Social work is an interventional profession, based on multidisciplinary social science instruments and methods for analyze and propose adjustments in the various social issues of communities.
It promotes development, change and social cohesion within the set of inequalities that arise. form in society, through interventions at key points so that these situations can develop. modified.
These interventions are mainly based on analytical methods from the social sciences and humanities. Furthermore, they are also based on the principles of social justice, human rights, social assistance, collective responsibility and respect for human diversity.
The social work profession then seeks to relate people to social structures to respond to life's challenges and improve social well-being.
The professional who works in this area is called social worker. He is responsible for carrying out the planning and execution of public policies and social programs that promote the collective well-being and integration of the individual in society.
It can also act on issues related to social exclusion, monitoring, analyzing and proposing actions to improve the living conditions of those who go through these conditions.
See also the meaning of Social vulnerability.
The social worker acts directly in various fields and institutions of society, being able to develop activities in the private, governmental and non-governmental domains, in areas such as:
- Education;
- Health;
- Gender;
- Family;
- Work;
- Housing;
- Assistance;
- Leisure;
- Rehabilitation;
- penitentiary systems;
- Social Security
To practice the profession, it is necessary to attend a degree in Social Work at a college recognized by the MEC and obtain registration with the Regional Council of Social Work.
See more about the meaning of Social Sciences and human sciences.
Social Work Course
The undergraduate course in social work lasts four years and trains professionals capable of planning and executing actions and programs aimed at collective well-being.
The content is designed so that the student can understand and analyze social reality from a historical, critical and propositional perspective. For this reason, from the beginning, the student carries out fieldwork in communities and other institutional and social spaces.
Disciplines related to the areas of sociology, political theory, philosophy and economics are also seen. The internship is mandatory, as well as the completion of a course conclusion work.
Social Service Symbol
The social work course is represented by the image of a scale with a torch, as shown in the figure below:
The fire represents the knowledge and the scale represents the social balance. According to the Federal Council of Social Service, this symbol expresses the character of social justice; more moral than juridical, to the punishment of what was wrong, preferring redemption. It also symbolizes that by love and truth everything can be removed.