Editing Social work (section)

==Profession==
American educator [[Abraham Flexner]] in a 1915 lecture, "Is Social Work a Profession?",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924014006617|title=Is social work a profession?|first=Abraham|last=Flexner|date=June 19, 2018 |publisher=New York, The New York school of philanthropy|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> delivered at the National Conference on Charities and Corrections, examined the characteristics of a profession concerning social work. It is not a 'single model', such as that of health, followed by medical professions such as nurses and doctors, but an integrated profession, and the likeness with medical profession is that social work requires a continued study for professional development to retain knowledge and skills that are [[evidence-based practice|evidence-based by practice standards]]. A social work professional's services lead toward the aim of providing beneficial services to individuals, dyads, families, groups, organizations, and communities to achieve optimum psychosocial functioning.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers: The Centre for Education & Training | date=2011 | access-date=November 8, 2016 | url=http://www.tcet.com/assets/pdf/NRC/employment/1-12-11/OCSWSSW.pdf | archive-date=August 20, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820041202/http://www.tcet.com/assets/pdf/nrc/employment/1-12-11/OCSWSSW.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

Its eight core functions present in its methods of practice are described by Popple and Leighninger as:<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Popple |first1=Philip R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mDYPwAACAAJ |title=Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society |last2=Leighninger |first2=Leslie |publisher=Allyn and Bacon |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-205-33519-0 |edition=5th |pages=88–90 |language=en}}</ref>
# Engagement — social worker must first engage the client in early meetings to promote a collaborative relationship
# Assessment — data gathered must be specifically aimed at guiding and directing a plan of action to help the client
# Planning — negotiate and formulate an action plan
# Implementation — promote resource acquisition and enhance role performance
# Monitoring/Evaluation — ongoing documentation for assessing the extent to which the client is following through on short-term goal attainment
# Supportive Counseling — affirming, challenging, encouraging, informing, and exploring options
# Graduated Disengagement — seeking to replace the social worker with a naturally occurring resource
# Administration — planning and managing social work programs, providing operations management support, and administrating case management services

There are six broad ethical principles in National Association of Social Workers' (NASW) Code of Ethics that inform social work practice, they are both prescriptive and proscriptive, and are based on six core values:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020606100446/http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=2002-06-06|title=Code of Ethics (English and Spanish) – National Association of Social Workers|work=socialworkers.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Code of Ethics: English |url=https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English |access-date= |website=socialworkers.org |publisher=[[National Association of Social Workers]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Berg-Weger |first1=Marla |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F8lqEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA289 |title=Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation |last2=Murugan |first2=Vithya |date=2022-06-19 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-57049-6 |pages=289+ |language=en}}</ref>

# Service — help people in need and provide pro bono services
# Social Justice — engage in social change activities for and with people to promote social justice and challenge social injustice
# Dignity and worth of the person — treat people with care and respect, be sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity, and promote individuals socially responsible self determination 
# Importance of human relationships — maintain positive client relationships because they play a vital role in driving change, and engage with people as partners who empower them through the helping process
# Integrity — engage clients with honesty and responsibility to build trust, and you are not only responsible for your own professional ethics and integrity but also of the service organization
# Competence — practice and build expertise as a social worker, and continually seek to enhance and contribute professional knowledge and skills

The [[International Federation of Social Workers]] also outlines essential principles for guiding social workers towards high professional standards. These include recognizing the inherent dignity of all people, upholding human rights, striving for social justice, supporting self-determination, encouraging participation, respecting privacy and confidentiality, treating individuals holistically, using technology and social media responsibly, and maintaining professional integrity.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2018 |title=Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles |url=https://www.iassw-aiets.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Global-Social-Work-Statement-of-Ethical-Principles-IASSW-27-April-2018-1.pdf |publisher=[[International Federation of Social Workers]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-02 |title=Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles |publisher=International Federation of Social Workers |url=https://www.ifsw.org/global-social-work-statement-of-ethical-principles/}}</ref>

A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession's focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society.<ref name="Crisp">{{cite book|author1=Crisp, B.R.|author2=Beddoe, L.|date=December 2012|title=Promoting Health and Well-being in Social Work Education|publisher=Routledge}}</ref> Social workers promote [[social justice]] and [[social change]] with and on behalf of clients.<ref name="Stefaroi">{{cite book|author=Stefaroi, Petru|date=December 2014|title=Humane & Spiritual Qualities of the Professional in Humanistic Social Work: Humanistic Social Work – The Third Way in Theory and Practice|location=Charleston|publisher=Createspace}}</ref> A "client" can be an individual, family, group, organization, or community.<ref>NASW, Code of Ethics</ref> In the broadening scope of the modern social worker's role, some practitioners have in recent years traveled to war-torn countries to provide psychosocial assistance to families and survivors.<ref>{{cite journal | title=The Kosovo Family Support Project: Offering Psychosocial Support for Families with Missing Persons |author1=Keough, Mary Ellen  |author2=Samuels, Margaret F. | journal=Social Work |date=October 2004 | volume=49 | issue=4 | pages=587–594 | doi=10.1093/sw/49.4.587|pmid=15537181 }}</ref>

Newer areas of social work practice involve management science.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Murali D. Nair|author2=Erick G. Guerrero|title=Evidence Based Macro Practice in Social Work|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wY7enQEACAAJ|date=January 1, 2014|publisher=Gregory Publishing Company|isbn=978-0-911541-94-6}}</ref> The growth of "social work administration" (sometimes also referred to as "[[social work management]]") for transforming social policies into services and directing activities of an organization toward achievement of goals is a related field.<ref>{{cite book|first=Rex A.|last=Skidmore|title=Social Work Administration: Dynamic Management and Human Relationships|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=efCt5imQBeMC|year=1995|publisher=Allyn and Bacon|isbn=978-0-13-669037-5|pages=2–3}}</ref> Helping clients with accessing benefits such as unemployment insurance and disability benefits, to assist individuals and families in building savings and acquiring assets to improve their [[Economic security|financial security]] over the long-term, to manage large operations, etc. requires social workers to know financial management skills to help clients and organization's to be financially self-sufficient.<ref name="auto">{{cite journal|author1=Birkenmaier, J.|author2=Curley, J.|name-list-style=amp|year=2009|title=Financial credit: Social work's role in empowering low-income families|journal=Journal of Community Practice|volume=17|issue=3|pages=251–268|doi=10.1080/10705420903117973|s2cid=154344021}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{cite journal|author1=Despard, M.|author2=Chowa, G. A. N.|name-list-style=amp|year=2010|title=Social workers' interest in building individuals' financial capabilities|journal=Journal of Financial Therapy|volume=1|issue=1|pages=23–41|doi=10.4148/jft.v1i1.257|url=http://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=jft|doi-access=free|access-date=June 22, 2023|archive-date=April 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427163601/https://newprairiepress.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=jft|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Sherraden, M.|author2=Laux, S.|author3=Kaufman, C.|name-list-style=amp|year=2007|title=Financial education for social workers|journal=Journal of Community Practice|volume=15|issue=3|pages=9–36|doi=10.1300/J125v15n03_02|s2cid=153911873}}</ref><ref>Financial management for Human service administration by Lawrence L. Martin, pg 2+</ref> [[Financial social work]] also helps clients with low-income or low to middle-income, people who are either unbanked (do not have a banking account) or underbanked (individuals who have a bank account but tend to rely on high cost non-bank providers for their financial transactions), with better mediation with financial institutions and induction of money management skills.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Romich, J.|author2=Simmelink, J.|author3=Holt, S. D.|year=2007|title=When working harder does not pay: Low-income working families, tax liabilities, and benefit reductions|journal=Families in Society|volume=88|issue=3|pages=418–426|doi=10.1606/1044-3894.3651|s2cid=43407480|url=http://faculty.washington.edu/romich/homepage/RomichSimmelinkHolt2007.pdf|access-date=June 22, 2023|archive-date=May 24, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524125832/http://faculty.washington.edu/romich/homepage/RomichSimmelinkHolt2007.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Barr, M. S.|year=2004|title=Banking the poor: Policies to bring low-income Americans into the financial mainstream|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=Brookings Institution}}</ref> A prominent area in which social workers operate is Behavioral Social Work. They apply principles of learning and social learning to conduct [[Applied behavior analysis|behavioral analysis]] and [[behavior management]]. Empiricism and effectiveness serve as means to ensure the dignity of clients, and focusing on the present is what distinguishes behavioral social work from other types of social work practices. In a multicultural case, the behavior of multiple members from different cultures matters. In such cases, an ecobehavioral perspective is taken due to the external influences. The interpersonal skills that a social worker brings to the job make them stand out from behavioral therapists.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hudson |first1=Barbara L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EbeFQgAACAAJ |title=Behavioural Social Work: An Introduction |last2=Macdonald |first2=Geraldine M. |date=1986 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-333-36133-7 |pages=2–21 |language=en}}</ref> Another area that social workers are focusing is risk management, risk in social work is taken as Knight in 1921 defined "If you don't even know for sure what will happen, but you know the odds, that is risk and If you don't even know the odds, that is uncertainty."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knight |first=Frank H. |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924032612693 |title=Risk, Uncertainty and Profit |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company |year=1921 |location=Bosten and New York}}</ref> Risk management in social work means minimizing the risks while increasing potential benefits for clients by analyzing the risks and benefits in the duty of care or decisions.<ref>Phyllida Parole. Risk assessment in social care and social work. 2001. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.pg. 17+</ref> Occupational social work is a field where the trained professionals assist a management with worker's welfare, in their psychosocial wellness, and helps management's policies and protocols to be humanistic and anti-oppressive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bullinger |first=Jake |date=June 20, 2018 |title=Why companies need to hire social workers |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40582642/why-companies-need-to-hire-social-workers |website=[[Fast Company]] |access-date=June 22, 2023 |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103050417/https://www.fastcompany.com/40582642/why-companies-need-to-hire-social-workers |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the United States, according to the [[Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration]] (SAMHSA), a branch of the [[U.S. Department of Health and Human Services]], professional social workers are the largest group of mental health services providers. There are more [[Clinical social work|clinically trained social workers]]—over 200,000—than psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses combined. Federal law and the National Institutes of Health recognize social work as one of five core mental health professions.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Association of Social Workers |url=http://www.socialworkers.org/ |work=NASW |access-date=September 6, 2013 |archive-date=September 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914005248/https://socialworkers.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Examples of fields a social worker may be employed in are [[poverty relief]], [[life skills|life skills education]], [[community organizing]], [[community organization]], [[community development]], [[rural development]], [[forensics]] and [[corrections]], [[legislation]], [[industrial relations]], [[project management]], [[child protection]], [[elder abuse|elder protection]], [[women's rights]], [[human rights]], [[systems theory|systems optimization]], [[Financial social work|finance]], [[drug rehabilitation|addictions rehabilitation]], [[child development]], [[Cross-cultural psychology|cross-cultural mediation]], [[occupational safety and health]], [[disaster management]], [[mental health]], [[psychosocial|psychosocial therapy]], [[disabilities]], etc.