Assignment Code: MSW-002/TMA/2022-23

Course Code: MSW-002

Assignment Name: Professional Social Work: Indian Perspectives

Year: 2022-2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Answer all the five questions. All questions carry equal marks. Answers to question no. 1 and 2 should not exceed 600 words each.

Q1) How do you explore the history of social work in the initiatives of local rulers?

Ans) Strong moral and spiritual values have been a part of Indian traditions since the early Vedic period. The foundations of human progress have been nurtured ever since Indian civilisation first emerged. Throughout a wide range of spheres of existence, the spirit of social service has inspired both private individuals and organised groups of people in various ways. We shall only concentrate on three crucial eras: Pre-Vedic, Vedic, and the Gupta era's golden age. Ancient welfare dimensions underwent a range of modifications during this time period.

The Pre-Vedic Period was a time of invention for societies all across the world, including those in Europe and Greece, and India was no exception. Humans have always had a bond with their environment, which was crucial to their survival. The society experienced intensive planning during this time, which led to the development of urbanisation with planned architecture. It is believed that institutions like law, custom, agriculture, and religion existed and regulated the populous before the Aryans came to India.

The Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda of the Aryan scriptures serve as representations of the Vedic period, which presents the highest orders of existence. It emphasised that religious melodies, sacrifices, and knowledge are where one might find the soul of human life. Shruti, or memorising via listening, was the name for Vedic studies. One of the best-case work counselling abilities comes from the "Pathshala" system of education, where the "Guru," the teacher, would repeat while the students acquired the lessons and improved their listening and oratory skills.

Family and tribe serve as the primary sources of governmental power during the Vedic era. The family acted as the foundation of the state, according to Mazumdar. Numerous clans that were linked by real or imagined kinship ties made up a district. These districts formed comprised a tribe, which was seen to be the highest political unit. The monarchy engaged a number of authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of the people. Information regarding public opinion of the government, the monarchy, and social issues was gathered through spies and messengers.

Throughout the Vedic era, charity was seen as a moral virtue. Being charitable to the underprivileged and begging for money were praised as virtues. One can infer that the early civilizations of the Indian subcontinent sowed the seeds of social welfare. Numerous stories about "Dana" can be found in Indian literature (charity). Forty Sanskaras related to human life, ageing, development, and growth were present. Weddings between Paisachas, Rakshasas, and Asuras were three of the eight types of unions that were forbidden. We learn that social work is currently dealing with a similar challenge as it tries to address the issues brought on by the rise in crimes against women.

The ancient ashrama system prescribed obligations relating to interpersonal relationships in order to instil discipline in people's lives. Due to his ownership of an indigenous medical system, Charaka holds the most prominent and regal position in Indian history during the reign of Kanishka. The ancient state refers to a pharmacy called Bhaisajyagrha that is located in a city or town. Kautilya referred to the veterinarians in charge of the cattle, horses, and elephants.

The masters of the arts of peace, Kharavela and Samsthadyaksa, made a contribution to the eastern coast of Kalinga. The welfare state was a perfect feature of ancient India since the king was the guardian of the law that emerged from Dharma. the karma philosophy, which placed a strong emphasis on the value of deeds. A harvest of pleasure results from doing good things. For the King, the nation is referred to as "praja sukhe sukham rajna." Welfare is the most important factor in every business.

Q2) Enlist the roles of social worker in policy formulation and development.

Ans) The social worker is one of these experts who, through their knowledge, highlights a variety of issues. Social workers are in a good position to understand societal issues because of their strong ties to the general public. The creation of social policy is influenced by social workers working in both governmental and non-governmental organisations in a variety of ways, including

Identification of Social Issues

The first step in establishing a policy requires the identification of concerns. Currently, a number of non-profit organisations are leading the way, and social workers are the cornerstone of this process. Social workers contact directly with individuals at the community level through volunteer organisations. The difficulties are revealed in new ways by social workers' research projects, which also highlight the need for urgent reforms for everyone's welfare.

Advocacy

Social workers haven't always kept to themselves the issues that have been identified. Due to their professional training, social workers are aware that merely recognising issues won't change the current state of affairs, particularly in light of the relevant authorities' apathy and unwillingness to address social issues. In such cases, strengthening the pressure group on the authorities is particularly important. In such situations, creating policies becomes a time-consuming procedure because it involves opposing opinions and argument from numerous groups of people and pertinent authorities. In these situations, social workers' most popular strategy is advocacy.

Consolidation of Expert Opinion

Policies are not created independently by planners, administrators, social workers, academicians, or politicians; rather, policies must be created by combining the opinions of experts from several fields. After a series of talks and exchanges, policy statement papers are published as a result of the establishment of expert committees for the formulation of policies. The specialists in these fields are picked to make up the expert group.

Implementation

The job of a social worker doesn't finish with the creation of policies; instead, the following category of important work, or turning the provisions into tangible realities, begins only then. Provisions alone have no purpose until their benefits are experienced by the majority of people. The main players in putting the provisions of the policy into action are social workers. Social workers' duties during implementation include two distinct tasks:

1. Distribution of information.

2. Public availability of policy provisions.

Social workers have a duty to adequately inform the public about the programmes available for their welfare and the effects of human services on everyone's quality of life. In order to convey this information to the media, social workers must cooperate.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring is a crucial tool for making sure a project or programme is carried out correctly. It is common knowledge that an efficient delivery method and implementation are crucial to a program's effectiveness in achieving the targeted goals. The policy-making authorities place a strong emphasis on the monitoring and evaluation of development programmes in order to ensure this.

In order to analyse the financial and physical success in implementing the Schemes, as well as to share information about progress, the programmes are routinely monitored. The purpose of the programme evaluation is to identify the programmes' strengths and flaws so that required actions may be taken to improve and streamline the implementation process.

Q3) Answer any two of the following questions in about 300 words each: 10x2

a) Discuss the initiative of the State in the field of Child Welfare.

Ans) As the definition of social work has evolved, so too has the concept of child welfare services. The idea that every child is unique and requires assistance for growth and development is a more recent development. It includes social, economic, and health services provided by both governmental and non-governmental organisations that ensure and protect the welfare of all children in their physical, emotional, and intellectual development.

Constitutional Provisions

1. Article 15 says the state can make specific provisions for women and children and cannot discriminate based on religion, ethnicity, caste, sex, or birthplace.

2. Under Article 24, no child under 14 may be employed in a factory, mine, or dangerous job.

3. Article 39 of Directive Principle, of State Policy states that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused. Citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter vocations unsuited to their age or strength. Children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner, in freedom and dignity. Childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and molestation.

4. Article 45 requires free, obligatory education for all children until age 14.

5. Article 47 declares that it is the state's duty to improve nutrition, living standards, and public health. Enforcing equality, justice, security, protection, and care of children in the constitution, the government promotes the overall growth and development of all children.

Child Education

Central Social Welfare Board is assisting with children's education. After Independence, voluntary organisations were involved in the pre-primary education sector. In 1961, there were roughly 5000 Balwadies. In rural areas, community development programmes included setting up balwadies. According to the Education Commission Report, just 3500 pre-primary schools employed 6500 instructors at the time. In rural areas, the CSWB and Community Development Administration established 20,000 Balwadies with a total enrollment of 6, 00,000 kids.

Child Heath

The First Five Year Plan of the Planning Commission advocated opening a sufficient number of maternity and child welfare centres with the necessary equipment. In remote areas, many Public Health Centres have been constructed. In order to accommodate more deliveries and provide post-natal care for an extended period, the number of maternity beds was doubled. Post-natal clinics have evolved into a necessary component of all hospitals. Maternity and Child Health Centres were opened as part of primary and secondary Health Unit Centres in the rural sections of each Community Development Block.

b) Explain main points of affinity between Hindu concepts, beliefs, and values and those held by Professional Social Work.

Ans) Having made an effort to comprehend the core values and concepts that drive or influence the Hind psyche in the context of altruistic attitude and behaviour, it is time to recapitulate our understanding of Social Work its mission, responsibilities, assumptions, and core values.

1. Hindu philosophy and traditions place a high value on the spirit of service, compassion, and giving up one's own interests in order to help those who are less fortunate.

2. Hindu notions of social awareness and social responsibility place a strong emphasis on how intertwined one's welfare is with that of others. Mutual assistance and dependency have been in use since ancient times.

3. The foundation for social justice is laid by the ideas of God, Soul, and maaya, notwithstanding how paradoxical that may sound. According to Hindu philosophy, every living thing has the same potential to become divine and to reach their full potential.

4. Hindu philosophy holds that people may and do change toward self-actualization the ultimate purpose of life just like in professional social work. It is firmly held that the inherent inclination of the soul is toward self-realization, or the understanding of its divine nature. They advance closer to their life's purpose through their religious and spiritual pursuits with the aid of gurus.

5. The idea of dharma and its practise are strongly related to the idea of social functioning as it is described in the literature on social work. It has been said that the foundation of mental health is accomplishing what is required of us in a certain station in life duty, doing it well, and feeling satisfaction from it.

6. In social work practise, the relationship between the practitioner and the client in need of professional assistance is essential. The acceptance principle is the most fundamental and is almost regarded as an absolute value among the many other professional relationship rules. Hinduism is congruent with this idea because it holds that man is a divine being.

7. The fact that a client feels inadequate and looks to the worker as an expert who can help him or her and as someone with control over necessary resources has frequently been the subject of critical reflection in professional literature on the power and authority inherent in the worker-client relationship.

8. The fundamental principle of Hinduism is the dignity of the human being, which is upheld as a vital value in social work. The idea of the Atman is the inspiration for the notion that a person's ultimate identity is determined by their divinity, not by their physical or social characteristics.

Q4) Answer any four of the following questions in about 150 words each: 5x4

a) What are the objectives of NAPSWI?

Ans) The following are NAPSWI's goals:

1. At various levels, raise public knowledge of the social work profession.

2. Encourage the use of the highest ethical and professional standards in the practise of professional social work.

3. Increase the body of knowledge and practical experience surrounding social work interventions that improve the standard of living for individuals, their families, and the environment.

4. Enhanced collaboration and support between licenced social workers.

5. Encourage social change, human liberation, and empowerment to improve people's well-being while upholding the ideals of social justice and human rights.

6. Encourage study, action, and other types of continual education for members' knowledge advancement.

7. Promote programmes and policies that will cater to the demands of the social work profession and its different customers.

b) Discuss the relevance of social action in the history of social reform movement in India.

Ans) Social action has played a role in the evolution of human society. In the course of social evolution, there has hardly ever been a moment when people have not banded together and organised themselves to protest against injustice, to seek redress of grievances, or to demand changes in unfair social, economic, and political structures. Although the ensuing conflicts were not always successful, they were nonetheless significant manifestations of the poor people's efforts to ensure a more compassionate society.

Almost all plan documents and official policy declarations acknowledge that voluntary work and public engagement are essential to the accomplishment of any development endeavour. However, social action is rarely mentioned as a means of enlisting people in development efforts in such documents, likely because it is seen by those in positions of authority as a concerted effort to effect change that frequently leads to conflicts of interest with those in positions of authority who are sometimes openly or covertly opposed to such initiatives.

In the hands of the people, social action is a tremendously potent tool for securing social justice and human rights. Mahatma Gandhi was the leading proponent of social action in our nation. Social reformers, union leaders, government employees, and political activists have all taken part in social action movements in some capacity. This unit is therefore extremely interesting to anyone who is interested in empowering individuals.

c) Explain the key aspects of Christian life and its social teachings.

Ans) In order to initiate discussion on Christianity and social work we will briefly discuss the social teachings of Christianity in terms of its values, principles, beliefs, and practices. Every religion has social teachings. It  gets expressed through a variety of social concerns. The social vision of Christianity is arising from its scriptures, theology, social teachings, and the historical development. The emergence of liberation theology in the latter part of the twentieth century took Christianity to concrete forms of social action for social transformation. The Christian life is centered around some essential aspects of the Christian religion. Among them the following are key ones:

1. Fellowship with God

2. Our relationship with others

3. Obedience to God’s commands

4. Discipline

Christianity is built around the value of relationship: with God and with others. When Jesus was asked to summarize his teachings, he said that it was all about loving God and our neighbour. Everything else is a means to that end. One of the most important terms used in Christianity is fellowship. This term covers their life together in communion as Christians. This means first of all that they spend time together in family, in worship, work, service to others, and having fun. They hold community as a value; it is in and through community that they desire and achieve their life’s ultimate goal of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Bible refers to the Christian community using organic metaphors, such as a vine and a body. It talks about them sharing with each other and supporting each other.

The Christians have their religious rules that are meant to regulate their behaviour and facilitate the modes of worship. Respect for others, regular prayer both individual and communitarian, discipline, self-less service to others and sharing of faith are some aspects of Christian life. As mentioned earlier, Christianity is about relationships: with God as father, with Jesus as the Son of God, with our family and friends, and even with enemies. Relationships are based on communication. Since prayer is the primary means of communication with God, it is the basis for our relationship with him.

d) Discuss Gandhi's perception of man and his relationship with society.

Ans) The term "man" refers to a multidimensional, intricate entity made up of several types of substance, life, consciousness, and intelligence. From the perspectives of the natural and social sciences, research on man has been ongoing for millennia and continues today. It would be interesting to learn Gandhi's perspective on man and how he interacts with other people, or the human society.

1. Brutal Ancestry of Man: Gandhi acknowledges that humans have animal ancestors. He also states that while it may appear easier to descend than to assent, it is more natural for a man to be good than bad.

2. Faith in Human Nature: Man will always be imperfect, he continued, and he will constantly strive to be flawless. There is unquestionably a theoretical chance that he will continue to grow and achieve perfection.

3. Man, and his Environment: Gandhi is aware of how the environment affects a person's personality and actions. He claimed that although a man could try his hardest to be objective, he could never completely reverse the effects of his surroundings since a man is more than just a product of his environment.

4. Change in Human Behaviour and Personality: The behaviour and personality of people can change in a variety of ways. Self-control is one of them, according to Gandhi. It improves the quality of life for men. The beast is incapable of self-control by nature.

5. Man’s Ultimate Goal: Gandhi said that even though man was created with brute power, he was meant to realise that God is a part of each and every one of us. That is a privilege that only man has, setting him apart from the rest of the brutish creation.

6. Dignity and Equality of Human Beings: Every man possesses a divine element, which suffices as evidence of his inherent worth. Because everyone is equally related to God and consequently equal to one another, the issue of discrimination against people based on caste, creed, colour, etc. does not arise.

Q5) Write short notes on any five of the following questions in about 100 words each: 4x5

a) Central Social Welfare Board

Ans) In August 1953, the Central Social Welfare Board was founded with the goals of promoting social welfare activities and carrying out welfare programmes for women and children through voluntary organisations. The CSWB is special in that it was the first organisation to successfully secure public participation in the implementation of welfare programmes in the post-Independence era. Community organisation is a type of social work that we support today since it is based on people realising their own needs and participating in welfare activities with confidence.

Two monthly publications, Social Welfare and Samaj Kalyan, are published by the CSWB and were first published in 1954 and 1955, respectively. This includes charitable endeavours, human interest stories, social issue awareness, etc. It is being tried to offer all three social work services preventive, curative, and rehabilitative under the CSWB for the welfare and advancement of the disadvantaged.

b) Ram Krishna Mission

Ans) A worldwide spiritual movement known as the Ramakrishna Movement, or the Vedanta Movement has its roots in the Hindu religious and spiritual organisation known as the Ramakrishna Mission. The mission was established on May 1st, 1897, by Ramakrishna Paramahamsa chief disciple Swami Vivekananda. It bears his name and is inspired by him. The organisation primarily promotes the four yogic values of Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Raja yoga as well as the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta-Advaita Vedanta.

The organisation engages in considerable educational and social efforts in India and overseas in addition to teaching religion and spirituality. This element eventually became prevalent in many other Hindu movements. The karma yoga philosophy, which promotes selfless service carried out with devotion to God, serves as the foundation for the mission's activity. The Ramakrishna Mission publishes numerous significant Hindu literature and has centres all over the world. It is connected to the monastic institution. Vivekananda's master Ramakrishna had a big impact on him.

c) Buddha and Buddhism

Ans) The globe was very restless in the sixth century B.C., and this was an awakening time. In this time, society also experienced spiritual and moral upheaval. Reformers spoke out against the negative aspects of the social order that existed in their countries and showed the populace better paths. This time of worldwide religious awakening was prevalent, not just in India. This spiritual turmoil in the sixth century B.C. led to the emergence of numerous reformer schools, ideas, ideologies, and streams. Out of them, only Buddhism and Jainism have endured, with the others either dying out or outliving their time.

d) The Dharmashastras

Ans) Many people think that the Smriti contains the Dharmashastras, which are essentially legal texts. To ensure that the Hindu way of life was in harmony with both the spirit of the Vedas and the altering social mores of their time, great lawgivers from time to time, such as Manu, Yajnavalkya, and Parashara, arose and codified existent laws. The Manu Smriti, also referred to as "The Laws of Manu," is a set of instructions for ritual and daily living that was probably put together between the years 200 B.C. and 200 A.D.

e) Satyagraha

Ans) Famously, Mahatma Gandhi led numerous Satyagraha movements throughout India. The fundamental tenet of Satyagraha was the call for the pursuit of truth and the use of nonviolence in advocacy. In Champaran, Bihar, where he organised the Satyagraha movement, Gandhiji persuaded the locals to rebel against the oppressive plantation system. Later, he organised a comparable satyagraha movement to aid Gujarati peasants fighting a plague and crop failure in the Kheda district.

Gandhiji was adamant that the idea of non-violence could bring the nation together. The idea of satyagraha emphasises the importance of truth. Mahatma Gandhi firmly believed in the idea and spearheaded various campaigns to show that non-violence and satyagraha were the best ways to bring all Indians together. The plan includes appealing to the oppressors' conscience without using force in order to persuade them.