What Is Social Work?

What Is Social Work?

Social work is a profession that helps individuals, families and communities within a specific discipline in ensuring their individual and collective well-being. It supports the development of individuals' ability to use the resources while overcoming problems. It aims to increase the social functionality of individuals. Human rights and social justice are the philosophical foundations of Social Work Practice. In Social Work Practice, attention is given to the client's self-determination.

Social workers are involved in solving individual, family and community problems. It supports the development of the well-being of disadvantaged groups. It takes part in the development and implementation of welfare policies in solving social problems. With the empowerment approach, it allows individuals to realize that the solution to their problems is in themselves. It conducts studies for disadvantaged groups to get out of the situations they are in. The main point here is to create and implement an intervention plan in cooperation with the applicant. Social workers have many working environments such as; retirement homes, rehabilitation centres with disabilities, family service agencies, children's charities, social welfare administration institutions, state, or county welfare agencies, social assistance and social service support units or departments, municipalities, social services and child protection agency, the county social service offices, prisons, juvenile courts, retirement fund, the Ministry of labour and Social Security, social insurance institution, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Immigration Administration.

Integration of Social Work and migration

Although there are many people within the social work profession, disadvantaged groups are the focus of professional work. The disadvantaged group includes migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Social workers play an important role in the process of acclimating and integrating migrants, asylum seekers and refugees into a new country. The scope of social work intervention in the integration process includes meeting food and shelter needs of the immigrants, economic support, obtaining a work permit, health problems, eliminate the need for psycho-social support, providing support to meet the educational needs of children. Since the goal of social work intervention is to help the consultant stand on his own feet, a work permit will ensure that individuals become independent of social benefits and reduce informal work.

Social workers produce policies and work one-on-one with applicants in the field to solve the traumas, adaptation difficulties and economic problems experienced by those who come from a foreign country due to mandatory conditions. Social Work provides solutions and options to the applicant when the individual stands on his or her own feet, becoming independent of the benefits. Social workers play an active role in the adaptation of immigrants, asylum seekers or refugees to their new countries.

Social Work and Old Age

Another working group of social work is the elderly. Old age is seen as the last stage of life. With the increase in average life expectancy, urbanization, and the development of health systems, there are increases in the elderly population in societies. This increase brought with it the development of social and old age policies in the society. Old age can bring social problems with it. A person who has passed into the old age stage can move away from the life order he is used to and as a result may have problems adapting to the new life process. In Turkey, the care of elderly people in need of care is usually covered by their families, but the care of elderly people who cannot be cared for by their families is provided by social service institutions. It is important to meet the needs of the elderly in terms of bio-psycho-social care within the institution. 

Old age brings the retirement process with it, but at the same time retirement can lead to old age. With retirement, individuals may begin to feel dysfunctional. A decrease in their physical abilities compared to the past also has an effect in this case. It is necessary to prevent the individual from being isolated from social life after retirement and feeling worthless. Establishing a pattern similar to the usual production pattern after retirement, evaluating the elderly's time with activities, courses or hobbies, can facilitate the elderly's adaptation to this process, while at the same time preventing them from feeling dysfunctional. Before retirement, individuals take an active role in social life and play a more active role in decision-making processes. But after retirement, the individual may lose the role he or she has, feel in a vacuum, and lose his or her economic independence. Along with this, the elderly can be psychologically challenged. But his pre-preparation for the retirement process or his own interest in the retirement process can facilitate his adaptation to post-retirement and he may not feel disconnected from social life. Being productive can prevent a sense of dysfunctionality. For a healthy aging process, it is important to make the individual realize that the individual can stand on his or her feet independently. In order to strengthen the individual and ensure awareness of him, social work policies should be developed and included in the elderly process.

Retirement should be considered as a period in which the individual rediscovers himself or develops his hobbies, abilities, by removing it from being a period in which the individual feels dysfunctional in the continuation of life. Evaluating the process in this way can help create a healthy environment both for the individual in the retirement process and for those around them.