providing services vs. empowering people

[정보원]

The traditional focus of social work has been on 'problem solving and empowerment' - that is, using our knowledge, skills and values to work toward empowering people to solve their own problems where possible, and to support them as fully as we reasonably can in addressing the problems they face.

Consequently, a key part of traditional social work practice has been an emphasis not on providing or commissioning services, but on engaging in empowering forms of practice to avoid the need for services where possible.

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"I hadn't thought about it before, but I realize now that I have been driving to people's houses thinking about what services I could offer them, rather than how I could help them address their problems and needs."

How to Survive in Social Work. 52~53