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what is social work?“The social work profession专业 promotes促进 social change, problem-solving in human relationships, and the empowerment许可，授权 and liberation释放，解放 of people to enhance提高，加强 well-being幸福，幸福感，福利. Utilising使用，利用 theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes干预，介入 at points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights人权 and social justice司法 are fundamental to对是必要的 social work.”Nature of the WorkSocial work is a profession for those with a strong desire to help improve people lives. Social workers help people function（动词）运行 the best way they can in their environment, deal with their relationships, and solve personal and family problems. Social workers often see看见，理解 clients案主 who face a life-threatening重度，致命的 disease疾病 or a social problem, such as inadequate不足的 housing, unemployment, a serious illness, a disability残疾，丧失能力的, or substance abuse药物滥用. Social workers also assist帮助 families that have serious domestic家庭的 conflicts冲突, sometimes involving child or spousal abuse虐待配偶.Social workers often provide social services in health-related settings设置 that now are governed管理，支配 by managed care管理式医疗 organizations. To contain含，控制 costs, these organizations emphasize强调，注重 short-term intervention介入，干预, ambulatory流动的，非固定的 and community-based社区的 care, and greater decentralization分散 of services.Most social workers specialize专门从事，专业化. Although some conduct research进行研究，进行调研工作 or are involved in planning or policy development, most social workers prefer an area of practice in which they interact with与相互作用 clients.Child, family, and school social workers provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning心理机能，心理功能 of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and academic functioning of children. Some social workers assist single parents, arrange adoptions领养, or help find foster homes寄养家庭 for neglected, abandoned, or abused被虐待 children. In schools, they address从事such problems as teenage pregnancy怀孕, misbehavior品行不端, and truancy旷课，逃学 and advise teachers on how to cope with problem students. Increasingly school social workers are teaching workshop to an entire class. Some social workers specialize in services for senior citizens老人（尤指退休者）, running support groups支持小组 for family caregivers照顾着，看护人 or for the adult children of aging成年 parents, advising elderly people or family members about choices in areas such as housing, transportation, and long-term care长期护理, and coordinating and monitoring these services. Through employee assistanceprograms, they may help workers cope with job-related pressures or with personal problems that affect the quality of their work. Child, family, and school social workers typically典型的 work for individual and family services agencies, schools, or State or local governments. These social workers may be known as child welfare儿童福利 social workers, family services social workers, child protective保护的 services social workers, occupational social workers, or gerontology老年学 social workers.Medical and public health公共卫生 social workers provide persons, families, or vulnerable易受伤害的 populations with the psychosocial社会心理的 support needed to cope with chronic长期的，慢性的, acute严重的, or terminal illnesses终期病患，晚期疾病, such as Alzheimers disease早老性痴呆, cancer, or AIDS. They also advise family caregivers照顾者, counsel建议，劝告 patients, and help plan for patients needs after discharge后放 by arranging for at-home services, from meals-on-wheels to oxygen equipment. Some work on interdisciplinary跨领域的 teams that evaluate评价，评估 certain kinds of patientsgeriatric老年病人 or organ transplant器官移植 patients, for example. Medical and public health social workers may work for hospitals, nursing护理，看护 and personal care facilities, individual and family services agencies, or local governments.Mental health and substance abuse药物滥用 social workers assess and treat individuals with mental illness精神病 or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco烟草, or other drugs. Such services include individual and group therapy治疗，疗法, outreach延伸，扩广, crisis intervention危机干预，危机介入, social rehabilitation复原, and training in skills of everyday living. They also may help plan for supportive services to ease减轻 patients and return to the community. Mental health and substance abuse social workers are likely to work in hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, individual and family services agencies, or local governments. These social workers may be known as clinical临床的 social workers. (Counselors辅导员，顾问 and psychologists, who may provide similar services.)Other types of social workers include social work planners and policymakers, who develop programs to address such issues as child abuse, homelessness, substance abuse, poverty贫困, and violence. These workers research and analyze policies, programs, and regulations条例，规程. They identify social problems and suggest legislative立法机构 and other solutions. They may help raise funds or write grants to support these programs.Job Outlook展望Competition for social worker jobs is expected in cities, where demand for对的需求 services often is highest and training programs训练计划 for social workers are prevalent流行的，普遍的. However, opportunities should be good in rural areas, which often find it difficult to attract and retain保持，保留 qualified合格的，能胜任的 staff. By specialty专业，专长, job prospects前景 may be best for those social workers with a background in gerontology老年医学 and substance abuse treatment.Employment of social workers is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2014. The rapidly growing elderly population and the aging baby boom generation生育高峰年 will create greater demand for health and social services, resulting in particularly rapid job growth among gerontology老年医学 social workers. Many job openings职位空缺 also will stem from出于，来自 the need to replace social workers who leave the occupation.As hospitals continue to limit the length of patient stays, the demand for social workers in hospitals will grow more slowly than in other areas. Because hospitals are releasing释放 patients earlier than in the past, social worker employment in home health care services is growing. However, the expanding扩大的 senior年老的 population is an even larger factor. Employment opportunities for social workers with backgrounds in gerontology should be good in the growing numbers of许多，若干 assisted -living and senior-living communities. The expanding senior population also will spur demand for social workers in nursing homes, long-term care facilities, and hospices济贫院.Strong demand is expected for substance abuse social workers over the 2004? 4 projection规划 period周期，时期. Substance abusers are increasingly being placed into treatment programs instead of being sentenced to判决 prison. Because of the increasing numbers of individuals sentenced to prison or probation缓刑 who are substance abusers, correctional 矫正的systems are increasingly requiring substance abuse treatment as a condition added to their sentencing量刑 or probation试用. As this trend grows, demand will increase for treatment programs and social workers to assist abusers on the road to在过程中 Employment of social workers in private social service agencies also will increase. However, agencies increasingly will restructure调整，重改结构 services and hire more lower paid social and human service assistants instead of social workers. Employment in State and local government agencies may grow somewhat in response to响应，对有反应 increasing needs for public welfare社会福利，公共福利, family services, and child protection services; however, many of these services will be contracted out包出，批给 外界承办 to private agencies. Employment levels in public and private social services agencies may fluctuate波动，涨落, depending on need and government funding资金，经费 levels.Employment of school social workers also is expected to grow as expanded efforts to respond to rising student enrollments and continued emphasis on integrating整合 disabled children into the general school population lead to more jobs. There could be competition for school social work jobs in some areas because of the limited number of openings. The availability有效性，可用性 of Federal, State and local fundingwill be a major factor in determining the actual job growth in schools.Opportunities for social workers in private practice私人机构 will expand, but growth may be somewhat hindered阻碍，妨碍 by restrictions that managed care 管理式医疗organizations put on增加 mental health services. The growing popularity of employee assistance programs is expected to spur demand for private practitioners, some of whom provide social work services to corporations on a contractual合同的，契约的 basis. However, the popularity of employee assistance programs will fluctuate波动，涨落 with the business cycle商业周期, because businesses are not likely to offer these services during recessions衰退.
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