Social Work Intentions of Social Work Social Essay

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Social Work

Intentions of Social Work

Social work in health care began in late nineteenth ad early twentieth century in the United States. The first social work classes were offered in the summer of 1898 at Columbia University (Social Work History, 2011). These classes were designed to facilitate the development of private and charitable organizations to serve people in need. Changes in demographics, attitudes about how the sick should be treated, and the role of social and psychological factors facilitated the emergence of this field of work.

The mass migrations, chiefly from Europe, in the 19th century landed many immigrants in New York and other eastern cities. This influx of people lead to mass crowding, increased social problems and ill health. In 1905 the Massachusetts General Hospital hired the first professional social worker. Dr. Richard Clarke Cabot believed there to be a connection between tuberculosis and social conditions. Cabot, in charge of the outpatient ward of the hospital, along with his newly created social workers redefined the way health and well-being was managed. The economic, social, family, and psychological conditions that were causing many health issues were recognized for the first time. Soon social workers were attending to social health issues in conjunction with medical doctors who attended to physiological health issues.

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By 1911 there were 44 social work departments in 14 different cities. By 1913 that number had grown to over 200 (Gehlert & Browne, 2006).

Tannenbaum and Reisch (2001) report that during World War I the expansion of government agencies led to increased professionalism in public-sector departments devoted to social welfare. Through the Red Cross and the Army, the War also provided opportunities for social workers to apply casework skills to the treatment of soldiers with "shell shock." Social workers were now sought as specialists in the social adjustment of non-impoverished populations. By 1927, over 100 child guidance clinics appeared in which teams of psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers provided services primarily to middle-class clients.

In 1930, the U.S. social welfare system was an uncoordinated mixture of local and state public relief agencies, supplemented by the modest resources of voluntary charitable organizations. The Great Depression influenced social work practice and redefined the role of government as an instrument of social welfare. The public began to view poverty as the result of economic circumstances rather than personal failure and the idea that social welfare assistance was a government responsibility rather than a private charitable function gained wider acceptance. This change in perception eventually evolved into a complex national social welfare system. The.....

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