COMPONENT OF SOCIAL CASE WORK: THE PROBLEM
INTRODUCTION
Social case work is the primary
method in social work practice. In social case work, a social worker works with
an individual, helps an individual who faces problem in the day-to-day
functioning. This method deals with both the social and psychological aspects
of an individual’s life. The term “social” implies the experiences of the
individual with other people and his/her environment, and the term
“psychological” implies the thoughts and feelings which occupy the mind within
an individual. Thus, the social aspects deal with the interpersonal experiences
of the individual and the psychological aspects deal with the intrapersonal
experiences of a human being. In order to understand the individual person, it
is important to understand the various components of social case work and the
importance of the components in dealing with the problems of the individual.
Social case work is defined by
Mary Richmond in 1915, as “the art of doing different things for and with
different people by cooperating with them to achieve at one and the same time
their own and society’s betterment.”
The nucleus of social case work
is given by H.H. Perlman which is, ‘a person with a problem comes to a place
where a professional representative helps him by a given process’. This entire
phenomenon is also known as the 4P’s and is used in most of the situations
where a person seeks professional help.
There are four components of
casework known as the 4 P’s:
1. The
person
2. The
problem
3. The
place
4. The
process
THE PROBLEM
Dimensions of problems
There are several dimensions in
which a problem may arise. Some of these are listed below:
1. Intrapersonal
problem: When maladjustments and frustrations arise due to personal issues of
an individual and block their social functioning, these problems are
intrapersonal in nature. These problems only affect the concerned person and
the surroundings of a person.
2. Interpersonal
problem: When problems arise due to some external cause, situation or the
surroundings of an individual and make him/her uncomfortable, these problems
are interpersonal in nature. Interpersonal problems also affect the people who
surround us like family, friends, etc.
3. Physiological
problems: Physiological problems are caused due to ailments in certain body
part or due to physical illness. When a person experiences a prolonged disease,
it starts to affect his/her mental health and therefore it becomes important to
be addressed.
4. Economic
problems: Fulfillment of basic needs is imperative for every human being.
Problems arising due to poverty are one of the basic problems. People all over
world are facing economic crisis. The society is divided into various classes -
upper, middle and lower. The upper class is capable of affording almost all the
luxuries, the middle class is capable to at least fulfilling all the basic requirements,
while the lower class faces a crisis in their daily life.
5. Psychological
problems: Psychological issues are usually related to the mind and behaviour of
a person. Anxiety, depression, paranoia, etc., are the extreme results of a
prolonged psychological problem.
Casework helps in problem
solving. It tries to provide an intervention to breaks or modify the
cause-and-effect chain of problems. Social casework tries to assess the
situation of the client and the available means and processes to facilitate the
client’s problem-solving efforts. Three main considerations enter into the
choice of problem focus: 1) what the client wants 2) what the caseworker’s
professional judgments points to as possible and desirable solutions and 3) what
the agency is for and can offer.
THE PLACE
‘The place’ is a social service
agency or a social service department where the person comes for help with
his/her problem. Place may include a larger institution (e.g., the local
authority), or the smaller social work microcosm (e.g., the psychiatric social
work department in a mental hospital). Place may also include the institutions
in which caseworkers’ practice (schools, child guidance clinics, children’s
departments of the hospitals and courts and so on).
Classification of Social casework agencies:
Social casework agencies may be
classified based on the following three factors:
1. Source
of support- These are the agencies which are funded by public taxation (child welfare,
physical and mental health programs, etc.) or voluntary contribution.
2. Source
of professional authority – Some agencies are primary agencies which carry full
authority and responsibility for their social functions and some are secondary
agencies which derive their authority and responsibility from the host agency.
3. Special
function and area of concern- Primary agencies may be both public and private. These
agencies choose to work in particular area in which they give services.
Secondary agencies are associated with the work of some other profession, such
as medicine, education or law and cater to their specific knowledge and
purpose.
Characteristics of social agency
Some of the characteristics of
social agency as given by Pearlman are described below:
1. Help
the society: A social agency protects members of a society by helping
individuals and groups against social breakdowns, to prevent their
maladjustments and to promote the development of better or higher levels of
humans functioning.
2. Develops
a suitable program: A social agency develops particular programs and activities
depending on the needs of the people, availability of funds, the knowledge and competency
of the agency staff, the interest, resources and support of the community.
3. Has
an organizational structure: The social agency has a structure and is made up
of many members with different purposes and powers, all dependent upon one
another in the agency’s overall functioning. Each member of the agency is
assigned different tasks and responsibilities.
4. Consists
of skilled personnel: The agency consists of trained caseworker who has specialized
knowledge and skill to deal with problems of people to assist them in better
social functioning.
5. Meeting
point for client and social worker: The agency brings the client and social
worker together and enables them to interact in a professional manner. In
majority of the cases, it provides the meeting point for the social worker and
the client.
Social workers need to understand the agency in which they are employed. They also need to be able to understand other social agencies working in the allied areas. The first task in understanding an agency is to define its boundaries. The second task is to determine environmental factors that influence the structure and functioning of the agency. The third task is to understand the structure and functioning of the agency system.
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