MAR GREGORIOS COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCE

PG DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK

SUBJECT NAME: SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION

SUBJECT CODE: HBW1A

SEMESTER: I

PREPARED BY: PROF: ARUNKUMAR D

Unit 1 - Syllabus
Historical Evolution of Social Work; International Perspectives: UK, USA, Social Work in India: Socio-
cultural and religious thought; Contributions of Social Reformers and Social Movements - E.V.R. Periyar,
Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ambedkar; Dalit and Backward Class Movements, Gandhian ideology and
Sarvodhaya Movement; Christian Missionaries, Gandhian Social Work, India as a Welfare State,
Contributions of Voluntary organisations.

UNIT 1

Historical Evolution of Social Work

The concept and practice of social work is as old as the human race itself. Community living was the pattern,
naturally to help the need, sick and the unfortunate has been the responsibility of the society. Some had an
aptitude to take up such work. Gradually religious institutions developed social work as part of religion. The
idea grew that service rendered to the community is service rendered to God. With the process of
development and expansion of Urbanization and the growth of Industrialization, ancient social security and
welfare system started changing its role in relation to these needy individuals, families, groups, and their
environment. These problems compelled the society to create social welfare agencies. Later on when it was
observed that these problems required scientific outlook for proper and permanent solution, a new system of
scientific assistance came into existence, i.e. social work. Social work, unlike an early charity practice,
attempts to help the problem that strengthens their ego to face conditions as reality and try to improve them.
At the same time social work attempts to mobilize social forces to resolve those social and economic
situations that lead to ill health, Mental suffering frustration and social behavior.

1.1 Historical Evolution of Social Work; International Perspectives

Social work is that process which deals directly and differentially with persons who have problems relating
primarily to their social situation and which endeavors individual to understand what helps is needed and to
assist the individual to find and utilize the help indicated. This helping the helpless is social service, helping
the helpless to help themselves is social work.
Historical Evolution of Social Work in UK

I. Before 1200A.D

It was called the primitive stage. During this period there was nothing of social work or social welfare. It was
a curse from god. So they have to face the problem willingly and there is no other way of escape from it.

II.1200-1500A.D

It was really a Christian period. It had a wide effect on all over England. Many were dedicated to charity
work. In the church large number of missionaries, schools, parishes, dioceses, hospitals and social welfare
agencies came into existence

III. 1500 A.D

This period was the intervention of Monarch to the charity work. The first constructive measure taken by the
government for relief of the poor was the statute of Henry VIII in 1531. It provided that mayors and justices
of the place should investigate applications of the aged and papers of those who were unable to work and
were maintained by the parish. They were to be registered and licensed and were allowed to be in an assigned
area. This law was beginning of recognition of public responsibility for the poor and needy. Nationalization of
churches and charity institutions were also made.

IV.1600-1800A.D

Lot of changes took place in this period. Elizabethan poor Law came to existence in the year 1601. This was
the first social legislation and under these legislations lot of provisions for social welfare was made. Some are
as follows:
(a) Residence
It provides for rendering services to the poor people who were born and brought up in a particular area. Those
who have immigrated were not supposed to get residence and at least three years staying in a place was
necessary for getting the benefit of services.
(b)Relatives
If there is an earning member in a family of the destitute then he or she is not eligible for any social services,
because it is the duty of the relative to take care of him or her
 (c)Able -bodied Homes
There were some people who were physically able but they found begging an easy way of living. For such
people work homes were made and small work is given to the people according to his or her ability and their
needs were supported. Children of the destitute were given shelter. Thus, mere charity work was very much
discouraged.

V. 1800-1900A.D

In this period, when the members started working for the welfare of the people, many social scientists gave
their theories.
(a)Adam Smith Theory
According to this theory the government should minimize its involvement in any field for any purpose, as it
will lead to much dependency.
(b) Malthusian Theory
He told that if there were lot of free services this will lead to desire for more children. So he told to stop
charity work.
Taking all these things in account a Royal Commission in the year 1832 emerged and the committee
recommended the amendment of Elizabethan poor law. Consequently, new poor law came into existence in
the year 1834. According to this law able-bodied homes and better help for slum-dwellers were provided.
Later a Slum Public Health Act came into force. In 1833, Factories Act came into existence. Under this Act a
minimum welfare facilities ought to be provided to the industrial workers in the factories. Towards the end of
the 19th Century many charity organization movements emerged. This was very much related to professional
social work. They started to provide training to their own social workers. In each city this organization started
extending their services to the children, women and destitute. Taking all this account they started a special
kind of training for professional social workers. Thus, the social work became professional, consequently the
first school of social work started in the year 1910.

VI. 1900 Onwards

In 1941, there were major changes that have taken place. A committee has been established under the
chairmanship of William Beverages Known as William Beverages Committee. He submitted a report taking
comprehensive health and old-age services. In 1948, social security was given to all industrial workers.
Compensation was also given for industrial workers. It was the core of the committee's suggestion that special
grants shall be given at every important states of life. In all these areas professional social workers were
employed. They were given much importance. Thus, every kind of social service was implemented by
professional social workers only. Professionalism is a gradual process and everything is the result of
industrialization.

Historical Evolution of Social Work in USA

I. Before 1800A.D

Social work was discovered in USA as a result of 1776 war of independence. By then USA was ruled by
British Government. During this period church was the main agency for social work services. Able-bodied
homes were established for the able beggars of the country. Such were the main activities done by the church
at that time.

II. 1800-1900A.D

During this period there emerged a lot of voluntary associations. But these associations were not sincere to
their course. Duplication and exploitation of services were common. The end of the 18th century saw the
rising of different charity organizations throughout the country. They raised funds jointly and distributed it
among different agencies. There were also joint survey in the field of social welfare and other trainings in the
field of social welfare. From 1898 training programme started for the members engaged in social work
activities. The first school of social work was established at New York in the year of 1898. It was called New
York School of Social Work .It was established with the purpose of imparting training to the members who
were engaged in the field of welfare services.

III.1900-1935A.D

The main event during this period was the economic depression in 1929. There were lot of people who lost
their jobs and lot of crisis started, therefore FERA-Federal Emergency Relief Act in 1933 was passed and it
emphasized upon the appointment of trained social workers to work in the field of social relief, like family
counseling, case work, etc. Thus the professionalism of social work was experienced. The government passed
1935 then FERA and social security Act. Thus, the professional social work unit found a prominent place in
this period.
IV. 1935- Onwards

From 1960 Anti- poverty programme started in the urban and rural areas. There were lots of people, during
that time. Martin Luther King, the leader of the congress along with other leaders pressurized the government
to give equal rights to every citizen irrespective of black and white collars. At present, three professional
associations are working in that field of social work. People who want to practice social work are required to
get the licensee and without it no person can practice social work in voluntary as well as government
agencies.

Historical Evolution of Social Work in India

1. Pre-British Period to 1800 A.D

Pre- British system was dominated by caste system. They were four main castes, which had some merits and
demerits in the society. There was no interference for giving and receiving services. Upper caste protected
lower caste people in time of some difficulties. Some of the important aspects are as follows:
Joint family
It is like a trust sharing common property. In difficult situations the members are given protection. It
protected the aged, children and women. It served as a social trust.
Village Community
In every village there were communities. Indian villages were independent in matters of food, clothing, and
shelter. And there were less chances of poverty. The whole community used to take care of each other.
Village Temple
In every village there were temples. People donated money to the temple and under this system socially
backward people were protected. Beggars and other people used to go to religious places and beg and pray for
rest of the world. People in the city were taken care by kings, especially in times of natural calamities and
problems.

II.1800 to 1900A.D

It is called as social reforms movement. British rule was main inspiration for social reform movement.
Christian missionaries spread education, brought the theory of equality, which in turn helped the special
reforms to attack the evil customs and inequality. There was no property right for Indian women. Early
marriage, inequality and lack of education were the main problems, which were leading India into a barbarian
culture. Many social reformers came up to indicate these social evils. Raja Ram Mohan Roy started the
Brahma Samaj, Pandit Ramabhai started the Arya Samaj, Swami Vivakanand Established Ramakrishna
Mission and Annie Besant started Home Rule Movement against Britishers. They were not only practicing
ideas but also started rendering social welfare services to the needy people.

III.1900 Onwards

During this period those who were engaged in social welfare activities found the need of trained social
workers. Thus, in the year 1905the revolts of the Indian Society started by Gopal Krishnakant. The emergence
of Mahatma Gandhi and the rise of Sarvodaya Movement in 1915 made lot of constructive works in Indian
politics. But these Gandhian social workers were not trained and it was not a professional social work.

The first school of social work was started in 1936 by Clifford Marshal, who was a missionary and worked in
Nagpada. He came to India in 1925 and felt the need of trained social workers. He established the Sir Dorabji
Tata School of social sciences in Bombay which offered professional training in social work. The appointed
workers were not professional workers, they were Gandhians. However, later on many officially trained
social workers emerged and practiced in various government and non-government welfare offices. Later on
different schools of social work came into existence in Delhi, Calcutta , Lucknow Varanasi, Baroda, Agra ,
Indore, Udaipur, etc. which imparts professional training in social work services. Government has realized the
need of trained professional social workers to work in area of welfare and has also made statutory liabilities to
welfare officers in industries. Thus in India social work is gradually emerging as a socially oriented
profession.

Socio-cultural and religious thought

Serving the needy and helping one’s fellowmen have been virtues greatly valued in the Indian religious
culture and in the society. If we unravel the religious scriptures in India, we can find that all the Indian
religions have emphasized charity and human service. Devotion and service towards one’s fellowmen, love
for charity and brotherhood existed even in the feudal periods and far beyond. The responsibility of assisting
the individuals in need was shared by the community and the rulers. The form of assistance which was
provided to the needy individuals on the ground of religious duty is known as ‘charity’ all over the world
including India. The different traditional forms of charity existed in the ancient India were Artha (money),
Vidya (education), Abhay (courage) and/or Surakshya (security), all of which have a strong reference to
important components of modern form of social work practice.

Man is the super concern in all the religions of the world. It is religion that fortified men against temptation
and gave the courage to live, work and die for good reasons. One can see this in the social and economic
history of all the peoples of the world. All the civilizations are rooted in religion.

Social work as a practice mainly relied upon religion. The source of inspiration of social work perpetuating it
till today and has given it the present professional status is mainly religion along with the humanitarian
attitude and devotion to mankind.

The main inspiration for social work in India originally came from religious teaching. In all religions the
emphasis for service is found. It is the well known fact that charity was the foundation stone of social work in
India and abroad as well.

1.2 Contributions of Social Reformers and Social Movements

In the history of modern India, the socio-religious reforms occupy a significant place. Social reformers like
E.V.R Periyar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, B. R. Ambedkar were responsible for the social and cultural
awakening in India.

The spread of liberal ideas of the west provided further stimulus for the emergence of reform movements.
These movements introduced important changes in social and religious life of the people.

E.V.R Periyar & the Self-Respect Movement

 Periyar E.V. Ramaswamy was a great social reformer.
 In 1921, during the anti-liquor campaign he cut down 1000 coconut trees in his own farm.
 In 1924, he took an active part in the Vaikam Satyagraha. The objective of the Satyagraha was to
secure for untouchables the right to use a road near a temple at Vaikom in Kerala.
 E.V.R. opposed the Varnashrama policy followed in the V.V.S. Iyer’s Seranmadevi Gurugulam.
 During 1920- 1925 being in the Congress Party he stressed that Congress should accept communal
representation.
  Subsequently in 1925, he started the “Self-Respect Movement”. The aims of the ‘Self -Respect
Movement’ were to uplift the Dravidians and to expose the Brahminical tyranny and deceptive
methods by which they controlled all spheres of Hindu life.
 He denounced the caste system, child marriage and enforced widow hood.
 He encouraged inter-caste marriages.
 He himself conducted many marriages without any rituals. Such a marriage was known as “Self-
Respect Marriage.”
 He gave secular names to new born babies. He attacked the laws of Manu, which he called the basis of
the entire Hindu social fabric of caste.
 He founded the Tamil journals Kudiarasu, Puratchi and Viduthalai to propagate his ideals. In 1938 at
Tamil Nadu Women’s Conference appreciating the noble service rendered by E.V.R.
He was given the title “Periyar”. On 27th June 1970 by the UNESCO organisation praised and
adorned with the title “Socrates of South Asia”.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy & the Brahmo Samaj

 Raja Rammohan Roy established the Brahmo Samaj at Calcutta in 1828 in order to purify Hinduism
and to preach monotheism.
 He is considered as the first ‘modern man of India’. He was a pioneer of socio-religious reform
movements in modern India.
 Born in 1772 in the Hooghly district of Bengal, he inculcated a brilliant freedom of thought and
rationality.
 In 1815, he established the Atmiya Sabha. Later, it was developed into the Brahmo Sabha in August
1828. Through this organisation, he preached that there is only one God.
 He combined the teachings of the Upanishads, the Bible and the Koran in developing unity among the
people of different religions.
 The work of the Atmiya Sabha was carried on by Maharishi Debendranath Tagore (father of
Rabindranath Tagore), who renamed it as Brahmo Samaj.
 He turned the Brahmo Samaj into a leading social organisation of India.
 Raj Rammohan Roy is most remembered for helping Lord William Bentinck to declare the practice of
Sati a punishable offence in 1829.
  He also protested against the child marriage and female infanticide. He was against of Sati system,
Polygamy, Caste system and Untouchability. He was the great supporter of Inter-caste marriage,
women education, Widow Remarriages etc.
 He favoured the remarriage of widows, female education and women’s right to property. He felt that
the caste system was the greatest hurdle to Indian unity.
 He believed in the equality of mankind. He did not believe in the supremacy of the Brahmin priests.
He favoured inter-caste marriages.
 He himself adopted a Muslim boy. In 1817, he founded the Hindu College (now Presidency College,
Calcutta) along with David Hare, a missionary. He also set up schools for girls.
 Rammohan Roy started the first Bengali weekly Samvad Kaumudi and edited a Persian weekly Mirat-
ul-akhbar. He stood for the freedom of the press. He died in Bristol in England in 1833.
Dr. Bhima Rao Ambedkar
 B. R. Ambedkar (14 April 1891 — 6 December 1956) born in Mhow (presently in Madhya Pradesh)
was an Indian jurist, political leader, Buddhist activist, philosopher, thinker, anthropologist, historian,
orator, prolific writer, economist, scholar, editor, revolutionary and the revivalist of Buddhism in
India.
 He was also the chief architect of the Indian Constitution. He was the chairman of the drafting
committee in 1947. He experienced caste discrimination right from the childhood. Ambedkar spent his
whole life fighting against social discrimination, the system of Chaturvarna — the Hindu
categorization of human society into four varnas — and the Hindu caste system.
 He is also credited with having sparked the bloodless revolution with his most remarkable and
innovative Buddhist movement.
 He was the first who reduce the bridge between tribal & non-tribal.
 Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar has been honoured with the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.

Ambedkar decided to use the political route for seeking government sanctions and concessions and
facilitate policies which would safeguard the interest of depressed classes and also would provide them
opportunities to define and determine public policies. The Round table Conference where Ambedkar
represented the depressed classes saw him been able to convince the British of the need for separate
electorates. He questioned the very notion of untouchability and created a basis for a society which would
be significantly egalitarian. In 1936 Ambedkar formed the Scheduled Caste Federation of India to be a
political platform both for deliberation and as an instrument for the electoral politics. Ambedkar pre-
eminent as a leader of depressed classes and his phenomenal intellectual stature made him as most
significant non-congress functioning who have a significant role in shaping the nature of our constitution.
For Ambedkar positive discrimination was a useful instrument of empowerment.

Dalit and Backward Class Movements

During the past few decades there has been an assertion of the dalits and backward classes in India. The latter
are also known as the other backward classes (OBCs). Through such assertions these groups have seek to
strive for social and cultural autonomy, self-respect and dignity, and demand a share in the political power.
They are playing very dominant role in politics of several states. In the recent past they have become a
formidable components of the power structure in the national politics.

Dalits

Dalits is a term generally used for the ex-untouchable castes, which have been identified as the Scheduled
Castes by our constitution. They form a large number of castes and have been involved in the low ranking
occupations like leather work, scavenging and agricultural labourers. Land reform measures did not benefit
them. However, a large number of welfare programmes have had varying impact on them in different parts of
the country. Despite the handicap in benefiting from the welfare policies of the state, there has been
improvement in their conditions.

Reservations in the educational and political institutions have given rise to the emergence of an articulate
group among them. This group articulates their problems. This also indicates towards a process social
transformation, which has taken place in India. But the social transformation has shown uneven patterns in the
country. In large areas of the country, especially the rural areas, dalits continue to face indignities and
humiliations.

Despite the comprehensive provisions in the Constitution of India, the fight against dalits’ discrimination is
yet to be won. Dalits continue to suffer from the menace till date. Marc Galanter laments: ‘‘The Constitution
sets forth a general programme for the re-construction of Indian Society. In spite of its length, it is
surprisingly undetailed in its treatment of the institution of caste and existing group structure in Indian
society.”
Even the provisions provided by the law of the land have proved ineffective in most of the cases. Article 17 of
the Constitution had abolished “Untouchability”. The provisions of affirmative action contained in the
Constitution have become redundant in some cases. The entire private sector is under no obligation to do
social justice to dalits. Dalits’ demand for reservation in the private sector faces stiff opposition from several
powerful and articulate groups.

Backward Castes

Backward Castes are also known as backward classes or the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).Our
constitution identifies those social groups as OBCs, which are educationally and socially backward. This
categorisation includes those groups among the OBCs, which are not necessarily backward politically or
economically. That is why a large number of the castes identified as OBCs are quite influencial in politics and
economy, especially agriculture in different states of India. Unlike dalits, OBCs is a more differentiated
category. It includes the intermediary land owning castes as well as the landless service castes. The land
owning middle or intermediary castes are mainly Jats, Yadavs, Gujars, Lodhs, Kurmies in the north India,
Marathas and Patels in Maharastra and Gujarat and Reddies, Kammas, Vokaliggas and Lingayats in South
India. It is these castes which are the most assertive among the OBCs. Socially belonging to the middle or
intermediary castes, they have benefited from the land reforms and green revolution. They also own the
maximum resources and land in rural society. Some of them have even diversified into non-agricultural
economy. Thus their sphere of influence cuts across the towns and the villages. They form significant
component of the market economy relating to agriculture.

Gandhian ideology, Sarvodhaya Movement & Gandhian Social Work

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi (Father of the Nation) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual leader of India during the
Indian independence movement.

He was the pioneer of 'Satyagraha'—resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded
upon ahimsa or total non violence—which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights
and freedom across the world.
Gandhi led nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic amity,
end untouchability, and increase economic self-reliance.

Gandhiji set up the Sabarmati Ashram after he returned from two years of imprisonment. He also established
the newspaper ‘Young India’ and inaugurated a series of reforms aimed at the socially disadvantaged people
in the India society including the rural poor, the so called untouchables and women. In 1920 Gandhiji initiated
a constructive programme at Sevagram. It undertook various welfare programmes for the poor and
downtrodden.

Born in 1869, in Porbandar in the state of Gujarat into a Vaishya (merchant class) family, Gandhi was married
at the age of 13 to Kasturba. He was an average student who studied law in England from 1888 to 1891.
Before leaving India, his mother made him promise that he would abstain from meat, alcohol and sex. The
years passed soon and Gandhi was back in Mumbai. It was time for his first and only case as a lawyer in
India, and the man stood ineptly tongue-tied in court. The writing was on the wall, and Gandhi lost the case.
His uncles packed him off to South Africa in 1893 to work for an Indian merchant involved in a civil suit.

The Beginning of Struggle in Africa:

The turning points in Gandhi’s life begin in South Africa. He found himself in the midst of an intimidated and
oppressed Indian community that was the butt of racial discrimination. Only too aware of his own
shortcomings, Gandhi struggled to overcome his personal inhibitions, and worked towards uniting the South
African Indians to protest against discrimination and racial bias. After a few brief spells in prison, he
succeeded in getting the local governance to relax its laws for the first time in 1908, then again in 1914.

He withdrew his children from a regular school and established a farm at Phoenix in 1904 where he
endeavored to build a community based on the combined philosophies of John Ruskin, Leo Tolstoy and
Henry Thoreau whom he called a true American. Around the same time, he started a correspondence with
Tolstoy. In 1906 he took a vow of celibacy. He lived in South Africa for 20 years and it would not be out of
line to believe that the nature of his work in South Africa inspired him to achieve the near impossible back
home, where Gandhi was already a name to reckon with.
Gandhi's Fight for Indian Freedom:
He finally returned to India in 1915. Instead of breezing into Indian politics, he thought it necessary to travel
across India, and had the first adult up-close-and-personal experience of his country. What he saw was an
India crippled by poverty and ignorance, and the apathetic handling of the country’s affairs by the British.
Appalled by an abject India, he set up the Sabarmati Ashram near Ahmedabad and went on to live there in
quest of his Holy Grail. But peace was hard to come by when his country folk were at the mercy of feudal
lords, and colonisation as a phenomenon was rearing its ugly head in various pockets of the world. His
quintessential need to see the world at peace spearheaded him into the whirlpool of politics, after which there
was, of course, no looking back. and the once tongue-tied lawyer would kindle a nation’s imagination and
shape its history.

His ideology

Gandhi is definitely relevant today, although his entire ideology may not. The basis of any ideology is a set of
principles. It will usually be farcical to talk about principles in political life, not only in India but around the
world, not only now or in the last century but for ages past. Yet Gandhi was a political leader with an
incredibly strong sense of principle. From whatever I have read about him, I don’t think Gandhi ever violated
any of his most basic principles from the time he first formed them till his assassination. To recognize
principles, any principles, and to adhere to them, itself is a very valuable legacy to people across the world
today. What were Gandhi’s most basic principles? There was truth, and there was non-violence; faith in God,
and basic equality of man; self-restraint and humility. To be sure, these do not constitute a coherent
philosophy. Elements of Buddhism & Hinduism combine with a basic humanism, and there are some
contradictions thrown in. For example, the caste system is an evil because it denies the man regarded to be
outside the caste system his dignity and respect as a human being. Yet there is self-sacrifice in his life, and he
respected that spirit in others. His advocacy of non-violence was based on the basic belief that man cannot
morally resort to violence against his fellow man or fellow creatures, but his extension of this non-violence
even to self-defence could only lead to humiliation and injury to peaceful freedom-fighters, without really
shaming the British Government.

But witness the power of belief in principles like truth and non-violence. It gave Gandhi courage, tremendous
courage. It gave him poise and the ability to stay calm and retain his sense of humour. Criticism of Gandhi for
his foibles misses the point. The point is that Gandhi was equally open about all his practices and thoughts,
which is how we came to know about those foibles in the first place. Most people would be frightened out of
their wits to be so open about their lives. Belief in the principle of truth enabled Gandhi to achieve that
openness.

Sarvodhaya Movement

Sarvodaya is Gandhiji’s most important socio - political movement. The term 'Sarvodaya' is the combination
of two words 'Sarba' and 'Udaya'. Sarva meaning one and all, and Uday meaning welfare or uplift.

The conjunction thus implies Universal uplift or welfare of all as the meaning of Sarvodaya. It denotes the
meaning uplift of all. Its philosophical ideas devote the meaning uplift and development in all aspects in the
life of individual. It seeks to build a new society on the foundation of the old spiritual and moral values of
India. It takes up the Gandhian synthesis of the ideas of Vedanta, Buddhism, Christianity, Ruskin, Tolstoy,
Thoreau and tries to incorporate his ideas at more critical and analytical levels.

Vinoba Bhave , a true Gandhian and J.P. Narayan, a true socialist are the two main leaders associated with
Sarvodaya movement.

Gandhi developed this idea upon reading a book on political economy, Unto This Last, by English social
thinker John Ruskin. The controversial tract discussed topics of social justice and egalitarianism, and was
among the first to introduce the notion of a “social economy” – an economic sector distinct from the public
and private sectors – government and business – that included charities, non-governmental organizations,
non-profits, and cooperatives.

According to Gandhi “I would make the spinning-wheel, the foundation on which build a sound village life".
Gandhian way of education put emphasis on the development of body, mind, heart & soul. His scheme of
education he called “NaiTalim” a beautiful blend of craft, art, health & education in one & covers the whole
education of the individual till death. His education is more for girls than the boys. Gandhiji was the first who
Break the bridge between touchable & untouchable. He was the devotee of non-violence.

Features of Sarvodaya Movement

 Sarvodaya is a strong ideology for prevention of socio-economic ills of the society.

 It is based on 'Advaita Vedanto' doctrine.
 The main aim is to reconcile the systems of egoism and altruism. It stands for creating high moral
character in the society. It is only possible by truth, nonviolence, self-sacrifice and purity, etc. In short, it
stands for the supremacy and absoluteness of moral values.
 It aims at adopting self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Taking and giving, to others. It is the best principle
in Sarvodaya.
 Sarvodaya pleads for self-sufficient village communities. It claims to establish a society of producers.
 Bhoodan and Gramdan are some of the basic techniques of Sarvodaya. Bhoodan and Gramdan are
techniques of agrarian revolution based on moral forces.
 The two movements of Bhoodan and Gramdan visualise village ownership of hand as well as individual
cultivation by the villagers.
 They will promote among the villagers a sense of community, strength, cohesiveness and initiative.
 The villages will be self-sufficient and self-reliant.
 Truth and non-violence are the two main points of Sarvodaya. If everybody practises these two principles,
the social corruptions and irregularities will be checked.
 It is one non-political ideology. It is rather a socio-religious creed. It stands for self limitations of human
wants.
 It stands for national unity and solidarity. It condemns provincial ism and regionalism.

Christian Missionaries

Charity was the first form of social work practice in India. Charity means love and compassion for the poor
and one’s fellowmen on the religious ground. It is practiced through rendering service to the needy, basically
to attain blessing from God. In India the nature of social service in the past was that of charity. It has been
found in different scripture of Hinduism like Vedas, Upanishads, and Mahabharata of the Hindu state of
India. The earlier reference to charity is found in the Rig Veda (chapter-I, XIII, 2) encourages charity by
saying, “May the one who gives, shine most”. The Upanishads like Brihadaranyaka, Chhandagya and
Taitiriya, prescribed that every householder must practice charity. In Mahabharata it is found that in an
interaction Bhisma talked to Yudhistir describing the essence of eternal religion, non-violence, truth, the
conquest of anger and practice of charity.
The influence of new idea born from the spread of Christianity and western education began as early as in
1780, when the Serampore Mission was established in Bengal. The impact of Christian and western education
brought about many necessary changes in the Hindu social structure especially with regard to child marriage,
polygamy, female infanticides, practice of ‘Sati’, prohibition of widow remarriage etc.. The new knowledge
based on western humanitarian philosophy forced the Indians to feel the suffocating social customs which
were responsible for hindrance on the way of social progress.

To be very specific in speaking the growth producing impacts of Christian missionary activities are greatly
felt in different fields of social development in India such as:
• Education
• Social Reform
• Socio-economic emancipation of tribes and Dalits.
• Social service to the destitute
• Conscientization of the Community
• Health Services
• Livelihood Promotion
The effects produced by the work of the Christian missionaries were of far-reaching consequences. Some
appreciated, some tried to reform their own religion in the light of what they learnt in the Bible classes and
missionary institution, and other by passionately clinging on their ancestral faith. The idea of social service is
certainly derived in part at least, from the principles of Christianity and their application in practice by its
followers. The option for the poor is also a rallying call to focus the spiritual, cultural, and physical energies
towards saving society form the injustice in perpetrate on a great number of people- on all condemned to
remain in inhuman poverty at the bottom of the social scale because of economic, social and religious
structures of the present or of the past.

1.3 India as a Welfare State

Welfarism
It has many different understandings of human welfare. The term usually associated with economic
conception of welfare. Economists think of individual welfare.
The term welfarism was coined by British Economist John Hicks.
It is a form of consequentialism
Welfarism is based on the premise that actions, policies, rules should be evaluated on the basis of their
consequences.
Welfarism is morally significant consequences are impacts on human welfare
Social welfare can be conceived as an aggregation of individual utilities or utility functions.
Welfarism – Meaning
Welfarism is the set of policies, practices and social attitudes characterizing or tending towards the
establishment of a welfare state.
Concept of welfare state

 A welfare state is a state or a government for the welfare or the well being of the people
 A welfare state takes the responsibility of the welfare and the economic and social well being of its
citizen
 Welfare implies different benefits or different modes of aid, provided to the people
 It can be in terms of money or service, cash payment, subsidies, concessions, grants, public
distribution
 Welfare measures amount to the redistribution of governmental revenue to the needy.
Characteristics of welfare state
 A welfare state ensures social security
 A welfare state is socialistic in nature
 It is based on the principles of equality and keen to provide equal opportunity
 It aims to ensure equitable distribution of wealth
 It ensures justice to all
 A welfare government is keen in providing economic and social services such as general education,
public health, public, public transport, and other financial assistance to its people
 It eliminates economic inequalities
 It is to ensure a reasonable and equitable standard of living
1.4 Contributions of Voluntary organizations
The word volunteer is derived from the Latin word ‘Volunas’ which means desire or instinct to do
something by will alone. It is act of providing physical, material and non-material help to any individual,
group or community that is unable to meet the basic needs of life. Social work in this form is in existence
from the very existence of Indian society. To provide voluntary service has been rooted in the spirit of the
Indians since long. History witnesses how the Indians have concentrated in to serve the needy through
‘dana’, ‘sramadana’, ‘seva’ etc for the destitute in the society.
A voluntary organisation, properly speaking, is an organisation which whether its workers are paid or
unpaid is initiated and governed by its own members without external control. The independence of
voluntary action does not however mean a lack of co-operation between it and public action. But the term
voluntary action means that the agency undertaking it has a will and a life of its own. As defined by the
National Council of Social Service, a voluntary social service is interpreted generally as the organisation
and activities of a self-governing body of people who have joined together voluntarily to study or act for
betterment of the community.
Objectives of Voluntary Organisations
The following are the main objectives for which various organisations are working:

 Protection and development of children

 Welfare of women in the rural areas.
 Services for youth.
 Community welfare.
 Promotion of educational facilities.
 Promotion of public conscience on social problems.
 Promotion of moral standards and family.welfare.
 Prevention of disease, health care, etc.
 Protection and welfare of the handicapped.
 Eradication of social handicaps for certain groups.
 Spiritual upliftment Prorogation of international brotherhood.
 Promotion of natural interests through voluntary effort.
  Training of workers for fieldwork.
 Protection of nature, animals, etc.

The development of voluntary organisations in India, in its historical perspective, has been dealt with
earlier in this chapter. We will now focus on the role of voluntary organisations in social welfare and
planned development. In fact, the social and economic development programme, enunciated in the
fourteen point constructive programme of Gandhiji, was used as a spring-board to accelerate the process
of political struggle for independence and a way to activate the underprivileged and down-trodden masses
to develop themselves economically and socially, on a "self-help through mutual help" basis. A network
of voluntary agencies was created to promote different constructive programmes like village industries,
Khadi, Nai Talim, Leprosy Work, Harijan Seva, etc. with the help of thousands of selfless and dedicated
workers. This was the basis of social welfare programmes by the voluntary organisaticms in the post-
independence period. The main objective of planned development is to mobilise the known as well as the
hidden, material and human resources in such a way as to improve the socioeconomic living conditions of
the people to the maximum at a given time. In general, voluntary organisations have a role.to play in the
economic and industrial development of the country and also to motivate people to eliminate the evil
influences'of the industrialisation. Though the voluntary organisation do not have much of a role to play in
transport and communication, they did play ai important role in the construction and maintenance or
fielded and village roads.

Unit 2 - Syllabus

Social Work Profession; Meaning & definition; basic concepts; goals and functions; methods and fields;
origin and growth in India: scope and status, International/ national bodies and forums, social work education;
importance of fieldwork and supervision; problems and status; bodies/ forums in education, curriculum
recommendations of UGC.

UNIT 2

Social Work Profession

INTRODUCTION

Social work in its various forms addresses the multiple, complex transactions between people and their
environments. Its mission is to enable all people to develop their full potential, enrich their lives, and prevent
dysfunction. Professional social work is focused on problem solving and change. As such, social workers are
change agents in society and in the lives of the individuals, families and communities they serve. Social work
is an interrelated system of values, theory and practice.

Social work is for people who respect and appreciate people who are different from themselves; people who
know that diversity keeps the world from being boring. Social work is for those who believe that people ought
to be able to live their own lives, free of coercion and oppression. It is for those who value independence and
want to help others become independent. It is for those who believe in social and economic justice.

PROFESSION

The term profession thus refers to an occupation, vocation or high-status career, usually involving prolonged
academic training, formal qualifications and membership of a professional or regulatory body.

SOCIAL WORK

Meaning

Social work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing
of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, crisis intervention, community
organizing, direct practice, and teaching for the benefit of those affected y social disadvantages such as
poverty, mental & physical illness or disability and social justice, including violations of their civil liberties
and human rights.

Social Work is a profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance
their individual and collective well being.

Definition

Global Definition of the Social Work Profession

The following definition was approved by the IFSW General Meeting and the IASSW General Assembly in
July 2014.

“Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and
development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice,
human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work.  Underpinned by
theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledge, social work engages people
and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing.

A/C to FRIEDLANDER (1951)

Social Work is a professional service, based on scientific knowledge and skill in human relations, which
assists individuals alone or in groups to obtain social and personal satisfaction and independence.

A/C to STROUP (1978)

Social Work is the art of bringing various resources bear on individual, group and community needs by the
application of a scientific method of helping people to help themselves.

A/c to ANDERSON (1943)

Social Work is a professional service to people for the purpose of assisting them as individuals or in groups,
to attain satisfying relationships and standards of life in accordance with their particular wishes and capacities
and n harmony with those of the community.

A/c to KHINDUKA (1954)

Social Work, “help an individual in his social functioning. It is based on certain knowledge foundation, calls
for skill in human relationships on the part of its practitioner, and has a set of values furnishing its
philosophical base.

A/c to INDIAN CONFERRENCE OF SOCIAL WORK (1957)

Social work is a welfare activity based on humanitarian philosophy, scientific knowledge and technical skills
for helping individuals or groups or community, to live a rich and full life.
Goals/Objectives

 To solve psycho-social problems.

 To fulfill humanitarian needs,
 To create self – sufficiency, (Must not depend on others)
 To solve adjust mental problems, (within her/himself )
 Strengthening and making harmonious social relations,
 Make provision of corrective and recreation service, (rehabilitation)
 Develop democratic values,
 Provide opportunities for development and social progress,
 Conscientize the community,
 Change the environment in favor of individual’s growth and development,
 Bring change in social system for social development, (society, family, organization)
 Provide social – legal aid
 To remove social injustice
 To relieve social injustice
 To reduce redress
 To prevent suffering
 To assist the weaker sections
 To rehabilitate the distress class people

Purpose of Social Work

 Enhance social functioning of individuals, families, groups, organization and communities

 Link client systems with needed resources
 Improve the operation of the delivery network
 Promote social justice through development of social policy

Tools

 Conscious use of self (we must be aware of our self)

 Constructive use of relationship (maintain our professional relationship)
  Verbal interaction (communication)
 Programme planning and its uses (scheduling work)

Skills

 Communication
 Listening
 Decision Making
 Problem Solving
 Empathy

Misconceptions of Social Work

 Alm- giving Activity

 Shramadaan -- Physical help i.e., construction of public roads, public sanitation, help during
disaster.
 Leadership Activities – political leaders
 Persons working in voluntary welfare agencies.

Functions

Function of social work refers to the natural activity of social work or the statements of how social work
operates.

According to Proff. P.D. Mishra social work operates to assist individuals in adjusting to the institutional
frame work of the society and attempts to modify the institutional frame work itself in appropriate areas. He
classified the functions of social work into the following 4 major categories:

1.Curative Function

The services provided under curative functions are–medical and health services, services relating to
psychiatry, child guidance, child welfare services, services for the handicapped or disable in the form of
protection and rehabilitation. These kinds of services aim to cure the physical, social, material, psychological
sickness of individuals in the society.
2.Correctional Function

The correctional function of social work has three broad areas, such as:

a) Individual reform service which includes prison reform, probation, parole and other related services.

b) Services for improving social relationship which includes family welfare services, school social
work, industrial social work etc.

c) Services for social reform that includes employment services, prevention of commercial sex work,
beggary prohibition services and removal of untouchability etc.

3.Preventive Function:

It includes life insurance services, public assistance, social legislation, adult education and prevention of
diseases etc. This type of function basically deals with the services relating to the prevention of problems like
insecurity, unlawfulness, ignorance, sickness etc. It is directed towards the elimination of those factors in the
social environment or those deficiencies in the development of personality that prevents the individual from
achieving a minimum desirable standard of socio-economic life.

4.Developmental Function

Developmental function includes the tasks of socio-economic development activities such as: education,
recreational services, urban and rural development programmes and programmes of integration etc which are
primarily concerned with the development of individuals, families, groups and communities.

The basic functions of social work can be divided in 3 broad interdependent and interrelated categories, viz;

1. Restoration of social functioning

2. Provision of resources and

3. Prevention of social dysfunction.

1. The restoration of impaired social functioning is the oldest and most commonly known function of
social work profession. This function is subdivided into curative and rehabilitative aspects. The curative
aspects are to eliminate environmental factors that have caused break down of social functioning of
individuals, groups or communities and the role of the rehabilitative aspects is to recognize and rebuild
interaction patterns in the society. As mentioned earlier, social work tries to intervene at the point where the
individual interacts with his environment. The environmental factors hindering the functioning of a person
may be social, economic, political or cultural. This function emphasizes at problem solving through
modification in the psycho-social environment of individual and groups and through bringing about changes
in the attitude of recipients of the services. Therefore, if a person becomes dysfunctional due to any of the
above mentioned environmental factors, the first task at hand will be to restore the person’s normal
functioning. The second task will be to assess the damage caused by the dysfunction and strategies are
devised to rehabilitate the person socially and bring him back to the normal mainstream.

2. Provision of Resources is further subdivided into developmental and educational. The developmental
aspects are designed to extend effectiveness of existing social, human and material resources or to bring about
full utilization personal capacity for more social interaction. The educational functions are designed to make
the public aware about specific conditions and needs for new and changing resources and approaches.

3. The prevention of social dysfunction involves early detection, control and elimination of conditions
and situations that could obstruct effective social functioning. The main two divisions are preventions of
problems in the area of human interaction (individuals and groups) and secondly, prevention of social ills.
Although it is a very important function of social work, it is neglected in most situations. Social work has
generally concentrated on the curative and rehabilitative function and has worked on the problem solving
model. However, keeping in the mind the rapidly changing social scenario, it has become imperative to adopt
the preventive approach to social work. The profession should ensure that problems are neither created nor
eliminated at the very beginning. For this function the social workers play a crucial role of conscientization,
capacity building and organizing people so that they themselves can prevent social dysfunctions.

In the present day context, social work has to emphasize on the aspects of change. It is increasingly being
realized that the main cause of dysfunction lies not with the people but with the systems within which they
operate. Either the people do not get and environment or resources required for proper social functioning or
they do no have access to the resources to fulfill their needs. Therefore, there is a need to challenge and
change the system so that people get a favourable environment to function. In a nutshell, it can be said that the
function of social work should shift from a status quo service oriented approach to change oriented
development approach.

Knowledge of Social Work

Social work is known for its multi-disciplinary approach in solving psycho-social and material need of
individuals in the society. The body of social work knowledge is built by pulling the knowledge and
information from several other disciplines which was felt to be fitting to the need of the profession. As a
helping profession, social work involves vast range of knowledge for its professionals but basically there are
4 fundamental areas of information with which a social worker needs to be equipped with:

i) Knowledge of the availability of services

ii) Knowledge of people, their motivations, dynamics and strength

iii) Knowledge of the society-values, traditions, customs, taboos, problems, priorities etc

iv) Knowledge resources-fiscal, material and human etc.

Methods

Social Work methods are purely professional knowledge, not barrowed from any other disciplines. It is also
called social work practice. These methods and application differentiate social work and many others social
sciences that base mere on theoretical knowledge. For instance, sociology, psychology, anthropology and
philosophy all lack specific methods like social work although having well advanced theory.

Methods of social work are grouped as

1. Primary method: are that systematic and planned way of performing an activity, which is
fundamental to Social Work. These are just like roots of social work, which give birth to other
branches.

2. Secondary method: these are secondary because it facilitates the primary methods. There are also
the derivatives of primary methods.

Primary method:
 1. Social Case Work
2. Social Group Work
3. Social Organization /Community Organization and Social/Community development
Secondary method:
1. Social Work Research
2. Social Action
3. Social Welfare Administration

SOCIAL CASE WORK (Work with Individual)

Social Case Work is one of the basic methods of professional social work which is concerned to help and
assist individuals, in finding solutions to their problems.

Definitions

Mary Richmond a social worker and a case worker practitioner, whose brilliant work in social diagnosis was
the first and remains outstanding effort in case work process (a problem solving process).

Mary Richmond in 1917 defined social casework “the art of bringing about better adjustment in social
relationships of individual, i.e. men, women and children”. Then again in 1922 Mary Richmond identified
that social casework “is the process which develops personality through adjustment consciously effected,
individual by individual-between men- and their social environment”.

Taft in 1920 defined “Social case work means social treatment of a maladjusted individual involving an
attempt to understand his personality, behaviour and social relationships and to assist him in working out
better social and personal adjustment”.

Helen Haris Perlmam in 1957, in her book social casework (a problem solving process) has discussed the
dynamic components, which make up the casework situation.

Helen Perlmam defined social casework as “a process used by certain human welfare agencies to help
individuals to cope more effectively with their problems in social functioning”.

Principles of Social Case Work

 Principle of Individualization
  Principle of Purposeful Expression of Feelings
 Principle of Controlled Emotional Involvement
 Principle of Self-Determination
 Principle of Acceptance
 Principle of Non- Judgemental Attitude
 Principle of Confidentiality
Stages in Case Work

1. Social Study – the first step in the case work is to collect the social history of the client. The
prominent ways to collect social history are as follows:
 Interview with the client
 Interview with the relatives, friends, teacher and employer of the client
 Visiting the neighbourhood and environment in which the client lives

2. Social Diagnosis – is an attempt to arrive at an exact definition of the situation and personality of a
given client. It is a search for the causes of the problem. Diagnosis is concerned with understanding
both the psychological or personality factors which bear a causal relationship to the client’s
difficulty.

3. Social Treatment – is the sum total of all activities and services directed towards helping the client
with a problem. The focus is to relieve the immediate problem. Two types of efforts are required for
social adjustment such as environmental modification and behavioral modification.

Social Group Work (Work with Groups)

Group living is an essential need of human beings. It plays a major and vital role in shaping the behavior
and connects individual with the social world.

Definitions

Konopka in 1963 defined social group work “as 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.
Coyle in 1937 defined “social group work aims at the development of persons through the interplay of
personalities and at the creation of such group situations for integrated, cooperative group action for
common ends”.

Principles of Social Group Work

Trecker pointed out the following principles of social group work:

 The Principle of Planned Group Formation

 The Principle of Specific Objectives

 The Principle of Purposeful Worker-Group Relationship

 The Principle of Continuous Individualization

 The Principle of Guided Group Interaction

 The Principle of Democratic Group Self-Determination

 The Principle of Flexible Functional Organization

 The Principle of Progressive Programme Experience

 The Principle of Resource Utilization

 The Principle of Evaluation

Stages of Group Development

Tuckman explains different stages that a group can as it comes together and begins to work on it.

Stage 1: Forming

In the forming stage all the individual are dependent on each other for personal relations. The group
member’s desire is to collect the data on the similarities and differences among the members which would
be preferred for the future sub groupings.
Stage 2: Storming

It is mainly characterized on the basis of the conflict and competition in the personal relations dimensions
and task functions dimension.

Stage3: Norming

The group members’ rules of engagement are established and the scope of the groups’ tasks or
responsibilities is agreed. The major task function of this stage is the flow of data among the group
members: they share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings among them and give feedback to the members.

Stage 4: Performing

At this stage all the group members would be task centered and people oriented.

Stage 5: Adjourning

This is the final stage of the group development both to the task and the group members. This is mainly the
completion and disengagement stage of the group.

Basic Skills of Social Group Worker

 Skill in Establishing Purposeful Relationship

 Skill in Analyzing the Group Situation

 Skill in Participation with the Group

 Skill in Dealing with the Group feeling

 Skill in Programme Development

 Skill in Evaluation

Community Organization

Community Organization is one of the primary methods of social work. It is considered as a macro method
because of its ability to involve a large number of people in solving the social problems. Definition
Ross defines community organization as a process by which a community identifies its needs or objectives,
orders or ranks these needs or objectives, develops the confidence and will to work at those needs or
objectives, finds the resources (internal or external) to deal with these needs or objectives, takes action in
respect of them, and in doing so extends and develops cooperative and collaborative attitudes and practices
in the community.

Objectives

 To enable people to live a happy and full developed life

 To emphasize on self-help and help people to help themselves to solve their own problems
 To act as a agent to achieve goals

Principles

Mc Neil has mentioned the following principles:

 The community is the primary client

 The community is to be understood and accepted as it is and where it is.

 Representation of all interests and elements in the population and their full and meaningful
participation are essential objectives in community organization.

 The fact of ever-changing human needs and the reality of relationship between and among people
and groups are dynamic in the community organization process.

Strategic Steps in Community Organization

1. Information Collection and Community Meeting – deals with organizing formal and informal
meetings with community people. It involves visiting and observing the community for gathering
different information.

2. Conscientization – this strategy is based on Paulo Friere’s approach of generating awareness and
sensitization among masses through education.
 3. Planning and Formulation of Plans and Programmes – Planning involves the entire act right from
stirring of consciousness regarding a problem to the steps taken to resolve that problems.
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) technique is required to develop rapport and designing the
development of project.

4. Capacity-Building – The capacity of poor people is strengthened by utilizing and improving their
skills, changing their perceptions and attitudes and ensuring their active participation as responsible
participator.

5. Collaboration and Coordination – is a medium of integration of carious services being provided,

description of role and services to be delivered by each of the participant and for effective
coordination, spirit of working together towards a desirable end is must.

6. Networking – is also the social work strategy practiced to bring diverse social structures together to
accomplish a common purpose or shared goal. Networking involves establishing coordinated and
collaborative relationships in order to access the resources of other persons and social systems.

Social Action

Social Action is mass betterment method through propaganda and social legislation. It is a method of
bringing about radical changes in the social environment of the clients or community.

Definition

Social Action is defined as a systematic, conscious effort directed to influence the basic social condition and
policies out of which arises the problems of social adjustment and maladjustment to which our service as
social workers is addressed.

Goals of Social Action

Prevention of changes considered as negative

Solution to mass problems

Improvement in mass conditions

Influencing institutions, policies and practices

Introduction of new mechanisms or programs

Redistribution of power, resources, decision - making

Social Work Research

Social Work Research is the systematic, critical investigation of questions in the social welfare field with
the purpose of yielding answers to problems of social work, and of extending and generalizing social work
knowledge and concepts.

Objectives of Social Work Research

i) To achieve a better fit between human needs and welfare goals

ii) To build knowledge for social work theory and practice

iii) To improve and enlarge the techniques of diagnosis and treatment in social work practice

iv) To develop the efficiency to redefine the function of social work agency

v) To appraise and measure the community’s needs for social work service

vi) To produce knowledge that can be helpful in planning and executing social work programmes

Functions of Social Work Research

 To deal with social phenomena

 To discover new facts and verify old facts

 To establish causal explanations between various human activities and problems

 To understand old theories and to discover new theories

Social Welfare Administration

Effective social welfare services and sound administration are the heart and head of effective social work.
Administration and management is an important skill for senior social workers. Social work values will
form base for the administrative decisions taken in the context of service delivery.

Areas of Administration

 Planning and policy making

 Organization and machinery
 Constitution and functions of the Executive Board
 Personnel Policies
 Supervision and leadership
 Programme development, methods and practices
 Specialization and coordination
 Reporting, evaluation and research
 Public Relations
 Mobilization and maintenance of resources, records and budgetary.

FIELDS OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

Social Work Education branched into different fields of practice to handle different social issues prevailing
in the society.

Medical and Psychiatric Social Work

 The social workers in health care are called medical and psychiatric social workers.

 They specialize in understanding the various health care needs of the individuals and communities
and are mostly employed in hospital settings.

 The medical and psychiatric social workers were initially trained in mental health care.

 Later, Social workers were also trained in handling the patient with other diseases.

 Now, Medical and Psychiatric Social Work is globally accepted branch of social work education.

 It emphasizes on – clinical practice, community based health interventions, health research.

Medical and Psychiatric Social Work as a Field of Practice

 Equips the students in the discipline of psychiatry, science of diseases, health programmes and
policies, understanding, preventive and promotive care at primary, secondary and tertiary level.

 So social workers trained in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work need to understand health and
mental health in a holistic manner.

 They should also have scientific understanding of patients, ill health and its social implication in
their daily life.

Role of Social Worker in Medical & Psychiatric Setting

 Direct contact with the client

 Team Work

 Role in teaching, supervision and research

 Administrative Task/Case Manager

 Community Health Worker

 Medical Social Worker

 Psychiatric Social Worker

 Counselor

Community Health

The social worker plays a vital role in community health care, prepares the people through awareness
programmes, mobilize the community and bring together the whole community. They also help to foster
social inclusion and equality

Community Development
Community Development involves changing the relationship between ordinary people and people in
positions of power, so that everyone can take part in the issues that affect their lives.

The community development practitioners work alongside people in communities to help build relationships
with key people and organizations and to identify common concerns. Activities for community development
includes developing village and cottage industries, making arrangements for fuller employment,
mobilization of available resources, popularizing science and technology in the field of agriculture and other
allied activities etc.

Objectives of Community Development

 Community Development is based on the principle of people’s welfare. This would be expressed in
such terms which are intelligible to the people. The programme should be capable to inspire people
to develop the desire for better living by indentation of their own efforts.

 Community Development programme aims at promoting and developing socio-cultural and

economic condition of a particular community. Such a development is to be achieved through co-
ordinated methods with more emphasis on utilization of local resources.

 To bring about an all round development in the field of industry, agriculture, etc

 To develop a feeling of community living

 To develop the sense of self-dependence and self-reliance among the people

 To make the villages self-sufficient and to bring them to the main stream of national life by fostering
the spirit of nationalism.

Activities for Community Development

 Developing the village and cottage industries

 Making arrangements for fuller employment

 Mobilization of available resources, namely, minerals, forest, water, etc

  Popularizing science and technology by demarcation in the field of agriculture and other allied
activities

 Organizing co-operatives and making infrastructural arrangements like roads, sanitation,

electrification, etc

Approaches to Community Development

 Asset Based Community Development

 Community Driven Development

 Community Economic Development

 Community Capacity Building

 Ecologically Sustainable Development

 Non-violent Direct Action

 Political Participatory Development

 Social Capital Formation

Criminology and Correctional Administration

Social Workers are employed as parole officers or probation officers in the criminal justice system. They are
also appointed in jails and as a member of the juvenile justice board. The role of a social worker in prisons
and the juvenile justice board is related to the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders. The officer
prepares these individuals to live respectable life after release. He arranges talks and discussions with the
family members of offenders so that the gap between them minimizes and as a result reintegrates the person
back to the society.

Labour Welfare and Management

 Labour Welfare is anything that is done for the comfort and improvement of employees and is
provided over and above the wages.
  Welfare helps in keeping the morale and motivation of the employees and to retain the employees
for longer duration.

 Welfare measures need not be in monetary terms only can be in kind/any forms.

Labour Welfare includes

 Monitoring of working conditions

 Creation of industrial harmony through infrastructure for health, industrial relations, insurance
against deadly diseases, accident

 Role of Social Worker in Industrial Setting

 Family, individual and group counseling

 Active participation in CSR activities

 Employee Engagement

 Effective intervention of labour management problems

 Industrial Counseling

 Worker’s Education

 Worker’s Recreation Management

The responsibility of the social worker in the industrial setting, fall mainly in the category of non-statutory
services. Although personnel officer, welfare officer and the industrial social worker are all concerned with
the human relation aspect in the industry, a comparison of their rights and duties reveal that the former are
organization oriented and the social worker is essentially employee-oriented. He/she can effectively sustain
her working relation with other specialist for implementing the welfare policies.

People who has finished MSW course specialized in Humana Resource Management are working as HR
Trainees, HR Executives, Senior HR Executives, Manger HR, Senior Manager HR, Head HR, Vice
President HR in different arena of HR such as Recruitment and post recruitment, Performance appraisal,
training and development, human resource development,

Other Fields of Social Work Practice

 Addiction / Substance Abuse
 Child Welfare
 Clinical / Mental Health
 Correctional Institutions/ Prisons
 Child Protection Services
 Counseling & Therapy
 Consultancy Services
 Community Development
 Elderly Care
 Environment
 Addiction Treatment
 Child abuse, adoption & welfare
 Criminal justice
 Crisis Intervention
 Developmental disabilities
 Disaster relief
 Domestic Relief
 Domestic Violence
 HIV/AIDS
 Military social work
 Political development
 Rural development
 Industrial development
 Women welfare
 Family Welfare and Planning
 Human Resource Management
 Industrial Development
  Medical Social Work
 Mental Health
 Mental Retardation
 Management of Social Services
 Mother & Child Health
 Policy & Planning Services
 Poverty eradication
 People with Special Needs
 Rehabilitation of Offenders
 Rural & Urban Development
 Relationship Problems
 School Social Work
 Social Research & Program Evaluation Service
 Social Work Administration & Policy
 Social Work Education & Research
 Social development
 Working with People with Disabilities
 Youth Work etc.

Scope & Status

Social work grew out of humanitarian and democratic ideals, and its values are based on respect for the
equality, worth, and dignity of all people. Since its beginnings over a century ago, social work practice has
focused on meeting human needs and developing human potential. Human rights and social justice serve as
the motivation and justification for social work action. In solidarity with those who are disadvantaged, the
profession strives to alleviate poverty and to liberate vulnerable and oppressed people in order to promote
social inclusion. Social work profession addresses the barriers, inequities and injustices that exist in society.
Its mission is to help people to develop their full potential, enrich their lives, and prevent dysfunction.
Professional social work is focused on problem solving and change.

As such, social workers are change agents in society and in the lives of the individuals, families and
communities they serve. It responds to crises and emergencies as well as to everyday personal and social
problems. Social work utilizes a variety of skills, techniques, and activities consistent with its holistic focus on
persons and their environments.

Social work interventions range from primarily person-focused psychosocial processes to involvement in
social policy, planning and development. These include counselling, clinical social, social work, group work,
social pedagogical work, and family treatment and therapy as well as efforts to help people obtain services
and resources in the community. Interventions also include agency administration, community organization
and engaging in social and political action to impact social policy and economic development. The holistic
focus of social work is universal, but the priorities of social work practice will vary from country to country
and from time to time depending on cultural, historical, and socio-economic conditions.

Social workers attempt to relieve and prevent hardship and suffering. They have a responsibility to help
individuals, families, groups and communities through the provision and operation of appropriate services and
by contributing to social planning. They work with, on behalf of, or in the interests of people to enable them
to deal with personal and social difficulties and obtain essential resources and services. Their work may
include, but is not limited to, interpersonal practice, group work, community work, social development, social
action, policy development, research, social work education and supervisory and managerial functions in these
fields. The field of practice for professional Social Worker is expanding day by day.

Social Work as profession in India has already passed its infancy long back and in the last few decades it has
emerged as one of the most demanding profession in India. In India a person – holding a Bachelor (BSW) or
Master (M.A in Social Work/MSW) degree in Social Work – is generally considered a professional social
worker.

As far as Indian scenario is concerned professional social workers can be found in direct practice in
administrative, management and policy planning positions in various Government and Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) as well as in government ministries. Both Governmental and Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) have a lot to offer, if you are willing to work hard and in any given conditions.
International organizations too are socially aware and hence a number of opportunities are available in
international social work. Industrial and commercial units too are looking to hire social workers. A degree or
diploma in Social Work is creating a large number opportunities for the millions of Indian youth in various
sectors.
There are three general categories or levels of intervention for Social Work professionals.

1. The first is “Macro” social work which involves society or communities as a whole. This type of
social work practice would include policy forming and advocacy on a national or international scale.
2. The second level of intervention is described as “Mezzo” social work practice. This level would
involve work with agencies, small organizations, and other small groups. This practice would include
policy making within a social work agency or developing programs for a particular neighbourhood.
3. The final level is the “Micro” level that involves service to individuals and families.

Prospect for professional social workers in development sectors:

At present the development sector is largely controlled and managed by the welfare or Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs)–who are doing the pioneer work towards the overall development of the society. A
person with a degree (preferably a Master degree) in Social Work is highly preferred in developmental
agencies and NGOs. In other words, it can be said that NGO sectors as well as the development sectors are
being dominated by the professional social workers.

Possible Careers In Social Work

Social workers practice their profession in many different types of settings. Many work in the public sector.
Many also work in the private non profit sector, while other social workers work in the private for-profit
sector. Public sector jobs include those in federal, state, county, and local government agencies. Typical jobs
in government settings include child protection, adoption, adult protection, veterans’ services, public schools,
and the correctional system. Private non profit jobs include those in health and human services such as the
Boys and Girls Clubs, Meals on Wheels, the YMCA, the YWCA, the Red Cross, Big Brothers/Big Sisters,
substance abuse prevention services, family counseling agencies, parent education and support services, and
various advocacy organizations. The private for-profit sector is better known as the “business sector.” Social
workers find jobs in businesses in employee assistance programs, community relations, public affairs,
corporate charitable contribution programs, and volunteer management programs. Social workers also work
independently in private practice. In this case, social workers set up a proprietary practice that may involve
consultation, research, educational workshops, and other non-clinical services. Many other social workers in
private practice set up clinically oriented practices, usually providing mental health services.
The scope of social work practice is remarkably wide. Social workers practice not only in the traditional
social service agency, but also in

 Elementary schools;

 in the military;

 in business, factories, and offices, in federal, state, and local government agencies and legislative
bodies;

 in private practice as individual, family, and marriage therapists; in hospitals and

 in mental health facilities;

 in courts and correctional settings; in home health care; and

 in services to the elderly.

In fact social workers can be found anywhere and everywhere there are people who need the help of a
professional to alleviate personal or social problems

Scope of Social Work in India

In the present society, social work provides many services for the people, especially children, women,
disabled, handicapped, destitute and dependents. The various programmes of social work are carried out
through the following services:

(i) Public Assistance

Public assistance is kind of help which is provided in accordance to economic and social needs of the
applicant. It depends upon certain conditions and legalities. Therefore, public assistance is granted on the
basis of means test. In some countries, certain amount of public assistance is given to old, blind, disabled and
destitute persons. Some times, institutional care is also provided to the needy persons.

(ii) Social Insurance

Like public assistance, social insurance also covers certain contingencies such as old-age, unemployment,
industrial accidents and occupational diseases. It does not insist upon means test. Benefits are granted to only
those persons who pay a certain amount of contribution. It is partly faced by the state. In its practical shape,
social insurances covers certain risks such as medical care and in times of illness, medical care and cash
allowance during employment injury, pension in old-age after retirement, cash allowance to wife and children
or dependent in case of death and allowances during the period of employment. Under social insurance, the
benefits of applicant are pre-determined. They are based on legal provisions.

(iii) Family Services

Family represents both an institution as well as an association. It is the oldest as well as enduring among all
social institutions. As a primary group, the family is the first and most universal of all forms of associations.
Social work renders a great role in the sphere of family organisation. It gives assistance and counseling
towards family and individual relations, marriage, health and economic problems. In this field, the social
worker bears the responsibility of establishing harmonious relationship between the individual and his family.
Thus, by the way of assistance and advice, the social worker has to play a very important role in the sphere of
family organisation.

(iv) Child Welfare Services

Social workers also provide many welfare services for children. These include residential institutions for the
care, protection, education and rehabilitation of socially handicapped children, viz. orphans, destitute,
founding’s, waifs and strays, children of unmarried mothers. Child welfare also includes temporary homes for
children, day care centres, recreational and cultural centres and holiday homes for children of low income
family.

(v) Welfare Services for Women

Under these services, residential institutions and reception centers are established for the care al9.d protection,
training and rehabilitation of destitute women and those in distress and rescued women. Further, w9men
welfare services also include maternity centres, condensed course of training, hostels for working women and
family counselling agencies.

(vi) Welfare Service for the Handicapped

These services includes institutions for the care and rehabilitation of physically and mentally handicapped,
hostels for the working handicapped, a small production units for the handicapped; special schools for
mentally retarded and infirmaries for the chronic ill. Now-a-days handicapped persons are also called as
differently able persons.

(vii) Community Welfare Services

The community welfare services include establishment of urban services of community centres including
welfare aspect of slum improvement, clearance, employment dormitories and night shelters, holiday homes
for children and community welfare services in rural areas.

(viii) Medical Social Work

Under the medical social work, welfare services are provided to patients in hospitals and medical institutions.
Medical social workers help in such services to their families in clinics, hospitals and other health care
centres. These workers assist doctors by providing information’s about the social and economic background
of patient. Many medical social workers specialize in a particular type area. These includes child care, the
care of dying patients and counselling, victims suffering from certain diseases, such as cancer or kidney
failure, etc.

(ix) International Social Services

Social work is also international in scope. At the international level it includes the direction, supervision and
administration of welfare services. The organisations rendering social services at the international level are,
The World Health Organisation, The U.N. Technical Assistance Programme, The International Conference of
Social Work, The World Federation of Mental Health and The International Red Cross Committee. Besides,
the I.L.O. supervises the welfare programmes for industrial labours.

Basic concepts

Social Welfare

Meaning

Social Welfare means government services provided for the benefit of community, such as education, medical
care, housing etc.
Definition

Social Welfare is defined as a society’s governmental and non-governmental efforts to help its members
function more effectively as individuals and as participants in organized social structures.

The well-being of the entire society. Social welfare is not the same as standard of living but is more concerned
with the quality of life that includes factors such as the quality of the environment (air, soil, water), level of
crime, extent of drug abuse, availability of essential social services, as well as religious and spiritual aspects
of life.

 Unemployed
 Diseased
 Disabled
 Injured
 Working poor
 Divorced
 Separated
 Children
 Homeless people
 Elderly

Examples of Social Welfare

 Provision of Minimum Income

(Ex: social assistance, old age security)
 Provision of Income after certain contingencies
(Ex: employment insurance)
 Provision of Social Welfare Services
(Ex: child line)

Social Justice

Meaning
Social Justice, as the name suggests is to ensure equitable treatment to such sections of society who has
suffered social inequalities, exploitation, discrimination and injustice. Social Justice is one of the core values
guiding social work, a hallmark of its uniqueness among the helping professions.

In conditions of social justice, people are "not be discriminated against, nor their welfare and well-being
constrained or prejudiced on the basis of gender, sexuality, religion, political affiliations, age, race, belief,
disability, location, social class, socioeconomic circumstances, or other characteristic of background or group
membership". Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating an egalitarian society or institution. Social
justice is generally equated with the notion of equality or equal opportunity in society.

Definition

The Social Work Dictionary defines social justice as “ideal condition in which all members of a society have
the same rights, protections, opportunities, obligations and social benefits. A key social work value, social
justice entails advocacy to confront discrimination, oppression and institutional inequities”.

Social justice is defined as "... promoting a just society by challenging injustice and valuing diversity." It
exists when "all people share a common humanity and therefore have a right to equitable treatment, support
for their human rights, and a fair allocation of community resources."

Aspects of Social Justice

Two aspects of social justice:  (1) inclusion of everyone in the full benefits of society and (2) empowerment of
people to participate fully in the economic, social, and cultural life of the country.

Social Justice and Social Workers

 The NASW Code of Ethics mandates social workers to work toward social justice with all people but
particularly with those marginalised from full participation in society because of discrimination,
poverty or other form of social, political and economic inequality.
 It emphasizes that social workers need to develop an understanding of oppression and cultural and
ethnic diversity.
 It highlights a fundamental principle of social justice: the promotion of participatory processes to
enable all people to engage in decision-making that affects their lives.
Social Security

Social security is a comprehensive federal program of benefits providing workers and their dependents with
retirement income, disability income and other payments.

It is a government program that provides economic assistance to persons faced with unemployment, disability
or agedness, financed by assessment of employers and employees.

Meaning
Social security may also refer to the action programs of government intended to promote the welfare of the
population through assistance measures guaranteeing access to sufficient resources for food and shelter and to
promote health and wellbeing for the population at large and potentially vulnerable segments such as children,
the elderly, the sick and the unemployed.

Social Security is the protection furnished by society to its members through a series of public measures
against social and economic distresses such as unemployment, under employment, old age, death,
employment injuries, maternity, destitution, social disability and so on.

Social Security is a measure of security for the immediate future.

Social Security Legislations in India

1. Employee State Insurance Act, 1948

2. Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
3. Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972
4. Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Act, 1952
5. Workmen’s Compensation Act, 1923

Social Service

Social Service is used to denote help given by a volunteer to an individual or group at the time of need. Social
service is an organized philanthropic assistance to needy people.
Benefits and facilities such as education, food subsidies, health care, and subsidized housing provided by
a government or other non-government organizations to improve the life and living conditions of the children,
disabled, the elderly, and the poor in the national community.

Social Action

Meaning

Social Action is considered as an auxiliary method of professional social work. Social action is a method of
social work used for mobilizing masses in order to bring about structural changes in the social system or to
prevent adverse changes.

It is a method of bringing about radical changes in the social environment of the community.

Mary Richmond was the first social worker to use the word social action in 1922. She defines social action as
a “mass betterment method through propaganda and social legislation”.

Definition

Social action is defined as a systematic, conscious effort directed to influence the basic social condition and
policies out of which arises the problems of social adjustment and maladjustment to which our service as
social workers is addressed.

The term social action refers to organized and legally permitted activities designed to mobilize public opinion,
legislation and public administration in favour of objectives believed to be socially desirable. ‘Social action
may be described as a group effort to solve mass problems.

Goals of Social Action

 Prevention of changes considered as negative

 Solution to mass problems
 Improvement in mass conditions
 Influencing institutions, policies and practices
 Introduction of new mechanisms or programs
 Redistribution of power, resources, decision - making
Social Legislation

Meaning

Social Legislation consists of laws that provide particular kinds of protection or benefits to society or
segments thereof in furtherance of social justice.

Laws that seek to promote the common good, generally by protecting and assisting the weaker members of
society, are considered to be social legislation. Social legislation can be an effective means of social change
only when the existing social norm is given a legal sanction.

Examples:

1. The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956 has been a step toward the upliftment of the
status of women. It permits the adoption of a son or a daughter. It makes the consent of the wife
necessary for adopting a child. It has also given the right to the widows to adopt.
2. The Hindu Marriage Act was passed in 1955 enforcing monogamy and permitting judicial
separation and divorce. The Act provides for a secular outlook with respect to marriage and enables
the registration of marriage. It enforces monogamy making both the sexes equal in marital affairs. It
provides equal rights for both to get judicial separation and divorce on legal grounds.
3. The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961 which made the giver as well as receiver of dowry punishable
also has become ineffective.
4. The Untouchability Offences Act of1955 was passed by the Parliament in accordance with the
provisions of Article 35 of the Indian Constitution. It made the practice of untouchability a cognizable
offence punishable under law. (This Act was, however, substituted by the Protection of Civil Rights
Act in 1976).

Social Policy

Meaning

Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living
conditions conducive to human welfare.

Definition
Social policy may be defined as any formal government enactment that affects the well being of people
including laws, regulations, executive order and court decision.

Social policy aims to improve human welfare and to meet human needs for education, health, housing and
social security.

Social policies are created and function in dynamic, social, economic and cultural environment. Social
policies affect society and human behaviour and their impact for social work practice has long been
understood by the social work profession.

Important areas of social policy are

 welfare state
 social security
 unemployment insurance
 environmental policy
 pensions
 health care
 social housing
 social care
 child protection
 social exclusion
 education policy
 crime and criminal justice
Social Policy is focused on the aspects of the economy, society and policy that are necessary to human
existence and the means by which they can be provided. These basic human needs include: food and shelter, a
sustainable and safe environment, the promotion of health and treatment of the sick, the care and support of
those unable to live a fully independent life; and the education and training of individuals to a level that
enables them fully to participate in their society".

Social Planning

Meaning
Social Planning is an organised process for investigating and responding to the needs and aspirations of
people and communities. It is an interactional process combining investigation, discussion, and agreement by
a number of people in the preparation and carrying out of a program to ameliorate conditions of need or social
pathology in the community.

It is founded on the principles of social justice such as equity, access, participation and rights and aims to
enhance community well being and effectiveness.

It involves planning for the needs and aspirations of people and communities through strategic policy and
action, integrated with urban, rural, regional and other planning activities and usually involves the action of a
formal political, legal, or recognized voluntary body. In practice, it is based on a set of values, techniques and
skills that contribute to better communities and quality of life and plays a pivotal role in creating livable
communities, vibrant economies, sustainable places, diverse cultural expression and social cohesion.

Social planning is a process that helps communities identify strengths and weaknesses and determine ways to
improve the quality of life in the community.

Social Defense

Social defence is generally understood as the protection of society against crime through a systematically
organized and coherent action by both the State and civil society.

The Social Defence Bureau of the Ministry mainly caters to the requirements of:

 Victims of alcoholism and substance abuse

 Senior Citizens

1. Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Rules,
1996.
2. National Trust for Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple
Disability Act, 1999.
3. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995
4. The National Commission for Backward Classes Act, 1993
Social Reform

Meaning

Social Reform refers to socio-political activities whose object is to modify or change a socio-cultural practice
or some aspects of social legislations without changing the fundamental political structure. Social reform
refers to any attempt that seeks to correct any injustices in a society. People who are involved in social
reforms do so with the aim of improving the quality of life.

Social Reform aims essentially at a change in the basic values and social institutions in a community.

A reform movement is a kind of social movement that aims to make gradual change, or change in certain
aspects of society, rather than rapid or fundamental changes.

Ex: Abolition of Sati, Abolition of Female Infanticide, Abolition of Child Marriage, Supporting Widow
Remarriage and Female Education by Raja Ram Mohan Roy.

Social Movement

Since the 19th century, social movements have significantly influenced the development of United Nations’
Social Work. They have provided its intellectual and theoretical foundations and goals. Social movements
continued to have an important impact on social work theory and practice. Modern social movements have
used a variety of sustained, organised and public activities to advance their goals and to portray their members
as worthy, unified, numerous and committed to specific changes.

Meaning

Social Movement is a movement intended to bring social and humanitarian reforms where a group of people
with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals.

Most well known movements in the country are Chipko movement, Save Silent Valley, and Narmada Bachao
Andolan, People’s Movement against Nuclear Energy.

 The Chipko movement or Chipko Andolan is a movement that practiced the Gandhian methods of
Satyagraha and non-violent resistance, through the act of hugging trees to protect them from being
felled.
  Save Silent Valley was a social movement aimed at the protection of Silent valley, an evergreen
tropical forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India. It was started in 1973 to save the Silent Valley
Reserve Forest in from being flooded by a hydroelectric project. The valley was declared as Silent
Valley National Park in 1985.
 Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) is a social movement consisting of adivasis, farmers,
environmentalists, and human rights activists against a number of large dams being built across the
Narmada river.
 People’s Movement against Nuclear Energy is which protesting against the Kudankulam Nuclear
Power Plant project led by Mr. S. P. Udayakumar is a teacher, writer and anti-nuclear activist
from Tamil Nadu, India who is the convenor of the People's Movement Against Nuclear
Energy (PMANE), This anti-nuclear power group aims to close the Kudankulam Nuclear Power
Plant site and to preserve the largely untouched coastal landscape, as well as educate locals
about nuclear power.

The most recent of social movements is 'Campaign against corruption', April 2011, led by a group of social
activists- Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Swami Agnivesh, Kiran Bedi and Baba Ramdev.

Many social movements focus on the pursuit of social justice. Social movements have influenced public
policy by addressing its substances and goals, the structures through which it is developed and the process that
determine and implement social priorities.

Social Development

Meaning

Social development is a process that results in the transformation of social structures to improve the capacity
of a society in order to fulfil its objectives. It aims specifically in developing power to elevate expansion of
human activity.

Definition

Midgley has defined social development as a "process of planned social change designed to promote the well-
being of the population as a whole in conjunction with a dynamic process of economic development". Social
development is defined as transformation of institutions and as such, promotes better growth, better projects
and better quality of life.

Goal of Social Development

The goal of social development in the context of modern welfare is to produce a social well-being that makes
people capable of acting and making their own decisions in the broadest sense.

Social development aims to promote the social and economic well-being of societies or social groups. The
strengths of social development lie in the fact that its intervention strategies address the macro, meso, and
micro levels.

Social Education

Meaning

Social Education is the education of society or community. Social education is a preventive programme
whereas social work is both preventive and ameliorative.

Definition

Social Education is a learning process through informal methods the act of making of satisfactory adjustment
to the changing needs and demands of life by acquiring knowledge of the social life and social habits which
help in making life more satisfying.

International/National bodies and forums

Professional Social Workers’ Association (PSWA)

 The Professional Social Workers' Association (PSWA) is an association of Indian / Tamil Nadu
social work professionals, headquartered at Chennai.

 It is a legally registered entity, formerly known as "Professional Social Workers' Forum" (PSWF).

 The Association is functioning since 1985.

  They are also organizing an annual state level seminar pertaining to current social work challenges
and practices.

 There are monthly meetings and resource sessions held on 1st Saturday of every month at Madras
School of Social Work between 430pm and 6pm.

 The association is currently working on legal council for social workers in India. As a start up, it has
started working on state council in Tamil Nadu level.

International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)

 The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is a global organization

 striving for social justice, human rights and social development through the promotion of social
work, best practice models and the facilitation of international cooperation.

 The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is the world-wide body for professional
social work.

 It comprises 90 professional social work associations representing over 750,000 social workers.
IFSW has formal consultative status with the United Nations and other global bodies.

 The organization’s purpose is to contribute to achieving a social just world through professional
social work.

 IFSW and its partners set and review the international standards of social work, the Definition of
Social Work and policies that promote good practice outcomes.

 The current president of IFSW is Professor Gary Bailey from Simmons College, Boston, USA.

 IFSW’s beginnings go back to the early part of the last century: at the First International Conference
on Social Work held in Paris in 1928, it was agreed an International Association of Social Workers
be formed.

 Every two years at a General Meeting of members an international Executive Committee is

democratically elected.
  This committee consists of a President, Treasurer and Regional President and Member-at-Large for
each Region.

 The six regions are Africa, Asia – Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean and North
America.

 A permanent Secretariat has been established since 1956 which is currently based in Switzerland.
Dr. Rory Truell is the current IFSW Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer.

International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW)

 The International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) is the international association of
schools of social work and other institutions of learning.

 The IASSW promotes the development of social work education throughout the world, develops
standards to enhance quality of social work education,

 encourages international exchange,

 provides forums for sharing social work research and scholarship, and

 promotes human rights and social development through policy and advocacy activities.

 They also work in a consultative role with the United Nations.

 They host a biennial conference of social work educators called the IASSW Congress and publish a
newsletter.

 The IASSW was founded in 1928 at the First International Conference of Social Work, held in Paris.

 It initially comprised 51 schools, mostly in Europe, and was known as the International Committee.

 Revitalized after World War II, the organization expanded its membership to include a wider range
of countries and was renamed the International Association of Schools of Social Work.
  The association has member schools in all parts of the world; 5 regional organizations. In Africa; Asia
and the Pacific; Europe; Latin America; and North America and the Caribbean are affiliated with the
IASSW and represented on the Board of Directors.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of
professional social workers in the world, with 140,000 members. NASW works to enhance the professional
growth and development of its members, to create and maintain professional standards, and to advance
sound social policies.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) was established in 1955 through the consolidation of
the following seven organizations:

 American Association of Social Workers (AASW)

 American Association of Psychiatric Social Workers (AAPSW)

 American Association of Group Workers (AAGW)

 Association for the Study of Community Organization (ASCO)

 American Association of Medical Social Workers (AAMSW)

 National Association of School Social Workers (NASSW)

 Social Work Research Group (SWRG)

NASW’s primary functions include promoting the professional development of its members, establishing
and maintaining professional standards of practice, advancing sound social policies, and providing services
that protect its members and enhance their professional status. The Association developed and adopted the
NASW Code of Ethics and other generalized and specialized practice standards. Certification and quality
assurance are promoted through the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), the NASW Register of
Clinical Social Workers, and the Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (DCSW). Among NASW’s political
action programs are Political Action for Candidate Election (PACE) and Educational Legislative Action
Network (ELAN). The Association also sponsors, through its 55 chapters in the U.S. and abroad,
professional conferences and continuing education programs, and produces journals—such as the flagship
Social Work—books and major reference works for the profession.

Social work Education

Beginning of Social Work Education

 Social Work Education for professional in India began in 1936 when a school of social work was set
up in Bombay by the House of Tatas, one of the largest private industrial and business enterprises.

 For eleven years between 1936 and 1947, this institute was the only one imparting professional
education in social work.

 In 1946, the second institution was established in Luknow under the auspices of the Young Women
Christian Association (YWCA) with a substantial grant from its counterpart in the United States, and
again its founder Director was an American.

 It was shifted to Delhi and was named Delhi School of Social Work. After nearly two years of
experimentation, it started a formal two-year programme of social work training in 1949 and was
affiliated as a graduate school to the University of Delhi for the Master of Arts degree.

 In 1950, another institution was started as a Faculty of Social Work under the University of Baroda.

 Fourteen more institutions were started in 1971-80. By the end of 1980, thirty institutions were
providing social work education and training at the graduate level.

 An attempt is made to look at the Indian social work education and describe its main trends, and
assesses the extent to become indigenous in its overall philosophy and goals, level of training,
curriculum content, use of study material and methods of working with people.

Major Components of Social Work Education

The programme of education has basically three components such as classroom courses, research project
and field work.

The courses offered are generally divided into four groups.

 The first group consists of courses about Indian Society, social structure, history and philosophy of
social work and social problems

 The second group relates to the study of human growth and development and the third group
includes courses on methods of working with people such as social case work, social group work,
community organization and community development, social welfare administration and social
research and the fourth group is composed of specialized courses usually offered during the second
year of training.

 Field Work is an integral part of social work training. The field work programme generally includes
concurrent activities, block field placement, study tours and an annual rural camp.

 During the first year most institutions have observational and unstructured type of field work for
about 15 hours a week.

 The second year field work is somewhat more structured and is usually related to the student’s
specialized area of interest.

 The block field work placement of four to six weeks is generally arranged after the completion of all
other formal requirements of training.

 This placement exposes the student to the actual functioning of social welfare agencies and other
areas of social work.

 Institutions located in metropolitan cities of Bombay, Delhi and Madras have stonger field work
programmes than others.

 Tata Institute from its very inception has been maintaining a child guidance clinic for the treatment
of personality disorders of children.

 The Institute also runs a special cell in the office of the Police Commissioner to help women in
distress, and one to develop job skills among the youth in the slums and the other to help a tribal
community in solving their basic problems of living.

 The Delhi School also has a child guidance clinic and a rural development project.
Specialties in Social Work Education

 Social Work aims at training competent social work personnel for practice in social services and
social welfare services.

 They also prepare students for leadership responsibilities in social policy, social planning, social
administration and social work research.

 In two fields of practice such as medical – psychiatric social work and personnel management –
industrial relations – labour welfare, social work training was given preference.

 Other specializations are family and child welfare, correctional administration, community
organization and development, tribal welfare and social welfare administration.

 In 1967, Tata Institute established an independent master’s programme in personnel management

and industrial relations.

 The Second Review Committee of Social Work Education of the University Grants Commission had
recommended the abolition of personnel management and industrial relations from social work.

Importance of fieldwork & Supervision

Field Work

The core strength of social work education is the field work component which is a fundamental part of the
curriculum. Field Work is a key mechanism for transmitting theoretical knowledge into the practical level
of work. This can happen through field work practicum under the supervision and/or faculty adviser. Such
practice learning in the field plays a vital role in providing the students with an opportunity to explore learn
and develop skills necessary for working with, the essence of the profession.

Goals of Field Work

1. To help students understand the social, psychological, economic, cultural and political situation and
develop capacity for examination of causal and continuance factors of social problems and their
micro and macro consequences.
 2. To provide students with an opportunity to apply theories, skills and methods learnt in the class for
using in practical situations for problem solving at micro, meso and macro levels.

3. To help students themselves identify, plan and implement social work interventions in discussion
with the field agencies through the use of class room social work learnings and to get a hands on
experience for analyzing client and other stakeholders in various fields of practice.

4. To help students understand social work in a holistic way and thereby appreciate the role of social
workers in various settings and in facilitating social change, human rights and social justice.

5. To help students develop competent and advance skills in their field of study and to appreciate
personal qualities required for professional social workers.

Supervision in Field Work

 Supervision is the basis part and parcel of practice learning. The objective of supervision is to guide
a student to acquire social work skills and attitudes required for the profession and to relate field
practice to knowledge acquired in the classroom.

 This objective is achieved by placing the students under the supervision of a teacher in the social
work department or a professional field work supervisor or a trained senior social worker in the
agency.

 The guided supervision through individual and group conferences on specified days and timings
helps a student grow as a better professional.

 The supervisor’s primary task in the beginning is to make the student feel comfortable and apprise
him/her briefly of the social work values and skills.

 To begin with, the supervisor – supervisee relationship must be based on mutual trust and respect.

 Meanwhile the supervisor could make some assessment of the student’s ability to crate learning
opportunities and environment for the supervisee.

Role of Supervisor
The supervisor must work towards the following objectives:

 Help create a non- intimidating and non-authoritarian ambience of learning which help the student
raise his/her queries and participate in the discussion.

 Help the student develop the capability to critically examine issues from the field.

 Help the student to logically and sequentially present and discuss his/her views, feelings and
proposed action.

 Provide appropriate feedback to the students about their performance.

 Encourage debates on the alternative paradigm, praxis and action and help the student to take
appropriate decisions.

 Assist the student in dealing with difficult situations and circumstances and help him/her learn to
appreciate and respect diversity of opinion and culture.

 Help him/her grow as professional social worker, conscious of the requirements of the profession
and develop capability to manage situations independently.

 Enable the student to develop an agenda of reflective self-learning for personal and professional
development.

 Arrange periodic meetings with agency heads and faculty advisors wherein the proposed action of
the student is discussed and an affirmative response is obtained from the agency.

 Provide guidelines to the student on his/her field work log sheets/records. It should be seen that the
records should not reflect merely a chronological recording of the time spent in the field. But on the
other hand it should focus on the process.

Bodies/ forums in education

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) was set up in 1952, to set standards under which
undergraduate and graduate social work educational institutions function and is the accrediting body for these
institutions. All states with social work licensing require applicants to be graduates of schools accredited by
CSWE. CSWE publishes the Journal of Social Work Education. In 1955, a National Association of Social
Workers (NASW) was set up through the merger of seven organizations. The NASW is the cornerstone of
social work profession in the USA.

UNIT – 3

SOURCES AND TYPES OF DATA DATA COLLECTION

Data

Data are facts, figures and other relevant materials, past and present, serving as bases for study and analysis
Data can be broadly classified into

Data pertaining to human beings

Data related to human beings consists of demographic and socio-economic characteristics of

individuals, behavioural variables such as attitudes, opinions, awareness, knowledge, intentions etc.

Data pertaining to organizations

Organizational data consists of data relating to an organizationǯs origin, ownership, objectives,

resources, functions, performance and growth

Data pertaining to territorial areas

Territorial data is related to geophysical characteristics, population, occupational pattern,

infrastructure etc.

Sources of Data
Statistical Data can be classified into two categories i.e primary data and secondary data.
Primary Data
Primary Data is collected by the researcher himself/herself for the purpose of the research study. Primary
data are first hand information which are collected afresh and for the first time, and thus happen to be
original in character.

Secondary Data
Secondary Data are those which have already been collected by someone else and which have
already been passed through the statistical process. The secondary data can be obtained from
journals, reports, government publications, publication of professional and research organizations and so
on.

Objective
It is collected through strictly controlled, unbiased scientific experimentation or polling.

Subjective
It implies on the element of opinion or personal feeling encoring into the test methods or result analysis.

Quantitative Data
Quantitative data is a numerical measurement expressed not by means of a natural language
description, but rather in terms of numbers. However, not all numbers are continuous and
measurable

Example: the social security number is a number, but not something that one can add or subtract.

Height = Dz1.8
mdz.

Quantitative data always are associated with a scale measure.

Qualitative Data
Qualitative data is a categorical measurement expressed not in terms of numbers, but rather by means of
a natural language description. In statistics, it is often used interchangeably with Dzcategoricaldz
data.
Example: favorite colour = Dzbluedz
 When there is not a natural ordering of the categories, we call these nominal

categories .Example might be gender, race, religion or sport.

When the categories may be ordered, these are called ordinal variables. Categorical variables

that judge size (small, medium, large, etc.,) are ordinal variables. Attitudes (Strongly

disagree, disagree, neutral, agree, strongly agree) are also ordinal variables.

Primary Data and Methods of Data Collection

Observation
Observation involves recording the behavioural patterns of people, objects and events in a
systematic manner. Observation is the basic method of obtaining information about social
phenomena under investigation. It is the most commonly used method especially in studies relating to
behavioral sciences. Under the observation method, the information is sought by way of investigatorǯs
own direct observation without asking from the respondent.

Merits of Observation
1. Subjective bias is eliminated, if the observation is done accurately.

2. The information obtained under this method relates to what is currently happening.

3. Relatively less demanding of active cooperation on the part of respondents.

Limitations
1. It is an expensive method.

2. The information provided by this method is very limited.

 3. Sometimes unforeseen factors may interfere with the observational task.

4. Some people are rarely accessible to direct observation.

Types of Observation:

 Structured or unstructured
 Participant or non-participant
 Disguised or undisguised
 Natural or contrived

Structured Observation
In case the observation is characterized by a careful definition of the units to be observed, the style of
recording the observed information, standardized conditions of observation and the selection of
pertinent data of observation, then the observation is called as structured observation. Structured
observation is considered appropriate in descriptive studies.

In structured observation, the researcher specifies in detail what is to be observed and how the
measurements are to be recorded. It is appropriate when the problem is clearly defined and the
information needed is specified.

Unstructured Observation
When observation is done without any thought before observation then it is called as
unstructured observation or when observation is to take place without the above mentioned
characteristics which is to be thought of in advance, the same is termed as unstructured
observation.

In unstructured observation, the researcher monitors all aspects of the phenomenon that seem relevant. It
is appropriate when the problem has yet to be formulated precisely and flexibility is need in observation
to identify key components of the problem and to develop hypothesis. The potential for bias is high.
Observation findings should be treated as hypothesis to be tested rather than as conclusive
findings.
 Participant
Observation

If the observer observes by making himself, more or less, a member of the group he is observing so that
he can experience what the members of the group experience, the observation is called as participant
observation.

In participant observation, the researcher becomes, or is, part of the group that is being
investigated. Participant observation has its roots in ethnographic studies (study of man and races)
where researchers would live in tribal villages, attempting to understand the customs and practices of that
culture. It has a very extensive literature, particularly in sociology (development, nature and laws of human
society) and anthropology (physiological and psychological study of man). Organisations can be viewed
as Ǯtribesǯ with their own customs and practices.

Researcher as employee

Researcher as an explicit role.

Interrupted involvement.

Observation alone.

Non-participant Observation
When the observer observes as a detached emissary without any attempt on his part to experience
through participation what others feel, the observation of this type is often termed as non-participant
observation.

The observer does not normally question or communicate with the people being observed. He or she does
not participate.The role of the participant observer is not simple. There are different ways of classifying the
role:
Disguised Observation
In disguised observation, respondents are unaware that they are being observed and thus behave
naturally. Disguise is achieved, for example, by hiding, or using hidden equipment or people
disguised as shoppers.

Undisguised Observation
In undisguised observation, respondents are aware that they are being observed. There is a
danger of the Hawthorne effect – people behave differently when being observed

Natural Observation

Natural observation involves observing behavior as it takes place in the environment. Example:

eating burgers in a fast food outlet.

Contrived Observation

In contrived observation, the respondentsǯ behavior is observed in an artificial environment.

Example: a food tasting session.

Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the
purpose of gathering information from respondents.

Questionnaires are a popular means of collecting data, but are difficult to design and often require many
rewrites before an acceptable questionnaire is produced.

(One to one, Mailed, Telephonic survey)

Mailed Questionnaire
In this method a questionnaire is mailed to the person concerned with a request to answer the questions and
return the questionnaire. This method is most extensively applied in various researches of human and
economic geography.
 Merits

1. There is low cost even when the universe is large and is widespread geographically.

2. It is free from bias of interviewer as answers are respondentǯs own words.

3. Respondents, who are not easily approachable, can also be reached conveniently. Moreover,
respondents are given enough time to give well thought answers.

Demerits

1. Low rate of return of the duly filled questionnaires.

2. It can be used only when the respondents are educated and cooperative.

3. The control of the questionnaire may be lost once it is sent.

4. It is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly representative.

5. This method is likely to be the slowest of all.

Types of Questionnaires

1) Structured - non disguised questionnaire

2) Structured - disguised questionnaire

3) Non structured - non disguised questionnaire

4) Non structured - disguised questionnaire

1. S t r u c t u r e d n o n d i s g u i s e d q u e s t i o n n a i r e
Questions are listed in a pre-arranged order Respondents are told about the purpose of collecting
information

2)Structured-disguised questionnaire
Questions are listed in a pre-arranged order Respondents are not told about the purpose of conducting survey

3)Nonstructured nondisguised questionnaire

Questions are not structured. Researcher is free to ask questions in any sequence he/she wants. Respondents
are told about the purpose of collecting information
4)Nonstructured disguised questionnaire
Questions are not structured Researcher is free to ask questions in any sequence
he/she wants. Respondents are not told about the purpose of conducting survey

Interview Schedule
A schedule is a set of questions with structured answers to guide an observer, interviewer,
researcher or investigator. It is a plan or guide line for investigation.

According to Thomas Carson, the schedule is a list of questions or a set of questions formulated and
presented with specific purpose for testing an assumption or hypothesis.

Interviewing is a technique that is primarily used to gain an understanding of the underlying

reasons and motivations for peopleǯs attitudes, preferences or behavior. Interviews can be
undertaken on a personal one-to-one basis or in a group.

Definition
Goode & Hatt has defined interview schedule as a set of questions which are asked by an
interviewer and filled in on the spot in a face to face interaction with another person.

P.V.Young has defined interview schedule as a set of questions which are asked and filled in by the
investigator himself.

Advantages

1. It leads to more response

2. Accurate information can be collected

3. It is free from biasness

4. Direct contact between the investigator and the respondent

5. More difficult situation can be studied

6. It is used for both literate and illiterate respondents.

Disadvantages

1. It is more expensive and costly

2. It is more time consuming

 3. It requires skilled and experienced investigator

Interview – Definition

According to McNamara, 1999

Interviews are particularly useful for getting the story behind a participantǯs experiences.

The interviewer can pursue in-depth information around the topic.

Interviews may be useful as follow-up to certain respondents.

Types of Interview

1. Personal Interview

2. Telephone Interview

3. Focus Group Interview

4. Depth Interview

5. Projective Techniques
Personal Interview

1. In the personal interviews the interviewer asks questions generally in a face to face
contact.

2. Through interview method more and reliable information may be obtained.

3. Personal information can be obtained easily under this method.

4. It is, however, a very expensive and time consuming method, especially when large and widely
spread geographical sample is taken.

5. Certain types of respondents, such as officials, executives or people of high income groups, may
not be easily accessible.

6. In this method, the respondent may give wrong and imaginary information

Is a face to face two way communication between the interviewer and the respondents. Generally the
personal interview is carried out in a planned manner and is referred to as Ǯstructured
interviewǯ. This can be done in many forms e.g. door to door or as a planned formal executive
meeting.

Methods of conducting an Personal Interview

A personal interview involves a lot of preparation. Generally an personal interview should go

through the following five/5 stages they are as follows.

A. Rapport building

Interviewer should increase the receptiveness of the respondent by making him believe that his
opinions are very useful to the research, and is going to be a pleasure rather than an ordeal.

B. Introduction

An introduction involves the interviewer identifying himself by giving him his name, purpose and

sponsorship if any. An introductory letter goes a long way in conveying the studyǯs legitimacy.

C. Probing
 Probing is the technique of encouraging the respondents to answer completely, freely and
relevantly.

D. Recording

The interviewer can either write the response at the time of interview or after the interview. In certain
cases, where the respondent allows for it, audio or visual aids can be used to record answers.

E. Closing

After the interview, interviewer should thank the respondent and once again assure him about the worth
of his answers and the confidentiality of the same.

Telephonic Interview

In telephonic interviews contact is made with the respondents through telephone.

Telephone interview the information is collected from the respondent by asking him questions on the
phone is called as telephone interview. The combination of telephone and computer has made this
method even more popular.

Merits

1. It is more flexible and faster than other methods.

2. It is cheaper and less time consuming.

3. Recall is easy and replies can be recorded without causing embarrassment to respondents.

4. At times, access can be made to respondents who otherwise cannot be contacted for one reason or
the other.

5. No staff is required and wider representation of sample is possible.

Demerits

1. the surveys are restricted to respondents who have telephonic facilities

2. little time is given to respondents for considered answers.

 3. It is not suitable for intensive surveys where comprehensive answers are required for
various questions.

Focus Group Interview

Focus group interview is an unstructured interview which involves a moderator leading a
discussion between a small group of respondents on a specific topic.

Focus group interview results in advantages summed up as 10 S. they as follow.

Synergism

Snowballing

Stimulation

Security

Spontaneity

Serendipity

Specialization

Scientific scrutiny

Structure

speed

Depth Interview
Depth interview is nondirective in nature where the respondent is given freedom to answer within
the boundaries of the topic of interest.
Projective Techniques
Projective Techniques involve the presentation of an ambiguous, unstructured object, activity or
person that a respondent is asked to interpret and explain.

In Projective Techniques, the respondents are asked to interpret the behaviour of others and this way
they indirectly reveal their own behaviour in the same situation. Some of these techniques are discussed
below.

Word Association Test: Respondents are presented with a list of words one at a time and they are
asked to respond immediately with the first things that come to their mind e.g. in a study on
book reading habits the respondents can be presented with words like 2 states etc.

Cloud Picture Test: This shows two or more character conversing with each other and

cloud of one character is left empty as a response to be filled by the respondents according to his
interpretation of what the other characters are saying.

Sentence Completion Test: It is similar to a word association test where instead of a word, a
sentence is left incomplete and the respondent is asked to fill it with the first thought that

comes to his mind e.g. People who enter politics are……………………..

Story Completion Study: A step further to sentence completion, is the story completion study:
Under this a story is created by the researcher which defines the topic of research and the
respondents are asked to complete the story.

Advantages of Interview method

1. Opportunity for Feedback – Interviewer can provide direct feedback to the respondent, give
clarifications and help alleviate any misconceptions or apprehensions over confidentiality that
the respondent may have in answering the interviewerǯs questions

2. Probing Complex Answers – Interviewers can probe if the respondentǯs answer is too brief
or unclear. This gives interviewers some flexibility in dealing with unstructured questions
and is especially suited for handling complex questions

3. Length of Interview – If the questionnaire is very lengthy, the personal interview is the best
technique for getting respondents to cooperate, without overtaxing their patience
 4. Complete Questionnaires – Personal ensures ensure that the respondent will answer all
questions asked, unlike in telephone interview where the respondent may hang up or in mail
questionnaire where some questions may go unanswered

5. Props & Visual Aids – Interviewers have the opportunity of showing respondents items such
as sample products, graphs and sketches, which can aid in their answers

6. High Participation – Interviewing respondents personally can increase the likelihood of their
participation, as many people prefer to communicate directly verbally and sharing information
and insights with interviewers

Disadvantages of Interview method

1. Cost – Personal interviews are usually more expensive than mail, telephone and internet
surveys. Factors influencing the cost of the interview include the respondentsǯ geographic
proximity, the length and complexity of the questionnaire, and the number of non- respondents

2. Lack of Anonymity – Respondents are not anonymous in a personal (face-to-face) interview

and may be reluctant to disclose certain information to the interviewer. Hence, considerable
must be expended by the interviewer when dealing with sensitive questions to avoid bias
effects on the respondentǯs part

3. Necessity for Callbacks – When a person selected for interview cannot be reached the
first time, a callback has to be scheduled which result in extra cost and time spent

4. Variance Effects – It has been shown that the demographic characteristics of the interviewer can
influence the answers of the respondents. In one study, male interviewers had a much larger
variance of answers than female interviewers in a sample of most female individuals

5. Dishonesty – Interviewers cheat to make their life easier and save time and effort

6. Personal Style – The interviewers individual questioning style, techniques, approach and

demeanor may influence the respondentsǯ answers

 7. Global Considerations – Cultural aspects may influence peoplesǯ willingness to participate in
an interview (e.g. repressive Middle Eastern cultures discourage females from being questioned
by male interviewers

Construction
Questionnaire construction or Interview schedule construction - It is a series of questions asked to
individuals to obtain statistically useful information about a given topic. When properly
constructed and responsibly administered, questionnaires become a vital instrument by which
statements can be made about specific groups, or people, or entire populations.

Types of questions
1. Contingency question – A question that is answered only if the respondent gives a
particular response to a previous question. This avoids asking questions of people that do not
apply to them (for example, asking men if they have ever been pregnant).

2. Matrix questions - Identical response categories are assigned to multiple questions. The
questions are placed one under the other, forming a matrix with response categories along the top
and a list of questions down the side. This is an efficient use of page space and respondentsǯ
time.

3. Closed ended questions - Respondentsǯ answers are limited to a fixed set of responses.

Most scales are closed ended. Other types of closed ended questions include:

o Yes/no questions - The respondent answers with a "yes" or a "no".

o Multiple choice - The respondent has several options from which to choose.

o Scaled questions - Responses are graded on a continuum (example: rate the

appearance of the product on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being the most preferred
appearance). Examples of types of scales include the Likert scale, semantic
differential scale, and rank-order scale (See scale for a complete list of scaling
techniques.).

4. Open ended questions - No options or predefined categories are suggested. The

respondent supplies their own answer without being constrained by a fixed set of possible
responses. Examples of types of open ended questions include:
 o Completely unstructured - For example, "What is your opinion on
questionnaires?"

o Word association - Words are presented and the respondent mentions the first
word that comes to mind. example, "The most important consideration in my decision to
buy a new house is...dz

o Story completion - Respondents complete an incomplete story.

o Picture completion - Respondents fill in an empty conversation balloon.

o Thematic apperception test - Respondents explain a picture or make up a story about

what they think is happening in the picture

Question sequence
Questions should flow logically from one to the next.

The researcher must ensure that the answer to a question is not influenced by previous questions.

Questions should flow from the more general to the more specific.

Questions should flow from the least sensitive to the most sensitive.

Questions should flow from factual and behavioral questions to attitudinal and opinion
questions.

Questions should flow from unaided to aided questions.

Scaling Techniques / scales of measurement

Scaling
Scaling is the process of measuring or ordering entities with respect to quantitative attributes or traits.

1) Nominal scale: In this scale, numbers are only used as labels, they have no numerical
sanctity. e.g To categorize male and female respondents we could say a nominal scale of
1 for male and 2 for female. Other examples could be to indicate categories of any
variable which is not be given a numerical significance ---Religion--- Hindu—1,
Muslim--- 2, Christian – 3 etc. Education level: H.S.C Pass--- 1, Graduate ---2, P.G---
3 etc. Languages spoken: --- English--- 1, Marathi--- 2 etc. o Sentence completion
- Respondents complete an incomplete sentence. For
2) Ordinal scale: Ordinal scale variables are ones, which have a meaningful order to them. e.g.

: A typical marketing variable is ranks given to brands by respondents. These ranks are not
interchangeable, as nominal scale labels are. This is because rank 1 is higher than rank 2 and so
on. The distance between each rank is not known. Ranking simply denotes that rank 1 is higher than rank
2, rank 2 is higher than rank 3 , but by how much is unknown.

3) Interval scale (Rating scale) :Most of the behavioural measurement scales used to measure attitudes
of respondents on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 7 are interval scales. The difference between interval and
ordinal scale variables is that the distance between 1 and 2 is the same as distance between 2 and 3 and
so on.

4) Ratio scale: In a ratio type scale, there is a unique zero or beginning point. Interval scale does not
have a unique zero. Also the ratio of two values of the scale corresponds to the same ratio among the
measured values. e.g distance is a ratio scaled variable. Starting point is zero. 2 meters is to1 meter as
2km is to 1 km. Some of the common ratio scaled variables are--- age, height, length, weight and
income.

Other Attitude scales

1) Likert or agreement scale: A statement or series of statements with which the respondent shows the
amount of agreement/disagreement

e.g Inorbit Mall is the most attractive Mall in Mumbai Strongly disagree disagree neither agree or
disagree agree strongly agree

2) Semantic differential scale: A scale connecting two bipolar words, where the respondent
selects the point that represents his/her opinion.

e.g Indian Airlines Modern _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Old- fashioned Air hostesses Courteous _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Rude

3) Importance scale : A scale that rates the importance of some attribute e.g Airline food service to me
is Extremely important very Important somewhat important Not very important Not at all important
 4) Intention –to –buy scale: A scale that describes the respondents intention to buy. E.g If an
inflight telephone service was available on along flight , I would Definitely buy Probably buy Not sure
Probably not buy Definitely not buy.

5) Projective techniques

a)Word association : Words are presented , one at a time and respondents mention the first word which
comes to their mind e.g :-- What is the first word which comes to your mind when you hear
the following :
Jet Airways: Air Deccan : Trave
Airlines :

:
Primary Data Collection – Demerits

1. Time consuming

2. High cost

3. Inaccurate feedback

4. Requires large amount of resources

Concept of Validity:

It refers to the truthfulness of a measure. Does

it measure what it intends to measure?

Assessing validity:

Construct validity

Extend to which it measure the theoretical construct it is designed to measure.

Convergent validity

Discriminant validity.

Concept of Reliability:
Reliability refers to the consistency of measurement. Reliable test should yield similar (consistent)

results each time it is taken. Common method: test- retest reliability.

Factors affecting reliability:

Number of items

Variability

Condition in which the questionnaire is administered

 PRE-TEST
A PRE-TEST usually refers to a small-scale trial of particular research components.

A PILOT STUDY is the process of carrying out a preliminary study, going through the entire
research procedure with a small sample.

Secondary Data and Methods of Data Collection

Methods

1) Internet search, using online resources to gather data for research purposes. This method is not usually
very reliable and requires appropriate citation and critical analysis for findings.

2) Library search and indexing, this technique requires to go through written texts that have
already done similar work and utilizing their researches for your dissertations.

3) Data collection organizations, for example Gallup and AC Nielsen conduct researches on a
recurrent basis ranging in a wide array of topics.

4) News Papers and Magazines, journals and other similar periodicals.

Merits

1. Time saving

2. Low cost to acquire the data

3. Easy to access the data

4. Ensures no duplication

5. Provide bases for comparison

Problems in use of secondary data

1. Incomplete Information

2. Data may be outdated or inaccurate

3. More subjective and bias

4. Not specific to the researcherǯs need

5. Lack of Quali6y
 Unit 4 – Syllabus

Philosophy of Social Work Profession; Values, Beliefs and Principles of the Profession; Code of Ethics:
Evolution of Code of Ethics, IFSW & IASSW Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles, Declaration of
Ethics for Social Workers (SWEF -1997).

UNIT 4

Philosophy of Social Work Profession

Values

Values are the implicit and explicit ideas about what we cherish as ideal or preferable. Values shape our
beliefs and attitudes and in turn our beliefs and attitudes shape our values. Values make us emotionally
positive or negative about a situation.

Value system is complex networks of values that people develop either individually or collectively. Normally
a value within a value system is congruent or internally consistent.. but one should aware that some conflicts
exist within the value system.

For ex. All people are equal Vs only people who work productively is worthwhile … these values reveal
inconsistency.

Poverty is the result of laziness Vs One cannot accumulate wealth if he /she is honest

Ethics

The study of how people ought to act in order to be moral.A moral code that guides the conduct of a group of
professionals (such as medical doctors).The branch of philosophy that defines what is right for the individual
and for society and establishes the nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves and one
another.

The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means "character," and from the Latin word
mores, which means "customs." In modern society, it defines how individuals, business professionals, and
corporations choose to interact with one another.
Values are the implicit and explicit ideas about what people consider good, ethics relates to what people
consider correct or right. Ethics generates standards that direct one’s conduct. Social work ethics are
behavioral expectations or preferences that are associated with social work responsibility.

Professional ethics = upholding moral obligations + complying the standards of practice.

Principles of Personal Ethics

Personal ethics might also be called morality, since they reflect general expectations of any person in any
society, acting in any capacity. These are the principles we try to instill in our children, and expect of one
another without needing to articulate the expectation or formalize it in any way.

Principles of Personal Ethics include:

Concern for the well-being of others. Respect for the autonomy of others Trustworthiness & honesty

Willing compliance with the law (with the exception of civil disobedience) Basic justice; being fair

Refusing to take unfair advantage Benevolence: doing good Preventing harm

Principles of Professional Ethics

Individuals acting in a professional capacity take on an additional burden of ethical responsibility. For
example, professional associations have codes of ethics that prescribe required behavior within the context of
a professional practice such as medicine, law, accounting, or engineering. These written codes provide rules
of conduct and standards of behavior based on the principles of Professional Ethics, which include:

Impartiality; objectivity Openness; full disclosure Confidentiality Due diligence / duty of care.

Fidelity to professional responsibilities Avoiding potential or apparent conflict of interest Even when not
written into a code, principles of professional ethics are usually expected of people in business, employees,
volunteers, elected representatives and so on.

Beliefs

Beliefs are assumptions we hold to be true. When we use our beliefs to make decisions, we are assuming the
causal relationships of the past, which led to the belief, will also apply in the future.  In a rapidly changing
world where complexity is increasing day by day, using information from the past to make decisions about the
future may not be the best way to support us in meeting our needs.

Beliefs are contextual: They arise from learned experiences, resulting from the cultural and environmental
situations we have faced. 

Principles of the Profession

A fundamental, well-settled accepted tenets. A basic truth or undisputed doctrine; a given proposition that is
clear and does not need to be proved. It is basically a hypothesis, an assumption so adequately tested by
observation / experience / experiment may be used as a guide for action, or as a means of understanding.
Konapka (1958), Clarke (1947), Cohen (1958), Friedlander (1958), Perlman (1976) Piccard (1988), Morales
& Sheafor (1998) explained about Social Work Principles.

\Social Workers transform the abstract values of the profession into principles for practice. Then they translate
these principles into concrete actions in specific situations.

Principles of Social Work

1. Principle of Acceptance
2. 2. Principle of Individualization
3. 3. Principle of Purposeful Expression of Feeling / Principle of Meaningful Relationship /
Principle of Controlled Emotional Involvement / Empathy
4. 4. Principle of Non Judgmental Attitude
5. 5. Principle of Objectivity
6. 6. Principle of Self Determination
7. 7. Principle of Confidentiality
8. 8. Principle of Accountability
9. 9. Principle of Access to Resources
10. 1. Principle of Acceptance.
11. Acceptance originate from Greek word “agape” which means “love which descends to misery,
ugliness and guilt in order to elevate..the love is critical and is able to transform what it loves..this
love (acceptance is not charity) is not charity which is an escape from the demands of critical love
…acceptance penetrates to the inner selves of others and affirms their humanity
2. Principle of Individualization

Social Workers by their training develop a generalized understanding of people, their problems and their
environment. If one applies this to all it may lead to bias, prejudice, labeling, stereotyping and ignoring the
beauty of diversity and uniqueness. This principle emphasis that client (group / Community) have a right “to
be individuals and be treated not as a human being but as this human being with personal differences…and
this transformed into “start where the client / group /community is”

3. Principle of Purposeful Expression of Feeling / Principle of Meaningful Relationship / Principle

of Controlled Emotional Involvement … Principle of Empathy

Purposeful Expression of Feeling

Social workers have to go beyond the content of just the facts to uncover feelings that underlie these facts.
By listening attentively, asking relevant questions and demonstrating tolerance and non judgmentalism social
workers encourage clients to share their feelings …to relieve pressure or tension.. a cathartic or cleansing
experience that enable clients to put their situation in perspective.

Empathy

Putting oneself into the psychological frame of reference of another, so that the other person’s feeling,
thinking, and acting are understood and to some extent predictable. A desirable trust-building characteristic of
a helping profession. It is embodied in the sincere statement, “I understand how you feel.” Empathy is
different from sympathy in that to be empathetic one understands how the person feels rather than actually
experiencing those feelings, as in sympathy.

How we call a person with little or no empathy?

Any one with a high level of the trait of narcissism (an inflated self-esteem, a sense of superiority and a
feeling of entitlement) generally has little empathy or sympathy for others.

Controlled Emotional Involvement

Controlled emotional involvement is in no sense a “hardening” process. It is rather a mellowing process which
serves to steady and temper our emotional responses. Over identification with clients impedes objectivity and
neutrality.
Meaningful Relationship

Meaningful relationship begins by demonstrating the interests in client.

4. Principle of Non Judgmental Attitude

Non judgementalism presumes acceptance. Nonjudgmental social work excludes assigning guilt or innocence,
or degree of client responsibility for causation of the problems or needs but it does include making evaluative
judgments about the attitudes and standards or actions of the client. Nonjudgementalism signifies social
workers’ non blaming attitudes and behaviors…not judging clients as good or bad, or worthy or unworthy.

5. Principle of Objectivity

It is closely related to non judgementalism

6. Principle of Self Determination

Positively it means having freedom to make mistakes as well as to act wisely. Negatively not being coerced or
manipulated. Self determination acknowledges that sound growth emanates from within.

7. Principle of Confidentiality

Confidential means private or secret; something treated with trust, resulting in a feeling of security that
information will not be disclosed to other parties. An example is the confidentiality of conversations and
records between attorney and client.

8. Principle of Accountability

9. Principle of Access to Resources

Code of Ethics

– “Preamble”-summarizes the social work profession's mission and core values

– “Purpose”-provides an overview of Code’s main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues
or dilemmas in social work practice
– “Principles”-presents broad ethical principles, based on social work’s core values, that inform social work
practice

–“Standards”-includes specific ethical standards to guide social workers’ conduct and to provide a basis for
adjudication.

Evolution of Code of Ethics

Historical Periods of the Code

The Code has evolved over time.

– Morality Period-Late 20th Century

– Values Period-Appeared 1950’s

– Ethical Theory & Decision-Making Period-Early 1980’s

– Ethical Standards & Risk Management Period-1996 to current

History of the Social Work Professional Code of Ethics

•1919-First attempt at drafting a Code for the profession of Social

Work-Mary Richmond credited in form of an “Experiential” Code

•1947—American Association of Social Workers created first formal code for the profession

•NASW-Established as the professional association for workers in 1955 and adopts the first Code five
years later in 1960 as the “guide” to the everyday professional conduct of social workers in the profession

•Revised Five Times Since Its Creation

•1979—More comprehensive than first and useful for resolving ethical conflicts,

•1989—Eliminated Standards that prohibited the solicitation of clients to a private practice because of a
consent agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and in recognition of client self-determination,
•1993—Added Standards pertaining to Dual/Multiple Relationships and to impaired social workers, •1996—
Modified numerous areas of the Code and made it more comprehensive

•2001—Clarified Language around the areas of Privacy & Confidentiality

Purpose of the Code for Today’s Practice

–“Guide” Practitioners in resolving ethical dilemmas that arise in practice

–Protect the public from incompetent

–To Protect the Public

–To Describe the Responsibilities & Expectations of Social Workers to their Clients, Colleagues, Employers
and the Society

–To Assist the Social Worker in Developing Ethical Problem and Decision Making Skills as well as Develop
Strategies to Address the Ethical Dilemma.

–To Summarize the Social Work Profession’s Mission and Core Values

IFSW & IASSW Ethics in Social Work

1. Respect individuals’ worth and dignity, encourage mutual participation, demonstrate acceptance,
uphold confidentiality, express honesty and handle conflict responsibly.

2. Encourage individuals’ active participation in the helping relationship and uphold their right to
make their own decisions.

3. Assist clients in securing resources needed to enhance their social functioning.

4. Ensure that social institutions are humane and responsive to human needs.

5. Accept and appreciate diverse populations

6. Hold themselves accountable for ethical conduct, quality of their work and continuous professional
development. (Brenda Dubois, Social Work An Empowering Profession pp118 -142)

Statement of Ethical Principles

Declaration of Ethics for Social Workers (SWEF -1997)

Preamble

The Declaration of Ethics for Professional Social Workers is intended to serve as a guide to the members of
the social work profession, who have obtained minimally a bachelor's degree in social work and, thus, base
their work on recognized knowledge, philosophy and skills. The Declaration is rooted in the contemporary
social reality which has a historical background and in the framework of humanistic values, based on the
intrinsic worth of all human and non-human life.

Declaration of Ethics for Professional Social Workers Value Framework

As a professional social worker, I pledge to promote the following values in myself, in the profession and in
the society.

1. I pledge to perceive people as having inherent worth and dignity, irrespective of their attributes and
achievements and having the capability of continuing development; and I pledge to perceive myself and other
people as part of nature, needing to live in harmony with other non-human existence.

2. I pledge to work towards the overall well-being of all people in the spirit of Sarvodaya, through the
achievement of the following goals:

Equity, non-hierarchy and non-discrimination of human groups in terms of race, religion, tribe, language,
regional origin, gender, sexual orientation and other such factors, and condemning segregation / apartheid /
discrimination among them;

Social, economic, political and legal justice, ensuring satisfaction of basic needs and integrity and security,
universal access to essential resources and protective safeguards for the marginalized people; and People-
centered development, in the spirit of Swarajya and democracy from micro- to macro-levels, where people
participate to determine their life styles and goals for development.

3. I pledge to work with people, guided by the following values:

Solidarity and partnership with the marginalized people; and Peaceful and non-violent approaches in the spirit
of Ahimsa for resolving conflicts with self, others and the environment.

Ethical Responsibility to Self and the Profession

As the first essential to social work practice, I shall constantly seek an understanding of myself and change
my attitudes and prejudices which may affect my work.

I shall be sensitive to and respect the feelings and thinking of others, understands behaviors, avoid stereotypes
and recognize individuality in every person.

I accept with humility and openness, the need to learn and shall imbibe the spirit of inquiry to constantly
update my knowledge base and intervention strategies.

I shall gear my practice upon relevant knowledge and in the changing socioeconomic, geographical and
cultural context.

I shall use my knowledge, power and status as a professional, for the well-being of all and not misuse these
for personal gains.

I shall intervene into the personal affairs of another individual only with his/her consent, except when I must
act to prevent injury to him/her or to others, in accordance with the legal provisions.

In order to ensure credibility and integrity of the social work profession, I shall constantly review it and work
towards its development.

I shall work to promote networking among social work professionals, other professionals and like-minded
individuals and organizations, at the micro- and macro-levels, to work towards people-centered development.

I shall work towards developing and strengthening of professional associations, which are means for
development of the profession.

I shall facilitate development of the new entrants to the profession.

Ethical Responsibility to the Marginalized and Other People in Need

My primary professional response and accountability are to the marginalized and other people in need I work
with. My commitment and professional stand shall be with them.

I shall empathize with people's marginalization and thereby respect and give credence/value to their life
experiences.
I shall work towards changing the systemic and contextual forces which marginalize people, on behalf of and
in partnership with them.

I shall respect people's right for self-determination, and shall ensure that they themselves play an active role in
relation to the course of action to be taken about their life situation.

I shall nurture a relationship of partnership with people that promote mutual reflection on our life situation
and our development.

I shall facilitate people's access to opportunities and resources and empower them for work towards their
stated goal.

I shall share with people, accurate and relevant information regarding the extent and nature of help available
to them, that is, opportunities, rights, strengths, limitations and risks associated with the intervention offered.

I shall enable and encourage people to work with other individuals, organizations and groups, when such
collaboration is in the best interest of the well-being for all.

I shall obtain people's consent before recording or permitting third party observation of their activities after
informing them about its purpose and utility.

I shall keep confidential; all matters shared by them, and shall inform them fully about the limits of privileged
communication in a given situation.

I shall facilitate people's access to official records concerning them, if asked by them. While doing so, I shall
take due care to protect the confidence of others covered by these records.

I shall ensure that payment for services by people, if necessary, are fair and commensurate with the
intervention provided, and within the capacity for such payment of the people served.

When I perceive the need to withdraw from the helping process, I shall give consideration to all factors in the
situation and shall take care to minimize possible adverse effects on the people.

When I anticipate discontinuation of my intervention, I shall notify them promptly and seek transfer, referral
or continuation of service, with consideration to their needs and preferences.
I shall not pursue a relationship or use any coercive means to continue services, which the people served wish
to terminate, and shall offer suggestions or alternative help that they can avail of.

Ethical Responsibility to the Society and the State

It is my ethical responsibility to promote implementation of the Fundamental Rights and the Directive
Principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution.

I shall work towards a society and a state that promotes equity, justice, Ahimsa, Swarajya and Lokniti.

I shall advocate changes in social systems and the State policies and legislation to promote the above values.

I shall encourage informed participation by the people in shaping State policies, legislation, and programs.

I shall respond and offer my professional services in events of emergencies at micro- and macro-levels.

Ethical Responsibility to Co-Workers and Employing Organizations

It is my ethical responsibility to respect the inherent worth and dignity of all my co-workers, that include
social workers, other professionals, auxiliary workers, volunteers and all those involved in the development
process, within and across organizations

I shall cooperate with my co-workers towards development, accepting and respecting our personal and
professional differences.

I shall contribute to the process of collective reflection and democratic decision-making when working as a
team.

I shall acknowledge my co-workers' attributes and achievements and will be willing to learn from them.

I shall respect confidences shared by my co-workers in the course of their professional relationships and
transactions.

I shall promote a practice of mutual evaluation with co-workers for our professional development.

When I am an employer or supervisor to my co-workers, I shall ensure clarity of goals in delegation of roles
and responsibilities, provide opportunities for growth, give them due credits and jointly review their
performance on the basis of goals and clearly enunciate criteria.
I shall act to promote humanistic values and ethical practices in my employing organization’s policies and
practices.

I shall ensure that the organization’s resources are used judiciously and for the purpose they are intended.

I shall periodically monitor and evaluate the organization’s policies and programs by maintaining records, self
reflection on people's feedback and feedback from the co-workers.

Ethical Responsibility to Social Work Education and Research

When teaching and training, it is my ethical responsibility to be conversant with the learners' needs, readiness
and goals.

I shall keep my knowledge update about social work and the subjects I teach through field experience, reading
and training.

While teaching and training I shall impart knowledge, inculcate attitudes and develop skills within the value
framework of the profession.

I shall recognize the importance of partnership between practitioners and educators for the purpose of social
work education and training.

I shall develop a nurturing relationship with students, encouraging openness and self study and facilitating
sharing and discussions in a learning situation.

I shall, whenever possible, undertake demonstration of people-centered field action projects for the purpose of
research and documentation, training and replication.

I shall share the knowledge I gain with other social work educators and practitioners.

I shall contribute to the knowledge base of social work education through my practice wisdom, documentation
as well as research.

I shall expose the students to the professional associations and orient them about their role in developing and
strengthening them.
When carrying out a research, I shall carefully select the topic for research considering its possible
consequences for human beings within the value framework of the profession and towards the goals of
people-centered development.

I shall consider the informants of my research as my co-partners in understanding the phenomenon. I shall,
therefore, share my research objectives with them and get their informed and voluntary consent, respect their
knowledge and attitude about their life situation, and share/interpret the findings with them.

I shall not cause them inadvertent physical or mental discomfort, distress or harm, through my research.

I shall protect the confidentiality of the information shared by them and use the findings for their benefit, by
revising policies and programs concerning them.

I shall provide information services to them, as and when necessary, during the process of data collection.

I shall acknowledge in my paper, the published as well as unpublished material and personal discussions that
have directly influenced my paper.

Background of the Declaration

This `Declaration of Ethics for Professional Social Workers' has been prepared by the Social Work Educators'
Forum (SWEF) at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The SWEF is a forum for social work educators at the
Institute to undertake meetings and activities with a goal to strengthen social work profession and education.
In the meetings scheduled by the SWEF in 1991, a need was felt to formulate a document on ethics for
professional social workers. An initial draft prepared by a sub-committee was discussed and revised through
several in-house meetings. The draft was also circulated for feedback at the National Workshop on Social
Work Practice and Education held in May 1993 and discussed at a Workshop in February 1995 along with the
members of the faculty of the College of Social Work at Nirmala Niketan and the members of the Bombay
Association of Trained Social Workers. It was also sent to some senior social work educators. Feedbacks
obtained from all are incorporated in this Sixth Draft.
 Unit 5 – Syllabus

International Social Work; Concept, definition, meaning and need, global issues, basic concepts, principles
and assumptions; values, beliefs and goals; practice levels and sectors; approaches: personal, social,
developmental, global; multicultural, international and transnational practice models; Global Agenda; Global
Standards; Skills for practice; Dilemmas in practice.

UNIT 5

International Social Work

Concept

International social work is a discrete field of practice within social work that seeks to improve the social and
material well-being of people everywhere. It is practiced across geopolitical borders and at all levels of social
and economic organization. International social work also is development-focused and, as such, much of
international social work practice occurs at the local, state, and provincial levels within individual countries.

Definition

International social work is social work which deals with problems caused between nations or across national
boundaries or efforts beyond national boundaries to solve those problems. International social work thinks of
and acts for the well-being of all people on this earth, or 6.5 billion people in some 200 countries and districts.
International social work does not attach any special meaning or importance in value to any specific country
or people.

Need, Global issues

Social work as a profession began in Amsterdam in 1899 and later spread concurrently throughout Europe and
the United States. Eventually, in the 1920s, it found its way to other places in the world including South
America, the Caribbean, India, and South Africa (Kendall, 2000). The formation of the International
Association of Schools of Social Work and the International Federation of Social Work in 1928 and 1929,
respectively, gave impetus to the profession in organizing social work practitioners and educators from around
the globe. These two major international social work organizations have also provided leadership in
connecting international agencies and international development organizations to social work worldwide.
Social workers have played and continue to play a vital role internationally in promoting humanitarian
assistance, postdisaster development and reconstruction, and social and economic development.

Increasingly, as the social work profession continues to develop worldwide, an effort has been made to
address social work from a global perspective—as one profession practicing in many different countries
(Popple & Leighninger, 2002). Whereas social work is the term commonly used in the United States, other
developing nations often use the terms social development or developmental social welfare. As a global
perspective developed, international professional organizations began to form and develop a mutually agreed
on single concept of the profession. As recently as 2 decades ago formal restructuring of social work program
curricula began as an effort to ensure the inclusion of international social work in the training and preparation
of social work students (Asamoah, Healy, & Mayadas, 1997). The spread of the social work profession began
as an international movement, and today, as our world “shrinks” due to immigration and technology, we are
returning in many ways to the roots of social work as we reconnect with our sister organizations across the
world. A very dramatic and relevant aspect of globalization is migration and the increasing representation of
foreign born persons in the U.S. population. This is one key driving force for social work programs to
internationalize and is a reason for the mandate in CSWE policies that programs should reflect the needs of
their service areas. The U.S. population is approaching 13% foreign born, with one in every four poor children
living in a family with a least one immigrant parent and 18% of all residents in a home where a language other
than English is spoken. Migration is the new priority topic for the CSWE Katherine A. Kendall Institute.

Principles

The overarching principles of social work are respect for the inherent worth and dignity of human beings,
doing no harm, respect for diversity and upholding human rights and social justice.

Advocating and upholding human rights and social justice is the motivation and justification for social work.
The social work profession recognizes that human rights need to coexist alongside collective responsibility.
The idea of collective responsibility highlights the reality that individual human rights can only be realized on
a day-to-day basis if people take responsibility for each other and the environment, and the importance of
creating reciprocal relationships within communities. Therefore a major focus of social work is to advocate
for the rights of people at all levels, and to facilitate outcomes where people take responsibility for each
other’s wellbeing, realize and respect the inter-dependence among people and between people and the
environment.
Social work embraces first, second and third generation rights. First generation rights refer to civil and
political rights such as free speech and conscience and freedom from torture and arbitrary detention; second
generation to socio-economic and cultural rights that include the rights to reasonable levels of education,
healthcare, and housing and minority language rights; and third generation rights focus on the natural world
and the right to species biodiversity and inter-generational equity. These rights are mutually reinforcing and
interdependent, and accommodate both individual and collective rights.

In some instances “doing no harm” and “respect for diversity” may represent conflicting and competing
values, for example where in the name of culture the rights, including the right to life, of groups such as
women and homosexuals, are violated. The Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training deals
with this complex issue by advocating that social workers are schooled in a basic human rights approach, with
an explanatory note that reads as:

Such an approach might facilitate constructive confrontation and change where certain cultural beliefs, values
and traditions violate peoples’ basic human rights. As culture is socially constructed and dynamic, it is subject
to deconstruction and change. Such constructive confrontation, deconstruction and change may be facilitated
through a tuning into, and an understanding of particular cultural values, beliefs and traditions and via critical
and reflective dialogue with members of the cultural group vis-à-vis broader human rights issues.

Values & Beliefs

Wide agreement exists within the profession concerning the orienting values and practice assumptions of
international social work:

• Social, political, and economic events occurring in any region of the world have direct, often immediate, and
sometimes lasting consequences on the quality of life and human rights in all other regions of the world.

• The underlying dynamics of human degradation and social injustice found in local communities often
emanate from social, political, and economic forces that are international in character.

• International social forces both contribute to and sustain social inequalities in particular locales (e.g., the
international dimensions of global poverty and discrimination on the basis of race, class, and caste).

• Only under conditions of peaceful coexistence can local, national, and international social development and,
in turn, human development be accelerated.
• The need to restructure the national and international social orders is particularly urgent to reduce the
profound, largely unnecessary, levels of human misery, degradation, and violence that persist in many
countries and regions of the world.

• International social work specialists possesses a unique body of knowledge and skills that can positively
effect the national and international social situation, especially in helping to find sustainable solutions to
recurrent local, state, national, and international social problems.

• Substantial numbers of international social work specialists acting individually and collectively are
continuing the national and international social movements begun by their predecessors toward the
establishment of a more peaceful and socially just world order.

These orienting values and beliefs are far-reaching and provide a framework for integrating the diverse social
change activities engaged in by international social workers. These values and beliefs also bear directly on the
purpose, goals, and structure of professional programs of development education.

Goals

Agreement also exists in the social work profession concerning the goals of development focused
international practice:

• The elimination of barriers to development which, in every society, have been used to oppress historically
disadvantaged population groups—especially women; older adults; children and youth; persons with
disabilities; political and economic refugees; persons with mental illness; and persons who have been
disadvantaged on the basis of gender, race/ethnicity, poverty, religion, social class, caste, and sexual
orientation

• The realization of more balanced approaches to social and economic development

• The assignment of the highest priority to the fullest possible human development

• The fullest possible participation of people everywhere in determining both the means and outcomes of
development

• The elimination of absolute poverty everywhere in the world

• The promotion and protection of human rights for all citizens

• The realization of new social arrangements that accelerate the pace of development and assure the
satisfaction of basic needs of people everywhere

• The transformation of societies toward more humanistic values based on social justice, the promotion of
peace, and the attainment of the fullest possible human development

Levels of Practice in International Social Work

Table 1 identifies the primary processes and major outcomes associated with eight levels of international
social work practice: individual empowerment, group empowerment, conflict resolution, institution-building,
community-building, nation-building, region-building, and world-building.

Table. 1. Levels of Development-Focused Practice in International Social Work

Practice Levels Major Focus Area

Individual & group empowerment Individuals and groups learning, through self-help,
mutual aid, and conscientization strategies, how to
perceive and act on the contradictions that exist in the
social, political, and economic structures intrinsic to
all societies

Conflict resolution and peace building Efforts directed at reducing (1) grievances between
persons or groups or (2) asymmetric power
relationships between members of more powerful and
less powerful groups

Institution building Refers both to the process of "humanizing" existing

social institutions and that of establishing new
institutions that respond more effectively to new or
emerging social needs

Community building Through increased participation and social animation

of the populace, the process through which
communities realize the fullness of their social,
 political, and economic potential; the process through
which communities respond more equitably to the
social and material needs of their populations

Nation building The process of working toward the integration of a

nation's social, political, economic, and cultural
institutions at all levels of political organization

Region building The process of working toward the integration of a

geopolitical region's social, political, economic, and
cultural institutions at all levels of social organization

World building The process of working toward the establishment of a

new system of international relationships guided by
the quest for world peace, increased social justice, the
universal satisfaction of basic human needs, and for
the protection of the planet's fragile ecosystem

In addition to these levels of development-focused practice, international social work also includes

(1) the provision of personal social services to people in distress, such as war victims, refugees, orphaned
children, and victims of trafficking;

(2) organizational efforts directed at helping poor and other powerless people remove the sources of their
oppression, such as corrupt landlords, unjust employers, colonial administrators, and racism;

(3) the establishment of new social institutions such as credit unions, mutual aid societies, community welfare
centers, seed banks, and social security schemes;

(4) the reform of existing institutions to make them more responsive to the needs of those for whom the
institutions were designed;

(5) efforts that seek to accelerate the pace of development in local communities, states and provinces, nations,
regions and, ultimately, the world itself ;

(6) the promotion of internationally guaranteed human rights;

(7) peace promotion; and

(8) protection of the planet's fragile ecosystems.

Practice Sectors in International Social Work

International social work is practiced across of broad range of sectors, that is, public and private institutions
and organizations that seek to promote the common good through the provision of specialized services and
other activities (e.g., health, education, transportation, communications,

finance). Table 2 identifies the major sectors in which international social work is practiced, albeit a larger
number of sectors in which development-focused international social workers are employed can be identified.

Table 2. Interdisciplinary Practice Sectors in International Social Work

• Addiction • Energy • Poverty

• Aging • Environment • Religion & religious

organizations
• Agriculture • Food
• Refugees & internally
• Child welfare • Health
displaced persons

• Communications • HIV/AIDS
• Reproductive health

• Consumer security • Housing

• Rural development

• Criminal & juvenile justice • Human rights

• Social services

• Culture • Income support

• Sports

• Defense • Immigration and migration

• Technology

• Disaster relief & management • Leisure time & recreation

• Transportation

• Economic development • Microfinance & social

• Urban development
entrepreneurship
• Education
• War & terrorism
• Employment • Population

Approaches: personal, social, developmental, Global

Multicultural Practice

Multicultural Social Work Practice is a text that presents a balance between the need for social workers to
understand not only cultural differences reflected in worldviews but also the sociopolitical dimensions of
culturally competent care. The major thesis is that social work theories, concepts, and practices are often
rooted in and reflect the dominant values of the larger society. As a result, forms of treatment may represent
cultural oppression and may reflect primarily a Eurocentric worldview that may do great harm to culturally
diverse clients and their communities. In order to be culturally competent, social work professionals must be
able to free themselves from the cultural conditioning of their personal and professional training, to
understand and accept the legitimacy of alternative worldviews, to begin the process of developing culturally
appropriate intervention strategies in working with a diverse clientele, and to become aware of systemic
forces affecting both their clients and themselves.

International practice

International social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the
empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour 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.

Transnational practice

A growing number of people—immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, displaced individuals, and

families—lead lives that transcend national boundaries. Often because of economic pressures, these
individuals continually move through places, countries, and cultures, becoming exposed to unique risk and
protective factors. Though migration itself has existed for centuries, the availability of fast and cheap
transportation as well as today's sophisticated technologies and electronic communications have allowed
transmigrants to develop transnational identities and relationships, as well as engage in transnational
activities. Yet despite this new reality, social work has yet to establish the parameters of a transnational social
work practice.
Global Agenda

Promoting social and economic equalities;

Promoting the dignity and worth of people;

Working toward environmental sustainability;

Strengthening recognition of the importance of human relationships

Global Standards

1.  Standards regarding the school’s core purpose or mission statement

2. Standards regarding programme objectives and outcomes

3. Standards with regard to programme curricula including field education

4. Standards with regard to core curricula

5. Standards with regard to professional staff

6. Standards with regard to social work students

7. Standards with regard to structure, administration, governance and resources

8. Standards with regard to cultural and ethnic diversity and gender inclusiveness

9. Standards with regard to values and ethical codes of conduct of the social work profession

Ethical Dilemmas

The ethical dilemmas, which social workers face in their work, are summarized by Reamer (2001) into three
categories as follows:

1. Services provided to individuals, families and small groups or direct practice face the issues of
confidentiality and privacy

2. Social workers in social policy positions may encounter ethical dilemmas concerning the allocation of
limited resources.
3. Ethical dilemmas with reference to social workers’ relationships with their colleagues include situations
where social workers encounter unethical conduct or wrongdoing engaged in be colleagues.

Ethical Dilemmas – Clients & Families

Right to Self-Determination

One of the guiding principles of social work is respect for the client's right to self-determination. This
principle means that the client is ultimately in charge of making his own decisions and finding solutions to
problems, regardless of whether a social worker agrees with his course of action. A social worker may provide
guidance and help clients explore their options, but she may not allow her own opinions and personal biases to
influence the client. This is a difficult dilemma that is created by the social worker's desire to act in the client's
best interest and the need to respect his right to act in a way that he feels is best.

Confidentiality

Another common ethical dilemma encountered by both novice and experienced social workers is the right to
confidentiality versus the right to self-determination, especially in cases of suicidal clients. Social workers
must respect a client's right to privacy and confidentiality, and they may not disclose information about a
client without his prior, written consent. Social workers must also respect a client's right to self-determination,
that is, his right to choose his preferred course of action. But in cases of suicidality or the threat of harm to
another person, a social worker is obligated to break confidentiality to protect her client and the public.

Differences of Morals and Values

All social workers have their own internal value system and set of morals. Despite their best efforts to keep
their feelings in check and to respect differences, social workers are often confronted with situations in which
their values and morals conflict with those of their clients. For example, a social worker who holds certain
religious or moral values about abortion may face an ethical dilemma when trying to assist a teen client who
becomes pregnant and wishes to have an abortion.

Dual Relationships

Engaging in dual relationships - meaning having a friendship or romantic relationship with a client - is
forbidden by the social work code of ethics. And once a social worker terminates contact with a client, the
relationship technically is over. A social worker may find herself in the same social situation or, for example,
in the grocery store with a former client and his family. The social worker cannot simply ignore the client, yet
at the same time, she may not know how far to take their interaction. These are examples of common ethical
dilemmas many social workers face that are difficult to resolve and require professionalism, courtesy and
good judgment.

Administrative Dilemmas

Not all ethical dilemmas in social work involve direct client contact. According to social work professor
Frederic G. Reamer in an article for "Social Work Today," social workers employed in administrative roles
may also come up against a number of challenging ethical dilemmas. For example, directors of human
services agencies may need to make difficult decisions regarding the allocation of funds or agency resources.
The decision to provide funds to one program and to cut funding from another is just one example of a
stressful and trying ethical dilemma social work administrators face

Conflicts between personal and professional values should not be considered ethical dilemmas for a number
of reasons. Because values involve feelings and are personal, the rational process used for resolving ethical
dilemmas cannot be applied to values conflicts.

Ethical dilemmas related to working directly with clients

 Taking action against the will of a client

 Truthfulness regarding a client (e.g. whether a social worker should provide a client with the full range
of information relating to the client’s options or withhold information for the client’s sake)
 The boundaries of support and service provision for a client
 Making the right choice between a legal and illegal action
 The situations which justify the failure to keep confidentiality (i.e. when confidential information may
become harmful for the client to know)
 Working with very demanding clients who ‘suffer from different kinds of mental and character
disturbances, or those who are very demanding in the process of applying for services and access to
them, but then subsequently choosing not to use them
 Lack of cohesion between rules of law and social work practice (‘unworkable’ regulations).