Social Work as a Profession - Research Paper Example

SOCIAL WORK Social services can be delivered in many different ways, by both amateurs and professionals. There are some people who believe that only professionals are qualified to provide such services. These people believe you need a PhD, or years of training, in order to help a person in need. Others believe that we are our brothers and sisters keepers and we should all help out to make our community stronger. Personally, I believe that the provision of social services should be less institutionalized and professionalized.

Organizations such as churches should be permitted to help out more and should be more autonomous in their provision of such services. The truth is that a lot of people in this world need help and we can't hold back volunteers because of issues like oversight. If someone has a good heart they should be allowed to help, not told to wait behind the red-tape. In so many examples in this text we see the government taking more and more power onto its shoulders with the result that it is paralysed by administering all of its responsibilities.

It wants to centralize everything instead of allowing ordinary citizens to take on power for themselves. The truth is that the Baby Boomer generation is getting older and will soon need more support from social workers. There will not be enough workers unless we free up volunteers to do more. The future is not going to be pretty if we don't work hard to allow those who wish to help out, the power to do so. Sources Dolgoff, R. & Feldstein, D. (2009). Understanding social welfare: A search for social justice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson, Allyn and Bacon.

Specht, Harry; Courtney, Mark E. (1994). Unfaithful angels : how social work has abandoned its mission. New York: Free Press.