Social work meaning and concept

Social work meaning and concept

1. History and Ideologies of Social Work Profession Social Work: Meaning and Concepts Unit-I

2. Meaning of Social Work Social work is a practice-based profession that promotes social change, development, cohesion/unity and the empowerment of people and communities.  It involves the understanding of human development, behavior and the social, economic and cultural institutions and interactions. S tarted by the individuals, groups, religious, caste, communities etc. to attend salvation by the act of helping the needy.

3. Misconception. Provides permanent solution. Aims at making a person self-dependent and self- reliant. Follows scientific process. Voice for the voiceless.

4. Definition W . Friedlander (1955 ) “ Social work is a professional service, based on scientific knowledge and skill in human relations, which assist individuals, alone or in groups, to obtain social and personal satisfaction and independence.” – G. Konopka (1958 ) “ Social work is an entity representing three clearly distinguished but inter- related parts: a network of social services, carefully developed methods and process and social policy expressed thought social institutions and individuals. All three are based on a view of human being, their interrelationships, and the ethical demands made on them.” – Indian Conference of Social Work (1957 ) “ Social work is a welfare activity based on humanitarian philosophy, scientific knowledge and technical skill for helping individuals or community, to live a rich and full life.” -

5. Goals of Social Work The main goals of Social Work First , the creation those conditions which help to make a more satisfying way of life possible, and S econd , the development within the individual and the community as well as capacities which help to live the life more adequately and creativity

6. Objectives of Social Work : Solve psycho-social problems Fulfill humanitarian needs Solve problems associated with coping mechanism Create self-sufficiency Strengthen and create harmonious social relations Develop democratic values Provide opportunities for development and social progress Change the environment in favor of individual’s growth and development Bring about changes in the social system for social development Provide socio-legal aid

7. Scope of Social Work The primary scope of social work is to solve the psycho-social problems that hold back the development of individuals and communities Public assistance Social insurance Family services Child welfare services Community welfare centres Welfare service for the physically and mentally challenged Women’s welfare services Employment and Employability services

8. Functions of Social Work : According to Proff . P.D. Mishra social work operates to assist individuals in adjusting to the institutional frame work of the society and attempts to modify the institutional frame work itself in appropriate areas. He classified the functions of social work into the following 4 major categories 1.Curative Function The services provided under curative functions are–medical and health services, services relating to psychiatry, child guidance, child welfare services, services for the handicapped or disable in the form of protection and rehabilitation. These kinds of services aim to cure the physical, social, material, psychological sickness of individuals in the society.

9. 2. Correctional Function The correctional function of social work has three broad areas, such as: Individual reform service which includes prison reform, probation, parole and other related services. Services for improving social relationship which includes family welfare services, school social work, industrial social work etc. Services for social reform that includes employment services, prevention of commercial sex work, beggary prohibition services and removal of untouchability etc.

10. 3. Preventive Function: It includes life insurance services, public assistance, social legislation, adult education and prevention of diseases etc. It deals with the services relating to the prevention of problems like insecurity, unlawfulness, ignorance, sickness etc. It is directed towards the elimination of those factors in the social environment or those deficiencies in the development of personality that prevents the individual from achieving a minimum desirable standard of socio- economic life.

11. 4. Developmental Function: It includes the tasks of socio-economic development activities such as: education, recreational services, urban and rural development programmes and programmes of integration etc. which are primarily concerned with the development of individuals, families, groups and communities .

12. Methods of Social Work

13. Process of Social Work

14. Concepts of Social Work : Social Service, Helping the helpless’ is social service. It is service rendered to any person on the basis of desire to serve which is inspired by the feeling of helping others. In the Indian context social services are those services, which are provided on an extensive scale to the needy population; they serve to meet the basic needs of the people and include such services as health, education, housing etc. The characteristic features of social services are as under: Social services are visualized and organized by society/state. These services directly benefit all sections of society. These services have a very wide scope including everything that has a direct bearing on the quality of life of people. These services aim at promoting human and social development, protecting human rights of people and creating a sense of duty among them towards society.

15. Social Welfare Derived from ' welfaren ', the term 'welfare' means "the state or condition with regard to good, fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc ". By welfare we refer to the entire package of services, social and economic, that deal with income support, welfare provisions and social security, on the one hand, and view the whole range of social services, on the other." Social welfare is the people's well-being promoted by society through a wide variety of ways and means. According to Friedlander (1963), " 'Social Welfare' is the organized system of social services and institutions, designed to aid individuals and groups to attain satisfying standards of life and health, and personal and social relationships which permit them to develop their full capacities and to promote their well-being in harmony with the needs of their families and the community."

16. Social Reform In every society cultural degeneration sets in of some point of time, particularly when its followers forget the basic purpose behind varied kinds of customs and traditions. When social evils start manifesting themselves on a very large scale and become fairly widespread, some enlightened people start giving a serious thought to them and devising measures to get rid of them; it is at this juncture that social reform begins. The term 'reform', according to Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary (1996) means "the improvement”

17. Social reform thus, broadly speaking, refers to eradication of immoral, unhealthy, corrupt and wrong practices which thwart/prevent human and social development, According to M.S. Gore (1987), Major characteristics of social reform are: Existence of some social evil impeding proper human growth and social development. Collective and focused efforts deliberately made by people to mitigate and date social evil. Overall satisfaction with the generally prevailing situations in society and existence of belief that the overall system is not to be overthrown. Employment of non-violent methods and means to bring about desired changes in the area in which evil practices exist and use of such measures like persuasion, Conscientization, change of heart, etc. as may lead to eradication of existing evils.

18. Study of social reform is important for professional social workers because they are concerned with improving the social functioning of people and introducing desired changes in social structure and system; The objectives cannot be attained till varied kinds of social evils and unhealthy and undesirable usages and practices continue to exist in society. Social workers generally, because of their basic faith in non-revolutionary approach to be adopted for introducing desired changes in society, want to bring about almost social changes, to begin with, by doing away with varied kinds of social evils like dowry, Sati, Purdah, child labour, bonded labour, etc. through social reforms.

19. Social Development, Social development  attempts to explain qualitative changes in the structure and framework of  society , that help the society to better realize aims and objectives. Development can be defined in a manner applicable to all societies at all historical periods as an upward ascending movement featuring greater levels of energy, efficiency, quality, productivity, complexity, comprehension, creativity, mastery, enjoyment and accomplishment . Development is a process of  social change , not merely a set of policies and programs instituted for some specific results. During the last five centuries this process has picked up in speed and intensity, and during the last five decades has witnessed a marked surge in acceleration

20. Social Security, Security i.e., freedom from danger or risk is one of the accepted needs of people. Social security benefits may be in the form of cash or kind or both Initially, this security was being provided through the institution of family and occupational guilds, and more so by the joint family system and caste in India; But in course of time these basic social institutions started disintegrating. A pioneer Sir William Beveridge , came forward with the idea of 'social security' as means of freedom against five great giants: want, disease, ignorance, idleness and squalor. Since then social security has become very widely used in social science literature. The International Labour Organization (1942) defines social security "as the security that society furnishes through appropriate organization, against certain risks to which its members are exposed

21. Social Policy Social policy is a plan or action of government or institutional agencies which aim to improve or reform society. It  refers to governmental and legislative efforts to implement changes to benefit society or a particular segment of society and, in this sense, is a social intervention. It concerned with the ways societies across the world meet human needs for security, education, work, health and wellbeing. Social policy addresses how states and societies respond to global challenges of social, demographic and economic change, and of poverty, migration and globalization

22. Social Justice Social justice refers to a fair and equitable division of resources, opportunities, and privileges in society. Originally a religious concept, it has come to be conceptualized more loosely as the just organization of social institutions that deliver access to economic benefits. It is sometimes referred to as "distributive justice .“ In the current movements for social justice, the emphasis has been on the breaking of barriers for social mobility, the creation of safety nets, and economic justice