CONCEPTS OF SOCIAL WORK

1. Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences
General Academic Strand | Humanities and Social Sciences
Lesson 5.1
Basic Concepts in Social Work

2. Social workers
improve social
functioning and
community life.
2

3. Learning
Competency
This lesson serves as a prerequisite lesson for the following
DepEd competency:
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Identify the goals and scope of social work.
(HUMSS_DIASS 12-le-16)

4. Learning
Objectives
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● Define social work as a field of profession.
● Explain the basic concepts of social work.
● Distinguish the various types, forms, and
dimensions of social work.

5. Explore
5
Case Study
1. Read and analyze the case study provided on the
next slides.
2. Answer the guide questions that tackle the role of
a social worker.

6. Explore
6
Case Study
Wesley is a 17-year-old 12th-grade transferee student
in the HUMSS strand. Due to the pandemic, all face-
to-face classes in his school were suspended, and
students had no choice but to adapt to an online
learning set-up. Despite this, the teacher continues to
require activities that need group collaboration.

7. Explore
7
Case Study
Being a transferee student, Wesley feels
uncomfortable in actively participating or interacting
with his classmates even in an online environment.
Even after months of having online classes, Wesley
still found it difficult to involve himself in group
activities, so much so that it has begun to affect his
academic performance. In fact, it had been so difficult
for Wesley to be involved online that his quarterly
average fell down by almost ten marks.

8. Explore
8
Case Study
Upon the investigation of their teacher, it turned out
that since the beginning of online classes, Wesley had
been struggling to take care of his younger siblings at
home. Both his parents left them one year ago, and
Wesley’s older sibling had been the only one
providing for the family. This left Wesley at home,
tasked with taking care of the household and his
younger siblings.

9. Explore
9
Case Study
Doing domestic chores had been manageable for
Wesley until the classes shifted to online mode. When
this happened, he had no choice but to commit to
both his duties at work and at school. Upon learning
about his case, their teacher called upon the help of a
social worker to extend assistance to Wesley and his
family.

10. Explore
If you were a social worker, how would
you address Wesley’s case?
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11. Explore
Does Wesley’s situation require a social
worker’s help? Why is this so?
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12. Explore
Based on Wesley’s case, how would you
define social work?
12

13. Essential
Question
13
What concepts, activities, and perspectives are
related to social work?

14. Defining Social Work
Social Work
often seen as a profession that involves visiting low-income
communities
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15. Defining Social Work
Social Work
Social work is a practice-based discipline that promotes
change, development, and empowerment.
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16. Defining Social Work
Four Roles That Define Social
Work
1. Enabling or facilitating change
2. Helping people or social
institutions
3. Establishment of professional
linkage
4. Resource generation and
allocation
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17. Check
Your
Progress
17
What does a social worker do in your
community? Are their responsibilities in line
with the definition of social work?

18. Basic Concepts of Social Work
Social Service
public or privately-funded service to
help groups through programs
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19. Basic Concepts of Social Work
Social Action
redistribution of power and
resources to empower the
community
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20. Basic Concepts of Social Work
Social Movement
long-term advocacy to
bring about social change
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21. Fields in Social Work
Administration and
Management
involved in ensuring that the
delivery of social services are in
line with social policy
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22. Advocacy and
Community Organization
Fields in Social Work
advocates or champions for
social justice rights
22

23. Fields in Social Work
Aging
● ensures that needs of
older adults are met
● aging with dignity
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24. Child Welfare
Fields in Social Work
safety and positive growth for
children and youth
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25. Fields in Social Work
Developmental
Disabilities
● helps families with
developmentally-challenged
children
● living with some degree of
independence
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26. Healthcare
Fields in Social Work
help families seek medical
and health support
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27. Fields in Social Work
International Social
Work
collaboration with
governments and agencies
across the world
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28. Justice and Corrections
Fields in Social Work
work in courts, women and
children protection, police
departments, and
correctional facilities
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29. Fields in Social Work
Mental Health and
Clinical Social Work
mental health services in
both urban and rural settings
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30. Public Welfare
Fields in Social Work
providing services and
programs, particularly in
terms of income and
monetary support (e.g.,
conditional cash transfer)
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31. Try This!
Identify whether each of the following statements is
true or false.
1. Social work, as a scientific discipline, does not
require any creative approach.
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32. Try This!
Identify whether each of the following statements is
true or false.
2. Social work cannot be viewed as a profession
because it is a theoretical discipline.
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33. Try This!
Identify whether each of the following statements is
true or false.
3. Andy always encourages his fellow neighbors to
participate in any social work activity as it allows
its professionals to fulfill their studies and help the
community become more active.
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34. Try This!
Identify whether each of the following statements is
true or false.
4. Social work involves the understanding of human
development and behavior and social, economical,
and cultural interactions.
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35. Try This!
Identify whether each of the following statements is
true or false.
5. Social work services are only required in lower-
income but not in high- and middle-income
communities.
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36. Wrap-Up
● Social work is a practice-based discipline that
promotes social change, development, and
empowerment among people and communities.
● Social service refers to a type of publicly-funded or
private service that caters to disadvantaged or
vulnerable groups.
● Social action refers to the ability of people, ideally
led by social workers, to redistribute power and
resources to empower the community.
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37. Wrap-Up
● A social movement is a long-term advocacy
participated by members of the community who
have committed to work hard in bringing about
social change.
● Social workers may be involved in various fields,
including healthcare, child protection, justice and
corrections, public welfare, and mental health.
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38. 38
Challenge
Yourself Give a brief scenario of how social work can be
applied in the following settings:
a. school
b. indigenous communities
c. remote provinces

39. Bibliography
Farley, O. William, Larry Lorenzo Smith, and Scott W. Boyle. Introduction to Social Work.
Prentice Hall, 2011.
Global Definition of Social Work. (n.d.). International Federation of Social Workers. Accessed January 15, 2021, from
https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/.
Morales, Armando, and Bradford W. Sheafor. “Social work: a profession of many faces.” Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 1992.
NASW - National Association of Social Workers. “Types of Social Work.” Accessed January 15, 2021.
https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Facts/Types-of-Social-Work.
"What is Social Work?" Social Work License Map. October 27, 2020. Accessed January 15, 2021.
https://socialworklicensemap.com/become-a-social-worker/what-is-social-work/.
Zastrow, Charles. Empowerment Series: Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Empowering People. Cengage
Learning, 2016.
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