Social work is the professional activity of helping individual, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favourable to this goal. 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 service; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals, families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or improve processes. The practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behaviour; of social economic, and cultural institutions; and of the interactions of all these factors.
OBJECTIVE
Social work is concerned and involved with the interactions between people and the institutions of society that affect the ability of people to accomplish life tasks, realize aspirations and values, and alleviate distress. There interactions between people and social purposes of social work may be identified:
FUNCTION
Social work is a professional for those with a strong desire to help improve people’s lives. Social workers assist people by helping them cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationship, and solve personal and family problems. Some social workers help clients who face a disability or a life-threatening disease or a social problem, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, or substance abuse. Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving child or spousal abuse. Some workers conduct research, advocate for improved services, engage in systems design or are involved in planning or policy development. Many social workers specialize in serving a particular population or working in a specific setting.
Child, family, and school social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the well-being of families and the academic functioning of children. They may assist single parents, arrange adoptions, or helping find foster homes for neglected, abandoned, or abused children. Some specialize in services for senior citizens. These social workers may run support groups for the children of aging parents; advise elderly people or family members about housing, transportation, long-term care, and other services; and coordinate and monitor these services. Through employee assistance programs, social workers may help people cope with job-related pressures or with personal problems that affect the quality of their work.
ORIGIN OF SOCIAL WORK
Since the first social work class was offered in the summer of 1898 at Columbia University, social workers have led the way developing private and charitable organizations to serve people in need. Social workers continue to address the needs of society and bring our nation’s social problem’s attention.
Today, Americans enjoy many privileges because early social workers saw miseries and injustices and took action, inspiring others along the way. Many of the benefits we take for granted came about because social weeks-working with families and institutions-spoke out against abuse and neglect.
· The civil rights of all people regardless of gender, race, faith, or sexual orientation are protected.
· Workers enjoy unemployment insurance, disability pay, worker’s compensation and social security.
· People with mental illness and developmental disabilities are now afforded humane treatment.
· Medicaid and Medicare give poor, disabled and elderly people access to health care.
· Society seeks to prevent child abuse and neglect.
· Treatment for mental illness and substance abuse is gradually losing its stigma
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