Social work
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Social work is a social science involving the application of social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people, groups, and societies. It incorporates and utilizes 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 is unique in that 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. Eventually an increasing number of educational institutions began to offer social work programs. The settlement movement emphasized advocacy and case work. During the 20th century, the profession began to rely more on research and evidenced-based practice as it attempted to improve it's professionalism. Today social workers are employed in a myriad of pursuits and settings. Social workers have organized themselves into local, national, and international professional bodies to further the aims of the profession.
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[edit] Origins
Social work, as a profession or pursuit, originated in the 19th century. However, the concept of working to correct social ills with a comprehensive approach is an age-old idea. 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.[1] However, the practice and profession of social work has a relatively modern (19th century) and scientific origin.[2] Charity in Europe was considered to be a responsibility and a sign of one’s piety. This charity was, generally, in the form of direct relief (i.e. money, food, etc.). 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 and developed different responses to the different groups formed in this way.
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. This led to many social problems, which in turn led to an increase in social activism.[3] Also with the dawn of the 19th century came a great “missionary” push from many Protestant denominations. Some of the mission efforts (urban missions), attempted to resolve the problems (poverty, prostitution, disease, etc.) inherent in large cities. These “friendly visitors”, stipended by church and other charitable bodies, worked through direct relief, prayer, and evangelism to alleviate these problems.[2] In Europe, chaplains or almoners were appointed to administrate the church’s mission to the poor.
During this time, rescue societies were initiated to find more appropriate means of self-support for women involved in prostitution. Mental asylums grew to assist in taking care of the mentally ill. A new philosophy of "scientific charity" which stated charity should be "secular, rational and empirical as opposed to sectarian, sentimental, and dogmatic." (James Leiby)[4] In the late 1880s, a new system to provide aid for social ills popped up, that would become known as the settlement movement.[5] The settlement movement focused on the causes of poverty. They did this 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, this 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.[6]
Schools of social work and formalized processes began to spring up. However, 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 was not because it lacked specialized knowledge and specific application of theoretical and intellectual knowledge to solve human and social problems.[7] This led to the professionalization of social work, concentrating on case work and the scientific method.
[edit] 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."[8]
The current state of social work professional development is characterized by two realities. There is a great deal of traditional research, both qualitative and quantitative being carried out, primarily by university-based researchers, but also in different fields, by researchers based in institutes, foundations, or social service agencies. Meanwhile, the majority of social work practitioners continue to look elsewhere for knowledge. This is a state of affairs that has persisted since the outset of the profession in the first decade of the twentieth century.[6] In other places, the professional association sets academic and experiential requirements for admission to membership. The success of these professional bodies' effort to establish these requirements is demonstrated in the fact that these same requirements are recognized by many employers as necessary for employment.[9]
[edit] Role of the professional
Professional social workers have a strong tradition of working for 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 have chosen to 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 are 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.
[edit] Professional associations
There are 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).
On a national level there are organizations regulating the profession, as well. Some of these are the National Association of Social Workers (U.S.), the British Association of Social Workers (U.K.), the Australian Association of Social Workers (Australia), and the Professional Social Workers' Association (India).
[edit] Types of professional intervention
There are three levels of intervention:
- Micro (individual & family)
- Mezzo (agency & small groups)
- Macro (societies, organizations & communities)
[edit] Clinical or direct practice
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[edit] Community practice
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[edit] Fields of professional practice (direct and community levels and academic level)
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Religion. Middle School Lesson Plans. Global Envision. Retrieved on 2008-04-09.
- ^ a b Huff, Dan. Chapter I. Scientific Philanthropy (1860-1900). The Social Work History Station. Boise State University. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Social Work History. University of Edinburgh. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Huff, Dan. Chapter I.2 Missionaries & Volunteers. The Social Work History Station. Boise State University. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ Huff, Dan. Chapter II. Settlements (1880-1900). The Social Work History Station. Boise State University. Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
- ^ a b Parker-Oliver, Debra; Demiris, George (April 2006). "Social Work Informatics: A New Specialty". Social Work 51 (2): 127-134. National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ From Charitable Volunteers to Architects of Social Welfare: A Brief History of Social Work. University of Michigan. Retrieved on 2007-02-20.
- ^ Definition of Social Work. IFSW General Meeting in Montréal, Canada, July 2000. International Federation of Social Workers (04/10/2005). Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ Catholic Social Workers National Association.
[edit] External links
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- Social Work Manifesto
- Definition of Social Work Adopted July 2000 by the International Federation of Social Workers. German translation also available at: Austrian National Federation of Social Workers
- Social Work & Society - Online Journal for Social Work and Social Policy. Open Access and Non-Governmental
- The New Social Worker Online
- Micro, Mezzo, & Macro Practice Skills From Northwestern State University's Department of Social Work.
- Social Care Online UK based database. Includes a social care taxonomy and a comprehensive list of social care organizations in the UK.
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