Field Work Report - Main

Field Practicum Report
Presented by
Md. Monir Hossain

BSS (8th Semester)
Session: 2016-17
Class roll: 113
Exam roll: 447
Course No: 802
Supervised by
Dr. Shahana Nasrin
Professor
Institute of Social Welfare and Research
University of Dhaka
INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY OF DHAKA
Acknowledgment
Social work education aims to provide individuals interested in social work with information,
knowledge, and skills. Theoretical knowledge and fieldwork experience are inextricably
linked. That is why the theoretical course of social work incorporates practical learning. As a
result, practical training is critical and vital for social welfare and research students.
Fortunately, as an institute student, I was able to participate in practical training. I am
delighted I had the opportunity to convey my gratitude and appreciation to everyone that
aided and inspired me in completing my fieldwork and fieldwork report.
This fieldwork experience was conducted as part of the requirements for an honors degree in
social welfare at the University of Dhaka's Institute of Social Welfare and Research. To
complete my field practicum, I was supposed to work with any troublesome groups or
individuals in my town.
To begin, I would want to express my gratitude to Almighty Allah. Then, I would like to
express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to my honored supervisor, Professor Dr.
Shahana Nasrin, for her unflinching support, many directions, encouragement, and practical
discussion in completing my fieldwork and report writing. Without her academic instruction,
I would have been unable to complete my fieldwork and create comprehensive filed work
reports.
I want to express my most remarkable homage to all of my group mates who were with me
for their support, co-operation, and assistive attitude, which made my journey of 40 days so
enjoyable. Finally, I would like to pay my heartiest greetings to all my clients and their
parents for their most excellent co-operation and inspiration.
Preface
Social work is a career founded on methodical knowledge and abilities in human relations
that assists individuals or groups in achieving social and personal fulfillment and uniqueness.
Filing work is a critical component of social work education. Historically, fieldwork has been
viewed as the primary means of providing pupils with the opportunity to integrate
information, value, and skill. To be a professional social worker, one must possess both
theoretical and practical expertise.
Social work practice is the application of social work knowledge and skills to directly assist
societies in providing social services following social work values. Fieldwork is a term that
refers to practical work in a field or area. Thus, fieldwork is a unique synthesis of academic
and practical knowledge that serves as a bridge between individuals to tackle psychosocial
and other complicated problems. As a result, field practicum is required as part of the social
work education curriculum, and I was allocated to my community.
When it comes to earning professional recognition as a social worker, there is no substitute

for fieldwork. I have learned about the roles and responsibilities of personal and professional
life through my field practicum. Field practicum is just as crucial for social work students as
laboratory learning. It teaches students how to apply diverse social work ideas and principles
in practical practice. In addition, field practicum is critical for social work students to
strengthen their skills in conjunction with theoretical understanding.
It gives me great pleasure to submit a report on fieldwork undertaken in my community. This

report is the conclusion of my efforts and information gained throughout my field practicum.
I have attempted to fulfill my responsibilities while working in the community, and this
report will serve as a guide for my academic education. I have done my utmost to work
diligently and punctually. Furthermore, I have always attempted to be truthful and committed
to my assigned responsibilities. Finally, I would want to state that my sector will prosper if
this report benefits students, researchers, social workers, and others.
Md. Monir Hossain

BSS (Honors) 8th Semester
Class Roll: 113
Exam Roll: 447
Reg. No: 2016-418-792
Session: 2016-17
Table of Contents
Chapter one: Field Practicum in Social Work..................................................................................1
1.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................1
1.2 Concept of Social Work.......................................................................................................1
1.3 Historical Background of Social Work..............................................................................2
1.4 Concept of Fieldwork..........................................................................................................2
1.5 Historical Development of Fieldwork Practicum..............................................................3
1.6 Goals and Objectives of Fieldwork Practicum..................................................................4
1.7 Importance of Fieldwork in Social Work...........................................................................5
1.8 Relation between Fieldwork and Social work....................................................................6
1.9 Limitations of Fieldwork Practice......................................................................................7
Chapter Two: Introduction to the Target Group..............................................................................8
2.1 Domestic Worker.......................................................................................................................8
2.2 Domestic Female Workers........................................................................................................9
2.3 Types of Domestic Workers......................................................................................................9
2.4 Location of the Target Groups...............................................................................................10
Chapter Three: Present Situation of Domestic Female Workers in Bangladesh..........................11
3.1 Present Living Condition........................................................................................................12
3.2 Working Conditions of Domestic Female Worker................................................................12
3.3 General Problems and Issues for Domestic Female Workers in Bangladesh......................13
3.4 Impact of Covid-19 on Bangladeshi Domestic Female Workers..........................................13
3.5 Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy-2015........................................................14
Chapter Four: Assigned and Performed Responsibilities..............................................................15
4.1 Introduction.............................................................................................................................15
4.2 Orientation on Field Practicum..............................................................................................15
4.3 Duties are Assigned by Institute.............................................................................................15
4.4 Assigned Duties and Responsibilities by the Supervisor.......................................................16
4.5 Performed Duties and Responsibilities..................................................................................17
Chapter Five: Case Profiles and Application of Social Work Methods.........................................19
Case Profiles...................................................................................................................................19
Case no-1....................................................................................................................................19
Case no-2....................................................................................................................................22
Case no-3....................................................................................................................................25
Case no-4....................................................................................................................................28
Application of Social Work Methods, Knowledge, and Techniques during Field Practicum..31
5.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................................31
5.2 Application of Social Work Methods.................................................................................31
5.3 Social Case Work.................................................................................................................31
5.4 Social Group Work..............................................................................................................34
5.5 Social Administration..........................................................................................................34
5.6 Social Research....................................................................................................................35
5.7 Application of Social Work Techniques.............................................................................35
5.8 Application of Social Work Approach...............................................................................36
Chapter Six: Experiences and Challenges.......................................................................................38
6.1 Experience Obtained from Field Practicum..........................................................................38
6.2 Success during Field Practice..................................................................................................38
6.3 Challenges Faced in Field Practice.........................................................................................39
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................................40
References..........................................................................................................................................41
Chapter one: Field Practicum in Social Work
1.1 Introduction
Social work is such a broad discipline that deals with people who are in a problematic
situation. Professional activity and an academic field of helping individuals, groups, or
communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and create societal
conditions favorable to this goal. Therefore, fieldwork is considered an integral part of social
work education. Fieldwork refers to the process or approach in which social work knowledge,
value, principles, and other social discipline are exercised in the arena of social service
welfare and sustainable development. Fieldwork means to work in practical field. In this
process, we can apply theoretical knowledge and techniques in the community to meet the
social problems. Social work emphasizes fieldwork to practice or use its expertise. A peer
supervises a learning process, a qualitative or quantitative study that synthesizes and
integrates knowledge learned in the classroom. It is a dynamic course that challenges social
work students to apply social knowledge, skills, values, techniques, methods, and principles
within an organizational, community, and agency-based context. It is a vital dimension of
undergraduate and graduate students of social work education. Virtually fieldwork is
applying social work knowledge, skills, ethics, and principles in the field to solve the
pathologies of the clients. It prepares students to enter the workforce as a professional social
work fractional.
1.2 Concept of Social Work

Social work is a practice-based profession. Six categories define the technique of social work
practice. Three are primary methods, while the remaining are auxiliary ways. Casework,
group work, and community work are the three primary modalities. Social administration,
social research, and social action are all different approaches.
Social work is a professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities to

enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating a societal condition
favorable to that goal. According to Walter A. Friedlander, “Social work is a professional
service, based on scientific knowledge and skill in human relations, which helps individuals,
groups, or communities obtain social or personal satisfaction and independence.”
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“Social work is the applied science of helping people achieve an effective level of
psychological functioning and effecting societal changes to enhance the well-being of all
people.” – Robert L. Barker.
1.3 Historical Background of Social Work

In the industrialized and urbanized society when persona intervention was insufficient to the
multidimensional socio-economic problem. The necessity of professional assistance arose.
For this purpose, social workers need professional education, and it is developed gradually,
such as COS (Charity Organizational Society) was formed, which is considered the base of
modern professional social work.
 Social scientist ANNA L. DOWES first proposed professional social work education
in 1883 at an international conference named ‘International Congress of Charities,
Correction and Philanthropy’ in Chicago, USA.
 Another social scientist named MARRY RICHMOND made a compelling plea for ‘A
Training School for Applied philanthropy’ at the national conference on charities and
correction in 1897.
 In our country, after the independence from the British, India and Pakistan were
facing a lot of socio-economic problems. Being requested by then Pakistan govt. UN
sent an expert team. According to their recommendation, a short course of three
months was introduced to a skilled social worker in 1953.
 In 1959, Social Work College and Research Centre was established, which was later
affiliated with the University of Dhaka.
 In 1964-65, Rajshahi University started honors and master’s courses on social work.
Now many colleges and universities also began Graduate and postgraduate degrees in
social work. Moreover, in college and universities, fieldwork is an integral part of
honors and master’s courses.
1.4 Concept of Fieldwork

Fieldwork means to work in the field. Therefore, it is considered to be an integral part of
social work education. In this process, we can apply theoretical knowledge and techniques in
the field to meet social problems.
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According to the International Encyclopedia of social science – “Fieldwork comes to mean
learning as do as possible to speak, think, see, feel and act as a member of its culture and at
the same time, as a trained social scientist from a different culture.”
According to our “Field Work Manual,” the objective of fieldwork programs in social work

education is to provide the student with experience in applying social work methods and
enable them to become familiar with real work of practice, that is, to relate academic theory
to concrete reality as found in the agency setting.
According to R.R.Singh, “Fieldwork is an educationally sponsored attachment of social work

students to an institution, agency or a section of the community, in which they are helped to
extend their knowledge and understanding, and experience the impact of human needs.”
It can be said that fieldwork is an integral and significant part of the student’s professional
education. Moreover, it is also noted that fieldwork is the process of earning knowledge from
reality, but it also implements the theoretical knowledge in the practical field to solve the
problems.
1.5 Historical Development of Fieldwork Practicum

In Fieldwork, social work is a dynamic and updated discipline over arts and social science
faculty. However, Fieldwork is not a readymade product of the present time. Instead, it shows
an ancient history like social work education. The initial stages of Fieldwork were not
systematic and organized. One of the great pioneers of social work, Mary Richmond, first
introduced social work practice, and she wrote a dramatic and historical book named "Social
Diagnosis." Whish worth, P.I. Park and has inaugurated field practice at the Chicago
University of America to evaluate and monitor urban poverty by their students. Dr. Emerson
took the initiative to send the medical student to the social agency at the John Hopkins
University in 1902.
Fieldwork practice is an indispensable part of social work education. National Social Service
Academy of Social Service Department of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh organized a
short training course for
its Social Service officers and field workers in 1963. Generally, the department organized
three-type training like internal training, primary training, and reefers course.
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From the mid-18th century to the end of the 19th century, social work has evolved from
societies to assist and reform a year of full-time academic study. Now all over the world,
there are many courses on social work education. After the independence from the British,
India, Pakistan faced many socio-economic problems, and the government sought the United
Nations's help. After the government's request, the UN sent an expert team. According to
their recommendation, a short course of three months was introduced in 1953 to produce
skilled social workers.
The meaning V-AID program in 1953 and the urban community development program were
expanding quickly by the government and voluntary organizations. As a result, concerned
authorities felt the need to start higher education on social work. Moreover, in 1959, Dhaka
University began an MA course on social work and also established social work college and
research center, which Lt. Colonel Azam Khan inaugurated on 19th March 1963 for its
building. Social Welfare College & Research started Hon's & Master's Degree with
compulsory Fieldwork. After then, Rajshahi University in 1965-65 & 1992-93 Shahajalal
University & under National University started Hon's & Master's Degree with compulsory
Fieldwork.
1.6 Goals and Objectives of Fieldwork Practicum

Fieldwork is an integral and significant part of the student's professional education. It has
specific objectives and goals related to knowledge, skills, attitudes, perspective, and action
with a dynamic theoretical framework. In Field Work Manual, it is said, "The objective of
fieldwork program in social work education is to provide the student with experience in
applying social work methods and enable him/her to become familiar with the real work of
practice that is, to relate academic theory to concrete reality as found in the agency setting."
R. R. Sing, in 'Field Work in Social Work Education, has mentioned the following objectives:
 To offer students a purposeful learning experience through interaction with life

situations under supervisory guidance for professional growth in knowledge, skills,
and attitudes.
 To develop the required skills in helping the needy through organizational work, use
social work methods.
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 To enable the student to develop the capacity to relate theory to practice.
 To foster attitudes in the student towards professional self-development, increasing
self-awareness, appreciation of both capacities and limitations.
The Helen Bader School of Social Welfare of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sets
some objectives of social fieldwork based on some standards. Here are those objectives to
clear the picture of the social fieldwork on the global perspectives and ours.
 To help students learn how to think critically, analytically, and evaluatively, all of
which are basic to teaching problem-solving.
 To help students develop feelings and attitudes appropriate to the helping process.
 To help students develop the capacity to establish and maintain professional
relationships.
 To help students develop a high degree of social awareness and a deeper
understanding of the democratic process.
 To help students develop their professional selves, including evaluating their
capacities to help people. It identifies with the profession and is understood in terms
of the student's progress in identifying with the school and with his fieldwork agency.
 To help students master a substantial body of conceptual knowledge regarding
individual, group, and societal behavior.
 The development of skill in helping, involving the disciplined use of knowledge in
thinking about, analyzing, and understanding professional problems, and helping the
process.
 Development of the student's capacity for cooperative relationships with his fellow
workers and with other agencies in the community.
1.7 Importance of Fieldwork in Social Work

Students should be assisted in developing mental attitudes and ideas that would allow them to
connect learning and relief. This is critical if students become professional practitioners in the
discipline rather than good-natured amateurs who use the rule-of-thumb method to apply
narrow skills. Field practicum is a dynamic course that requires students to use their social
work knowledge, skills, and beliefs in a real-world setting. It is an essential aspect of
graduate and post-graduate social work education for students.
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In “fieldwork manual,” M.A Momen has mentioned the following importance of fieldwork
practice.
1. The student can learn how to apply social work methods in given individuals, groups,
or community problems through the fieldwork.
2. They are exposed to agency practice in which they are in a systematic, pre-planned
approach to solving problem processes such as study, diagnosis, and treatment.
3. The students achieve self-awareness and discipline to use them as a helper and as
agents of change in an individual and group situation.
4. The students develop facilities in the use of organizational structure. They learn to
foster and use relationships within the system and gain insight regarding their network
of relationships in the organization.
5. It helps the student to apply the theory and principle of social work in actual practice.
6. The students acquire social work knowledge and are allowed to try various social
work methods, skills, and techniques.
7. The students become familiar with administrative procedures and processes. They
learn how to run an office, what kind of routine needs to be established, how to
facilitated administrative arrangements relevant to the discharge of the responsibilities
of their bear assignment.
8. The students have an opportunity to learn the organizational framework of services.
They understand structure and policy and how to facilitate such an approach through
practice. They become familiar with different institutional styles and tempos of
agencies associated with various field practices.
9. The students acquire significant substance substitute knowledge in the specified field
of practice characterized by the agency. They become catch with the causes of the
problem and with social welfare programs, agency structure, lows, and policies
related to its solution.
10. The students acquire knowledge regarding community structure and process. They
know the kinds of formal and group and force that a community. They should have to
ability to utilize community resources in support of social welfare.
1.8 Relation between Fieldwork and Social work

There are two aspects to modern social work education: theoretical and practical. When
practical training allows a social worker to apply this knowledge to acquire knowledge in this
field for real-life objectives, they obtain knowledge about society, social problems, property,
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social structure, social values, human behavior, and the social work process. As a result, in
modern social work, practical training is essential for the social worker to tackle the social
problems of human beings/society.
Taking note of this need, higher education has incorporated a practical training course in
social work within its curriculum, allowing students to apply theatrical expertise to problem-
solving. In 1951, the United Nations' social and economic council recognized social work as
a profession and issued the following judgment. Social work is a career that requires trained
males and females to gain a theoretical and practical understanding of social work degrees
from established and recognized educational institutions.
Social work is a practical education learned via the study of society and social work on a
theoretical level. This is because the only way to affect the "public good" is to apply
theoretical knowledge to real-life in a scientific manner.
1.9 Limitations of Fieldwork Practice

Social work in our country is not recognized as a career, students need to battle numerous
hurdles. There are certain constraints that pupils do not do well in field practice. Some of
these limitations are:
1. Facing communication problem

2. Some clients or respondents in the field are uncooperative i.e., may refuse to give
information,
3. Facing hostile agency environment,
4. Less access in-home visit
5. Not getting chance to work properly as our knowledge
6. Adjustment problem in agency supervisor.
7. Most of the agency’s staff has to lack social work knowledge.
8. Adjustment problem in the agency.
9. Lack of financial support (field practice allowance)
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Chapter Two: Introduction to the Target Group
As the corona pandemic broke out all over the world, the term and practice of social work
entered a new era. Due to the lockdown situation all over the country, the social workers have
faced difficulties doing their field practice under any agency. As a result, most of the students
have been assigned to do fieldwork in their community. I was assigned to my community to
do my field practice too. I chose the domestic female workers in my area as my target group.
2.1 Domestic Worker

Domestic workers are individuals who labor within the confines of a residence. The word
"domestic service" refers to the occupational category that is equal (Dictionary, 2021).
(Dictionary, 2021). Their responsibilities may include cleaning the house, cooking, washing
and ironing clothes, caring for children, elderly or ailing family members, gardening,
housekeeping, and driving for the family (Labor Organization, 2013). The majority of
domestic workers are migrants who have relocated from rural to metropolitan regions in
pursuit of jobs. Due to a lack of education and job skills, a significant proportion of rural
women travel to metropolitan regions in search of work (Chandramouli,2018).
Such a person was referred to as "on duty" in traditional English. Domestic workers assist
individuals with a variety of domestic jobs, such as cleaning and housekeeping, cooking,
laundry, and ironing, as well as child and elderly dependent care and other household chores.
Although such work has always been important, it was significantly more demanding
physically prior to the Industrial Revolution and the invention of labor-saving technologies.
Today, like in the past, it is seen as work for the less clever. Numerous countries have laws
protecting domestic workers, albeit they are rarely implemented. Unfortunately, domestic
employment is sometimes unregulated, which results in serious abuses, such as enslavement.
(news24, 2016).
Domestic workers are engaged in Bangladesh as assistance with domestic chores, which has
been a long-standing practice. Domestic work employs a sizable number of individuals
nowadays. Due to the absence of an official registration system for domestic servants, the
country's precise domestic worker population is unknown. This industry employs around 20
lakh people1. On the other hand, official numbers from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics'
2006 Labor Force Survey (LFS) place the figure at a lower level. The LFS reports that the
country employs 331,000 domestic workers or maid servants aged 15 and above. Domestic
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workers in the country include both males and ladies in their forties and fifties, as well as
children. The official estimates exclude child domestic workers under the age of 15, and the
reported total is significantly underestimated due to the invisibility of domestic work. Despite
this, official statistics indicate that the number of domestic employees is increasing and that a
sizable fraction of domestic employees are female, accounting for around 78 percent of all
domestic employees, while male domestic employees account for approximately 22%.
Bangladesh has 420,000 child domestic workers, 147,000 of whom work in the Dhaka City
Corporation district, according to the ILO-UNICEF Baseline Survey 2007 (DWRN-Annual-
Report-2006-2011.Pdf, n.d.).
2.2 Domestic Female Workers

Domestic female employees are those who work in or for a private family or households.
They are important members of the care economy since they provide direct and indirect care.
Cleaning the house, cooking, washing and ironing clothes, caring for children, elderly or sick
members of the family, gardening, guarding the house, driving for the family, and even
caring for household pets are all examples of their duties. A domestic worker may be hired
full-time or part-time, by a single household or through or by a service provider, or dwelling
in the employer's home (live-in worker) or in their own home (live-out). A domestic worker
may also be referred to as a migrant domestic worker if they work in a country where they are
not a citizen.
Women account for 76.2 percent of the world's 75.6 million domestic employees, suggesting
that men make up one-quarter of all domestic workers. Thus, for female employees, domestic
work is a more important source of employment than for male employees (Making Decent
Work a Reality for Domestic Workers, 2021).
2.3 Types of Domestic Workers
Domestic Child Worker
According to the International Labor Organization, 100 million girls under the age of
18 labor around the world.
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16 Domestic workers account for the majority of them, making domestic work the
most important single sector of child labor involving girls. In nations like South
Africa, Indonesia, Brazil, Haiti, Kenya, Peru, and the Philippines, for example,
hundreds of thousands of girls serve as domestic servants. 17 According to the ILO,
one out of every four girls in Costa Rica works as a domestic worker; over half of all
girls under the age of 18 work as domestic workers in Panama; and one out of every
five houses in Kathmandu, Nepal, hires minors.
According to the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy of 2015, no kid
under the age of 12 can be employed as a domestic worker in any household, and
child domestic workers cannot perform heavy or risky work. However, none of these
provisions are applied (Tithi, 2018).
Migrant Domestic Worker
The millions of women and girls who cross borders for domestic labor help to boost
the economy of both their home nations and the countries where they work.
Remittances from migrant workers are the single largest source of foreign money for
many labor-sending countries. In 2008, migrant workers in the Philippines, mostly
women, sent home US$19 billion, accounting for 11.4 percent of the country's GDP
(Bolzani et al., 2020).
2.4 Location of the Target Groups

The study's target population is domestic female workers. They were the subjects of my case
studies. The targeted residents were primarily from a slum area in South Dhaka called
Kamrangirchar. It is the single largest slum on the western bank of the Buriganga River. It is
under the Dhaka South City Corporation area. That area has a total population of over
300,000, of which approximately 265,000 live in slums (Islam & Mahbub, 2006). It is a very
crowded place in Dhaka. As the rent fee of houses here is cheaper than in other areas of
Dhaka, most working-class people have lived here for a long time. There is domestic female
worker, a rickshaw puller, floating seller, street children mostly live here. Most of them are
not well educated. They are mostly illiterate and less literate.
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Chapter Three: Present Situation of Domestic Female Workers in
Bangladesh
Every year, a substantial number of Bangladeshi women migrate from rural to metropolitan
areas. They are migrating for a variety of causes, including poverty, natural disasters, climate
change, and political and social strife, but they are all looking for a better life. Women
migrants frequently wind up working as regular domestic workers or part-time helpers. The
majority of them have no set working hours, and there is no record of the overtime they put
in. They have no right to a living salary or even a good working environment.
Domestic employees are restricted to their employers' homes and have frequent interactions
with their employers' family members and visitors. This puts them in a precarious situation.
They may face a variety of types of harassment or assault. Because domestic workers lack the
necessary education or a rulebook outlining acceptable labor conditions, it is difficult for
them to recognize abuse and unfairness. They lack the expertise or information to verbally
communicate their frustrations in the workplace or the slums. Furthermore, domestic servants
have little idea how to avoid violence or where to turn for help.
Another big worry in this industry is the inclusion of child laborers, particularly girls.
According to the International Labor Organization, 421,000 youngsters are employed in
domestic work, and this figure is steadily increasing. Three fourth of the participants are
female. According to a Plan International survey, 185 of every 400 child domestic workers
are under the age of 12 (Jahan, 2014).
Bangladesh's 10.5 million domestic employment is believed to be 90 percent female, with a

significant proportion of (girl) child labor. Domestic workers are the most disadvantaged
among the country's workforce, with low living conditions, a lack of formal education, and
no contracts or labor rights at work. With 10–12 hour working days, average monthly wages
are around BDT 1,000 (less than the US $12). According to BRAC, the majority of domestic
workers in Dhaka are from rural areas, making them especially vulnerable to exploitation and
discrimination because they are new to the city (Bailur, 2019). A domestic worker's existence
in Dhaka city is extraordinarily challenging under normal circumstances - not just during a
pandemic or after a disaster. Despite this, it's always been easy for an employer to yell, be
violent, or be dissatisfied with their domestic worker's performance. They complain to their
friends and families about how "they" don't have any common sense. And yet, employers
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rarely take the time to stop and think about the background of the domestic worker and where
they came from, or how they lived (Polen, 2020).
For these domestic workers, it’s not common to have a full kitchen, a tiled floor or running
water in their personal lives. To further paint the picture of what it’s like for domestic
workers in Bangladesh, there is a Facebook page that shares ‘warnings’ about ‘evil maids’ in
Dhaka city. The posts include photos and identifications of domestic workers along with
various levels of accusations aimed at them. The domestic workers are not given a chance to
tell their side of the story. They are without a voice.
3.1 Present Living Condition

 Inadequate living conditions
 Gender-based abuse
 Dropout from formal school
 Slum residents
 Sharing kitchens, toilets, and bathrooms
 Unsanitary environment everywhere
 Imbalanced diet 8. Malnutrition
 A lack of medicine/treatment facilities
 A lack of funds
 A lack of access to essential city services
 A lack of savings
3.2 Working Conditions of Domestic Female Worker

 At work, there are no labor rights, and there is no working relationship between the
employer and the employee.
 Inadequate pay, working hours, and time off
 Workplace violence against women Lack of social protection
 There is no possibility for labor unions and social discourse.
 There will be no appointment letter or verbal communication.
 Working conditions are precarious
 There is no mechanism in place to inspect and oversee workers.
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3.3 General Problems and Issues for Domestic Female Workers in Bangladesh
 Lack of educational opportunities
 Lack of recreation
 Use of derogatory language at work
 Physical Torture and Harassment
 Low Job Security
 Extreme Work Pressure
 Sexual Harassment
 Mental Harassment
 Inorganization
 Lack of Leadership among Domestic Workers
3.4 Impact of Covid-19 on Bangladeshi Domestic Female Workers

There were 1,012 confirmed cases in Bangladesh as of April 14, 2020. COVID-19 is already
having substantial and disproportionate consequences on Bangladeshi women, with the
number of cases increasing every day.
While no one is immune to the new coronavirus infection, its socioeconomic impact
highlights the long-standing inequality women and girls experience at home and in the
workplace. Migrant and domestic workers, for example, are among the most vulnerable.
Over 700,000 Bangladeshi workers traveled overseas in 2019, with around 100,000 of them
being women, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET).
Many Bangladeshi workers have returned home with little money as countries throughout the
world implement lockdown measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Nearly 60% of women in the world work in the informal economy, where they earn lower
pay and have fewer savings and safety nets. These women are at greater risk of falling into
poverty as global markets crumble and millions of jobs are lost. In Bangladesh, the COVID-
19 outbreak has already had a substantial impact on small enterprises, with many shops,
restaurants, and beauty salons closing and only a few restaurants offering delivery (Women,
2020).
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3.5 Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy-2015
The cabinet on Dec 21 afternoon approved the draft of "Domestic Worker Protection and
Welfare Policy-2015". Bangladesh has cleared its first-ever policy for domestic workers,
setting 14 years as the minimum age for employment.
"Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy-2015" are:
 Domestic work will be recognized as a profession.

 Domestic workers will be entitled to the benefits under the existing labor law,
including time for rest.
 The minimum age of domestic workers will be 14 for doing light works; those above
18 years will be eligible for heavy works.
 All domestic workers must entitle to a healthy and safe space for sleeping while they
are off duty. In addition, they must have the scope for prayers according to their
religion. When in sickness, the domestic worker must abstain from the workload.
 Female domestic workers will get 4 months of maternity leave.
 The government will introduce a 'helpline' for the domestic workers while there will
be also an awareness campaign (IDWFED, 2015).
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Chapter Four: Assigned and Performed Responsibilities
4.1 Introduction
Every year final semester, students of B.S.S have to go through field practicum. It is an
opportunity for novice social workers to apply their theoretical knowledge in practical field
settings, gain skills, and learn administrative efficiency. Besides, field practicum gives us
such an opportunity to become familiar with different government and non-governmental
organizations and other types of problematic people.
During my field practicum period in my community, my honorable Supervisor was Professor

Dr. Shahana Nasrin from my institute. She was very cooperative, helpful, and friendly. As an
apprentice social worker, my assigned duties and responsibilities can be divided into two
major categories:
 Orientation on Field Practicum

 Duties from the Supervisor
4.2 Orientation on Field Practicum

Before starting our Field Practicum, A one-day orientation program was held. Accordingly,
the main components of the orientation were:
 The objective of field work-its meaning and scope
 Information about the particular targeted group.
 The roles that students are expected to play in there-Recording and reporting
about field practicum and Supervision and Evaluation.

4.3 Duties are Assigned by Institute
These are the duties I was assigned by my institute:
 Process Recording
 Weekly Supervisory Conference
 Case Study
Process Recording
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Field practicum recording should have equal emphasis on the process and methods of
work and the task itself, about the solution of problems within a broader socio-
economic context. It has to be considered about other kinds of reports and written
assignments that are to be prepared by a student from time to time in this field
practicum practice. In the orientation program, teachers advised us about the process
recording, which should be descriptive, emphasizing my role, diagnostic approach,
and resourcefulness. I had to maintain daily recording of my activities to keep my
supervisor informed and up to date.
Weekly Supervisory Conference with Supervisor

Supervision as an educational, administrative, and helping process is concerned with
enabling, teaching, and guiding a supervisee to develop professional skills,
knowledge, and attitude based on the objectives of educational programs and the
needs of the supervisee. It is a two-way process between Supervisor and supervisee in
which the supervisors instruct, guide, support, and communicate with the student in
his quest for developing professional social work skills, knowledge, and attitudes.
Every week, I had to attend an online meeting with my honorable Supervisor,
regarded as a weekly supervisory conference. In my first supervisory conference, my
supervisor gave me assignments on my targeted group. Besides, she used to ask me
short and straightforward queries about m targeted group. Also, she advised me how
to cope with different situations while working with different types of problematic
people.
Case Study
During the orientation, our honorable teachers discussed the case study, one of the
essential components of field practicum. In this regard, I studied many cases during
the field practicum.
4.4 Assigned Duties and Responsibilities by the Supervisor

During my fieldwork in my community, I was assigned the following duties and
responsibilities by my supervisor:
• To achieve knowledge of my targeted group.
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• To know about their location, living environment, etc.
• To spend time in the area to gather information.
• To apply the social casework method in case preparing and case management.
• To follow up with the clients and cases who have been taken as a case.
• To study the individual's socio-economic conditions and psychological
characteristics, diagnose problems, identify priority problems, arrange treatment,
evaluate problem-solving, and finally follow up.
• To keep records of daily performed duties and activities in a separate register
book on that day.
• To maintain good relations with other group members.
• To attend the supervisory conference that my supervisor would arrange through
the Zoom app every Sunday.
• To apply social work knowledge, methods, theories, strategies, techniques, and
principles to solve problems.
• To apply theoretical knowledge of social work in the practical field in dealing
with clients.
• To build up a rapport with the client.
• To take at least 4 cases to study in detail and to include them in the final report.
• To identify the problems and limitations faced during fieldwork.
• To prepare a final fieldwork report based on the tasks I have done during
fieldwork and submit it in the fixed time to the Supervisor.
• Visiting all the houses of female domestic workers.
• Carrying out the assignment as given by the Supervisor;
As a novice social worker, I was supervised by my supervisor, who instructed me during my

field practicum period and helped me apply social work knowledge, methods, and approaches
in the actual working field. Also, her assigned duties and responsibilities allowed me to
realize the accurate picture and situation of field practicum in Bangladesh. Besides, these
duties and responsibilities are beneficial to be a social worker and to serve my country as a
social worker in the future.
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4.5 Performed Duties and Responsibilities
I was assigned to my community. I have started fieldwork in SWID on 2nd October. First of
all, I visited the areas where the female domestic worker lives mainly. Then I begin my work
as an Apprentice Social worker. During my fieldwork in the community, I was assigned
many duties and responsibilities by my supervisor. I have tried my best to perform all of the
duties and responsibilities assigned to me.
Within this Scheduled time, I performed the following duties and responsibilities:
 I have completed the 40 working days of my fieldwork maintaining time.
 I got acquainted with the life of female domestic workers in my area.
 I have maintained the process recording book regularly and written everything in a
summarized style of recording.
 I tried to understand the existing social service delivery system, existing clientele
systems, and problem-solving process at the micro and macro levels.
 I have completed three assignments a study on the "Domestic Female Worker."
 I have visited the houses of female domestic workers in my area and gather
information about them.
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Chapter Five: Case Profiles and Application of Social Work
Methods
Case Profiles
Case no-1
1. Personal Information of the case:

Name : Jorina Khatun
Age : 40
Education : Illiterate
Occupation : Domestic Female Worker
Monthly Income : 7000 takas
Marital Status : Married
Husband's name : Dead Abdul Razzak
Permanent address : Union: Baliadi, Upazila: Bajitpur, District: Kishoreganj
Present address : Kamrangirchar, Dhaka
2. Background of the case:

Jorina Khatun, a 40-year-old lady, has worked as a female domestic servant in
Dhaka's Shahbag neighborhood since 2010. She does not have any formal schooling. I
met her on August 3, 2021.

3. The rationality of taking her a case:
I asked her about her family, financial situation, and psychological situation the first
time I met her. After speaking with her, I discovered that her son had taken out a 3-
lakh taka loan. I also learned that she was concerned about her son's loan as well as
his upcoming marriage. Therefore, she requires a reliable source of funds to assist her
son in repaying the loan and marrying her son. That is why I chose her to be a case
study.

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4. The family structure of the case:
Name Age Relationship Occupation Monthly Income
Jorina Khatun 40 The case Domestic Female Worker 7000/-
Hafiz Mia 22 Son Shopkeeper 6000/-
Sufia Khatun 38 Sister-in-law Domestic Female Worker 6000/-

5. Explanation of problem through Medico-psycho-social study:
After selecting her as a case study subject, I developed a professional relationship
with her and gathered all relevant data. Interviews and observation were used to
gather them.

5.1. Information about her medical and physical condition:
Jorina Khatun is a lady in her forties. She was tensed. She has osteoporosis, as
well as gastrointestinal and muscular weakness. Her physical condition is
deteriorating.

5.2. Information about socio-economic conditions:
Jorina Begum has three members in her family. She has got a son and a sister-in-
law. In the village her father gave her to reside, she has a plot of land, but there is
nothing of the construction. Her son runs a mobile charging mini-shop. He took
about a 3-lakh taka loan out of a bank. She has to spend a specific amount of
money on her medicine every month because she is sick. She is also concerned
about her son's loan repayment.

5.3. Information about psychological condition:
Jorina Begum is looked disappointed about her situation while talking with me. I
saw the anxiety on her face. She is a little bit depressed.

6. Assessment of Problem
 She does not have much education.
 Her husband is dead.
 Her income is not sufficient to support her family besides helping her son
to repay the loan.
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 Her physical condition is not so well.
 She has no capital to invest.
 She is not aware of her rights.
7. Psycho-social treatment:
Social Work is a professional activity of dealing with problematic persons having a
psycho-social problem. As an apprentice social worker, I collected psycho-social
Information about the case. After an assessment of her problem, I provided her him
psycho-social treatment. Following:
 I provided counseling services to restore her psychological conditions and to
reduce her anxiety and depression.
 I motivated her not to tensed about the situation.

8. Evaluation:
Jorina Begum was anxious about her son's future and depressed. She had some
psychological problems and unset thinking. At first, I invented her psycho-social and
economic aspects. I provided her counseling services, motivated her not too tense
about her situation, and tried to integrate her thinking. I became successful in dealing
with her problem and made her free from anxiety. I also advised her to save money if
she can use it to use that as capital. I stopped to continue work on Jorina Begum on
September 2, 2021.
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Case no-2
Name : Mst. Afroza Begum

Age : 40
Husband’s name : Md. Jaminur Rashid

Age : 50
Occupation : Auto-rickshaw puller
Monthly Income : None (Currently)
Permanent address : Vill: Gorngarchar, District: Rangpur
Present address : Kamrangirchar (Slum), Dhaka
2. Background of the case

Afroza Begum, a 40-year-old lady, worked as a female domestic servant in Dhaka's
Shahbag neighborhood since 2011. She does not have any formal schooling. I met her
on August 1, 2021.

When I initially met her, I inquired about her family, financial condition, and
psychological state. After talking with her for a while, I realized that her husband was
not well-off enough to support her. In addition, her older son is a gambling addict. I
found her tense when it came to her sons and family. She wishes for her son to get rid
of his gambling addiction. That is why I decided to use her as a case study.
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Mst. Afroza Begum 40 The case Domestic Female Worker 6000/-
Md. Jaminur Rashid 50 Husband Auto-rickshaw puller 2000/-
Al Amin 20 Son Labor 3000/-
Jakaria 14 Son Student None
Amena 18 Daughter-in-law Housewife None
Sohel 1 Grandson None None

After selecting her as a case study subject, I developed a professional relationship
with her and gathered all relevant data. Interviews and observation were used to
collect them.
5.1 Information about her medical and physical condition:

Afroza Begum is a lady in her forties. She was anxious about her family. Without this,
she has no significant physical instability.
5.2 Information about socio-economic condition:

Afroza Begum comes from a huge family of six members. She does not own any land
in the village. Her one son works in the chemical industry and earns around 3,000
takas each month. Her son does not contribute to her family. Instead, he gambled
away all of his money. Her husband's income has also decreased as a result of the
recent lockdown.
5.3 Information about psychological condition:

Afroza Begum is looked disappointed about her son’s situation. I saw the anxiety on
her face. She is very much depressed.
6. Assessment of Problem
 Her son was addicted to gambling.
 Her husband's income was low.
 Her income is not sufficient to support her family.
 Her son didn’t contribute to the family.
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 She has no academic knowledge.
 She was pressurized mentally.

information about the case. Then, after an assessment of her problem, I provided her
him psycho-social treatment. Following:
 I talked with her sons at different times. First, he refused to talk with me.
Then I was able to talk with him. I tried to consult him by advising
different things with my little experience.
 I provided counseling services to restore her psychological conditions and
to reduce her anxiety and depression.
8. Evaluation:
Afroza Begum was concerned and depressed about her future and family. At first, I
made up her psychosocial and financial features. Then, I offered her counseling and
tried to integrate her views by encouraging her to be hopeful about her situation. I was
successful in fixing her problem and relieving her of her anxiety. In addition, I
attempted to counsel her older son, who is involved in gambling. After following my
suggestion, I returned to her house two weeks later and noticed significant changes in
her family. Her son was not gaming, as he had been in the past. As a result, I ceased
working on Afroza Begum on September 7th, 2021.
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Case no-3
Name : Suborna
Age : 26
Education : Class 5
Monthly Income : 1500/-
Husband’s name : Siddique

Age : 32
Occupation : Rickshaw puller
Education : None
Monthly Income : 8000/-
Permanent address : Village: Sorkar para, Upazila: Gaibanda Sadar,

Gaibanda
Present address : Kamrangirchar, Dhaka

Suborna, a 26-year-old lady, worked as a female domestic servant in Dhaka's
Kamrangirchar area since 2012. She cannot continue her study after class 5. I met her
on August 5, 2021.

I asked her about her family, financial situation, and psychological situation the first
time I met her. After speaking with her, I discovered that she had a daughter who was
physically challenged. In addition, I learned that she was concerned about her
daughter's future as her financial condition is not so well to support her family well.
That is why I chose her to be a case study.
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Suborna 26 The case Domestic Female Worker 1500/-
Siddique 32 Husband Rickshaw Puller 8000/-
Marufa 17 Daughter None None
Sazim 08 Son Student None
Samir 05 Son Child labour 3000/-

After choosing her as a case study subject, I built a professional contact with her and
obtained all required data. They were gathered through interviews and observation.

Suborna is a young lady. She is looked very much tensed always. She suffers from a
variety of mental issues, including anguish. However, her physical state is acceptable.

Suborna has a family of five members, including three sons and a daughter. She has
no land of her own. So, she came to Dhaka for a better livelihood. Besides, her
daughter is physically challenged. She has no such wealth to support her daughter and
send her to a better school for the disabled child. However, as her financial condition
is not so good, she cannot support her.

While speaking with me, Suborna was dissatisfied with her status. Her nervousness
was visible on her face. She is concerned about the future of her daughter.
6. Assessment of Problem:
 Her daughter is physically challenged.
 Her income is not sufficient to support her family besides helping her daughter
be admitted to a good school.
 She has no capital to invest.
 She does not have much education.
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Social work is a career that deals with troubled people who have psychosocial issues.
First, I gathered psychosocial information on the case as an apprentice social worker.
Then, I offered her psychosocial counseling after assessing her problem. Following:
 I offered her counseling services to help her regain control of her emotions
and minimize her worry and sadness.
 I suggest she take her daughter to the nearest disabled school.
 I also suggest she collect disable allowance for her daughter from her Union council.
8. Evaluation:
Suborna was worried and depressed about her daughter's future. I made up her
psychosocial and economic characteristics at first. I offered her counseling,
encouraged her to be optimistic about her circumstances, and attempted to integrate
her thoughts. I was effective in resolving her condition and freeing her from
anxiousness. She took my advice and enrolled her daughter in the local disabled
school, allowing her to study less. She has also applied for a government allowance
for her daughter. On September 5th, 2021, I stopped working on Suborna.
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Case no-4
Name : Mst. Sumi Begum

Age : 30
Husband’s name : Md. Monirul Jaman

Age : 40
Occupation : Driver (Van)
Monthly Income : Less than 2000 takas (Currently)
Permanent address : Upazila: Jamalpur, District: Jamalpur
Present address : Kamrangirchar (Slum)

Sumi Begum is a 30-year-old female domestic servant who has worked in Dhaka's
Kamrangirchar neighborhood since 2016. She has never attended a formal school. On
August 5, 2021, I met her.

When I initially met her, I inquired about her family, financial condition, and
psychological state. I learned from her that her husband had recently been infected
with the Covid-19 virus. As a result, they took a loan from one of their neighbors.
Due to the lockdown, her husband was incapable of helping her family after his
recovery. She had mental pressure to return the money as early as possible as the
neighbor was asking for the money. As she was depressed and tensed, I chose her to
be a case study because her family is in trouble.
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Mst. Sumi Begum 30 The case Domestic Female Worker 5000/-
Md. Monirul Jaman 40 Husband Van Puller 2000/-
Sumona 5 Daughter None None
5 Explanation of problem through Medico-psycho-social study:

I built a professional relationship with her after selecting her as a case study subject
and obtained all pertinent data. They were gathered through interviews and
observations.

Sumi Begum is a young lady. She works hard in her working area. I came to about her
and her problem from one of her friends in her working place. I heard from her
friends that she was very active in her workplace, but she could not concentrate on her
work after her husband was affected by covid. She suffers from a variety of mental
issues, such as anxiety. However, her physical state as well.

Sumi Begum has five members in her family. She has got three sons and a daughter.
She has no land of her own. She came to Dhaka for a better livelihood in 2016.
Besides, she has a daughter who is aged five years. She has no such wealth that she
can repay the money. Besides, her husband's income is low due to lockdown.

Sumi Begum is looked disappointed about her situation while talking with me. I saw
the anxiety on her face. She is a little bit depressed.
6 Assessment of Problem:
a. She has no education.
b. Her husband has a poor income.
c. Her income is not sufficient to support her family besides repaying the loan.
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d. She has no savings to repay the money.
7 Psycho-social treatment:
information about the case. After an assessment of her problem, I provided her him
psycho-social treatment. Following:
 I provided counseling services to restore her psychological conditions and to
reduce her anxiety and depression.
 I talked with her neighbor from whom she took the money and convinced her
to give some time by explaining Sumi Begum’s situation.
8 Evaluation:
Sumi Begum was anxious about financial conditions. At first, I invented her psycho-
social and economic aspects. I provided her counseling services, motivated her not too
tense about her situation, and tried to integrate her thinking. I became successful to
deal with her problem and made her free from anxiety. with her neighbor from whom
she took the money and convinced her to give some time by explaining Sumi
Begum’s situation. I stopped to continue work on Sumi Begum on 7 th September
2021.
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Application of Social Work Methods, Knowledge, and Techniques during
Field Practicum
5.1 Introduction
Fieldwork is necessary for implementing academic knowledge in a real-world environment.
Knowledge, values, and abilities must be applied correctly to achieve success and efficiency
in the workplace. I dealt with the cases using the basic procedures of social work and the
social worker assisting the process, which includes psychosocial study, diagnosis, treatment,
and follow-up. As a result, as an apprentice social worker, I applied some of the ideas and
procedures to the challenges I encountered in my cases.
5.2 Application of Social Work Methods
The primary Method is of three types:
a) Social Casework
b) Social Group Work
c) Community Social Work
d) Community Organization
e) Community Development
The auxiliary Method is of three types:

• Social Administration
• Social Research
• Social Action
5.3 Social Case Work

Social casework as a method of social work emerged out of religious beliefs and practices.
However, over time, it gradually developed into a scientific body of knowledge. It is based on
scientific knowledge, mutual understanding, and special skills and techniques in dealing with
and providing service to the individual. Its focus is on the individuals having psycho-socio-
economic problems. I have followed the process of the casework method in dealing with my
clients. To help them solve the problem, I passed through the following stages as an
apprentice social worker:
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Study
 I obtained information on the client's socioeconomic situation.

 On the nature of the problems, I assessed and observed the psychological qualities
of the individual customer.
 By observation, interview, and case file, I gathered information and data from the
client concerning developmental stages and personality.
 I obtained information from the client's relatives.
Diagnosis
 I have tried to be as precise as possible in describing my clients' social situations

and personalities and formulating therapy regimens.
 My diagnostic used to start with the client's first interview and continue
throughout the problem-solving process.
 I categorized the issues, compared them to those of others, and customized the
customer.
 Dynamic, Clinical, and Etiological or Genetic diagnoses are the three types of
diagnosis I have studied.
 During the dynamic diagnosis, I acquired a cross-sectional perspective of the
forces engaging in the client's problem circumstances. I attempted to comprehend
the issue and the physical, psychological, and societal components that
contributed to it.
 During the clinical diagnosis, I grouped the clients based on their issues and
identified certain personality traits, maladaptations, and particular demands and
behaviors.
 I noted the sources and progression of the client's condition during the etiological
diagnosis.
Treatment
 I developed a treatment strategy and implemented procedures to assist the client in

dealing with his situation more successfully.
 For the first solution, I set up a mediation program. If a solution could not be
found through the mediation program, I assisted the clients in obtaining more
significant support.
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 Through the casework interview, I was able to effect changes in the particular
client.
 I assisted the client in improving his functioning within the context of his or her
ego defense system.
Evaluation
 I evaluated the problem-solving process's strengths and flaws. This entails

evaluating the steps done to assist solve the situation.
 My evaluation started with each intake and continued throughout the problem-
solving process.
 I tried to maintain my assessment objective, consistent, and free of bias.
 I watched and preserved case records for evaluation purposes, as well as
exchanging opinions with the clients. The casework method has several unique
ideas for establishing rapport and gathering information from particular clients. In
working with individual clients and in the problem-solving process, I have
adhered to those ideals. These are the following:
 Acceptance: Individualization
 Communication: Self-awareness
 Participation: Self-determination
 Confidentiality: Individualization and Self- awareness
 I have used these techniques to help my clients with their psychosocial issues.
 Every time I met with a client, I applied acceptance principles at the level of my
initial impression, ensuring the client's active engagement in the problem-solving
process.
 I was able to communicate with the customer and provide them the opportunity to
communicate with me using the principle of communication, allowing their
problems to come into focus and be solved.
 I used the principle of participation to assist the clients in solving their difficulties
by incorporating them into the problem-solving process.
 I protected the client's right to self-determination by ensuring his or her freedom
to make choices and decisions during the problem-solving process.
 Using the rules of secrecy, I keep all of the confidential information provided by
the client about his condition.
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 I used individualization concepts to distinguish between serving the client's
unique demands and assisting him in using his capacities and resources to solve
his challenges.
 I also examine my strengths and limitations using self-awareness techniques.
Clients were not subjected to my own opinions and attitudes. Biases and partiality
did not affect me.
5.4 Social Group Work

In my assigned community, the scope of group work is minimal. In dealing with primary and
secondary groups, I applied the group work method in different ways, following the process
and principles of the social group work method. Under the scope of group work, the
following social group work activities have been performed:
I started by forming groups and providing them with the appropriate parameters.
 During the group work process, I ensured that all group members were able to freely
engage so that they could discuss their difficulties and perspectives to find solutions.
 I have attempted to strengthen and enhance the members' personal and social
functioning through specialized and controlled group engagement.
 assisting them in creating a welcoming, relaxed, and comfortable environment to
guarantee an appealing meeting location
 Assist the group in making its own democratic decision about how to solve the
challenge. Motivating group members to accept new ideas and principles for the
group to progress.
 Assisting the group in recognizing and resolving member disputes.
 Providing opportunities for group members to connect healthily by encouraging
cooperation, fellow-feeling, and a sense of belonging to the group will protect their
human rights.
5.5 Social Administration

Social work administration is transforming social policy into social welfare services, which
includes the use of experience to adjust policy and techniques. It is the process of planning
and directing a social service organization. Social work principles and programs are carried
out with the assistance of social work administration—knowledge of social work
administration aids in completing a variety of administrative tasks. Various management
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processes are applied in this situation, including planning, staffing, managing, monitoring,
and evaluating.
5.6 Social Research

In the field of social work, research is seen as an effective tool. It aids in the provision of
answers to inquiries and a foundation for making decisions and doing actions. As a social
research instrument, I used to survey, statistical, and case studies of female domestic workers.
As a result, I was able to learn about the reality and truths of society and the conditions of my
clients. Even though I did not undertake new research during my field practicum, I
recognized its importance in the problem-solving process.
5.7 Application of Social Work Techniques

During fieldwork, I have applied some social work techniques in the problem-solving
process.
Interviewing: I collected data, facts, and information concerning clients' problems for
diagnosis and treatment through a face-to-face interview.
Questioning: I have asked various questions as needed to get data. I grasped the ins
and outs of the problems through the questions and answers, which helped me
develop a solution. In addition, I questioned clients on occasion to get specific
information and guide their discourse from fruitless to valuable routes.
Observation: Following this technique, I observed and took notes on their gesture,

facial expressions, physical movements such as-excitability, cheerfulness, gloom, and
frustration, as well as grim situation through intensive participation.
Listening: It is a fundamental technique to know the problems of the clients deeply. I

did let them speak first, and I listened attentively. In some cases, I talked with the
parents and teachers of those students about their problems. Because students who
were intellectually disabled were not always in the mood to answer questions, and
they also did not know very much about them. I followed the technique to facilitate
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the clients' accessible speaking and expressing their desires and grievances frankly.
As a result, they thought of me as necessary and me as a close friend.
Recording: I recorded the discussions and deliberations of an interview as

meaningful as possible. I wrote each of their speeches.
Answering the personal question: They asked me different personal questions, and I

answered them in a way that I thought would encourage and enthusiastically solve
their problems by themselves.
5.8 Application of Social Work Approach

Social workers apply social work approaches through different intervention strategies in the
problem-solving process. These approaches may vary from client to client. I have followed
the only person-centered approach in my case studies.

Person-Centered Social Work Approach social work practice: Person-centered
practice involves finding out what people want, the support they need, and how they
can get it. It requires social workers to be flexible in their approach and use a range of
skills, techniques, and interventions that best suit individuals and their circumstances.
Interventions can range from advice or information, problem-solving, emotional
support, advocacy, mediation, counseling, family support, family therapy, and group
work to more specific social work interventions and therapeutic approaches to
practice. Social workers also play an essential role in signposting people to other
specialist services that best meet their needs.
Cognitive theory: Cognitive Theory, developed by Jean Piaget, is used mainly in

psychology and used in social work to deal with clients having problems with their
perceptions and cognition that affect their behavior and social functioning. Using the
theory, people are helped by changing their perceptions and patterns to change their
behavior and emotions. Through using some techniques, such as clarification and re-
clarification, confrontation, direct intervention, and others, I tried to change their
thought patterns which were hampering their psychosocial functions.
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Contractual approach: While conducting case studies in my community as an
apprentice social worker, I followed this approach to helping clients. I contracted with
him and his attendants by presenting my identity to them, and then I made a contract
with them, reassuring them that I could help them by solving his psycho-socio-
economic problems. As social work has yet to be recognized as a profession, clients
did not come to me to solve their psychosocial problems; instead, they only sought
financial help. However, I contracted with him and began providing casework
services to him because I discovered any psychosocial complexity with them.
Strength-based approach: The Strength-based Approach generally conceptualizes

strength in two ways. Firstly, assets, resources, and abilities can be used to assist in
helping an individual to continue to develop, and secondly, some strengths can be
developed. While providing social casework and social group work services to my
community, I followed this approach in all cases after collecting their medico-psycho-
social data. I assessed the resources available within them.
37 | P a g e
Chapter Six: Experiences and Challenges
6.1 Experience Obtained from Field Practicum
I was placed in my community as an apprentice social worker for my field practicum. Within
this short period (40) working days, I learned and obtained many experiences and developed
my skill in specific fields of social worker. I have very high hope that I may use these to
enhance my capacity to place better shortly.
The skills & experiences gathered by me are mentioned below:

 Knowledge of social worker
 Different dimensions, approach, scope, professional tend of social worker profession.
 Social Skills
 Importance of Social worker in Community level
 Rapport Building
 Recording & reporting
 Study, Diagnosis & Treatment
 Gathering skills to challenge the psychological patient
 Growing more confidence
 Removing some unexpected situation
 Acquiring consciousness
6.2 Success during Field Practice

As an apprentice social worker, I tried my best to perform assigned duties on me. As a result,
I have gained success in the following field during field practice in my community.
 I have acquired the mentality to face any adverse situation.

 I have learned techniques how to study the client of different classes.
 I have learned how to deal with the key person of a family in the community.
 I have learned how to counsel various types of clients.
 Motivation is a very much known topic in social work. I have learned how to motivate
the client.
 I have learned how to diagnose a case and treat it appropriately.
38 | P a g e
 I learned to apply theoretical knowledge of social work in the practical field to
conduct a case study.
 I learned how to use the principle of social work. For example- I accept the client
without considering who is he/she and where he/she is
 Rapport is a very much familiar phenomenon in social work. Using the theoretical
knowledge on this subject, I have learned how to build a professional relationship
with the client and others.
6.3 Challenges Faced in Field Practice

During my field practicum in my community, I have gathered vast practical experience as a
social worker. Though I have been there only for 40 days, I tried to get a scenario of my
community in the eyes of a social worker. I had to work in a new environment with new
people. Working with the problematic person was also a new experience because I could
drive into the depths of their problem-solving process and interaction. I have found different
attitudes, beliefs, thoughts, emotions, hazards, etc., of my clients, which have made me more
insightful and careful in dealing with other cases. After completing 40 days of field practicum
in my community, I realize that I am more prudent and skilled at dealing with clients and
their families and more professional at solving their problems by applying Social Work
knowledge, skills, values, techniques, ethics, and principles.
My achieved experiences from the whole field practicum period are given below:
During my field practicum, I got the opportunity to deal with diversified clients with different
problems related to disability.
 I came across many problematic persons related to autism or different kinds of
disability here in my community and realized what kind of challenges they faced in
society.
 It has become possible for me to observe the behavior pattern, attitudes, need,
experience and feelings of clients of different age.
 Rapport building is an essential technique of social casework. I have learned how to
build up a rapport to deal with diversified clients.
 During my field practicum, I have got the chance to apply theoretical knowledge
regarding conducting a case study, rapport building, follow-up, case history, and other
activities.
39 | P a g e
 It has become possible for me to apply the theoretical knowledge, skills, norms, and
values of social work in solving the problems of my residents.
Overall, I learned a lot during my field practicum period with female domestic workers. In
addition, I have got the necessary support from my honorable supervisor.
6.4 Faced Problems during Field Practicum

I have faced a few problems and limitations during my field practicum period. These
problems and limitations are:

Problem Faced during Data Collection
I collected information about four female domestic workers during my field practicum for my
final report. During my data collection, I faced some problems. Some of them are due to
social work-related, some are respondents related and others related to my works. These are
shown below:
 As Social work is not recognized as a profession in Bangladesh, Sometimes, I faced
the problems of having no professional identity that obstructed collecting information
and faced many questions from the respondent’s family related to my discipline as
respondents have problems with different kinds of disability-related problems. They
always were not in the mood to respond to my query. Besides, all respondents’
parents were not daily to drop or receive their children from school. Sometimes they
did not want to share their familiar information and were not much cooperative.
 Due to time limitation, I could not talk with them a long time so only get fuzzy
information.
 Sometimes it is not easy to understand them in my work as I face challenges to collect
information.
 Most of the time, respondents willingly gave wrong information because they did not
believe in my works.
 Most of the respondents were not understand my question as they were not mature
enough.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that this research paper helps to find out the overall socio-
economic condition of the female domestic worker in my community at Shahbag, Dhaka.
40 | P a g e
Moreover, the social services are too adequate for my target group. Therefore, social services
in this area must be increased to provide necessary services to all people.
References
I. Bailur, S. (2019, August 23). Bangladesh: Domestic workers and ID. Caribou Digital.
https://medium.com/caribou-digital/when-id-works-for-women-on-domestic-workers-
and-id-in-bangladesh-ff782f24344d
II. Bolzani, D., Marabello, S., & Honig, B. (2020). Exploring the multi-level processes
of legitimacy in transnational social enterprises. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(3),
105941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2019.06.002
III. Chandramouli, K. (2018). Women Domestic Workers in India: An Analysis. Blue

Eyes Intelligence Engineering & Sciences Publication, 8(1), 5.
IV. Dictionary, O. (2021, July). Home: Oxford English Dictionary.

https://www.oed.com/start?showLogin=false
V. DWRN-Annual-Report-2006-2011.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved August 24, 2021, from

http://bilsbd.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/DWRN-Annual-Report-2006-2011.pdf
VI. IDWFED. (2015, December). Bangladesh: Cabinet Adopts Domestic Workers

Protection and Welfare Policy [Story]. International Domestic Workers Federation.
https://idwfed.org/en/updates/bangladesh-cabinet-clears-draft-policy-to-protect-
domestic-workers-rights
VII. Islam, N., & Mahbub, A. (2006). Slums of Urban Bangladesh: Mapping and Census,
2005 — MEASURE Evaluation [Publication].
https://www.measureevaluation.org/resources/publications/tr-06-35.html
41 | P a g e
VIII. Jahan, M. (2014, April 16). Women domestic workers in Bangladesh: An ignored
community. The Good Feed. http://blog.brac.net/women-domestic-workers-in-
bangladesh-an-ignored-community-2/
IX. Labour Organization, I. (2013, April 5). Who are domestic workers ? [Document].
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/domestic-workers/WCMS_209773/lang--en/
index.htm
X. Making decent work a reality for domestic workers: Progress and prospects ten years
after the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). (2021).
[Report].
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/domestic-workers/publications/WCMS_802551/
lang--en/index.htm
XI. news24. (2016, July 23). Straight-talking Lerato Tshabala: Let’s call a maid a
maid… | You. https://www.news24.com/You/Archive/straight-talking-lerato-tshabala-
lets-call-a-maid-a-maid-20170728
XII. Polen, S. (2020, June 11). ‘There is no focus on domestic workers’: The invisible
workforce in Bangladesh during COVID-19. Oxfam Canada.
https://www.oxfam.ca/story/there-is-no-focus-on-domestic-workers-the-invisible-and-
replaceable-workforce-in-bangladesh-during-covid-19/
XIII. Tithi, N. (2018, October 30). Protection of Child Domestic Workers: A policy only on
paper. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/society/news/policy-only-
paper-1653484
XIV. Women, U. (2020, April 27). Far from the spotlight, women workers are among the
hardest hit by COVID-19 in Bangladesh. UN Women.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/4/feature-women-workers-hardest-
hit-by-covid-19-in-bangladesh
42 | P a g e
43 | P a g e

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Field Practicum Report

Md. Monir Hossain

INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND RESEARCH

When it comes to earning professional recognition as a social worker, there is no substitute

It gives me great pleasure to submit a report on fieldwork undertaken in my community. This

Md. Monir Hossain

1.2 Concept of Social Work

Social work is a professional activity of helping individuals, groups, or communities to

1.3 Historical Background of Social Work

1.4 Concept of Fieldwork

According to our “Field Work Manual,” the objective of fieldwork programs in social work

According to R.R.Singh, “Fieldwork is an educationally sponsored attachment of social work

1.5 Historical Development of Fieldwork Practicum

1.6 Goals and Objectives of Fieldwork Practicum

 To offer students a purposeful learning experience through interaction with life

1.7 Importance of Fieldwork in Social Work

1.8 Relation between Fieldwork and Social work

1.9 Limitations of Fieldwork Practice

1. Facing communication problem

2.1 Domestic Worker

2.2 Domestic Female Workers

2.3 Types of Domestic Workers

Domestic Child Worker

Migrant Domestic Worker

2.4 Location of the Target Groups

Bangladesh's 10.5 million domestic employment is believed to be 90 percent female, with a

3.1 Present Living Condition

3.2 Working Conditions of Domestic Female Worker

3.4 Impact of Covid-19 on Bangladeshi Domestic Female Workers

"Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy-2015" are:

 Domestic work will be recognized as a profession.

During my field practicum period in my community, my honorable Supervisor was Professor

 Orientation on Field Practicum

4.2 Orientation on Field Practicum

Weekly Supervisory Conference with Supervisor

4.4 Assigned Duties and Responsibilities by the Supervisor

As a novice social worker, I was supervised by my supervisor, who instructed me during my

1. Personal Information of the case:

Permanent address : Union: Baliadi, Upazila: Bajitpur, District: Kishoreganj

Present address : Kamrangirchar, Dhaka

2. Background of the case:

Name : Mst. Afroza Begum

Husband’s name : Md. Jaminur Rashid

Permanent address : Vill: Gorngarchar, District: Rangpur

Present address : Kamrangirchar (Slum), Dhaka

2. Background of the case

3. The rationality of taking her a case:

Name Age Relationship Occupation Monthly Income

5. Explanation of problem through Medico-psycho-social study:

5.1 Information about her medical and physical condition:

5.2 Information about socio-economic condition:

5.3 Information about psychological condition:

Social Work is a professional activity of dealing with problematic persons having a

Husband’s name : Siddique

Permanent address : Village: Sorkar para, Upazila: Gaibanda Sadar,

2. Background of the case:

3. The rationality of taking her a case:

Name Age Relationship Occupation Monthly Income

5. Explanation of problem through Medico-psycho-social study:

5.1 Information about her medical and physical condition:

5.2 Information about socio-economic condition:

5.3 Information about psychological condition: