| Dictionary: social work |
Organized work intended to advance the social conditions of a community, and especially of the disadvantaged, by providing psychological counseling, guidance, and assistance, especially in the form of social services.
socialworker social worker n.| 5min Related Video: social work |
| Encyclopedia of Public Health: Social Work |
In the public health arena, social workers are a valuable resource for the development of treatment plans for patients, for locating supportive resources, and in facilitating referrals. Under the auspices of government and non-government public health organizations and institutions, social workers often provide behavioral and social assessments along with mental health assessment, treatment, and short-term or ongoing case management. Social workers may also work in the community as planners or community organizers capable of engaging groups of people, neighborhoods, or entire communities to address social problems such as drug abuse or teen pregnancy. Social work is a distinct profession, requiring college training, and a masters degree is often a necessity. Many states license social workers, and in those states only those holding such licenses may legally provide social work services The possibilities of employment vary widely and include federal, state, and local government agencies; hospitals; and public health and not-for-profit organizations.
(SEE ALSO: Assessment of Health Status; Community Health; Mental Health; Social Determinants; Social Health)
— ROBERT P. LABBE
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: social service |
For more information on social service, visit Britannica.com.
| US History Encyclopedia: Social Work |
The profession of social work emerged in the early twentieth century as charitable organizations began employing trained workers rather than relying on volunteers. Pioneers developed two competing approaches for addressing social problems. Mary Richmond, author of Social Diagnosis (1917), is celebrated as a leader of the charity organization movement, while the social settlement movement was epitomized by the work of Jane Addams at Hull-House in Chicago. The profession considers its founding date to be 1898, the year the first social work course was established at the New York School of Philanthropy (now the Columbia University School of Social Work). In 1915, at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, Abraham Flexner, an educator and expert on professional standards, pronounced that social workers were not professionals, rather they served as mediators between clients and other professionals such as doctors and lawyers. Early social workers took that as a challenge and mobilized workers to produce professional literature, organizations, and a code of ethics.
As June Hopps and Pauline Collins (1995) have noted, the profession of social work responds to wider historical changes, shifting its focus from environmental reform to individual change, as the nation's social climate fluctuates. For example, social workers aimed to radically change institutions and rejected the traditional establishment during the Progressive Era of the 1900s, the depression of the 1930s, and the social unrest of the 1960s. However, in more conservative times, such as the 1920s, 1950s and 1980s, the profession attended to direct service and individual change.
While white Protestant women composed the majority of early social workers, Catholic, Jewish, and African American men and women often formed their own agencies. Segregation laws barred African Americans from white schools of social work, leading African Americans to create Atlanta University School of Social Work. Pioneers like Lawrence Oxley drew from nineteenth-century philosophies of mutual aid and race pride, and the journal Southern Workman provided a forum of discussion for African American social reformers of the early twentieth century.
In the 1920s, social workers debated whether the profession would include caseworkers across a broad range of fields or limit membership to a professional elite with high educational standards. The latter position won, and social workers were required to complete masters-level training. Depression-era social workers demanded a federal response to widespread unemployment and poverty. A new political activism was ignited within the profession and the social workers Harry Hopkins and Jane Hoey served in the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, influencing new emergency relief and social security programs.
In 1952, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) emerged to accredit graduate schools, and by the 1970s, baccalaureate programs were accredited to prepare entry-level professionals. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) was established in 1955, adopting a code of ethics, and merging seven previously scattered organizations for psychiatric, medical, and group workers. In the last quarter of the twentieth century, organizations such as the National Association of Black Social Workers (1968), Latino Social Workers Organization (1992), and North American Association of Christians in Social Work (1954) evolved to address concerns of various groups.
Entry-level social workers are trained as generalists and are expected to provide service to a broad range of clients, maintain a wide scope of knowledge, and practice a great diversity of skills. Advanced practitioners with graduate-level training may specialize in areas such as clinical, medical, or school social work, as well as planning and development, aging, mental health, or corrections. In the late 1960s and 1970s, states began establishing licensing requirements to legally regulate practice. While all states require some form of licensure, current trends are moving toward "declassification": downgrading requirements for social work in order to employ persons with neither a license nor a degree to do case management and other functions traditionally reserved for social workers.
Bibliography
Carlton-LaNey, Iris. "African American Social Work Pioneers' Response to Need." Social Work 44, no. 4 (July 1999): 311– 321.
Hopps, June, and Pauline Collins. "Social Work Profession Overview." In Encyclopedia of Social Work. 19th ed. Edited by Richard Edwards and June Hopps. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press, 1995.
Popple, Phillip, and Leslie Leighninger. Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society. 5th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2002.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: social work |
Modern Social Work
Modern social work employs three methods of assistance: case work, group work, and community organization. Case work is the method by which individual persons and families are assisted. The person in need of case work may be physically, mentally, or socially handicapped. Among those regarded as socially handicapped are: the unemployed, the homeless, members of broken families, alcoholics, drug addicts, and neglected or problem children. To determine the cause of maladjustment, the social worker must understand individual psychology as well as the sociology of the community. Physicians, psychiatrists, and other specialists may be required to help diagnose the difficulty.
Social group work is exemplified by the social settlement, the supervised playground and gymnasium, and the classroom, where handicrafts may be learned. The community may be called upon to provide the buildings and grounds for such activities; often the services of volunteers and of public groups are utilized; in recent years people living in poverty areas have been employed to work in and direct poverty projects in their own communities.
Through community organization the welfare work of single agencies as well as of whole communities is directed, cooperation between public and private agencies is secured, and funds are raised and administered. The funds required by private agencies are often pooled in a community chest, from which each agency receives a share. Community welfare councils are organized to map programs of rehabilitation, to eliminate duplication of services, and to discover and meet overlooked needs.
The Development of Social Work
Social work emerged as a profession out of the early efforts of churches and philanthropic groups to relieve the effects of poverty, to bring the comforts of religion to the poor, to promote temperance and encourage thrift, to care for children, the sick, and the aged, and to correct the delinquent. Orphanages and homes for the elderly were typical results of these activities. The word charity best describes the early activities, which were aimed at the piecemeal alleviation of particular maladjustments. In such charitable work the principal criterion in determining aid to families was worthiness, while the emphasis in later social work was on restoring individuals to normal life both for their own sake and for the sake of the community.
The first attempts to solve the problem of poverty in a modern scientific way was made by P. G. F. Le Play, who in the 1850s made a detailed study of the budgets of hundreds of French workers' families. Forty years later Charles Booth investigated wages and prices, working conditions, housing and health, standards of living, and leisure activities among the poor of London and revealed the extreme poverty of a third of the population. Booth's social survey became a method for determining the extent of social maladjustment, and through surveys in other cities in Europe and the United States a vast number of facts were accumulated, and methods were developed that provided the basis for modern social work.
In 1874 the National Conference of Charities and Correction (now called the National Conference on Social Welfare) was organized in the United States. Public relief and private philanthropic effort remained largely matters of local and state concern until after 1930, when the federal government entered the field of social work on a large scale to cope with the effects of the Great Depression. Resources were made available, the number of social workers was greatly increased, and it became necessary to coordinate public and private activities. Social work has been steadily professionalized, and special graduate schools as well as departments in universities have been established to train social workers. By 1999 there were 377 accredited undergraduate schools of social work in the United States.
Bibliography
See I. A. Spergel, Community Problem Solving (1969); R. E. Smith and D. Zietz, American Social Welfare Institutions (1970); W. C. Richan and A. R. Mendelsohn, Social Work (1973).
| Wikipedia: Social work |
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.
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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.
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
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]
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.
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.
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.
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| Best of the Web: social work |
Some good "social work" pages on the web:
 American Sign Language commtechlab.msu.edu |
 | Charity Organization Movement |
| Poverty |
| Settlement House Movement |
 | Which would provide more job opps and More opportunity for graduate work in counseling Bachelors Social work Vs BA in communications with social interaction concentration? Read answer... |
| Do you have to get your bachelor's degree in social work in order to get your masters in social work? Read answer... |
| Can you get a good job in social work with only a bachelor's degree in social work? Read answer... |
 | What is the link between social development and social work in relation to social work? |
| Social work practice in different cultural and economic context Comparison of social work in the developing and developed countries? |
| Social work is no stranger phrase to an individual but some fails to understand why you need social work? |
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Encyclopedia of Public Health. Encyclopedia of Public Health. Copyright © 2002 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| US History Encyclopedia. © 2006 through a partnership of Answers Corporation. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/ Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Social work". Read more |
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