The Fields of Social Work

Health

Social workers in other fields, the social worker in the field of health in the
country is concentrated in the hospitals (public and private) which provide social
services to the patients whose emotional and social situations directly or indirectly
cause, maintain, or aggravate their illness. In 1954, President Elpidio Quirino issued
Executive Order No. 578 and R.A 747 mandating all government hospitals with 100
bed capacity to provide a medical social services

Medical social services aimed at the following:

a) Better acceptance of the more favorable reaction to medical treatment;
b) Better understanding, on the part of medical personnel, of the patient’s
background, the facilitate a faster and more accurate diagnosis of patient illness, and
to enlist the family cooperation in the treatment and rehabilitation of the patient;
c) Health educate of the patient and their families;
d) Utilization of community services that would facilitate rehabilitation and
prevention of illness;
e) Helping the patient and his family to deal with the psycho-social components
of the physical illness.

Social workers in the hospitals, who are called “medical social workers,” work
directly with medical personnel and are considered members of the health team.
Many medical social workers are now also engaged in the community out-reach
programs and services.
Population and family planning activities are today being integrated into many
social welfare programs in the country. This is true of medical social services in
hospitals, whose social workers engage in family planning work whenever it is
necessary.

We shall also include in this field of social work practice in mental health. In
other countries like US, mental health is listed as a separate field because it is major,
this has not happened in the Philippines. What we have at present are the three
“models” of mental health workers:
a) Social work practice in a psychiatric unit of hospital where social work
functions are generally like the function of other hospital social workers expect that
the psychiatric social workers deal with mentally and emotionally disturbed patients;
b) Social work practice in mental health agency which may provide the social
worker opportunities to perform many of the function of a medical social worker and,
in activities like community mental health seminars, child and family counseling and
etc.
c) Social work practice in agencies and institutions which serve the mentally and
physically challenged which requires special skills responsive to the clients’ situation,
in addition to the activities which, as stated earlier, have done by social workers in the
health setting.
Correction

Defined as the administration of penalty in such a way that the offender is

corrected, that is, his current behavior is kept within acceptable limits at the same time
his general life adjustment is modified.

Function of Control and Rehabilitation

Probation Institution – Is a process of treatment, prescribed by the court for person’s

convicted of offenses against the law, during which the individual on probation lives
in the community and regulates his own life under conditions imposed by the court (or
other constituted authority) and is subject to supervision by a probation officer
Parole Organization – Is the release of a prisoner under supervision before the
expiration of his sentence, with the provision that he might be returned to the
correctional institution if he violates the conditions of his parole.

During the correction period, therefore, the service of the correctional agency is
viewed as re-socialization, in the sense that it should provide to the offender a
personal community that will respond to his needs as an individual.

For his re-socialization process to be effective, the offender will have to be provided;
A.) Significant individual relationships that allow him to see himself as a person of
worth and help him learn to solve the problems of daily life acceptably.
B.) Membership in groups that offer genuine satisfaction through legitimate
experiences, teach him to use appropriate reference groups for support in controlling
behavior, and train him in the social skills necessary to accomplish tasks in a complex
society.
C.) Access to the normal opportunity structures of the community, such as
employments, education, recreation, and religious instruction.
D.) Remedial services appropriate for dealing with his individual problems in social
functioning such as vocational training, psychotherapeutic help, or medical
rehabilitation.
E.) Correction of those conditions in his personal community that reinforce his
tendency to commit offenses.
“in the stage of development where some attempt at rehabilitative measures exists
side by side with relics of feudalistic prison practices.”
- National Penitentiary in Muntinlupa, the prison and penal farms in Davao,
Zamboanga, Palawan and Occidental, Mindoro, the regional prison in Leyte, and the
Correctional Institution for Women in Alabang. These are administered by the Bureau
of prisons of the Department of Justice.
- On October 28, 1997, Republic Act 8369 (The Family Courts Act) became a Law,
establishing a family court in every province and city in the country.
Some of the functions of social workers in relation to juvenile probation work are;
A.) Preparation of social case studies to facilitate legal decision-making.
B.) Provision of counseling and other necessary services to the youth and his family
throughout the period that the youth is on probation.
C.) Referral and mobilization of community resources on behalf of the youth and/or
his family.
D.) Coordinating with other groups/agencies which are engaged in activities relating
to or affecting probationers.
E.) Preparing reports/recommendations on the probationers which will be the basis for
decision-making by the courts.

International Social Welfare

1. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Based in Bangkok, this organization provides technical and professional assistance
along curriculum development and practice aspects to countries in Asia and the
Pacific region. These have been done in the form of scholarships/grants for staff
development, seminars and workshops on topics of common interest like the
development of indigenous teaching materials and on the integrated method of social
work, consultant services to schools and social welfare organizations, and the like.

2.The United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF).

This organization which has offices in different countries including the
Philippines, assists developing countries to effectively meet the needs of children and
families. It encourages the formulation of national policies on child development and
serves as catalyst in the Initiation of programs and services for children and families
in the context of a developing country's national development plan. The UNICEF has
employed social workers to contribute to the Organization's program development, to
undertake innovative pilot Community projects and to engage in evaluation and
documentation activities.

3. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This

organization acts "on behalf of uprooted people," those who are not in their own
country and do not enjoy its protection. It has offices in many parts of the world, in
places where refugees tend to be concentrated. It describes its two main functions as
(a) protection, by promoting and safeguarding the rights of refugees in the field of
employment, education, residence, freedom of movement, and security against being
returned to a country where their life or liberty might be endangered, and (b)
assistance, by helping governments and private organizations in countries of asylum
in the task of helping refugees to become self-supporting.

The UNHCR in the Philippines utilizes many professionally trained social

workers in management, supervisory, and field activities.