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Anganwadi Supervisor Paper-2: Child Development, Extension and Social Work · Chapter 9

Social Work: Concept, History, Philosophy and Ethics

What to remember

  • Social work is a professional, knowledge-based activity that helps individuals, groups and communities improve their social functioning and brings about social change.
  • Six methods: three primary (casework, group work, community organisation) and three secondary or auxiliary (social welfare administration, social action, social work research).
  • Its value base is human dignity, social justice and self-determination. Ethics include confidentiality, non-judgmental attitude, informed consent and professional boundaries.

Concept and definition

Social work helps people solve problems of social relationships, improve their capacity to cope, and use community resources. A social worker works with the person and the environment together. Many scholars have defined it. The common thread is that it is a professional service using scientific knowledge and skill in human relations. The global definition adopted by the international body of social workers describes social work as a practice-based profession and academic discipline that promotes social change, development, cohesion and the empowerment and liberation of people. Social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversity are its central principles.

Objectives:

  • Curative: solve existing problems such as illness, poverty, family conflict.
  • Preventive: stop problems before they arise, for example by education.
  • Developmental: help people develop their potential and resources.
  • Rehabilitative: restore people to normal social life.

Functions: helping people solve problems, linking people with resources, improving social systems, and advocating for the weak.

Related terms

TermMeaning
Social workProfessional help using trained methods
Social welfareA state of well-being of society; also the organised system of services
Social serviceAny help given for the well-being of others, often voluntary
Social reformChange in harmful customs and practices (sati, child marriage)
Social securityState-provided protection against risks such as old age, sickness
Social actionOrganised effort to change laws, policies or structures
CharityGiving help out of kindness, without a plan for change
PhilanthropyGiving of resources for human welfare

Social work differs from charity because it is planned and scientific. It aims to make people independent and does not just give relief.

Methods of social work

GroupMethods
Primary (direct practice)Social casework, social group work, community organisation
Secondary (auxiliary)Social welfare administration, social work research, social action

History: West

  • 1601: Elizabethan Poor Law in England. It made the local parish responsible for the poor. It separated the able-bodied, the impotent poor and poor children.
  • 1834: Poor Law Amendment Act, which introduced the workhouse system and the idea of "less eligibility".
  • 1869: Charity Organisation Society in London. It promoted investigation of needs, coordination of agencies and friendly visiting. It was the root of casework.
  • 1884: Toynbee Hall, London, the first settlement house; Samuel Barnett was a founder. The settlement movement is the root of group work and community work.
  • 1889: Hull House, Chicago, by Jane Addams, the leading settlement house in the United States.
  • 1915: A well-known address questioned whether social work was a profession, and led to a push for a systematic body of knowledge.
  • 1917: Mary Richmond wrote "Social Diagnosis", the first systematic account of casework. She is known as the mother of social casework.
  • 1920s-30s: Professional training schools grew; the psychoanalytic ideas of the time shaped casework.

History: India

Social work in India grew from religious charity, social reform, the freedom struggle and then professional education.

PeriodContribution
Ancient and medievalDharma, dana, community help, wells, rest houses, almshouses
19th century reformRaja Ram Mohan Roy (Brahmo Samaj, campaign against sati); Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar (widow remarriage); Jyotirao Phule (education for girls and lower castes); Dayanand Saraswati (Arya Samaj); Kandukuri Veeresalingam (widow remarriage and women's education in Andhra)
Early 20th centuryServants of India Society (1905) by Gopal Krishna Gokhale; Ramakrishna Mission (1897)
Gandhian eraConstructive programme, Sarvodaya, village self-reliance, Sevagram
Post-IndependenceBhoodan movement by Vinoba Bhave; Central Social Welfare Board (1953) with Durgabai Deshmukh as its first chairperson
Professional educationSir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work, Bombay (1936), later the Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Delhi School of Social Work (1946)

Durgabai Deshmukh was born in Rajahmundry and worked in Andhra for women's education and welfare, founding the Andhra Mahila Sabha in Madras. Veeresalingam organised the first widow remarriage in the Telugu region in the 19th century. These are the standard Andhra names.

Philosophy and values

Social work philosophy rests on respect for the person. Core ideas:

  • Every person has inherent dignity and worth.
  • People have the right to self-determination and to take part in decisions affecting them.
  • Society must ensure social justice and equal opportunity.
  • Problems are caused by both personal and social factors, so social work works on the person and the environment.
  • Every person has the capacity to change with help.
  • Service to others is a higher goal than self-interest.

Social work values commonly listed: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence.

Principles of social work practice (often called the seven principles of casework): individualisation, purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, non-judgmental attitude, client self-determination, confidentiality. These were set out by Felix Biestek.

Social work as a profession

A profession is generally said to have these attributes: a systematic body of theory, professional authority, community sanction, a regulative code of ethics, and a professional culture. Social work has a systematic knowledge base, training programmes, professional associations and a code of ethics, so it is accepted as a profession. In India, the lack of a statutory registration body for social workers is often cited as a gap.

Professional ethics

Ethics are rules of right conduct. A code of ethics guides the social worker in relation to clients, colleagues, the employing agency, the profession and society.

Main ethical duties:

  • Confidentiality: do not share client information without consent, except to prevent serious harm or as required by law.
  • Self-determination: let the client choose; do not impose decisions.
  • Informed consent: explain the process and its limits to the client.
  • Non-discrimination: serve all without bias of caste, religion, gender or status.
  • Competence: work within training and keep learning.
  • Professional boundaries: avoid dual relationships and personal gain from the client.
  • Integrity: honesty and responsibility.
  • Accountability: keep records, accept supervision.

Ethical dilemma arises when two duties conflict, for example when confidentiality conflicts with preventing harm. The worker resolves it using the code, supervision and the principle of least harm.

Approaches in modern practice

Over time, social work thinking has moved from charity to rights. The charity model treats people as receivers of help. The welfare model gives services through institutions. The developmental model builds the capacity of people and communities. The rights-based model sees help as an entitlement and focuses on empowerment and advocacy.

Two ideas are central to modern practice. The strengths perspective asks what a person can do and has, not only what is wrong. The ecological or person-in-environment view says that a problem cannot be understood without looking at the family, neighbourhood, institutions and policies around the person. Empowerment means helping people gain power over decisions that affect their lives.

In India, social work education was influenced by Western ideas, but it has increasingly used local ideas such as Gandhian service, Sarvodaya and community self-help. A social worker in the Anganwadi system uses these ideas when she works with mothers, adolescent girls and local leaders.

Exam traps

  • Social work vs social service: social work is professional and planned; social service can be anyone's voluntary help.
  • Social reform vs social action: reform changes customs; action organises to change policy and structures.
  • Primary vs secondary methods: casework, group work and community organisation are primary.
  • COS vs settlement movement: COS led to casework; the settlements led to group work and community work.
  • Richmond vs Biestek: Richmond wrote Social Diagnosis (1917); Biestek gave the seven principles.
  • Poor Law 1601 vs 1834: 1601 placed responsibility on the parish; 1834 introduced workhouses.
  • Toynbee Hall vs Hull House: the first is in London, the second in Chicago.
  • TISS vs Delhi School: TISS began in 1936 in Bombay; Delhi School in 1946.

One-liners

  • 1. Mary Richmond is the mother of social casework.
  • 2. Social Diagnosis was published in 1917.
  • 3. The Elizabethan Poor Law is from 1601.
  • 4. The Charity Organisation Society was formed in London in 1869.
  • 5. Toynbee Hall was the first settlement house.
  • 6. Hull House was founded by Jane Addams.
  • 7. The Servants of India Society was founded in 1905.
  • 8. The first school of social work in India began in 1936.
  • 9. The Central Social Welfare Board was set up in 1953.
  • 10. Durgabai Deshmukh was its first chairperson.
  • 11. Casework, group work and community organisation are primary methods.
  • 12. Confidentiality and self-determination are core ethical principles.

Practice questions

  1. Which of the following is a primary method of social work?

    1. Social welfare administration
    2. Social group work
    3. Social work research
    4. Social action
    Answer

    B. Social group work

    Primary methods are casework, group work and community organisation.

  2. Which of the following is an auxiliary (secondary) method of social work?

    1. Social casework
    2. Community organisation
    3. Social group work
    4. Social work research
    Answer

    D. Social work research

    Secondary methods: welfare administration, research, social action.

  3. Who is called the mother of social casework?

    1. Jane Addams
    2. Durgabai Deshmukh
    3. Grace Coyle
    4. Mary Richmond
    Answer

    D. Mary Richmond

    Richmond wrote Social Diagnosis in 1917.

  4. 'Social Diagnosis', the first systematic account of casework, was published in

    1. 1601
    2. 1917
    3. 1953
    4. 1884
    Answer

    B. 1917

    Mary Richmond published it in 1917.

  5. The Elizabethan Poor Law was enacted in

    1. 1601
    2. 1869
    3. 1834
    4. 1534
    Answer

    A. 1601

    It made the parish responsible for the poor.

  6. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 is associated with the

    1. Friendly visiting
    2. Charity Organisation Society
    3. Settlement house
    4. Workhouse system
    Answer

    D. Workhouse system

    The 1834 Act relied on workhouses and less eligibility.

  7. The Charity Organisation Society was founded in London in

    1. 1884
    2. 1905
    3. 1869
    4. 1601
    Answer

    C. 1869

    It stressed investigation and coordination of charity.

  8. Toynbee Hall, the first settlement house, was established in London in

    1. 1917
    2. 1884
    3. 1889
    4. 1869
    Answer

    B. 1884

    Samuel Barnett was among its founders.

  9. Hull House in Chicago was founded by

    1. Mary Richmond
    2. Felix Biestek
    3. Samuel Barnett
    4. Jane Addams
    Answer

    D. Jane Addams

    Jane Addams founded Hull House in 1889.

  10. The Servants of India Society was founded by

    1. Dorabji Tata
    2. Gopal Krishna Gokhale
    3. Jyotirao Phule
    4. Vinoba Bhave
    Answer

    B. Gopal Krishna Gokhale

    It was founded in 1905.

  11. The first school of social work in India began in 1936 in

    1. Bombay
    2. Madras
    3. Calcutta
    4. Delhi
    Answer

    A. Bombay

    It later became the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

  12. The first chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board (1953) was

    1. Indira Gandhi
    2. Annie Besant
    3. Durgabai Deshmukh
    4. Sarojini Naidu
    Answer

    C. Durgabai Deshmukh

    Durgabai Deshmukh, born in Rajahmundry, led the Board.

  13. Who is known for the first widow remarriage movement in the Telugu region?

    1. Alluri Sitarama Raju
    2. Kandukuri Veeresalingam
    3. Tanguturi Prakasam
    4. Gurajada Apparao
    Answer

    B. Kandukuri Veeresalingam

    Veeresalingam is the pioneer of social reform in Andhra.

  14. Which movement of the 1950s asked landowners to donate land to the landless?

    1. Swadeshi movement
    2. Chipko movement
    3. Self-Respect movement
    4. Bhoodan movement
    Answer

    D. Bhoodan movement

    Vinoba Bhave led the Bhoodan movement from 1951.

  15. Who gave the seven principles of casework?

    1. Felix Biestek
    2. Murray Ross
    3. Kurt Lewin
    4. Mary Richmond
    Answer

    A. Felix Biestek

    Biestek listed them in his casework relationship work.

  16. Which principle means treating each client as a unique person?

    1. Confidentiality
    2. Acceptance
    3. Individualisation
    4. Controlled emotional involvement
    Answer

    C. Individualisation

    Individualisation recognises the unique qualities of each client.

  17. Keeping a client's information private is the principle of

    1. Acceptance
    2. Confidentiality
    3. Self-determination
    4. Individualisation
    Answer

    B. Confidentiality

    Confidentiality protects personal information.

  18. Allowing the client to make his or her own choices is

    1. Acceptance
    2. Rapport
    3. Referral
    4. Self-determination
    Answer

    D. Self-determination

    The client has the right to choose.

  19. Social work that aims to solve an existing problem is described as

    1. Preventive
    2. Developmental
    3. Curative
    4. Promotional only
    Answer

    C. Curative

    Curative work deals with existing problems.

  20. Action taken to stop a problem before it arises is

    1. Preventive social work
    2. Curative social work
    3. Palliative work
    4. Rehabilitative social work
    Answer

    A. Preventive social work

    Education and early help are preventive.

  21. The Brahmo Samaj, founded by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, opposed which custom?

    1. Education of women
    2. Widow remarriage
    3. Printing of books
    4. Sati
    Answer

    D. Sati

    Roy campaigned against sati.

  22. Which statement best distinguishes social work from charity?

    1. Social work is always free of rules
    2. Social work is planned and aims to make people self-reliant
    3. Charity uses scientific training
    4. Social work gives relief only
    Answer

    B. Social work is planned and aims to make people self-reliant

    Social work is professional, planned and aimed at independence.

  23. Which attribute is NOT usually listed as a feature of a profession?

    1. Systematic body of theory
    2. Professional authority
    3. Absence of any ethical code
    4. Community sanction
    Answer

    C. Absence of any ethical code

    A regulative code of ethics is a feature; absence is not.

  24. A worker learns that a client plans serious harm to another person. Which ethical duty may conflict with confidentiality?

    1. Duty to protect from serious harm
    2. Duty of self-awareness
    3. Duty to be on time
    4. Duty to keep a record
    Answer

    A. Duty to protect from serious harm

    Confidentiality has limits where serious harm is involved.

  25. A worker refuses to treat clients differently by caste or religion. Which ethical principle does this show?

    1. Dual relationship
    2. Non-discrimination
    3. Referral
    4. Informed consent
    Answer

    B. Non-discrimination

    Services are given to all without bias.

  26. Which approach sees problems by looking at the person together with family, community and policies?

    1. Person-in-environment view
    2. Charity model
    3. Autocratic model
    4. Workhouse model
    Answer

    A. Person-in-environment view

    The ecological view studies person and environment together.

  27. Consider the statements. 1. The Charity Organisation Society is the root of casework. 2. The Settlement movement is the root of group work and community work. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are standard.

  28. Consider the statements. 1. Social action is a primary method of social work. 2. Community organisation is a primary method of social work. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    B. 2 only

    Social action is a secondary method.

  29. Consider the statements. 1. Social work is a professional service based on scientific knowledge and skill. 2. Social work gives only material relief. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Social work goes beyond relief to change and empowerment.

  30. Consider the statements. 1. Toynbee Hall was set up in London. 2. Hull House was set up in Chicago. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

  31. Consider the statements. 1. Durgabai Deshmukh was the first chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board. 2. The Central Social Welfare Board was set up in 1936. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    The Board was set up in 1953.

  32. Consider the statements about the Poor Laws. 1. The 1601 law placed responsibility for the poor on the parish. 2. The 1834 amendment abolished the workhouse. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    The 1834 amendment relied on workhouses.

  33. Consider the statements about ethics. 1. A social worker should keep client information confidential, with legal and safety exceptions. 2. A social worker should make decisions for the client without consultation. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    A. 1 only

    Self-determination means the client takes part in decisions.

  34. Consider the statements. 1. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences began as a school of social work in 1936. 2. The Delhi School of Social Work was started in 1946. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are correct.

  35. Consider the statements about values. 1. Dignity and worth of the person is a core value of social work. 2. Social justice is a core value of social work. Which of the statements is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both 1 and 2
    4. Neither 1 nor 2
    Answer

    C. Both 1 and 2

    Both are core values.

  36. Match the person with the contribution. P. Mary Richmond Q. Jane Addams R. Samuel Barnett 1. Hull House 2. Toynbee Hall 3. Social Diagnosis

    1. P-2, Q-1, R-3
    2. P-3, Q-2, R-1
    3. P-1, Q-3, R-2
    4. P-3, Q-1, R-2
    Answer

    D. P-3, Q-1, R-2

    Richmond wrote Social Diagnosis; Addams founded Hull House; Barnett Toynbee Hall.

  37. Match the reformer with the cause. P. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Q. Jyotirao Phule R. Dayanand Saraswati 1. Arya Samaj 2. Widow remarriage 3. Education of girls and lower castes

    1. P-2, Q-1, R-3
    2. P-1, Q-2, R-3
    3. P-3, Q-1, R-2
    4. P-2, Q-3, R-1
    Answer

    D. P-2, Q-3, R-1

    Vidyasagar campaigned for widow remarriage; Phule for education; Dayanand founded Arya Samaj.

  38. Arrange these events in order of time. 1. Charity Organisation Society 2. Poor Law of Elizabeth 3. Hull House 4. Social Diagnosis

    1. 1, 2, 3, 4
    2. 2, 3, 1, 4
    3. 2, 1, 4, 3
    4. 2, 1, 3, 4
    Answer

    D. 2, 1, 3, 4

    1601, 1869, 1889, 1917.

  39. Match the term with its meaning. P. Social reform Q. Social security R. Social action 1. Organised effort to change policies 2. Change in harmful customs 3. State protection against risks

    1. P-1, Q-2, R-3
    2. P-2, Q-3, R-1
    3. P-3, Q-1, R-2
    4. P-2, Q-1, R-3
    Answer

    B. P-2, Q-3, R-1

    Reform changes customs; security protects against risks; action changes policies.

  40. A worker is asked to avoid dual relationships with clients and not gain personally from them. This is the principle of

    1. Termination
    2. Professional boundaries
    3. Referral
    4. Rapport
    Answer

    B. Professional boundaries

    Boundaries protect the client from exploitation.

  41. The global definition of social work lists social justice and human rights as

    1. Optional extras
    2. Methods of research
    3. Tools of casework
    4. Central principles
    Answer

    D. Central principles

    Social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversity are central.

  42. An approach that asks what a person can do and already has, rather than only what is wrong, is called the

    1. Workhouse principle
    2. Deficit model
    3. Strengths perspective
    4. Charity model
    Answer

    C. Strengths perspective

    The strengths perspective builds on capacities.

  43. Social work aimed at restoring a person to normal social life, for example after illness or imprisonment, is called

    1. Recreational work
    2. Rehabilitative social work
    3. Research work
    4. Preventive social work
    Answer

    B. Rehabilitative social work

    Rehabilitation restores social functioning.

  44. Which Indian movement led by Vinoba Bhave and linked with Gandhian thought aims at the welfare of all?

    1. Non-cooperation
    2. Swadeshi
    3. Quit India
    4. Sarvodaya
    Answer

    D. Sarvodaya

    Sarvodaya means the uplift of all.

  45. The Ramakrishna Mission, an organisation known for service, was founded in

    1. 1936
    2. 1905
    3. 1828
    4. 1897
    Answer

    D. 1897

    Swami Vivekananda founded it in 1897.

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