Last Updated on December 30, 2022 by Team TSW

Objectives in general are the statements or formulations, what we seek to achieve. The Preamble to the American Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards on objectives of Social Work states: Social work practice promotes human well-being by strengthening opportunities, resources, and capacities of people in their environments and by creating policies and services to correct conditions that limit human rights and the quality of life. The social work profession works to eliminate poverty, discrimination, and oppression. Guided by a person-in-environment perspective and respect for human diversity, the profession works to effect social and economic justice worldwide.

Objectives of Social Work

For the convenience, the objectives of social work can be classified into the following groups:

Objectives prescribed by the social work scientists

Some of the greats in the field of social work have defined social work objectives as :-

Witmer prescribed two objectives of social work such as

• To give assistance to individuals while removing difficulties which they face in utilizing basic services of the society and
• To facilitate effective utilization of community resources for their welfare.

Friedlander gave three objectives of social work as:

• To bring change in painful situation of individuals,
• To develop the constructive forces both within and around the individual and
• To enhance the democratic and humanistic behavior of the individual.

Gordon Brown has given four objectives of social work such as:

• To provide physical or material support.
• To help in social adjustment,
• To help in solving the psychological problems and
• To make adequate opportunities for the individuals in problems for raising their standard of living which can prevent problems from intruding.

Generic objectives of social work

Following are generally and universally accepted objectives of social work :-

• To enhance the social functioning and interactions of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities by involving them in accomplishing goals, developing resources, and preventing and alleviating distress.
• To solve psycho-social problems. Problems what cause stress, inferiority, depression, excessive anger all affects mental realm and are example of psychological problems.
• To fulfill humanitarian needs such as love, affection, care, security, empathy, and independence etc.
• To solve adjustment problems.
• To enhance human well-being and alleviate poverty, oppression, and other forms of social injustice
• To create self-sufficiency. This means that social worker must help clients to help themselves.
• To make and strengthen harmonious social relations. There must not be the feeling of inferiority in the mind of people and nothing should stop them in making harmonious relations.
• To make provision of corrective and recreational services.
• To formulate and implement social policies, services, and programs that meet basic human needs and support the development of human capacities.
• To develop democratic values among the people. Feeling of fraternity, liberty, empathy, equality should be inculcated in the client. this will not only improve the client but atmosphere of the society as well.
• To provide opportunities for development and social progress.
• To conscientize the community.
• To change the environment in favor of individual’s growth and development.
• To bring change in the defective social system for social development.
• To pursue policies, services, and resources through advocacy and social or political actions that promote social and economic justice.
• To provide socio-legal aid to the needy who cannot afford to meet them.
• To develop and use research, knowledge, and skills that advance social work practice.
• To provide rehabilitative services to the client so that he/she can do well even without guidance from social worker.
• To develop and apply practice in the context of diverse cultures.

Conclusion

We can safely sum-up objective of social work and say, Social Work aims to maximize the development of human potential and the fulfillment of human needs.