INTRODUCTION
A
your school and the community. This module will introduce you to Social Work.
Social work is a discipline within human services. Its main goal is to assist
individuals and families with their needs and solve their problems using a multidisciplined
approach. In order to be effective, social workers work closely with many
agencies and professionals.
Social work is usually a part of the Human Services Department of a government.
It serves as a link between the government’s clients and other government resources,
such as: manpower training leading to employment, welfare payments towards financial
assistance, legal consultation in dealing with legal problems, food and water relief at
times of drought, famine and war, etc.
As a social worker, you will also work closely with medical professionals in order
to provide medical care for clients; with school personnel to identify children who are in
need of help, and with counsellors and psychologists in order to provide psychological
counselling. Today the problems faced by individuals and families are often
complicated, and assistance from many agencies is needed.
Social work provides an important service to society. Individuals and families in
need of help are the focus of it, and are referred to as clients. As social workers, our
goal is to help clients live a productive life in their own community. In order to reach
this goal, we often enlist the assistance of family members, relatives, local religious
leaders, tribal leaders and elders, and other influential members of the community.
Although institutionalization may be necessary at times, it is a temporary solution. The
goal is to help clients return to normal life in a natural setting.
Today, social workers are not only the bridge linking clients to other helpers, they
also provide their clients with hope, and encourage their first steps towards a new life.
Social workers usually stand in the front line, and reach out to the clients soon
after problems occur. They provide an initial assessment of the situation and mobilize
other needed services.
Social work uses a team approach and is multi-disciplined. Its goal is to provide a
service to those who need help, especially the old, young, poor, abused, mistreated,
handicapped, jobless, the sick and the homeless. Its approach is to use available
resources to solve problems in order to empower clients to help themselves in the long
term.s a teacher, you will sometimes need to play the role of a social worker in