Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | 页面 53

Social Work and First Principles

Bridging the gap
Such local efforts can help people facing issues such as loneliness or isolation,
living on a low income, being a carer and living with or caring for someone
diagnosed with dementia. The social work response involves a mix of preventive
and community work, education, reducing social isolation, promoting and
fostering health and wellbeing, as well as safeguarding clients. Advice and
referral is at the core of such a service with social workers playing that critical
role in strengthening access to appropriate support services, thereby bridging
the gap between the person and a service which the person may otherwise
have never accessed. We should not underestimate the thinking work that
such an important process involves. The local team may conduct telephone
reviews for people assessed at a low or moderate need who are not receiving
a service and give advice and signpost individuals to a range of services.
This process can result in critical referrals, domestic abuse interventions and
referrals to vulnerable persons’ risk assessment case conferences.

Social work enables and empowers
Guided by the principles of wellbeing and prevention and the recognition
that an individual, his/ her family, and/ or carer must be enabled to make
good decisions regarding their own care or decisions about their roles, social
work is about building a relationship of trust and confidence. When it comes
to trust, we all know that it takes time, commitment and an open heart and
spirit built upon competence. Social workers are trained to draw from social
science and learning, from economics, ethics, religion, and medicine to view
the individual in the context of his family and community.
Analytical, integrative and collaborative skills
Assessing needs and making an evaluation of situations in social work practice
requires analytical skills in order to conduct in-depth and comprehensive
exploration of the complex needs. Assessment as a continuous process
in oftentimes circumstances that are fluctuating demands analytical and

52