Attributes of a makes a course of action

legitimate or legal (RA 4373)

profession
4. Knowledge - familiarity,
Foundation of values, knowledge and awareness, or understanding
skills based upon the five main criteria gained through experience of
of Boehm; study
1. A profession is expected to be 5. Skills - proficiency with a set of
responsible to the public interest and to techniques, particularly in relation
to a regular or systematic way of
contribute through its services to the
accomplishing anything.
advancement of social wellbeing and to
be
accountable to the public for the manner SYSTEMATIC BODY OF
and standards with which it conducts its THEORY
activity
 The relevance of systematic body
2. A profession should possess a of theory or knowledge is very
relatively coherent, systematic and crucial characteristics of a
transmissible body of knowledge rooted profession, that is why
in scientific theories which enables the preparation for a profession,
practitioner of the profession to utilize unlike preparation for
concepts and principles and to apply nonprofessional occupations,
them to specific situations rather than requires formal education in an
the use as rule of thumb. academic setting
3. The professional practitioner must • The practice of a profession
adhere to an identifiable body of values, involves the application of
and display attitudes which stem from scientific knowledge learned
these values, and which determine the during professional education: it
relationship of the professional person is not a hit-or-miss, trial and error
with his colleagues, the recipients of kind of activity
his/her service, and the community.
• Social work, like all other
4. A profession must have a body of professions, derives knowledge
skills which is the result of the fusion of from many different sources and
attitudes and knowledge. Skills reflect in addition, builds its own body of
the application of general concepts, and knowledge from practice.
which are characteristics of the method
of profession. • Has knowledge based on many
different sciences – evidence-
5. The members of the profession must based practice (not hit or miss
be organized and consider themselves ore mere “common sense”)
as members of group whose knowledge,
skills, attitudes and norms of conduct 
they share and to whose advancement Knowledge – denotes the picture
they are dedicated. the person has built of the world
and himself as it is, not as he
might wish or fantasize or prefer
5 elements of a profession to be

1. Purpose - the object of which

something exists 3 types of KNOWLEDGE USE IN
SW
2. Values- principles, standards, or
quality considered desirable 1. TESTED KNOWLEDGE –
established through scientific
3. Sanction - authoritative study (research)
permission or approval that
 2. HYPOTHETICAL KNOWLEDGE the practice (Oath of Professional
– must undergo transformation Social Worker)
into tested knowledge, even if - The informal is the unwritten
tentatively such knowledge may code, which nonetheless carries
be accepted to explain certain the weight of formal prescriptions.
facts
 This code serves to check
3. ASSUMPTIVE KNOWLEDGE –
possible abuses which can arise
practice wisdom abounds in SW.
out of a profession’s exercise of
authority, and its accompanying
powers and privileges.
PROFESSIONAL AUTHORITY  The professional ethics is the
• Extensive education necessary system of ethical principles and
as source of professional rules of conduct generally
authority makes for respect for accepted by the members of a
practitioner’s competence professional group, based on the
A professional occupation has philosophy, values and guiding
“clients” a non-professional has principles of that profession
“customers” (TLM)

• The authority ascribed to the

profession by reason of her PROFESSIONAL CULTURE
educational background. Every profession operates through a
network of formal and informal groups:

COMMUNITY SANCTION a. organizations (hospitals,

clinics, university, law
a) control over training centers office, social agency);
(accrediting process exercised b. educational organizations,
by the associations within the research centers.
profession. (Ex: Standards c. professional associations
Bureau of DSWD)
b) control of admissions to the • Culture includes rules, norms,
profession (PRC licensing) values, symbols and language.
c) an examination before a board;
persons practicing the
professional skills without a - The culture of a profession
license are liable to punishment consists of its values, norms,
by public authority. standards symbols and language.
for professional performances Social work is regarded by most people
(complaints to PRC, PASWI. as a recognized profession while others
consider it as emerging or still maturing.
 Anyone can call him/herself a Social work is already a profession, it
carpenter, locksmith, etc. but a has too many points of congruence with
person who assumes the title of the model to be classifiable otherwise,
physician or attorney without social work is, however, seeking to rise
having earned it conventionally within the professional hierarchy, so that
becomes an impostor. is, too, might enjoy maximum prestige,
authority, and monopoly, which
REGULATIVE CODE OF ETHICS presently belong to a few top
professions (Farley, et al, 2006)
- Built-in regulative code, partly
formal and partly informal, which
compels ethical behavior on its - The symbols of a profession are
members. its meaning- laden items. (Ex:
- The formal is the written code to insignias, emblems, distinctive
which the professional usually dress; its history, folklore and
swears upon being admitted to argot (jargon);
 - its heroes and its villains, • Accept the client without bias and
stereotypes of the professional, prejudice.
the client, and the layman.
• Avoid labeling and stereotyping
Principle of Social (e.g. referring to a client as
‘deviant’ or abnormal
Work
• Recognize and appreciate
what do you mean by principles? diversity (e.g. lifestyles, values,
sexual orientation, ideological
• Verbalizes statements of an
standpoint)
observed uniformity
• Critical knowledge of human
• General rules/laws
behavior
• The objectives of Social Work
can be fulfilled only within the
framework of principles.  MEANINGFUL
RELATIONSHIP
TRADITIONAL principles OF SOCIAL
- Differentiates social work from
WORK
other professions like
1. Principle of individualization medicine, law
- In social work, good
2. Principle of meaningful
interpersonal relationship is
relationship
desirable
3. Principle of self determination - Essence of the service in
every setting
4. Principle of acceptance
- Quality relationship
5. Principle of communication
6. Principle of social functioning
 SELF-DETERMINATION
7. Principle of tuning behavior
- This is based on the
8. Principle of social learning
recognition of the right and
9. Principle of confidentiality need of clients to freely
decide/make their own
choices. As social workers,
 INDIVIDUALIZATION we have the responsibility to
create a working relationship
where clients can freely
- All people are unique and
choose and decide.
possess distinctive capabilities.
- When social workers affirm
clients’ “individuality, they  ACCEPTANCE
recognize and appreciate their
uniques qualities and individual - Manifested in the professional
differences. relationship through the
- They treat clients as persons with expression of genuine
rights rather than as objects, concern, receptive listening,
“cases”. intentional responses that
acknowledge the other
INDIVIDUALIZATION/ person’s point of view, and
AFFIRMING INDIVIDUALITY the creation of a climate of
mutual respect.
• means recognizing and
appreciating the ‘unique qualities
 PURPOSEFUL
of the client’, starting where the
client is. It requires the EXPRESSION OF
professional to FEELINGS
 - Workers may over identify
- Social workers provide with clients when they
opportunities for clients to perceive clients as either
freely express their feelings quire similar to or quite
without fear of rejection, different from themselves.
censure or any form of - Learning to control emotional
negative sanction. They must responses develops with
not limit themselves to ‘just continued practice
the facts’ experience.

 NON-JUDGEMENTAL  ACCESS TO RESOURCES

ATTITUDE
- Social workers have the
- This requires social workers responsibility to ensure that
to assume a non-blaming clients have or be linked to
attitude and behavior, to avoid the necessary resources,
concluding that others are services and opportunities; ‘to
good or bad, worthy or pay attention to expanding
unworthy. choices, and opportunities for
the oppressed and
 OBJECTIVITY disadvantaged; and to
advocate for policy and
legislative changes that
- This requires social workers
improve social conditions and
to examine situations and
promote social.
clients in a manner that is not
colored by personal feelings,
biases and prejudices.  CONFIDENTIALITY

 CONTROLLED - Clients have the right to

privacy. Thus, their consent
EMOTIONAL
must be secured before social
INVOLVEMENT workers divulge information
on their identity, the nature of
- Social workers who control the case, the content of
their emotional involvements discussions between client-
with clients gain perspective worker, and their records.
from their understanding of
human behavior, seek  ACCOUNTABILITY
direction for relationships from
the general purpose of the
- Means that the social workers
social work profession, and
must be competent in the
responds to client’s feelings
methods and techniques that
with sensitivity (Biestek, 1957)
they use in their professional
practice.
 This has three components:
a) sensitivity to expressed and
unexpressed feelings. OTHER PRINCIPLES
b) understanding based on
knowledge of human  AWARENESS OF SOCIAL
behavior. CONTEXT OF HUMAN
c) response guided by EXPERIENCE
knowledge and purpose.
- Its importance in
 OVERIDENTIFICATION - understanding individual,
impedes objectivity and personal experience and how
neutrality. it informs practice (Hamilton’s
person-in-situation)
 CLIENT’S
PARTICIPATION

- The social worker does not do

everything for the client. S/he
managed the case/situation
with the client, except in
circumstances when the client
is in no position to exercise
right to participation.

 SELF RELIANCE

- This recognizes that people

have strengths and resources
that can be tapped/mobilized.
Thus, social workers must not
do all the work for them,
thereby creating dependency,
but rather provide
opportunities for the people to
discover and muster their own
strengths.

 Principles focused on social

worker as a professional
person
 The social worker should
practice social work
 The social worker should
engage on conscious use of self
 The social worker should
maintain professional
objectivity
 The social worker should
respect human diversity
 The social worker should seek
personal and professional
growth