COMPONENT OF SOCIAL CASE WORK: THE PROCESS
COMPONENT OF SOCIAL CASE WORK
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
I.
THE PROCESS
a professional worker to follow certain steps in order to help the client. The worker is required to maintain a good rapport with the client throughout the process. The worker helps the client to strengthen his/her coping mechanism in a problematic situation. The professional social worker accepts the client, develops a good relationship with client and tries to elicit facts. The facts stated by the client are properly diagnosed and the worker helps the client to arrive at the solution, ensuring full participation of the client in the process.
The first part of the casework
process, is to ascertain and clarify the facts of the problem. The second phase
of casework process is thinking through the facts. The conclusive phase of each
problem-solving effort in casework is the making of some choice or decision.
Stages of Problem-Solving Process
The following stages explain the
processes involved in the problem-solving in social case work:
1. Preliminary
statement of the problem: This involves a clear, precise and accurate statement
of the problem. Often the problem statement is vague, global and lacking in
precision.
2. Statement
of preliminary assumptions about the nature of the problem: After clearly
stating the problem, assumptions are made regarding the nature and cause of the
problem. This gives an indication regarding the need to solve the problem and
understanding the hurdles in fulfilling this need.
3. Selection
and collection of information: Information may be collected from a variety of
sources including historical, social, psychological, biological, economic,
political, religious, and ethical understandings. The client is the primary
source of information regarding the problem.
4. Analysis
of information available: The information gathered regarding the problem is
analysed in order to determine feasible goals, possible outcomes, possible
plans of action, interpretation of the meaning of the information gathered, and
evaluation.
5. Development
of a plan: Gathering and analysing information leads to an understanding of
what can be done to remove obstacles which are blocking need fulfillment. A
plan is developed regarding the possible solutions considering various
strategies and techniques.
6. Implementation
of the plan: The plan is put into action in order to solve the problem of the
person.
7. Continuous
monitoring and evaluation: While the plan is in operation, it is constantly
monitored and reviewed. While implementing the plan, constant evaluation must
include gathering of more information. Once the goal is reached, evaluation of
the plan is undertaken in order to understand the outcome of the plan.
Steps of Problem-Solving Process
The following steps are given by
Mary Richmond in 1917 to solve the problem of the client:
1. Intake:
Whenever a person seeking help comes to an organisation, an administrative
process of enrolling the client is performed by the agency. Intake can also be
explained as the acceptance of the client as he/she is by the case worker. A
case worker has to maintain a nonjudgmental attitude towards the client. The
professional worker in this step establishes a relationship with client and tries
to make the client comfortable.
2. Study:
Once a relationship is established, the worker tries to elicit various facts
and information from the client. Probing is a well-known technique performed by
a skilled caseworker to understand the deep aspirations and underlying issues,
while dealing with the client. A preliminary analysis starts at this stage.
3. Diagnosis:
In this stage, the worker tries to diagnose the problem of the client after
studying the facts provided by the client. Diagnosis is understanding the
nature of the cause of problem. The worker thoroughly assesses the already
known information and tries to reach to the roots of the problem. Diagnosis are
of three types:
§
Dynamic diagnosis: Dynamic refers to analysing
the current problem. Dynamic diagnosis is assessing the current issues,
surroundings and feelings of the client.
§
Clinical diagnosis: In this type of diagnosis,
the worker gathers information related to the behaviour of the client. Here the
case worker analyses the behavioural patterns and personality traits of the
client. This type of diagnosis helps in understanding the nature of the problem
and a particular behavior or trait related to the problem. Clinical diagnosis
helps in understanding various personality disorders.
§
Etiological diagnosis: This type of diagnosis
deals with the background and the life-history of the client. It also studies
the family history to understand certain personality patterns and helps in
assessing the success of the employed alternatives coping mechanisms of the
client.
4. Treatment:
The last step in problem-solving process is the treatment which is the sum
total of all the activities implemented to provide immediate relieve to the
client. A treatment is done to avoid breakdown of an individual and restore his/her
social functioning. It is to strengthen the psychology of the client.
Components of Problem-Solving Process
The components of the
problem-solving process include assessment, planning, action and termination.
Although assessment precedes planning, planning precedes action and termination
precedes action, the process is cyclic in nature.
Planning for a solution of the
problem involves understanding the situation of the person. This understanding
includes assessment. Action often leads to new information for use in
understanding or demonstrates the need for additional planning. Evaluation, the
assessment of what has happened as a result of action, is ongoing in the
process and leads to new understanding and sometimes to new plans and action.
Thus, all four stages are always present, but at various points in the work one
or more may be the focus and receive the most attention.
All the above four stages as well
as the interactional process constitute intervention. All can influence changes
in the transactions between clients and the systems in their environment. All
can influence the social functioning of individuals and social systems.
Casework process aims to engage
the client with his/her problem and encourages him/her to do something about
it. This happens within a working relationship of the client with the agency
and the social caseworker.
Many a times, solution of a
problem involves provision of material means or opportunities which are
accessible to the person who is in need. Some resources that any person may
need in order to resolve a given problem in his/her daily living include money,
medical care, nursery schools, scholarship, short-stay homes, foster homes,
recreational facilities, etc. It is essential that the caseworker is informed
about these resources and when and how to use it.
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