Social Case Work

Social Casework

It is the primary method of social work. It deals with individual problems through one-to-one relationships guided by the social caseworker's professional knowledge. Under the method, the social caseworker attempts to repair the impaired relationship of the client with his social environment. Through a guided interaction, they enable the client to adapt to their social environment. Through this method, the caseworker discovers different aspects of the client's problem, prepares an appropriate treatment plan, and finally, with professional knowledge of social relationships, tries to bring about necessary changes in the attitude and behaviour of the client in favour of his own growth and development.

Read: Social Casework Method

Read: Data Collection Methods of Casework

This is the oldest method of social work practice. Its origin is traced to work with the family, which was “recognised as the most important institution in the society with a firm belief that a balanced family will produce balanced individuals who will make up a balanced society” (Ekpe & Mamah, 1997). It is a unique method of problem-solving that helps an individual solve their psycho-social problems. It assists individuals to adjust to their environment more satisfyingly. One of its first proponents, Richmond (1992), posits that “it consists of those processes which develop personality through adjustments consciously effected, individual by individual, between men and their social environment”. An individual is involved in the problem as s/he cannot deal with it independently because of reasons beyond their control. Their anxiety sometimes temporarily makes them incapable of solving it. In any case, their social functioning is disturbed. The caseworker gets information regarding the client’s total environment, finds out the causes, prepares a treatment plan, and with a professional relationship, tries to bring about a change in the perception and attitudes of the client.

Social casework encompasses a whole array of activities. Social casework enables individuals to obtain a higher level of social functioning through an interpersonal transaction or face-to-face or person-to-person encounter. The caseworker helps the client act to achieve some personal/social goals by utilising the available resources in terms of the strength of personality of the client, his social system or material provisions general in the community and/or agency. The caseworker’s knowledge and expertise and material resources are used (as tools) to inject strengths in the person to enable him to move more satisfyingly in the social situation he finds difficult to deal with.

The principles of social work guide casework practice, and its objective is to develop resources to enhance social functioning and remedy and prevent problems in social functioning. In social casework, the worker-client relationship is characterised by mutual acceptance. It has four essential components: person, situation, place and process (study, diagnosis, treatment, evaluation, termination and follow-up). According to Perlman (1952), every social casework model utilises techniques and theories from psychosocial therapy, functional casework, problem-solving, crisis-oriented short term casework, task centred casework, and behaviour modification.