INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK...

2. Contents
Definitions of social work…
Definition of social development…
Elements of social work…..
Principles of social work……
Major Problems Facing Pakistan Today
Enlist the social problems in Pakistan…..
References……

3. DEFINE SOCIAL WORK:
 Social work is a professional service rendered by trained and
qualified social workers. Its aim is to eliminate social suffering. It is a
problem solving activity. Such problem arises when people cannot
cope or adjust with the changing environment. I.e. rural urban areas
and agricultural industry. It helps to cure social problems, helps
people to setup which are from different background to take care of
each other. Its basic purpose is to make people feel about each
other’s pains and grieves .it teaches people to help, cooperate
tolerate and ready to solve anyone's problem at any moment, any
place.
 Social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals,
families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and
collective well-being. It aims to help people develop their skills and
their ability to use their own resources and those of the community
to resolve problems. Social work is concerned with individual and
personal problems but also with broader social issues such as
poverty, unemployment and domestic violence.
 The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving
in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of
people to enhance well-being. Utilizing theories of human behavior
and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where
people interact with their environments.
What is Social Development?

4. Social Development is a broad term that describes actions that are taken
to build positive outcomes and prevent negative social outcomes that can
adversely affect a community. These outcomes include issues ranging
from crime, poverty, gang activity, school disengagement, teen pregnancy,
addictions and substance abuse, obesity, and poor health.
The aim of social development is to improve the availability of support
systems in the community that prevent negative outcomes before they
occur or buffer (lessen) their impact. For example, rather than reacting to a
crime after it has already happened, measures are taken within the
community that prevent crime from ever occurring.
Good prevention starts with parents before they have children and very
directly once conception has occurred. Evidence suggests that negative
environments not only affect pregnant mothers but can very directly alter
the architecture of the brain of the unborn child. These events and
circumstances forever change the pathways of development and ways of
interacting with the world and the people in it. In other words, adverse
events and circumstances affect a child’s capacity to learn, their behavior
and their health.
Elements of social work:
There are three elements of social work
• Social case work
• Social group work
• Community development
1. Social case work:
In this method which is an individual way to treat a person

5. 2. Social group work:
In this term a social worker helps a group of people to grow their
personality and to get rid of their hesitation and gain confidence by
communicating with each other in a form of a group called help functioning
of a group as an individual not only helped by others but he is also helping
others to solve their problem
3. Community development:
It is that method through which the efforts of people are united with those
of government authority to work well by active participation of people.
Principles of social work:
The social work profession is guided by a distinct set of abstract values
and a Code of Ethics. These values are transformed into accepted
practice principles for the purpose of informing our intervention with
clients. What follows is a listing of nine Social Work Principles and brief
description of each.
• Acceptance - Acceptance is a fundamental social work principle
that implies a sincere understanding of clients. Acceptance is
conveyed in the professional relationship through the expression of
genuine concern, receptive listening, intentional responses that
acknowledge the other person's point of view, and the creation of a
climate of mutual respect.
• Affirming Individuality - To affirm a client's individuality is
to recognize and appreciate the unique qualities of that client. It
means to "begin where the client is." Clients expect personalized
understanding and undivided attention from professionals.
Individualization requires freedom from bias and prejudice, an

6. avoidance of labeling and stereotyping, a recognition and
appreciation of diversity, and knowledge of human behavior.
• Purposeful Expression of Feelings - Clients need to have
opportunities to express their feelings freely to the social worker. As
social workers, we must go beyond "just the facts" to uncover the
underlying feelings.
• Non-judgmentalism - Communicating non-judgmentalism is
essential to developing a relationship with any client. It does not
imply that social workers do not make decisions; rather it implies a
non blaming attitude and behavior. Social workers judge others as
neither good or bad nor as worthy or unworthy.
• Objectivity - Closely related to non-judgmentalism, objectivity is
the principle of examining situations without bias. To be objective in
their observations and understanding, social workers must avoid
injecting personal feelings and prejudices in relationships with
clients.
• Controlled Emotional Involvement - There are three
components to a controlled emotional response to a client's
situation: sensitivity to expressed or unexpressed feelings, and
understanding based on knowledge of human behavior, and a
response guided by knowledge and purpose. The social worker
should not respond in a way that conveys coldness or lack of
interest while at the same time cannot over identify with the client.
• Self -Determination - The principle of self-determination is
based on the recognition of the right and need of clients to freedom
in making their own choices and decisions. Social workers have a
responsibility to create a working relationship in which choice can be
exercised.
Access to Resources - Social workers are implored to assure that
everyone has the necessary resources, services, and opportunities;
to pay attention to expanding choices, and opportunities for the
oppressed and disadvantages; and to advocate for policy and
legislative changes that improve social conditions and promote
social justice.

7. • Confidentiality - Confidentiality or the right to privacy implies
that clients must give expressed consent before information such as
their identity, the content of discussions held with them, one's
professional opinion about them, or their record is disclosed.
Major problems in Pakistan:
Introduction:
Pakistan was established in 1947 and since its inception, it has been
surrounded by countless issues including but not limited to ill-
formed/missing infrastructure, insufficient refined resources, barren or
obsolete factories and technologies, imposed conflicts at Kashmir and
other fronts and an ever-ready enemy to underscore all the efforts towards
progress. Despite it being rich on raw resources thus far Pakistan is a
developing country with limited development in every era due to the
problems it faces. In the following text we will shed some light on some of
the major problems faced today by Pakistan as a country.
POVERTY:
According to an analysis conducted by the government of Pakistan and
published at hec. Gov .pk (the higher education commission of Pakistan)
shows that the poverty has increased roughly from 30% to 40% during the
past decade. Consider that if 40%of a country’s population is earning their
life below the poverty-line in which the people are deprived of basic
necessities of life such as clothing, shelter, food, education and
medication, such families and their children will be forced to think of their
survival only.
ILLITERACY:
Literacy is defined as persons aged 15 or above who can “read” and
“write”. According to this definition, Pakistanis officially reported to have
50% literacy rate. Which means half of its population is illiterate. With such
family backgrounds, inflation, poverty and child labor this rate is expected
to increase in future. Even for those who are termed as “Literate” are only
able to read and write, which in today’s technology oriented world is still
considered as illiteracy. Majority of the people forming the top controlling
tier is almost unaware of technologies and technical mindset. Thus,
causing the country to adopt the new technologies at a snail’s speed.

8. CORRUPTION AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY:
Pakistan is suffering from a fatal problem known as “Establishment”. Every
vital department in Pakistan is controlled by the so called “Establishment”.
Establishment is a network of key positions in almost all the departments
in the country. This network provides support and safe backing to their
“touts” to ensure that they remain in control. The roots of this
establishment may very well be deep inside underworld and secret
agencies of the dominating nations.
It is interesting to note that due to the international interference and
manipulation the very same people that we label as corrupt just some time
ago, blame and rebuke, come back to govern us after a couple of years
again and people welcome them with open arms. A common English
saying goes as “fool me once, shame on you, and fool me twice, shame
on me”.
This is probably also the main reason why the political process in Pakistan
is not let to prosper. Soon after its inception the sincere and loyal
politicians were removed from the main stream and only dummy agents
and rubber stamps are put in place, while all the decisions are made
outside the country.
INTERNATIONAL INTERFERENCE:
India is typically termed as a conventional enemy to Pakistan. As
mentioned before the people of Pakistan need to be trained to think
positively about their surroundings. We should learn a lesson from US and
Canada’s cross border collaboration to improve their affairs and provide
backing, why can’t Pakistan and India enter into such strengthening
relationship?
Pakistan can never move forward with its proxy war politics with India and
its involvement in the so-called US War on terrorism. It has to strike peace
with India and other neighboring countries soon so that it can use its
resources for its own people's welfare and focus on its collective
objectives.
Pakistan has more potential to be a developed country earlier than India. It
has the resources and talent. yet it seems to sink lower by the day. India
with a billion plus population has a million problems to handle. Yet the
focus of India has been right and it shows in its 8% economic growth. Its
time Pakistan learns this lesson and corrects its focus.

9. TERRORISM AND RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM:
The whole world looks at Pakistan, as a land of terrorists. Main reason
being exploitation through the religious leaders and reaction of the military
operations both internally as well as externally. China is getting 13 billion
dollars as foreign investment because of its stable and investor-friendly
environment where as even tourists are afraid to visit Pakistan due to the
security concerns.
Even smaller countries like Romania and Philippines are getting a lot of
foreign investments.
There needs to be a big shift in the mind set. Pakistani people should
move away from the clutches of the religious fanatics and must realize
what is best for them and their country.
OVERPOPULATION, INFLATION, UNEMPLOYMENT:
According to official Pakistani sites (actual figures may be well above the
officially reported facts), the country has an estimated 2% growth rate
which for a country of official population of 160 Million turns out to be
roughly around3.2 Million every year.
This alarming growth rate is causing immense pressure on head of the
families who are to support them.
Given that about 40% of the population is already living under poverty line
and 5.6% (official figures) of the population is unemployed, the ever
growing population of Pakistan is just adding to the problems of the
already under pressure nation.
Pakistan has a fast developing economy which is making its middle class
grow swiftly. This is creating more need for energy, food and homes and
the prices of these things are gigantic nowadays.
Also with the internationally growing oil prices are causing every item in
the country to doubled (and in some cases tripled) every year.
Enlist the social problems in Pakistan:
• Lack of education
• Lack of science and technology
• Lack of justice

10. • Corrupt lawyers and judges
• Lack of clean drinking water for the majority of the population
• Lack of food for poor people
• Lack of jobs
• Lack of investment
• Liberation movement in Baluchistan supported by America
• Lack of electricity
• Inability to develop consensus on building dams
• Large provinces that cannot be controlled by the federal government
• Large areas of the country that are not technically part of Pakistan -
Kashmir, FATA, Northern Areas
• Large areas of the country where the writ of the state does not apply
• The tendency for people to vote for corrupt, failed, treacherous
politicians
• Lack of jobs for women forced to work
• Low tax collection by government
• Lack of health care
References

11. 1. Barker, Robert L. (2003). Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.). Silver Spring,
MD: NASW Press. ISBN 0-87101-355-X. OCLC 52341511
2. ^ Payne, M. (2011). Humanistic Social Work: Core Principles in Practice.
Chicago: Lyceum, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan
http://www.answers.com/topic/social-work#ixzz2Nuh0Wurd
3. Mizrahi, Terry and Larry E. Davis (2008). Encyclopedia of Social Work
(20th ed.). Washington, DC; Oxford, UK; New York, NY: NASW
Press and Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-530661-3.
OCLC 156816850
4. Summarized from: DuBois, B. & Miley, K.K. (1992). Social Work: An
Empowering Profession, Boston: Allyn and Bacon, pp. 135-141.