Lesson 1: The Discipline and Practice of Social Work

describe the average level of life in a

THE NATURE OF POVERTY society or that may be concentrated in
Poverty, the state of one who lacks a usual or relatively large groups in an
socially acceptable amount of money or otherwise prosperous society. Both
material possessions, has become a serious generalized and concentrated
reality. It is said to exist when people lack the collective poverty may be transmitted
means to satisfy their basic needs. In this from generation to generation,
context, the identification of poor people first parents passing their poverty on to
requires a determination of what constitutes their children. Collective poverty is
basic needs. These may be defined as usually related to economic
narrowly as “those necessary for survival” or underdevelopment.
as broadly as “those reflecting the prevailing  Concentrated collective poverty in
standard of living in the community.” regions by passed or abandoned by
Poverty has been associated, for example, industry and in areas where
with poor health, low levels of education or agriculture or industry is inefficient
skills, an inability, or an unwillingness to and cannot compete profitably, there
work, high rates of disruptive or disorderly are found victims of concentrated
behavior, and improvidence. While these collective poverty. These people, like
attributes have often been found to exist with those afflicted with generalized
poverty, their inclusion in a definition of poverty, have higher mortality rates,
poverty would tend to obscure the relation poor health, low educational levels,
between them and the inability to provide for and so forth when compared with the
one’s basic needs. Several types of poverty more affluent segments of society.
may be distinguished depending on such Their chief economic traits are
factors as time or duration (long- or short- unemployment and
term or cyclical) and distribution (widespread, underemployment, unskilled
concentrated, and individual). occupations, and job instability.
 Case poverty refers to the inability of
 Cyclical poverty refers to poverty
an individual or family to secure
that may be widespread throughout a
basic needs even in social
population, but the occurrence itself
surroundings of general prosperity.
is of limited duration. In non-
This inability is generally related to
industrial societies (present and past),
the lack of some basic attribute that
this sort of inability to provide for
would permit the individual to
one’s basic needs rests mainly upon
maintain himself or herself. Such
temporary food shortages caused by
persons may, for example, be blind,
natural phenomena or poor
physically, or emotionally disabled,
agricultural planning. Prices would
or chronically ill. Efforts to
rise because of scarcities of food,
ameliorate poverty due to physical
which brought widespread, albeit
causes focus on education sheltered
temporary, misery.
employment, and, if needed,
 Collective poverty involves a
economic maintenance.
relatively permanent insufficiency of
means to secure basic needs a WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK?
condition that may be so general as to
Social work is a helping profession; the main  Social Change mandate is based on
goal of social work is to improve a society’s the premise that social work
overall well-being, especially for the most intervention takes place when the
vulnerable populations. Social work’s current situation, be this at the level
distinguishing characteristics are its emphasis of the person, family, small group,
on the person-in-environment model and its community, or society, is deemed to
emphasis on social justice. In other words, be in need of change and
social workers not only consider individuals’ development. Social change
internal struggles, as other counselors might, initiatives recognize the place of
they also work with people to examine their human agency in advancing human
relationships, family history, work rights and economic, environmental,
environment, community environment, and and social justice.
the structures and policies that impact them in  Social Development is
order to identify ways to help address a conceptualized to strategies for
problem or challenge. Social work practice is intervention, desired end states, and a
also strengths-based. Social workers help policy framework, the latter in
people or groups identify their problems, addition to the more popular residual
determine their skills and capacities, what and the institutional frameworks.
they are doing well, and how that was  Social Cohesion this involves
accomplished, and then analyze ways that fostering connections and
those strengths might be applied to the relationships within society to create
identified problems. a sense of belonging and unity.
BEING A SOCIAL WORKER  Empowerment and Liberation of
Social workers work directly with clients who People this mandate focuses on
are individuals, families, or small groups. empowering individuals and
These social workers help clients cope with communities to take control of their
problems such as poverty, abuse, addiction, lives and make positive changes.
and mental illness by providing counseling,  Enhancing Well-being this involves
connecting clients with service providers, and working towards enhancing the well-
empowering clients to meet their own needs. being of individuals, particularly
those who are vulnerable or
Other social workers choose to work with
oppressed.
communities, organizations, or governments.
These workers advocate for vulnerable PRINCIPLES
populations, fighting to end the inequalities The overarching principles of social work are
and injustices they see in their communities. respect for the inherent worth and dignity of
They create policies, break down barriers, and human beings, doing no harm, respect for
drive reform. diversity, and upholding human rights and
CORE MANDATES social justice. Advocating and upholding
human rights and social justice is the
The core mandates of the social work
motivation and justification for social work.
profession include promoting social change,
development, and cohesion, and the Social work embraces first, second, and third
empowerment and liberation of people. generation rights. First generation rights refer
to civil and political rights such as freedom of
speech and conscience and freedom from
torture and arbitrary detention; second  Adoption and services to
generation rights pertain to socio-economic unmarried parents facilitating the
and cultural rights that include the rights to difficult decision of unmarried
reasonable levels of education, healthcare and parents whether to keep the baby or
housing, and minority language rights; and place the child for adoption.
third generation rights focus on the natural  Foster care removing the children
world and the right to species biodiversity and from their homes and placing them
inter-generational equity. temporarily in foster care.
KNOWLEDGE  Residential care a group of care
Social work is both interdisciplinary and home or a residential treatment center
trans-disciplinary and draws on a wide array for children exhibiting antisocial
of scientific theories and research. ‘Science’ behaviors or behaviors that require
is understood in this context in its most basic intensive treatment.
meaning as ‘knowledge’. Social work seeks  Support in your own home involves
to redress historic Western scientific providing support services in order to
colonialism and hegemony by listening to and keep children in their own homes.
learning from indigenous people around the  Protective services protecting the
world. In this way, social work knowledge child from child abuse, maltreatment,
will be co-created and informed by and exploitation by one or both
indigenous people, more appropriately, parents.
practiced not only in local environments, but Family Services
also intentionally.  Family Counseling
PRACTICE  Family casework involves
Social work practice spans a range of helping individual members of
activities including various forms of therapy the family modify their behavior
and counseling, group work, and community to make them more effective
work; policy formulation and analysis; and contributors to the family.
advocacy and political interventions. From an  Family Group Work the process
emancipatory perspective, social work by which the family examine its
strategies are aimed at increasing people’s relationship and resolves their
hope, self-esteem, and creative potential to problem with the help of the
confront and challenge oppressive power social worker.
dynamics and structural sources of injustices.  Family Therapy focuses on
This results to having a coherent whole the transforming the structure of the
micro-macro, personal-political dimension of family to make it more supportive
intervention. The holistic focus of social work of its members.
is universal, but the priorities of social work  Family life education an intervention
practice will vary from one country to the to strengthen the family through
next, and from time-to-time depending on educational activities that seek to
historical, cultural, political, and socio- prevent family breakdown.
economic conditions.  Family Planning refers to assisting
Social Work as a Primary Discipline the families to plan the number,
spacing, and timing of the births of
children to fit with their needs.
 Income Maintenance resolve disputes between the client
 Public Assistance refers to the and other parties.
provision of financial aid to the poor.  Advocate the role involves taking a
 Social Insurances social provisions partisan interest in the client and
that are funded by employers and her/his cause and aims to influence
employees through contributions to a another party in the interest of the
specific program. client through arguing, bargaining,
 Cash in kind and emergency negotiating, and manipulating the
support funds. environment on behalf of the client.
 Enabler the role is about activities
Community Services that the social worker engages in
 Community organization activities order to help the clients cope with the
involve the gathering and analysis of current situation and eventually find
data related to the delivery of strengths and resources within
services, matching that information themselves to solve problems they
with the data of population encountered.
distribution.  Counselor/Therapist role intends to
 Community planning refers to the restore, maintain, or enhance the
involvement of social workers with client’s capacity to adapt to her/his
the physical, economic, and health current reality.
planners in the long-range planning
Ethical Considerations in the Client-
of communities.
Worker Relationship
 Community development the
 Acceptance the worker’s recognition
participation of social workers in
of the individual’s worth as a human
providing to the people in the
being imbued with inherent worth
communities as the aim to enhance
and dignity.
their conditions.
 Nonjudgmental attitude means
Interventive Roles and Functions of without labeling, no stereotyping, and
Social Workers non-condemnatory act that refrains
 Resource broker the role is about the from assigning blame, guilt, or failure
direct provision of material aid and to the client.
other resources that will be helpful in  Individualization characterized that
reducing situational deficiencies. every individual is unique and
 Social broker the role involves a possesses certain traits or attributes
process of negotiating the service specific only to her/himself.
jungle for clients. The social worker  Purposeful expression of feelings
links the client to the needed services refers to the worker’s allowing and
and ensures quick delivery of these facilitating the client’s purposeful
services. expression of feelings. This means
 Mediator role includes acting as an free sharing with a sympathetic
intermediary or conciliator between worker of his/her thoughts and
persons or in groups and the social feelings even the negative ones.
worker engages her/his efforts to  Controlled emotional involvement
refers to the worker’s way out of
 responding to the client’s purposeful
expression of feelings. The worker
must keep his/her own emotions
under control and should empathize
but not over-identify with the client
as the latter would.
 Confidentiality refers to the
preservation of secret information
concerning the client which is
disclosed in the professional
relationship.
 Self-determination is a derivative of
the belief and dignity of a person that
he/she is endowed with reason and
free will and is capable of making
his/her own choices.