TOPIC ONE: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK

Introduction
Welcome to topic one. In this topic, we introduce you to social work as a
discipline. Social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals,
families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and
collective well-being. It aims at helping people develop skills and ability
to use their own resources and those of the community to resolve their
problems. In this topic we cover the scope and concerns of social work
and also the characteristics that every social work practitioner.

1.1 Scope and Concerns of Social Work

Social work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help
improve people's lives. Social workers assist people by helping them
cope with issues in their everyday lives, deal with their relationships,
and solve personal and family problems. Some social workers help
clients who face a disability or a life-threatening disease or a social
problem, such as inadequate housing, unemployment, or substance
abuse. Social workers also assist families that have serious domestic
conflicts, sometimes involving child or spousal abuse. Some social
workers conduct research, advocate for improved services, engage in
systems design or are involved in planning or policy development.
Many social workers specialize in serving a particular population or
working in a specific setting.

a. Child, family, and school social workers provide social services

and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of
children and their families and to maximize the well-being of families
and the academic functioning of children. They may assist single
parents, arrange adoptions, or help find foster homes for neglected,
abandoned, or abused children. Some specialize in services for senior
citizens. These social workers may run support groups for the children
of aging parents; advice elderly people or family members about
housing, transportation, long-term care, and other services; and
coordinate and monitor these services. Through employee assistance
programs, social workers may help people cope with job-related
pressures or with personal problems that affect the quality of their
work.

In schools, social workers often serve as the link between students'

families and the school, working with parents, guardians, teachers,
and other school officials to ensure students reach their academic and
personal potential. In addition, they address problems such as
misbehavior, truancy, and teenage pregnancy and advise teachers on
how to cope with difficult students. Increasingly, school social workers
teach workshops to entire classes. Child, family, and school social
workers may also be known as child welfare social workers, family
services social workers, child protective services social workers,
occupational social workers, or gerontology social workers. They often
work for individual and family services agencies, schools, or State or
local governments.

b. Medical and public health social workers provide psychosocial

support to people, families, or vulnerable populations so they can cope
with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease,
cancer, or AIDS. They also advise family caregivers, counsel patients,
and help plan for patients' needs after discharge from hospitals. They

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may arrange for at-home services, such as meals-on-wheels or home
care. Some work on interdisciplinary teams that evaluate certain kinds
of patients-geriatric or organ transplant patients, for example. Medical
and public health social workers may work for hospitals, nursing and
personal care facilities, individual and family services agencies, or local
governments.

c. Mental health and substance abuse social workers assess and

treat individuals with mental illness or substance abuse problems,
including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. Such services
include individual and group therapy, outreach, crisis intervention,
social rehabilitation, and teaching skills needed for everyday living.
They also may help plan for supportive services to ease clients' return
to the community. Mental health and substance abuse social workers
are likely to work in hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers,
individual and family services agencies, or local governments. These
social workers may be known as clinical social workers.

d. Other types of social workers include social work administrators,

planners and policymakers, who develop and implement programs to
address issues such as child abuse, homelessness, substance abuse,
poverty, and violence. These workers research and analyze policies,
programs, and regulations. They identify social problems and suggest
legislative and other solutions. They may help raise funds or write
grants to support these programs.

e. Work environment Social workers usually spend most of their

time in an office or residential facility, but they also may travel locally
to visit clients, meet with service providers, or attend meetings. Some

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may meet with clients in one of several offices within a local area.
Social work, while satisfying, can be challenging. Understaffing and
large caseloads add to the pressure in some agencies. To tend to
patient care or client needs, many hospitals and long-term care
facilities employ social workers on teams with a broad mix of
occupations, including clinical specialists, registered nurses, and health
aides. Full-time social workers usually work a standard 40-hour week,
but some occasionally work evenings and weekends to meet with
clients, attend community meetings, and handle emergencies. Some
work part time, particularly in voluntary nonprofit agencies.

[Link]
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1.2 Essential Characteristics of Social Work Practice

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Social work is a profession concerned with promoting the wellbeing of
people and includes assisting individuals, families, groups,
organizations and communities to achieve life-enhancing goals. Thus
the profession is essentially concerned with the promotion of social
justice, with and on behalf of the clients. The primary mission of social
work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet human
needs of all people with particular focus to the needs and
empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in
poverty. Fundamental to the social work profession is the attention to
the environmental forces that create, contribute to and address
societal as well as individual needs. In view of the foregoing, social
work should have the following essential characteristics:

a.​ Purposefulness
The specific purpose for which the service is given is determined by
the needs of the clients. Purposes are defined through a process in
which both the social worker and the client participate and change
tact as the needs of the client changes.

b.​ Professionalism
The social worker develops a professional rather than casual
relationship with the client and adheres to professional values and
principles of acceptance, empathy, self-awareness and objectivity as
the essential components of their relationship.

c.​ Understanding of human behavior

The social worker engages in the processes of social diagnosis,
formulation of action plans, their implementation and the evaluation
of outcomes. This exercise is carried out bearing in mind the social

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worker understands of individual and group behavior in their varied
social situations.

d.​ Self-disclosure
The social worker clarifies his role and works for agreement between
the client’s and his own perceptions of role expectations. Social
workers should not remain anonymous to the client. This is purposed
to instill confidence in the social worker on the part of the client. This
is hoped to make the relationship healthy and hence fruitful.

e.​ Undivided attention

The social work centers his attention on the relationship between
verbal and non-verbal content of the interview or group session. The
social worker hence endeavors to give undivided attention to his
clients at all times during their relationship.

f.​ Individualization
The social worker individualizes his work with his clients, whether
individuals or groups. This individualization occurs when the social
worker understands the unique needs and qualities of clients without
having to compare these with other clients. Clients hence should be
taken and treated as unique and with unique needs and qualities.
g.​ Enabling environment
The social worker through the purposeful use of verbal and
non-verbal communication enables the clients to express feelings,
attitudes and opinions and to contribute knowledge, which enlightens
the contents of the transaction. For this to occur, an enabling
environment is essential e.g. privacy.

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 h.​ Collaborative decision-making
The social work participates collaboratively with clients in the
decision-making process, which enables clients to own the change
process and to appropriately understand their socio-economic
environment for future exploitation to satisfy needs.

i.​ Active client participation

The social worker facilitates the active participation of the client in
initiating and sustaining change. Here, the social worker is aware of
the needs and rights of the client to make and implement their own
decisions rather than imposing them on the client. However this is
done within understandable and practical limits.
10. Time-consciousness
The social worker being aware of the significance of time resource
endeavors to involve the client in setting targets against reasonable
time and occasionally reminds the client of these deadlines.
11. Networking
The social worker makes use of agency, community and other
resources available elsewhere and knowledge held by other
professionals in helping his clients and in the contribution of the
general welfare of the society in which he works. He forms
collaborations with other individuals or agencies serving his clients
and represents his clients in fora that benefit his clients.

Topic Summary

You have learned that Social work is concerned with;

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​ The individual as its primary concern in his interpersonal
relations and his encounters with his environment both
physical and human.
​ The development and rehabilitation of those individuals,
families and institutions, which for various reasons are not
adjusted to the communities of which they are a part.
​ All voluntary attempts to extent the benefits, which are made in
response to needs of an individual, community or groups and
that, are in tandem with the moral codes of the society.
​ The development or organization of communities as a whole by
increasing personal, institutional and communal efficiency
wherever and whenever it is lacking or inadequate.
​ Processes and procedures geared towards the development of
personality and of group’s life through adjustments
systematically affected through person or groups and their
social environment.
​ The creation of a world in which social and economic security
and social relationships are as complete and satisfying as
possible.
​ Warding off from the society of evils like dependencies,
anxieties, aggressions and hostilities.
​ Societal social problems in totality including those of social
welfare, standards of living and social relationships.
​ Reforming the conditions that degrade the individual, negatively
affect provision of civic services such as education and health, to
meet man’s basic needs of survival and improvement of man’s
capacity for more psychological functioning.

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 TOPIC TWO: DEFINITIONS OF CONCEPTS AND HISTORICAL
DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
Introduction
Welcome to topic two. In this topic, we learn the definition of key
concepts in social work and the historical development of social work.
Social work has been in existence for a long time. The need for human
beings to belong and share has existed through relationships of
extending help at the time of need. This implies that social work existed
since time immemorial but in un-organized amorphous form. Follow the
discussion below. Enjoy the topic.

Topic Time​

●​ Compulsory online reading, activities, self-assessments & practice

exercises [4 hours]
●​ Optional further reading [1 hours]
●​ Total student input [5 hours]

Topic Learning Requirements

●​ Participation in one chat (at least 5 entries)

●​ At least two elaborate contributions to the discussion topic. You
may also start your own discussion thread.
●​ Timely submission of the assignments

Learning Outcomes​

On successful completion of this topic, you should be able to:

i.​ Explain the key concepts used in Social Work

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 ii.​ Trace the origin of social work as a discipline

Topic Content
2.1 Definition of Concepts
a. Social Work
It is a professional service based on scientific knowledge and skills in
human relations, which helps groups, individuals or communities to
obtain social or personal satisfaction and independence in form of
self-reliance. It means engaging in psychosocial evaluation and
subsequent intervention, including therapy, to effect a change in the
feelings, attitudes and behavior of a client, whether an individual,
group or community. Social work also means and includes engaging
in community organization, social planning, administration and
research.

The social work profession “promotes social change, problem solving

in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of
people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior
and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people
interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social
justice are fundamental to social work.” As such, social workers are a
key component of modern social service provision. Among other
things, they provide counseling, assist individuals in accessing social
services and other benefits, lobby for the disenfranchised, and
engage in actions designed to influence social policies.

i.​ Social work practice

Professional application of social work values, principles, and
techniques to one or more of the following ends: helping people obtain

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concrete services; counseling and psychotherapy with individuals,
families, and groups; helping communities or groups provide or
improve social and health services; and participating in legislative
processes.

ii.​ Social welfare

A system of laws, programs, benefits and services which strengthens
or assure provisions for meeting social/civic needs recognized as
basic for the welfare of the population and the proper functioning of
societies. It includes organized activities aimed at helping individuals
or communities to meet their basic needs and promote their
wellbeing in tandem/harmony with the interests of their families,
communities and other social institutions.

iii.​ Social Worker

It is a professional who is trained and competent to give advice on
matters touching personal as well as group adjustment and adaptation
in managing challenges in life. This is the professional to whom the
client(s) goes for assistance so as to maneuver around life challenges
or in order to meet his needs. A professionally trained person
employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and
poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs. Social
workers may also work with community health agencies. In developed
countries, the government employs a large number of social workers.

iv.​ Client
Also called the counselee in counseling is the individual who has the
need and to whom help is directed to by the social worker. It could be
an individual who brings an issue to a social worker for professional

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assistance e.g. drug abuser, orphaned child, terminally-ill patient, a
student who is performing poorly, a student to be guided on how to
study, a community with a needs or a group of individuals with needs
such as PLWHAs, etc.

v.​ Casework
It is one of the three branches of social work, the other two being
group work and community work/development. It is hence a
personalized service provided by qualified workers for individuals in
resolving some material, emotional or character problems/crises. It is
a disciplined activity, which requires full appreciation of the needs of
the client in his family and community setting. A caseworker performs
his duties on the basis of mutual trust on the part of the client so as to
strength and achieve a better adjustment with his environment.

vi.​ Agency
The organization in which the social worker is a member and where
some of the resources for meeting the clients’ needs including material
and psychological expertise of the social worker is to be found. An
agency may be a government department, community or faith-based
organization, non-governmental organization, etc.

vii.​ Principle
This refers to a fundamental law or rule that acts as a guide to action
and conduct of a certain profession, especially one recognized and
accepted as governing the conduct of specific professionals. A
principle forms the basis for the formulation of ethical requirements
that guide the conduct of individual belonging to the profession or
group to which the ethics refers.

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viii.​ Ethical standard
Behavioral maxim or widely accepted rule of conduct or general
behavioral orientation or expectation by which a professional is judged.
The professional is expected to follow this behavior to maintain the
credibility of his organization, profession and for himself as a
professional. It simply means behavior prescribed by values attached
to a profession.

j. Need/problem
Circumstances in which an individual or group finds difficult or lacking
in adjustment or adaptation to prevailing circumstances (often
negative) that are normally not the ones the individual or group is
used to e.g. financial problems, adjustment during bereavement,
leaving an habit.

k. Process
The progression from the time when the client meets the social
worker, strike a rapport (contracting/engagement), try to see how the
client’s needs can be met, client’s healing and termination or
disengagement of the relationship or referral to another social worker
or agency.

l. The intervention/action system

This is the system people have organized to bring about change or
improvement in the client’s situation and usually composed of all
individuals, including the social worker, who are involved in bringing
about change in the target system. It may or may not include the
client system.

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m. Target system
This is the system to be changed by the intervention and may be of
any size ranging from individual, family, group, agency, etc. after the
initial intervention, a social unit identified as a target system may
become the client system. For example, an effort to change the living
conditions (target system) on behalf of a family (client system) by a
social worker (change agent)

2.2 History and Development of Social Work

The roots of the social work profession in North America and England
are found in the Charitable Organization Societies (COSs) serving the
poor and a desire by those leading that movement to provide
consistent learning and education to “friendly visitors”. From its
origins, social work recognized the value of real life/practical
experience along with theoretical knowledge. So much so that when
Mary Richmond first published Social Diagnosis in 1917, with a goal of
establishing a professional base for casework through training, she
was doubtful of university based education, which historically did not
utilize field education as a model. In a paper published in 1897, when
discussing the creation of the Charitable Organization Societies,
Richmond spoke of the “right” of those doing the work to demand the
right to further education and professional development, and a living
wage. This article included a discussion on what should come first:
professional standards of practice or a training school to establish
them.

Essentially, in the United States the creation of formal social work

education came from two paths, the COS’s and the Settlement Houses.

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Mary Richmond’s COS partnered with the New York School of
Philanthropy to create technical training for case work and agency
practice (Germain & Hartman, 1980). Ultimately, this work came under
the auspices of Columbia University in the 1940s. At the same time,
Jane Addams’ Settlement House movement began working with the
University of Chicago, having identified the need for an educational
foundation based in social policy and social philosophy so that students
would be prepared “for their role in constructing a better
society”(Germain & Hartman, 1980). The profession first emphasized
attempting to determine the causes of individual problems through a
focus on internal causes, and interventions were focused on
rehabilitation of those internal problems. As time went on, the
profession began to recognize the role societal causes played in
individual problems, and began to focus its attention on social change
(Germain & Hartman, 1980)

Topic Summary​

In this topic, you have learned that:

a.​ Social Work is a professional service based on scientific
knowledge and skills in human relations.
b.​ Social work practice is a Professional application of social work
values, principles, and techniques.
c.​ Social welfare is systems of laws, programs, benefits and
services which strengthen or assure provisions for meeting
social/civic needs recognized as basic for the welfare of the
population and the proper functioning of societies.
d.​ Social Worker is a professional who is trained and competent to
give advice on matters touching personal as well as group
adjustment and adaptation in managing challenges in life.

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 e.​ Client, also called the counselee in counseling is the
individual who has the need and to whom help is directed to by
the social worker.
f.​ Further you have learned that the roots of the social work
profession is in North America and England from the Charitable
Organization Societies (COSs) serving the poor and a desire by
those leading that movement to provide consistent learning and
education to “friendly visitors”.

TOPIC THREE: THEORIES IN SOCIAL WORK

Introduction
Welcome to topic three. In this topic we learn the role of theories in
informing social work practice. Human behavior is complex and the
social work profession is broad such that numerous theories are utilized

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in social work practice at the micro-meso- and macro levels. These
theories focus and explain human growth and development,
psychological and social functioning as well as social delivery. Follow the
discussion and enjoy yourself.
3.1 Systems Theory ​
​
Systems Theory explains human behavior as the intersection of the
influences of multiple interrelated systems. Even for individual issues,
families, organizations, societies, and other systems are inherently
involved and must be considered when attempting to understand and
assist the individual. According to this theory, all systems are
interrelated parts constituting an ordered whole and each subsystem
influences other parts of the whole.

​
3.1.1 Case Study in Systems Theory ​
​
The Pruett case study provides a concrete, real-world example of how
Systems Theory is applied to understand how interrelated factors
contribute to unhealthy actions. In this case, the client was engaging
in risky behaviors (drug abuse and unprotected sex) and not attending
school. She had not had contact with her father for five years, and
some of her only memories of him involved him abusing drugs and
arguing with her mother at home. ​
​
In the Family Systems Theory, individuals must not be evaluated in
isolation, but in the context of the family, as the family operates as a
unit. One of the core concepts of this theory is the triangle, whose
most common form is a parent-parent-child relationship — aka “two
helping one”). Clearly, the client was missing one of the corners of the

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triangle and thus one of the pillars of healthy emotional development. ​
​
Another concept is the family projection process, wherein the client
suffers from the emotional dysfunction of the family unit. In this case,
the client witnessed her father abusing drugs to self-medicate, so she
imitated that behavior, thinking it might help her. ​
​
The full complexities of this case go beyond the scope of this post, but
it serves as an example of how a social worker must understand
interrelated systems (e.g., school-family-individual) in order to assist
the client. ​
​
3.1.2 Issues Addressed by Systems Theory ​
​
Systems Theory is used to develop a holistic view of individuals within
an environment and is best applied to situations where several
systems inextricably connect and influence one another. It can be
employed in cases where contextual understandings of behavior will
lead to the most appropriate practice interventions. ​
​
In the Pruett case, for example, the client’s school and family
environment heavily influenced her individual actions, and her actions
influenced the way she interacted with others at school and in the
home. The recommended interventions thus involved strengthening
the missing part of her family unit, referring her to counseling
services, and connecting her with academic support. ​
There are many practice interventions available to social workers and
their applications vary greatly depending on the context, but the
following are a few common interventions used as part of Systems

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Theory. ​
​
i. Strengthen one part of the system to improve the whole

In the Pruett case, the social worker recommended finding a healthy

father figure for the client, to strengthen the missing component of the
family system. ​
​
ii. Networking and referrals a critical part of any social worker’s job
is to help clients navigate between systems. This often means referring
clients to specialists, or connecting them with resources or
organizations that can help their situation. In the Pruett case, this
meant referral to a counselor and connection to an after school tutor. ​
​
iii. Eco maps this refers to a flow diagram that helps someone
understand a family’s and community’s interrelated progression over
time. It allows social workers and clients to capture and organize the
complexity of a system. ​
​
iv. Genograms this is a graphic representation of a family tree,
constructed with symbols that describe relationships and connections
between an extended family. Social workers typically construct them
along with clients in order to better understand relationships and
identify patterns in the medical history. ​
​
Understanding and applying Systems Theory is a critical part of any
social worker’s career. One of the most impourtant functions of a social
worker is helping clients navigate the various systems that affect their
lives, which requires a deep understanding of how subsystems are
interrelated and influence one another. This post provides an

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introduction to Systems Theory and some real life examples of how it
is applied. It is just one of the many theoretical approaches that social
workers will apply throughout their careers.

3.2 Social learning theory

Social learning theory suggests that human behaviour is learned as

individuals interact with their environment. This theory posits that:

●​ Problem behaviour is maintained by positive or negative

reinforcement
●​ Cognitive behavioural therapy looks at what role thoughts play in
maintaining the problem
●​ Emphasis is on changing dysfunctional thoughts which influence
behaviour
●​ Methods which stem from this theory are the gradual shaping of
new behaviour through positive and negative reinforcement,
modelling, stress management, biofeedback relaxation
techniques, cognitive restructuring imaging and systematic
desensitisation

3.2 Psychodynamic theory

Psychodynamic theory is concerned with how internal processes such

as emotions, needs and drivers motivate human behaviour.

According to this theory:

●​ Emotions have a central place in human behaviour

●​ Unconscious, as well as conscious mental activity serves as the
motivating force in human behaviour.

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 ●​ Early childhood experiences are central in the parenting of an
individual’s emotions and therefore central to problems of living
throughout life.
●​ Individuals may become overwhelmed by internal and/or
external demands
●​ Individuals frequently use ego defence mechanisms to avoid
becoming overwhelmed by internal and/or external demands

Topic Summary

In this topic you have learned that:

a.​ The Systems Theory explains human behavior as the

intersection of the influences of multiple interrelated systems.
Even for individual issues, families, organizations, societies,
and other systems are inherently involved and must be
considered when attempting to understand and assist the
individual.
b.​ The Social learning theory suggests that human behaviour is
learned as individuals interact with their environment
c.​ The Psychodynamic theory is concerned with how internal
processes such as emotions, needs and drivers motivate
human behaviour.

TOPIC FOUR: APPROACHES/METHODS OF SOCIAL WORK

Introduction

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Welcome to topic four. In this topic, we present Social Work practice
as shaped by the developmental history of casework, group work and
community work or community organization practice. The three are
collectively called Social Work Methods and are traceable to the last
quarter of the 19th century and are rooted in the efforts of the society
to solve key social problems. An exposition of the methods is
hereunder provided. Enjoy the discussion.

4.1 Social Case Work

According to Warner Boehm “Social casework is method of social work

which intervenes in the psycho–social aspects of a person’s life to
improve, restore, maintain and enhance his /her social functioning by
improving his role performance.”
According to Safrad “Social case work is a method employed by a
social worker to help an individual find a solution of their problem of
social adjustment which they are not able to handle in a satisfactory
way by their own efforts.”
In a nutshell social case work is a personalized service in which social
workers deal with needs of a particular individual specifically. Such
needs could be emotional, behavioral or psychological maladjustment
including drug addiction, mourning, stress, and generally individual
maladaptive behavior.
Social case workers follow the following process in addressing the
client’s needs.

4.1.1 Needs Diagnosis Process in Social Work

i. Identification of the need
The caseworker in conjunction with the client identifies the need
through interviewing the client on the following:

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 ✔​ Relationship with significant others-parents, siblings,
teachers, religious leaders, friends, neighbors, colleagues,
authorities, etc.
✔​ Client’s history including schooling, early childhood
developments, whether parents are alive, whether
divorced, separated, married, dependants, etc.
✔​ General environmental factors including level of material
dispossession-poverty, parental neglect, domestic violence,
violence in school and neighborhood, etc.

i.​ Investigation of the causes

Out of the client’s data, the caseworker endeavors to investigate the
factors leading to the development of the needs of the client. Factors
leading to the client’s needs could come from his/her
environment-himself, peers, family, community/society and his/her
interaction with these factors.

ii.​ Identification of effects

Once the needs and the causes have been identified, it is the work of
the caseworker using his wisdom and knowledge from his/her
profession to identify the possible effects. He/she can get clarification
of some issues from the client. Indeed, when identifying the needs, it
is possible to also identify the effects and therefore the process is not
a rigid set of steps that must be blindly followed as they are.

iii.​ Determination of possible solutions

The combination of causes and effects provides a framework in which
possible solutions can be arrived at taking into account the required
resources. Bridging the gap that leads to the lack or inadequacy of

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resources that lead to the development of the need could be a possible
solution to meeting the needs of the client.

iv.​ Determination and identification of resources

When possible solutions have been determined and their viability
proved beyond reasonable doubt, it is now the business of the
caseworker and the client to determine and identify resources to meet
the client’s needs. It is important that the client at this stage takes an
active role in identifying resources in his/her environment/community
that could be tapped to meet his/her needs. Needs are better met
using needs within the environment of the client as much as possible
for they could be available beyond the client-caseworker relationship,
thus sustainability. Resources could be vocational skills, funds,
psychotherapy, simple material assistance, etc.

v.​ Putting the resources into use

The resources once identified should be put into immediate use to
meet client’s needs before they get out of hand. In the utilization of
resources, the caseworker must make sure that if they are material
such as funds, they are not only well utilized, but also make a different
(positive) in the life of the client. For other assistance such as
psychotherapy, the caseworker must endeavor to up hold high the
social worker ethics and principles e.g. avoiding emotional involvement
with the client. This is likely to make the client dependent instead of
being self-reliant.

vi.​ Evaluation of outcomes

It is important to evaluate the outcome of the process in line with the
objectives, the resources invested and whether the required

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adjustment or adaptation has been achieved. Another reason for
evaluation is to account for the resources invested including time, for
investment that does not bring out tangible results is worse than none.
In evaluating ask the questions:
✔​ What was the need(s)?
✔​ What has been achieved so far?
✔​ Were resources wisely invested?
✔​ What has not been achieved?
✔​ What may have interfered with achievements/what went
wrong?
✔​ How can it be corrected and what is the way forward?

4.1.2 Factors hindering problem solving in with individuals

There are several factors that caseworkers have to win against for
effective casework relationship including;

i.​ Influence of the mass media

Currently, the media is accessible to many people particularly the
young than ever before. It has had negative influence on the young
particularly advertisement that show successful young professional
either taking beer or smoking cigarette or driving top of the range
cars. This kind of influence makes counselor’s work difficult particularly
when dealing with the adolescent youth. It calls upon the caseworker
to be knowledgeable and firm to draw the demarcation between real
life situations and fantasies as represented by the media
advertisements. In addition, there is a lot of pornographic material
that is accessible to the young and the old alike. This has negative
influence on the people’s moral development and therefore makes
problem-solving difficulty.

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 ii.​ Peer pressure and influence
It is not possible to keep children out of touch with others for this may
bring more problems in terms of socialization. Above all, we need our
children to go to school where they interact with other children,
teachers and significant others. This interaction is sometimes known to
influence the young negatively. Peer pressure can pose many
difficulties to the caseworker since some children would listen to their
peers’ counsel rather than that of the caseworker.

iii.​ The attitude of Parents and significant other

Some parents and significant others are irresponsible in that they
rarely give counsel to their children and whenever they do it, it comes
as a disciplinary action. Some do not bother to discuss about their
children with their teachers or religious leaders while others smoke,
drink and get drunk in the presence of their children. Such behavior
has negative influence on the young and makes casework with such
clients very difficult. This is because children normally trust their
parents before trusting others and if my parents do it, why should I
listen to a counselor? My parents must be right!

iv.​ Participation of the client

For a casework relationship to succeed, the client’s full participation is
important for it is through this way that he can bring his needs out to
the caseworker who therefore can fully diagnose it and offer
appropriate assistance. Hiding some information by the client can only
go to complicate the relationship and end up escalating the needs of
the client, rendering the relationship ineffective.

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 v.​ Caseworkers’ attitude towards the client
A negative attitude by the caseworker towards the client is likely to put
the client off and make him/her not to open (by way giving all
information). This makes the relationship more difficulty as the
caseworker is unable to diagnose the problems of the client and
therefore unable to offer appropriate help.

vi.​ Availability of resources

For any undertaking, resources are required and the absence of these
is the direction towards failure. For example, if we need funds to pay
fees for a needy child the availability of the funds hold key to the
educational achievement of the child. Their absence means the child
does not go to school and therefore his needs will not be met. In
addition, for a counselor who is incompetent in terms of skills, it is
difficult to be effective for the client’s needs are likely to overwhelm
him/her, thus affecting client’s adjustment and adaptation to the
circumstances at hand. Unprofessional conduct on the part of the
caseworker such as emotional involvement with the client can hurt
client’s healing and make the relationship ineffective.

vii.​ Utilization of resources

Availability of resources in itself is not sufficient to meet client’s needs.
Rather, the resources need not only be available, but also be put into
use for which they have been earmarked and utilized as such.
Diversion of resources meant for a certain activity in the casework
relationship works to compromise the healing of the client and may
render the whole process difficult and fail.

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 viii.​ Diagnosis of client’s needs
A poor diagnosis of clients’ need on the part of the caseworker can
lead to poor or improper treatment/therapy and this may not help
meet the clients’ needs. This wrong diagnosis may result due to
ignorance on the part of the caseworker, lack of knowledge or failure of
the client to tell the truth about his/her needs, making the caseworker
get the wrong impression of the client’s needs. This all works to make
the relationship difficult and ineffective.

ix.​ Client’s attitude towards the caseworker

Some clients may develop a negative attitude towards the caseworkers
based on their own prejudices and socio-economic backgrounds. For
example the client can develop doubts on the competence of the
caseworker based on the caseworker’s age, sex, socio-economic
background, race, ethnicity, etc. This may compel the client to
withhold important information from the caseworker making his/her
job difficult. This is because conceal of information limits the
caseworker’s ability to diagnose the problem appropriately and
therefore fail to give appropriate service or treatment.

x.​ Inappropriate/inadequate professional skills

A caseworker may sometimes find it difficult to differentiate facts from
stories emanating from a client. This calls upon the caseworker to use
his/her listening and interpretive skills effectively to differentiate
stories from facts. This can be done with in-depth probing but while
making sure that the questioning does not infringe on the rights of the
client. This means listening attentively and asking for clarifications.

4.2 Group work

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Here, the social worker deals with a group of individuals who have
similar needs and tries to help them come to terms with their needs
and devise appropriate strategies of meeting them. Such groups of
people could include orphans, PLWHAs, single mothers, the disabled,
lactating mothers, TB patients, etc. This is a form of voluntary
association of members benefiting from cooperative learning, that
enhances the total output of the activity than when done individually.
It aims to cater for individual differences, develop skills
(e.g. communication skills, collaborative skills, critical thinking skills),
generic knowledge and socially acceptable attitudes or to generate
conforming standards of behavior and judgment, a "group mind".
Specifically in psychotherapy and social work, "group work" refers
to group therapy, offered by a practitioner trained in
psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, counseling or other relevant
disciplineThe field of Social work includes all voluntary attempts to
extend benefits in response to a bio-psycho-social need and avails
them through scientific knowledge and structured methods.

Social group work is a method of social work that helps persons to

enhance their social functioning through purposeful group experiences
and to cope more effectively with their personal, group or community
problems (Marjorie Murphy, 1959).

It is a psycho social process which is concerned in developing

leadership and cooperation with building on the interests of the group
for a social purpose. Social group work is a method through which
individuals in groups are helped by a worker who guides their
interaction through group activities so that they may relate to others
and experience growth opportunities in accordance with their needs
and capacities for individual, group and community development. It
aims at the development of persons through the interplay of

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personalities in group situation and at the creation of such group
situation as provide for integrated, cooperative group action for
common ends. It is also a process and a method through which group
life is affected by worker who consciously directs the interacting
process towards the accomplishment of goals which are conceived in a
democratic frame of reference. Its distinct characteristics lies in the
fact that group work is used with group experience as a means of
individual growth and development, and that the group worker is
concerned in developing social responsibility and active citizenship for
the improvement of democratic society. Group work is a way to serving
individual within and through small face to face group in order to bring
about the desired change among the client participants.

4.3​ Community work/organization practice

This is the process of action in which a community is organized or
organize themselves for planning and action to define their common
needs and problems, execute these plans with maximum reliance on
community resources and little assistance from outside the
community- the people are assisted to gain control over their own
lives. This method employs social techniques as discussed below;

a.​ Community Organization

It lays emphasis on cooperation and combination between statutory
and voluntary bodies engaged in social welfare in serving
communities.

b.​ Community Development

This is the second strand of overlap in community work approach of

social works. The method was pioneered in the underdeveloped
countries to cope up with their local problems as well as rapid

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technological and social changes e.g. Industrialization and
urbanization. The approach of community development is widely used
in underdeveloped countries and in developed countries where it’s
focus is on problems of communities in new towns.

c.​ Community Action

It is an approach applied mainly where community works on a

program to obtain redress for injustices or fight against actions that
appear detrimental to their progress. Community actions raises
possibility of strategies oriented towards negotiations.

Topic Summary

In this topic, you have learned the three methods applied by social
workers in addressing the needs of different categories of people as
follows;
a.​ Social case work is a method employed by a social worker to
help an individual find a solution of their problem of social
adjustment which they are not able to handle in a satisfactory
way by their own efforts.”
b.​ Group Work is where the social worker deals with a group of
individuals who have similar needs and tries to help them come
to terms with their needs and devise appropriate strategies of
meeting them.
c.​ Community Work, this is the process of action in which a
community is organized or organizes themselves for planning
and action to define their common needs and problems,​

Glossary

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Casework-this is a personalized service in which social workers deal
with needs of a particular individual specifically. Such needs could be
emotional, behavioral or psychological maladjustment including drug
addiction, mourning, stress, and generally individual maladaptive
behavior.

Client- Also called the counselee in counseling is the individual who

has the need and to whom help is directed to by the social worker.​

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 TOPIC FIVE: RESPONSIBILITIES OF SOCIAL WORKERS

Introduction
Welcome to topic five. Here we discuss the responsibilities of social
workers in different agencies as follows; function of social work
practice, Purpose of Social Work and the roles of a social worker.
Enjoy the topic.
5.1 Function of social work practice
The following are the basic functions of social work:
​ To develop, maintain and strengthen the social welfare system
so that it can provide for the individuals basic human needs.
​ To assure adequate standards of subsistence, health and
welfare for all.
​ To enable people to function optimally within their social and
institutional roles and statuses.
​ To support and improve the social order and institutional
structure of society.
​ To administer the people who are not supposed to be included
in the mainstream society such as prisoners, mentally disturbed
people, sick, etc-administration of exclusion
​ Contributes to a adequately functioning society by
making/disciplining people/citizens to remain more active in
whatever engagements.

5.2 Purpose of Social Work

The social work practice has the following purposes:
​ Improvement in the interaction between man and his
environment for the betterment of the present generation and
the future ones.

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 ​ Improvement of the psychosocial functioning of individuals and
social institutions and environmental conditions
​ Help individuals move towards self-actualization and the
betterment of the society in which the individual is a member.
​ To assist individuals to cope with and resolve existing problems
in psychological functioning, either where effective functioning
has broken down or the gap between potential and performance
levels is big or if there is the danger of deteriorating.

5.3 The Roles of a Social Worker

Source:
[Link]
_roles.jpg/

a.​ Counselor/caseworker-works with and counsels clients be

they individuals, groups or communities. He/she does this by
recognizing and respecting the inherent worth of the client and
respecting each individual for his/her positive and negative traits
while correcting them towards self-direction. Inherent here is the
belief that change can occur in any individual and it is out of this

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 belief that the social worker counsels clients towards positive
development.
b.​ Advocate of the disadvantaged-works on behalf of the poor
and the socially excluded and the economically disadvantaged.
This can be played for groups such as families (e.g. street
families) and communities (as in community work/development).
c.​ Partner-as a partner, a social worker works for the
disadvantaged and the disempowered individuals and groups.
Here, the empowerment of the client (individuals or groups) to
be on his or her own is a major component of the partnership.
d.​ Assessor of risks and needs-social workers do assess the
needs of their clients and the risks they potent. After this
assessment then social workers advice accordingly to enable
clients move on their own towards self-actualization. An example
here would be the need for education and the risks involved in
case the need is not met. As such a social worker acts as a
forestaller of clients’ problems.
e.​ Care manager-arranges care for clients/service users. For
example, may arrange for adoption of orphaned children or
fostering into foster homes and committal of elderly members of
the society into old people’s homes. They as such act as bridges
between clients and resources/assistance hence the concept of
referral.
f.​ Agent of social control-in this regard a social worker acts for
the maintenance of the social system for the welfare of his/her
clients so that their needs are met within the environment where
they live. Without social work the social system would most
likely break up making individuals and communities more

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 vulnerable to social problems. Hence social workers rehabilitate
drug addicts, delinquents, and other social deviants.
g.​ Change agent- at the end of the day, the social worker is
interested in bringing about changer in the client and as such
he/she is an agent of social change. In all their work social
workers devise strategies of bringing about positive change in
their clients, hence are agents of change there is the danger of
deteriorating.

Topic Summary

In this topic you have learned that the functions of social workers are
to:
a.​ Develop, maintain and strengthen the social welfare system
so that it can provide for the individuals’ basic human needs.
b.​ Improve the interaction between man and his environment
for the betterment of the present generation and the future.
c.​ Improve of the psychosocial functioning of individuals and
social institutions and environmental conditions.
d.​ Help individuals move towards self-actualization.​

Glossary​

Care manager-arranges care for clients/service users. For example,

may arrange for adoption of orphaned children or fostering into foster
homes and committal of elderly members of the society into old
people’s homes.
Agent of social control-in this regard a social worker acts for the
maintenance of the social system for the welfare of his/her clients so
that their needs are met within the environment where they live.

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 Empowerment: An increase in perceived self-efficacy, resulting from
a ​ belief in the ability to positively influence ones’ own environment
and ​ improve personal circumstances.

TOPIC SIX: SOCIAL WORK POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION

Introduction
Welcome to topic seven. In this topic we discuss the role of social
workers in social policy formulation and implementation. We start by
discussing the assumptions, and principles of policy administration,
aspects of administration. We conclude the discussion with and
examination of the challenges facing policy administration. Enjoy the
topic.

6.1 Meaning of Concepts

i. Policy
Policy is basically a guide for action with specific objectives. It is a
statement of intention. It is a principle of action adapted or purposed
by the government or by any group or organization. It is an
instrument of governance that is rational, non-theoretical and goal

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oriented. The term also refers to a deliberate plan of action that guides
decisions and achieves rational outcome. It is different from a law or
rules since, the policy guides decision making that may lead to a
desired outcome but a law tends to compel or prohibit behavior.

ii. Administration

There are several definitions of the term administration which include

the following; First is transformation of social policy into social
services. Second is the use of experience in recommending
modification of policy. Thus it relates to the process of implementation,
of translating policies into action programs. On the other hand Stein
(1970) defined administration as the processes of defining and
attaining the objectives of an organization through a system of
coordinated and cooperative effort.
The Social Work Dictionary (1995) defined administration as methods
used by those who have responsibility to determine organizational
goals for a social agency; acquire resources and allocate them to carry
out a program; coordinate activities towards achieving selected goals;
to monitor ; to asses; and to make necessary changes in the
processes and structure to improve effectiveness and efficiency.
Skidmore (1995) summarized the various definitions of administration
as all those actions of staff members who utilize social processes to
transform social policies of agencies into the delivery of social services.
The processes involved include the planning, organizing, staffing,
directing, and controlling.

6.2 Assumptions and Principles of Administration

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It is generally assumed that all staff participates in the administrative
process, who include executives, sub-executives, supervisors,
consultants, case workers, group workers, community organizers,
secretaries, attendants, etc.
Spencer (1959) was the first to come up with eight assumptions that
are involved in administration as follows:
i.​ That administration of social agencies is the process of
securing and transforming community resources (human and
financial) into a program of community service.
ii.​ Social work is concerned with enterprise determination, which
includes goal formation.
iii.​ The concern of provisioning the service, involving the logistics
of the program and the activities of the particular agency.
iv.​ The executive is a creative leadership that is needed in all
phases of the agency operation.
v.​ The executive ‘s function within the agency combine the
following activities: i) to provide a seeing- the-enterprise- as-
a –whole quality; ii) to participate in a leadership capacity and
policy formulation; iii) to delegate , coordinate, and control
the work of the others to promote and enhance the work of
the board and staff; iv) to provide for the board, staff, and
community an executive who represents in the personal
attitudes, abilities, and activities a person with whom they
can identify with positively.
vi.​ Involvement in the creative use of the human resources- the
board, staff, and the volunteer.
vii.​ The parts of an enterprise are interrelated and interacting,
hence need for the executive to establish roles, relationships,

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 rules, and regulations that will produce the optimum of the
good effects and the minimum of the bad effects.
viii.​ What one does not do has effects as well as what one does.

6.3 Aspects of Administration

a)​Supervision
This is a major part of social work administration, concerned with
helping staff to use their knowledge and skills in getting the job done
efficiently and well. Supervision is an administrative process that
assists staff development and performance. It focuses on the
acquisition and use of knowledge and the application of skills to
practice. The role of the supervisor is to create encouragement, the
imparting of the information, and the listening to the worker. He points
out the gaps in the knowledge and deficiencies in skills assist workers
to control their biases. They give psychological support by allaying
fears, anxiety, and by their interest and understanding; they are
professional models for new workers and a bridge to the agency for
the experienced worker new to the particular job or agency.

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Souce:[Link]
in-aotearoa-new-zealand

b) Consultation
This is the means by which agencies are able to extend and improve
their services to the clients, involving interaction between professional
persons who explore a problem to find a solution that will best serve
the needs of clients. As a process consultation is a technique for
improving and expanding the services, by using a variety of disciplines
that bring together competent persons in an exchange of information,
making it possible to provide greater services to the troubled persons,
individuals, and families. Consultation involves different disciplinary
approaches in order to maximize on professional inputs.

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There are three main assumptions applied in consultation: i) the
consultant has greater knowledge than the consultee in the areas of
agency and the worker needs, which can be communicated in usable
form; ii) The consultant can help the consultee to improve upon the
use of his skills or to acquire new ones for the better performance of
the job; iii) The consultee can use the process to enhance his or her
caretaking function by clarifying thinking, elaborating his own ideas,
and defining treatment goal sand purposes. Some of the important
products of consultation process include psychological support,
selective testing of workers’ thinking, and the results of creative
interaction of professional people.

c. Principles of Consultation
i. Consultation is a helping process involving the use of technical
knowledge and a professional relationship with one or more persons.
ii. The assumption that the consul tee can do the job assigned to him,
and does not evaluate or make judgments about the work of the
consul tee.
i.​ The consul tee is free to accept or reject the services of the
consultant, since the consultant does not carry the force of
administration, rather the work is one of trust, and when he
knows that the consultant does not evaluate personnel or report
conversations to administration.
Some of the most important areas of consultancy include the
professions of psychiatry, psychology, cultural anthropology, sociology,
economics, political science, medicine, and many others.

d.​ Collaboration

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This is a device for making treatment as total and effective as much as
possible by discriminative use of resources. This is how different
agencies pool together services, professional talents, skills and
competencies to maximize on satisfying client needs. It is a shared
experience in which the knowledge of professionals, paraprofessionals,
and indigenous workers is shared in the various processes of service
delivery.
Interagency collaboration is achieved formally and informally by
cooperation and community planning, communication of information,
by case conferences, and referral of clients. Collaboration results from
common purpose of relieving suffering and restoring clients to more
helpful and satisfying ways of functioning. An example of collaboration
is the hospital where proper use of medication, nursing care, and rest
succeed in relieving patients of the distressing symptoms that are due
to severe stress situations in the patient’s home environment. Here the
hospital refers a client to a family agency for counseling, helps with
family finances, and aids in the budgeting of the family income. On the
other hand an adoption agency whose program is to provide food
shelter, clothing, and case work services to unwed mothers, may refer
them to their own physician for obstetric care and uses the hospital
services available in the community.

6.4 Challenges Facing Social Policy Administration

Social policy administration faces a number of challenges which include
the following:

a.​ Globalization

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Globalization demands, open and competitive economies, which can
initiate an upward spiral in efficiency and a downward spiral in labor
costs, and basic changes in labor markets, the effects of which range
from deindustrialization to large-scale, long-term unemployment. In
countries undergoing transformation, the challenges posed by
globalization are especially great, because they are undertaken in
conditions of sharply reduced gross domestic products (GDPs) and
abrupt increases in prices, unemployment, and black market activity
(Standing, 1996).

b. Demographic trends Demographic trends include increasing

longevity, declines in fertility and changing family patterns, particularly
the multiplication of single-parent families. In many transition
countries, these problems are being aggravated by a general health
crisis, including increasing mortality and the spread of infectious
diseases, this pauses a challenge to policy formulation and
administration.

c. Tendencies that weaken solidarity and increase

individualism

Many of the relatively better off now espouse "postmodern" attitudes

toward former social policy arrangements. They demand better value
for their money, including more individually tailored services and more
choices. They are also less willing to share the collective costs of
change. All these phenomena are appearing in transition countries,
perhaps in an accentuated form as a socio-psychological reaction to
the sudden lifting of former oppressive controls. This pause a
challenge in policy administration advocacy since the community has
an attitude of ‘every man for himself and God for us all.

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d. Corruption

Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials for

illegitimate private gain. An illegal act by an officeholder constitutes
political corruption only if the act is directly related to their official
duties, is done under color of law or involves trading in influence.
Forms of corruption vary ,but
include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronag
e, influence peddling, graft, and embezzlement. Corruption may
facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money
laundering, and human trafficking, though is not restricted to these
activities. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such
as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is also
considered political corruption. Corruption is among the major issues
affecting social policy administration in Kenya where policy
implementation funds are embezzled leading to poor implementation
of lack of implementation all together. For example, in a simple
context, while performing work for a government or as a
representative, it is unethical to accept a gift. Any free gift could be
construed as a scheme to lure the recipient towards some biases. In
most cases, the gift is seen as an intention to seek certain favors such
as work promotion, tipping in order to win a contract, job or exemption
from certain tasks in the case of junior employee giving the gift to a
senior employee who can be key in winning the favor.

e. Inadequate funding

Lack of sufficient funds for implementation of social policies pause a

challenge during policy administration which leads to insufficient
implementation

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Topic Summary

In this topic you have learned that:

a.​ It is generally assumed that all staff participates in the
administrative process, who include executives, sub-executives,
supervisors, consultants, case workers, group workers,
community organizers, secretaries, attendants, etc. among other
assumptions
b.​ Social policy administration is guided by the following aspects;
supervision where the experts supervise the learners and new
employees, consultation where a social worker can consult
specialists from other fields such as law, psychology, sociology,
criminology among others. They can also collaborate with these
specialists in addressing issues in their field.
c.​ The challenges hindering successful implementation of social
policies include; globalization; demographic trends; Tendencies
that weaken solidarity and increase individualism; corruption
and inadequate funding
TOPIC SEVEN: THE PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL WORK
Introduction
Welcome to topic seven. In this topic we learn the principles that every
social work practitioner should observe to promote professionalism in
their interaction with their clients. The principles are discussed in this
topic. Enjoy the topic

7.1 Social Work Principles

The principles that every social work practitioner should observe to

promote professionalism in their interaction with their clients are
discussed in the following section;
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 a.​ Individualization
The recognition and understanding of each client’s unique qualities and
the differential use of principles and methods in assisting each towards
a better adjustment it is based upon the right of human beings to be
individuals and to be treated not just as a human being but as this
human being with personal preferences and other differences. Social
workers should treat each client as a unique individual and they should
never generalize, they should be objective while addressing clients’
issues.
b.​ Purposeful expression of feelings
This is recognition of the client’s need to express his/her feelings
freely, especially his negative feelings. The social worker listens
purposefully neither discouraging nor condemning the expression of
these feelings, sometimes even stimulating and encouraging them
when they are therapeutically useful as a part of the service. e.g if a
client wants to cry let them cry it out, it is therapeutic and its part of
the healing process.

c.​ Controlled emotional involvement

It is the social worker’s sensitivity to the client’s feelings, an
understanding of their meaning, and a purposeful and appropriate
response to them. Social workers are not supposed to involve
themselves emotionally with the clients. Hence a social worker should
be able to detect early warning signals to vulnerability as far as
emotional involvement is concerned. Vulnerability denotes the
physical, social, psychological and social factors that increase
susceptibility of an individual to the negative impact of a
problem-being exposed to suffering, needs or threats while lacking the
means for adequate means to cope-not actually lack of or want but

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exposure and defenselessness. E.g if a client is emotional the social
worker should not be emotional, they should be able to control
themselves because the client is depending on them for support.

d.​ Acceptance
Action where the case worker perceives and deals with the client as he
really is, including his strengths and weaknesses, his congenial and
uncongenial qualities, his positive and negative feelings, his
constructive and destructive attitudes and behavior. This is done while
maintaining at all the times a sense of the client’s innate dignity and
personal worth. It does not however mean approval of negative
attitudes or behavior.

e.​ Non-judgemental attitude

Role of the social work relationship is not to assign guilty or innocence
or the degree of client responsibility for causation of the problems or
needs. However this does include making evaluative and objective
judgments about the attitudes, standards, or actions, thoughts and
feelings of the client. The social worker should not judge their clients
instead they should support them towards addressing their needs.

f.​ Client self-determination

This is the practical recognition of the right and need of the client to
freedom in making their own choices and decisions. Social workers
have a corresponding duty to respect that right, recognize that need,
stimulate and help to activate that potential for self-direction by
helping the client to see and use the available and appropriate
resources of the community and his own personality. The client’s
self-determination is however limited by his capacity for positive and

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constructive decision making. This self-determination should be
allowed within practical limits bearing in mind the psychological state
of the client. The clients should be given a chance to make their own
decision, this is because they are likely to own a decision they have
made and ensure that it succeeds unlike where they feel that the
social worker is deciding for them. e.g if you force someone to quit
crime they are likely to rebel compared to when they make a personal
decision to quit.

g. Confidentiality
This is the preservation of information concerning the client, which is
disclosed in the professional relationship. It is based upon a basic right
of the client to privacy. It is an ethical obligation of the caseworker and
is necessary for effective casework relationship. The client’s right
however is not absolute. For example, the client’s secret is often
shared with other professionals within the agency and in other
agencies and the obligation binds all equally. Moreover, if the law
requires disclosure of this information such as in adducing evidence in
court the confidentiality principle is broken. There are two types of
confidentiality relative confidentiality where the social worker can
share the client’s information depending on necessity for example if
the client presents an issue beyond the worker’s capability or in case
he/she has to give referrals, consult or collaborate with other
professional eg lawyers, psychologist, criminologist etc in helping a
client. However the client should be informed to give consent. The
other type is absolute confidentiality where the worker does not share
the client’s information at all. In confidentiality the client’s information
and files are private.

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h. Objectivity
Closely related to non-judgmental attitude, objectivity is the principle
of examining situations without bias. To be objective in their
observations and understanding, social workers must avoid injecting
personal feelings and prejudices in relationships with clients.
Subjectivity hence should be avoided as much as possible because it
is unprofessional.

i. The Right of Self-determination

Principle of Right of Self-determination This principle is based on a
very fundamental democratic value. According to this, everyone has
the right to govern his life as he wishes provided it does not interfere
with others’ right to govern their lives. Right of self-determination has
been demanded by various people living in various regions of the world
so that they can choose their own government.

Caseworkers have to give this right to the client so that he can decide
and take best possible action in his self-interest. This is reasonable
also because he knows himself better than others. And, the
caseworker is only an enabler who helps him through his expertise to
take the best possible decision and action in the circumstances.

The caseworkers should understand that this right is limited and is a

relative and not an absolute one. There are clients who are unable to
take proper decisions about self, e.g., children, immature adults, the
psychotics and the retarded, and they should not be given this right
except to harm themselves.

j. Principle of Self-awareness

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This principle has emerged from the experience of practitioners who
have observed and experienced that social work practitioners
substitute their personal values, norms, etc., for professional values
and norms while assisting their clients. They have been observed as
projecting their own feelings and imposing their values and norms on
them. All these simply destroy the helping process. In fact, the worker
should;

(a) Be aware of and work through his own coercive and moralistic
attitude, personal values and norms etc.;

(b) Be conscious of and accept his own feelings of aggression, love or

gratitude or such other feelings;

(c) Examine his own motivation to save, punish or deprive the client;
and

(d)Avoid projection of his own family relationships to the client’s family

situation.

Self-awareness helps the caseworkers to use only professional values

and norms and help the client in such a way that he is able to re-live
comfortably when he goes back to his own society. Self-awareness also
helps the workers to be objective and non-judgmental (avoid
“assigning guilt, innocence or degree of client responsibility for
causation of the problems or needs”) in his approach.

Topic Summary

In this topic you have learned that social workers are guided by social
work principles in their practice. These principles includes:
a.​ Individualism

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 b.​ Purposeful expression of feelings
c.​ Controlled emotional involvement
d.​ Acceptance
e.​ Non-judgmental attitude
f.​ Client self determination
g.​ Objectivity
h.​ The right of self-determination
i.​ Self-awareness

You have also learned that Principles are fundamental norms,

rules or values that represent what is desirable and positive
for a person, group, organization, profession or community
and helps it in determining the rightfulness or wrongness of
its action.

Glossary

Value this is Important and last beliefs or ideals shared by the

members of culture about what is bad or good and desirable or
undesirable.
Principles: Fundamental norms, rules or values that represent what
is desirable and positive for a person, group, organization, profession
or community and helps it in determining the rightfulness or
wrongness of its action.
Advocacy: the is the act of intervening on behalf of an individual ​
group, or community to represent, defend and support access to ​
resources and/or services to address structural obstacles or barriers ​
that restrict civil rights and principles of social justice.​

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TOPIC EIGHT: ETHICAL AND LEGAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK

Introduction
Welcome to topic eight. Here we learn the values of social work, social
work code of ethics and its purpose, general standards of social work
code of ethics and classifications of social work code of ethics. Enjoy
the topic.

8.1 The Values of Social Work

Social work practice is guided by the following values:

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a.​ Service-Social workers elevate service to others above
self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values,
and skills to help people in need and to address social
problems. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some
portion of their professional skills with no expectation of
significant financial return (pro bono service).

b.​ Social Justice-Social workers challenge social injustice.

Hence, they pursue social change, particularly with and on
behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of
people. Social workers' social change efforts are focused
primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination,
and other forms of social injustice. These activities seek to
promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and
cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure
access to needed information, services, and resources;
equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in
decision making for all people.

c.​ Dignity and Worth of the Person-Social workers treat each

person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual
differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers
promote clients' socially responsible self-determination. Social
workers seek to enhance clients' capacity and opportunity to
change and to address their own needs. Social workers are
cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the
broader society. They seek to resolve conflicts between
clients' interests and the broader society's interests in a
socially responsible manner consistent with the values, ethical
principles, and ethical standards of the profession.

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 d.​ Importance of Human Relationships-Social workers
understand that relationships between and among people are
an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage
people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek
to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful
effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the
wellbeing of individuals, families, social groups, organizations,
and communities.

e.​ Integrity-Social workers are continually aware of the

profession's mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical
standards and practice in a manner consistent with them.
Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote
ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which
they are affiliated.

f.​ Competence- Social workers practice within their areas of

competence and develops and enhances their professional
expertise. Social workers continually strive to increase their
professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in
practice. Social workers should aspire to contribute to the
knowledge base of the profession.
8.2 The Social Work Code of Ethics

The social work values, ethical principles and standards are set forth
by the Social Work Code of Ethics to guide the social worker’s conduct.
The code is relevant to all social workers and social worker students
regardless of their professional functions, the settings in which they
work or the population they serve. The code is a set of values,

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principles and standards that guide decision-making and conduct when
ethical issues arise.

8.2.1 Purpose of Social Work Code of Ethics

The Social Work Code of Ethics serves six purposes as explained in the
following section;
i.​ Identifies core values on which social work's mission is based.
ii.​ Summarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the profession's
core values and establishes a set of specific ethical standards
that should be used to guide social work practice.
iii.​ Designed to help social workers identify relevant considerations
when professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties
arise.
iv.​ Provides ethical standards to which the general public can hold
the social work profession accountable.
v.​ Socializes practitioners new to the field to social work's mission,
values, ethical principles, and ethical standards.
vi.​ Articulates standards that the social work profession itself can
use to assess whether social workers have engaged in unethical
conduct.

viii.3​General Standards of Social Work Ethical Conduct

General standards of social work ethical conduct are the ​
standards that social worker should observe in their professional ​
practice while working/interacting with all categories of people in ​
general. They include the following;

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 i.​ Seek to understand each individual client and the client system,
and the elements, which affect behavior and the service,
required.
ii.​ Uphold and advance the values, knowledge and methodology of
the profession, refraining from any behavior, which damages the
functioning of the profession.
iii.​ Recognize professional and personal limitations.
iv.​ Encourage the utilization of all relevant knowledge and skills.
v.​ Apply relevant methods in the development and validation of
knowledge.
vi.​ Contribute professional expertise to the development of policies
and programs, which improve the quality of life in society.
vii.​ Identify and interpret social needs.
viii.​ Identify and interpret the basis and nature of individual, group,
community, national, and international social problems.
ix.​ Identify and interpret the work of the social work profession.
x.​ Clarify whether public statements are made or actions performed
on an individual basis or as representative of a professional
association, agency or organization, or other group.

8.4 Classification of Social Work Ethical Standards

8.4.1. Social Work ethical standards relative to clients
This refers to ethical standards that social workers should observe
while working/interacting with their clients in the helping process, they
include;
i.​ Accept primary responsibility to identified clients, but within
limitations set by the ethical claims of others.
ii.​ Maintain the client's right to a relationship of trust, to privacy
and confidentiality, and to responsible use of information. The

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 collection and sharing of information or data is related to the
professional service function with the client informed as to its
necessity and use. No information is released without prior
knowledge and informed consent of the client, except where the
client cannot be responsible or others may be seriously
jeopardized. A client has access to social work records
concerning them.
iii.​Recognize and respect the individual goals, responsibilities, and
differences of clients. Within the scope of the agency and the
client's social milieu, the professional service shall assist clients
to take responsibility for personal actions and help all clients with
equal willingness. Where the professional service cannot be
provided under such conditions the clients shall be so informed
in such a way as to leave the clients free to act.
iv.​Help the client - individual, group, community, or society- to
achieve self-fulfillment and maximum potential within the limits
of the respective rights of others. The service shall be based
upon helping the client to understand and use the professional
relationship, in furtherance of the client’s legitimate desires and
interests.

8.4.2. Social Work ethical standards relative to agencies and

organizations
This refers to ethical standards that social workers should observe
while working in their own agencies and also while working with other
agencies either in consultation or collaboration, they include,

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 i.​ Work and/or cooperate with those agencies and organizations
whose policies, procedures, and operations are directed toward
adequate service delivery and encouragement of professional
practice consistent with the ethical principles of the IFSW.
ii.​ Responsibly execute the stated aims and functions of the agency
or organizations, contributing to the development of sound
policies, procedures, and practice in order to obtain the best
possible standards or practice.
iii.​Sustain ultimate responsibility to the client, initiating desirable
alterations of policies, procedures, and practice, through
appropriate agency and organization channels. If necessary
remedies are not achieved after channels have been exhausted,
initiate appropriate appeals to higher authorities or the wider
community of interest.
iv.​Ensure professional accountability to client and community for
efficiency and effectiveness through periodic review of the
process of service provision.
v.​ Use all possible ethical means to bring unethical practice to an
end when policies, procedures and practices are in direct conflict
with the ethical principles of social work.

8.4.3. Social Work ethical standards relative to colleagues

This refers to ethical standards that social workers should observe
while working/interacting with their colleagues, they include the
following;
i.​ Acknowledge the education, training and performance of social
work colleagues and professionals from other disciplines,
extending all necessary cooperation that will enhance effective
services.

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 ii.​ Recognize differences of opinion and practice of social work
colleagues and other professionals, expressing criticism through
channels in a responsible manner.
iii.​Promote and share opportunities for knowledge, experience, and
ideas with all social work colleagues, professionals from other
disciplines and volunteers for the purpose of mutual
improvement.
iv.​Bring any violations of professional ethics and standards to the
attention of the appropriate bodies inside and outside the
profession, and ensure that relevant clients are properly
involved.
v.​ Defend colleagues against unjust actions.

8.4.4. Social Work ethical standards relative to the profession

This refers to ethical standards that social workers should observe
while offering professional services so that they offer quality services
and protect their profession, they include;
i.​ Maintain the values, ethical principles, knowledge and
methodology of the profession and contribute to their
clarification and improvement.
ii.​ Uphold the professional standards of practice and work for their
advancement.
iii.​Defend the profession against unjust criticism and work to
increase confidence in the necessity for professional practice.
iv.​Present constructive criticism of the profession, its theories,
methods and practices
v.​ Encourage new approaches and methodologies needed to meet
new and existing needs.

Topic Summary​

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 In this topic you have learned that the mission of social work
profession is rooted in a set of core values. The core values, embraced
by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the
foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective and are,
Service, Social justice, Dignity and worth of the person, Importance of
human relationships, Integrity and Competence.
We have also learned that, general standards of social work ethical
conduct are the ​standards that social worker should observe in their
professional practice while working/interacting with all categories of
people in ​ general, ethical standards that social workers should
observe while working in their own agencies and also while working
with other agencies either in consultation or collaboration capacity
Ethical standards that social workers should observe while
working/interacting with their colleagues, lastly there are ethical
standards that social workers should observe while offering
professional services so that they offer quality services and protect
their profession.
Work on the topic activities and proceed to topic nine. Bye

Glossary

Code: this is a set of values, principles and standards that guide

decision-making and conduct when ethical issues arise.
Ethics: this refers to moral principles that govern a person's behavior
or the conducting of an activity.

Ethical Practice Dilemma: Situations in social work practice that ​

requires decisions to be made under circumstances where core values ​
of the profession are in conflict​

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TOPIC NINE: EMERGING ISSUES IN SOCIAL WORK

Introduction
We hope you have enjoyed the previous eight topics. Welcome to
topic nine, the last topic in this course. In this topic we focus our
discussion on the role of social workers in addressing emerging issues
in the society. We further discuss social work and correctional services,
social work and drug abuse, social work and suicide; and conclude with
social work and family issues.

9.1 Social Work and Correctional Services

The problem of juvenile delinquency, crime and deviance in modern
society has received increasing concerns from different scholars and
professionals. There are four processes utilized in modern
administration of criminal justice that involve law enforcement,
prosecution, and corrections.
Corrections are seen as one of the four social processes in the
administration of criminal justice in any society. The processes include:
i) law enforcement, which is concerned with the collection of evidence
about reported offenses and with the detention and the arrest of
suspected offenders; ii) prosecution and defense, or the preparation
and presentation of criminal cases before the court; iii) judicial
process, which should be concerned with the legal determination of the
guilt and the assignment of penalties; iv. Corrections, which is a
judicial process responsible for administering of the assigned penalties

The Social Work Dictionary (1995) defined corrections as the legal

specialty that seeks to change and improve the behavior convicted law

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offenders through incarceration, parole, probation, and educational
programs and social services. In general, it can be said that
corrections is the total process of helping persons who have violated
the law to be rehabilitated, in which the role of the social worker
becomes inevitable. The social worker makes sure that the offender is
corrected, such that his current behavior can be kept within acceptable
limits and at the same time his general life adjustment is modified. In
all cases, the worker helps such people to understand themselves,
their relationships with others, and what is expected of them as
members of the larger society in which they live.
The incorporation of social worker has tended to minimize the extent
of corporal and physical punishment, with new emphasis being placed
on the trying to bring about positive change in the overall behavior
patterns. Hence reformation and rehabilitation have been incorporated
as aspects of working with people in trouble by attempting to help
them adjust better. Social workers utilize their knowledge and skills of
a profession in a corrective manner, to rehabilitate individuals, to help
them to help themselves so that they can return to and become better
members of society after jail, and to guide them towards becoming
comfortable themselves. The correctional social worker’s role therefore
is one of changing the values of the client so that they become
congruent in action with the values of the community.

9.2 Drug Abuse and Social Work

How do you help an addict? It’s a question that so many families and
friends ask when they have a loved one suffering from substance
abuse. Most people are simply not experienced enough in drug and
alcohol addiction issues to know what to do; they get caught between

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enabling the addict and trying to practice tough love, which can be an
emotional and financial battleground.

Whether a social worker is associated with a school, a hospital,

community social services or a rehabilitation center, he or she
understands what goes on in a drug addict or alcoholic’s mind and
what the steps are to getting that person help in the most
compassionate, effective way “Addiction is a primary, chronic disease
of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction
in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social
and spiritual manifestations. Addiction is characterized by inability to
consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving,
diminished recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and
interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response.”

Social workers Helps drug addicts through the following:

a.​ Identification and Assessment

Social workers are trained to identify and assess the needs of their
clients beyond the scope of their initial presenting problem. One of the
initial tasks of a social worker in a school, hospital, mental health clinic
or private practice is to perform a comprehensive assessment on a
client, taking into account potential substance and alcohol abuse
issues, even if the client does not self-report the problem. As a social
worker, you assess substance abuse problems in both voluntary or
self-referred and involuntary or mandated clients. According to the
National Association of Social Workers, you will work with your clients
to "complete a comprehensive assessment toward the development of
a service plan for recommended placement into an appropriate

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treatment program." You may not be required to provide direct care,
but you are required to recognize the warning signs and suggest a
course of treatment to your client during or directly after your
assessment.

b.​ Direct Treatment

Social workers act as substance abuse counselors in a variety of

settings, including hospitals, drug treatment facilities and mental
health clinics. They do not only provide identification and assessment
services, they also work directly with clients suffering from substance
abuse disorders, such as providing individual and group counseling,
collecting urine samples if one work in a substance abuse facility or
linking their client with other services, such as food and housing.

c.​ Education/Outreach

Social workers may act as substance abuse educators in a variety of

settings, such as schools, community outreach centers and shelters.
For example, you may be expected to give presentations on substance
abuse prevention at a school if you work in a community organization
that provides this service. Or, you may have a job where you have to
reach out to at-risk individuals on the street, in community
organizations or at recreation centers. You may help them connect
with treatment centers or assist them with obtaining basic needs like
food and shelter.

d.​ Research

Social workers also often participate in academic research on the

university level. So, you may decide to participate in substance abuse
prevention research, such as helping with the development of
empirically-validated intervention and treatment strategies.

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 9.3 Suicide and Social Work

As anyone working in the field of mental health knows, suicide is a

bleak reality. As a social worker, one encounters clients who are at risk
of suicide. Statistically, males are four times more likely to commit
suicide than females, although women are more likely to have suicidal
thoughts. Fortunately, social workers play a key role in preventing
suicides. To do that, you should know what to look for, how to assess
your patient’s condition and how to take action when dealing with a
suicidal client. Social workers create awareness and understanding of
suicide in their communities, with the first step being encouraging
people to talk about it.
Perhaps the most important thing a social worker can do to help
prevent suicide among their clients is to know the warning signs.
These can include the following:

●​ Talking about suicide or death

●​ Making statements about wishing they were dead
●​ Isolating themselves from friends and family
●​ Giving away possessions
●​ Showing a sudden improvement in mood after being depressed for a
period of time.
By knowing the signs, you increase your ability to open a dialogue that
can prevent the client from acting on his or her thoughts. The most
common way to do that is to begin by asking the client if he or she has
been thinking of suicide and, if the answer is yes, finding out if the
client has created a plan for carrying it out. It’s also important to find
out if he or she has access to lethal means to carry out a plan, such as
guns or pills.

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In addition, the social worker needs to take into consideration such
things as the level of hopelessness and psychological pain and his or
her history of self-destructive behavior. If one determines that the
person is not in immediate danger, you should create a plan of action
that will include maintaining frequent contact, either by phone or in
person, and working with the client’s family to create a support
network that can monitor suicidal behavior. In some cases, the
assessment might indicate that the client needs further help, such as
hospitalization. If one is dealing with a minor, this is something that
will likely need to be done with his or her parent's consent. So one will
be working closely with the family and will also want to provide them
with more knowledge about suicide and how to prevent it.

9.4 Poverty and Social Work

Source

Social workers play an important role in helping the poor and working
to eradicate poverty. They may do so through the following;

a.​ Assistance with Concrete Needs

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Providing assistance with concrete needs is one of the most important
ways that social workers help the poor. Concrete needs might include
basic requirements like food, clothing and shelter, but can also include
social benefits, health care or child care. Social workers help clients
with concrete needs in a variety of settings, including social services
agencies, community services agencies and international aid
organizations. They may refer clients to appropriate resources, meet
clients to directly provide them with goods or help clients fill out
paperwork required for certain social benefits such as funds for the
elderly, youths enterprise funds etc.

b.​ Advocacy

Sometimes, clients in poverty are unable to speak up for themselves

to obtain needed resources. They may be affected by mental illness,
physical disability or other conditions that make it difficult or
impossible for them to advocate for their needs. Social workers help
the poor by providing advocacy services, such as acting as mediators
or directly intervening with social services organizations or
governmental agencies. For example, a social worker may advocate on
behalf of a client facing eviction with local housing organizations or
help the client locate community resources, such as church and
religious organizations, that might help pay the rent on a temporary
basis.

c.​ Social Policy Development

Social workers also help the poor on a macro, or large-scale, level by

working to bring changes to social policies. They accomplish this goal
in a variety of ways, such as through community organization or
political action. Some social workers join committees or work directly

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with elected officials to discuss community needs or to suggest
possible changes to specific social policies that affect the poor. They
might also help influence social policies through other activities, such
as organizing community protests or fundraisers.

d.​ Community Education

Another important role of social workers is providing community

education on poverty and related concerns. For example, poor
communities are often affected by issues like gang violence, drug and
alcohol abuse, a lack of available child care or educational limitations.
Social workers help educate communities on how to avoid or reduce
these problems, help communities find more productive ways of
working together and advise communities about how to find creative
or practical solutions to problems.

9.5 Social Work and Family

Source

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Social workers help families improve relationships and cope with
difficult situations such as divorce, illness or death. They guide families
through the counseling process, by helping them identify problems, set
goals and find solutions to their troubles. In a crisis situation, such as
neglect, substance abuse or violence, they may also recommend legal
action, such as having children temporarily removed while the parents
work through their difficulties Facilitating Communication. A social
worker often begins by simply encouraging family members to
communicate. Sometimes, families have barely spoken to each other
for months by the time they enter counseling. The social worker acts
as a neutral third party, helping family members share their fears,
concerns or disappointments in a no confrontational way. She often
asks questions designed to help families to discover the underlying
causes of their problems. For example, if a child is misbehaving, it may
not be because he disrespects his parents, but rather because he's
troubled by tension in his parents' marriage. A social worker would
help him articulate these thoughts so the entire family could discuss
and understand them. Social workers work with the family through the
following processes;

a.​ Intervention

Social workers sometimes suggest immediate solutions, even if

short-term, to help families work through problems or defuse
potentially volatile situations. A social worker will often attempt to
stabilize the family unit, including addressing individual members'
issues, so that counseling will be more effective. For example, if one
family member has a serious drug or alcohol problem, the social
worker may recommend he enter a treatment facility before continuing
with therapy. Or, if one family member has a mental illness such as

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depression or bipolar disorder, the social worker may advise him to
visit a psychiatrist who can prescribe medications to help him manage
his condition.

b.​ Conflict Resolution

Families often enter family counseling because they have an

immediate problem that's creating stress and conflict within the family.
A social worker's first objective is to help families understand and
solve the issue. If trouble in the parents' marriage is causing discord
throughout the family, the social worker will help the couple address
their issues with each other so they can work as a team in caring for
their children instead of constantly arguing. She'll also counsel the
children to help them understand their parents' problems have nothing
to do with them. If children are acting out because they're upset about
their parents' divorce, or about the death of a parent or other family
member, the social worker will help them find ways to deal with their
grief or fear.

c.​ Teaching

A social worker's long-term goal is to teach families how to work

together to solve and prevent problems. In addition to helping them
resolve their immediate issues, she'll also educate them about family
dynamics and how they impact both individual members and the
family as a whole. She'll help them understand how they approach
problems and why they respond to conflict may make the situation
worse. She'll also help them create a plan for more effectively handling
conflict in the future. For example, she may recommend they hold
weekly family meetings where they can openly discuss their concerns.

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Topic Summary​

In this topic you learned that:

●​ Social change has contributed to emerging issues which

require social work intervention so has to help in addressing
them, such as correctional practice, the problem of juvenile
delinquency, crime and deviance in modern society has received
increasing concerns from different scholars and professionals
including including social workers who contribute in rehabilitation
of offenders.
●​ Whether a social worker is associated with a school, a hospital,
community social services or a rehabilitation center, he or she
understands what goes on in a drug addict or alcoholic’s mind
and what steps to follow in getting that person help in the most
compassionate effective way
●​ Social workers play a key role in preventing suicides. To do that,
they should know what to look for, how to assess their patient’s
condition and how to take action when dealing with a suicidal
client. Social workers create awareness and understanding of
suicide in their communities, with the first step being
encouraging people to talk about it.
●​ Social workers play an important role in helping the poor and
working to eradicate poverty
●​ Lastly Social workers help families improve relationships and
cope with difficult situations such as divorce, illness or death

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Glossary

Addiction; is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation,

memory and related circuitry​

Poverty: this refers to the state of being extremely poor.

Drug Abuse: also known as Substance abuse, is a patterned use of a

drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or with
methods which are harmful to themselves or others, and is a form
of substance-related disorder

Correction: Correction, corrections, and correctional, are umbrella

terms describing a variety of functions typically carried out
by government agencies, and involving the punishment, treatment,
and supervision of persons who have been convicted of crimes. These
functions commonly include imprisonment, parole and probation

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