MODULE 10: SOCIAL

WORK SERVICES,
PROCESSES AND
METHODS
“To the world you may be one
person; but to one person you may
be the world.”
-Dr. Seuss
WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK
SERVICES?

A range of public services provided by the

government, private, profit and non-profit
organizations. These public services aim
to create more effective organizations,
build stronger communities, and promote
equality and opportunity.

 Social services include the benefits and

facilities like education, food subsidies,
health care, police, fire service, job
training and subsidized housing,
adoption, community management,
policy research, and lobbying.
OTHER AREAS OF PROFESSIONAL
ACTIVITY IN SOCIAL WORK

A social worker may also find himself

or herself working as a researcher,
consultant, supervisor, planner,
program and policy developer, or as a
college instructor.
SOCIAL WORK PROCESSES
 ASSESSMENT

 Coulshed and Orme (2012)

described assessment as an
ongoing process, which is
participatory, seeks to understand
the service user and his/her
situation and sets a basis for
planning how change or
improvement can be achieved.
 Asa social worker, you need to ensure
the best information is gained so you
can use your expertise to define a
problem and find the best solution or
intervention.
 PLANNING

 The social worker begins working with the

client, and much like the assessing stage
begins developing a plan with the client
in order to accomplish goals that work to
resolve the targeted issues. Specific
actions and objectives are created in
order for the goals to become more
attainable.
INTERVENTION
 INTERVENTION

 Interventions should be meaningful and

fit within an overall plan or strategy.
Awareness of the different stages of the
social work process can assist social
workers to prepare for, carry out and
evaluate their interventions in order to
both be accountable for, and reflect upon,
their actions.
 EVALUATION
 Executed throughout the intervention
stage and is crucial to determining
whether goals have been met. Evaluation
can take the forms of a questionnaire, a
one on one meeting where the social
worker receives feedback from the client
about the process, a goal attainment
scale which the client fills out, and many
other ways. The hope is that the goals are
met and the client begins to feel better
and takes steps to independently
continue to work on the issues.
 SOCIAL WORK METHOD
 Social Case Work:
It is primary method of social work. It
deals with individual problems through one
to one relationship which is guided by
professional knowledge of the social case
worker. Under method the social case
worker attempts to repair the impaired
relationship of the client with his social
environment and through a guided
interaction he/she enables the client to
adapt with his/her social environment.
 Social Group Work:
It is another primary method of social
work. It is a process in which the individuals
in a social group are helped by a
professionally qualified worker, who guides
their interaction through planned
programme activities so that they may be
able to relate themselves with others and
find growth opportunities in accordance with
their needs and capacities towards the
noble end of individual group and
community development.
 Community Organization:

It is a process through which efforts

are directed towards meeting the
community needs by organizing human
and material resources of the community.
 Social Welfare Administration:

It is one of the secondary methods of

social work. It refers to a process through
which social policy is transformed into
social service. In the other words, it is a
process to manage the affairs of social
work or social welfare.
 Social Work Research:
It is another important method of
social work. It refers to the systematic and
critical enquiry of the questions
encountered by social work professional in
the field of application. Through this
method efforts are made to find answers to
the existing and emerging problems of
social work so as to make them use in the
practical fields.
 Social Work:
It is the one that is used to bring
about desirable changes in the defective
system for ensuring social progress.
Through this method attempts are made to
mobilize people, to create awareness on
existing problems, to organize them and to
encourage them to raise their voice against
undesirable practices which hampers their
development and finally to create pressure
for bringing about suitable legislation for
social progress.
CONCERNS AND SCOPE OF SOCIAL
WORK AROUND THE WORLD
 An imbalance in a society occurs when
the following circumstances are becoming
prevalent:
1. The gap between the privileged and
less fortunate is exponentially widening.
2. The stigma on mental illness is getting
stronger
3. The crime rate is increasing even under
the rule of law and order
4. The dissolution of the family is rampant

5. Violence in families is becoming

acceptable
SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL SERVICES
 Poverty and public welfare
 Emotional problems and counseling

 Family problems and services to families

 Sexual orientation, sex variences, and sex

therapy
 Drug abuse and drug treatment programs

 Crime, juvenile delinquency, and correctional

services
 Problems in education and school

 Work-related problems

 Medical problems and medical social service

 Physical and mental disabilities and

rehabilitation
CHANGE PROCESS IN SOCIAL WORK

 According to Zastrow (1996), the social

worker begins the change process by
defining issues and questions/concerns/
problems that need to be addressed.
The social worker also makes an
assessment to determine the kind of
service or help that can be given to the
potential client. He or she can refer the
client to the right agencies or people
who are best equipped in dealing with
the situation.
 Socialworkers then set plans by
defining the objectives or goals that
must be met in the change process. It
means that the social worker consults
what the client particularly wants to
achieve, what the actual result the
social worker will be providing, and
what the cost of the services will be.
 The social worker will evaluate the
entire process by conducting a
strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-
threats analysis (SWOT). It is a form of
monitoring and learning that the social
worker employs so that the process he
or she used may be further improved.
SOCIAL WORK STEREOTYPES
There are several stereotypes identified by
Melvin Glasser that certain segments of the
population hold toward the practice of
social work.

 The social worker is a kind, warm,

generous, helpful person who makes it
possible for people to live richer, more
satisfying lives.
 The
social worker is a frustrated maiden
who meddles in other people’s business.

 Thesocial worker is knowledgeable,

dedicated crusader for the needs of all
people, particularly the underprivileged.

 Thesocial worker is a radical whose real

underlying motive is to bring about
change in the social order.
 Thesocial worker is a hard-hearted,
denying administrator of rules and
regulations who checks on people to see
that they do not cheat the agency.

 The social worker is a professional whose

training and experience enable him or her
to help with a wide range of problems
people have in everyday living.
DIRECTION: GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION FOR
EACH PROCESS AND DESCRIBE ITS IMPORTANCE
IN SOCIAL WORK. FILL OUT THE CHART BELOW.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION IMPORTANCE

1. Assessment

2. Planning

3. Intervention

4. Evaluation