Editing Social work (section)

{{Short description|Academic discipline and profession}}
{{Use mdy dates|date= January 2018}}
{{Infobox occupation|name= Social work|image =
| imagesize         = 280px
|caption            = A social worker communicating with a woman. |official_names=   Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Licensed Master Social Worker, Licensed Advanced Practicing Social Worker, Registered Social Worker|activity_sector= Social welfare, social services, government, health, public health, mental health, occupational safety and health, community organization, non-profit, law, [[corporate social responsibility]], human rights|competencies= Improving the social environment and well-being of people by facilitating, and developing resources|formation= Bachelor of Social Work (BSW), Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Social Work, Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSc) or a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Work (PGDipSW) for general practice; Master of Social Work (MSW), Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) for clinical practice; Doctorate of Social Work (DSW) or Professional Doctorate (ProfD or DProf) for or specialized practice; Accredited educational institution; Registration and licensing differs depending on state|employment_field= Child and women protection services, non-profit organizations, government agencies, disadvantaged groups centers, hospitals, schools, churches, shelters, community agencies, social planning services, think tanks, correctional services, labor and industry services|}}

'''Social work''' is an academic discipline and [[practice-based professional learning|practice-based]] [[profession]] concerned with meeting the [[basic needs]] of individuals, [[Family|families]], [[social group|group]]s, [[communities]], and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being.<ref>{{Cite web|url= http://www.casw-acts.ca/en/what-social-work|title= What is Social Work?|publisher=Canadian Association of Social Workers|date= May 6, 2011|language= en|access-date= May 13, 2019|quote= Social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being.|archive-date= July 26, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180726170046/https://www.casw-acts.ca/en/what-social-work|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= http://ifsw.org/get-involved/global-definition-of-social-work/|title= Global Definition of Social Work|publisher=International Federation of Social Workers|language= en-US|access-date= May 13, 2019|quote= The following definition was approved by the IFSW General Meeting and the IASSW General Assembly in July 2014: [...] 'Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and to of liberation of people. [...]'|archive-date= March 26, 2018|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180326050521/http://ifsw.org/get-involved/global-definition-of-social-work/|url-status= live}}</ref> Social work practice draws from liberal arts, social science, and interdisciplinary areas such as [[psychology]], [[sociology]], [[health]], [[political science]], [[community development]], [[law]], and [[economics]] to engage with [[system]]s and [[policies]], conduct assessments, develop interventions, and enhance [[social functioning]] and [[social responsibility|responsibility]]. The ultimate goals of social work include the improvement of people's lives, alleviation of biopsychosocial concerns, empowerment of individuals and communities, and the achievement of [[social justice]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zastrow |first=Charles |date=1990-09-14 |title=Social Workers and Salesworkers |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/j283v04n03_02 |journal=Journal of Independent Social Work |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=7–16 |doi=10.1300/j283v04n03_02 |issn=0883-7562|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Social work practice is often divided into three levels. Micro-work involves working directly with individuals and families, such as providing individual counseling/therapy or assisting a family in accessing services.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barker |first=Robert L. |title=The Social Work Dictionary |publisher=NASW Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-0871014474 |edition=6th |location=United States |pages=240}}</ref> Mezzo-work involves working with groups and communities, such as conducting [[group therapy]] or providing services for community agencies. Macro-work involves fostering change on a larger scale through [[advocacy]], [[social policy]], [[research development]], non-profit and public service administration, or working with [[government agencies]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Francis J.|last=Turner|title=Encyclopedia of Canadian Social Work|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZNNqCo9O7IC&pg=PA219|date=7 September 2005|publisher=Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press|isbn=978-0-88920-436-2|pages=219, 236}}</ref> Starting in the 1960s, a few universities began [[social work management]] programmes, to prepare students for the management of social and human service organizations, in addition to classical social work education.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Austin|first=Michael J.|date=December 2018|title=Social Work Management Practice, 1917–2017: A History to Inform the Future|url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/701278|journal=Social Service Review|language=en|volume=92|issue=4|pages=548–616|doi=10.1086/701278|s2cid=149612302|issn=0037-7961|access-date=June 22, 2023|archive-date=September 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220930163502/https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/701278|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The social work profession<ref>
{{cite book
 | last1 = Dorrien
 | first1 = Gary
 | author-link1 = Gary Dorrien
 | year = 2008
 | chapter = Fostering Democratic Citizenship: Jane Addams
 | title = Social Ethics in the Making: Interpreting an American Tradition
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=PP2BDgbW44cC
 | location = Chichester
 | publisher = John Wiley & Sons
 | publication-date = 2011
 | page = 168
 | isbn = 978-1-4443-9379-8
 | access-date = 13 May 2019
 | quote = Long condemned by conservatives for launching the social work industry, [Jane] Addams acquired academic critics who agreed for different reasons.
}}
</ref> developed in the 19th century, with some of its roots in voluntary [[philanthropy]] and in [[grassroots organizing]].<ref>{{Cite news|url= https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/charity-organization-societies-1877-1893/|title= Charity Organization Societies: 1877-1893|date= February 4, 2013|work= Social Welfare History Project|access-date= December 29, 2017|language= en-US|quote= The COS emphasis on a scientific approach led to the use of investigation, registration, and supervision of applicants for charity. It resulted too in community-wide efforts to identify and coordinate the resources and activities of private philanthropies and the establishment of centralized 'clearinghouses' or registration bureaus that collected information about the individuals and families receiving assistance. These innovations were later incorporated into the casework method of social work, the organization of Community Chests and Councils, and the operation of Social Service Exchanges.|archive-date= March 28, 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190328141858/https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/charity-organization-societies-1877-1893/|url-status= live}}</ref> However, responses to social needs had existed long before then, primarily from public almshouses, private [[charities]] and [[religion|religious]] organizations. The effects of the [[Industrial Revolution]] and of the [[Great Depression]] of the 1930s placed pressure on social work to become a more defined discipline as social workers responded to the child welfare concerns related to widespread poverty and reliance on child labor in industrial settings.<ref>
{{Cite encyclopedia
|date= Summer 2017
|title= Social Work Profession
|url= http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195306613.001.0001/acref-9780195306613-e-376
|encyclopedia= Encyclopedia of Social Work|volume= 20
|isbn= 978-0-19-530661-3
|last1= Mizrahi
|first1= Terry
|last2= Davis
|first2= Larry
}}
</ref>{{qn|date=May 2019}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-10-26|title=National Conference of Charities and Corrections: Part II: Progress 1874-1893|url=https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/national-conference-of-charities-and-correction-1874-1893/|access-date=2021-11-14|website=Social Welfare History Project|language=en-US|archive-date=June 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607121011/https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/eras/civil-war-reconstruction/national-conference-of-charities-and-correction-1874-1893/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Lingwall|first=Jeff|date=2014|title=Education Clauses in Corporate Charters: How Child Welfare Law Confronted the Industrial Revolution|journal=Journal of Law & Education|volume=43|issue=2|pages=189–224|via=EBSCOhost}}</ref>