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[The Professionals and Practitioners in Social Work]

The Professionals and Practitioners in Social

Work

At the end of the topic the students should be able to:

1. Define the roles, functions, and competencies of social work;
2. Distinguish the areas of specialization of social work;
3. Be familiar with career opportunities of social work;
4. Describe the rights, responsibilities, and accountabilities of social
work; and
5. Explain the Code of Ethics of social work

Defining the Roles, Functions and Competencies of Social Work

According to Segal, Gerdes & Steiner (2005) Social work as a profession has
evolved over time but its enduring feature as a helping profession is “the dual
aims of helping individuals fit better into their environments, typically
known as micro practice, and changing the environment so that it works
better for individuals, referred to as macro practice”

Roles of Social Work

These provide direction for professional activities and are best situated in
the context of client system (DuBois & Miley 2008). The roles are generally
interwoven with functions but DuBois and Miley (2008) have provided
elements that can be distinctively viewed as role rather than functions. For
individuals and families, their role is that of an enabler helping people find
solutions.

Functions of Social Work

These speak of main activities professionally performed by social workers.
DuBois and Miley (2008).
1. Counsel with individuals, facilitate groups, work with families, refine
agency procedures, initiate new programs, lobby for legislative
changes, organize community action, educate the public, conduct
needs assessments, and evaluate practice and programs at various
system levels and targets of change or social transformation;
2. Enhance social functioning of individuals, families, groups,
organizations, and communities;
3. Link clients systems with needed resources;
4. Improve the operations of the social service delivery network; and
 5. Promote social justice through development of social policy

Competencies of Social Work

These cover over all necessary skills and personally qualities needed by the
profession to perform their various roles and skills. Foundationally, social
work requires the following abilities and skills (DuBois & Miley 2008).
1. think critically;
2. build and sustain relationship ;
3. execute empowering processes;
4. use practical methods;
5. analyze policies;
6. communicate effectively;
7. strong cultural and intercultural competence;
8. good computer literacy;
9. conduct research;
10. do social planning;
11. perform crisis interventions; and
12. sound time management

On the other hand Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner (2005) suggest a cost of
functional competencies tat social workers should be capable of, such as:
1. handle case management with various clients and population
groups;
2. perform direct practice depending on the needs of the client and
the environment in which the social worker operate;
3. conduct mediations among parties specially where one party is
socially disadvantaged;
4. make referrals to appropriate agencies and service sectors needed
by the client;
5. in gerontological context, perform program planning and
administration in numerous settings;
6. in mental health setting, function as case managers, advocates,
administrators, therapists, and to use research as basis for
problem-solving and choice of intervention in empirically based
practice;
7. in school system, analyze the transactions between students,
teacher, parents, and the school system;
8. in the judicial system, make the system more fair and beneficial to
both convicted criminals and their victims; and
9. pursue social change on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed
individuals, eliminating economic inequality and poverty.
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[The Professionals and Practitioners in Social Work]

Areas of Specialization of Social Work

Professional social work requires full professional training with college
degree and in a number of cases, requires a person to have a master’s or
doctor’s degree in social work. Social work specializations cover five major
fields (Hartman, 2015):
1. Family and child welfare
2. Health
3. Mental health
4. Corrections
5. Schools

Career Opportunities of Social Work

Social work careers span a wide variety or job opportunities in both public
and private practice. Social workers can directly work with people they serve
and it is common for them to volunteer their services.

According to Hartman (2015) these are the career opportunities :

1. Administrators
2. Supervisors
3. Planners
4. Researchers
5. Teachers
6. Child welfare administration
7. Elderly care services
8. Financial assistance
9. Medical care for the elderly
10. Work in clinics and community treatment
11. Work in public housing projects
12. Find dwellings for families made homeless by urban cities
13. Work as social planning practitioners

According to DuBois and Miley (2008) these are the areas of opportunities:
1. Home health
2. Aging services
3. Mental health
4. Criminal justice
5. Rehabilitation
6. School linked services
7. Forensic social work
8. Corporate-based employee assistance
 9. International practice and political social work
10. Neighborhood based
11. Multidisciplinary service centers
12. Public assistance
13. Employment services
14. Literacy programs
15. Family-centered services
16. Juvenile court services
17. Health care

Rights, Responsibilities, and Accountabilities of Social Work

The rights of social work are partially outlined. Social work foremost rights
include:
Right to fulfill professional mandates and to live by its values. Its
responsibilities cover those that pertain to the dispensation of its basic
functions, roles, professional standards, and adherence to its local and
international codes of ethics. Social work is accountable to the clients, the
general public, and the society.

Responsibilities of social workers working within their field of specialization

are to help children, assist those life threatening problems, or aid people in
overcoming addictions. Its responsibility of social worker to protect and
uphold respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people as expressed
in the United Nations Universal Declarations of Human Rights (1948).

Accountability of social worker is to the clients, colleagues, employers,

professionals associations, and to the law. Social workers are accountable for
their actions to tee values and principles of the profession, which require
them to act in a reliable, honest, and trustworthy manner.

Code of Ethics of Social Work

The code of ethics specifies the standards of ethics, conduct, and
performance expected to registered social workers. It is a duty of a social
worker to always protect the health and well-being of people who avail of the
services.
A sample of ethical principles and ethical standards ere are adapted from the
Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers
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1. Value : Service
Ethical Principle: Social workers’’ primary goal is to help people in
need and to address social problems.
2. Value : Social Justice
Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice
3. Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and
worth of the person
4. Value: Importance of Relationships
Ethical Principle: social workers recognize the central importance of
human relationships.
5. Value: Integrity
Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner
6. Value: Competence
Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of
competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.

Ethical Standards
These following ethical standards relevant to the professional activities of all
social workers:
1. To clients
2. To colleagues
3. In practice settings
4. As professionals
5. To the social work profession
6. To the broader society

Guidelines for Professional Conduct

The following guidelines for professional conduct reflect the spirit of a code
of ethics. It consists the ethical specifics in the professional conduct of social
workers called from the Code of Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social
Workers devised by the Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) at CORU
(2011) and the Ethics in Social Statement of Principles by the International
Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) (2004)
 1. Social workers are expected to uphold human rights in their practice.
2. Social workers should respect the rights and dignity of people.
3. Social workers should respect relationships of people who use their
services.
4. Social workers should promote social justice.
5. Social workers should comply with the laws and regulations
governing their practice.
6. Social workers should carry out their duties professionally and
ethically.
7. Social workers should demonstrate ethical awareness.
8. Social workers should demonstrate professional accountability.
9. Social workers should act in the best interest of people who use their
services.
10. Social workers should communicate with people who use their
services, careers, and professionals.
11. Social workers should seek informed consent of people who use their
services.
12. Social workers should keep accurate records.
13. Social workers should deal appropriately wit health and safety risks.
14. Social workers should willingly collaborate, delegate, and manage
appropriately.
15. Social workers should undertake research ethically
16. Social workers should maintain high standards of personal conduct.
17. Social workers should act with integrity. This means that they should
not abuse the relationship of the trust with people using their
services; they should recognize the boundaries between personal and
professional life, and they should not abuse their position for personal
benefit or gain.
18. Social workers should provide accurate information about their
services as confidential except in situations that call for greater ethical
requirement such as preservation of life.
19. Social workers should treat information about people who use their
services as confidential except in situations that call for grater ethical
requirement such as preservation of life.
20. Social workers should act within the limits of their professional
knowledge, skills, and experience.
21. Social workers should keep their professional knowledge and skills up
to date so that they are able to provide appropriate services.

Glossary
Areas of Specialization of Social Work – these are the areas of social worker
which focus is for the benefit of others.
Competencies of Social Work – these are the list of competencies of what is
expected to the social worker.
Functions of Social Work – these are the list of functions of social work that is
based from what is standard.
Roles of Social Work –these are the list of role of social work based form
what is standards
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[The Professionals and Practitioners in Social Work]

References
Dela Cruz, A. et al. (2017), Disciplines and ideas in Social Sciences (Padayon)
Series) Rex Book Store, Inc.
Mendoza, D.J. et al., (2016), Discipline and Ideas in Applied Social Sciences,
Phoenix Publishing House.
Sampa, E.M. (2017) Discipline and Ideas in Applied Social Science, Rex
Bookstore, Inc. First Edtion.
Tatel, C.P. (2017) Discipline and Ideas in Applied Social Sciences, Rex Book
Store, Inc. First Edition.