• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 5
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
S.Rengasamy. Introduction to Professional Social Work
2
Principles, Philosophy,Ethics & History ofProfessional Social Work
Profession
Definition
 A professional is a worker required to possess a large body of knowledge derived from extensiveacademic study (usually tertiary= University), with thetraining almost always formalized.Professions are at least to a degree self-regulating, in that they control the training and evaluationprocesses that admit new persons to the field, and in judging whether the work done by theirmembers is up to standard. This differs from other kinds of work where regulation (if considerednecessary) is imposed by the state, or where official quality standards are often lacking.Typically a professional provides aservice (in exchange for payment orsalary), in accordance withestablished protocols for licensing,ethics, procedures, standards of service and training / certification.The above definitions were echoedby economist and sociologist MaxWeber, who noted that professionsare defined by the power to excludeand control admission to theprofession, as well as by thedevelopment of a particularvocabulary specific to theoccupation, and at least somewhatincomprehensible to outsiders.
Professions Vs Trades/Crafts
In narrow usage, not all expertise isconsidered a profession. Althoughsometimes referred to asprofessions, such occupations asskilled construction work are more generally thought of as trades or crafts. The completion of anapprenticeship is generally associated with skilled labor or trades such as carpenter, electrician,plumber, and other similar occupations. A related (though not always valid) distinction would be thata professional does mainly mental or administrative work, as opposed to engaging in physical work.Many companies include theword professional in their company name to signify the quality of theirworkmanship or service.(e.g., Finance Managers).
Profession:
 An occupation whose core element is work based upon the
mastery of a complexbody of knowledge and skills.
It is a vocation in which
knowledge
of some department of science or learning or the practice of an art founded upon it is
used in the service of others.
Itsmembers are governed by codes of ethics and profess a commitment to competence, integrity andmorality, altruism, and the promotion of the public good within their domain. These
commitmentsform the basis of a social contract between a profession and society,
which in return grantsthe profession a monopoly over the use of its knowledge base, the right to considerable autonomy in
Historical trends
Charity and help is a characteristic of all societies
Many civilisations have a strong emphasis on authority andsocial order through loyalty to family, community andtraditional structures
Medieval Europe: poverty and charity
!600s, 1700s: Renaissance, Reformation, some state assistance
Late 1800s, early 1900s: States responsible for social help(Idealism)
Mid-1900s: welfare states (post-war,post-depression)
Late 1900s: Economic pressure on state responsibility:managerialist, neo-conservative response
Sourcesof UK social work 
Church, charity, dependence, public disorder
Church adapts to industrialisation, urbanisation
Municipalisation and the local bureaucratic elite
Reform, rescue and secularisation
Main origins:
Poor Law
Insurance, working-class mutual help
Charity Organisation Movement
Settlements
Emergence of social work > casework, groupwork, communitywork 
Depression, war, welfare states, cold war
Neoconservative, rationalist, managerialist policies
 
S.Rengasamy. Introduction to Professional Social Work
3
practice and the privilege of self-regulation.
Professions and their members are accountable tothose served and to society.
The term
profession derives from the Latin: "to swear (an oath)".
The oath referred todictates adherence to ethical standards, which invariably include practitioner/client confidentiality,truthfulness, and the striving to be an expert in one's calling, all three of these being practiced aboveall for the benefit of the client. There is also a stipulation about upholding the good name of theprofession.
The term profession thus refers to an occupation, vocation or high-status career, usuallyinvolving prolonged academic training, formal qualifications and membership of aprofessional or regulatory body.
Professions involve the application of specialized knowledge of asubject, field, or science to fee-paying clientele.It is axiomatic that "professional activity involvessystematic knowledge and proficiency. "Professions are usually regulated by professional bodies thatmay set examinations of competence, act as a licensing authority for practitioners, and enforceadherence to an ethical code of practice.Contents1 Examples of the professions2 Formation of a profession3 Regulations4 Autonomy5 Status and prestige6 Power7 History8 Gender inequality9 Racial inequality10 Characteristics of a profession
Examples of the professions
Professions include, for example: Dentists, Doctors/Surgeons, Lawyers, Accountants, Vets,Pharmacists, Engineers, Teachers, Diplomats, Software Engineers, Commissioned Officers, Professors,Clergy, Town & Transport Planners, Architects, Pilots, Physical Therapists, Librarians, Social Workers,and some other specialized technical occupations.
Formation of a profession
 A profession arises when any trade or occupation transforms itself through "the development of formal qualifications based upon education and examinations, the emergence of regulatory bodieswith powers to admit and discipline members, and some degree of monopoly rights."The process by which a profession arises from a trade or occupation is often termedprofessionalization and has been described as one, "starting with the establishment of the activity asa full-time occupation, progressing through the establishment of training schools and university links,the formation of a professional organization, and the struggle to gain legal support for exclusion, andculminating with the formation of a formal code of ethics."
Regulation
Regulation enforced by statute distinguishesa profession from other occupations represented bytrade groups who aspire to professional status for their members.In all countries, professions havetheir regulatory or professional bodies, whose function is to define, promote, oversee, support andregulate the affairs of its members. For some professions there may be several such bodies.
 Autonomy
Professions tend to be autonomous, which means they have a high degree of control of their ownaffairs: "professionals are autonomous insofar as they can make independent judgments about theirwork"
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
indujoy

excellent work.... it will help everyone who takes Social Work as a serious profession.

replyabout 14 hours ago
Suman Sarkar

Mind blowing Article. Thank you many many times.

reply02 / 29 / 2012
03 / 29 / 2010This doucment made it onto the Rising List!
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...