Social Work: Concept and Introduction

Social work is a profession that is widely recognized worldwide. Many people still have a common misconception regarding the distinction between social work and voluntary work, charity, and other types of social services. It is even observed in educated community that people don’t know what is social work. This profession is being practiced in numerous settings. The profession is charged with fulfilling the social welfare mandate of promoting the well-being and quality of life of people across continents.

It is a profession primarily concerned with the remedy of psycho-social problems and deficiencies that usually exist in the relationship between the individual and his social settings. This phenomenon has always existed in society in one form or another, but it achieved its scientific basis in the last decades of the 19th century. It is a field of study that has uniquely blended perspectives from other disciplines, particularly the social and biological sciences, with its own knowledge, values, and skills.

Social workers today are employed in governmental, non-governmental, private, and industrial settings, as well as working as private practitioners. Social work emerged as a profession early in the 20th century in the West, mainly in Europe and America. Today, the profession is practiced in most countries in the world, including Africa and Asia.

The National Association of Social Work (NASW) defines social work as follows:

Social work is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to this goal. Practicing social work involves applying professional values, principles, and techniques to achieve specific goals such as:

Helping people obtain tangible services (e.g., those involving the provision of food, housing, or income).
Offering counseling and psychotherapy services to individuals, families, and groups.
Assisting communities or groups in enhancing social and health services.
Engaging in relevant legislative procedures.

Because social workers can be in positions to help people deal with almost anything, it is difficult to define the field adequately in a few words. Highlighted here are some of the important concepts inherent in the definition. Because of its breadth, the foundation of social work practice is referred to as generalist practice.

Five themes infuse social work practice in virtually any setting (e.g., child welfare agencies, nursing homes, schools, or corrections facilities).

It is concerned with helping individuals, groups, or communities. Social workers provide counseling when necessary to help clients address problems. In addition to counseling an individual or family, much social work involves collaborating with organizations and communities to improve social and health services.
It has a solid foundation of values and principles that guide what practitioners should and should not do.
A firm basis of techniques and skills provides directions for howsocial workers should provide treatment and accomplish goals.
Social workers help people get the services they need by linking them to available resources. If the right resources are not available, social workers may advocate for service development on their clients’ behalf.
Social workers participate in legislative processes to promote positive social change. Such participation might include urging lawmakers to pass laws that improve social services and conditions.

Social workers can also serve as expert witnesses to educate legislators about social issues and client needs, write or phone legislators to share socially responsible opinions and run for elected office themselves.

Definitions

In order to have a better understanding and a broader view of social work, a few selected definitions of some famous social work scientists can be cited and discussed hereunder:

Allice Cheyney (1926) stated, “Social work includes all the voluntary attempts to extend benefits in response to the needs which are concerned with social relationships and which avail themselves of scientific knowledge and methods.”
Arthur Fink (1942) defined social work as “The provision of services designed to aid individuals, singly or in groups, in coping with the present or future social and psychological obstacles that prevent or are likely to prevent full or effective participation in society.”
Anderson (1943) stated, “Social work is a professional service rendered to the people for the purpose of assisting them, as individuals or in groups, to attain satisfying relationships and standards of life in accordance with their particular wishes and capacities and in harmony with those of the community.”
Friedlander (1951) defined “Social work as a professional service, based on scientific knowledge and skill in human relations, which assists individuals, alone or in groups, to obtain social and personal satisfaction and independence.”

This definition of Friedlander is considered as one of the most comprehensive definition. According to him, it is a profession like other professions, through which a trained social worker with scientific knowledge and an outlook on handling human relations helps individuals and groups to have social and personal satisfaction.

Stroup (1960) defined social work as “the art of bringing various resources to bear on individual, group, and community needs through the application of a scientific method of helping people to help themselves.”
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (1973): “Social work is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to this goal.”
Pincus and Minahan (1978) combined gave a definition of social work, saying, “Social work is concerned with the interaction between people and their environment which affects the ability of people to accomplish their life tasks, alleviate distress, and realize their aspirations and values.”
Indian Conference of Social Work (1957) unanimously defined social work as “a welfare activity based on humanitarian philosophy, scientific knowledge, and technical skills for helping individuals, groups, or community, to live a rich and full life.”
International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) (2014): The following definition was approved by the IFSW General Meeting and the IASSW General Assembly in July 2014: “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”.

Crux of Definitions

From a deeper analysis of all the definitions cited and discussed of the social work profession, it can be concluded that:

It is a professional practice that critically involves professional knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques for dealing with human behavior.
It mainly emphasizes the analysis and synthesis of human behavior to establish a growth-producing relationship.
It is concerned with individual and social problems which are solved by applying different methods and techniques.
It is a practice that puts much emphasis on social adjustment.
Its main objective is to help individuals become self-dependent.
It aims at a permanent solution to problems and the prevention of their occurrence through proactive measures.
It relates the available resources with the needs of individuals, groups, and the community at large.
It also integrates and coordinates the means and resources of social development.
It believes in democratic values.
It is based on humanitarian philosophy.