HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL WORK

This course lays foundation for student to understand social work knowledge, practice and profession. It is designed to impart knowledge of philosophical value base of social work in students along with Islamic philosophy and social work. Course will throw light on traces of historical development of the profession discussing British and American tradition and then its growth as profession in Pakistan. There will also be a discussion on social work practice,
1. SOCIAL WORK
Definition key concepts and detailed discussion on definition
Objective/purpose of social work
Knowledge base of social work
Relationship of social work with other social sciences
Social work practice approaches
Qualities of social worker
Role of social workers
2. SOCIAL WELFARE
Definition and discussion on definition
Relationship between and social welfare
Introduction of welfare models
3. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
Knowledge base of social work
Skills base of social work
Value base of social work
Code of ethics in social work practice
4. ISLAMIC CONCEPTS OF SOCIAL WORK
Islam and social work [common value base and philosophy]
socio-economic institutions in Islam
5. EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL WORK
Voluntary and professional social work [from charity to organized welfare activity]
Social work in the Western world Historical development of social work in pakistan
Voluntary social welfare agencies
6. SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMES AND SERVICES
7. FIELDS OF SOCIAL WORK
Social work with families
Social work with women
Social work with children
Social work with aged
Social work with youth
Social work with special populations
Social work with handicapped
Social work with juvenile delinquents/correctional services
8. ISSUE IN SOCIAL WORK
Recognition
Sanctions
Training
Literature
Status
Control and standardization ofpractice
Professionalism
KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL PHENOMENA
Given their focus on the social functioning of people as an outcome of person-in-en-vironment interaction, social workers are especially concerned with interaction be-tween and among people and interactions between people and the system that de-liver social programs. Therefore they must understand social phenomena and the various levels of perons-in-environment interaction. As described in Chapter I, each level varles in interpersonal intensity and clonseness. In addition to understanding the interrelatedness of the various system levels must understand the individual person, for which a knowledge of physical and psy-chological development is es-sential. The social worker must also understand families and otjher households. The family has long been a dominant point of intervention for social workers, and knowledge of family dynmics is critically important.

COMPONENTS ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL CASE WORK

   



H.H. Perlman defines case work as, “a process used by certain human welfare agencies to help individuals to cope more effectively with problems in social functioning”. She adds that the nucleus of the case work event in this: “A person with a problem comes to a place where a professional representative helps him by a given process”. Thus, by this statement, elements or components of case work can be said as:
1. Person
2. Problem
3. Place
4. Process- casework intervention
5. Professional representative
1. Person
In social case work, any individual with problem is focus of attention. A person can be anyone – a man, woman, (even a she male), a child, etc. who is actually in some difficulty a problem which he /she cannot solve without some help. In technical language of case work such person is referred as “client”. He may voluntarily come, or may be referred to the agency by some other institutions.
One of the basic assumptions of social case work is that each individual is different from others, even two identical twins cannot have same personalities inspire of having same ancestors, social background and familial relations. Therefore, while studying a client, a case worker must remember that:
2. The Problem
The problem is a situation, event or anything which impairs the normal functioning of the individual and makes him handicapped. Problems arise from some needs or accumulation of frustration or maladjustment, and some times all of these together. Paul B. Horton says that a problem is a situation which exists anywhere, any and effects any person. When these hurdles are there, the individuals are become conscious of it and try to find out a solution. Sometimes the problems solved by one’s own efforts but sometime he needs external help. That external help is given by social worker at individual, group and community level.
3. The Place
The place may be a social service agency, department, or human welfare agency, which provides psycho- social services or any other aid to the client with the help of a social worker. An agency embodies a society’s decision to protect its members against social breakdown, to prevent their maladjustment and/or to promote the development of better or higher levels or human functioning. The complete process of case work is influenced by objectives, function, policies and resources of the egency.
4. The Process
The process is a progressive transaction between the professional helper (case worker) and the client. It consists of a series of problem-solving operations carried on within a meaningful relationship. It is the intervention stage in which case worker initiates the formal procedure of helping the client.
A client may have several dynamic problems. Besides, sometimes problem may lie within the person. Thus, intent of the case work process is to engage the person himself, both in working on and in coping with the one or several problems that confront him.
5. Professional representative – the Case Worker:
After client, Case worker is the most significant component of case work process, as helping process of client cannot be initiated without him. He acts as a liaison between case work agency and the client, because of his capabilities, he/she is referred as change agent in social work profession. Therefore, while describing case work safrad has explained social work as a method conditioned with social worker.
According to safrad, “Socials Case Work is a method employed by a social worker to help individual, find a solution of their problem of social adjustment which they are unable to handle in a satisfactory way by their own effort.”

SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIAL CASE WORK WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS

   



Social case work addresses the multiple, complex transaction between individuals and their environment. Its mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich their lives, and prevent dysfunction. On bases of these parameters, Grace Mathew has explained two major goals of casework service as:
Rendering help to cope with the problem which the client cannot handle unaided and
Enhancing the operation of clients ego tontines whereby he moves towards greater ability in handling his/her life and problems. The two goals are interlinked, or to be more precise, the second goal stipulated the special manner in which the first goal help for problem solving should be achieved
Social case work is a unique method of problem-solving. The uniqueness of this method from the other methods of social work is that it focuses on the individuals. Social case work is all about the basic unit of society-the individual. It helps and an individual to solve his psycho-social problems. Here the social worker is concerned with individual problem only. Here interventions come at the individual level. Professionally trained Social worker help a client with particular problems. It is concerned with the adjustment and development of the individual towards more satisfying human relationship.
According to Bowers, “Social casework is an art in which knowledge of the science of human relations and skills in human relationships are used to mobilize capacities in the individual and resources in the individual and resources in the community, appropriate to better adjustment between the client and all or any part of his total environment.” And to achieve these targets, Social case work had four components—person, problem, place and process.
The subject matter of social case work is thus an individual with unique circumstances. However, the individual is not understood as a biological entity just like is medical science. Rather in social work profession generally and in social case work domain specifically, individual can be any person [ regardless of his/her affiliations] with a problems having difficulties in social functioning.
Social case work believes that society’s betterment is dependent on the better social functioning of individuals in their social environment. As Mary Richmond elaborated the subject matter of case work as, Processes which develop personality through adjustment consciously effected, individual by individual by individual, between men and their social environment.”
“In a society that draws strength from the respect and the consequent contributions of individual, it should not be surprising that a regard for the peculiar meaning with experience has for the individual had led to the development of unique process which had come to be known as social case work.”

DEFINITION OF ‘FACTORS OF PRODUCTION

                             




An economic term to describe the inputs that are used in the production of good or services in the attempt to make an economic profit. The factors of production include land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship.
Economic resources are the goods or services available to individuals and businesses used to produce valuable consumer products.
The classic economic resources include land, labor and capital. Entrepreneurship is also considered an economic resource because individuals are responsible for creating businesses and moving economic resurces in the business environment infect the factors of production describe the function that each resource performs in the business environment.

Resources required for generation of goods or services, generally classified into four major group:
1.  Land (including all natural resources),
2. Labor (including all human resources),
3. Capital (including all man-made resources),
4. Enterprise (which brings all the previous resources together for production).
These factors are classified also as management, machines, materials, and money. More recently, knowledge has come to be recognized as distinct from labor, and as a factor of production in its right.
Land
Land is the economic resource encompassing natural resources found within a nation’s economy. This resource includes timber, land, fisheries, farms and other similar natural resources.
Land is usually a limited resource for many economies. Although some natural resources, such as timber, food and animals, are renewable, the physical land is usually a fixed resource.
Nations must carefully use their land resource by creating a mix of natural and industrial uses. Using land for industrial purposes allows nations to improve the production processes for turning natural resources into consumer goods.
Land includes all natural physical resources – e.g. fertile farm land, the benefits from a temperate climate or the harnessing of wind power and solar power and other forms or renewable energy.
Some nations are richly endowed with natural resources and then specialize in the their extraction and production – for example – the high productivity of the vast expanse of farm land in the United States and the oil in Alberta, Canada. Other countries such as Japan are heavily reliant on importing these resources.
Labor
Labor is the human input into production e.g. the supply of workers available and their productivity.
An increase in the size and the quality of the labor forces is vital if a country wants to achieve growth. In recent years the issue of the migration of labor has become important. Can migrant workers help to solve labor shortages? What are the long-term effects on the countries who suffer a drain or loss of workers through migration?
Labor represents the human capital available to transform raw or national resources into consumer goods. Human capital includes all able-bodied individuals capable or working in the nation economy and providing various services to other individuals or businesses.
This factor of production is a flexible resource as workers can be allocated to different areas of the economy for producing consumer goods or services.

SKILL IN SOCIAL CASE WORK

                                 



Social case work requires professional skills in dealing with the client  and enabling him to secure satisfactory social and personal balance. It is believed that the following factors are essential for the development of skill in social work.
Knowledge Of Human Growth and Development
Great nfluence on the personality ground of the individual. If the case worker is to understand the client in his entire he must have a knowledge of the interpersonal relationship.
Interviewing Process
Development of skill in social case work practice requires knowledge in the interviewing process. It is through the interviewing that the worker can get first hand knowledge about the client and his problem, either from the client or his associates. It is through interviewing that the case worker can go beyond the external behavior of the client and entire into his inner life. If he is successful interviewer, he can know many things about the client’s problem and his reaction to it by analyzing his mode of talking, answering, gestures and even silence at particular points.
Use of Resources
The development of skill in social work depends to a great extent on the case worker’s knowledge of the resource so the client, of the agency and of the community at large.
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL CASE WORK
In social case work process, a social worker has to deal with number of persons having problems of different nature. As the person’s behavior dynamic nature. Therefore to solve their problems, case worker has adopt different approaches and methods depending upon the uniqueness the situation. Because of this variation between the nature of the problems, there are some well recognized general techniques which provides enough guidance to every case worker in solving the problems.
These techniques  are called the principles or methods of social case work. These principle, are defined as;
“The principles are those well recognized general techniques, which provides enough guidance to social worker in solving the problems”.
These principles are referred as;
1. Principle of request
2. Principle of acceptance
3. Principle of communication
4. Principle of confidentiality
5. Principle of individuality
6. Principle of participation
7. Principle of self determination
8. Principle of responsibility
9. Principle of self awareness
1.   Principle of Request
In fact, the case work process start, from this principle, which is the first professional contact between the cast worker and the client.
2.   Principle of Acceptance
“Acceptance means to accept the client with all his deficiencies and draw backs as a person with a problem”.
This rapport of mutual understanding helps enough to solve the problems of the client.
3.   Principle of Communication
In social case work, communication refers to the mutual exchange of ideas between the client and the case worker. When a client approaches the case worker to seek help. The case worker is not completely acquainted with the client and his problems. He can only understand the client through by the exchange of ideas and feeling through mutually through communication.