Answer:
What is Social Work:
Social work is a practice-based profession that promotes social change, development, cohesion and the empowerment of people and communities. Social work practice involves the understanding of human development, behavior and the social, economic and cultural institutions and interactions. Social work professionals working with families and institutions have helped to provide and advance the following social impacts:
- Civil Rights
- Unemployment Insurance
- Disability Pay
- Workers’ Compensation
- Reduced Mental Health Stigma
- Medicaid and Medicare
- Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
In the United States, social work has been around for over 100 years, with notable pioneers such as Jane Addams, Frances Perkins, Whitney M. Young, Jr., Harry Hopkins, Dorothy Height and Jeannette Rankin.
3 Levels of Social Work:
Generally, there are three levels of social work practice: micro, mezzo and macro social work. At each level, social work professionals provide slightly different services to target populations.
Micro Social Work:
At the micro level, social workers provide one-on-one, family and small-group services to individuals addressing a wide range of social issues. These may include housing support, substance abuse counseling and mental health therapy.
Mezzo Social Work:
Social workers who operate at the mezzo level work with groups of people, such as in a school, prison, hospital or neighborhoods. They may help students struggling academically, address substance abuse recovery with prison inmates or help coordinate care for patients who are admitted to hospitals for long-term care.
Macro Social Work:
Macro-level social work encompasses policy making, research and community based initiatives. Social workers at this level of practice are more likely to focus on and help address larger societal issues like homelessness, substance abuse, housing and more.
What Is a Social Worker?
Social workers are professionals who aim to enhance overall well-being and help meet basic and complex needs of communities and people. Social workers work with many different populations and types of people, particularly focusing on those who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty.
Depending on their specialty, job title and place of employment, a social worker may be required to participate in legislative processes that often result in the formation of social policies. They lean on social work values and principles, as well as academic research to carry out their work.
