Social work practice can be described as a process wherein people with problems and unmet needs engage with social workers in receiving help the results in change ( Sheafor, Horejsi, & Sheafor. 2000). This type of change includes individual change, as well as changes in families, groups, communities and social organizations.
Social work seeks to enhance the social functioning of individuals, singularly and in groups, by activities focused upon their social relationship which constitute interaction between individuals and their environments. These activities can be grouped into three functions : restoration of impaired capacity, provision of individual and social resources and prevention of social dysfunction.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW, 1973), which is professional social work organization, defines social work as “ a professional activity of helping individuals, groups and communities to enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and to create societal conditions that are favorable to their goals”.
Based on these different definitions, social work has three major purposes :
To promote the problem solving, coping, and developmental capacities of people.
To enhance the effective and humane operation of the systems that provide people with resources and services.
To help link people with systems that provide them with resources, services and opportunities ( Baer & Federico, 1978)
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