In the contemporary world, where people are busy mending their own lives, some people work day and night to help those struggling with their lives. These unsung heroes contributing to make the world a better place are known as social workers. Social work evolved to respond to the social ills presented by the industrial revolution in the 19th century. Social work initially addressed poverty, homelessness, and the inability to adapt to societal norms. Since then, social work has diversified to cover the vulnerable and helpless segments of the population.
Every social worker focuses on helping people to get through overwhelming situations and navigate the challenges of their lives. Social workers work in conjunction with governmental social service entities and non-profit organizations to help people learn how to get through rough patches of their lives. Apart from working as counselors, or aid facilitators, social workers also serve as advocates dedicated to making the government discard harmful laws and take non-profit initiatives aimed at helping people in need. Keep reading to know how diversification of social work and other cutting-edge initiatives have changed the scope of this field.
Diversity in social work
After the origination of social work as a profession, its emerging types keep attracting people of every race and gender towards this prestigious profession. Graduates from various academic backgrounds opt for msw no gre option, as a part-time program, to specialize in this field. This option is optimum for students who don’t have time to prepare for GRE and don’t want to submit to another difficult exam’s pressure, stress, and workload. These programs decrease the strain on students with busy schedules by limiting on-campus work. They allow them to progress their careers with a master’s degree in social work (MSW) even from the comfort of their own home, i.e., online. Such programs contribute to the increasing scope of social work by offering people to work as school social workers, clinical social workers, family social workers, and many more.
Focus on poverty and homelessness
Social workers most commonly address the impoverished, needy, and homeless segments of society. Innovative solutions have been designed around the world to address and overcome this issue. Effective plans to tackle the needs of this subgroup, including lack of food, adequate clothing and shelter, and access to education, have been evolving. The social worker either works with the suffering individual to create an action plan and meet the goals or utilizes the resources offered by the community. Social workers have been instrumental in limiting the ruinous effects of poverty by ensuring that it doesn’t derail an individual’s ability to thrive.
Provision of worker’s rights
Workers’ compensation, disability pay, unemployment insurance, social security, and other programs that aid individuals in financial hardship are the rewards of social workers’ hard work. Social workers have an insight into the stress and other problems that people experience due to their employment status. Thus, Social workers have been actively involved in revising labor laws and developing strategies to assist individuals in mitigating the impacts of unemployment.
Social work based on mental health
In the past, most mentally ill people used to end up in asylums, where they mostly received inhumane treatment. Due to inaccurate perceptions of mental illness, mentally sick individuals became the victim of stigmatization and baseless labeling. However, the social workers came to the rescue of such people and fought for their rights. Social workers worked to change people’s perceptions about mental illness and brought reforms for mental healthcare systems. Thus, they ensured that mentally ill people could live productive and prosperous lives like normal people.
Initiatives for Children and family units
Social workers have always been at the forefront to address issues about children and family units. Initiatives continue to evolve with massive overhauls in education and changing standards that the rising generations must meet. These initiatives help foster the well-being of children and their families by improving their social and psychological functioning. The workers coordinate with parents, help provide resources proffered by welfare organizations, arrange adoptions, etc. Social workers have also been key players in developing and implementing laws to protect juvenile abuse and neglect victims.
Health social work
Since medical conditions and ailments affect more than just the body, there is an increasing need for innovative solutions. Diseases and disorders disrupt the emotional well-being, social life, and financial needs of people. To help ease the patients from distress, social workers serve as patient navigators, therapists, resource allocators, and case managers. Thus, these workers aid patients in navigating their illnesses and manage stress.
Social workers also help people overcome their addictions and lead their lives with sobriety. It alleviates the issues like family conflict, educational failure, and crime. Social workers have been and continue to be strong advocates for public health initiatives aimed at helping people with illnesses.
Geriatric social work
An innovative type of assistance is geriatric social work which focuses on maintaining the quality of life of the older segment of the population. Since dependency increases in old age, social workers serve to aid the displaced old segment. Geriatric social workers target issues that accompany old age and provide various services that the elderly cannot arrange for themselves.
Therapeutic intervention
With increasing development in therapeutic services, social workers also focus on helping people across the community with various therapies. Social workers work in conjunction with therapists to rule out the underlying causes of a patient’s problems. The most common therapies used by social workers include CBT, music therapy, existential therapy, play therapy, etc.
Conclusion
Social work is a vast and ever-growing field that allows people across many generations to bring about a positive, profound change in the lives of millions of people every day. It includes finding homes for children to help older people to live independently, and the list goes on. This article mentions the most cutting-edge initiatives that have led to an increased number of people aspiring to join this profession. Educational programs are empowering all types of social workers to forge impactful careers.