DIASS

• Discipline of social work is a response to a concern or need; a creative blending of knowledge, value, and skills; a problem-solving; an intervention into human transaction; and a developing profession.
• Social work is defined as a helping profession by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), which states that social work is the professional activity of helping individuals, groups or communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to this goal.
• Social functioning is defined as the match between needs and abilities of individuals and the opportunities and demands of environment.
• The main goal of social work is to improve a society's overall well-being, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
• According to Morales and Sheafor (1983), the three main goals of social work are Caring, Curing, and Changing.
• Caring in social work refers to the heart of social work and it focuses on the well-being or the welfare and comfort of the individuality and community.
• Curing in social work refers to the aspect of treating people with problems in social functioning.
• Changing in social work refers to the active participation of the social workers in social reforms.
• The concern of social work is to help people who are in need so that they develop the capacity to deal with their problems by themselves.
• Social work is both science and art.
• Social work is science in the sense that the knowledge taken from different disciplines form the body of knowledge for a social worker and she/he uses this theoretical base for helping people i.e., for practice.
• Values about people in social work include respect for the individual, dignity, and worth of the person.
• Values about the society in social work include social justice and equality.
• Values about performance behavior in social work include competence and professionalism.
• Core values of social work include acceptance, self-determination, affirming individuality, confidentiality, workers' self-awareness, and collective responsibility.
• Principles of social work include acceptance, self-determination, affirming individuality, confidentiality, workers' self-awareness, and collective responsibility.
• Government Settings involve social workers at the national, regional, provincial, and local level.
• Some government social workers are employed at the barangay level and others are teaching in government, schools and state universities.
• Private Sector Settings offer various kinds of services such as advocacy, counseling, mediation, policy and program development, research, corporate social responsibility, and employee assistance program.
• Civil Society Settings employ social workers in different child-caring and child-placing social welfare agencies offering services related to adaptation, foster, care, independent living, and reintegration/reunification services.
• Community Settings involve social workers in different community services centers (local councils, church, and the people's organization).
• School Settings hire social workers to aid students in their adjustment in school and guide them in their scholastic performance.
• Assessment in social work is the process of gathering information and defining problems.
• Planning in social work is a statement that describes results, identifying the means to reach the goals.
• Intervention in social work is concerned with all the action that would solve the clients' problem.
• Evaluation in social work is concerned about the outcomes and effectiveness.
• Termination in social work is when the clients' expected duration of the helping relationship ends.
• Transfer in social work is when the client moves from one service to another.
• Referral in social work is when the client moves from one service to another.
• Case managers/coordinators assess the needs of clients, arrange and coordinate the delivery of essential goods and services to target beneficiaries.
• Broker social workers link client systems, such as individuals, families, groups, and communities, to needed resources and services.
• Counselors provide guidance to clients and assist them in solving problems and making life-changing decisions.
• Educators educate clients to help them gain knowledge and skills to address their problems.
• Facilitators facilitate group discussions and activities.
• Mediation social workers help resolve arguments and disagreements among client systems in conflict.
• Mobilizers identify and organize human, material, technical, and financial resources to help address the needs of their clients.
• Advocates speak on behalf of their clients to promote fair and equitable treatment or to gain access to resources.
• Rehabilitative Function - this function attempts to put back the person to a balanced state of social functioning
• Preventive Function encompasses early detection, control, and eradication of situations which may have a damaging effect on the social functioning.
• Developmental Function seeks to help the individual make full use of her/his potentials and capacities and to enhance the effectiveness of available social or community resources.