What Is Social Work

The Definition of Social Work

·The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being.
Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments.
Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.

Social work is a profession that can challenge you and help you to make a difference for others. Its goal is to improve the overall functioning and well-being of all people. Yet, social workers have a special concern for the poor, the marginalized, and the vulnerable. Social work is both an art and science. A past student explained it this way, "to be a social worker is to be like an artist with the right strokes on a canvas and like a scientist with the correct formula for reaching out and providing what is needed for others."

·Social work, once thought of as a basket-on-the-arm assistance to the poor, is now a discipline, scientific in method and artful in manner. It takes remedial action on problems in several areas of society, and seeks to enhance the social functioning of individuals, singly or in groups, by activities focused upon their social relationships which constitute the interaction between man and his environment. These activities can be grouped into three functions: restoration of impaired capacity, provision of individual and social resources, and prevention of social dysfunction. ( Skidmore, 1997)

The above three functions of social work are intertwined and interdependent. Restoration of impaired social functioning may be subdivided into curative and rehabilitative aspects: its curative aspects are to eliminate factors that have caused breakdown of functioning, and its rehabilitative aspects are to reorganize and rebuild interactional patterns. Examples of restoration will be placing an abused child in a foster home, supporting the child as he or she adjusts to the new foster home. (Skidmore, 1997)

Provision of resources for more effective social functioning may be further divided into developmental and educational aspects. The developmental aspects are designed to further the effectiveness of existing social resources or to maximize personal capacity for more effective social interaction. A family centre dealing with issues of marital problems will be an example, by helping couples with problems to improve communication. The educational spectrum is designed to acquaint the public with specific conditions and needs for new or changing resources, for example, public talks about the advantages of counseling services. (Skidmore, 1997)

The third function, prevention of social dysfunction involves early discovery, control and elimination of conditions and situations that potentially could hamper effective social functioning. The two main divisions are prevention of problems in the area of interaction between individuals and groups, an example being premarital counseling, and the prevention of social ills. Prevention of social ills ordinarily falls within the area of community organization. (Skidmore,1997)

The underlying assumptions of social work (Skidmore,1997) are:

1. Social work is a social science.
2. Social work as a profession came into being and continues to develop because it meets human needs and aspirations recognized by society.
3. Social work practice takes its values from those held by the society of which it is a part of. However, its values are not necessarily or altogether those universally or predominantly held or practiced by society.
4. The scientific base of social work consists of three types of knowledge: tested, hypothetical and assumptive knowledge.
5. The knowledge needed for social work practice is determined by it’s goals and functions, and the problems it seeks to solve.
6. The internalization of professional knowledge and values is a vital characteristic of the professional social worker since he is the instrument of professional help.