THE PROFESSION OF SOCIAL WORK

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THE PROFESSION OF SOCIAL WORK

• Kimberly Hinds
• kimberly.hinds_at_uwimona.edu.jm
• Department of Sociology, Psychology
• Social Work
• UWI Mona---September 26, 2005

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For Discussion

• What are the other professions in the room?

• Why do you consider yourself as a part of that
  profession?

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INTRODUCTION

• Many individuals and other professionals will
  question whether social work is a TRUE
  profession. YOU need to be able to say why it is
  a profession and have arguments to support this.

• There are some characteristics that must be
  present if a profession is to be recognised.

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Let Us Examine Social Work and See If It Fits
Into These Criteria.

• Ernest Greenwood quoted in Zastrow stated that
  all professions seem to have
• SYSTEMATIC THEORY
• AUTHORITY
• COMMUNITY SANCTION
• ETHICAL CODES
• CULTURE
• (Greenwood, Ernest, Attributes of a
  Profession, Social Work 2(July 1957) 45-55 )

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Leslie Leighninger Presented a Process Model

• Movement toward professional status, specifically
  the formation of professional organisations
  and professional education.
• Power/control -----status of the profession
  (Authority/monopoly)
•  
• (Leighninger, Leslie, Social Work Search for an
  Identity NY Greenwood Press 1987)

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 Public Model Vs. Private Model (Elizabeth Howe)

• Law, medicinePrivate Social Work-Public
• Relates to autonomy and accountability
• Most of the employees are in public agencies and
  are subject to a greater degree of control by the
  public.
• Public professions (i.e. social work) are
  responsible to clients and the agency
•  (Howe, Elizabeth, Public Professions and the
  Private Model of Professionalism, Social Work 25
  (May 1980)
•  

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DO WE QUALIFY AS A PROFESSION?

• LETS LOOK AT THE THEORETICAL BASE

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1920-1960- Medical Model

• Most social workers used a MEDICAL MODEL to
  assess and change human behaviour.
• Mainly initiated by Freud. Clients were referred
  to as PATIENTS.
• The worker first diagnoses the patients
  problem and then provides or prescribes
  treatment.
• Advocated that the problem was inside the
  patient. Something was wrong with their mind.
• (Zastrow)

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Medical Model Continued

• Characterized behavioural and emotional problems
  as mental illness, so there was a lot of
  labelling e.g. schizophrenia, paranoia, phobia,
  bipolar)
• The Medical Model attributed this mental illness
  to causative factors e.g. genetics, traumatic
  early childhood experiences, infectious diseases
  and unconscious use of defense mechanisms.
  (Beyond their control)
• The Medical Model considered the sick/
  mentally ill as in need of therapeutic help.
•  

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1960s Ecological Model

• Some social work scholars began to question the
  usefulness and accuracy of the medical model as
  they theorised that environmental factors were
  equally and perhaps more responsible for a
  clients problems.
• The Ecological Model emphasizes the transactions,
  both positive and negative between individual and
  their physical and social environment.
• The Ecological Model recognises the importance of
  internal and external factors on an individuals
  functioning. (More to come in SW 21C ?).

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Ecological Model Continued

• The Ecological Model talks about the
  person-in-the environment (PIE) and the various
  systems impacting on the individual.
• In the Ecological Model, the worker can work with
  the client on three distinct areas
• (a) Himself and try to help that client develop
  his/her problem solving, coping and
  developmental capacities.
• (b) The relationship between the individual and
  the different systems he/she interacts with and
  put the client in touch with the resources and
  services they need to function effectively.
• (c) The external systems (macropolicy---advocacy)
  and attempt to change them to better meet the
  individuals needs.

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Johnson Gives a
Breakdown of the Advocates/Proponents of the
Various Theories That Have Shaped the Social Work
Profession

• Pre 1920 Mary Richmond---developed the original
  framework for assessment. In her publication
  Social Diagnosis (1917) she spoke about
  diagnosis rather than assessment. She was heavily
  influenced overall by sociology and the social
  sciences. Her thrust was that the worker should
  engage in a wide study, she believed in cause and
  effect , the worker was to gather as much info as
  possible about the client who was in need of
  service to make a diagnosis and then treat.

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1921-1930 ---- Sigmund Freud

•  Emphasising the psychological aspects of social
  behaviour. Looking at early childhood
  experiences. Worker showed respect for the
  clients individuality. The influence on the
  Social Work profession is that they spoke about
  TREATMENT rather than intervention. This era was
  characterised by what Johnson referred to as a
  movement from DOING TO or DOING FOR to WORKING
  WITH.

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1931-1945--Gordon Hamilton

• Spoke to the diagnostic approach

1946-1960--Felix Biestek

• 1957 book The Casework Relationship spoke to
  the nature of the casework relationship between
  the caseworker and the client and the role of the
  worker in working with the client to adjust
  better to his environment.

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Biesteks Principles

• He also identified seven principles which should
  inform the casework relationship
  (individualization, purposeful expression of
  feeling, controlled emotional environment,
  acceptance, non-judgemental, clients
  self-determination and confidentiality.

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1960Helen Perlman

• Social Casework A Problem Solving Process
• A new statement of casework came about near the
  end of 1960began to see the term diagnosis.
  Moving closer to what we consider to be
  assessment as we now use it in social work.

1961-1975

• Terms assessment and intervention more widely
  used---Development of generalist practices and
  the necessary skills needed to work with diverse
  populations.

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1976-1991

• Differential role of the BSW vs. MSW---Use of
  terms such as ASSESSMENT, PERSON IN SITUATION,
  RELATIONSHIP (both with clients and systems) and
  PROCESS---representing changes over time and how
  to work with new shifts based on a situation.

1991-Present

• Practice theory was influenced again by the
  changing times---downsize, less money for social
  welfare programmes---STRENGTHS

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Can you now make a case as to why Social Work is
a Profession?
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Key Lessons

• No matter how fast-paced the world may seem and
  uncertain (9-11, Hurricanes, AIDS, Global
  Warming), people will always be at the centre.
  People will always have problems that require the
  skills of a professional equipped to help them
• restore their social functioning
• provide them with social services
• prevent the problem from arising. (Farley, Smith
  Boyle)
•  THAT PROFESSIONAL IS YOU!!!

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• Current evidence indicates that the profession
  of social work is here to stay and that in the
  years/decades to come it will continue to grow
  and expand its services and assist more
  individuals, families, groups and communities to
  solve their problems and restore their social
  functioning.

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See You Next Week !!!

• REFERENCES
• Farley O. William, Smith, Lorenzo Boyle, Scott
  W. (2003). Introduction to Social Work. Pearson
  Education
• Johnson, Louise Yanca, Stephen J. (2004) Social
  Work Practice. Pearson Education.
• Zastrow, Charles (2003). The Practice of Social
  Work. Brooks Cole