SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

First Semester S.Y. 2020-2021

MODULE 8
DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL
SCIENCES

Name: _______________________________ Date :__________

Grade/Section: ________________________ Week : 8
Track/Strand: _________________________
CLIENTELE AND AUDIENCES IN SOCIAL WORK
INTRODUCTION

Social work and social policy clients constitutes a most central key stakeholder in
the field of welfare, albeit one whose voice has not been heard sufficiently neither in the
social work and social policy research and practice literature, nor in the media. The
latter tends to interview members of this group whenever there is a new media scandal,
as part of what becomes often a sensational narrative, rather than a narrative aimed at
understanding the perspective of citizens who use social care services and are affected
by welfare policies. (https://www.herts.ac.uk/swmr/social-workers)

The social worker-client relationship has been described as the “soul” (Biestek,
1957 in Coady, 1993), the “heart” (Perlman, 1979 in Coady, 1993) and the “major
determinant” (Hollis, 1970 in Coady, 1993) of social work intervention. Historically
within social work, the relationship that exists between worker and client has been
viewed as the most integral element and distinguishing feature of the profession. In
Proctor (1982), Biestek (1957) compares the importance of the worker-client relationship
within social work to that of other professions. He states that a good interpersonal
relationship is desirable but not necessary for professions such as medicine and law.
Biestek goes on to place greater value on the worker-client relationship specific to the
social work profession by stating, “A good relationship is necessary not only for the
perfection, but also for the essence of casework service in every setting”. Despite the
apparent importance of the relationship between social worker and client, the very
nature of this relationship is one that poses complexity and challenge to practicing
social workers. This edition of Practice Matters will review the characteristics of the
social worker-client relationship by defining the client. Ethical quandaries that social
workers face in practice specific to the social worker-client relationship will be
discussed. (https://nlasw.ca/sites/default/files/inline-files/Practice_Matters%20-
_Social_Worker_Client_Relationship.pdf)

CONTENT
1. Clientele and audiences in social work.
STANDARD:

PERFORMANCE  Use acceptable research protocols, conduct a survey among

STANDARD: young adults (i.e., ages 18–21) on their social work needs

LEARNING
 Describe the clientele and audience of social work.
COMPETENCIES
 Distinguish the needs of individuals, groups, organizations and
:
communities.
 Describe the clientele and audience of social work.
OBJECTIVES:  Distinguish the needs of individuals, groups, organizations and
communities.

II - PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY
 “SCENARIO” https://nlasw.ca/sites/default/files/inline-files/Practice_Matters%20-_Social_Worker_Client_Relationship.pdf

Determining who the client is and establishing the appropriate boundaries within
the context of the professional relationship isn’t always clear. Ethical dilemmas often
arise when working with clients. These situations require critical thought and the use of
professional judgment before proceeding.
Consider the following case scenarios:

Scenario #1 - The Dual Relationship

Suzy, RSW is the only social worker in a health centre located in a small rural
community. She has just received a referral to see a client needing assistance to access
financial support and mental health counseling. The client is her cousin. Suzy wonders
how she should respond to the referral.

What will you do?

Scenario #2 - The Professional Boundary

John, RSW has been providing social work services to a client for the past two
years. Although most of the goals for service have been met, John continues to see the
client as he relates to the client on a personal level because of shared life experiences.
The client views John as his friend. The client is facing financial strain and has
approached John asking to borrow money.

What will you do?

III - LESSON PROPER

CHARACTERISTICS AND NEEDS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF CLIENTELE AND

AUDIENCES
(Adapted from: https://prezi.com/jvn5a3mdy_wl/clientelle-and-audiences-in-social-work/and Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Science Ritchel B. Serano and Christian R. Ranche)

TYPES OF CLIENTS

 Global
 Community
 Group
 Individual

SOCIAL WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS

It goes into micro level of the social system. The approach intended for individuals
is clinical social work or direct practice. Clinical Social Work is a method of practice
employed by thousands of social workers in a wide variety of social services,
institutional settings and private practice.
CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK

 Practices the goal of enhancement and maintenance of psychosocial functioning

 of individuals, families and small groups.
 It is the professional application of social work theory and methods to the
treatment and preventions of:
 Psychosocial dysfunction
 Disability or impairment
 Emotional and mental disorder

SOCIAL WORK WITH GROUPS

A method used by social worker is called GROUP WORK. Group work is a

method of working with people in groups for:
□ Skills development
□ Personal growth through insight
□ Enhancement of social function
□ Achievement of socially desirable goals
□ Accomplishment of task

It is a method of reducing and eliminating roadblocks to social interaction and

accomplishing socially desirable purposes.

SOCIAL WORK WITH COMMUNITIES

Communities are made up of diverse groups of people. Individuals who share a

culture, a hobby, attend the same school or even use the same park can all be
considered types of communities. The role of a community social worker is to unite
members of these groups to work toward a common goal, so the community can
function effectively.

Community social workers achieve this by working alongside with individuals

and groups. Those working within the field of community social work may conduct
needs assessments, plan or administer programs, or allocate resources to the
community.

Community social work is unique because the community often actively works
alongside the social workers. The group of people who are affected by the issue in
question are naturally invested and passionate in reaching a resolution.

Community social workers help communities function. Some work directly with
individuals, conducting needs assessments and making referrals to resources in the
community. Others assess needs on a larger scale. They may plan and administer
programs.

One type of community social work practice is community organization. Social

workers may be community builders or community organizers. They may be employed
by various nonprofits and grassroots organizations to raise funds, write grants, and
drum up support, plan infrastructure. Dr. Mizrahi of the Hunter College School of
Social Work (CUNY) has written that many people don’t realize they can work on these
sorts of projects as a living (not just in their spare time). A social work degree is not a
requirement for community organizing, but does provide a direct path into the field.
Jane Addams, Mirzahi notes, could be considered a community organizer.

Service transcends borders. Social workers may work for international

organizations and even travel to distant lands. There is a particular need for social
workers when traditional support structures fail in the wake of war or natural disaster.
Social workers not only help people with immediate needs, but set up systems that will
endure after they leave. The situations they encounter can be heartbreaking: children
who have become mute or otherwise regressed because of atrocities they have
witnessed, adults who think they are seeing the results of witchcraft or that there is
simply no help to be offered.

SOCIAL WORK WITH GLOBAL

What is International Social Work?

According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), international
social work deals with universal problems experienced by people around the world.
There are actually many employment opportunities within this important field.

GLOBAL SOCIAL WORK

Global social work deals with problems that are caused between countries, that
occur across national boundaries or that are issues that countries work together to
collectively solve. International social workers focus on problems that affect billions of
people spread throughout in over 300 countries and districts. While international social
workers do not attach any special value and importance to any specific country or
people, they firmly stand against xenophobia and ethnocentrism. They are concerned
with bigger issues, like how to effectively intervene, ameliorate and solve local
problems and life difficulties experienced by people around the world.

CHILD RIGHTS

One of the most important global issues is child rights and protection. Social
workers around the world strive to uphold the fundamental human rights of children.
They provide support to vulnerable populations, such as exploited, trafficked, and
impoverished and HIV/AIDS affected children. They deal with abuse, child labor, gang
activities and indifferent local authorizes. They promote psychosocial well-being,
education, family unity, separation prevention, social development and access to basic
health care. Social workers usually focus on the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child (CRC) and they may even find employment through the UNICEF
program.
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE

Some international social workers focus on temporary or permanent foreign

assistance programs. They contribute their knowledge and skills to developing areas
during disaster relief and development initiatives. For example, they usually help out
during international disasters, such as earthquakes and hurricanes, in foreign countries.
These social workers deal with civil-military issues, aid effectiveness, foreign assistance
reform and local policy change. They advocate for more effective and sustainable
programs that protect human rights, safety and dignity. These social workers may work
for non-profit humanitarian groups like InterAction's Foreign Assistance Reform
program, the Center for Global Development Resources and the Aid Effectiveness'
Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network.

GENDER EQUITY

There are many international initiatives that promote gender equity, such as the
United Nation's third Millennium Development Goal (MDG), the promotion of gender
equity and empowerment of women, and the globally ratified Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women. Social workers focus on minimizing
prejudice directed against women that damages their social, emotional, and economic
well-being. Many Americans aren't aware that many women in developing countries
around the world face extreme discrimination when it comes to simple things like
owning property, starting a business and even applying for a driver's license.

ADDITIONAL AREAS OF INTEREST

International social workers focus on global health and dealing with health
epidemics in poor countries. Common health issues include HIV/AIDS, family
planning and reproductive health. Immigration and refugee rights are becoming a
sensitive political issue in the U.S. International social workers act as both policy
advocates and direct service providers to immigrant and refugee populations. They
may coordinate community support programs for refugee families, or they may carry
out research that advocates for stronger refugee resettlement services.

International social work is an extremely important field of work that always

needs qualified and dedicated workers. Anyone who wants to become a social worker
will need to have at least an accredited and NASW approved bachelor's degree in social
work.

HOW DOES A SOCIAL WORKER INTERACT?

One of the broadest goals of social work is helping people in need. Social workers
offer a variety of services to help accomplish this goal, including psychotherapy,
advocacy and crisis intervention. By interacting with clients, families and groups, as
well as other professionals and society as a whole, social workers aim to help people
connect with needed resources and improve their lives.

INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES

Social workers interact with individuals and families in a variety of ways. They
help clients deal with everyday problems such as financial issues or job stress, intervene
in crisis situations such as suicide or child abuse, and help clients locate social services
and other needed resources. Some of the key ways social workers interact on this level
is by providing assessments, counseling and advocacy. They meet with clients to
determine the nature of their problems and help them decide the best way of
addressing their needs. This might be accomplished by offering psychotherapy or
referrals for social services, like food stamps or housing, or by advocating for clients
who are unable to speak up for themselves, such as those with severe mental illness or
other types of disabilities.

GROUPS

Interacting with groups is a broader way that social workers help clients meet
certain needs. According to social work professors Ronald W. Toseland and Robert F.
Rivas in their book, "An Introduction to Group Work Practice," one of the most
important tasks of social work is to promote healthy group dynamics and help groups
achieve some of their goals. For example, they might provide group counseling to
bereaved parents, or lead educational seminars on violence prevention or drug and
alcohol abuse.

OTHER PROFESSIONALS

Professional contact helps social workers accomplish specific tasks. They interact
with other social workers to help expand their knowledge base and stay current with
changes to the profession. Depending on their practice setting, they might also interact
with other professionals, such as doctors, nurses, counselors or social services workers,
to help clients obtain services or advocate for their clients' needs. For example, hospital
social workers might contact their local department of social services to help uninsured
clients apply for Medicaid. Clinical social workers might discuss a client's case with his
psychiatrist or medical doctor.

SOCIETY

Social workers also interact with society on many different levels to help make
broad-scale changes, such as developing social policies or fighting for human rights and
social justice. They might help with community organization, participate in political
protests or contact government officials to promote changes to legislation. On a global
level, international social workers interact with different community leaders to help
people obtain basic necessities like food, shelter and water, or to help oppressed or war-
torn communities recover from the effects of violence, poverty, famine or disease.

SKILLS EVERY SOCIAL WORKER NEEDS

 Social work is a demanding and varied profession, often requiring a practitioner
to wear many hats on any given day: adviser, therapist, caretaker, administrator,
clinician and many others. Though these diverse roles might seem to require an almost
limitless range of knowledge and expertise, a social worker with a well-rounded set of
basic social work skills will function well in most situations. Here are 10 qualities every
social worker should practice and possess:

1. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to identify with or vicariously experience another person’s

situation. Empathizing is both an intellectual and emotional process that makes it far
easier to understand and help others solve their problems. Most social workers are
empathetic by nature; in fact, empathy is a major reason people enter the profession.

2. Boundary Setting

In addition to being empathetic, a social worker must also maintain the capacity to
set boundaries and accept the limits of what can be accomplished during a specified
period of time. The nature of this challenging profession can be all consuming,
especially for those who sense their work is never truly complete. Establishing
boundaries and setting milestones can help set expectations that are more easily
accepted.

3. Active Listening

The ability to listen carefully, ask pertinent questions and retain verbally
transmitted information is vital to the counseling aspect of social work. It’s how we
establish trust, open doors and discover valuable details about the individuals who seek
our help in understanding their unique circumstances.

4. Social Perceptiveness

In addition to receiving and processing verbal information, a social worker must be

sensitive to body language, social cues, implications and cultural patterns of behavior.
While some clients may clearly state their needs and work toward solutions in a focused
manner, many others will find it more challenging to express themselves verbally,
requiring a perceptive social worker to “read between the lines” in order to interpret the
thoughts and feelings being held within.

5. Self-Awareness

Social workers routinely receive feedback on their performance from clients,

supervisors and other sources, but there is no substitute for self-awareness. Being able
to evaluate one’s own performance and work toward improving it (while also taking
valid criticism and praise into account) is an invaluable skill.
6. Organization
 Social workers are often required to deal with busy schedules, heavy caseloads
and gratuitous paperwork. Successfully managing and prioritizing the logistical aspects
of the job can help you maximize the amount of time you’ll have on your schedule to
provide meaningful services to your clients.

7. Coordination

The ability to coordinate communication and action among multiple parties is a

vital part of a social worker’s role in connecting clients with services.

8. Persuasion

Whether it’s to help a client change behavior, motivate a healthcare worker to

provide service or justify coverage of expenses to an insurance provider, the ability to
influence, coax or invite others to take action is invaluable to any social worker.

9. Cooperation

Just as often as gentle persuasion might solve a problem, active cooperation can
provide an alternative (and sometimes more efficient) route to a mutually satisfying
solution. Being able to negotiate, compromise and work well with others is essential to
the coordination of efforts required in social work.

10. Relaxation and De-compression

Social work is a deeply rewarding profession, but it can also be an incredibly

stressful one. In order to remain engaged and effective at work, it’s imperative to take
advantage of your personal time by focusing on and tending to your own needs.
Leaving your work at the office and enjoying yourself is as important for your own
well-being as it is for that of your clients.

By the very nature of who we are and what we do, most of the qualities and skills
identified here are innate to our own personalities. Acknowledge their importance and
maintain your capacity to leverage their advantages, and your future in the profession
will most certainly be meaningful and satisfying.

IV – ASSESSMENT

Type of Assessment

TEST I. Identification
 TEST II. Essay

Test I. Identification
Write the correct answer on the space provided.

1. It is a deeply rewarding profession, but it can also be an

incredibly stressful one.
2. It is a vital part of a social worker’s role in connecting clients
with services.
3. It is the ability to identify with or vicariously experience another
person’s situation.
4. It focus on global health and dealing with health epidemics in
poor countries.
5. Social workers focus on minimizing prejudice directed against
women that damages their social, emotional, and economic
well-being.
6. Social workers around the world strive to uphold the
fundamental human rights of children.
7. The approach intended for individuals is ______________.
8. These are made up of diverse groups of people.
9. It is unique because the community often actively works
alongside the social workers.
10. It is a method of reducing and eliminating roadblocks to social
interaction and accomplishing socially desirable purposes.

TEST II. Essay

Criteria 10 6 3
Grammar and spelling No errors committed One or two errors committed Three or more error
committed
Content Very correct explanation Correct explanation Slightly correct explanation

1. Why is it important to understand the clientele/audience-social worker

relationship?

2. Among the skills of social work, what skills do you already have and how this
skills help you to achieve your desire to help in the community?

V - FEEDBACK

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VI – REFERENCES

 (https://www.herts.ac.uk/swmr/social-workers)
 (https://nlasw.ca/sites/default/files/inline-files/Practice_Matters%20-
_Social_Worker_Client_Relationship.pdf)
 https://nlasw.ca/sites/default/files/inline-files/Practice_Matters%20-
_Social_Worker_Client_Relationship.pdf
 https://prezi.com/jvn5a3mdy_wl/clientelle-and-audiences-in-social-work/
 Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Science Ritchel B. Serano and
Christian R. Ranche)
 https://socialworklicensemap.com/social-work-careers/community-social-
worker/
 https://www.socialworkdegreeguide.com/faq/what-is-international-social-
work/#:~:text=Global%20social%20work%20deals%20with,over
%20300%20countries%20and%20districts.
 https://work.chron.com/social-worker-interact-21606.html
 https://msw.usc.edu/mswusc-blog/10-skills-every-social-worker-needs/