Fields of Social Work

Hospital and Health Setting

Community: Rural & Urban
Correctional Settings
Unorganized Sector
Environmental Issues

Introduction
Social work is a multi-disciplined profession which focuses on
welfare in a holistic manner. Social work can be practiced in diverse
fields like hospitals, asylums, communities, correctional settings etc. A
social worker has to make sure that be in whatever field he works he
brings in welfare; both of individuals and society as a whole.
Through this assignment we intent at understanding scope of social
work in a few fields and the role of a social worker in such settings. The
fields of social work discussed in this assignment are:
1. Hospital and Health Setting
2. Community: Rural and Urban
3. Correctional Settings
4. Unorganized Sector
5. Environmental Issues
A social worker has a role to play in all the fields mentioned
above. He has to serve as a resource person who is dedicated for the
welfare of the society. As the preamble of the NASW code of ethics say,
“ The primary aim of social work is the well being of individual through
capacity building and environment modification.” A social worker in any
circumstance and work setting should necessarily adhere to this
principle.
I. In Hospital and Health Setting
Aimed at a better humanity the social worker works with the
strong desire to help in improving people’s lives. With the changing
demands of health care sector the role of a social worker turns vital.
Social workers in health care settings provide a range of services
including health care education, crisis intervention, supportive
counseling and case management. Professional social workers turn
inevitable to the medical settings owing to their holistic approach
covering physical, emotional and environmental factors. The early
concern of medical social workers was making heath care services
available for everyone including the poor and eradicate diseases like
tuberculosis but as the time passed on the areas of concern got
broadened. While working in a medical setting the social worker should
always stick on to the basic values of the individual’s right to self
determination and attitude of empathy towards the client.
Role and Responsibilities of a Social Worker in Health Care Settings
1. Integrate theory and practice: The social worker uses knowledge
about, and psycho-social implications of, illness, injury, and health
conditions to provide social work services to clients and families to help
them manage and cope with the impact of such health matters. Social
workers have expertise in communication; navigating systems of care,
resources, client and family coping skills; and the comprehensive impact
of health conditions on the client. His areas of knowledge must include:
 the roles and functions of social work in health care
 the psycho-social needs of clients and families
 the physiological elements of illness and their impact on psycho-
social functioning
 the psychological and spiritual needs of clients and families and how
to ensure that they can be addressed
 community resources to assist clients and families
 laws, regulations, and policies affecting clients, families, and social
work practice
 evidence-based practices and social work research in health care
 the needs of special populations.
2. Assessment and Intervention: Assessment is a fundamental process
of social work practice. Treatment and intervention strategies/plans
require that social workers both assess and reassess client needs and
modify plans accordingly. Social work
assessments in health care settings include considering relevant factors
and the needs of the individual client and the family. The health status of
populations and of individuals is assessed for many reasons. A
comprehensive, culturally competent assessment includes:
 past and current health status including genetic history of family
health
 the impact of health conditions or treatments on
 cognitive, emotional, social, psychological, or physical functioning
 social history, including current living arrangement
 work, school, or vocational history
 stage in the life cycle and related and relevant developmental issues
 cultural values and beliefs, including views on illness, disability, and
death
 family structure and the client’s role within the family
 social supports, including formal and informal support systems
 behavioural and mental health status and current level of functioning,
including history, suicide risk,and coping styles
 financial resources.
3. Intervention through Interdisciplinary Input: Intervention plans are
steps identified by the social worker in collaboration with the client and
with other members of the team to achieve objectives identified during
assessment. Intervention plans include:
 Information, referral and education
 Individual family or group counseling
 Vocational, educational and supportive counseling
 Psycho-educational support groups
 Discharge planning
4. Addressing Client’s Multiple Needs: Social workers has to maintain a
therapeutic relationship with the client which includes linking the client
with resources that provide a rage of services and opportunities to
enhance successful quality outcome for the client. The range includes:
 Physical assessment including diagnosis, intervention and treatment
plans.
 Financial assessment, planning and intervention
 Case facilitation
 Client and family counseling
 Resource mobilization
5.Role as a Health Educator: A health educator strives to bring about
the best possible state of well being. He/she helps families and
individuals to promote health by their own actions and efforts. The health
educator acts on the faith of inherent human potential to develop when
suitable environment is created and opportunities are given. Health
education is two fold with disease prevention and health promotion.
Areas of Practice in Health Care Social Work
1. In General and Speciality Hospital: The purpose of a medical social
worker in a hospital setting is to help each individual sick person in
matters of personal and social adjustments including rehabilitation in the
society through the use of patient’s capability as well as community
resources. The role of the social worker in a hospital involves the
following:
 Medical social worker acts as the doctor’s mouthpiece and furnishes
information to the client regarding the nature, cure, prevention and
control of his/her sickness and ensures the patient’s cooperation to
doctor.
 Collects information about the patient’s family, occupation, and
cultural background and prepares his medico-social history.
 For the patients requiring hospitalization, the medical social worker
helps in transition from home t hospital and vise versa.
 The medical social worker works with the client and family and
provides them emotional support and helps them with stress
management. He explains to them, the changes that have to be made
in the home conditions to benefit the client.
 He/she conducts group sessions for the inpatients and their
attendants.
 He or she participates in all the field activities of the hospital. He
obtains people’s cooperation in multi-disciplinary camps.
 He/she arranges for financial assistance to the patients for treatment
hospitalization,transportation etc. from welfare agencies.
 The medical social worker participates in teaching and training
activities of the department of preventive and social medicine. He/she
takes classes for medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students.
 He/she actively participates in the research activities of the hospital
 Provides recreational services for the inpatients by organizing leisure
activities.
2. In Psychiatric Settings: Social workers in the area of psychiatric
health and substance abuse asses and assist in treating individuals with
mental illness or substance abuse problems. Such service includes group
therapy, outreach, crisis intervention, social rehabilitation and training in
skills of everyday living. The social worker in the field of mental health
and substance abuse are known as clinical or psychiatric social worker.
Their role is vital in patient’s well being which includes:
 The psychiatric social worker makes thorough study of the
environment of the client enabling him/her to prepare a systematic
case history of the client which throws light on the tension and
difficulties in the client’s life and also help him to assess the positive
and negative aspects of the environment.
 The psychiatric social worker explains the client or relatives what the
problem is and what is involved in psychiatric treatment. The social
worker has to help the relatives of the mentally ill, to accept the
 diagnosis and the psychiatric recommendations. The social worker
also tries to bring about a better adjustment between the client and his
family.
 To enlist the cooperation of other social agencies for better discharge
of functions of one’s own agency and for stimulating interest in
dealing with common problems effectively.
 In prenatal and postnatal clinics and nursery schools the psychiatric
social worker imparts mental health education to parents. Sometimes
his/her services are required to promote mental health education in
the community.
 The psychiatric social worker attached to hospitals has to respond to
the problem of home sickness as well as the boredom of long
treatment. S/he may organize a recreation club with the help of the
members of the staff and the patients and encourage the latter to
develop hobbies. Such activities contribute much to the patient’s
recovery.
II. In Correctional Settings
Mahatma Gandhi, the father of our nation, had once said
“Crime is outcome of a diseased mind and jail must have an environment
of a hospital for treatment”. This very statement signifies the importance
of social work in correctional settings. Correction is one segment of
criminal justice system by which the society seeks to protect the public,
punish offenders, change behaviour and in some cases compensate
victims. The social work in correctional settings is concerned mainly
with prisons and juvenile homes.
Prisons and Juvenile Homes
The Supreme Court of India has evolved three broad principles
about the prisoners:
a) A person in prison does not become a non-person.
b) A person in prison is entitled to all human rights within the limitations
of imprisonment.
c) There is no justification in aggravating the suffering already inherent
in the process of incarceration.

A social worker in a prison setting should keep in mind these

principles and work for the transformation of prisoners. Social worker
can serve in juvenile homes as well as observation homes by way of
group work or social case work with the client; juvenile, in this case is
helped to develop an understanding of his problem, look at the resources
available to him and involve them in the decision pertaining to them.
Involving community in activities of children such as celebration of
some important days or cultural activities is also undertaken.
Activities off the social worker in Correctional Settings
1. Counseling: It is a relationship in which one endeavor to help another
understand and solve his problem of adjustment. It is distinguished from
advice or admonition in that it implies mutual consent. It has as its goal
the immediate solution of a personal problem or long range effort to
develop self understanding and maturity.
2. Insight and Empathy
Perceptive understanding is required on the part of the social worker who
develops insight into the problem of the client/offender by empathy.
Empathy is a critical ingredient in the therapeutic process getting into
the client’s frame of reference.
3.Interviewing: Interviewing is a professional conversation with a
purpose. Effective communication is at the heart of positive human
interaction. Interviewing is different from intense psychotherapy and
counseling. Interview is basic while counseling is the epitome of positive
guided interaction.
In correctional setting there are a few issues which must be kept in mind
1. The captive client
In correctional settings the client, because of the constrained setting, is
captive. Presence during the sessions is not voluntary and somewhat
imposed. Hence it is a very responsible process and the whole
environment should be lighthearted. There is needed a structured
permissive relationship between the client and interviewer. This
relationship should allow the client gain an understanding of himself to a
degree which enables him take positive step in the light of a new
environment.
2. Stigma and self esteem
Oxford Dictionary describes stigma as a “mark of disgrace”. It should be
kept in mind that becoming an offender and coming in conflict with law
has a deeper impact on the self esteem of the client, as the society treats
them as marginalized and stigmatized. Sometimes the client internalize
the stigma and behaves in a very different way (defensive or abusive)
Hence the social worker has to keep these factors in mind before entering
into any kind of intervention with them.
III. In Unorganized Sector
The National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized
Sector’s reports (2008) on Definitional and Statistical Issues relating to
the Informal Economy defines unorganized sector and worker as:
Informal Sector: “The unorganized sector consists of all unincorporated
private enterprises owned by individuals or households engaged in the
sale and production of goods and services operated on a proprietary or
partnership basis and with less than ten total workers”.
Informal worker/employment: “Unorganized workers consist of those
working in the unorganized sector or households, excluding regular
workers with social security benefits provided by the employers and the
workers in the formal sector without any employment and social security
benefits provided by the employers”.
Features of Unorganized Sector:
(a) casual nature of employment, (b) ignorance and illiteracy, (c) small
size of establishments with low capital investment per person employed,
(d) scattered nature of establishmentsand, (e) superior strength of the
employer operating singly or in combination.’
Categories of Unorganized Labour
(i) contract labour including construction workers; (ii)casual labour; (iii)
labour employed in small scale industry; (iv) handloom/power-loom
workers; (v) beedi and cigar workers (vi) employees in shops and
commercial establishments; (vii) sweepers and scavengers; (viii)workers
in tanneries (ix) tribal labour; and (x) ‘other unprotected labour’
Role of Social Workers in Unorganized Sector
1.Providing Legal Aid: In Unorganized sector the people involved are often illiterate or have less
knowledge about the legal matters. A social worker has the responsibility to make necessary
arrangements to equip them with rightful legal aid.
2. Advocacy for Working Rights: The unorganized worker has every right to do his job devoid
of any external pressures. Any activities that seemingly curtail the same must not be promoted.
Social worker has to ensure that the working rights of the labourers are in tact. Any sort of
workplace stress and harassment must be taken up seriously.
3. Awareness Generation about Various Legislations: A social worker has to be well informed
about the legislations regarding the informal workers he d eal with. For instance if he works
among the handloom workers he has to know the provisions and law regarding them and make
them aware about such laws and provisions.
4. Intervention to Improve the Living Conditions: It is the duty of the social worker to create
awareness about the necessity of improving living standards. He has to create awareness about
the importance of hygiene, sanitation etc. He has to ensure that people do take care of their health
and cleanliness.
5. Awareness Generation about Substance Abuse: Informal labourers are one of the groups
vulnerable to substance abuse. Social worker must create awareness about the hazards of
substance abuse among them and earnestly strive to eradicate such tendencies.
IV. In Community: Urban and Rural
i. Rural Settings
Rural areas are often remote settings devoid of mainstream attention and hence lacks
development in multiple sectors. As a result rural areas require services in the following areas:
 Job and economic problems
 Alcohol and drug problems of adults and youth
 Lack of constructive leisure-time programs and facilities
 Marriage and family problems
 Personal stress, anxiety, depression
 Infrastructure development
A rural social worker is described as a generalist who brings to bear a broad range of
methodologies and skills in practice for the development and welfare of the community. The rural
social worker need to understand both the positive and negatives of working in small rural
communities.
Some important positive elements are:
 Inter agency cooperation
 A sense of community
 Positively responding community
Some negative elements are:
 Geographic isolation
 Personnel isolation
 Service isolation
Roles of a Rural Social Worker
1. Direct Service Role: Rural social worker deals with individuals, couples, families and groups.
Rural social workers need to convey to the community the fact that social work is a valuable
resource to every community member.
2. Resource Specialist: One of the most difficult roles the rural social worker assumes is that of
assisting in the optimal utilization of the limited resources available in many rural areas. It
requires imagination and creativity to put together resources in order to serve human needs
effectively.

3. Social Service Administrator and Community Organizer: Most rural communities have few
professional people and rural social workers usually find themselves in the role of trying to
coordinate all the social services in the community. The rural social worker needs to be able to
relate to the power structure of the community.
ii. Urban Settings
Urban communities witness a cosmopolitan culture unlike the rural communities. People
from different backgrounds and contexts reside together. People in such areas belong to different
classes, caste, creed, religion etc. An urban social worker has to be aware about such differences
in cultural context. According to recent statistics from the World Health
Organization (WHO), more than 50% of the world’s population lives in
an urban area, but this is predicted to grow to 70% by the year 2050.
With such densely populated areas, urban environments are more likely
to experience large disparities in socioeconomic status, higher rates of
violent crimes, and increased presence of marginalized populations.
Urban communities are also associated with higher prevalence of
psychological stress that are the direct result of increased density in
cities.
Since there are a higher percentage of persons of lower
socioeconomic status in urban areas, these populations often face barriers
to receiving quality social services due to a lack of health insurance
and/or undocumented citizenship. Even more worrisome, financial
obstacles that prevent the basic access to quality social services, health
care, and education often perpetuate the vicious cycle of poverty from
generation to generation. While there are endless opportunities available
in cities, vast population disparities often lead to a two-tiered social
service system where insured individuals have access while marginalized
populations lack needed care. Here comes the role of social worker who
has to work for the marginalized majority. He has to assure that the
citizens living in the slums and outskirts of cities have access to
resources like health care, education and human rights.
V. Environmental Issues
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “What we are doing to the forests of the world is
but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.” Concern for
environmental justice has increased in recent decades. Although the environmental justice field is
closely linked to social justice, the social work profession has yet to gain a substantive
involvement in environmental justice efforts. The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency’s (EPA) definition of environmental justice establishes it as a
social justice issue: environmental justice is “the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex,
national origin, or income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations,
and policies” (U.S. EPA). Social work has a realistic and evidence-based
understanding of social justice as well as a commitment to serve
society’s most vulnerable populations and hence social work should
necessarily focus on environmental issues too.
Areas of Environmental Concern and Role of Social Worker
1. Destruction of Natural Resources: Destruction of natural resources is
a wide area of concern which includes deforestration, depleting ground
water sources and issues of such sort. A social worker concerned with
such fields should assure that such issues don’t arise from ignorance. He
has to make sure that people are well informed about the dangers of such
activities. He has to organize awareness programs on the same and assist
in resource allocation; the absence of which is often the cause of such
practices.
2. Global Warming and Climate Change: Global warming and climate
change are the outcome of human selfishness. The production of green
house gases from vehicles result in global warming. The ultimate
aftermath of the same is submerging of low lying areas. Thus global
warming is an act of social injustice as it will leave millions of people
homeless in the long run; even Maldives are under the same threat. A
social worker has to consider this issue as a social justice issue and create
awareness among the urban community regarding the use of public
transport and not being over dependent on chemical products like
aerosols.
3. Toxic material production and waste disposal: One of the major
environmental problems in industrial cities and associated slums is waste
disposal. Often factories produce a large amount of toxic waste and
directly dispose to nearby rivers or land. This besides creating serious
environmental imbalance leads to lethal diseases to the people living in
nearby slums and associated areas. Taking into consideration both the
factors a social worker should make factory labourers about the dangers
of the same and organize the labour community against such deeds. He
should also ensure that environmental laws are not violated.
4. Air, Land and Water pollution: The most fearsome environmental
problem of the times is pollution. Pollution is the outcome of
industrialization and associated developments. This can be tackled only
at the base. A social worker practicing in any community must ensure
that pollution is under control in his area of concern. Once he succeeds in
making this possible, pollution rate will start falling gradually. A social
worker has to succeed in making people aware about the hazards and
making them to practice measures against pollution.
5. Species extinction: All animals have equal right upon this earth to
survive as a man has and also they play a vital role in maintaining the
balance of the ecology. Social workers in tribal settings has to ensure that
people know the worth of every species and prevent them from poaching.
In case of poaching from external sources he has to make sure that
concerned authorities are reported and the offenders receive deserving
punishment.
Conclusion
Social work is a profession that has a wide scope and areas of practice. A genuine social
worker identifies his role in the setting which he works and carries out his tasks earnestly. Be it in
any settings, he has to stick on the basics of social work. He has to keep in mind that he stands for
the welfare of humanity and his role is to alleviate the needs of the society and take humanity to
the peak of welfare possible. Then only the multi-dimensional holistic approach of social work
will be attained.

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