Seven Principle of Social Casework

(caps)All human beings have certain common basic needs: physical , emotional, intellectual, social, and spiritual. In adverse circumstances these common needs are felt with a special poignancy. The hypothesis in this study is that the following emotional and social needs, common to all people ,become intensified when a person seeks help from a social agency : the need to be treated as an individual , to communicate his feelings , to be accepted ,not to be judged , to make one ' sown decisions ,and to have one 's secrets kept confidential . Consciously or unconsciously , the client senses a danger to these basic rights and needs . The intensified aware ness of these is the origin of the dynamic interaction of attitudes and feelings between the client and the caseworker.

Primary Social Work Method

    1. This interaction has three directions. The first is from the client to the caseworker. The client, because he must reveal his problem and some of his weaknesses to the caseworker, has a fear that he may be treated as “a case” rather than as an individual, that he may be judged and condemned, that he may be forced to do something he does not want to do, or that his confidences may be revealed.

    2. The second direction is from the caseworker to the client. The caseworker, principally through his over -all attitude which has some emotional content ,assuages the fears of the client by communicating a respect for the client's basic human rights and for his integrity as a person.

    3. In the third direction , again from the client to the caseworker , the client becomes aware of the caseworker's attitude and, in some manner, manifests this awareness to the caseworker.

These three directions are like forces moving in circle fashion; their beginnings and ends are imperceptible ; actually , they are separable only conceptually. They are living, vibrant forces that endure in some degree throughout the life of the case. The following seven principles of social casework is given by Biestek and explained in detail in his book "The Casework Relationship."

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Principle Individualization

Individualization is the recognition and understanding of each client 's unique qualities and the differential use of principles and methods in assisting each toward a better adjustment . Individualization is based upon the right of human beings to be individuals and to be treated not just as a human being but as this human being with his personal differences.

Principle of Purposeful expression of feelings

Purposeful expression of feelings is the recognition of the client's need to express his feelings freely ,especially his negative feelings . The " caseworker listens purposefully , neither discouraging nor condemning the expression of these feelings , sometimes even actively stimulating and encouraging them when they are therapeutically useful as a part of the casework service.

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Principle of The controlled emotional involvement

The controlled emotional involvement is the caseworker's sensitivity to the client's feelings, an understanding of their meaning , and a purposeful , appropriate response to the client's feelings.

There are three components in the caseworker's controlled emotional involvement: sensitivity, understanding ,and response. In actual practice they are necessarily and intimately interrelated, but for clarity in analysis they will be discussed separately.

 

Principle of Acceptance

Acceptance is a principle of action wherein the caseworker perceives and deals with the client as he really is, including his strengths and weaknesses ,his congenial and uncongenial qualities , his positive and negative feelings , his constructive and destructive attitudes and behavior ,maintaining all the while a sense of the client 's innate dignity and personal worth . Acceptance does not mean approval of deviant attitudes or behavior. The object of acceptance is not " the good ” but “the real.” The object of acceptance is pertinent reality . The purpose of acceptance is therapeutic : to aid the caseworker in understanding the client as he really is , thus making casework more effective ; and to help the client free himself from undesirable defenses , so that he feels safe to reveal himself and look at himself as he really is, and thus to deal with his problem and himself in a more realistic way.

Principle of Non-Judgmental Attitude

The nonjudgmental attitude is a quality of the casework relationship ; it is based on a conviction that the casework function excludes assigning guilt or innocence, or degree of client responsibility for causation of the problems or needs ,but does include making evaluative judgments about the attitudes , standards , or actions of the client ; the attitude ,which involves both thought and feeling elements , is transmitted to the client.

Principle of Client Self-Determination

The principle of client self -determination is the practical recognition of the right and need of clients to freedom in making their own choices and decisions in the casework process . Caseworkers have a corresponding duty to respect that right ,recognize that need , stimulate and help to activate that potential for self direction -by helping the client to see and use the available and appropriate resources of the community and of his own personality . The client 's right to self determination-,however, is limited by the client's capacity for positive and constructive decision making , by the framework of civil and moral law, and by the function of the agency.

Principle of Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the preservation of secret information concerning the client which is disclosed in the professional relationship .Confidentiality is based upon a basic right of the client ; it is an ethical obligation of the caseworker and is necessary for effective casework service . The client 's right ,however, is not absolute .Moreover , the client ' s secret is often shared with other professional persons within the agency and in other agencies ; the obligation then binds all equally.

Conclusion   

Social Casework is a way of helping people who have psycho social problems. It includes the processes of study , diagnosis , and treatment. These processes take place in an interview . To help the client effectively the caseworker needs adequate knowledge of human behavior and of community resources . The caseworker needs skill to mobilize the inner capacities of the client and the appropriate external resources . Above all , he needs skill in the professional interpersonal relationship ,which is de fined as the dynamic interaction of attitudes and emotions be tween himself and the client.