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Social Work is the profession committed to the pursuit of social justice, to the enhancement of the quality of life, and to the development of the full potential of each individual, group and community in society. ORIGINS The concept of charity goes back to ancient times, and the practice of providing for the poor has roots in all major world religions. However, the practice and profession of social work has a relatively modern (19th century) and scientific origin http://www.boisestate.edu/socwork/dhuff/history/chapts/1-1.htm. Charity in Europe was considered to be a responsibility and a sign of one’s piety. This charity was, generally, in the form of direct relief (i.e. money, food, etc.). After the end of Feudalism , a need arose to have an organized system to care for the poor. In England, the Poor Law served this purpose. This system of laws sorted the poor and developed different remedies for these different groups. The 19th century ushered in the were appointed to administrate the church’s mission to the poor. During this time, rescue societies were initiated to find more appropriate means of self-support for women involved in prostitution. Mental asylums grew to assist in taking care of the mentally ill. A new philosophy of "scientific charity" which stated charity should be "secular, rational and empirical as opposed to sectarian, sentimental, and dogmatic." (James Leiby) http://www.boisestate.edu/socwork/dhuff/history/chapts/1-2.htm In the late 1880s, a new system to provide aid for social ills popped up, that would become known as the Settlement Movement http://www.boisestate.edu/socwork/dhuff/history/chapts/2-1.htm. The settlement movement focused on the causes of poverty. They did this through the three "R's" - Research, Reform, and Residence. They provided a variety of services including educational, legal, and health services. These programs also advocated changes in social policy. Workers in the settlement movement immersed themselves in the culture of those they were helping. In America, this led to a fundamental question – is social work a profession? This debate can be traced back to the early 20th century debate between Mary Richmond's Charity Organization Society (COS) and Jane Addams's Settlement House Movement. The essence of this debate was whether the problem should be approached from COS’ traditional, scientific method focused on efficiency and prevention or the Settlement House Movement’s immersion into the problem, blurring the lines of practitioner and client Parker-Oliver & Demiris (2006). Social Work, 51(2), 127-134.. Schools of social work and formalized processes began to spring up. However, the question lingered. In 1915, at the National Conference of Charities and Corrections, Dr. Abraham Flexner spoke on the topic "Is Social Work a Profession?" He contended that it was not because it lacked specialized knowledge and specific application of theoretical and intellectual knowledge to solve human and social problems http://www.ssw.umich.edu/ongoing/fall2001/briefhistory.html. This led to the professionalization of social work, concentrating on case work and the scientific method. QUALIFICATIONS FOR PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK See Also: Qualifications for professional social work In a number of countries and jurisdictions where Registration of people working as social workers is required there are mandated qualificationsThe National Association Of Social Workers (NASW, 2005). NASW Fact Sheet. Retrieved November 15, 2006 from http://www.socialworkers.org.. In other places, the professional association sets academic and experiential requirements for admission to membership. The success of these professional bodies' effort to establish these requirements is demonstrated in the fact that these same requirements are recognised by many employers as necessary for employment Catholic Social Workers National Association . ROLE OF THE PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORKER See Also: Role of the professional social worker Professional social workers have a strong tradition of working for s, community health agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, and even the military. Some social workers work as Psychotherapists , counselors, or Mental Health practitioners, normally working in coordination with psychiatrists, psychologists, or other medical professionals. Additionally, some social workers have chosen to focus their efforts on Social Policy or academic research into the practice or ethics of social work. The emphasis has varied among these task areas by historical era and country. Some of these areas have been the subject of controversy as to whether they are properly part of social work's mission. A variety of settings employ social workers, including governmental departments (especially in the areas of child and family welfare, mental health, correctional services, and education departments), hospitals, non-government welfare agencies and private practice - working independently as counsellors, family therapists or researchers. PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK ASSOCIATIONS There is a International Regulatory body for professional social workers, which is called International Federation of Social Workers(IFSW) {Link without Title} and International Association of Schools of Social Work {Link without Title} In the Country level, there are organisations regulating the profession. USA - National Association of Social Workers {Link without Title} UK - British Association of Social Workers {Link without Title} India - Professional Social Workers' Association {Link without Title} SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE BUILDING See Also: Social work knowledge building The history of social work is a history plagued by a fundamental question – is social work a profession? This debate can be traced back to the early 20th century debate between Mary Richmond's Charity Organization Society (COS) and Jane Addams's Settlement House Movement. The essence of this debate was whether the problem should be approached from COS’ traditional, scientific method focused on efficiency and prevention or the Settlement House Movement’s immersion into the problem, blurring the lines of practitioner and client Parker-Oliver & Demiris (2006). Social Work, 51(2), 127-134.. The impetus for both movements was the glaring reality of social problems and the question over how to best attack them. This debate is arguably the earliest example of a larger debate within social work – how is knowledge acquired? This debate pits positivism against post-positivism in the pursuit of achieving respect as a profession. The current state of social work knowledge building is characterized by two realities. There is a great deal of traditional research, both qualitative and quantitative being carried out, primarily by university-based researchers, but also in different fields, by researchers based in institutes, foundations, or social service agencies. Meanwhile, the majority of social work practitioners continue to look elsewhere for knowledge. This is a state of affairs that has persisted since the outset of the profession in the first decade of the twentieth century. One reason for the practice-research gap is that practitioners deal with situations that are unique and idiosyncratic, while research deals with regularities and aggregates. The translation between the two is often imperfect. A hopeful development for bridging this gap is the compilation in many practice fields of collections of "best practices," largely taken from research findings, but also distilled from the experience of respected practitioners. TYPES OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION There are three levels of intervention:
Clinical or direct practice
Community practice See Also: Community practice
FIELDS OF PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE (BOTH DIRECT AND COMMUNITY LEVELS)
SEE ALSO
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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