SWP 105

Prof. Artem Makipagay

Assignment #1

HISTORY OF CASE WORK

- During 16th century : Juan Luis de Vives, who lived in Belgium, brought out the
idea of helping the poor on an individual basis. This idea comes out when he
witnessed the indiscriminate distribution of alms by the pious rich and the
religious orders. He, therefore advance the idea that the fate of the individual
poor deserved attention.
- In the 19th century : Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847), a Scottish parish minister,
introduced the philosophy of personal parochial relief. He began by initiating in
the parish, a program of parish charity based on neighborhood aid. He advocated
that each case of poverty should be handled on an individual basis. Instead of
merely doling out relief or alms, each case should be investigated to determine
the cause of distress, and then a solution to the problem be attempted to
establish.
- The London Charity Organization Society (COS) : After 50 years of Chalmer’s
pioneering work in Scotland, the charity workers in England picked up his idea.
The COS incorporated the two-developing casework as a method in helping the
poor. They established the policy that help would be extended on a case-to-case
basis depending on each circumstance.
- Following the example of England, starting 1877, COS was established in cities
and towns in the US to introduce reforms in public relief administration. Aside
from that, the American Charity workers improved on the ideas of their English
counterparts. Apart from relief giving, the American COS established a separate
function: the helping process. As conceptualized, it involved four steps:
registration, investigation, cooperation and friendly visiting. This is how the social
work helping process evolved.
- In 1917, the Associated Charities of Manila introduced the very first professional
method os social work intervention practiced in the Philippines – a family welfare
agency that employed “home visitors”.
- In 1941, Dr. Jose Vergara, the superintendent of Associated Charities of Manila
then, employed social workers to work with children and youth – functioned as
case workers.
- In 1954 (13 years after), the Department of Health issued a circular requiring all
national, provincial city, emergency hospitals with 100 bed capacity to employ
social workers to their Social Services section / department.
- Today’s generic approach in the practice of social work, the helping process is
consisting of the following sequel steps: Assessment, Planning, Intervention /
Plan Implementation, Evaluation and Termination. The first two steps can be
 considered as the beginning phase. The third step is the middle intervention
phase, and the last two as the ending phase. The steps proceed through time;
each phase is characterized by certain distinctive events and activities which
tend to repeat themselves. Each level is not neatly separated from each other.
Thus, each step has not to be entirely completed before moving to the next step.
Thelma Lee- Mendoza, in her wild but fruitful imagination, even suggested that
the helping process could be in a spiral form – the next step would not
necessarily mean start only after the previous step ended.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL CASE WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES
Pre-Historic period 1565
Don Miguel Lopez de Legaspi established
(Social Welfare work in those times the first hospital in Cebu for the purpose
centered on mutual protection and of attending to the wounded and the
economic survival) victims of diseases.

1882
Hospicio de San Jose was founded to
house the aged and orphans, the
mentally defective and young
boysrequiring reform, but later limiting
admission to children who were
discharged, later to be adopted oe
employed.
Spanish Period 1885
Asilo de San Vicente de Paul, an asylum
(The Spaniards brought the teaching, “to for girls was established, offering religious
do good to others for the salvation of their instruction, primary education, and
souls,” an which for many years was the training in house work in its inmates. The
underlying philosophy behind all social hospitals, asylums, orphanages and
welfare activities.) schools were maintained using subsidies
and grants from the Spanish government.
However, these were not sufficient and
donations from philanthropic individuals
were also solicited.
American Period 1900
Attempt was made to alleviate the
(American occupied the country and condition of deaf children at the Philippine
introduced a new educational system, Normal School.
new health methods, and religious
freedom.) 1905
The Philippine chapter of the American
Red Cross was established to take
charge of disaster relief in the country
and to administer Red Cross funds from
the United States.
1907
La Gota de Leche was established to
furnish child-caring institutions with fresh
cow’s milk from dairy farm in Pasay,
Manila, supervised by a veterinarian. This
agency later opened free consultation
clinic for mothers.

1910
A school for the deaf and blind was
organized.

1913
Associacion de Damas Filipinas was
organized by civic-spirited women to help
destitute mothers and their children.

1915
The American government created the
Public Welfare Board with the passage of
Legislative Act No.2510, essentially to
coordinate the welfare activities of various
existing charitable organizations.

Jan.1917
A government orphanage was set up in
Makati, Rizal, which became the first
government entity to operate as a welfare
agency, and an initial step in child welfare
services.

1917
The Associated Charities of Manila
was founded by a group of civic-spirited
Americans and Filipinos, having in mind
the concept of Community Chest. As a
family welfare agency, it was generally
considered as the “mother” of the social
work profession in the Philippines.
This agency was the first to use casework
as a method of helping people, the first to
use full-time social workers, and the first
to hire a trained social worker as its
executive secretary Josefa Jara-
Martinez. Later, Asuncion A. Perez,
took over Mrs. Martinez’s job.

1921
Office of the Public Welfare
Commissioner was created.

1922
The office of the Public Welfare
Commissioner prepared solicitation forms
which required the public to demand of
any person appealing for donations and
charities. This was done to protect the
public and organizations from
unscrupulous persons collecting funds.
This practice, however, was not legally
sanctioned until 1933.

1924
The Associated Charities had become
independent agency under the
supervision of the Public Welfare
Commissioner, and was partly financed
by the government, and partly by private
contributions.

Philippine Legislative Act.No. 3203

The Philippine Legislative passed a law
relating to the care and custody of
neglected and delinquent children and
providing probation officers for them.

1930
The economic depression created serious
economic problems. The Associated
Charities were unable to cope with the
number of applicants for relief and other
social services, despite appropriations
made by the Office of the Public Welfare
Commissioner, under its director, Dr.
Jose Fabella.

1933
The administration of social welfare in the
Philippines was marked by significant
developments when Frank Murphy
became the Governor-General.

Commonwealth Period
Post-War Period
(The Bureau of Public Welfare re-opened
but lack of funds limited its operations.
The United Nations International
Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
was created by the UN General Assembly
to further maternal and child health tin
economically underdeveloped country.)
Scholarship grants for professional
training in social work in the United States
were made available.
1940
The Office of the Commissioner of Health
and Public Welfare was abolished and
replaced by a Department of Health and
Public Assistance Service, which took
over the activities that used to be
performed by the Associated Charities
which by then, had ceased to exist.
1941
The Associated Charities was absorbed
by the Bureau of Public Welfare to carry
out its public assistance program and it
employed social workers who functioned
as caseworkers.
1946- Oct. 4, 1947
The Bureau became the Social Welfare
Commission (SWC) and was placed
under the Office of the President.
A War Relief Office operated under the
SWC, and its activities were focused on
war relief.
1947
Meanwhile, in 1947, the social workers
who had gone to the US before the war
workers who had gone to the US before
the war to pursue formal social work
education, formed the Philippines
Association of Social Workers (PASW),
for the purpose of nurturing the
development of the social work
profession.
Aug. 1948
President Quirino created the President’s
Action Committee on Social Amelioration
(PACSA). It is a comprehensive program
of health, education, welfare, agriculture,
public works and financing.
1948

UNICEF became active in the Philippines,

establishing basic care services to
mothers and children, consisting of
medical care, feeding programs and
health education.

June 1950
The Philippine School of Social Work was
established, offering a one-year degree
program called Master of Arts in Social
Administration.

The school’s first director, Josefa Jara-

Martinez, was able to convince the
officials of Philippine Woman’s University
to open a school of social work.

Jan. 3, 1951
The Social Welfare Commission and the
President’s Action Committee on Social
Amelioration were fused into one agency
called the Social Welfare Administration.

Major Contribution of SWA

-Assistance was given in the form of
material aid like food, financial aid,
transportation aid, medical aid,
institutional care and work relief.
- Child Welfare Division
-Casework and guidance services for
children are under this unit.
-Division on Rural Welfare
-It deals with the mounting social
problems in the rural areas.
- “Self-Help” became the underlying
philosophy for the rural community
development projects.
-In 1954, the Department of Health issued
a circular requiring national, provincial,
city and emergency hospitals to employ
social workers.
-By the 1960s, the community
organization method became the “in”
thing with the government pushing for
community development.
-A Medical Social Service Unit was
installed in the Bureau of Hospitals.
-This development promoted the practice
of social casework in medical and
psychiatric settings in public, as well as
private hospitals and clinics.

June 19, 1965

-Republic Act 4373. An Act to Regulate
the Practice of Social Work and the
Operation of Social Work Agencies in the
Philippines.
-the Law requires completion of a
Bachelor of Science in social Work
degree, one thousand hours of
supervised field practice, and the passing
of a government board examination in
social work for licensing and registration a
s a social worker.
-it is the formal recognition of social work
as a profession in the Philippines.
-in the 1970s, social group work came to
the fore due to increasing number of out-
of-school youth, as well as those with
behavioral and social problems, plus the
disabled and disadvantaged persons.
-during this period, there was little time
left for casework help as the SWA was
oftentimes engaged in disaster and
emergency relief
-aid was focused on material things

Sep. 8, 1976
The Department of Social Welfare
became the Department of Social
Services and Development (DSSD)
shifting emphasis on the traditional, often
institution-based social welfare to
community-oriented programs and
services

June 2, 1978
Pres.Marcos issued Presidential Decree
No.1397, converting departments into
ministries thus the Ministry of Social
 Services and Development (MSSD). The
organizational structure, functions and
programs remains the same. The sixties
and seventies marked the existence of
voluntary organizations and
establishment of even more agencies.

80s Jan. 30, 1987

-During the 1980s, more clients were President Corazon C. Aquino signed
exhibiting graver emotional and Executive Order No.123, reorganizing
psychological problems as found in MSSD and renaming it Department of
addicted youth and adults, child neglect, Social Welfare and Development
abuse and exploitation, marital conflict (DSWD). The approach taken by the
and broken homes. agency during this period is described as
-thus, casework practice was renewed, preventive and developmental,
enriched and strengthened participative and client-managed.
-today, casework remains the major
method of social work intervention used
by many social work agencies
-casework is practiced in a variety of
social agencies, family and child and
youth welfare agencies, in hospitals,
courts and school settings, in housing
and resettlement agencies, even in
industries and business corporations.
-the self-employment assistance was
upgraded to make it more responsive to
its client’s needs
-Case Management System was
launched. Social Welfare Indicators
monitor the level of well-being of the
MSSD service users.
90s Oct.10, 1991
R.A 7160 Local Government Code was
(The DSWD continued the five program passed. Implementing functions together
areas of concern during the early with its programs and services were
nineties. It also gave priority attention to devolved to its local government unit. The
Low Income Municipalities (LIMs) and Department, however, retained its
other socially-depressed barangays. After specialized social services consisting of
the Mt.Pinatubo eruption was the use of four categories: -Center/institution-based
Crisis Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), services;
a form of crisis intervention used with -Community-based programs and
victims of disasters and other crisis services
situation.) -Locally-funded and foreign-assisted
projects; and
-Disaster relief and rehabilitation

Today
(Countless social agencies, organizations
and institutions under private sponsorship
are engaged in the provision of many
different social services. NGOs play a
very important role in supplementing the
needs of the rising disadvantaged sectors
in our society.)
R.A 4373
(the Social Work Law, 1967) provides
that no social welfare agency shall
operate and the accredited unless it shall
first have registered with the Social
Welfare Administration which shall issue
the corresponding certificate of
registration
R.A 5416
(1968) empowers the Department to:
augmentation.
1998
Pres. Joseph E. Estrada issued Exec.
Order No. 15 “Redirecting the Functions
and Operations of the DSWD” to
strengthen the DSWD’s repositioning
efforts that began soon after the
implementation of the Local Government
Code of 1991.
2003
Pres.Gloria M. Arroyo issued Exec. Order
No. 221 amending Exec. Order No.15
which defined the mandate, roles, powers
and functions of the DSWD.
2005
The Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) approved the
DSWD’s Rationalization and Streamlining
Plan (RSP) on January 28, 2005 for
implementation over the next five years.
The RSP emphasizes the Department’s
shift in policy, functions and programs in
line with its steering role.
PASWI
The Philippine Association of Social
Workers is the national organization for
professional social workers in the
incorporated with the SEC on Oct. 18,
1988, changing its name to Philippine
Association of Social Workers, Inc.
(PASWI)
SSWAP (NASWEI)
In 1969, the Social Work Education of
PASW was turned over to a newly formed
group called the Schools of Social Work
Association of the Philippines (SSWAP) –
a formal organization of the schools to
promote the cause of social work
education in the country. In Dec. 1990,
SSWAP was registered and incorporated
with the SEC and assumed a new name,
the NATIONAL Association for Social
Work Education, Inc. (NASWEI)
 -Set standards and policies;
-Accredit public and private institutions
and organizations; and
-Coordinate government efforts in social
welfare work to avoid duplication, friction
and overlapping of responsibility in social
services
Submitted by:
Cielo I. Adecer
BSSW Student
Linkages with International Groups
The NASWEI has established strong
linkages with international social work
organizations like the
1. Asian-Pacific Association for
Social Work Education (APASWE),
and
2. The International Association of
Schools of Social Work (IASSW).