Social workers are employed by public and voluntary agencies,
including family and child welfare agencies, hospitals, youth
organizations, settlement houses, and schools.
Human problems are varied and complicated. They may be due to poverty and poor housing, physical or mental illness, unemployment, or family misunderstandings. One of the tasks of the social worker is to help the person understand his difficulty and then to plan with him ways in which it can be met.
Throughout history people have shown a willingness to help their neighbours in trouble. Social work had its beginnings in this concern for the well-being of neighbours. In earlier days the poor were helped through simple acts of charity, but as the numbers of the needy increased, this was not enough. Institutions were provided to care for dependent children, the aged, the handicapped, and the sick. Too often in the beginnings of social work it was thought that being in trouble was a person's own fault. Little attention was paid to the real causes of distress.
At the turn of the 20th century, however, there came new knowledge from psychiatry and the social sciences. It brought a greater understanding of the forces that keep people from being useful and happy. Social work changed from a program of "doing for" people to a program of "working with" people to help them achieve fuller and more satisfying lives. Helping them to help themselves became a central purpose. It was recognized too that goodwill was not enough to help people solve their problems. Trained minds were needed as well. Gradually principles and methods were developed that grew into today's skilled profession of social work.
Human problems are varied and complicated. They may be due to poverty and poor housing, physical or mental illness, unemployment, or family misunderstandings. One of the tasks of the social worker is to help the person understand his difficulty and then to plan with him ways in which it can be met.
Throughout history people have shown a willingness to help their neighbours in trouble. Social work had its beginnings in this concern for the well-being of neighbours. In earlier days the poor were helped through simple acts of charity, but as the numbers of the needy increased, this was not enough. Institutions were provided to care for dependent children, the aged, the handicapped, and the sick. Too often in the beginnings of social work it was thought that being in trouble was a person's own fault. Little attention was paid to the real causes of distress.
At the turn of the 20th century, however, there came new knowledge from psychiatry and the social sciences. It brought a greater understanding of the forces that keep people from being useful and happy. Social work changed from a program of "doing for" people to a program of "working with" people to help them achieve fuller and more satisfying lives. Helping them to help themselves became a central purpose. It was recognized too that goodwill was not enough to help people solve their problems. Trained minds were needed as well. Gradually principles and methods were developed that grew into today's skilled profession of social work.
Sean has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now
covering a wide variety of topics, you can visit his latest website on king size bedspreads which reviews and lists the best at http://kingsizebedspreads.org/.
0 comments:
Post a Comment