WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK
The International Federation of Social Workers (2012) defines social work as a profession that promotes social change, solves human relationship problems and as well, empowers and liberates people to enhance their wellbeing. The use of theories regarding human behaviour and social systems intervenes at the point where people interact with their environment. For this reason, the principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW, 2013) also defines social work as a profession that is centred around people thus from babies through to older people. These groups of people work with individuals and families to help improve outcomes in their currents negative situations. These may include offering help to protect vulnerable people from harm or abuse or supporting them to live independently. A social worker therefore support people and acts as an advocate and directs them with regards to the seriousness of their situation. This group of workers often work with other multidisciplinary groups alongside health and education professionals. The interventions they respond to include agency administration, community organisation and engaging in social and political actions to impact social policy and economic development. …… The holistic focus of social work is universal but the priorities of social work practices vary from country to country and from time to time depending on cultural, historical and socio-economic conditions.
In my personal opinion, social work as a profession or work carried out by trained personnel, aims to
provide social services especially to the disadvantaged, thereby alleviating the condition of these people in the community who have been socially deprived.
JOB ROLE
According to Brayne and Carr (2012), a person who practices social work is referred to as a ‘social worker’. Social workers can work in a variety of settings ranging from clients home, their schools, hospital or other public sector organisations. Clients of the social worker are the elderly, young people and their families. The common of these groups are young offenders, individuals with learning difficulties, people with behavioural difficulties, drug and alcohol addicts, school children with high level of truancy as well as those with mental health issues (Davis 2014). In the United Kingdom, individuals’ who holds a bachelor’s degree or post graduate degree in the relevant field of study can be recognised as a social worker. After qualification, the individual must be registered by the appropriate regulatory body before one could be allowed to practice .It is a profession that promotes social change , empowerment and liberation of people to promote or enhance well-being. ‘Principles of human rights and Social justice ’are fundamental to social works. This regulatory body provides individuals with their code of ethics within which to safely practice in other to regulate their activities (BASW, 2013).
Horner (2012) supported the view of BASW (2013) by asserting that social workers, work within a framework of legislation and government policies relating to children and families. They therefore work in a variety of ways suitable to the individual’s circumstances and they support their clients to achieve independence in as much as they exercise their human and civil rights. Social workers also render a practical and emotional support to individuals who fall into their category. According to Howe (2008), they have the duty to deliver good outcomes without any prejudice. This is vital because any individual that requires the services of a social worker envisages that, the intervention that will be available to them will alleviate their current predicaments without burdening their families and also not feeling embarrassed about their situation.
Qualified social workers in their profession perform
