Social Work Helping Process: PLANNING

PLANNING

• link between Assessment and Intervention
• translates the content of assessment into goal statement that describes the desired results
• concerned with identifying the means to reach the goals
• allows the worker with the client's participation, to move from problem definition to problem solution
• the end goal of planning is planned change

2 major tasks:

1. formulating goals

2. defining specific actions

Goals

• desired or expected outcomes

Characteristics of Goals:

1. Specific, concrete and measurable.
2. Feasible.

Goals can be changed after they have been set. In fact, it should constantly be evaluated, and flexibility should be observed.

5 factors that influence an intervention plan:

1. community in which it is being carried out
2. agency sanctioning the plan
3. social problem that the plan is a response to
4. worker involved in the plan
5. the client - unique bio-psycho social being

The Helping Contract

• agreement between the worker and the client on what needs to be done and who should do it
• it includes: problem statement, goals and objectives, specification of tasks to be carried out by worker and client and the time frame required

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Social Work Helping Process: ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT

• process and a product  of understanding on which action is based (Max Siporin)
• process involves collection of necessary information and its analysis and interpretation in order to reach an understanding of the client, the problem, and the social context in which it exists. 
• ultimate purpose is to provide understanding necessary for appropriate planning
• major social work tasks involved : information or data gathering, problem definition based on an agreement between client and worker

Information/Data Gathering

1. Primary source - client

2. Secondary source - significant others in the life of the client

3. Existing data - records and reports from other professionals

4. Worker's Own Observation 

Initial Contact(s) with Client/Intake
1. Client initiates contact - client seeks help of the agency.
2. The client is referred to the worker or agency by some concerned party. 
3. The agency, through the social worker, reaches out to the (potential) client and offers help.

Intake Process and the Presenting Problem

• intake is the process by which a potential client achieves the status of a client
• intake may be accomplished in one session with the client
• client comes to the agency with a presenting problem 
• presenting problems may be stated as symptoms (anxiety, lack of motivation), as behavioral configurations (marital discord, poor school performance, unemployment), or as needs (housing, money). 

Defining the Problem

• the problem or part of the problem that the client system feels is most important; 
• the problem or part of the problem that in the worker's judgment is most critical;
• the problem or part of the problem that in the worker's judgment can most readily yield to help;
• the problem or part of problem that falls within the action parameters of the helping system.

*Partialization - process of separating from so many problems identified by the client and/or worker the specific problem or problems which are to be addressed first.

*Prioritizing - problem taking precedence over other problems because of its importance.

After the necessary relevant information pertaining to the client and the problem have been obtained, these information are organized and synthesized and the worker prepares a Case Study. Case Study content includes: identifying information, background information, assessment/problem definition, helping goals and helping plans. 

Writing an Assessment Statement (McMahon)

1. Opening causal statement - requires the worker to clearly indicate who has the problem, and why the problem exists at this time. 
2. Change potential statement - dependent on three interdependent factors: problem, person and environment
3. Judgment about the seriousness or urgency of the problem 

Characteristics of Assessment

1. It is ongoing. 
2. It focuses on understanding the client.
3. It is a mutual process.
4. There is movement within the assessment process.
5. Both horizontal and vertical explorations are important.
6. Assessment identifies needs in life situations, defines problems and explains their meanings.
7. Assessment is individualized.
8. Judgment is important because decisions have to be made.
9. No assessment is ever complete.

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Problem Solving Framework in Social Work

Helen Harris Perlman is considered as the originator of the problem-solving framework in social work which has greatly influenced social work thinking. She describes social work process as a progressive transaction between the professional helper and the client, consisting of a series of problem-solving operations which can be summarized as follows: 

1. The facts that constitute and bear upon the problem must be ascertained and grasped (Study);
2. The fact must be thought about, ie., turned over, probed into, and organized in the mind, examined in their relationships to one another, and searched for their significance (Diagnosis);
3. Some choice or decision must be made as an end result of the consideration of the particular facts with the intention of resolving the problem (Treatment).

In social work literature, there are a number of other well-known authors who follow a framework for problem-solving. Among these are the following whose writings are based on the traditional social work methods of casework, group work, and community organization:

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Phases of Planned Change

Phase 1: The client system discovers the need for help, sometimes with stimulation by the change agent.

Phase 2: The helping relationship is established and defined.

Phase 3: The change problem is identified and clarified.

Phase 4: Alternative possibilities for change are examined; change goals or intentions are established.

Phase 5: Change efforts in the "reality situation" are attempted.

Phase 6: Change is generalized and stabilized.

Phase 7: The helping relationship ends or a different type of continuing relationship is defined.

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Planned Change

defined as change originating from a decision to make a deliberate effort to improve the system and to obtain help of an outside agent in making this improvement. The decision to make a change may be made by the system itself, after experiencing pain (malfunctioning), or discovering the possibility of improvement, or by an outside change agent who observes the need for change in a particular system and takes the initiative in establishing a helping relationship with that system.

Client System - the specific system that is being helped; can also mean any of the following:

a. personality system consists of sub parts: conscious, unconscious, the mind and the body;

b. the groups: families, committee, staffs, clubs and other smaller social unit;

c. the organization: larger social system which comprise the community;welfare agencies, business organizations, educational institutions, religious associations, government bureaus, political parties;

d. the community: made up of interacting sub parts

Outside Agent - professional change agent who works with particular client systems

Lippitt describes two concepts useful in understanding the dynamics of planned change. These are the concepts of change force and resistance force.

A change force is an aspect of the situation which increases the willingness of the client to make a proposed change. It may be rational or irrational, recognized or unrecognized, general or specific. It may originate from the client system, the environment or the change agent.

A resistance force is an aspect of the situation which reduces the willingness of the client system to change. Just like change force it may be rational or irrational, recognized or unrecognized, general or specific. It may originate from the client system, the environment or the change agent.

Reference:

Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Social Work Principles

1. Acceptance of people as they are.

• respecting the client under any circumstances
• meeting and interacting with the client non judgmentally
• manifests a genuinely warm interest and concern in the client and his situation
• recognizing that people have strengths and weaknesses, and capacities and limitations

2. Participation of the client in problem-solving.

• client is asked to provide pertinent facts, present his own perceptions of the situation, involve in problem identification, and if there are many problems, client is involved in prioritizing problems
• client  participates in planning ways of resolving the problem
• worker builds upon and utilizes client's strengths

3. Self-determination as a right of the client.

• client has the right to determine what he needs and how they should be met
• worker does not do everything for the client, for she knows that client is capable for "self-help"
• worker will not manipulate but will guide client to look at problems objectively
• client develops self-respect and self-confidence when he realizes that he is able to solve his problems

4. Individualization

• recognition and understanding of each client's unique qualities and the differential use of principles and methods 
• worker should relate to each client as an individual in a situation
• individuals may present same problems but circumstances of the problem, perceptions and responses will be different

5. Confidentiality

• provide client protection
• what the client tells the worker is not discussed with others except when this is done within the context of professional relationships, for the purpose of helping the client, eg. case conference
• requesting of information about the client from another professional or agency are not prepared without the permission of the client, eg. what wife tells the worker is not shared with husband without her permission

6. Worker Self-awareness

• worker must always be conscious that her role is to make use of her professional relationship with her client in a way that will enhance the client's development rather that her own
• worker must examine feelings whether her responses and feelings are professionally motivated
• no one is completely free of biases: it is important to be aware of this and be able to control them so that they do not interfere professional practice

7. Client-worker Relationship

• professional relationship: controlled and purposive
• does not just happen, formed on the basis of expectation from the parties who compromise the relationship
• moves in the direction of certain goals or objectives which have been identified by mutual agreement

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Social Work as a Profession

5 Elements Constituting the Distinguishing Attributes of a Profession:

1. Systematic Body of Theory 

The skills that characterize a profession flow from and are supported by a fund of knowledge that has been organized into an internally consistent system called a body of theory. Theory serves as a base in terms of which the professional rationalizes his operations in concrete situations. Acquisition of the professional skill requires a prior or simultaneous master of theory underlying the skill. because understanding of theory is so important to professional skill, preparation for a profession must be an intellectual as well as a practical experience.

2. Professional Authority

Extensive education in the systematic theory of her discipline provides the professional with a type of knowledge which the layman does not have. In the helping relationship, the professional's judgment and authority are respected and accepted by his "client", unlike in a transaction with a non-professional where the rule is "the customer is always right". This authority ascribed to the professional by reason of her educational background gives the client a sense of security that the professional has the capacity to help him  with his problem. 

3. Community Sanction

Recognition of professional authority is expressed not only in the client-professional relationship but also in the professional-community relationship. The community sanctions a profession's authority by way of giving it certain powers and privileges. Among these powers and privileges are the professional's control over its (a) training centers, (b) admission into the profession, and (c) standards for professional performance.

4. Regulative Code  of Ethics

Every profession has a built in regulative code, partly formal and partly informal, which compels ethical behavior on the part of its members. This code serves to check possible abuses which can arise out of a profession's exercise of authority, and its accompanying powers and privileges.

5. Professional Culture

Formal and informal groupings characterize all occupations, including the professions. For social work, the network of formal and informal groups within which it operates includes the organizations that benefit from a profession's services (schools, courts, social agency, hospitals); the educational institutions which produce and replenish professional manpower; and the professional association which promotes professional interests and aims. The culture of  a profession consists of its values, norms and symbols.

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

    

        

Functions of Social Work

1. Restorative/curative/remedial/rehabilitative functions - to assist individuals and groups to identify and resolve or minimize problems arising out of disequilibrium between themselves and the environment.                               

• curative aspect - seeks to remove factors which have caused the breakdown in the person's social functioning. 
• rehabilitative aspect - tries to put back the person to a normal or healthy state of social functioning. 

One example for curative aspect is helping a girl who engages in prostitution for a living to change her ways through counseling relationship and effecting necessary changes in her home or environmental conditions. the rehabilitative aspect could involve helping her avail herself of opportunities for schooling, skills training, and legitimate employment. 

2. Preventive function - to identify potential areas of disequilibrium between individuals or groups and the environment in order to prevent occurrence of disequilibrium. This involves early discovery, control and elimination of those conditions or situations which may have a harmful effect on social functioning. 

Examples of this function include counseling on premarital and other family problems, sex education of youth to prevent early marriage, sexual abuse; and working for the enactment of laws and policies that would help prevent abuse of women and children.

3. Developmental function - to seek out, identify and strengthen the maximum potential in individuals, groups and communities. The aim is both to help the individual make maximum use of his potentials and capacities as well as to further the effectiveness of available social or community resources. 

Examples of developmental function would include helping unemployed and underemployed breadwinners to avail themselves of opportunities for skills training while at the same time providing necessary supportive services.

Reference:
Lee-Mendoza, T. (2008) Social Welfare and Social Work. Central Book Supply

Social Work's Focus of Concern

Wernes Boehm, 1958

Social Work seeks to enhance the social functioning of individuals, singularly or in groups, by activities focused upon their social relationships which constitute interaction between individuals and their environments. These activities can be grouped in three functions: restoration of impaired capacity, provision of individual and social resources, and prevention of social dysfunction. 

William Schwartz, 1961

The general assignment of social work profession is to mediate the process through which the individual and the society reach out to each other through a mutual need for self-fulfillment. This presupposes a relationship between people and their nurturing group which we would describe as "symbiotic" - each needing the other for its own life and growth, and each reaching out to the other with all the strength it can command at a given moment. the social worker's intervention lies at the point where two forces meet: the individual's impetus toward health, growth and belonging, the organized efforts of society to integrate its parts into a productive and dynamic whole. 

William Gordon, 1969

The central focus of social work traditionally seems to have been on the person-in-his-life-situation complex - a simultaneous dual focus on man and his environment. this focus has been concentrated at some times on the side of the organism as interpreted by psychological theory and at other times on the side of environment as interpreted by sociological and economic theory. The mainstream of social work, however, has become neither applied psychology nor applied sociology. 

Harriet Bartlett, 1970

Social functioning is the relation between the coping activity of people and the demand from the environment. This dual focus ties them together. Thus, person and situation, people and environment, are encompassed in a single concept, which requires that they be constantly reviewed together. 

Louise C. Johnson, 1989

Social workers become involved when individuals are having difficulty in relationship with other people; in growing so as to maximize their potential; and in meeting the demands of the environment. Harriet Bartlett has described this situation as "people coping" and "environmental demands". The bringing together of these two aspects of living in society can be termed social functioning. The core of social work endeavor is to find the client and the worker interacting in relation to problems in social functioning which problems are reasons for worker-client interaction. Thus, the ultimate goal of social work practice is the enhancement of the social functioning of individuals.