The Professionals and Practitioners In The Discipline of Social Work

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS

• Domestic Violence
• Poverty
• Child Abuse and Homelessness
• Hospital Settings
• Private Practice
• Research Work
• Social Policy Advocacies
• They are aware that their profession is based on the principles of human rights and social justice
that serve to empower individuals, groups, and communities to develop their full potential and
well-being.
• The focus of intervention in social work is the relationship between the individual and their
immediate and wider social environment (SWRB 2004).
Defining the Roles, Function, and Competencies of Social Work
• Social work as a profession “ the dual aims of helping individuals fit better into their
environments, typically known as micro practice, and changing the environment so that it works
better for individuals, referred to as macro practice” (Segal,Gerdes, & Steiner 2005).
• This special focus on both people and their environment, a duality as well as the interaction
between them.
• Like other applied social sciences, may help individuals cope with anxiety, stress or depression
but it goes further to help the client gain access to other community resources and support or
empowering services that may be state run or privately operated.
Provide relief or empowering individuals and groups in distressed as a problems that people
experienced.
 Job trainings
 Employment opportunities
 Rehabilitation services
 Mental and health services
 Educational and training services

Roles of Social Work

These provides direction for professional activities and are best situated in the context of client system
(DuBois & Miley 2008).

The roles are generally interwoven with functions but DuBois and Miley (2008) have provided elements
that can be distinctively viewed as roles rather than functions. For individuals and families, their role is
that enabler.
Helping people find solutions.
- They are brokers or advocates in case management, and they are teachers in terms of information
processing. For formal groups and organizational development.
For community and society, their role is that of a planner-facilitating research and planning.

Today, the roles of social workers are grouped into three, which are case management, direct practice,
and advocacy and policy building (Segal,Gerdes, & Steiner 2005)
Function of social work
These speak of main activities professionally performed by social workers. DuBois and Miley
(2008) include among other:
Counsel with individuals, facilitate groups, work with families, refine agency procedures, initiate new
programs, lobby for legislative changes, organize community action, educate the public, conduct needs
assessments, and evaluate practice and programs at various system levels and targets of change of
social transformation;
 Enhance social functioning f individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities;
 Link clients systems with needed resources;
Improve the operations of the social service delivery network; and
 Promote social justice through development of social policy.
DuBois and Miley (2008) provide a typology to this by grouping them into consultancy, resources
management, and education. Consultancy refers to the professional activities through which social
workers and their clients plan, initiate, and pursue action toward desire change. Resource management
refers to the act of coordinating, systematizing, and integrating resources and services needed to
support social functioning, meeting needs and resolving problems.
Competencies of Social Work
These cover all the necessary skills and personality needed by the profession to perform their
various roles and skills. Foundationally, social work requires the following abilities and skills (DuBois &
Miley 2008)
 Think critically;
 Build and sustain relationships;
 Execute empowering processes;
 Use practical methods;
 Analyze policies;
 Communicate effectively
 Strong cultural and intercultural competences;
 Good computer literacy;
 Conduct research;
 Do social planning;
 Perform crisis intervention; and
 Sound time management.
On the other hand Segal, Gerdes and Stainer (2005) suggest a host of functional competencies.
 Make referrals to appropriate agencies and service sectors needed by the client;
 In gerontological context, perform program planning and administration in numerous setting;
 In mental health setting, function as case managers, advocates, administrators, therapists, and
to use research as basic for problem-solving and choice of intervention in empirically based
practice;
 In school system, analysed the transactions between students, teacher, parents, and the school
system.
 In the judicial system, make the system more fair and beneficial to both convicted criminals and
their victims; and
 Pursue social change on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals, eliminating economic
inequality and poverty.
 Emphatic
 Compassionate
 Observes confidentiality
 Has a sense of humor
  And other that made more explicit in the code of ethics for social workers.
and also listening skills will occupy a very special role in the social work toolkit.

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION OF SOCIAL WORK

Family and Child Welfare
 Includes families, unemployment, and divorce, in aid of improving client’s family life.
Health
 Helps patients and their families in clinics, hospitals, and other health-care facilities.
Mental Health
 Social workers provide aid to people suffering from mental and emotional stress.
Corrections
 Involved with programs concerned with the prevention of crime and rehabilitation of
criminals.
Schools
 Social work in schools is part of the program on all levels, from preschool through college.
Career Opportunities of Social Work
• Social work careers opportunities in both public and private practice.
• Social work can directly work with people and common for them to volunteer.
Number of career opportunities according to Hartman (2015) are:
• Administrators
• Supervisors
• Planners
• Researchers
• Teachers
Various contexts (3):
• Child welfare
• Administrations
• Elderly care services
Social Workers
• They also help in obtaining financial assistance and medical care.
• They can work in clinics and community, and public housing.
• They can work as social planning practitioners.
• They can do fieldwork.
DuBois and Miley (2008) took a wider survey of areas of opportunities and traced a trend in recent
years are:
• Home health
• Aging services
• Mental health
• Criminal justice
• Rehabilitation
• School linked
services
Others:
• Forensic social work
• Corporate-based employee assistance
• International practice
• Political social work
• Neighborhood-based
 • Multidisciplinary service centers as “one stop shop”
Constellations of services are:
1. Public assistance
2. Employment services
3. Literary programs
4. Family-centered services
5. Juvenile court services
6. Health care
In Philippines, numbers of social work are smaller but they are presence in a variety
of settings like:
• Hospitals
• Retirement homes
• Mental health clinics
• Schools- nonprofit agencies
• Government officers
Rights, Responsibilities and Accountability of Social Works
Rights- include the rights to fulfill its professional mandates and to live by its value.
Responsibilities- assist those life-threatening problems
Accountability- profession which required them to act in a reliable, honest, and trustworthy manner.

CODE OF ETHICS OF SOCIAL WORK

Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference
between 'right' and 'wrong' and in applying that understanding to their decisions.
The code of ethics specifies the standards of ethics, conduct, and performance expected of
registered social workers.

Principles that set forth ideals to which all social workers should aspire
Value: Service
Ethical Principle: Social workers primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems.
Value: Social Justice
Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social injustice.
Value: Dignity & Worth of the Person
Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Value: Importance of Human Relationship
Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationship.
Value: Integrity
Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.
Value: Competence
Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance
their professional expertise.

Ethical Standards
The ff. ethical standards are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers.
1. To clients
2. To colleagues
3. In practice settings
4. As professionals
5. To the social work profession
 6. To the broader society
Guidelines for Professional Conduct
• Social workers are expected to uphold human rights in their practice.
• Social workers should respect the rights and dignity of people.
• Social workers should respect relationships of people who use their services.
• Social workers should promote social justice.
• Social workers should comply with the laws and regulations governing their practice.
• Social workers should carry out their duties professionally and ethically.
• Social workers should demonstrate ethical awareness.
• Social workers should demonstrate professional accountability.
• Social workers should act in the best interest of people who use their services.
• Social workers should communicate with people who use their services, careers, and
professionals.
• Social workers should seek informed consent of people who use their services.
• Social workers should deal with appropriately with health and safety risk.
• Social workers should willingly collaborate delegate and manage appropriately.
• Social worker should keep accurate record.
• Social workers should undertake research ethically.
• Social workers should maintain high standard of personal conduct.
• Social workers should act with integrity.
• Social workers should provide accurate information about their conduct and competence.
• Social workers should treat information about people who use their services
• Social worker should act within the limits of their professional knowledge, skills, and
experienced.
• Social workers should keep their professional knowledge and skills up to date so that they are
able to provide appropriate services.