SOUTH EAST ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, INC.

National Highway, Crossing Rubber, Tupi, South Cotabato

BS in Social Work

LEARNING MODULE
FOR HBSE 4
SOCIAL CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE

Week 4

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 WEEK 4
Increase Welfare and Human Development

What is WELFARE?
Welfare (or commonly, social welfare) is a type of government support intended to ensure that members
of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter.

What is Social Welfare?

A social welfare system offers assistance to individuals and families in need, with such programs as health
care assistance, food stamps, and unemployment compensation. Lesser known parts of a social welfare
system include disaster relief and educational assistance.

Human Development
Human development refers to the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of humans
throughout the lifespan.

Three domains of Development

 Physical Domain

Many of us are familiar with the height and weight charts that pediatricians consult to estimate if babies,
children, and teens are growing within normative ranges of physical development. We may also be aware
of changes in children’s fine and gross motor skills, as well as their increasing coordination, particularly in
terms of playing sports. But we may not realize that physical development also involves brain
development, which not only enables childhood motor coordination but also greater coordination between
emotions and planning in adulthood, as our brains are not done developing in infancy or childhood.
Physical development also includes puberty, sexual health, fertility, menopause, changes in our senses, and
primary versus secondary aging. Healthy habits with nutrition and exercise are also important at every age
and stage across the lifespan.

 Cognitive Domain

If we watch and listen to infants and toddlers, we can’t help but wonder how they learn so much so fast,
particularly when it comes to language development. Then as we compare young children to those in
middle childhood, there appear to be huge differences in their ability to think logically about the concrete
world around them. Cognitive development includes mental processes, thinking, learning, and
understanding, and it doesn’t stop in childhood. Adolescents develop the ability to think logically about the
abstract world (and may like to debate matters with adults as they exercise their new cognitive skills!).
Moral reasoning develops further, as does practical intelligence—wisdom may develop with experience
over time. Memory abilities and different forms of intelligence tend to change with age. Brain
development and the brain’s ability to change and compensate for losses is significant to cognitive
functions across the lifespan, too.
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  Psychosocial Domain

Development in this domain involves what’s going on both psychologically and socially. Early on, the focus
is on infants and caregivers, as temperament and attachment are significant. As the social world expands
and the child grows psychologically, different types of play and interactions with other children and
teachers become important. Psychosocial development involves emotions, personality, self-esteem, and
relationships. Peers become more important for adolescents, who are exploring new roles and forming
their own identities. Dating, romance, cohabitation, marriage, having children, and finding work or a career
are all parts of the transition into adulthood. Psychosocial development continues across adulthood with
similar (and some different) developmental issues of family, friends, parenting, romance, divorce,
remarriage, blended families, caregiving for elders, becoming grandparents and great grandparents,
retirement, new careers, coping with losses, and death and dying.

As you may have already noticed, physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development are often interrelated,
as with the example of brain development. We will be examining human development in these three
domains in detail throughout the modules in this course, as we learn about infancy/toddlerhood, early
childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood
development, as well as death and dying.

Key Issues in Human Development

There are many different theoretical approaches regarding human development. As we evaluate them in
this course, recall that human development focuses on how people change, and the approaches address
the nature of change in different ways:
 Is the change smooth or uneven (continuous versus discontinuous)?
 Is this pattern of change the same for everyone, or are there different patterns of change (one
course of development versus many courses)?
 How do genetics and environment interact to influence development (nature versus nurture)?

Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous?

Continuous development views development as a cumulative process, gradually improving on existing
skills (Figure 2). With this type of development, there is a gradual change. Consider, for example, a child’s
physical growth: adding inches to their height year by year. In contrast, theorists who view development
as discontinuous believe that development takes place in unique stages and that it occurs at specific times
or ages. With this type of development, the change is more sudden, such as an infant’s ability to
demonstrate awareness of object permanence (which is a cognitive skill that develops toward the end of
infancy, according to Piaget’s cognitive theory—more on that theory in the next module)

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How Do Nature and Nurture Influence Development?
Are we who we are because of nature (biology and genetics), or are we who we are because
of nurture (our environment and culture)? This longstanding question is known in psychology as the nature
versus nurture debate. It seeks to understand how our personalities and traits are the product of our
genetic makeup and biological factors, and how they are shaped by our environment, including our
parents, peers, and culture. For instance, why do biological children sometimes act like their parents—is it
because of genetics or because of early childhood environment and what the child has learned from their
parents? What about children who are adopted—are they more like their biological families or more like
their adoptive families? And how can siblings from the same family be so different?

We are all born with specific genetic traits inherited from our parents, such as eye color, height, and
certain personality traits. Beyond our basic genotype, however, there is a deep interaction between our
genes and our environment. Our unique experiences in our environment influence whether and how
particular traits are expressed, and at the same time, our genes influence how we interact with our
environment (Diamond, 2009; Lobo, 2008). There is a reciprocal interaction between nature and nurture as
they both shape who we become, but the debate continues as to the relative contributions of each.

Definition of Terms

*Continuous Development:
The idea that development is a progressive and cumulative, gradually improving on existing skills
*Discontinuous Development:
Idea that development is a progressive and cumulative process, gradually improving on existing
skills
*Nature
The influence of Biology and genetics on behavior
*Nurture

Environmental, social, and cultural influences on behavior

Social work to welfare and Human development

Social work engages with people across the life course, and social workers are expected to
work with groups of people at very different stages of their life. Developing a thorough
understanding of human growth to encompass the whole of the life course is therefore a central
part of all qualifying social work training and practice.

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How does social work profession contribute to the welfare of the society?
The social mandate of the social work profession is to ensure the wellbeing of people by affecting social
policies, forging partnerships with communities and service users, and responding directly to the
psychosocial needs of individuals and families.

Psychosocial Needs

 Psychosocial
having both psychological and social aspects

 Psychosocial
For a concept to be psychosocial means it relates to one's psychological development in, and
interaction with, a social environment. The individual needs not be fully aware of this
relationship with her or his environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik
Erikson in his stages of social development. Contrasted with social psychology, which attempts
to explain social patterns within the individual. It is usually used in the context of "psychosocial
intervention," which is commonly used alongside psycho-educational or psycho-
pharmacological interventions and points toward solutions for individual challenges in
interacting with an element of the social environment. Problems that occur in one's
psychosocial functioning can be referred to as "psychosocial dysfunction" or "psychosocial
morbidity." This refers to the lack of development or atrophy of the psychosocial self, often
occurring alongside other dysfunctions that may be physical, emotional, or cognitive in nature.
Psychosocial support is an approach to victims of disaster, catastrophe or violence to foster
resilience of communities and individuals. It aims at easing resumption of normal life, facilitate
affected people participation to their convalescence and preventing pathological consequences
of potentially traumatic situations.

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Example:

Psychosocial needs for Children

It is easy for parents to identify their child’s physical needs: nutritious food, warm clothes when it’s cold,
bedtime at a reasonable hour. However, a child’s mental and emotional needs may not be as obvious.
Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Additionally,
good friends and encouraging words from adults are all important for helping children develop self -
confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life.

A Child’s Physical and Mental Health Are Both Important.

Basics for a child’s good physical health:

 Nutritious food
 Adequate shelter and sleep
 Exercise
 Immunizations
 Healthy living environment

Basics for a child’s good mental health:

 Unconditional love from family

 Self-confidence and high self-esteem

 The opportunity to play with other children

 Encouraging teachers and supportive caretakers

 Safe and secure surroundings

 Appropriate guidance and discipline

Implications of Social work to Social Welfare

The social mandate of the social work profession is to ensure the wellbeing of people by affecting
social policies, forging partnerships with communities and service users, and responding directly to the
psychosocial needs of individuals and families.

Types of Social Work

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Social workers are found in every facet of community life, including schools, hospitals, mental health
clinics, senior centers, elected office, private practices, prisons, military, corporations, and in numerous
public and private agencies.
Some social workers help clients who face a disability or a life-threatening disease or a social problem, such
as inadequate housing, unemployment, or substance abuse. Social workers also assist families that have
serious domestic conflicts, sometimes involving child or spousal abuse.
Some social workers conduct research, advocate for improved services, engage in systems design or are
involved in planning or policy development. Many social workers specialize in serving a particular
population or working in a specific setting.

Administration and Management

Social work administrators are proactive leaders in public and private agencies
that provide services to clients. Many elements of this area of social work
practice are common to administration in other organizations. However,
administration and management also require knowledge about social policy and
the delivery of social services, vision for future planning, an understanding of
human behavior, and commitment to social work ethics and values.

Advocacy and Community Organization

Advocacy is one of the keystones of social work practice. Social work advocates
champion the rights of individuals and communities with the goal of achieving social
justice. Community organizing and advocacy work with the power of numbers—many
people thinking, working, and acting together—to counterbalance wealthy and
powerful groups and the means they have to protect and extend themselves.
Historically, community organizing and social work were responses to the many
forces that created inequality in our society. They remain as necessary and effective
as ever today.

Aging
Social workers link older adults with services that help them live
independently and with dignity, thereby maximizing their quality of
life and participation in society. Social work with older adults
focuses on the physical, psychological, social, and economic
aspects of daily living.
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Child Welfare
Child welfare social workers serve some of the most vulnerable children,
youths, and families. Social workers specialize in building on the strengths of
families and helping them to provide a safe and nurturing environment for
children and youths.
However, when families are unable to do this, social workers must intervene
to protect the children from harm. Child welfare social workers ensure that
children and youths who have experienced abuse or neglect are supported
through a range of services.

Developmental Disabilities
Social workers also help parents of children with developmental disabilities
understand their legal rights. They help parents learn to be advocates and find
special services that enable their children to be as independent as possible.

Health Care
Since the early 1900s, professionally trained social workers have helped
people deal with personal and social factors that affect health and wellness.
Some health care social workers are in direct services and concentrate on
individuals, families, and small groups.

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Others work in settings where the focus is on planning, administration, and policy. In the health care
setting, social workers may conduct research, develop programs, and administer social work and other
departments.

International Social Work

The functions of social work in international development are diverse. They
include direct services in communities, refugee camps, orphanages, hospitals,
and schools, as well as supporting the efforts of national governments,
intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations to
enhance social well-being.

Justice and Corrections

Social workers who work in justice and corrections can be found in courts, rape
crisis centers, police departments, and correctional facilities.

Mental Health and Clinical

Social Work
Clinical social workers are one of the nation’s largest groups of providers of
mental health services. They provide mental health services in both urban and
rural settings, where they may be the only licensed provider of mental health
services available.

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Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Social Work
Social workers help individuals, families, and communities find ways to recover
from substance use. They provide a much-needed ecological perspective to
treatment that focuses on the client in relation to family and neighborhood
environments, community support systems, cultural attitudes, and policies.
Consequently, social workers trained in treating alcohol, tobacco, and other
drug addictions can be found doing case management, group and individual
therapy, family counseling, advocacy for jobs and housing needs, community
resource development, education, and policy making.

Occupational and Employee Assistance

Program (EAP) Social Work
Occupational social workers help organizations re-engineer their structure and
methods to improve efficiency, creativity, productivity, and morale. They may
also work for a union and be involved in job counseling or organizing.

Policy and Planning

Social workers analyze policies, programs, and regulations to see what is most
effective. They identify social problems, study needs and related issues,
conduct research, propose legislation, and suggest alternative approaches or
new programs. They may foster coalitions of groups with similar interests and
develop organizational networks.

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Politics
There is a natural progression in the careers of many social workers from
activism to leadership. Increasingly social workers are holding elective offices
from school boards to city and county governments, from state legislatures all
the way to the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Social workers
also play leadership roles in local, state and federal agencies.

Public Welfare
Social work in public welfare entails planning, administering, and financing
programs, training and supervising staff, and setting and evaluating standards
and criteria for service delivery. Public welfare offers many challenges that
require creative thinking and leadership from professional social workers.

Research
Social workers in research typically tend to be academics with postgraduate
degrees in social work. Research provides the framework for effective
practice. Although considered an art by some, social work is also a science
based on evidence.

School Social Work

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 School social workers act as the connection for school, home, and community
services to help children with emotional, developmental, and educational
needs. Most school social workers practice in public and private schools,
although a small percentage may work in social services agencies or other
service sites such as a preschool program or residential treatment center for
children who are emotionally disturbed.

-End of Week 4-
Honey Joy M. Granada, RSW

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