The 'Helping Profession'
What made you decide to pursue a career in Social Welfare? Recently, along with the celebration of International Social Work Month this March 2022, one of the Facebook pages, the “Kwelang Social Worker” posted that question as to why you took Social Work as your course. What could be the most common term used answered by the respondents, is the word “help”. Even when you were a kid you also wanted to grow as a professional teacher or a doctor to help others. Helping is innate to everyone, an act that is universal and humane to all of us. But what makes it different from Social Workers?
In this epoch, Social Work as a profession is gradually known especially in communities that have faced various catastrophes that are increasing with its frequencies especially these most trying times of the pandemic. Social Work is playing an integral role in providing an eclectic approach and intervention to address the concerns of individuals in crises, groups, and communities.
Going back to the question, everyone can indeed help but as to the Social Work profession, the process is scientific and the approaches and mechanisms are highly assessed to tailor-fit to the pressing needs or the ‘here and now' situation of a client, group, and a community which makes it as a helping-profession.
With the recognition strengthened legally by the Republic Act 4373- An Act to Regulate the Practice of Social Work and the Operation of Social Work Agencies in the Philippines and for Other Purposes, has ensured that all Social Workers should take a four-year degree course and should pass a board exam to practice the profession.
As Social Workers, what lies in our hands to make it known, or is this integral to persistently make our profession identified by the people, especially the young generations? The ultimate answer is Yes, we have to let our profession be known, we need more people to help us do the work accordingly towards social development and transformation. The emerging crimes and risks against vulnerable sectors are increasing and along with these inevitable circumstances, we have to establish our profession and encourage more to become part of our fast-growing family to serve as sentinels against abuse, exploitation and let us work together to lift them from the cellar of poverty by being empowered, changed and advocate.
