Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession that concerns itself with individuals, families, groups, and communities in an effort to enhance social functioning and overall well-being. Social functioning defines as the ability of an individual to perform their social roles within their own self, their immediate social environment, and the society at large. Social work applies social sciences, such as sociology, psychology, political science, public health, community development, law, and economics, to engage with client systems, conduct assessments, and develop interventions to solve social and personal problems; and to bring about social change.
Social work practice is often divided into micro-work, which involves
working directly with individuals or small groups; and macro-work, which
involves working with communities, and - within social policy -
fostering change on a larger scale.
The social work industry
developed in the 19th century, with some of its roots in voluntary philanthropy and in grassroots organizing. However, responses to social needs had existed long before then, primarily from private charities and from religious organizations. The effects of the Industrial Revolution and of the Great Depression of the 1930s placed pressure on social work to become a more defined discipline.
Definition
Social work is a broad profession that intersects with several disciplines. Social work organizations offer the following definitions:
“Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities, and indigenous knowledge, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance well-being." – International Federation of Social Workers
"Social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. It aims to help people develop their skills and their ability to use their resources and those of the community to resolve problems. Social work is concerned with individual and personal problems but also with broader social issues such as poverty, unemployment, and domestic violence." –Canadian Association of Social Workers
Social work practice consists of the professional application of social work values, principles, and techniques to one or more of the following ends: helping people obtain tangible services; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve social and health services, and participating in legislative processes. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior; of social and economic, and cultural institutions; and the interaction of all these factors." –National Association of Social Workers
"Social workers work with individuals and families to help improve outcomes in their lives. This may be helping to protect vulnerable people from harm or abuse or supporting people to live independently. Social workers support people, act as advocates and direct people to the services they may require. Social workers often work in multi-disciplinary teams alongside health and education professionals." –British Association of Social Workers
History
A Marylebone slum in the 19th century
The practice and profession of social work has a relatively modern and scientific origin,
and is generally considered to have developed out of three strands. The
first was individual casework, a strategy pioneered by the Charity Organization Society in the mid-19th century, which was founded by Helen Bosanquet and Octavia Hill in London, England. Most historians identify COS as the pioneering organization of the social theory that led to the emergence of social work as a professional occupation.
COS had its main focus on individual casework. The second was social
administration, which included various forms of poverty relief – 'relief
of paupers'. Statewide poverty relief could be said to have its roots
in the English Poor Laws
of the 17th century but was first systematized through the efforts of
the Charity Organization Society. The third consisted of social action –
rather than engaging in the resolution of immediate individual
requirements, the emphasis was placed on political action working
through the community and the group to improve their social conditions
and thereby alleviate poverty. This approach was developed originally by the Settlement House Movement.
This was accompanied by a less easily defined movement; the
development of institutions to deal with the entire range of social
problems. All had their most rapid growth during the nineteenth century,
and laid the foundation basis for modern social work, both in theory
and in practice.
Professional social work originated in 19th century England, and had its roots in the social and economic upheaval wrought by the Industrial Revolution, in particular, the societal struggle to deal with the resultant mass urban-based poverty and its related problems. Because poverty was the main focus of early social work, it was intricately linked with the idea of charity work.
Other important historical figures that shaped the growth of the social work profession are Jane Addams, who founded the Hull House in Chicago and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931; Mary Ellen Richmond,
who wrote Social Diagnosis, one of the first social workbooks to
incorporate law, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, and history; and William Beveridge, who created the social welfare state, framing the debate on social work within the context of social welfare provision.
Transtheoretical models
Social work is an interdisciplinary profession, meaning it draws from a number of areas, such as (but not limited to) psychology, sociology, politics, criminology, economics, ecology, education, health, law, philosophy, anthropology, and counseling, including psychotherapy. Field work is a distinctive attribution to social work pedagogy.
This equips the trainee in understanding the theories and models within
the field of work. Professional practitioners from multicultural
aspects have their roots in this social work immersion
engagements from the early 19th century in the western countries. As an
example, here are some of the models and theories used within social
work practice:
- Empathy
- Social case work
- Social group work
- Community organization
- Behavioral
- School social worker
- Leadership and management
- Crisis intervention
- Mental health
- Cognitive-behavioral
- Critical
- Radical
- Social insurance
- Ecological
- Equity theory
- Financial social work
- Motivational interviewing
- Medical social work
- Person-centered therapy
- Psychoanalytic
- Psychodynamic
- Existential
- Humanistic
- Sociotherapy
- Brief psychotherapy or solution-focused approach
- Recovery approach
- Reflexivity
- Social exchange
- Welfare economics
- Anti-oppressive practice
- Psychosocial rehabilitation
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Systems theory
- Strength-based practice
- Task-centered
- Family therapy
- Advocacy
- Prevention science
- Project management
- Program evaluation and performance measurement
- Systems thinking
- Community development and intervention
- Positive psychology
- Social actions
Profession
Abraham Flexner in a 1915 lecture, "Is Social Work a Profession?",
delivered at the National Conference on Charities and Corrections,
examined the characteristics of a profession concerning social work. It
is not a 'single model', such as that of health, followed by medical
professions such as nurses and doctors, but an integrated profession,
and the likeness with medical profession is that social work requires a
continued study for professional development to retain knowledge and
skills that are evidence-based by practice standards.
A social work professional's services lead toward the aim of providing
beneficial services to individuals, dyads, families, groups,
organizations, and communities to achieve optimum psychosocial
functioning.
Its seven core functions are described by Popple and Leighninger as:
- Engagement — the social worker must first engage the client in early meetings to promote a collaborative relationship
- Assessment — data must be gathered that will guide and direct a plan of action to help the client
- Planning — negotiate and formulate an action plan
- Implementation — promote resource acquisition and enhance role performance
- Monitoring/Evaluation — on-going documentation through short-term goal attainment of the extent to which client is following through
- Supportive Counseling — affirming, challenging, encouraging, informing, and exploring options
- Graduated Disengagement — seeking to replace the social worker with a naturally occurring resource
Six other core values identified by the National Association of Social Workers' (NASW)[20] Code of Ethics are:
- Service — help people in need and address social problems
- Social Justice — challenge social injustices
- Dignity and worth of the person
- Importance of human relationships
- Integrity — behave in a trustworthy manner
- Competence — practice within the areas of one's areas of expertise and develop and enhance professional skill
A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession's
focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of
society. Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. A "client" can be an individual, family, group, organization, or community.
In the broadening scope of the modern social worker's role, some
practitioners have in recent years traveled to war-torn countries to
provide psychosocial assistance to families and survivors.
Ethical values are important in the field of social work. The 2019
study indicates that social work leaders’ authenticity positively
influences their dispositions toward ethical decision-making.
Newer areas of social work practice involve management science.
The growth of "social work administration" for transforming social
policies into services and directing activities of an organization
toward achievement of goals is a related field.
Helping clients with accessing benefits such as unemployment insurance
and disability benefits, to assist individuals and families in building
savings and acquiring assets to improve their financial security
over the long-term, to manage large operations, etc. requires social
workers to know financial management skills to help clients and
organization's to be financially self-sufficient. Financial social work
also helps clients with low-income or low to middle-income, people who
are either unbanked (do not have a banking account) or underbanked
(individuals who have a bank account but tend to rely on high cost
non-bank providers for their financial transactions), with better
mediation with financial institutions and induction of money management
skills.
Another area that social workers are focusing is risk management, risk
in social work is taken as Knight in 1921 defined "If you don't even
know for sure what will happen, but you know the odds, that is risk and
If you don't even know the odds, that is uncertainty." Risk management
in social work means minimizing the risks while increasing potential
benefits for clients by analyzing the risks and benefits in the duty of
care or decisions.
In the United States, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
professional social workers are the largest group of mental health
services providers. There are more clinically trained social
workers—over 200,000—than psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric
nurses combined. Federal law and the National Institutes of Health
recognize social work as one of five core mental health professions.
Examples of fields a social worker may be employed in are poverty relief, life skills education, community organizing, community organization, community development, rural development, forensics and corrections, legislation, industrial relations, project management, child protection, elder protection, women's rights, human rights, systems optimization, finance, addictions rehabilitation, child development, cross-cultural mediation, occupational safety and health, disaster management, mental health, psychosocial therapy, disabilities, etc.
Qualifications
The education of social workers begins with a bachelor's degree (BA, BSc, BSSW, BSW, etc.) or diploma in social work or a Bachelor of Social Services.
Some countries offer postgraduate degrees in social work, such as a
master's degree (MSW, MSSW, MSS, MSSA, MA, MSc, MRes, MPhil.) or
doctoral studies (Ph.D. and DSW (Doctor of Social Work)). Increasingly,
graduates of social work programs pursue post-masters and post-doctoral
studies, including training in psychotherapy.
In the United States, social work undergraduate and master's programs are accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. A CSWE-accredited degree is required for one to become a state-licensed social worker. The CSWE even accredits online master's in social work programs in traditional and advanced standing options. In 1898, the New York Charity Organization Society, which was the Columbia University School of Social Work's
earliest entity, began offering formal "social philanthropy" courses,
marking both the beginning date for social work education in the United
States, as well as the launching of professional social work.
Several countries and jurisdictions require registration or licensure of people working as social workers, and there are mandated qualifications.
In other places, a professional association sets academic requirements
for admission to the profession. The success of these professional
bodies' efforts is demonstrated in that these same requirements are
recognized by employers as necessary for employment.
Professional associations
Social
workers have several professional associations that provide ethical
guidance and other forms of support for their members and social work in
general. These associations may be international, continental,
semi-continental, national, or regional. The main international
associations are the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW).
The largest professional social work association in the United States is the National Association of Social Workers.
There also exist organizations that represent clinical social workers
such as The American Association of Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social
Work. AAPCSW is a national organization representing social workers who
practice psychoanalytic social work and psychoanalysis. There are also
several states with Clinical Social Work Societies which represent all
social workers who conduct psychotherapy from a variety of theoretical
frameworks with families, groups, and individuals. The Association for
Community Organization and Social Administration (ACOSA) is a professional organization for social workers who practice within the community organizing, policy, and political spheres.
In the UK, the professional association is the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) with just over 18,000 members (as of August 2015).
The Code of Ethics of the US-based National Association of Social Workers provides a code for daily conduct and a set of principles rooted in 6 core values: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence.
Trade unions representing social workers
In the United Kingdom, just over half of social workers are employed by local authorities, and many of these are represented by UNISON, the public sector employee union. Smaller numbers are members of the Unite the Union and the GMB (trade union). The British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE) has been a section of the Community (trade union) since 2008.
While at that stage, not a union, the British Association of Social Workers
operated a professional advice and representation service from the
early 1990s. Social Work qualified staff who are also experienced in
employment law and industrial relations provide the kind of
representation you would expect from a trade union in the event of a
grievance, discipline or conduct matters specifically in respect of
professional conduct or practice. However, this service depended on the
goodwill of employers to allow the representatives to be present at
these meetings, as only trade unions have the legal right and
entitlement of representation in the workplace.
By 2011 several councils had realized that they did not have to
permit BASW access, and those that were challenged by the skilled
professional representation of their staff were withdrawing permission.
For this reason BASW once again took up trade union status by forming
its arms-length trade union section, SWU (Social Workers Union). This
gives the legal right to represent its members whether the employer or Trades Union Congress
(TUC) recognizes SWU or not. In 2015 the TUC was still resisting SWU
application for admission to congress membership and while most
employers are not making formal statements of recognition until the TUC
may change its policy, they are all legally required to permit SWU
(BASW) representation at internal discipline hearings, etc.
Use of information technology in social work
Information
technology is vital in social work, it transforms the documentation
part of the work into electronic media. This makes the process
transparent, accessible and provides data for analytics. Observation is a
tool used in social work for developing solutions. Anabel Quan-Haase
in Technology and Society defines the term surveillance as “watching
over” (Quan-Haase. 2016. P 213), she continues to explain that the
observation of others socially and behaviorally is natural, but it
becomes more like surveillance when the purpose of the observation is to
keep guard over someone (Quan-Haase. 2016. P 213). Often, at the
surface level, the use of surveillance and surveillance technologies
within the social work profession is seemingly an unethical invasion of
privacy. When engaging with the social work code of ethics a little more
deeply, it becomes obvious that the line between ethical and unethical
becomes blurred. Within the social work code of ethics, there are
multiple mentions of the use of technology within social work practice.
The one that seems the most applicable to surveillance or artificial
intelligence is 5.02 article f, “When using electronic technology to
facilitate evaluation or research” and it goes on to explain that
clients should be informed when technology is being used within the
practice (Workers. 2008. Article 5.02).
Social workers in literature
In 2011, a critic stated that "novels about social work are rare," and as recently as 2004, another critic claimed to have difficulty finding novels featuring a main character holding a Master of Social Work degree.
However, social workers have been the subject of many novels, including:
- Bohjalian, Chris (2007). The double bind: a novel (1st ed.). New York: Shaye Areheart Books. ISBN 978-1-4000-4746-8.
- Cooper, Philip (2013). Social work man. Leicester: Matador. ISBN 978-1-78088-508-7.
- Barrington, Freya (2015). Known to Social Services (1st ed.). USA: FARAXA Publishing. ISBN 9789995782870.
- Desai, Kishwar (2010). Witness the night. London: Beautiful Books. ISBN 978-1-905636-85-3.
- Fadiman, Anne (1997). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 978-0-37453-340-3.
- Irish, Lola (1993). Streets of dust: a novel based on the life of Caroline Chisholm. Kirribilli, N.S.W: Eldorado. ISBN 1-86412-001-0.
- Greenlee, Sam (1990) [1969]. The spook who sat by the door: a novel. African American life. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-2246-8.
- Konrád, György (1987). The case worker. Writers from the other Europe. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-009946-8.
- Henderson, Smith (2014). Fourth of July Creek: A Novel. ISBN 978-0-06-228644-4.
- Johnson, Greg (2011). A very famous social worker. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse Inc. ISBN 978-1-4502-8548-3.
- Johnson, Kristin (2012). Unprotected: a novel. St. Butt, MN: North Star Press. ISBN 978-0-87839-589-7.
- Kalpakian, Laura (1992). Graced land (1st ed.). New York: Grove Weidenfeld. ISBN 0-8021-1474-1.
- Lewis, Sinclair (1933). Ann Vickers (First ed.). Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company. OCLC 288770.
- Mengestu, Dinaw (2014). All our names (First ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-385-34998-7.
- Sapphire (1996). Push: a novel (1st ed.). New York: Alfred A. Knopf; Random House. ISBN 0-679-44626-5. The basis of the movie Precious.
- Smith, Ali (2011) There But For The, Hamish Hamilton, Pantheon.
- Ungar, Michael (2011). The social worker: a novel. Lawrencetown, N.S: Pottersfield Press. ISBN 978-1-897426-26-5.
- Weinbren, Martin (2010). King Welfare. Bakewell: Peakpublish. ISBN 978-1-907219-18-4.
Fictional social workers in media
A military social worker counseling a soldier
| |||
| Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Names | Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Advanced Practicing Social Worker, Registered Social Worker | ||
Activity sectors
| Social welfare, social services, government, health, public health, mental health, occupational safety and health, community organization, non-profit, law, corporate social responsibility, human rights | ||
| Description | |||
| Competencies | Improving the social environment and well-being of people by facilitating, and developing resources | ||
Education required
| Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Social Work, Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSc) or a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work (PGDipSW) for general practice; Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) for clinical practice; Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) or Professional Doctorate (ProfD or DProf) for or specialized practice; Accredited educational institution; Registration and licensing differs depending on state | ||
Fields of
employment | Child and women protection services, non-profit organizations, government agencies, disadvantaged groups centers, hospitals, schools, churches, shelters, community agencies, social planning services, think tanks, correctional services, labor and industry services | ||
| Name | Portrayed by | Title | Year |
| Ann Vickers | Irene Dunne | Ann Vickers | 1933 |
| Ray Fremick | Edward Platt | Rebel Without a Cause | 1955 |
| Neil Brock | George C. Scott | East Side/West Side | 1963 |
| Edith Keeler | Joan Collins | Star Trek: The Original Series - The City on the Edge of Forever | 1967 |
| Germain Cazeneuve | Jean Gabin | Two Men in Town | 1973 |
| Ann Gentry | Anjanette Comer | The Baby | 1973 |
| Dwight Mercer | Mykelti Williamson | Free Willy | 1993 |
| Mrs. Sellner | Anne Haney | Mrs. Doubtfire | 1993 |
| Mary Bell | Angelina Jolie | Pushing Tin | 1999 |
| Margaret Lewin | Jessica Lange | Losing Isaiah | 1995 |
| Dr. Sonia Wick | Vanessa Redgrave | Girl, Interrupted | 1999 |
| Raquel | Leonor Watling | Raquel busca su sitio | 2000 |
| Cobra Bubbles | Ving Rhames | Lilo & Stitch | 2002 |
| Clare Barker | Sally Phillips | Clare in the Community | 2004 |
| Toby Flenderson | Paul Lieberstein | The Office | 2005 |
| Pankaj | Pankaj Kumar Singh | Smile Pinki | 2008 |
| Emily Jenkins | Renée Zellweger | Case 39 | 2009 |
| Bernie Wilkins | Don Cheadle | Hotel for Dogs | 2009 |
| Ms. Weiss | Mariah Carey | Precious | 2009 |
| Mark Lilly | Matt Oberg (Voice) | Ugly Americans (TV series) | 2010-2012 |
| Meera | Bhama | Janapriyan | 2011 |
| Maxine Gray | Tyne Daly | Judging Amy | 1999-2005 |
| Sam Healy | Michael Harney | Orange Is the New Black | 2013 |
| David Mailer | Patrick Gilmore | Travelers | 2016 |
