Social work: definition and core principles

Social Work Defined

This work serves to define social work, in a broad sense

Social work is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as; "…any of various professional activities or methods concretely concerned with providing social services and especially with the investigation, treatment, and material aid of the economically, physically, mentally, or socially disadvantaged." ("Social Work," 2010) Social workers, can begin at entry level with a baccalaureate degree and a state license (LSW) or they can have advanced master's and doctoral degrees, as MSW's or PhD in Social Work. Within social work there are also many specialized practices as social workers can specialize in various populations or treatment regimens and work as councilors or even ombudsmen for any number of groups in need. These can include social workers who specialize in grief counseling, hospice, childhood abuse, or the treatment of people who have been victims of crime. Many of these specializations are associated with specific professional organization membership as well as additional certifications, sometimes compulsory, sometimes voluntary depending on state, federal and local licensing laws.

Generalist social workers are defined by the Dictionary of Social Work as; "a practitioner whose knowledge and skills encompass a broad spectrum and who assesses problems and their solutions." (Barker, 2003, p. 176) Often these types of social workers are the backbone of social work in hospitals, local and state agencies and elsewhere, where people often seek assistance with regard to meeting social and community needs of a broad nature, rather than as a response to demographics or a particular social event. Social work generalists provide a variety of identification and solution options that can range anywhere from simply allowing the individual to voice his or her concerns about a particular problem or social barrier, to finding specific solutions and communicating them to the individual to allow them to overcome the barrier.

According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics social workers are ultimately and primarily responsible for the well-being of clients. Therefore clients' needs and/or interests are the primary driving force behind decisions and solutions offered by social workers. The only exceptions to this standard are when the clients' interests are superseded by legal and/or ethical social needs of others. Such as when the client divulges harm that has or is being committed against them in crimes, or when clients divulge their own part in harming others or themselves by criminal acts. One example of this of course is abuse of a child, when the child is the client or when the client has harmed a child or has stated intent to harm a child. The social worker is bound by law to report such disclosures to law enforcement to be investigated as crime, or if the event has not occurred to refer the client for further evaluation. In the case of disclosure to harm oneself or others, the social worker has an ethical responsibility to refer the individual for further evaluation and possible commitment to a psychiatric facility equipped to aid the individual and potentially avert any future harm. The social worker must then use his or her professional judgment to determine if such goals or proposed actions pose a serious and imminent threat to self or others. The NASW code identifies this need to disclose as the social worker's ethical responsibility to larger society. (National Association of Social Workers, 2008)

Additionally, as part of the NASW Code the social worker is ethically bound to aide in the individual's self-determination and to help them give voice to and even codify their goals. (National Association of Social Workers, 2008) Ultimately, it is the primary goal of the social worker to help clients identify potential problems in social functioning. Some examples include, meeting his or her basic needs in any given situation and his or her broader needs such as socialization, spiritual belonging, familial support and any other possible barrier to the individual having the highest quality of life possible.