Career opportunities of social work behalf when they are abuse or neglected.
Some of them work in
They are in various context such as child welfare
administration and elderly can service. They also help in obtaining
financial assistance and medical care for the elderly and other
services that will enable them to live as independently as possible.
They can work in clinic and community treatment center to provide
counseling to alcoholic and drugs abuser.
They can also work in public housing project to help people
find dwelling for families made homeless by Urban Crises, and in
corporation and labor unions to provide a variety of work-related
services including Health Counseling and Retirement Planning. They
can work as social planning practitioners. Moreover, they can do field
involving organizing and developing programs that deliver Social
Services, and they can work as researchers on Social Services Issue.
DuBois and Miley (2008) a wider survey of areas of
opportunities and traced a trend in recent year that indicated a steady
Increase in the areas of home health, aging services, mental health,
criminal justice, rehabilitation, and school linked services.
Elsewhere, they found areas than include forensic social work,
corporate-based assistance, international practices and political social
work neighborhood-based, multidisciplinary services center as “One
stop shop”.
Ease to access to constellation of service including public
assistance Employment Services, Literacy Programs, Family-
Centered, Juvenile Court Services, and Health Care.
The number of social work professional in the Philippines is
much a smaller but they are present in a variety of setting. Including
Hospital, Retirement Homes, Mental Health Clinics, Schools, Non-
profit Agencies, and Government Office.
CHILD WELFARE
Social workers practices in family-based services that address the
needs of children, youth and families. They many counsel children
who have behavioral problems or have difficulty adjusting socially.
Social workers also work to protect children and intervance on their
residential institution for children and adolescent. Still other specialize
in adoption services and assist parent in arranging for adoption.
Health care
Social workers are important members of the healthcare teams in
hospital clinics, and other medical facilities. They work together with
doctors, nurses, administrators, and other professional to help
patients and their families cope with chronic or terminal illnesses.
They assess a patient’s needs more medical, and/or emotional
treatment, as well as rehabilitation.
Mental health
Clinical social workers provide more than half of the counseling and
therapy services in the US. As mental health providers they help
clients with mental, emotional, alcoholic or drug abuse problem
through individual and group therapy, outreach and crisis intervention
and many cases,serve as agency directors and administrations.
Public welfare
Social work in public welfare entails administration, implementation,
monitoring, and programs evaluation of the public welfare system.
Social workers provide information on how to apply of public
assistance and other benefits, review eligibility requirements, and
arrange for services.
Social work with the elderly
There is a great need for a professional social work practice in our
aging society. Social workers provide services of senior citizens such
as counseling income assistance, transportation, home care
assistance, and reactional activities to help them remain active,
healthy, and independent as long as possible.
Employee assistance programs
A growing practices field for occupational or corporate social workers
is in employee assistance programs (EAPs). These programs are
available with large, corporations, business, and labor unions, mostly
in urban and industrial setting. EAPs social worker counsel workers
and executives alike to help them achieve emotional well-being and
improve job performance. They deal with the diverse problems and
situations affecting American worker today; divorce, single,
parenthood, substance abuse, domestic, violence, depression, eating
disorders, vocational rehabilitation, stress, takeovers, layoff, etc. In
this way, social worker helps business and organization improve their
productivity.
School social work
School social workers work closely with teacher, administration, and
other professional to help children with physical or learning disabilities
as well as emotional problems. They provide counseling and referral
services for a range of concerns including family problems, domestic
violence, child abuse, neglect, and poverty. They serve as a liaison
between family and school and often between school and community.
Corrections and justice
Social workers in criminal justice make recommendations in courts,
serve as expert witnesses, do pre-sentencing assessment, and
provide services for prison inmates and their families. They focus on
rehabilitation by providing therapy, drug and alcohol addiction
treatment, and basic life-skill training. Many social workers become
probation officer or parole officers. They help ex- offenders access
supportive services upon release from prison. Social workers may
arrange for a hallway house, job training, employment, remedial
classes, counseling, child care, and/or transportation.
Community development
Here are numerous opportunities for social workers in community
development programs and project that are designed to provide
community, professional, and volunteer services. These are areas of
employment that is expanding as assumed by cities: town,
communities, neighborhoods, and local organization.
8.5. Code of Ethics of Social Work
The code of ethics specifies the standards of ethics, conduct, and
performance expected of registered social workers. It is a duty of a
social worker to always protect the health and well-being of people
who avail of the services. In everything that a social worker does,
he/she has to demonstrate respect for the inherent dignity and worth
of persons, pursuit of social justice, integrity of professional practice,
confidentiality in professional practice, and competence in
professional practice.
Critical to any code of ethics is the explicit provision of ethical
principles and ethical standards and may go into specific enforceable
guidelines for professional conduct in details that would provide
objective professional judgment and make it easy to identify actual
violations of ethical standards when they occur.
Ethical Principles
A sample of ethical principles and ethical standards here are adapted
from the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.
They are broad ethical principles based on social work's core values
of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance
of human relationships, integrity and competence.
These principles and standards set forth ideals to which all social
workers should aspire. Ethical Principle: Social workers' primary goal
is to help people in need and to address social problem
Value: Service
address social problems. Social workers elevate service to others
above self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values,
and skills to help people in need and to address social problems.
Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their
professional skills without expecting significant financial return (pro
bong service).
Value: Social Justice Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge
social injustice.
Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf
of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people. Social
workers social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of
poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social
injustice.
These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about
oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to
ensure access to needed information, services, and resources,
equality of opportunity, and meaningful participation in decision-
making for all people.
Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person Ethical Principle:
Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion,
mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.
Social worker promotes clients' social responsibility and self-
determination. Social workers seek to enhance client’s capacity and
opportunity to change and to address their own needs.
Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and
to the broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between clients'
interests and the broader society's interests in a socially responsible
manner consistent with the values, ethical principles, and ethical
standards of the profession.
Value: Importance of Human Relationships Ethical Principle:
Social workers recognize the central importance of human
relationships. Social workers understand that relationships between
and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social
workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social
workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a
purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-
being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and
communities
Value: Integrity Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a
trustworthy manner
Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Social workers are
continually aware of the profession's mission, values, ethical
principles, and ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent
with them. Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote
ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are
affiliated.
Value: Competence Ethical Principle:
Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop
and enhance their professional expertise. Social workers continually
strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and apply
them in practice. Social workers should aspire to contribute to the
knowledge base of the profession.
Ethical Standards
The following ethical standards are relevant to the professional
activities of all social workers. These standards are concerned with
the social workers' ethical responsibilities:
(1) to clients;
(2) to colleagues;
(3) in practice settings;
(4) as professionals;
(5) to the social work profession; and (6) to the broader society
Guidelines for Professional
Conduct The following guidelines for professional conduct reflect the
spirit of a code of ethics. It consists the ethical specifics in the
professional conduct of social workers culled from the Code of
Professional Conduct and Ethics for Social Workers devised by the
Social Workers Registration Board (SWRB) at CORU (2011) and the
Ethics in Social Work Statement of Principles by the International
Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) (2004).
1. Social workers are expected to uphold human rights in their
practice.
2. Social workers should respect the rights and dignity of people.
3.Social workers should respect relationships of people who use their
services.
4. Social workers should promote social justice.
5. Social workers should comply with the laws and regulations
governing their practice.
6. Social workers should carry out their duties professionally and
ethically.
7. Social workers should demonstrate ethical awareness.
8. Social workers should demonstrate professional accountability.
9. Social workers should act in the best interest of people who use
their services.
10. Social workers should communicate with people who use their
services, careers, and professionals.
11. Social workers should seek informed consent of people who use
their services.
12. Social workers should keep accurate records.
13. Social workers should deal appropriately with health and safety
risks.
14. Social workers should willingly collaborate, delegate, and manage
appropriately.
15. Social workers should undertake research ethically.
16. Social workers should maintain high standards of personal
conduct.
17. Social workers should act with integrity. This means that they
should not abuse the relationship of the trust with people using their
services; they should recognize the boundaries between personal and
professional life, and they should not abuse their position for personal
benefit or gain.
18. Social workers should provide accurate information about their
conduct and competence.
19. Social workers should treat information about people who use
their services as confidential except in situations that call for greater
ethical requirement such as preservation of life.
20. Social workers should act within the limits of their professional
knowledge, skills, and experience.
21. Social workers should keep their professional knowledge and
skills up to date so that they are able to provide appropriate services.
THE SETTINGS, PROCESSES, METHODS AND TOOLS OF
SOCIAL WORK
10.1 Government Setting
The government setting offers the widest space for a variety of social
work services. Social work is present almost everywhere, from social
policy formulation and analysis, advocacy, and implementation to
enhance the well- being of societal members, to providing social
services through appropriate government departments and agencies.
The government as an employer needs occupational social workers.
As manager of several agencies as well as mental and health
institutions and systems, implementer of social welfare programs, as
provider of pensions, and in its capacity as enforcer and manager of
justice and correctional systems and institutions, the government
needs social workers. In the United States, social workers are
considered key employees in the federal, state, and local government
agencies. They may work on-site at a government agency, at a non-
government agency whose client base is generated from their
relationship with a government agency, or in a contracting relationship
as independent consultant. The range of government settings in
which social workers practice include (National Association of Social
Workers 2011):
 agencies serving children and families, such as foster care
agencies;
 health-care settings, including community-based clinics and
hospitals; schools;
 federal, state, or local correctional facilities;
 settings that serve older adults, such as nursing homes; and
  agencies serving military veterans and active duty military
personnel.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2011) reported
that at a single point in time, there are over 8,000 social work
positions in the government. They work in a number of cabinet
level agencies within the government, which include: Social
Security Administration (SSA); Veterans Administration (VA); The
Department of Defense (DOD) as civilian social workers assigned
to military components (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines) and in
other DOD facilities; Department of Justice (DOJ) as direct service
workers in areas such as community-based offender re-entry
programs and federal parole and probation agencies and also serve
as policy analysts for DOJ: Health and Human Services (HHS) in
service areas that include community health, HIV/AIDS, mental
health, and substance abuse.
In all these agencies and programs, social workers perform a variety
of tasks and functions for the government agencies, ranging from
clinical practice to program management/administration (National
Association of Social Workers 2011). Functions vary from agency to
agency but essentially include: case management; individual and
group therapy; psychosocial assessments; treatment and discharge
planning; substance use counseling and treatment; and
administration. They are integrated into federal programs that address
health scare, behavioral health, criminal justice, social services, and
child welfare issues. They also play a significant role in formulating
policies and developing program standards and guidance for federal
programs. For those who practice in a government agency, they are
usually integrated into a broader continuum of services along with
other disciplines such as physicians, nurses, and substance abuse
counselors.
In the Philippines, a number of social work services are undertaken by
the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). For its
mandate:
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
provides assistance to other national government agencies (NGAs),
local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations
(NGOs), people’s organizations (POs), and members of civil society in
the implementation of programs, projects, and services that will
alleviate poverty and empower disadvantaged individuals, families,
and communities to improve their quality of life. It implements
statutory and specialized social welfare programs and projects.
In the Philippines, professional social work tends to be associated
with the welfare field. This has to do with its inception where social
work is used to implement government initiatives to provide public
welfare assistance to economically deprived individuals, families, and
groups. This type of social work often focused on determining whether
a person is poor enough to deserve public assistance. To date, DSWD
does a lot of work mostly in the areas of women and child welfare. In
child welfare, social workers provide services to children who are
abused and neglected by their parents and those from lower- income
families who cannot afford to adequately care for them. Child welfare
social workers normally do case management, that is, meeting
regularly with the child and his/her family to assess conditions in the
home and report on the care that the child is receiving. When a child
is in danger, appropriate measures are taken.
However, there are many other areas in which professional social
workers
play a vital role such as in the implementation and monitoring of social
welfare and social development projects under the DSWD or those
devolved to the local government (LGUs) such as the National
Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR),
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4 Ps) and Kapit Bisig Laban sa
Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services
(KALAHI-CIDSS). Particularly, professional social workers provide
research-based evidence regarding effectiveness of certain initiatives
and socio- economic measures that are designed to alleviate, reduce,
or eradicate poverty in the country.
Private Sectors Setting
In the private sector, particularly corporate setting, occupational social
work is practiced. The type of social work typically has five structures
within which it generates interventions: employee assistance
programs, labor union social services, human resource management
offices, community relations offices, and organizational development
initiatives (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005).
Civil Society Setting
The civil society sector sees itself as a champion of the people with
regard to ensuring accountability in government services, hence,
social workers in civil society tend to work for advocacies of human
rights and social justice. Their work ensures delivery to concerned
sectors of universal basic needs that may range from physical needs,
intellectual development, emotional development, social growth, and
spiritual growth. In some cases, civil society work fosters delivery of
motivational needs, self-actualization as advocated by Abraham
Maslow’s (1970) hierarchy of needs. Others align their commitments
to personal development needs as identified and articulated by
Charlotte Towle (1957), that is, biological, psychological,
interpersonal, social, and cultural. Civil society is generally organized
by the social sector, representing any marginalized individuals and
groups. These are those who work with and for street children and
other children who are in danger. Some organizations are committed
to women or environmental issues. Some work for migration and
migrants. Some work with groups like gays and lesbians, cancer
patients, elderly, and workers. Each of these areas of civil society
concerns provide a unique setting that may call for distinct social work
specializations and general practice.
School Setting
The school is a social service and within it lies similar situations that
arise elsewhere: violation of human rights, injustice, violence, sexual
harassment, discrimination, and so on. Internally, social work
embedded structures see to it that where violations occur, social
workers can respond appropriately. Externally, the school does also
work with communities in its extension services and community
service where students and teachers work with communities to deliver
voluntary services. Here, the social workers can facilitate school entry
into community, understanding the community, engagement with
community, selecting and implementing correctly social development
intervention, and exit strategically.
A school social worker is a liaison between the school and students’
families, sustainer of effective communication among parents,
teachers, and students, and essentially bridging the children’s
personal lives and education to ensure that student’s needs are being
met. In some cases, the responsibilities crisscross with the functions
of guidance counselors when qualified social workers take care of
special needs of children to facilitate their integration into mainstream
classes. In the same sense, some social workers assume
responsibility for other related school issues like formulation and
implementation of behavioral intervention programs, truancy
prevention programs, sexual education programs, health education
programs, crisis intervention, and disaster prevention and
management programs.
10.5. Community Setting
A community consists and represents all kinds of social work services.
It is the locus of social work challenges. It is in the community where
human rights of individuals and groups are denied or violated; it is in
the community where injustices are made and committed; it is in the
community where marginalization for individuals and groups occur.
Racism, sexism, homophobia (fear of lesbians and gay men),
classism, ableism (discrimination of people with disability), ageism
(discrimination based on age), anti-Semitism (oppression of Jews),
and islamophobia (fear of followers of Islam) exist in the community
caused generally by the by the presence of mainstream or dominant
groups who tend to enjoy certain privileges which are built in their
lives (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005). Majority of government and
non-government institutions designed to deliver social services and
other services with social work component are embedded in the
community. Social work in community settings is essentially defined
by social policy and realities. Therefore, community setting primarily
calls for generalist social work practitioners who possess a broad
range of training and employ their skills to guide and coordinate
services for the clientele. Johnson and Yanca (as cited in Segal,
Gerdes, & Steiner 2005) describe generalist social work practice as
an approach that “requires the social worker to assess the situation
with the client and decide which systems are the appropriate units of
attention or focus of work for the change effort. As the units of
attention may include an individual, a family, a small group, an agency
or organization, a community, or the transactions among these, the
generalist approach emphasizes knowledge that can be applied to a
variety of systems.”
The community setting orients social work to a generalist framework
that divides work into micro-practice and macro-practice. Whereas
micro-practice social workers target their service at helping
individuals, families, and small groups to function better in a larger
environment, macro-practice social workers focus on changing the
larger environment in ways that benefit individuals, families, and
groups (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005). In general, community
setting social work interventions include a wide array of approaches
with different theories and emphasis that social workers have to
comfortably employ on two or three levels: individuals and families,
groups, and communities.