Sciences___________________________________ E-ISSN 2319–3565

International Research Journal of Social Sciences____________________________________

Vol. 5(10), 61-63, October (2016) Int. Res. J. Social Sci.

Short Review Paper

The Role of Social Worker in Community Development
Dhavaleshwar C.U.
Dept. of Social Work Rani Channamma University P.G. Center, Vijayapur Karnataka State, India
[email protected]
Available online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me
Received 6th April 201
2016, revised 14th September 2016, accepted 30th September 2016
Abstract
Every members of the community desire to stay safe, healthy and wealthy in all manners. To enjoy all amenities of the
society one who need to have a vibrant economic status as well as excellent public services. Social services and social
work have important role in helping the people to improve the qu quality
ality of life by creating awareness and sustain the
community by creating employment opportunities on their own effort. Present paper is an essential contribution to
understand the role of social worker in community development (CD). Effective social work services promote independence
and resilience, enabling some of our most vulnerable sections of the community. Present effort is to know the role of social
worker in the process of community development.

Keywords: Society, Social work, Resilience, Vulnerable, Community development.

Introduction profession, Social worker can provide psychological counseling,

guidance and assistance in the form of helping the people to
Every individual in a society aspire to live a healthy, tolerant, help themselves.
safe, inclusive and fair life. Social work services have an
essential contribution to make in achieving that goal. Social Social Worker: A social worker is a professional
pr who works
work education have many challenges, but with the effort of with the people to help themselves, so that people can manage
educators, field practitioners, and social work trainees it is their daily lives with respect and dignity.
turning towards
wards to meet local needs and adopt local techniques
to resolve issues of an individual, the group and the community Community Development: "Community Development is a
by adopting Community development skills. Community process designed to create conditions of economic and social
development is core component of social work and it is progress for the whole community with its active participation
concentrate on increase the literacy
racy rate, create and generate and fullest possible reliance upon the community's initiative.1"
employment opportunity, poverty eradication, and eradication of
acute hungriness, gender equality and welfare of the vulnerable Methodology
sections of the society by adopting methods of social work.
Social workers have vital role in understand
erstand our heritage of Explorative research methodology has been used to explore
exp the
social work as well as to understand and inculcate the role of a social work community development in changing the
professional skills of western practice of social work profession. life style scenario on India society. The paper is designed with
Social workers with the knowledge of both literature and secondary source, academic articles, online journals, expert’s
practice can immensely contribute for community devel
development. expressions and self observations to comprehend and analyse
the new wave of social/ public service buffeting the life style of
Objectives of the Study: i. To develop an understanding of the weaker sections, down-trodden,
trodden, orphans etc. in India.
community development as a core component of social work
practice. ii. To examine the Roles of social worker in Social Work - As a Profession and Community
community Development. Development
Conceptual Framework The social work profession is broader than most disciplines with
regard to the range and types of problems addressed with the
Social Work: Social work is ann organized profession to extend settings in which the work takes place, the levels of practice,
the helping hands to an individual, group and community, for interventions used, and populations served. Social workers may
their betterment as well as sustaining them to help themselves be engaged in a variety of occupations ranging from hospitals,
by adopting varies professional strategies. Disadvantaged schools, clinics, police departments, public agencies, court
sections of the society like: weaker sections,
ions, down
down-trodden, systems to private practices or businesses. The practice of social
orphans’ labors etc. are considered to be needy of the work requires knowledge of human development and a behavior,

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International Research Journal of Social Sciences_________________________________________________ E-ISSN 2319–3565
Vol. 5(10), 61-63, October (2016) Int. Res. J. Social Sci.

of social, economic and cultural institutions, and of the extends and develops cooperative and collaborative attitudes
interaction of all these factors. The main tasks of professional and practices in the community3. Further community organizer
social workers can include a variety of services such as case must concentrate on developing skills on interesting profession
management (linking clients with agencies and programs that of the members and create the political awareness among them,
will meet their psychosocial needs), counseling thereby community members will be more strengthen and they
(psychotherapy), human services management, social welfare leads in to individual and community development.
policy analysis, policy and practice development, community
organising, international, social and community development, Need Analyzer: in order to fulfill the societal needs, scientific
advocacy, teaching (in schools of social work), and social need analysis must be undertake, by which needs to be
research. priorities. Therefore social workers analyses the needs of the
community with the help of community members and priorities
Social development is holistic approach of development them. Various client groups, NGO s govt officials of the
whereas, community development restrict to geographical area community take active part in the process of need analysis and
like Tribal, Rural and Urban community. It concentrates on ideas of member to be incorporate with the proposals of needs
various sections of the society and target groups like of the community.
Marginalized Sections, Religious groups and issue based
activities. Community development adopts various techniques Project manager: Project or Programme sanctioned for
social work to work with individuals groups and community. community benefit is always headed by the professional social
Community organisation is the one of the important methods of workers. Social worker have vital role in the need analysis,
social work it helps consistently in the process of understanding implement and manage the project, as they trained in preparing
community needs and find the resources for fulfill the needs of and administrate projects and they know the every pulse of the
community. Prime purpose of social work towards community individual, group and community. Active participation with the
is to empower various sections of the society in all means. various groups of the communities they can contribute
extremely well for community development.
Role of Social Worker in Community
Facilitator: Social worker facilitate with the various benefits
Development provided by the govt, NGOs, international agencies like WHO,
Social work is a vibrant profession; longitude and latitude of the UNICEF, WTO, UNO, etc to the poor, socially excluded,
profession are largely widened. Direct roles of social worker disadvantaged or disempowered individuals and groups and
begin with the practicing primary methods of social work. marginalized sections of the society.
Primary methods are the participatory method with the
individual, group and community. Secondary methods are both Middle manager: who help the community members to take
participatory and non-participatory to be used for the benefit of the services from government; especially he is middle manager
society at large. Therefore role of social worker is widened for in arranging social security programmes, general insurances and
the betterment of individual, group and community2. Social health insurances provided to various beneficiary of the society.
workers may play all of these roles in different contexts and at He is the true middle manager between employer and employee
different times in their career; the roles are as follows: in collective bargaining and in to get sanction with the various
benefits from employer in the view of labor welfare.
Caseworker: who look after the issues of individual, it is to
help every problematic person in a holistic way. Case work is Counselor: every individual of the society having unique
about to addresses the personal issues of the every individual, character in nature, therefor individualizing the people and
fulfilling their needs is the biggest task before social workers.
who seek help from case worker and solve them in a
Meaningful and scientific interaction between social worker and
professional manner.
every individuals of the society is expected in the preview of
Group Worker: he looks after the treatment and fulfilling the counseling, which is the only solution to address the issues of
psychosocial needs of the problematic groups of the community. community members also individuals whose behavior is
Constitutes Teams, Committees, and invite delegates to fulfill problematic. Such effort helps to improve tolerance among all
the tasks of psychosocial needs of group members. He tries to and it leads in to community development.
develop leadership quality; increase awareness levels of group
members on varies issues, and educate them for sustainable Role in Grama Sabha: Grama sabha is also another means of
development. people participation and community development. (CUD 2014)
83.55% of the respondents are aware about rural development
Community Organizer: major role of social worker in schemes such as; NREGP, GANGA KALYAN YOJANA, and
community development begins with the organising community ASHRAYA YOJANA etc, higher level of education, good
on varies social issues. Initially it is all about (Murry G. Ross economic background and interest of people appear to be the
1955) bring out the match between societal needs or objectives causes of their high level of awareness4. Therefor social worker
and resources available to deal with those needs. Doing so, it must take active participation in Grama Sabha and aware

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International Research Journal of Social Sciences_________________________________________________ E-ISSN 2319–3565
Vol. 5(10), 61-63, October (2016) Int. Res. J. Social Sci.

community members about facilities made for individuals and References

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