Эссе на тему: "The past and the future of my profession"

Social work… What's it? Why are we so sure that a person's role in social work can never be replaced? Before discussing this topic, we should understand it purely: what is social work and why is it needed in our society

Social work is a type of professional activity that consists in helping people who need it and are currently unable, due to various circumstances, to cope with the life situation on their own, in order to promote social functioning, increase their level of social well-being. Responsibilities include social services, provision of temporary registration, restoration and exchange of passports and other documents, placement in boarding schools, support on social issues, participation in court sessions, identification and registration of citizens in need of social support, advice on various issues of social protection, services provided in the institution, assistance in employment, assistance in establishing a disability group.

Nowdays community social workers help to build an inclusive environment that makes residents feel integrated and empowered. They know that people can work together to improve circumstances, using their experience and knowledge solve problems and make change.

At the community level, social workers may assess and address the needs of individuals, families and groups, advocating for their clients when needed. They may also rally community members around social movements and issues like poverty and homelessness. In this role, they work to build community awareness, identify and develop leaders, create strategic alliances, provide adult education, foster collaboration and build community capacity.

Some social workers take on more administrative roles to advance the social work profession or support an issue or social movement at the structural level. In these roles, they may analyze policy, develop programs and ensure the programs are implemented according to the vision. They may research the root causes of social issues and help develop programs and advocate for policy changes to better serve the community.

And as an answer to the second question, I want to use the phrase of the ancient Roman politician Cicero: «Our special duty is that if someone needs help, we must make every effort to help this person.» The key word is debt. Unfortunately, people in our society will always grow old. And therefore this duty is immortal. But before talking about the future, I'll say few words about the past.

Having emerged at the end of the 19th century in Europe and North America as a voluntary activity for the betterment of society, social work became a profession in the early 20th century and reached professional status by the 1920s. The 1930 Census classified social work as a profession for the first time. I would like to note that social work has not been a profession for a long time, but, nevertheless, it existed. There have always been traditions in our society, especially in the east, that spoke about the importance of helping elders and people who were looking for it.

I think that in the future my profession will be affected by changes, because technological progress does not stand still. And together with people, machines, robots and other equipment will help people. But despite all the help of the technological process in the profession, it will never replace a person in the future. After all, emotional intelligence, empathy, and kind words, which are so often necessary for people, are very important in working with people.

As a first example of the importance of my profession, I would like to recall the work of Konstantin Paustovsky “Telegram”. The girl Nastya, living in Leningrad, receives a telegram saying that her mother is ill, but important things do not allow her to go to her mother. When she arrives in the village, it turns out to be too late: her mother is no longer there… Unfortunately, sometimes even relatives are indifferent to each other’s fate. And this pain and sadness can help to survive kind words and kind attitude towards people. In this work, I admired one act: Tikhon went to the post office and wrote something for a long time on a letterhead, then brought it to Katerina Petrovna and read it in fright: “Wait, I’mon my way. I always remain your loving daughter Nastya.” Katerina Petrovna thanked Tikhon for his kind word, turned away to the wall and seemed to fall asleep.