Prioritise Social Work For Justice

Social work holds significance in the present-day world. Social issues always crop up in one form or the other. Tacking such issues is of paramount importance, failing which there may be disruptions in the social fabric. Those with social tact, skills or knowledge can come forward to deal with such issues holistically. It is here that social workers prove themselves to be useful members of society. 

Social work as a profession saw the light in the 19th century when voluntary philanthropic work and grassroots organising emerged. Social needs have existed since time immemorial. Institutions like public alms-houses, private charities and religious organisations would meet the social needs of people in the days of yore. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, a need for coping with concerns regarding child welfare through social work arose to address widespread poverty and dependence, inter alia, on child labour in industry.

Social needs 

Social work has grown to such an extent that it is recognised as an academic discipline and a practice-based profession. Social work is concerned with meeting the social needs of individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. Social work as an academic discipline draws from liberal arts, social sciences and interdisciplinary subjects such as psychology, sociology, political science, community development and economics. 

Social work has an extensive scope; it aims at improving the lot of people by alleviating poverty, addressing psychosocial concerns, empowering individuals and communities and, more importantly, delivering social justice.  Social work is instrumental in bringing about and maintaining social cohesion. The principles of social justice, human rights, collective or communal responsibility and respect for diversity are the underpinnings of social work. Social work is supported by social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledge. 

Social workers focus on addressing social issues such as poverty, inequality and discrimination by advocating social justice and change. They work towards empowering individuals and communities so that they can become self-reliant and participate in decision-making processes that are concerned with their lives. Social workers help out vulnerable individuals and marginal communities by helping them tackle life-related issues such as poverty, disability, mental health and other adverse issues. 

Healthcare is one of the focuses of social work. Social workers work in healthcare facilities to help patients and their families by providing them with healthcare support. In hospices, social workers help patients with palliative support and give solace to their families. They also help substance abusers come out of the morass of substance abuse through rehabilitation. In educational institutions, they help students suffering from psychosocial or emotional distress through such methods as psychological counselling to enable them to improve their academic performance. Social workers also play a role in integrating juveniles and other delinquents back into society. They are associated with non-profit or social organisations addressing social issues. 

Social workers work at three levels: micro, mezzo and macro. At the micro level, they work directly with individuals and families. They help them through counselling or therapy and enable them to have access to resources and services. At the mezzo level, they work with communities by providing group therapy. At the macro level, they work as change agents. They play a role in changing the fabric of society through advocacy, social policy and research and development. Their main objective is to boost the social welfare of individuals and communities by ensuring that no individuals or communities remain deprived of social justice. 

In the context of Nepal, social work as an academic discipline began in 1996, when Kathmandu University introduced a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work at St. Xavier College. One year later in 1997, Tribhuvan University offered a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and Rural Development with two major social work disciplines at Padmakanya Campus. Now, there are many colleges offering courses on social work at the Bachelor's and Master's levels. Such programmes are affiliated to Tribhuvan, Kathmandu and Purbanchal Universities.     

Social work is a growing career. Students pursuing social work studies gain the knowledge and skills required to be social work practitioners and researchers. They engage in fieldwork to gain practical experiences. They work as volunteers or interns in social or non-profit organisations dealing with social welfare or community service. By working as such, they gain experience in how to address social needs or issues. 

The courses focus on social concerns or issues encompassing such diverse areas as poverty, homelessness, education, social rehabilitation, mental health, girl trafficking, families and youth. The courses are designed in such a way as to equip the students with skills that enable them to analyse social anomalies and hammer out solutions to them. The students are encouraged to help individuals, families and communities for personal and communal well-being. They can develop skills to resolve social problems by utilising their own or communal resources. 

Objectives

The objectives of the courses are varied. The core objective is to enable the students to understand the fundamental concept of social work including the principles, methodology and practices. They are equipped with the skills required for identifying important social problems. They are taught how to manage and use the service system to address problems facing vulnerable and other marginal groups. Finally, they can develop self-awareness of their capacity for dealing with challenges facing society. 

Social work is a noble profession as it creates harmony in society. Social workers also work towards protecting human rights and other fundamental rights. Social work can be considered both a profession and a philanthropy. Social workers are social influencers who bring about transformations in society. They hold special positions in society.  So the government should give a fillip to social work studies so that the required manpower can be generated in this field.     

(Maharjan has been regularly writing on contemporary issues for this daily since 2000.)