Field Placement Manual (2008-2009)

 

PART I: PHILOSOPHY OF THE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL POLICY & PRACTICE

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Building on a rich history of social work practice theory development, this statement of philosophy reflects the ongoing refinement of the concepts and principles of social work practice within the context of a pluralistic and ever changing society.  Today the helping process is viewed as a structure through which the social work practitioner provides intensive assistance within a limited time period designed to empower the client to deal with personal and environmental problems related to specific agency mandates.  The helping process is incomplete unless the social work practitioner engages in a continuous process of planned change to improve the delivery of services and link social resources to the areas of greatest need according to values of distributive justice.

There are currently nine principles that compose the current philosophy of practice.  They are summarized below and then defined in greater detail in The Penn Approach:

  1. The goal of social work practice is client empowerment, predicated on the belief that all individuals have the capacity for growth and change and can be helped to shape their own destiny.
  2. The foundation of social work practice is the establishment of a working relationship of mutual respect between the social work practitioner and the client.
  3. The social work practitioner views the client as representative of a population of clients and seeks to address the critical systemic, environmental, and social issues that adversely affect that population.
  4. The social work practitioner and the client work through a structured problem-solving process which has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
  5. The specific purpose and functions of the social service agency provide the context for social work practice.
  6. The social work practitioner monitors the dynamics of the social work process and the ongoing processes of change in the client, the worker, and the agency, in order to gather the data necessary to make the case for change at the local, regional, and national levels.
  7. The social work practitioner works for planned change within the social service system in a continuous effort to insure that social resources are linked to the areas of greatest need, to improve the delivery of services, and to eliminate oppressive and discriminatory practices within the profession.
  8. The social work practitioner has a responsibility to share evidence of unmet needs in the community and to advocate for the necessary realignments of social resources and changes in the public policy.
  9. The social work practitioner fosters a climate of inquiry within the profession that directs the continuous search for more effective solutions to the complex problems addressed by social work practice.