Basic Concepts On Aspects Related to Social Work

Basic Concept on Aspects Related to Social Work

Social worker has to study those various aspects that directly relates with social work practices and approach.

• Social service

• Social action

• Social welfare

• Social movement

Social service:

The term service means an act of helping. Social service is defined as any aid or assistance provided by society to enable its members to optimally actualize their potential to perform their rules and responsibility effectively in the society.

A broad definition of social work includes those services which are provided by society to its members to enable them to function effectively and lead life of dignity, decency, and liberty. This service directly benefits all member of society irrespective of their religion, caste, race, language, region, culture etc.

Features of social services

• Social service is visulated and organized by state or society.

• This service directly benefits all sections of society.

• These services have a wide scope including everything that has a direct benefit on the quality of life of people.

• These services aim at promoting human and social development protecting human rights of people and creating a sense of responsibility among them towards the society.

Social Welfare

Social welfare is organized system of social service and institutions designed to help individuals and groups to attain satisfactory standard of life and health and person and social relationship when permit them to develop their well-being in harmony with the needs of their family and community social welfare similar to social service but it specializes on giving attention to benefit the weaker and vulnerable section of population which includes women, children elderly people ,physically handicapped, mentally retarded.

According to Friedlander,

"The term welfare means all the services (social and economic) that deals with economic support, welfare provisions and social security. Social welfare is people’s well being promoted by society through a wide variety of ways and means. Wilensky and Labeaux define social welfare as those formally organized and socially sponsored institutional agencies and programs which function to maintain or improve the economic condition health or interpersonal competence".

Important characteristics of social welfare:

• It is deliberately organized system of services.
• It is targeted to address the needs of weaker and vulnerable section of society.
• The aim of social welfare is to protect and promote the interest of these sections (weaker and vulnerable) enable them to realize their potential talents and abilities and help them to live a dignified life.

Social welfare is motivated by:

• Mutual aid: Thinking or activities to help each other is called mutual aid. E.g. Marwadi sewa samiti provides food, water in shivaratri, teej etc. Also helps in business by this welfare to Marwadi’s. A common person helps them in business and they help common people during festival times by providing food and drinks so mutual aid where both help each other.

• Religious commandment: Influenced religious thinking to give some aid or to help another. E. g. Daan, Dharma, Zakat, found in all religious. Influences found in all religious where people are motivated to help those in trouble. E.g. during saptaha, we collect money which is used to help other people.

• Desirable political advantage: Aid is given by politician for their political advantage. E.g. aid is given for establishment of schools, colleges, brides etc.

• Ideological factor: Every person has their own ideology. Some of them have ideology to welfare or to help a person in need or society. Example Mother Teresa and Hitler.

Areas of social welfare

This is defined as the places or areas where we can do welfare to change society in positive ways. They are:

• Health
• Education
• Housing
• Employment
• Personal social services

Social Action (non-violent):

According to Kenneth (1945) “social action is a systematic conscious effort directed to influence the basic social conditions and problems when arise from problems in social adjustment and mal-adjustment”.

According to Dunham (1958) “social action is defined as effort to bring about changes in current social practices or situations through education, propaganda, persuasion and pressure.”

According to Friedlander (1963):

"Social action is an individual group or community effort within the framework of social work philosophy and practice that aims to achieve social problems and improve social legislations help and welfare service".

When the social institution can’t work for the welfare of the people in their respective problem then some kinds of program will organize to solve problem then it is called social action .Example to end racial discrimination. When someone can’t fight for their rights and another person helps them to solve problem then it is called advocacy or law being. Law being is done for the welfare of victim or who are backward in society. The freedom obtained by common people is civil liberty. Example people open their shops on the footpath in order to earn money.

Masses social action is better for social action because:

• Time consuming
• Budget consuming
• Rapport should not be built
• Should not travel for long distance

Process/stages of social action

According to Lee, the techniques are:

1. Developing awareness: Research, education: Research to find whether the people involved are frustrated or not.
2. Organization: Cooperation and organization: This is done for the welfare of youth. In organization help of other people especially experts is taken which is also known as arbitration.
3. Strategies: Negotiation and mild coercion: Make use of powerful person.
4. Action: Violation of legal norms and joint action: Violent and non-violent method. Best example of the latter is that of Mahatma Gandhi which included the following programs:

• Propaganda
• First introduction
• Study or survey
• Association
• Service
• Resistant-protest
• Boycott
• Construction work or community service
• Building the climate of change

Social Movement:

Social movement means various forms of collection action aimed social re-organization. Social movements are not highly institutionalized and arise from spontaneous social protest, directed to a specific social problem. Social movement is n organized attempt by a number of people united by a shared belief to effect or resist changes in the existing social order by non-institutionalizes means.

Social movement are highly significant for social work because they bring about desired change in the social structure, eradicate social evils and prevent abuse and exploitation which are the primary concerns of social work.

Features of social movement

• Existence of some sort of discontentment from the existing social structure.

• A common cause and organization of collective action by mobilizing like-minded people.

• Initiate some programs or activities by commonly deciding with the group.

• Respect the ideas of autonomy, human rights, removable of social evil etc.

• Various kind of manifestation’s such as revolt rebellion, revolutionary methods such as protest demonstration, strike, etc.

Condition of successful movement (Abel 1927)

• Many individual experience the events which are perceived as threat. Dissatisfaction of problem of people establishes movement.

• The reaction to the events must be strong and emotion dissatisfaction. In simple world, realization is important.

• Personal values must be involved or self-change.

• There must be some object which becomes the focus of dissatisfaction and opposition of the movement.

Reference-

Shrestha, S. K. (2013). the concept of social work. Kathmandu: Taleju Prakashan.