WHAT IS SOCIAL WORK?

Social work is a practice-based profession that promotes

social change, development, cohesion and the empowerment
of people and communities. Social work practice involves the
understanding of human development, behavior and the social,
economic and cultural institutions and interactions. Social
work professionals working with families and institutions have
helped to provide and advance the following social impacts:
 IDENTIFY AND DEFINE THE
SOCIAL WORK AND ITS GOALS
AND SCOPE:

Social work is a practice-based profession that

promotes social change, development, cohesion and the
empowerment of people and communities. Social work
practice involves the understanding of human
development, behavior and the social, economic and
cultural institutions and interactions.
 COMPREHEND THE PRINCIPLES,
ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF
SOCIAL WORK

Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the

inherent dignity and worth of the person. Social
workers treat each person in a caring and
respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences
and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers
promote clients' socially responsible self-
determination.
 THE SOCIAL WORKER
ROLE AND IMPACT ON
THE COMMUNITY
Social workers have an immense impact on communities and the
people that occupy them. However, the social worker role has shifted
over the last few years and continues to evolve to match the rapid
changes of the 21st century
Social workers’ roles have grown to include crisis management as well as roles of
empowerment and advocacy. Social workers can empower communities by
encouraging individuals to take an active role in shaping social services, providing
education programs and enabling economic independence long-term.

A notable example is the inspiring story of Nadine who was abandoned at the age of
nine at a funeral in Lusaka, Zambia. Eleven years later Nadine is healthy and happy
pursuing a social sciences degree at a university to educate and inspire kids who share
a similar past.