SOCIAL WORK AS A PROFESSION
HELPING PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVES
Priscilla Welikala MSW (Washington University at St. Louis)
Visiting Lecturer, NISD
This article was published in the Daily News on 08.04.2011
The World Social Work Day was March 15th and it is very appropriate to look at Social Work as a Profession in the Sri Lankan Context, and how it could contribute to the multidimensional development activities taking place in the Country today. Though Social Work is still not accepted as a Profession in Srilanka, it is not so in many other Countries, and at this point in time there are International Organizations on Social Work like the International Association of Schools of Social Work, International Federation of Social Workers and National Council on Social Work Education and engaged in dialogue/ discussion with the Social Work population all over, to find out ways and means of working together “to build capacities both within the Profession and in collaboration with other groups, Organizations, Institutions to see what specific action could be taken to address priorities coming within the field of Social Work Education and Social Work Practice” In Sri Lanka professional Social Work Education started in the 1950s and at present the National Institute of Social Development conducts professional Social Work Education courses at Diploma, Bachelors and at Masters level and they could function at direct service level, mid- Management or Management level. They are a much needed resource available at this point in time.
Social Work came about in the first place because of the poor, based upon humanistic concerns and religious principles. This commenced with delivery of services to those in need. Starting with this Social Work evolved into a “planned scientific intervention” to help people to help themselves. This underscored the importance of not only helping people but the fact that all people have potentials and they are able to help themselves if the interventions are done in the ‘proper’ way. This is where Social Work Education started. However still there are areas to look into and that is why the International Organizations have stepped in. Looking at Social Work as a practice profession the areas in which social workers operate appear to be very wide and varied. They work in schools, hospitals, welfare departments, Residential care homes, mental health settings and many more. Some of the areas they work are managed by other professions, thus some look at Social Work as an “employee profession” This has become a dilemma to some in the field of Social Work not knowing how to place social work with other Professions. In work performance they do specific tasks depending on the Agency/ Organization and it is a fact that they function at different levels, from Management level to practitioner level. This situation is existent in all countries where Social Work is a profession. However one important fact about Social Work is that this is the only field of practice that looks at a human being in his/her entirety – social, economic, physical, emotional and cultural. Further it draws its knowledge base from a vast range of scientific disciplines. No other field of practice could claim this. It is also important to become aware that Social Workers work with people and not For people. In working with people what is very important is to “uphold people’s Trust” This message is always given by our President to public officials and even the Politicians. It is through building trust and confidence that a person can be motivated and this motivation can lead to enhancing the potentials within. Active participation of people in all development activities is a must as we are in the process of making Sri Lanka the miracle of Asia. The ground work is being done by the government in a variety of areas and involvement of people and developing ownership of what they do ensures sustainability of projects and a better quality of life for changed minds can change lives. This is very important and the time for it is now.
The Social Work Profession has a close affinity to the Mahinda Chinthanaya the main policy statement of our Government. The President himself has stated to high public officials “ All of us are paid by the people whom you should serve with the utmost responsibility and efficiency”. This type of attitude is important if you are to serve the people. The Social Work Profession is guided by professional values and practice principles that guide and help the social worker to build a professional relationship. This leads to building trust and confidence when working with individuals, families and communities. The success and sustainability of any program will be based on how much the public officers responsible for implementation show genuine concern for the people and their commitment towards what is being done. To develop this commitment and genuine concern for people, and believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all people they work with, irrespective of caste, class or ethnicity, it is important for all public officials and others representing people to develop a degree of self awareness. Self awareness can lead to self understanding of ones own strengths and weaknesses and this is very important for no human being is perfect. This can help a person to realize for ones self how genuine or hypocritical one can be. This can help a person to carry out ones duties objectively and be non-judgmental and keep personal prejudices away. It will also help to realize that it is their duty to serve while it is the right of the people to get all services they are eligible to receive. Those who get a professional training in the field of Social Work are equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes to work with people with an understanding and this is very important at this point in time. However as it may not be possible for all to get professional training in the field of Social Work it can do much good if arrangements could be made at least to familiarize those responsible for implementation of such programs with Social Work values and practice principles and awareness of self sessions to “humanize” all programs as the daring truth is that People help to sustain and maintain all Professions. Some foreign universities have already started dual degree programs with Social Work and this underscores the importance of Social Work Education and practice for greater success in working with people – the biggest resource in any country.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it