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Social work

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Social work is both a profession and social science. It involves the application of social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people, groups, and societies. It incorporates and uses other social sciences as a means to improve the human condition and positively change society's response to chronic problems. Social work is a profession committed to the pursuit of social justice, to the enhancement of the quality of life, and to the development of the full potential of each individual, group and community in the society. It seeks to simultaneously address and resolve social issues at every level of society and economic status, but especially among the poor and sick. Social workers are concerned with social problems, their causes, their solutions and their human impacts. They work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

Social work and human history go together. Social work was always in human societies although it began to be a defined pursuit and profession in the 19th century. This definition was in response to societal problems that resulted from the Industrial Revolution and an increased interest in applying scientific theory to various aspects of study. Eventually an increasing number of educational institutions began to offer social work programmes. The settlement movement's emphasis on advocacy and case work became part of social work practice. During the 20th century, the profession began to rely more on research and evidenced-based practice as it attempted to improve its professionalism. Today social workers are employed in a myriad of pursuits and settings. Professional social workers are generally considered those who hold a professional degree in social work and often also have a license or are professionally registered. Social workers have organized themselves into local, national, and international professional bodies to further the aims of the profession.

Contents

[edit] History

Main article: History of social work
Jane Addams is considered one of the early influences on professional social work in the United States.

Social work has its roots in the struggle of society to ameliorate poverty and the resultant problems. Therefore, social work is intricately linked with the idea of charity work; but must be understood in broader terms. The concept of charity goes back to ancient times, and the practice of providing for the poor has roots in all major world religions.[1]

The practice and profession of modern social work has a relatively recent scientific origin, originating in the 19th Century.[2] The movement began primarily in the United States and England. After the end of feudalism, the poor were seen as a more direct threat to the social order,[citation needed] and so the state formed an organized system to care for them. The development of the profession was linked closely with public health and psychiatry, and over the 20th century expanded to include radical and feminist philosophies.

[edit] Contemporary professional development

Main article: Social work knowledge building
Social Work education begins in a systematised manner in universities, but is also an ongoing process that occurs though research and in the workplace.

The International Federation of Social Workers states, of social work today,

"social work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge derived from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its context. It recognizes the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, and the capacity of people both to be affected by and to alter the multiple influences upon them including bio-psychosocial factors. The social work profession draws on theories of human development and behaviour and social systems to analyse complex situations and to facilitate individual, organizational, social and cultural changes."[3]

The current state of social work professional development is characterized by two realities. There is a great deal of traditional social and psychological research (both qualitative and quantitative) being carried out primarily by university-based researchers and by researchers based in institutes, foundations, or social service agencies. Meanwhile, many social work practitioners continue to look to their own experience for knowledge. This is a continuation of the debate that has persisted since the outset of the profession in the first decade of the twentieth century.[4] One reason for the gap between information obtained through practice, as opposed to through research, is that practitioners deal with situations that are unique and idiosyncratic, while research concentrates on similarities. The combining of these two types of knowledge is often imperfect. A hopeful development for bridging this gap is the compilation, in many practice fields, of collections of "best practices" which attempt to distill research findings and the experience of respected practitioners into effective practice techniques.[citation needed] Although social work has roots in the informatics revolution, an important contemporary development in the profession is overcoming suspicion of technology and taking advantage of the potential of information technology to empower clients.[4]

Clinical Social Work

As per the NYS Society for Clinical Social Work Clinical Social Work Practice is the professional application of social work theory and methods to the differential diagnosis, prevention, amelioration and treatment of bio-psycho-social-spiritual dysfunction, disability and impairment, including mental, emotional, behavioral and addictive disorders, developmental disabilities and the impact of physical illness, injury and disability on bio-psychosocial-spiritual functioning. Clinical social work practice shares with all social work practice the goal of enhancement and maintenance of physical, psychological (mental and emotional), social and spiritual well-being and functioning of individuals, families, small groups and communities. (http://clinicalsw.cnchost.com/csw_definition.shtml):


Knowledge Base of Clinical Social Work


Clinical social work practice is based on knowledge and theory of: normal biological, psychological (mental and emotional), social and spiritual development; normal human behavior; psychopathology; the effects of physical illness, injury and disability on bio-psychosocial-spiritual development and functioning; unconscious motivation; group dynamics and interpersonal relationships; couple and family dynamics; the causes, effects and impact of environmental stress; the development, organization and functioning of social systems; the development, implementation and impact of social policies, particularly those policies which affect health, mental health and other human services; the role and impact of multiculturalism and other diversities in society; the influence and impact of age, culture, customs, disability, discrimination, economic status, gender, geographic and other environmental factors, health status, linguistic and communication skills, losses, mental and emotional health, national origin, pain and suffering, race, religion, sexual orientation, stress and spirituality on human development and functioning; differential assessment and diagnosis of bio-psychosocial-spiritual dysfunction, disability and impairment; assessment-based service and treatment planning; and the implementation of treatment of mental, emotional, behavioral and addictive disorders, the treatment of the psychosocial-spiritual effects of physical illness, injury and disability, and the habilitation of developmental disabilities with particular attention to the person existing as a combination of biological, psychological (mental and emotional), social and spiritual elements in his or her environment. http://clinicalsw.cnchost.com/csw_definition.shtml

Clinical Social Work Methods and Approaches


Clinical social work practice methods and approaches include, but are not limited to: differential diagnostic assessment of mental and emotional disorders and developmental disabilities, as well assessment of the psychosocial-spiritual impact of physical illness, injury and disability, undertaken within an holistic bio-psychosocial-spiritual framework; administration and interpretation of tests and measures of psychosocial-spiritual functioning; development and implementation of assessment-based service and treatment plans which may include providing counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families and small groups using the full range of constantly evolving psychotherapeutic techniques and modalities, including but not limited to brief, short-term and long term psychotherapy, crisis intervention, psychoanalysis, psychodynamic - insight oriented psychotherapies, cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, hypnotherapy, biofeedback, guided imagery and other relaxation techniques, as well as habilitation, patient education, clinical case management, client-centered advocacy, and making appropriate referrals to other health care professionals; documentation and review of treatment outcomes; and providing clinical social work consultation, teaching, training, supervision and research. http://clinicalsw.cnchost.com/csw_definition.shtml

Interdisciplinary Collaborative Practice


Clinical social work practice includes, in appropriate cases and situations, engaging in interdisciplinary collaborative practice with other health care professionals so that patients/clients and their families can be provided with the benefit of a coordinated and integrated treatment and service plan implemented collaboratively by a team of members of different health care professions and/or specialties in order to bring to bear those professionals’ shared foundation and framework of common knowledge, skills, competencies, perspectives and approaches, while also drawing from their respective discipline and specialty specific bases of knowledge, skills, competencies, perspectives and approaches, to address comprehensively the evaluation, care, treatment and other service needs of a patient/client within an holistic bio-psychosocial-spiritual framework. http://clinicalsw.cnchost.com/csw_definition.shtml

[edit] Qualifications

Main article: Qualifications for professional social work

Professional social workers are generally considered those who hold a professional degree in Social Work. Often these practitioners must also obtain a license or be professionally registered. In many areas of the Western world, social workers start with a Bachelor of Social Work (BA, BSc or BSW) degree. Some countries, such as the United States, also offer post-graduate degrees like the master's degree (MA, MSc or MSW) or the doctoral degree (Ph.D or DSW).

In the United Kingdom, often referred to as social services assistants or care workers, are persons who are not professionally registered and often do not hold any formal social work qualification. In England, to use the term 'social worker', one must register with the General Social Care Council (GSCC). This followed the Care Standards Act 2000 which has protected the title since April 2005 in England. Within the mental health sector in the UK, since November 2008, an additional qualification can be gained: that of an "Approved Mental Health Professional" (AMHP). This replaced the former qualification of "Approved Social Worker" (ASW), and was part of the reform created under the Mental Health Act 2007. This enables the practitioner to assess and make an application to hospital for admission under the Mental Health Act 1983. Whereas previously only qualified social workers could become an ASW, individuals from other qualified professions such as nursing or occupational therapy can also undertake the additional training necessary to be an AMHP. The world of social work looks bright with many promising students at degree level.

In a number of countries and jurisdictions, registration or licensure of people working as social workers is required and there are mandated qualifications.[5] In other places, a professional association sets academic and experiential requirements for admission to membership. The success of these professional bodies' efforts is demonstrated in the fact that these same requirements are recognized by employers as necessary for employment.[6]

[edit] Professional associations

There are a number of professional associations for social workers. The purpose of these associations is to provide advocacy, ethical guidance, and other forms of support for their members and social workers in general. Two of these are the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW). In the United States, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest. The School Social Work Association of America (SSWAA) is made up of social workers employed by education agencies and local school districts throughout the U.S.

On a national level there are organizations regulating the profession, as well. Some of these are the British Association of Social Workers (United Kingdom), the Australian Association of Social Workers (Australia), the Professional Social Workers' Association (India), the Hellenic Association of Social Workers (Greece) and so forth.

[edit] Role of the professional

Main article: Role of the professional social worker

Professional social workers have a strong tradition of working for social justice and of refusing to recreate unequal social structures.[citation needed] The main tasks of professional social workers can include a variety of services such as case management (linking clients with agencies and programs that will meet their psychosocial needs), medical social work, counseling (psychotherapy), human services management, social welfare policy analysis, community organizing, advocacy, teaching (in schools of social work), and social science research. Professional social workers work in a variety of non-profit, for-profit, or public social service settings, including: grassroots advocacy organizations, hospitals, hospices, community health agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, employee assistance, philanthropy, and even the military. Some social workers work as psychotherapists, counselors, psychiatric social workers, or mental health practitioners, often working in collaboration with psychiatrists, psychologists, or other medical professionals. Social workers may also work independently as private practice psychotherapists in the United States and are able to bill most third party payers such as insurance companies. Additionally, some social workers focus their efforts on social policy or conduct academic research into the practice or ethics of social work. The emphasis has varied among these task areas by historical era and country. Some of these areas have been the subject of controversy as to whether they are properly part of social work's mission.[citation needed]

A variety of settings employ social workers, including governmental departments (especially in the areas of child and family welfare, health, mental health, correctional services, palliative care, and education departments), hospitals, non-government welfare agencies and private practice - working independently as counselors, family therapists or researchers.

[edit] Types of professional intervention

There are three general categories or levels of intervention. The first is "Macro" social work which involves society or communities as a whole. This type of social work practice would include policy forming and advocacy on a national or international scale. The second level of intervention is described as "Mezzo" social work practice. This level would involve work with agencies, small organizations, and other small groups. This practice would include policy making within a social work agency or developing programs for a particular neighborhood. The final level is the "Micro" level that involves service to individuals and families.

There are a wide variety of activities that can be considered social work and professional social workers are employed in many different types of environments. In general, social workers employed in clinical or direct practice work on a micro level. Social workers who serve in community practice are occupied in the mezzo or macro levels of social work. The following lists detail some of the types of jobs that social workers may do.

[edit] Types of International, Social and Community practice

Main article: Community practice

[edit] See also

Wikipedia:Books has a book on: Social work

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Religion". Middle School Lesson Plans. Global Envision. http://www.globalenvision.org/forteachers/28/1258/. Retrieved on 2008-04-09. 
  2. ^ Huff, Dan. "Chapter I. Scientific Philanthropy (1860-1900)". The Social Work History Station. Boise State University. http://www.boisestate.edu/socwork/dhuff/history/chapts/1-1.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-20. 
  3. ^ "Definition of Social Work". IFSW General Meeting in Montreal, Canada, July 2000. International Federation of Social Workers. 04/10/2005. http://www.ifsw.org/en/p38000208.html. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  4. ^ a b Parker-Oliver, Debra; Demiris, George (April 2006). "Social Work Informatics: A New Specialty". Social Work (National Association of Social Workers) 51 (2): 127–134. http://lysander.naswpressonline.org/vl=7534711/cl=13/nw=1/rpsv/cw/nasw/00378046/v51n2/s4/p127. Retrieved on 2008-02-19. 
  5. ^ The National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 2005). NASW Fact Sheet. Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http://www.socialworkers.org.
  6. ^ "Catholic Social Workers National Association". http://www.cswna.org. 

[edit] External links

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[edit] Further reading

  • Agnew, Elizabeth N. (2004). From Charity to Social Work: Mary E. Richmond and the Creation of an American Profession. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252028759. OCLC 51848398. 
  • Axinn, June and Mark J. Stern (2008). Social Welfare: A History of the American Response to Need (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 9780205522156. OCLC 86038254. 
  • Balgopal, Pallassana R. (2000). Social Work Practice with Immigrants and Refugees. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231108567. OCLC 43323656. 
  • Butler, Ian and Gwenda Roberts (2004). Social Work with Children and Families: Getting into Practice (2nd ed.). London, England; New York, NY: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1417501030. OCLC 54768636. 
  • Davies, Martin (2002). The Blackwell Companion of Social Work (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK; Malden, MA: Blackwell. ISBN 0631223916. OCLC 49044512. 
  • Fischer, Joel and Kevin J. Corcoran (2007). Measures for Clinical Practice and Research: A Sourcebook (4th ed.). Oxford, UK; New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195181906. OCLC 68980742. 
  • Greene, Roberta R. (2008). Social Work with the Aged and their Families (3rd ed.). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. ISBN 9780202361826. OCLC 182573540. 
  • Grinnell, Richard M. and Yvonne A Unrau (2008). Social Work Research and Evaluation: Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice (8th ed.). Oxford, UK; New York, NY: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195301526. OCLC 82772632. 
  • Mizrahi, Terry and Larry E. Davis (2008). Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th ed.). Washington, DC; Oxford, UK; New York, NY: NASW Press and Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195306613. OCLC 156816850. 
  • Popple, Philip R. and Leslie Leighninger (2008). The Policy-Based Profession: An Introduction to Social Welfare Policy Analysis for Social Workers (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. ISBN 0205485928. OCLC 70708056. 
  • Reamer, Frederic G. (2006). Ethical Standards in Social Work: A Review of the NASW Code of Ethics (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press. ISBN 9780871013712. OCLC 63187493. 
  • Richardson, Virginia E. and Amanda Smith Barusch (2006). Gerontological Practice for the Twenty-First Ccentury: A Social Work Perspective. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. ISBN 023110748X. OCLC 60373501. 
  • Sowers, Karen M. and Catherine N. Dulmus and others. (2008). Comprehensive Handbook of Social Work and Social Welfare. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0471752223. OCLC 155755265. 
  • Specht, Harry; Courtney, Mark E. (1994). Unfaithful angels : how social work has abandoned its mission. New York: Free Press. ISBN 0029303559. 
  • Statham, Daphne (2004). Managing Front Line Practice in Social Work. New York, NY: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN 1417501278. OCLC 54768593. 
  • Thyer, Bruce A. and John S. Wodarski (2007). Social Work in Mental Health: An Evidence-Based Approach. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley. ISBN 0471693049. OCLC 65197928. 
  • Turner, Francis J. (2005). Canadian Encyclopedia of Social Work. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 0889204365. OCLC 57354998. 
  • Wittenberg, Renee (2003). Opportunities in Social Work Careers (Revised ed.). Chicago, IL: VGM Career Books. ISBN 0071390480. OCLC 49959266. 
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