Methods of Social Work

Dr Muhammad Ibrar

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Introduction
Every profession has a tested body of
knowledge, which is capable of growth and
development in order to meet changing
needs. This body of knowledge should be
easily understandable and communicable to
those who want to practice the profession.
This body of knowledge includes
principles, technique, methods procedures,
tools and a terminology of its own.

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…Contd.
The social work profession has also
developed a body of knowledge which is
growing with our changing needs and which
includes certain methods and tools which
have been used and tested after application
for a considerable time in widely diverse
circumstances. These techniques are
communicable to the members of the
profession through training.

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…Contd.
Social work methods are classified into six
major headings. These methods are
1. Social Case Work: Helps an individual
2. Social Group Work: Helps individuals
through a group.
3. Community Organization: Focus on
community.

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…Contd.
4. Social Action: is used to solve major
problems.
5. Social Research: Provides basic data on social
problems.
6. Social Administration: covers business and
financial aspects of social work.

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Social Case Work
Social Case Work, a primary method of social
work, is concerned with the adjustment and
development of individual towards more
satisfying human relations.
Every individual reacts differently to his social,
economic and physical environments and as such
problems of one individual are different from
those of another. It’s the most developed social
work method which deals with the problems of an
individual in his adjustment to his total
environment or to any part of it.

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…Contd.
Better family life, improved schools, better housing,
more hospitals and medical care facilities, protected
economic conditions and better relations between
religious groups help the individual in his adjustment
and development. But his adjustment and
development depend on the use of these resources
by him. Sometimes due to certain factors, internal or
external, he fails to avail existing facilities.
In such situations, social caseworker helps him.
Thus, social casework is one to one relationship,
which works in helping the individual for his
adjustment and development.

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…Contd.
The practice of casework is a humanistic
attempt for helping people who have
difficulty in coping with the problems of daily
living. It is one of the direct methods of
social work which uses the case-by-case
approach for dealing with individuals or
families as regards their problems of social
functioning.

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…Contd.
It is primarily related with the psycho-social
problems. It consists of the study of mental,
emotional and social factors.
Therefore, case work aims at individualized
service in the field of social work in order to
help the client to adjust with the environment.

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Definition of Social Case Work
Friedlander points out , social case work is a
method,
“which helps by counseling the individual client to
effect better social relationships and a social
adjustment that makes it possible for him to lead a
satisfying and useful life.”
Mary Richmond (1915)
“Social Case Work may be defined as the Art of
doing different things with different people, co-
operating with them to achieve some of their own
& society's betterment.”

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…Contd.
Gordon Hamilton has defined case work as,
“Social case work consists of those processes which
develop personality through adjustment consciously
affected, individual by individual between man and
his social environment.”
Queen (1932)
Social case work is the art “of adjusting personal
relationship”.
Lee (1923)
Social case work is the art of changing human
attitudes”

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…Contd.
Raynolds (1935)
Social case work is the processes of
counseling with a client on a problem which
are essentially his own, involving some
difficulty in his social relationship.
Klein (1938)
Social case work is a technical method in
social work…. A way of adjusting to the
client to his personal problems.

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…Contd.
Hollis (1954)
“Social Case work is a method employed by
social worker to help individuals find solution
to problems of social adjustment which they
are unable to handle in satisfactory way by
their own efforts.”
Perlman (1957)
“Social Case work is a process used by
certain human welfare agencies to help
individuals to cope more effectively with their
problems in social functioning.”

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