Unit 2

Social Case Work Process :

 Social casework is a type of social work that focuses on both the individual and the
environment, assisting in the improvement of the balance between the person's coping
efforts and the demands of the environment.
 It is a strategy in which a social caseworker assists persons in coping more effectively
with their social functioning issues.
 Individuals are sometimes unable to solve their problems or access existing resources
due to internal or external factors.
 In this situation, a social caseworker uses various methods, techniques, and skills of
social casework practice to assist the client in solving his or her psycho-social problems.
According to Mary Richmond (1917) there are three phases of social case work practice: social
investigation or psycho-social study, diagnosis and treatment or management. In contemporary
social case work practice these three phases have been divided into five divisions namely

5 Phase of the Social Casework Process

1. Social investigation or study

2. Assessment
3. Intervention
4. Termination and
5. Evaluation

1 . Social investigation or study,

 A systematic study of the client and his or her circumstances in relation to his or
her condition is known as a social investigation or study.
 Some professionals refer to the social investigation as social evidence, seeking
social inquiry, intake, and orientation, or the start of the process.
 The numerous helping processes, activities, and intervention techniques are
founded on the foundation of social investigation.
 Social investigations aid in determining the clients' and their families' social
realities, identifying the issue area, and formulating intervention, rehabilitation,
and aftercare plans.
 The following are parts of the social case work-study at the first phase, according to Perlman:

1. The type of the presenting problem,

2. The significance of the problem,
3. The problem's cause
4. Efforts made to deal with problem-solving situations
5. The nature of the solution or goals sought from the casework agency, and 6. The agency's
actual character and problem-solving methods in connection to the client and his situation.

Method
Perlman has proposed four operational methods for the initial phase.
1. Having something to do with the client
2. Assisting the customer in discussing his or her problems
3. Partializing and focusing
4. Assisting the client in interacting with the agency.
In the beginning, both substance and manner are beneficial to all processes.

Tools and techniques in the case study process

1. Conduct an interview
2. Observation that is objective
3. Document and record the examination
4. Information gathered from secondary sources
5. Information gathered from family members
6. A special test or assessment

Phase-2-Social Diagnosis (Assessment)

 It is the casework evaluation phase that provides a true basis for differentiation -
individualized knowledge about the individual in their social situation.
 The goal of social diagnostic (evaluation) is to get as close to an exact definition of a
client's social position and personality as feasible.
 It is an attempt to know ,
what the client's problem is ?
what factors contribute to its alleviation?
what changes can be made to reduce or eliminate the problem? and
what steps the caseworker can take to achieve these goals?
1. An explanation based on facts that are already known (both tangible facts and psychological
facts)
2. An explanation is given in the knowledge of other plausible explanations and is susceptible to
change or revision as new information becomes available.

Type of Diagnosis

Dynamic diagnosis
 Dynamic diagnosis gives an understanding of the current problem of the client and the
forces currently operating within the client, within the social environment and between
his environment.
 It gives the answers of the question- what is the trouble? What
psychological, physical and social factors are contributing to it? What solution is sought?
What are the means available within the client, his/her environment? What are
organized services and resources by which problem may be affected?
 The nature of such diagnosis is changeable because it is the beginning phase of social
case work practice.

Clinical diagnosis
 In clinical diagnosis, the case worker attempts to classify the client by nature of his
sickness / problem.
 He identifies certain forms and qualities of client’s personality and malfunctioning in his
behaviour.
 The clinical diagnosis describes both the nature of the problem and its relation to the
client and the helping means and goals.
 Such type of diagnosis is useful only when it becomes apparent that a disorder of
personality accompanies the social disorder, creating and complicating it.

Etiological diagnosis
 Etiological diagnosis is concerned with the explanation of the beginning of the life
history of the problem of the client, basically the problem that lies in the client’s
personality make up or functioning.
 The history of his development as a problem encountering, problem-solving human
being may provide the case worker with an understanding of what his client suffers
from and what is the extent of his coping ability likely to be.
 Etiological diagnosis is more useful in explaining or rigid reactions.
When diagnosing an issue, the following steps are taken:

1. The worker's attention is drawn to undesirable behaviors. He begins by doing a survey of his
environment's functional and dysfunctional behaviors. He quantifies numerous grievances and
 issues in terms of excesses and deficiencies. He assesses both the client's inherent qualities
and his environment.
2. He focuses on the behaviors that are defined. This entails attempting to deconstruct complex
behaviors into their constituent pieces.
3. Baseline data are gathered to identify the events that appear to be controlling the
troublesome behaviors at the moment.
4. The obtained data is analyzed in an attempt to anticipate major problems during the
intervention and to begin establishing intervention objectives.

Phase-3-Intervention (Treatment )
 The goal of social casework intervention is to alleviate the client's distress while
repairing, maintaining, or strengthening an individual's social functioning.
 Its purpose is to increase the client's comfort, satisfaction, and self-awareness.
 The intervention process is multi-phased.

 initial phase,
 Motivation and role induction,
 The primary contract,
 Diagnosis and assessment,
 Setting intervention goals,
 Developing an intervention plan,
 Preparing for actual intervention,
 Intervention in practice
 Monitoring and evaluating intervention effects, and
 Planning follow-up and termination of the therapeutic
relationship.
 The direct method of intervention refers to the various strategies employed by the
worker to encourage a particular type of behavior on the part of the client.
 Direct intervention, according to Pearlman, is the providing of a structured but flexible
framework within which the client can work through his or her problem, their
relationship to it, and alternative solutions.
 Here, the caseworker exerts direct influence over the client.
 Counseling, therapeutic interviewing, clarification, and interpretation all contribute to
the development of insight.
 Through guiding, externalization of interests, reassurance, suggestion, persuasion, and
advice, supportive intervention is provided for the client's immediate benefit.
Counseling is a form of personal assistance directed toward the resolution of a problem
that a person discovers he or she is unable to resolve on his or her own it is a sort of
psychological assistance in which information and explanation are utilized to bring the
client's attention to the issue.
 o It is never utilized for anything other than a specific purpose, such as marriage
counseling, occupational counseling, family counseling, or school counseling.
Therapeutic interviewing : The purpose of such interviews is psychotherapy, which
focuses on personality, competence, and self-actualization.
o To analyze the unconscious, the social caseworker employs techniques such as
free association, dream interpretation, resistance analysis, and transference
analysis.
Clarification may take the shape of information provided to the client in order for
him/her to develop a knowledge of himself/herself, his/her environment, and social
network, which he/she currently lacks and without which he/she cannot see clearly
what actions to follow.

Phase-4-Termination and Follow-up

 As soon as a client agreed to have social casework help, the process began.
 Termination means ending the process. After talking with each other, the worker and
the client decide how the job will be terminated.
 During this time, the worker is sure that the client can handle both present and future
situations.
 Getting rid of a worker should be done in stages so that their dependence on the
company is almost over.
 Gradually, the number and frequency of contacts should be cut back over time. It's
especially important to plan the follow-up on a gradually decreasing basis, starting with
two weeks, then a month, then three months, six months, and a year.

Phase-5-Evaluation

 Evaluation Evaluating is the process in which the worker tries to figure out how well and
how well the process worked.
 As part of social casework, this is the part that checks to see if the process has reached
its goals in a given case A critical part of social casework is evaluation.
 It gives important information about whether the intervention program is working as
planned if the goals have been met, and if changes need to be made to the program.
 It also gives information about whether the client is actually getting help.
 A social caseworker looks at the content of the program and how well it works, as well
as how strong the client has become and how well the caseworker did in helping the
client.
Social group work :
What makes a community?

 ‘Community’ is broadly defined as a group of people living in the same place or having a particular
characteristic in common. However this definition is by no means complete. The definition of what
makes a community is flexible depending on the situation.
 For example, a geographical community may be defined by having a shared location, whereas a social
community is defined by a sense of fellowship. An academic community may refer to a group of people
who have all completed the same education level, whilst a religious community refers to a shared belief
system.
 In science, a community is the term used to describe two or more species coexisting in a shared
environment.
 The reality is that there are many types of community, and many definitions of what makes a
community.

 Characteristics of a community.

 Every group or team is not necessarily a community. For example, a group of students are not
necessarily a community just because they are working on the same project.
 To be a community, the members must have the intention and ‘sense’ of being a part of a community,
and therefore a community is as much defined by the mind frame of its members as it is by its outside
characteristics.
 Developing a sense of community is something that has multiple aspects and requires certain
conditions to be met over a continuous period of time. These characteristics help to cement the
community and confirm its identity.

 some of the important characteristics or elements of community are as follows:
 Meaning of community can be better understood if we analyze its characteristics or elements. These
characteristics decide whether a group is a community or not. However, community has the following
characteristics or elements:


 (1) A group of people:
 A group of people is the most fundamental or essential characteristic or element of
community. This group may be small or large but community always refers to a group of people.
 Because without a group of people we can’t think of a community, when a group of people live
together and share a common life and binded by a strong sense of community consciousness at that
moment a community is formed. Hence a group of people is the first pre-requisites of community.
 (2) A definite locality:
 It is the next important characteristic of a community. Because community is a territorial
group. A group of people alone can’t form a community. A group of people forms a community only
when they reside in a definite territory. The territory need not be fixed forever. A group of people like
nomadic people may change their habitations. But majority community are settled and a strong bond
of unity and solidarity is derived from their living in a definite locality.
 (3) Community Sentiment:
 It is another important characteristic or element of community. Because without community
sentiment a community can’t be formed only with a group of people and a definite locality. Community
sentiment refers to a strong sense of awe feeling among the members or a feeling of belonging
together. It refers to a sentiment of common living that exists among the members of a locality.
Because of common living within an area for a long time a sentiment of common living is created
among the members of that area. With this the members emotionally identify themselves. This
emotional identification of the members distinguishes them from the members of other community.
 (4) Naturality:
 Communities are naturally organised. It is neither a product of human will nor created by
an act of government. It grows spontaneously. Individuals became the member by birth.
 (5) Permanence :
 Community is always a permanent group. It refers to a permanent living of individuals within a
definite territory. It is not temporary like that of a crowd or association.
 (6) Similarity:
 The members of a community are similar in a number of ways. As they live within a definite
locality they lead a common life and share some common ends. Among the members similarity in
language, culture, customs, and traditions and in many other things is observed. Similarities in these
respects are responsible for the development of community sentiment.
 (7) Wider Ends:
 A community has wider ends. Members of a community associate not for the fulfillment of a
particular end but for a variety of ends. These are natural for a community.
 (8) Total organised social life:
 A community is marked by total organised social life. It means a community includes
all aspects of social life. Hence a community is a society in miniature.
 (9) A Particular Name :
 Every community has a particular name by which it is known to the world. Members of a
community are also identified by that name. For example people living in Odisha is known as odia.
 (10) No Legal Status:
 A community has no legal status because it is not a legal person. It has no rights and duties in
the eyes of law. It is not created by the law of the land.
 (11) Size of Community:
 A community is classified on the basis of it’s size. It may be big or small. Village is an example
of a small community whereas a nation or even the world is an example of a big community. Both the
type of community are essential for human life.
 (12) Concrete Nature:
 A community is concrete in nature. As it refers to a group of people living in a particular
locality we can see its existence. Hence it is concrete.
 (13) A community exists within society: A community exists within society and possesses
distinguishable structure which distinguishes it from others.

 Types of community : refer in textbook pg.no.104
 Community organization :
 Community organization or community based organization refers to organization aimed at making
desired improvements to a community's social health, well-being, and overall functioning. Community
organization occurs in geographically, psychosocially, culturally, spiritually, and digitally bounded
communities.
 It is a popular model for organizing community within community projects, neighborhoods,
organizations, voluntary associations, localities, and social networks, and it can be used to mobilize
people based on geography, shared space, shared experience, interest, need, and/or concern.
 Principles of community organization : refer in textbook pg.no.115,116,117.
 Phases of community organization : refer in textbook pg.no.118
 Community development : refer in textbook pg.no.119
 Values of community development : refer in textbook pg.no. 120
 Community participation : refer in textbook pg.no.121
 Community empowerment : refer in textbook pg.no.121-126
 Field work :
 Field education in social work is a component of social work education programs where students learn
to practice social work through educationally focused service experiences in agency and community
settings. Field education is also referred to as field instruction and field practicum, and earlier it was
known as fieldwork or student supervision.
 The aim of field education is to promote practice competence through students’ learning to integrate
and apply the knowledge, values, and skills of social work while also offering services to individuals,
families, groups, and communities

 Importance of field work :

 Fieldwork is important as it allows students and researchers to observe how scientific theories interact
with real life . It also brings important local perspectives, helping to contextualize conflicts within
broader social and cultural realities.This forces researchers to question their preconceptions and
theoretical assumptions when faced with the reality of the field. In this, researchers have the
opportunity to diversify their sources and primary data . You can also better appreciate and absorb the
context of a place or culture.
 One of the most important aspects of fieldwork is that it reveals the human dimension in relation to
the unique cultural and social environment in which it inhabits, as well as the geography and climate
that create the contours within which human beings live and they act, without which one can only
have a partial understanding of the human ecosystem.
