,
groups,
organizations and
communities.
Social work as a defined pursuit and profession began in the 19th century. This was in response to societal problems that resulted from the
Industrial Revolution and an increased interest in applying
scientific theory to various aspects of study. Eventually an increasing number of educational institutions began to offer social work programs. The
settlement movement's emphasis on
advocacy and case work became part of social work practice. During the 20th century, the profession began to rely more on research and evidenced-based practice as it attempted to improve its professionalism. Today social workers are employed in a myriad of pursuits and settings. Professional social workers are generally considered those who hold a professional degree in social work and often also have a
license or are professionally
registered. Social workers have organized themselves into local, national, and international professional bodies to further the aims of the profession.
Origins
Social work, as a profession or pursuit, originated in the 19th century. The movement began primarily in the
United States and
England. Social work has its roots in the struggle of
society to deal with
poverty and the resultant problems. Therefore, social work is intricately linked with the idea of charity work. The concept of
charity goes back to ancient times, and the practice of providing for the poor has roots in all
major world religions. However, the practice and profession of social work has a relatively modern (19th century) and scientific origin. During the
Middle Ages, the
Christian church had vast influence on
European society and
charity was considered to be a responsibility and a sign of one’s piety. This charity was in the form of direct relief (for example, giving money, food, or other material goods to alleviate a particular need), as opposed to trying to change the root causes of poverty. After the end of
feudalism, the poor were seen as a more direct threat to the social order, and so the state formed an organized system to care for them. In England, the
Poor Law served this purpose. This system of laws sorted the poor into different categories, such as the
able bodied poor, the
impotent poor, and the
idle poor. This system developed different responses to these different groups.
The 19th century ushered in the
Industrial Revolution. There was a great leap in technological and scientific achievement, but there was also a great
migration to urban areas throughout the
Western world. This led to many social problems, which in turn led to an increase in social activism. Also with the dawn of the 19th century came a great "
missionary" push from many
Protestant denominations. Some of these mission efforts (urban missions), attempted to resolve the problems inherent in large cities like
poverty,
prostitution,
disease, and other afflictions. In the United States workers known as "friendly visitors",
stipended by church and other charitable bodies, worked through direct relief,
prayer, and
evangelism to alleviate these problems." In the late 1880s, a new system to provide aid for social ills came in to being, which became known as the
settlement movement. The settlement movement focused on the causes of poverty through the "three Rs" - Research, Reform, and Residence. They provided a variety of services including educational, legal, and health services. These programs also advocated changes in social policy. Workers in the settlement movement immersed themselves in the culture of those they were helping.
In America, the various approaches to social work led to a fundamental question – is social work a profession? This debate can be traced back to the early 20th century debate between
Mary Richmond's Charity Organization Society (COS) and
Jane Addams's Settlement House Movement. The essence of this debate was whether the problem should be approached from COS' traditional,
scientific method focused on efficiency and prevention or the Settlement House Movement's immersion into the problem, blurring the lines of practitioner and client.
Even as many schools of social work opened and formalized processes for social work began to be developed, the question lingered. In 1915, at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, Dr.
Abraham Flexner spoke on the topic "Is Social Work a Profession?" He contended that it wasn't because it lacked specialized knowledge and specific application of theoretical and intellectual knowledge to solve human and social problems. This led to the professionalization of social work, concentrating on case work and the scientific method.
Contemporary professional development
The
International Federation of Social Workers states, of social work today,
"social work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge derived from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its context. It recognizes the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, and the capacity of people both to be affected by and to alter the multiple influences upon them including bio-psychosocial factors. The social work profession draws on theories of human development and behaviour and social systems to analyse complex situations and to facilitate individual, organizational, social and cultural changes."
The current state of social work professional development is characterized by two realities. There is a great deal of traditional social and psychological research (both
qualitative and
quantitative) being carried out primarily by university-based researchers and by researchers based in institutes, foundations, or social service agencies. Meanwhile, many social work practitioners continue to look to their own experience for knowledge. This is a continuation of the debate that has persisted since the outset of the profession in the first decade of the twentieth century. In other places, a professional association sets academic and experiential requirements for admission to membership. The success of these professional bodies' efforts are demonstrated in the fact that these same requirements are recognized by employers as necessary for employment.
Professional associations
There are a number of professional associations for social workers. The purpose of these associations is to provide
advocacy,
ethical guidance, and other forms of support for their members and social workers in general. There are a number of international regulatory bodies for professional social workers. Two of these are the
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the
International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW). The Iowa School Social Workers Association (ISSWA) is made up of masters level social workers employed by area education agencies and local school districts in Iowa.
On a national level there are organizations regulating the profession, as well. Some of these are the
National Association of Social Workers (
United States), the
British Association of Social Workers (
United Kingdom), the
Australian Association of Social Workers (
Australia), and the
Professional Social Workers' Association (
India).
Role of the professional
social justice and of refusing to recreate unequal social structures. The main tasks of professional social workers can include a variety of services such as case management (linking clients with agencies and programs that will meet their psychosocial needs),
medical social work, counseling (
psychotherapy), human services management, social
welfare policy analysis, community organizing, advocacy, teaching (in schools of social work), and social science research.
Professional social workers work in a variety of settings, including: non-profit or public social service agencies,
grassroots advocacy organizations,
hospitals,
hospices, community health agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, and even the
military. Some social workers work as
psychotherapists, counselors, or
mental health practitioners, often working in collaboration with
psychiatrists,
psychologists, or other medical professionals. Social workers may also work independently as private practice psychotherapists in the United States and are able to bill most third party payers such as insurance companies. Additionally, some social workers focus their efforts on
social policy or conduct academic research into the practice or ethics of social work. The emphasis has varied among these task areas by historical era and country. Some of these areas have been the subject of controversy as to whether they're properly part of social work's mission.
A variety of settings employ social workers, including governmental departments (especially in the areas of child and family welfare,
mental health,
correctional services, and education departments), hospitals, non-government welfare agencies and private practice - working independently as counsellors, family therapists or researchers.
Types of professional intervention
There are three general categories or levels of intervention. The first is "Macro" social work which involves society or communities as a whole. This type of social work practice would include policy forming and advocacy on a national or international scale. The second level of intervention is described as "Mezzo" social work practice. This level would involve work with agencies, small organizations, and other small groups. This practice would include policy making within a social work agency or developing programs for a particular neighborhood. The final level is the "Micro" level that involves service to individuals and families.
There are a wide variety of activities that can be considered social work and professional social workers are employed in many different types of environments. In general, social workers employed in clinical or direct practice work on a micro level. Social workers who serve in community practice are occupied in the mezzo or macro levels of social work. The following lists detail some of the types of jobs that social workers may do.
Types of clinical or direct practice
Types of community practice
Academic
Management
Community development
Community economic development
Community education
Community organizing
Critical social work
Mediation
Neighborhood development
Policy advocacy
Policy analysis
Political participation
Program development
Program evaluation
Research
International development
Social action
Social movement
Social planning
Further Information
Get more info on 'Social Service'.
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