Four basic operations of social work (1 – introduction)

Perhaps the best way of presenting what social work does is by its basic operations. In order to have a better life, one has to change it, which brings about certain risks. To know what to change one needs to know what is there in one’s life, what are the resources that can be used and what needs to be imported from elsewhere. I order to induce change, but also to govern once life, one needs power to do so. A partnership or an alliance in a working relationship is needed in order to be not only supported but also increase the ability to reflect and perform. The key words of these four basic social work operations are therefore: relationship, power, change and resources introducing the operations that we choose to name: 1) work relationship or alliance, 2) empowerment, 3) risk analysis or harm reduction; and 4) investigation of the Life-World and enabling access to resources.

These four operations are defined by their purpose, which in turn presupposes their ways of doing them. The purpose of forming a work relationship or alliance is to gain an insight, a reflexion of the situation one is in, but also in a manner of dialogue to instigate  work, and change and is done mainly by speech and reflection, notwithstanding meaningful deeds and action. The purpose of empowerment is clear – to gain power – and this is mainly done by advocacy and negotiation in order to enhance one’s status – personal and social capital. The purpose of the risk analysis or harm reduction is security of venture (not so much risk avoidance) and is being done by analysing, securing and support in risk taking. The investigation of the Life-World and enabling access to resources has the purpose in being provided and equipped and is done by enabling access to resources and activation of own resources.

The purposes intrinsic to the operations as listed above are just instrumental to the personal finalities and are just tools to accomplish the latter. No matter how small and petty a specific personal goal may be, it has an overarching property regarding the purposes of the basic operations and the operation itself. The goal of an operation and its underlying desire is the basis of the operation and its purpose, finality and its “raison d’être”.

The social work basic operations are therefore not to be regarded as means of reaching some metaphysical or transcendental ends but means of reaching personal, group or even institutional desires usually articulated as goals, often as needs, sometimes in terms of necessities, sometimes in terms of wishes.[1]

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[1] This blog is an introduction to a piece I am writing on the topic. There will be blogs following describing and analysing them in more detail.