COMPONENT

S
OF
SOCIAL
WORK
PRACTICE
4 Major Components of
Social Work Practice
 1. the client
 2. the problem
 3. the agency
 4. the helping process
Helen Harris Perlman (1905-2004)
Almost seventy years as a social work
practitioner, supervisor, teacher, consultant, and
author to her credit, was a legend in her field.
 Helen Harris
Perlman refers
to these as the
“4 Ps”
P
E
R INDIVIDUAL

S
O FAMILY

N
SMALL GROUPS
 who finds himself or is found to be in
need of help in some aspects of
his/their life.
The moment the process to help is set in motion, he
becomes a client.
 The dictionary defines a clients as
“one for whom professional services
are rendered” or “one dependent on
the patronage of another.”

Sometimes
the client is
referred to as
a “case.”
 Each person is a bio-psycho-social
being (“BPS”), so is the client.
 Stating that biological,
psychological (which entails
thoughts, emotions, and
behaviors), and social (socio-
economical, socio-environmental,
and cultural)factors, all play a
significant role in human
functioning.
 Therefore, the worker studies
not only the person or client
by himself but the person in
his elements; the “person-in-
situation” or the “person-in
environment.”
 An individual and his or her behavior
cannot be understood adequately
without consideration of the various
aspects of that individual’s environment
(social, political, familial, temporal,
spiritual, economic and physical)

 “PIE” provide a more adequate

framework of assessing an individual
and his or her presenting problem and
strengths
 For long, the Americans and the
English adopted the view that poverty
was the fault of the individual; that
poverty was the result of the individual’s
own moral failure to take
care of himself.
Hence, the focus of social work was
the enhancement of the person’s
social functioning.

However, researches proved this

assumption as incorrect.
 The environment
was seen as a
factor that create
problems for
individuals
leading them to
disfunctioning

Lack of
material
resources
 Lack of
Inequality opportunitie
 The bulk of social work clients are:

disabled or
orphaned
handicapped
 poor

destitute

homeless
abused
and
abandone
d children

neglected
disadvantaged
women

out-of school
youth
v
a
g
r
b
a
e
n g
t g
s a
r
s
 young
offenders

victims of
natural and
man-made
disasters
P
R
O
B
L
E
M
 The Problem
 A problem is a question or situation
that presents uncertainty, perplexity,
or difficulty.
 Problem arises when the individual’s
need has not been met or there are
obstacles to its fulfillment.
 A need is something necessary or
desirable to function satisfactorily.
ECONOMIC
PROBLEMS

INTELLECTUAL
ROBLEMS

PHYSICAL
PROBLEMS
1. Lack of economic and
social resources.
2. Lack of education and
skills, knowledge and
experience.
3. Lack of love, care, and
protection.
4. illness and disability.
5. Lack of opportunities or
access to resources.
 Psychosocial Problems

1. Emotional reaction to stress.

 2. Loss of
relationship
3.
Interpersonal
conflict.
4. culture
conflict.
5. Maladaptive group functioning.
III. The Agency (The Place)
 The social welfare agency is the
instrument of society established to
achieve a social goal.
 It is a human service instrumentality
which has been set up to help
human beings who are experiencing
some difficulty in the management
of their own affairs.
 The Agency (The Place)
 It is the provider of resources that
the client needs to alleviate or solve
his problem.
 It employs professionally trained
social workers for the scientific
approach to helping people.
 It is the operational translation of a
social policy set by founders.
 Types of Agencies
 I. According to its source of support:
 1.) governmental (public) agencies
 2.) non-governmental (private)
agencies
 3.) semi-governmental (semi-
private)
A
G
E
DSWD SEC
N
C
I
E
S
Governmental (public) agency
2.)
non-
gover
nmen
tal
private agencies
3.) semi-governmental (semi-private)
 Programs and Services
C
O
U
N
S
E
L
I
Material and
N
financial assistance
G
 Self-employment
assistance program

Practical skills training

and job placement
Emergency Responsible
assistance parenthood
Alternative
education

Baranganic approach-
Kalahi-CIDSS
IV. The Helping Process

It is the means through which the

agency’s purpose is achieved.
 It aims to achieve 2 things:

 1. to help the client to meet his need

or solve a problem;
 2. to provide him with fruitful coping
experiences which he may use later
as he goes through life.
 The Helping Process
 Mary Richmond in 1921
divided the process into 3:
 1. study
 2. diagnosis
 3. treatment
 The Helping Process
 Naomi Brill in 1973 enumerated 9 steps:
 1. engagement
 2. assessment
 3. definition of the problem
 4. setting of goals
 5. selection of alternative methods of intervention
 6. establishment of a contract
 7. action leading toward the desired goal
 8. evaluation
 9. continuation or termination
 The Helping Process
 Pincus and Minahan start with
problem assessment and data
collection.
 Helen Northen (1982) starts with
assessment, which includes
problem identification, data-
gathering, and planning the
intervention.
 The Helping Process
 Hepworth and Larsen divided the
process into 3 phases:
 1. Exploration, assessment and
planning.
 2. Implementation and Goal
attainment
 3. Termination and evaluation.
 The Helping Process
 The following are the steps followed by
social workers in the Philippines:
 1. Identification of the presenting problem.
 2. Data-gathering
 3. Diagnosis assessment
 4. Planning the intervention
 5. Implementation/Intervention
 6. Evaluation
 7. Continuation or Termination
 1. Identification of the
Presenting Problem
 Involves Intake - the first contact of
the client with the social agency; this
is where the helping process starts.
 Every agency has an intake sheet –
basic information about the client; the
presenting problem; worker’s
impression; assessment of the
situation; recommendation.
 2. Data-Gathering
 This is getting more information
surrounding the problem and explore
in depth all the dimensions/ aspects
of the problem in order to understand
and determine the nature of the
problem.
 In the process of data-gathering, it is
also important to note and highlight
strengths and resources of the client.
 2. Data-Gathering
 This is done not just at the
beginning phase but throughout the
entire process.
 Understanding the problem maybe
tentative in the beginning, and
becomes firmer as more data come
to light.
 The worker must use her sound
judgment.
 3. Diagnostic Assessment
 Diagnosis is the worker’s
professional opinion as to the nature
of the presenting problem.
 It is to evaluate the client’s
motivation to use help and his
capacity/strengths to work on the
problem, taking into account the
factors that precipitated the
problem.
 3. Diagnostic Assessment
 At this stage, the worker is able to identify
the (a) immediate problem; the (b)
underlying problem; and the (c) working
problem.
 Immediate Problem – that which is
causing the present difficulty.
 Underlying problem – that which tends to
perpetuate the immediate problem.
 Working problem – factors that may stand
in the way/process of treatment.
 4. Planning the
Intervention
 Involves goal-setting, as well as
setting specific objectives, and
determination of strategies to be
used.
 Plans may be: immediate, near
future, or long-term.
 The goal provides direction to the
efforts of both the client and the
worker.
 4. Planning the
Intervention
 The goal and objectives must be
“SMART”
 S – specific
 M – measurable
 A – attainable
 R - realistic
 T – time-bound
 4. Planning the
Intervention
 Criteria of selection of strategies
and approaches for accomplishing
the goal (N. Brill):
 1. Maximum feasibility – greatest
chance of producing the desired
result.
 2. Availability of resources
 3. Workability- can be carried out
 4. Planning the
Intervention
 Intervention or treatment plans
should take into account the wishes
of the client and the worker’s
professional judgment whether they
area appropriate and achievable.
 Despite well laid out plans,
alternative courses of action may be
necessary to reach the goal.
 5. Plan Implementation
 These are the specific ways of
accomplishing the goals and
objectives, the roles and tasks that
have been defined.
 The emphasis is on working with
rather than working for the client.
 5. Plan Implementation
 Two types of usual assistance:
 1. Material resources
 2. Therapeutic-educative
experience which the client may find
useful later in his life (e.g. reflective
thinking, evaluation of decisions,
develop social competence, more
effective behavior, inculcate values).
 5. Plan Implementation
 This also requires the worker’s skill
in case management (i.e. the
delivery of social services).
 Case management is seeing to it
that what needs to be done is
actually carried out. This requires
knowledge of available resources,
skill in utilizing these resources, and
creation of new resources.
 5. Plan Implementation
 Duration of service – this is setting a
time limit to the service within which
the desired change may be
achievable.
 This is oftentimes left to the worker’s
professional judgment.
 6. Evaluation
 It is to measure the impact of the
social worker’s intervention.
 Impact refers to the difference
between the pre-intervention situation
and/or behavior, and the post-
intervention situation and/or behavior.
 Evaluation is based on the objectives
set.
 6. Evaluation
 Usually takes place after every
major step in the treatment or
intervention phase.
 It enables the worker to determine
the progress and readiness of the
client, the quality of service, and the
client’s view of it.
 To see the results of what has been
done so far.
 Why Need to Evaluate?

 PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY

 CONTRIBUTE TO THEORY BUILDING

 6. Evaluation
 2 kinds of evaluation:
 1. formative evaluation
 2. summative evaluation
 Formative or regular or periodic-
review, revise, assess.
 Summative or terminal– to focus on
the goals formulated
 6. Evaluation
 2 measures used in evaluation:
 1. qualitative measures
 2. quantitative measures
 Qualitative - describes the situation
before and after intervention.
 Quantitative – uses ratings and
instruments.
 7. Termination or
Continuation
 The case maybe terminated when:
 1. the goal has been achieved and service
completed;
 2. nothing further is to be gained by
continuing;
 3. the client requests termination;
 4. referral has been made to another
source for help;
 5. change has been stabilized; the client
can now manage by himself.
 7. Termination or
Continuation
 The case maybe continued
when the results of the action
indicate that some progress or
movement has been made but
not enough to satisfy either
the worker or the client.
 7. Termination or
Continuation
 According to Hamilton:
“The painful aspects of terminating
relationships are diminished by the client’s
own growing sense of strength, by a
comforting feeling of improvement because
of the channeling of activities into ego-
building and enlarged social activities and
interests with the realization of the worker’s
continuing good will and the fact that he
can return to the agency if necessary.”
The End