SOCIAL WORK

ASSIGNMENT
SUBMITTED TO SIR ARSHAD

YASMEEN ARSHAD
ROLL NO: 27
 What is the role of Social Worker?

History of social work:

Originating in volunteer efforts for social betterment in the late 19th century in Europe and
North America, social work became an occupation in the early 20th century and achieved professional
status by the 1920s. The 1930 census classified social work as a profession for the first time. Social work
began as one of several attempts to address the social question, the paradox of increasing poverty in an
increasingly productive and prosperous economy. Social workers initially focused on poverty, but were
increasingly concerned with the problems of children and families in the 1920s. By the 1930s, the new
occupation had achieved professional status as a personal service profession, as a result of the growth
of professional organizations, educational programs, and publications (Walker, 1933). But depression
and war refocused professional concerns on poverty, as the crises of the Great Depression and World
War II demanded the attention of social workers. After the war, mental health concerns became
important as programs for veterans and the general public emphasized the provision of inpatient and
outpatient mental health services. In the 1960s, social workers again confronted the problem of poverty
and continued to grow as a profession, so that by the 21st century, social work was licensed in all 50
states. Since then, the number of social workers has grown even as the profession's influence on social
welfare policy has waned.

Introduction:
Social workers are responsible for helping individuals, families, and
groups of people to cope with problems they're facing to improve their patients'
lives. One aspect of this is teaching skills and developing mechanisms for patients
to rely on to better their lives and experiences. Social workers can expect to
perform the following tasks/functions: advocating for care, protecting the
vulnerable, providing psychotherapy as defined as “assessment, diagnosis, or
treatment of mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders, conditions, addictions,
or other biopsychosocial problems.”
Role of the social worker:
Being a social worker is often a challenging, yet rewarding career. Social workers are
responsible for helping individuals, families, and groups of people to cope with problems they’re facing
to improve their patients’ lives. One aspect of this is teaching skills and developing mechanisms for
patients to rely on to better their lives and experiences.

 Skills
 Specializations
 Other Social Work Task
 However, many social workers find that direct counseling of patients, families, and groups is
only one aspect of their broader set of responsibilities. Social workers will often serve as liaisons
between different institutions to assist patients and collaborate with other health professionals
to ensure patient wellness. They will become familiar with, and refer clients to, community
resources. Social workers address legal issues, such as assisting with hearings and providing
testimony relating to their patients. They also engage in research, policy development and
advocacy for services. And of course, social workers must maintain case history records and
prepare reports. Social work can be the kind of job that requires a great deal of overtime, and
separating the emotional aspects of the job from the duties required can be a difficult
undertaking. But there are plenty of resources, including websites, books and social media
users, that can offer great advice.

Skills:

In dealing with the multitude of problems that social workers address, they must employ a variety of
skills depending on the job that needs to get done. While some of these skills may be natural, many of
them are honed while a social worker earns his or her bachelor’s or master’s degree. Below is a list of
traits that a well-trained social worker might employ while assisting and guiding a client from o*net
online.

 Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to
understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at
inappropriate times.
 Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as
they do.
 Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
 Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
 Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
 Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related
documents.
 Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
 Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
 Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to
develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
 Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential
actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Specializations:
Within the field of social work, there are many different specializations and industries that professionals
can pursue and focus on. While these different fields all require practitioners to show the cornerstones
of social work: empathy, flexibility, and persistence, and respect for different circumstances; there are
some skill sets and knowledge that social workers will need to utilize in order to become the as effective
at their jobs as possible. Social workers can be required to aid with issues directly caused by trauma,
disability, poor family circumstances, abuse, mental and emotional problems, addiction, and acute,
chronic, or terminal illnesses. Some social workers prefer to focus their skills on one area of expertise by
going into specific fields.

 Family, child or school social work involves providing assistance and advocacy to improve social
and psychological functioning of children and their families. These social workers attempt to
maximize academic functioning of children as well as improving the family’s overall well-being.
These professionals may assist parents, locate foster homes, help to arrange adoptions, and
address abuse. In schools they address problems such as truancy, bad behavior, teenage
pregnancy, drug use, and poor grades. They also advice teachers and act as liaisons between
students, homes, schools, courts, protective services, and other institutions.
 Public health social workers are often responsible for helping people who have been diagnosed
with chronic, life threatening or altering diseases and disorders, helping connect patients with
plans and resources in order to help them cope. One of the most difficult things a person can go
through is dealing with acute, chronic, and terminal illnesses and these social workers provide
services to ease these patients’ process. These services include advising family care givers,
providing patient education and counseling, making referrals to other services, case
management interventions, planning hospital discharge, and organizing support groups. These
social workers are often employed at health care centers, assisted living homes or in hospitals.
 Addictions and mental health social workers offer support and services to those struggling with
unhealthy grounding techniques, connecting them with facilities that serve to teach healthier
behaviors and get patients back on track. These patients often struggle with mental and
emotional problems as well as addictions and substance abuse problems. Services that mental
health and substance abuse social workers provide include individual and group counseling,
intervening during crises, case management, client advocacy, prevention, and education. They
also focus on counseling families to assist in understanding and dealing with the patient’s
problems.

Other Social Work Tasks:

Accomplishing administrative duties and diligently completing paperwork are generally a requirement
for social workers, no matter what their specialization is. Social workers are generally employed from 9-
5, but those who offer emergency services in hospitals and other industries can also be assigned to shift
work. For many social workers, outside visits and meetings are a constant challenge, as well as high case
loads and understaffing. These obligations can often make it seem as though a social worker’s job is
never done, but the most successful professionals relish the challenge. Many social workers find that
despite these obstacles and the difficulties presented by these strains, this field can be a very satisfying
career path.

In case you’re still unsure of what exactly a social worker does on a daily basis, peruse the helpful list of
responsibilities and duties below, provided by net online, to get a better idea of what the job is all about.

 Collaborate with other professionals to evaluate patients’ medical or physical condition and to
assess client needs.
  Advocate for clients or patients to resolve crises.
 Refer patient, client, or family to community resources to assist in recovery from mental or
physical illness and to provide access to services such as financial assistance, legal aid, housing,
job placement or education.
 Investigate child abuse or neglect cases and take authorized protective action when necessary.
 Counsel clients and patients in individual and group sessions to help them overcome
dependencies, recover from illness, and adjust to life.
 Plan discharge from care facility to home or other care facility.
 Monitor, evaluate, and record client progress according to measurable goals described in
treatment and care plan.
 Identify environmental impediments to client or patient progress through interviews and review
of patient records.
 Organize support groups or counsel family members to assist them in understanding, dealing
with, and supporting the client or patient.

Responsibilities of Social Workers:

Research indicates that people who feel a higher calling in their job tend to be the most content with
their career. By and large, people want to make the world a better place through their daily work. It's no
surprise then, that social work is projected to be one of the fastest growing career segments in the
coming years.

You might know that social workers make a difference in their communities, but how exactly? What is
the purpose of a social worker, and what can their day to day look like? Here are five facts to consider
before you decide to pursue a career in social work.

Social Worker Roles Aren't Always Clinical:

About half of all social workers find work in the healthcare or social assistance sectors, and another 30
percent work in government at the state or local levels.3 Some work as patient advocates in hospitals,
others work in high schools or colleges. Others may serve disadvantaged populations, or might work
exclusively with young people.

No matter a social worker’s role or place of employment, it is certain they'll spend their days working
with clients in need as advocates, counselors or educators. There is no typical client for a social worker,
so days might be spent helping clients seek to solve problems, from psychological issues to problems
obtaining public assistance. Some social workers focus on substance abuse issues, while some engage
exclusively with families and children. Though some are clinicians, that is far from the only path for a
social worker.

Social Workers Delight in Building Relationships:

People pursue social work for all kinds of reasons, but one thing that seems to bind them together is a
passion for developing meaningful relationships. Many social workers will tell you that the best part of
their job is making a difference in the life of even one person who is socially marginalized.

Social Workers Are Consummate Communicators:

Social workers rate active listening as one of the most important skills you can develop if you wish to
join their ranks. Second to that are skills like oral expression, problem sensitivity and strong reading and
writing comprehension. As a social worker, your primary responsibility will be to help your clients solve
problems. To do that well requires a great deal of sensitivity, but also the ability to synthesize
information, and to really understand what is underlying your client's needs. That requires solid
communication skills.

Social Work Can Be Emotionally Risky:

Social work isn't a job for somebody who has trouble coping with stress. A 1998 report suggested that
nearly half of all social workers take their work home with them, meaning they're still thinking about
their clients even when they're off the clock.4 Because of the intimate and sometimes traumatic nature
of their client's issues, social workers can suffer from what is known as "compassion fatigue."5 While
caring for others is a prerequisite for the field, an inability to manage personal stress could be a major
liability for a social worker. With that in mind, one of the critical responsibilities for social workers is the
ability to manage personal mental and emotional health.

Social Worker: A professional YOU can be proud to be!