Discipline and Ideas in the

Applied Social Sciences

Social Work
Lesson 1 The Discipline of Social Work
• Learning Competencies:
1. Identify the goals and scope of social work
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2. Demonstrate comprehension of the principles of social work
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3. Discuss the core values of social work
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What I know
The following statements enable you to reflect on and
figure out your level of understanding about Social Work as a
profession. Answer if the statement is TRUE or FALSE.
1. Social Work is a profession that deals with the person’s
interaction with their environment.
2. The principal mission of social work profession is to
develop human being and assist other institutions in
attaining the basic human needs of the people and in
empowering the lost, the least and the last.
3. Among the distinctive goals of social work is curing which
refers to the heart of social work
4. Caring refers to the heart of social work and it focused on
the well-being or the welfare and comfort of the individual
and community.
5. Changing involves active participation of the social workers
in social reforms. it holds on the belief that the political,
economic and social structures contribute in the worsening of
social conditions.
Scenario 1: Typhoon Victims
Scenario 2:
What’s More
Guide Question:
1. What can you say about the picture/s? What makes
it social work?
Definitions of Social Work
• The National Association of Social Workers (NASW, n.d.), defined social
work as the professional activity of helping individuals, groups or
communities enhance or restore their capacity of their personal
interaction with their environment and creating societal conditions
beneficial to the mission.
• The United Nations of Economic Social and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO, 2000), considers social work as a field within human services
and a part of services of the government.
• The International Federation of Social Works (IFSW, 2006), defines social
work as a practice-based and academic discipline that promotes change
and social development. (Retrieved from http://www.sacssp.co.za/)
DEFINITIONS OF SOCIAL WORK
•  Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), as cited in Cox &
Pawar, 2006) defines social work as a practical profession designed at
helping people addresses their problems and matching them with the
resources they need to lead healthy and productive lives.
• The International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW),
states that social work profession promotes social change, problem
solving in human relationships, and the empowerment and liberation
of people to enhance well-being. (IFSW & IASSW, 2004 as cited in Co
& Pawar, 2006).
GOALS OF SOCIAL WORK
• The primary mission of social work profession is to
develop human beings and assist other institutions in
attaining the basic human needs of people and in
empowering the lost, the least, and the last. These
goals are outlined and described below:
1. The Goal on Caring
Caring refers to the heart of social work and it centers on the well-
being or the welfare and comfort of the individual and community.

Volunteer of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) form part of an active

corps of capable, caring by sharing their resources, time, and efforts to
alleviate human suffering
2. The Goal on Curing
Curing refers to the aspect of treating people with problems in their
social environment (Example: Counseling and Therapy).
3. The Goal on Changing
Changing refers to the active participation of the social workers in social
reforms (Example: promoting social change and justice).

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is a human development

measure of the national government that provides conditional cash grants
to the poorest of the poor, to improve the health, nutrition, and the
education of children aged 0-18.
SCOPE OF SOCIAL WORK
To supplement your understanding in the value of social work, it is
important to study the scope of social work. The scope of social work includes:
1. Child development Social Work
2. Medical Social Work
3. Clinical Social Work
4. Social work administration and management 5.
International Social work 6. Social
work as community organizer 7. Women
welfare
8. Crisis intervention
9. Criminal justice
AREA OF SOCIAL WORK
1. Social Work as a Primary Discipline
In terms of child welfare, social work offers:
a. The adoption and services to unmarried parents – the difficult decision of
unmarried parents whether to keep the baby or place the child for adoption
b. The foster care – removes the children from their homes and placing them
temporarily in a foster care
c. The residential care – a group care home or a residential treatment
center for children
d. The support in own homes – provides support services in order to keep
children in their own homes
e. The protective services – protect the child from child abuse, maltreatment,
and exploitation by one or both parents
Family services, social work offers:
a. Family counselling – utilize the three approaches to this type of
counselling namely:

a.1. family case work, involves helping individual members of the family
change their behaviour to make them more effective contributors in the
family:
a.2. family group work, the process by which the family examines its
relationships and resolves their problem with the help of the social
worker: and lastly,

a.3. family therapy, focuses on transforming the structure of the family to

make it more supportive to its members
b. Family life education - an intervention to strengthen the family
through educational activities that seek to prevent family breakdown

c. Family planning – assisting the families plan the number, spacing, and
timing of the births of children to fit with their needs
Income maintenance, social work offers:
a. Public assistance – refers to the provision of the financial aid to the
poor. Services include cash grants, food stamps, general assistance such
as hospital and medical care, and supplemental security income.

b. Social insurances–social provisions that are funded by employers and

employees through contributions to a specific program.

c. The other income maintenance programs include cash in kind

benefits, emergency support funds, and other resources which can be
used by the poor for food and shelter.
2. Social Work as an Equal Partner
Aging, social work offers:
a. The support for people in their own homes program consists of
helping older people remain in their own homes by linking them with
community programs that bring health care services into their homes.
b. The support for people in long-term care facilities program refers to
nursing home care services into their homes.
Community services, social work offers:
a. Community organization
b. Community planning
c. Community development
3. Social Work as a Secondary Discipline
Industry, social workers act as:
a. Support to both the managers and the employees of the companies. They
make themselves available to the employees with social problems for
individual, family, and group counselling
b. Provide information to the managers as basis for management decisions that
might have an impact on the social atmosphere in the working environment
Medical and health care, social workers:
a. Attend to the social and psychological factors that are contributing to the
medical condition of the patients
b. Link patients with community resources
c. Provide necessary counselling, and link with self-help groups
Schools, the primary tasks of social workers in schools
a. Facilitate the provision of direct educational and social services and
provide direct social case work and group work services to selected
students;
b. Act as a pupil advocate, focusing on urgent need selected group of
students;
c. Consult with school administrators major problems;
d. Consult with teachers about techniques for creating a climate in which
children are freed and motivated to learn by interpreting social and
cultural influences in the lives of students;
e. Organize parent and community groups to channel concerns about
students and the school to improve school and community relations.
CORE VALUES OF SOCIAL WORK
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW, n.d) stated that the
mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core
values include: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person,
importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence (Morales and
Sheafor, 1998, 8th edition ).
Service
Social Justice
Importance of human relationships
Integrity
Competence
Dignity and Worth of the people
REMEMBER
• Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline
that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and
the empowerment and liberation of people.
• The goals of social work are on Caring, Curing, and Changing.
• The scope of social work is the wide range of services that this
profession provides to preserve the integrity and uphold its core
values. Roles and functions are likewise varied.