Explore

eereonnoneoensseseewweoee

The Discipline of Social Work is closely associated with government welfare and
social programs aimed at achieving social justice, fairness, and attainment of social
equilibrium. "The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in
human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-
being. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes
at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human
rights and social justice are fundamental to social work." (International Federátion of
Social Workers 2013)
Social workers aim to protect vulnerable people from abuse, neglect, or self-
harm and to help enhance their well-being and quality of life. Drawing upon a rich
knowledge base and theoretical perspectives derived from the social and psychological
sciences, social workers aim to promote positive individual and social change.
Social workers operate within legal frameworks for protecting and supporting
vulnerable people. For example, local authority social workers working with children
and families use child protection policies and procedures to intervene in families to
protect vulnerable children and provide support, while those working with adults
aim to ensure that their needs for care and protection are met.
Social workers practicing in statutory contexts such as local authorities or
National Health Service (NHS) Trusts commonly assess the need for care, support and
protection of individuals or families, develop care plans, and provide or manage the
provision of care. They are also responsible for implementing policies, which aim
safeguard vulnerable children or adults and ensure that people have as much choice
and control over services they use as possible.
Social workers work closely with other professionals, often known as inter-
professional working. Mental health social workers, for example, often work in teams
alongside community mental health nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, and
psychiatrists. However, inter-professional working is common for all social workers.

From Social Care to Social Work

Social work has evolved from being a domestic common sense care to professional
service. A wide variety of people in the community, from friends to parents, relatives,
volunteers to all people of goodwill participate in providing social care. This includes
providing personal care, supporting individuals with daily living, and supporting
people to engage with their communities and involve more direct contact with people.
There had been no qualifications or professional license required to do social care.
To move from social care giving to sOCial work protessional practice, one has to go

through special training to join

the soCial work profession. In the Philippines and the
United Kingdom, social work 1s a qualified, registered protession with a protected
title. Unlike social care, social work is generally more detached in dealing with its
clients. However, a relationship-based social work does exist in which emphasis is put
on the importance of the relationship social workers have with the people they are

working with (Hartman 2015).

Lesson 7 The Disciptirne ofSocial Work

7.1 Definition of Social Work
The Policy, Ethics, and Human Rights Committee of the British Association
of Social Workers (2012) provides the definition of social work: "the social work
profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships
and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilizing
theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the
pomts where people interact with their environments. Principles ot human rights
and social justice are fundamental to social work."

It is understood here that social work is a profession that fulfills the social
welfare mandate to promote well-being and quality of life. As such, it encompasses
activities directed at improving human and social conditions and alleviating
human distress and social problems through enhancing people's competence
and functioning, ability to access social supports and resources, creating humane
and responsive social services, and expansion of the structures of society that
provide opportunities for all citizens (DuBois & Miley 2008).

7.2. Context and the Basic Concepts of Social Work

To appreciate the context and the basic concept of social work, one has to
look into its professional history (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005). The aim of
social work is to help individuals fit better into their environment and change
the environment so that it works better for them. To support this dual basic
concept, Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner (2005) locate the history of social work in
the history of social welfare in America. They particularly link social work
history to the Charity Organization Societies founded in 1877 with the aim of
discovering the causes of poverty among individuals, eliminate the causes, and
eliminate poverty from society. Poverty was then seen as a character defect of
an individual. This perspective is half true, as evidence of social sciences show
that there are multiple external forces and structures that account for
poverty
of individuals.
The next movement that emerged as if to complement the first wave of
social work was called Settlement Movement which began in 1887 (Segal, Gerdes,
& Steiner 2005). The settlement movement operated on the assumption that an
individual's well-being was directly linked to his/her external
surroundings;
therefore, to help an individual involved changing the environment wherein
that individual lives. Such include advocating for better
neighborhood services,
public health programs, and employment conditions. These two movements'
efforts of solving poverty of individuals by helping the individuals fit better into
their environment and changing that environment serve as
of social work in all its various forms and services.
today's basic concept
The context of social work is a
their service on the needs and
place that requires professionals to direct
empowerment of people who experience some
forms of vulnerability, oppression, and Iliving in poverty.
 7.3. Goals and Scope of Sdcial Work
DuBois and Miley (2008) highlight the following goals and scope of social
work calling them tenets.

Empower people, individually and collectively, to utilize their own

problem-solving and coping capabilities more effectively.
Support a proactive position with regard to social and economic
policy development to prevent problems for individuals and
sOciety from occurring
Uphold the integrity of the profession in all aspects of social work
practice
Establish linkages between people and societal resources to further
social functioning and enhance the quality of life.

Develop cooperative networks within the institutional resources

system.
Facilitate the responsiveness of the institutional resource systems
to meet health and human service needs

Promote social justiceandequality of allpeoplewith regardto full

participation in society

Contribute to the development of knowledge for social work

profession through research andiovaiatior
Encourage exchange of nformation in those institutional systems
in which both problems and resouncesOPportunities are produced
Enhance communicationthrough an appredation of diversity andd
through ethnically sensitive, non-sexist social work practice

Employ educational strategies for the prevention and resolution of

problemns.
Embrace a world view of human issues and solutions toproblem

The goal and scope of social work as laid down here is noble and broad-to
help an individual beincluded in society and to transform the very society that
creates structures that marginalize individuals from full participation in the
enjoyment of social services and resources of the community. Change sought is
one that makes an individual and the community a better place for everyone.

7.4. Principles of Social Work

The Policy, Ethics, and Human Rights Committee of the British Association
of Social Workers (2012) has the following principles that apply in general to
professionals in the social work profession.
other

Lesson 7 The Discipline of Social Work

Principles Relative to Respect for Human Rights
1. Upholding and promoting human dignity and well-being. Social workers should
respect, uphold, and defend each person's physical, psychological, emotional
and spiritual integrity and well-being.
They should work toward promoting
the best interests of individuals and groups in society and the avoidance of
harm.
2. Respecting the right to self-determination. Social workers should respect,
promote, and support people's dignity and right to make their own choices
and decisions, irrespective of their values and life choices, provided that this
does not threaten the rights, safety, and legitimate interests of others.
3. Promoting the right to participation. Social workers should promote the full
involvement and participation of people using their services in ways that
enable them to be empowered in all aspects of decisions and actions affecting
their lives.
4. Creating each person as a whole. Social workers should be concerned with
the whole person, within the
family, community, societal, and natural
environments, and should seek to recognize all aspects of a person's life.
5. ldentifying and developing strengths. Social workers should focus on the
strengthsof all individuals, groups, and
communities, and thus promote
their empowerment.

Principles Relative to Social Justice

1. Challenging discrimination. Social workers have a responsibility challenge to
discrimination on the basis of characteristics such
ability, age, culture,
gender or sex, marital status, socio-economic status, political opinions,
as
skin
color, racial or other physical characteristics, sexual orientation, or spiritual
beliefs.
2 Recognizing diversity. Social workers should recognize and respect the
diversity of the societies in which they practice, taking into account
individual, family, group, and community differences.
3. Distributing Social workers should ensure that
resources.
disposal are distributed fairly, according to need.
resources at their
4. Challenging unjust policies and practices. Social workers have a duty to
employers, policy makers, politicians, and the bring
the attention of their to
general
public the situations where resources are inadequate or where distribution
of resources, policies, and
practices are oppressive, unfair, harmful, or illegal.
5.
. Working in solidarity. Social workers, individually, collectively, and with
others have a duty to challenge social conditions that
contribute
exclusion, stigmatization or subjugation, and work toward an to social
inclusive
society.

Disclplines and ldeas in the Applied Social Sclences

 Principles Relative to
P'rofessional Integrity
1lpholding
at
the values and reputation
of the profession. Social workers should act
times in accordance with the values and
all
and ensure
of the principles profession
that their behavior does not bring the profession into disrepute.
2 Beng trusthworthy. Social workers should work in a way that is honest, reliable,
and
open, clearly explaining their roles, interventions, and decisions, and
not seeking to deceive or manipulate people who use their services, their
colleagues, or employers.
3. Maintaining professional boundaries. Social workers should establish
appropriate boundaries in their with service users and
relationships
colleagues, and not abuse their position for personal benefit, financial gain,
or sexual exploitation.

4. Making considered professionaljudgments. Social workers should make

judgments based on balanced and considered reasoning, maintaining
awareness of the impact of their own values, prejudices, and conflicts of
interest on their practice and on other people.
5. Being professionally accountable. Social workers should be prepared to account
for and justify their judgments and actions to people who use services, to
employers and the general public.

7.5. Core Values of Social Work

The core values of social work serve to provide consistency in the fulfillment
of the social welfare delivery and in the general promotion of well-being and
quality of life of all peoples. However, special attention or priority is given to those
who suffer some forms of exclusions from receiving social services. Therefore,
the core values in the pursuit of social work include compassion, service, social
justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships,
integrity, and competence (Du Bois & Miley 2008; Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005).
Compassion can be considered as an important value for all humankind but
in social work, it occupies a special impetus to the functioning of the profession.
It is the basis for someone to go out and become a voice to the voiceless and a
friend to the people who need it most.

Service, as a value, directs social workers to go beyond purely pertorming

a service for a pay and alloOw them to be generous with their time. Their work
borders on charity and professional service. Without a special interest in pure
service, much of the social work could not be properly accomplished.
Social justice, as a value for social workers, is a basis of their understanding
of the need to ensure that everyone get serviced and that everyone get a share of
what the community possesses in material and non-material assets.

Dignity and worth of the person is a value that provides the determination and
drive for social workers to seek the marginalized in all forms without much regard
as to whether such problem iS selt-intlicted or socially imposed. At the heart of

Lesson 7 The Discipine of Social Work

69
 social work is the belief that all humans have dignity and worth regardless of
their acts and status in life.
Importance of human relationships, as a value, makes it possible for social
workers to do their job as most human situations they seek to address require
collaborating with so many others professionals and individuals with a stake in
the issue. It is about relationships. After all, it is in the context of relationships
where people find themselves broken and marginalized. A relationship is the
context of social marginalization and inclusion.
Integrity is necessary in all human endeavors. In social work, nothing
can be accomplished without integrity. A social worker will have difficulties
to be accepted by the people to receive services and by those he/she needs to
collaborate with to facilitate problem solving and empowerment of an individual
or a group.

Competence is a very important value for social work because it separates

social caregiving from social work professional practice. Through special
training, a social worker becomes separated from all common sense, culture, and
religious-based care.

Explaina *wwwwwwwwww ******

Think-Pair-Share
What new learning did you develop about the discipline of social work? Pair up
with your seatmate. In five minutes, take turns in sharing your new insights.

Elaborate
Go online and search for "social work in the Philippines." Read the available
literature. Choose one specific practice of professional social work, either by an
individual or an institution. Take note of how the principles relative to respect for
human rights, social justice, and professional integrity are lived out. Share your
findings with the class.

Discplines andideasin theAppliedSocialSclences