MODULE 2

Introduction to Social Casework: Historical Development

LESSON 1.
Introduction
All human beings are part of society and everyone in the society has different social role and duties.
While performing his role and duties, individual faces many problems in one or other form, which hinder
his performance as a social being. Casework is the oldest and the most developed method of solving
individual’s problems and improving his social relations. In this unit we will discuss the concept of
casework and its usefulness in solving these problems. We will also study the evolution and historical
development of casework in the West and in India.
The Nature of Individual
Every individual is unique and his/her needs are different from others in society. Consequently, the
treatment given or approach to one individual cannot be used for the other individual. To understand
human behavior and the individual difference Grace Mathew has given following proposition.

 An individual’s behavior is conditioned by his/her environment and his/her life experiences.

Behavior refers to reacting, feeling, thinking, etc. Attributes of human being are not visible to
others. The conditions and influences surrounding the persons constitute the environment.

 For human growth and development, it is essential that certain basic needs should be met. The
basic needs may be – physical and mental. Physical needs refer to needs for food, shelter and
clothing. Mental needs can be in the form of emotional security, need of parents, child, and
spouse.

 Emotional needs are real and they cannot be met or removed through intellectual reasoning.

 Behavior is purposeful and is in response to the individual’s physical and emotional needs.

 Other people’s behavior can be understood only in terms of one’s own emotional and intellectual
comprehension.
Each individual and every individual have his/her own importance. As every human being has his/her
own set of qualities, he/she cannot be neglected.
Herbert Bisno described the following attributes of individual nature:

 Each individual by the very fact of his/her existence is of worth.

 Human suffering is undesirable and should be prevented or at least alleviated, whenever possible.
 All human behavior is the result of interaction between the biological organism and its
environment.
 Man does not naturally act in a rational manner.
 Man is amoral and asocial at birth.
 There are both individual and common human needs.
  There are important differences between individuals and they must be recognized and allowed
for.
 Human motivation is complex and frequently obscure.
 Family relationships are of primary importance in the early developments of individual.
 “Experiencing” is essential for learning process.
While these two attributes regarding individuals seem obvious at first glance they are often forgotten.
Our tendency to simplify events and our biases often prevents us from realizing the uniqueness of the
individuals with whom we are dealing. We often observe how individuals with different natures are
treated using the common approach. For example, we hear people say that beggars have no self-respect
and are lazy. To avoid this mistake caseworkers, have to remind themselves that each client who comes to
the agency has his own outlook, feelings and attitudes. Their problems may have some similarities but has
important differences. Thus, the treatment must be differentiated according to the needs of the individual.
The caseworker should attempt to understand the client’s need and respond to him in an individualized
way according to his needs. Similarly, the caseworker should recognize the individual as important
simply because he is human being. Professional acceptance of clients by putting aside personal bias is an
important requirement of the caseworker. The caseworker may have to deal with terrorists, criminals and
other deviants who he/she may personally dislike.
According to Maslow’s prioritization, needs can be categorized as follows:

 Physiological needs: This refers to basic needs of food, shelter, cloth, air, and water.
 Safety needs: It is the nature of human being that it like to be on the safer side and avoid physical
damage and hazards.
 Need for belongingness and love: Every human being loves to be love and to belong a particular
group and with the prestige in that group. If a person is deprived from parental love, affection of
siblings and peer group, there are chances of development of violent behavior in him.
 Esteemed needs: It is general psychology of human being that it like to be at the top position, to
have status in the society and acceptance in his own group.
 Need for self-growth and identification: After fulfillment of above needs there is need for
opportunities available to a person for self-growth and to prove his capabilities for his remarkable
identification in the society.
 Need for cognitive understanding of self and the world around: When the person recognize
himself and the world around him it is said that all his needs are fulfilled. It is the top most need
in the need hierarchy, which governs the person at spirituality and very few persons achieve it.

We can say that each human being has a number of needs requiring satisfaction. If these needs are not
fulfilled it may result in frustration followed by crisis situation. The caseworker has to understand the
client’s need in order to study, diagnose and to give treatment according to his needs.
ACTIVITY 1. Brainstorming Activity
1. Find your partner. Choose one of the needs from Maslow’s hierarchy. Brainstorm a list of needs
that corresponds to that level of the hierarchy and in what way those needs can be met. Share
your findings with your partner (Give at least 5 ideas).
Problems Faced by Individual and Families
Problems may be caused due to the non-fulfillment of needs or inability to perform his social roles. The
social roles are connected with being a parent, spouse and wage-earning worker etc.
Causes of Human Problems
Problem of social functioning causes distress to the individuals. These individuals are not to be
considered as a unit of category but a unique person. Casework method tries to resolve individual
problems through scientific approach.
According to Encyclopedia of Social Work Vol.1, the reason for human problems may be divided into
five categories:
1. Lack of material resources
2. Misconception about the situation and relationships and lack of appropriate information
3. Illness or health problems related to a disability 4) Emotional distress resulting from stressful
situations
5. Personality features or deficiencies
Grace Mathew undertook a survey of 200 casework records, which was based on the reports of casework
services rendered for the clients in India. From the sample obtained from Survey of Casework Record; the
problems can be categorized as follows:

1) Problems related to illness and disabilities

2) Problems due to lack of material resources
3) School related problems
4) Problems related to institutionalization
5) Behavior problems
6) Problems of marital discord
7) Problem situations needing a follow-up service
8) Needs related to rehabilitation of people handicapped by disabilities
9) Predicaments and difficulties of client caught up in problems that have been regarded as social
problems like gambling, prostitution, alcoholism, drug addiction and unmarried motherhood.
Types of Problem
In general, we can categorize the problems faced by individual as:
1. Economical
2. Political
3. Cultural
4. Health
5. Sociological
6. Religious
 7. Psychological
Broadly we can say that in a society many problems are associated with the individual and the prime
aim of casework is to resolve individual problems in order to help him/her to be independent and effective
in social functioning.
Concept of Social Casework
In the words of Gordon and Hamilton “social casework which is both a tool and area of work consists
of processes which develop personality through adjustment consciously affect individual by individual
between man and his social environment”. Miss Richmond gives this definition of casework. “Social
casework is art of doing different things for and with different people by cooperating with them to
achieve at one and at the same time their own and their society’s betterment.” Thus, it is both art and
science of resolving individual problems in social area, for individual and society are interdependent and
social forces influence behavior and attitude of an individual.
The focus of each branch is different but the practice of these three branches is not mutually
exclusive. Social casework is concerned with individual and his adjustment to life and general social
welfare. It does not concentrate on individual to the exclusion of social factors. In other words, the basic
objective of social casework is to promote social welfare with basic focus on individuals.
Basic Assumptions of Social Casework
The main work of social casework is to enable an individual in solving a problem through self-
efforts. The social worker’s job is to provide adequate help and guidance. According to Hamilton the
chief assumptions of social casework are:

 Individual and society are interdependent and complimentary to each other.

 Various factors operative in the society influence human behavior and attitude.
 Some problems are psychological and some are interpersonal in nature.
 In the process of social casework conscious and controlled relations are established for
achieving its aims.
 Social casework enables an individual to solve his/ her problems by channelizing his/her
energy and capacity positively.
 Social casework provides everyone equal right to progress. It also provides help to every
needy and disabled person.

Philosophical Assumptions
The ultimate goal of social casework is to establish harmonious relationship between individual
and the society to which he belongs. According to Grace Mathew there are certain assumptions, which
constitute the fundamental structure of social casework. They are generated out of the collective thinking
and traditions in casework.
These philosophical assumptions are:

 Every human being has to be considered as a person with dignity and worth.
 Human beings are interdependent and it governs their interaction in social groups.
  There are common human needs for growth and development of individuals. The existence of
common needs does not negate the uniqueness of individuals.
 Every individual is like all other human beings in some aspects and like no other individuals in
certain aspects.
 Every individual has within him/her, the potential for growth and achievement and he/she has a
right to the realization of this potential. From this it follows that people has capacity to change.
 Society has an obligation to help those who do not have the means for the realization of their
potentials.
Contributions of Mary Richmond
In the previous chapter we discussed that the beginning of professional casework is associated with
publication of Mary Richmond’s book “Social Diagnosis”. In the words of Richmond “Social diagnosis is
the attempt to arrive at as exact a definition as possible of social situation and personality of the given
client”. She was interested in the formation of methodology of helping clients. She visualized a diagnostic
summary with following three headings:

 Difficulties defined
 Factors Causal
 Assets and liabilities
Richmond knew that the facts, which were observed and inferred, are not always scientifically
reliable. Richmond tried to answer the following questions. “Who arrives at diagnosis? what are the basis
of influence? how reliable is the worker’s judgment and the facts on which they are based?”
Richmond found that diagnosis is a process consisting sequence of steps in order to facilitate the
worker to arrive finally at his/her definition of social situation and personality of client. The sequence of
steps was as under:

 Interview with client

 Contact with his family and near ones
 Search of inside and outside sources for cooperation
 The interpretation of information collected
Interview with Client According to Richmond the primary step is to know the personality of the
individual and to study his/her life closely, which can be done by interviewing him/her about his/her
family background, family doctor, health agencies, schools, past and present employers, residence and
neighborhood. Interviewer’s aim is to collect information regarding the sources for further information.
Richmond also described the objectives of the worker for the interview, which are to:

 give the client fair and patient hearing.

 establish mutual understanding on good basis.
 secure clues about other source of information.
 begin the slow process of developing self-help and self-reliance.
Contact with his Family and Near Ones
In the critical contact with the family, Richmond saw the need of an individual not only for
assessing the personality, diagnosis of problem but also to develop a relationship with other members of
the family. Richmond felt that attention should be given to family cohesion, unity of family and the
capacity of family members toward affection, enjoyment and social development, children’s ambitions
and aptitude, interference of relatives and difference in role were to be noted.
Search of Inside and Outside Sources for Collaboration
Outside source of information to make diagnosis included social agencies, churches, doctors and
health agencies, present and former neighbors, relatives, friends, present and past employers, school and
public record, etc. and inside sources like his/her willpower, confidence, self-reliance, attitude etc.
Miss Richmond recommended that the worker gain information from this outside source and
he/she goes first to those sources which were likely to influence his/her personality and the most
prominent factors in client’s history.
The Interpretation of Information Collected
The collected data from the above sources was considered as raw material for diagnosis. Such
interpretation is arrived through the careful weighing of evidence and critical comparison. Social
evidence was defined Richmond as “all facts as to personal or family history are taken together indicates
the nature of a given clients in social difficulties and means to their solutions”. She also recognized that
the client’s own hopes, plans and attitude towards life are more important than any other information.
Richmond made the first exclusive effort to analyze casework process. This was the first truly
professional approach in casework. The contribution of Richmond has always been held in respect by
modern caseworker because of many reasons. It contains the concept of self-determination which has
become very important in modern casework philosophy. Richmond’s interest was dual. On the one hand
it was a social and on the other hand it was psychological. It was concluded that forces within the
individuals and outside him/her influence his/her behavior and his/ her nature in the society. Richmond
attempted to combine this dual interest and she suggested that there ought to be a profession called
“Sociatry”.
Value of Social Casework within the Sphere of Social Work
We know that Social Casework as method of social work aims at helping individual to solve
his/her problem in the society to perform in better way and to enhance his/her own capabilities. The basic
unit of society is individual. If individuals are satisfied in their life and efforts are made to minimize
maladjustment then it leads to formation of peaceful society. Society is consisting of individual. Every
profession has a tested body of knowledge for its own growth and development. This body of knowledge
should be easily understandable and communicable and should include principles, techniques, method,
procedure, tools and terminology of its own. The social work as profession has developed a body of
knowledge, which include method and tools, and terminology of its own. In the sphere of social work,
casework as a method demands a dual orientation. Firstly, orientation in human psychology, secondly
orientation in knowing cultural force of the society in which it works. Initially Social Casework was
practiced in a few agencies and institutions but it has been increasingly utilized in newer settings. Today
there are many agencies, institutions and organizations, which frequently use social casework. It is
practiced in hospitals, clinics, courts, industries, military organizations, family welfare agencies both
government and voluntary, immigrant agencies, day nurseries and schools, adoption agencies, child
guidance clinics, hygiene organization, health organization and others.
Important Aspects of Social Casework
The important aspects of case work may be outlined on the basis of some definitions and the various
shades of meaning of social casework.
  Social case work is a method of providing services whereby a professional social worker assesses
the needs of the person and his or her family, in an appropriate manner, and arranges, coordinates,
monitors, evaluates, and advocates for a package of multiple services to meet the complex needs
of the person.
 Case work is recognizable by its aim of social betterment and its method of individualized and
differential intervention. It is concerned with the release of resources in the immediate
environment and capacities in the individual which may give him or her a fuller and more
satisfying life that becomes socially beneficial.
 Case work has always been concerned with the family as the primary social unit within which
concepts are formed which, in our culture, have a profound bearing on social adjustment.
 The practice of casework is a humanistic attempt to help people who have difficulty in coping
with the problems of daily living.
 Enabling the person who has a problem to make meaningful adjustment is not only typical, but
classical type of case work. As one of the direct methods of social work, it uses the case-by-case
approach for dealing with individuals or families as regards their problems of personal or social
functioning.
 Case work aims at individualized services in the field of social work in order to help the person to
become aware of his or her inner resources, so that the person may be able to handle any difficult
situation in his or her life and make the necessary adjustment with the environment in which he or
she lives.
Assumptions of Social Casework

 Human persons are bio-psycho-social beings who continually interact with their environment.
 Every person has specific nature and at the same time has his or her unique practice and
characteristics similar to other persons with whom he or she has been socializing.
 In a social environment it is next to impossible to live absolutely independent of one another.
However, total dependence on others is not healthy, nor growth-oriented.
 Most of the problems in the realm of social functioning are psycho-social in nature and also
interpersonal.
 A person can be understood and helped to live his/her life effectively provided he/she is aware of
the human limitations, and cooperate with one another in the social environment.
 Human beings can change to certain extent if they learn to make use of their innate capacities
and potentials to the optimum level.

Conclusion
In this chapter, we have studied the concept of casework i.e. casework for individual and general
welfare, basic and philosophical assumptions of casework, its functioning in the society etc. We further
studied the historical development of casework in West, its roots in the form of concept of charity, then
its journey from friendly visitors to modern professional caseworkers. Then we studied the development
of casework in India. Contribution of “Buddhism”, “Maurya”, “Islam”, British period in historical
development of casework and starting of professional social work with establishment of schools of social
work in India. We also studied the impact of World Wars, Friendly visitors, contributions of Mary
Richmond and Freud in the history of casework development. Apart from the above topics we also
studied about the individual needs i.e. his/her basic needs, physical needs, psychological needs etc. and
about the distress caused by non-fulfillment of needs. Then we discussed about the problems faced by
individuals and families in their day-to-day life and the role of caseworker in resolving the problem, then
the scope of casework in social work. Casework as a tool of dealing with individual has become an
important method of social work.
Activity 2

1. Compile the different Pictures of prominent personalities in the history of social casework and
indicate their contribution in the development of social casework in the Philippine setting.

References
Hamilton, Gordon (1940), “Theory and Practice of Social Case Work, Columbia University Press, New
York. Mathew, Grace (1991), An Introduction to Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.
Richmond Mary (1917), Social Diagnosis, Russell Sage Foundation, New York. Scope & Methods of the
Family Service Agency (1953), Family Service Association of America, New York.