Over the past several decades, social work practice in the United States and the industrialized world has become increasingly politicized due to political-economic, ideological, demographic, and cultural changes. This new political environment is reflected in all aspects of social work practice. Its underlying assumption influences how all participants in the service process define needs, implement alternative helping strategies and evaluate their effectiveness. However, persistent misunderstandings about the meaning of the policy and its relationship to professional practice present significant obstacles to developing effective responses to this dramatic transformation. At the organizational and societal level, these misunderstandings discourage challenges to the institutional status quo. At the micro-level, they rationalize existing hierarchies between social service agencies and service users and between workers and clients Burawoy, M.
All types of social workers focus on helping people overcome difficult life situations. Social workers are part counselors and part facilitators of help. The vast majority of social work practices work with individuals or small family groups, assisting people in learning to overcome problems by empowering themselves and taking advantage of social services provided through government entities and nonprofit organizations. Many social workers are also advocates, lobbying governments to change harmful laws, supporting government assistance programs, and starting new nonprofit and for-profit initiatives aimed at helping people in difficult times Burawoy, M.