Social Work And The Importance Of It In The Community

Every individual wants to feel happy that they are part of a community that they belong to. No man is an island, as the saying goes, and there is definitely much truth to this. Each person has to belong to a community that is actively functioning, where they feel like their needs are met, and their desires are achieved. Most importantly, there is a satisfaction in a community that is happy, healthy and united.

All the above mentioned goals can be achieved through the help of social workers. These professionals are skilled and educated, from prestigious schools such as Rutgers University, on matters concerning the welfare and the excellent functioning of how society must operate. Read on through this article to learn more about the importance of social workers in the community.

1. Social workers create community programs

Social workers help in the improvement and the development of communities through the community programs that they create. These community programs are often free and open to any member of the community. For example, social workers may offer the following:

●  Free livelihood training for the unemployed mothers

●  Free summer programs for young children

● Free dental check-up once a year for the children of the unemployed mothers

In the abovementioned programs, it is through the efforts of the social worker to communicate with the proper individuals in charge, such as dentists, to reach out to the community and provide these services.

2. Social workers can provide counseling, guidance, and assistance

Social workers do not have permanent job descriptions all year round. Depending on the needs of the community that they are serving, the services and help that they offer changes. For example, if there is a time in the community where they are met with economic challenges, such as mass unemployment from a recent epidemic, apart from the medical services that the community needs, there may be some psychological trauma that some members of the community, particularly single mothers, or unemployed mothers, are experiencing.

In the situation mentioned above, the social worker can act as a psychologist as well to provide counseling, guidance, and assistance to these traumatized individuals. Motherhood is not an easy task, and add up to it some of life’s challenges, often, a mother might feel that she is alone, and can suffer depression. With this counseling, the welfare of the population is met, as they will feel better about themselves, and can be better members of the community as well. More importantly, mothers will feel like they have a group in their community within which they can relate.

3. Social workers assess the needs of the community

Social workers have the knowledge and skills that not everyone in the community has, and this includes their function as a caseworker. Under this task or job description, social workers study and analyze case studies to assess the needs of a community, for example, the needs of a single mother, or a recently widowed mother. Remember that no two communities are alike, and the needs of communities change regularly as well.

Through social workers, the needs of the community can be brought up, whereby the needs are adequately assessed and determined. In this manner, the needs of the community are answered, thereby creating satisfaction and happiness with the members of the community as well.

4. Social workers can act as teachers

Not all social workers are licensed teachers; however, they can act as teachers as well, one way or another. Social workers can conduct seminars that create awareness on various social issues to help improve the overall functioning of the members of the community. Especially for communities where not everyone is educated, these free learning seminars or crash courses can enhance the self-esteem of these individuals, women and mothers in particular, who might have given up their careers. This can, in turn, increase their desire to help the community in which they belong.

Examples of free lessons and seminars that social workers can tackle include:

● Importance of saving for the future of your children

● Importance of education of your children

● How to be a happier parent

●Primary elementary or early childhood education for those who do not know how to read or write

●Importance of exercising the right to suffrage to fight for women’s rights

5. Social workers research on the root cause of problems in the community

For any problem to be solved, you must first get to the root cause of every problem. Most problems in the community are social issues that cannot be addressed because the solution is not taken to the grassroots level. With the help of the social worker, solutions are more effective, as they can better acknowledge the root of all problems. Keep in mind that they did not spend years in the university for nothing. They have the knowledge that not everyone is equipped with.

Therefore, if your community has any underlying social problems that need to be solved, the best people who can help in the research and problem-solving process is a social worker.

Conclusion

In general, social workers are around to help improve every individual’s quality of life through the community and society that they belong to. No matter your economic and social status, each person has the right to feel equal in the society to which they belong, whereby their needs are fully met, and their differences are embraced and welcomed. This positive result is achieved through the help and efforts of a social worker.