PROFESSIONALS

AND
PRACTITIONERS IN
SOCIAL WORK
BY: JHONREY ROSETE
“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to
improve the lot of others, or strikes out against
injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope... and
crossing each other from a million different centers of
energy and daring those ripples build a current that
can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and
resistance.”

-Robert F. Kennedy
● Great things start from small beginnings, they say. Thus,
even the smallest deeds done for one person can create an
impact to the rest of the world. You can perceive the
profession of social work in this way.

● Social work may be voluntary or it may require an active

engagement as a professional social worker, either in the
public and private spheres. After all, what is important is
the intention to serve those who are in need of social
services, which you can provide or help get access. These
people in need are your clientele and audience. But how
exactly can the concept of "helping people" be understood in
a more professional perspective?
This can be done by understanding what the purposes of social work
are (Zastrow, 1996):

1. The promotion, restoration, maintenance, and

enhancement of the functioning of individuals, families, groups,
organizations, and communities by helping them accomplish tasks,
prevent and alleviate distress, and use resources.

2. The planning, formulation, and implementation of

social policies, services, resources, and programs needed to
meet basic human needs and support the development of human
capacities.
 3. The pursuit of policies, services, resources, and
programs through organizational or administrative advocacy and
social or political action, so as to empower groups at risk and
promote social and economic justice.

4. The development and testing of professional knowledge

and skills related to these purposes.

● All these resonate one simple fact that there are people that
may need help and that other people can actually extend
assistance to them. What exactly makes a person fit to become
a social worker? What are expected of these people when they
provide help to others?
Who is a Social
Worker?
● The word "help" and "assist" are roughly the operational
words associated with social work. A social worker is a
person who helps clients and audiences in coping up with
their physical, mental, behavioral, or emotional problems.

● A social worker does not act on impulse. Rather, the kind of

service he or she extends to people is planned and
systematic. He or she first identifies the people who need
assistance. Studying the environment and analyzing the
client's needs are two of the most basic things that a social
worker must perform. In other words, he or she must be able
to understand the problem so as to assess the possible
solutions.
● Social workers present to their clients the endless
possibilities of getting through challenges. This
allows the reduction of stress on the part of the
clients. The social worker also counsels the clients by
providing them hope for change and improvement.

● Social workers research and refer clients to community

resources. If in any case that the clients are unable
to transact with agencies on their own, social workers
help them apply, so that the clients could receive the
corresponding benefits.
● In times of crises, a social worker is expected to
actively give aid to distressed and vulnerable people.
When these people are distraught and have a limited
capacity to act for themselves, the social worker, as
an advocate, help them get the resources they need.

● Social workers do not stop at providing help. They

conduct follow-ups to ensure that the client's
condition or situation has actually improved. Follow-
ups are also a way of evaluating if the services
provided were effective. Otherwise, the social worker
must find ways on how to improve the quality of his or
her service or enhance the mechanism or mode of
delivering the service.
The Profession in the
Philippine Context
● "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can
do for your country," said former U.S. President John F.
Kennedy, perhaps one of the most brilliant statesmen in the
world. How do you understand this quote in relation to social
work? If you will ponder on it, it suggests that one's
personal needs, motivations, and aspirations are equally
important as that of others.

● If one is in a privileged position to promote others' well-

being, it becomes his or her duty to the country to help
other members of the society reach their full potentials. In
fact, the national motto of the Philippines states the
Filipino core values of being "maka-Diyos, maka-Tao,
makakalikasan, at makabansa." These values represent the
duties of good Filipino citizens.
● A conscious effort of making social work more relevant in the
Philippine society was the formal institutionalization of the
Department of Social Work at the University of the Philippines (UP)-
Diliman in 1950. As stated in its official Web site, UP Department of
Social Work "aims to educate current and future social workers on
integrative social work practice anchored on critical and culturally
relevant theoretical perspectives" with the strategic goal of being a
"center of excellence in social work education in Southeast Asia.“

● The department offers academic programs which are people-centered and

are anchored on practical realities of the social work profession.
The academic unit, through its "active role in the development of
national standards for social work education," envisions its
graduates to be responsive and relevant in realizing the empowerment
and social transformation of members of the society.
● Like any other profession, social work (1)
institutionalizes and enforces a code of ethics and
professional standards in social work education; (2)
establishes specific roles for social workers, setting
them apart from other social service professions; (3)
protects and restricts the title of "social worker";
and (4) gains public and governmental recognition in
the form of licensing and setting a level of
qualification. Social work in the Philippines adheres
to all of these considerations.
● The professionalization of social work in the Philippines is also
apparent through university- level training. Several schools in the
country offer undergraduate and graduate programs in social work. An
undergraduate degree in social work is typically taken in four years.
After earning the degree, passing the board examination for social
workers entitles one to become a registered practitioner in the
field.

● Since the 1960s, a national curriculum was being followed by social

work programs in different higher educational institutions in the
country. The most recent version has been developed by the National
Association for Social Work Education (NASWE) and the Philippine
Association of Social Workers, Inc. (PASWI), and was approved by the
Commission on Higher Education in 2010 (CHED, 2010, as cited in
Price, 2014).
● The curriculum ensures a rigorous training and the students'
adherence to different competency expectations, such as the "helping
process, critical understanding of discrimination and oppression,
knowledge of social policy, applied psychology and sociology, and the
ability to reflect critically and to make appropriate use of
supervision“

● Although prestige and remuneration are not as rewarding in the

Philippines, social workers, according to Price (2014), strive to
improve the discipline's status and professional image. With the
formal institution of social work education in various colleges and
universities in the Philippines, we can see how relevant social work
is as a profession in the country. The graduates of social work move
to become committed social workers and excel in various fields of
practice, both in the public and private sectors. The challenge at
the moment is how you, as a member of this generation, can actively
choose social work as a potential career and make the country benefit
from your strengths and abilities.
Social Work as a
Multi-skilled
Profession
In order for social workers to effectively perform tasks,
they have to (NASW, 1981, as cited in Gibelman, 1995):

1. Listen to others with understanding and purpose

2. Elicit information and assemble relevant facts to prepare

social history, assessment, and report

3. Create and maintain professional helping relationships

4. Observe and interpret verbal and nonverbal behavior and use

knowledge of personality theory and diagnostic methods
5. Engage clients, including individuals, families,
groups, and communities, in efforts to resolve their own
problems and to gain trust.

6. Discuss sensitive emotional subjects supportively and

without being threatening.

7. Create innovative solutions to clients' needs.

8. Determine the need to terminate the therapeutic

relationship.
9. Conduct research or interpret the research findings
and professional literature.

10. Mediate and negotiate between conflicting parties.

11. Provide inter-organizational liaison services.

12. Interpret and communicate social needs to funding

sources, the public, or legislators.
Social Workers'
Area of
Specialization
The question "What do social workers do?" can be
answered in different ways depending on the context
(Gibelman, 1995):

● Setting of the practice, area, and auspice of practice

● Characteristics of the clients
● Problems presented by the clients
● Level of practice
● Methodologies used in practice
● The configuration of what social workers do "[varies] from
one social worker to another and [changes] for any one social
worker over the course of his or her career" (Gibelman,
1995). Because there are many aspects that affect the
practice, it would be easier to just understand "where one
works and with whom rather than what one does.“

● Social work is an applied social science. Why is this so? It

is because social work is a "diverse profession with fluid
boundaries... carried out, for example, in medical, legal,
and school settings as well as in state governments and
proprietary agencies" (Gibelman, 1995).
● Unlike other specialized professions such as law and
medicine, social work is wide-ranging, is expanding, and is
often generalist, thus, making it difficult to describe.
However, Gibelman (1995) acknowledged that careers in social
work are getting more specialized, hence, giving social work
students more options to choose from after graduation.

● He further added that while students are certain to become

social workers someday, they generally have no idea where
social workers are being employed and which kinds of things
do social workers undertake. Even those who are already
involved in the practice of social work may still find other
social work career options where they could shift in to.