Disciplines of

Social Work
 Objective :
• This module demonstrate a high level of understanding
of the basic concepts of social work through a group
presentation of a situation in which practitioners of social
work collaborate to assist individuals, groups, or
communities involved in difficult situations (e.g., post
disaster, court hearing about separation of celebrity couple,
cyberbullying).
• In this lesson, you are expected to:
• 1. Define social work;

• 2. Explain the context and the basic concepts of the

social work;
• 3. Describe the goals and scope of social work;
• 4. Discuss the principles of social work; and
• 5. Explain the core values of social work.
• What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase
“social work”?
 ACTIVITY 1: Think and Share:

• This activity to share to express social concerns on social work

or issues on what they think and feel. With that, the student will
describe what they have engage in and determine what makes it
social work. An opportunity to explore wide imagination to share
thoughts on verifying your insights by reading ahead about the
concepts, goals, and scope of social work..
• Discipline of Social Work

• 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 works intervenes at the

points where people interact with their environments. Principles of
human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.
“(International Federation of Social Workers 2013).
• Aims to protect vulnerable people from abuse, neglect, or self
harm and to help enhance their well being and quality of life.
Operates within legal frameworks for protecting an supporting
vulnerable people. Work closely with other professional, often known
as inter-professional working.
• 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
 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 world profession promotes social
change, problem solving in human relationship and the
empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being.
Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social
work intervenes at points were people interact with their
environments. Principles of human right and social justice and
fundamental to social work.”
• It is understood here the social work is a profession
that fulfills the social work mandate to promote well-being
and quality of life. As such, it encompasses activities
• directed in improving human and social conditions and
alleviating human distress and social problems through
enhancing people’s competence and functioning, ability to
access social support and resources, creating human
responsive social services, and expansion of the structures
of the society that provide opportunities for all citizens
(DuBois & Miley 2008)
 Context and the basic concepts of social works
• 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
concept, Segal, Gerdes, & 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 founder 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 science showed that
there are multiple external forces and structures that account for
poverty and individuals.

• The next movement that emerged as if to complement the first

wave of social work was called settlement movement which began
1877 (Segal, Gerdes, & Steiner 2005). The settlement movement
operated on the assumption that an individual’s well-being was
directly linked to his or her external surroundings therefore, that to
help and individual changing the environment where that the
individual lives. Such include advocating for better neighborhood
services, public health programs, and employment conditions.
• This two movement efforts of solving poverty of individuals
by helping the individuals fit better in their environment and
changing that environment serve as today’s basic concept of
social work and its all various forms and services.
•
• The context of social work is a place that requires
professionals to direct their service on needs of empowerment
of people who experience some forms of vulnerability,
oppression, and living in poverty.
 Goals and scope of social works
DeBois and Miley(2008) highlight the following goals and sculp of social
works and 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
period.
• 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 systems.
• • Facilitate the responsiveness of the institutional resource
systems to meet help and human service needs.
• • Promote social justice and equality of all people with
regard of full participation and society.
• • Contribute to the development of knowledge for social
work profession through research and evaluation.
• • Encourage exchange of information in those institutional systems in which
both problems and resources opportunities are produced.
• •Enhance communication through an appreciation of diversity and through
ethnically sensitive, non-sexist social work practice.
• •Employ educational strategies for the prevention and resolution of problems.
• •Embrace a world view of human issues and solutions.

• The goal and scope of social work has laid down here is a noble and broad-to
help and individual being included in society and to transform the very society
that creates structures the marginalize individuals from full participation in the
enjoyment of social services and resources of community. Change sought is one
that makes and individual and the community a better place for everyone.
 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 all the
professionals in the social work profession
1. Upholding and promoting human rights and well-being

2. Respecting the right to self-determination

3. Promoting the right to participation

4. Creating each perso as a whole

5. Identifying and developing strengths

Principles Relative to Personal Integrity