Topic 2. Fields of social work

wage	[wedз]	заработная плата
guidance	[gadǝns]	руководство
faster child	['fa׃stǝʧald]	приемыш, воспитанник
victim	['vktm]	жертва
suffer from	[s⋀fǝ]	страдать от
criminal	['krmnl]	преступник
correction	[kǝ'rekʃǝn]	исправление, поправка
adoption	[ǝ'dɔpʃǝn]	усыновление
probation	[prǝ'beʃǝn]	условное освобождение на поруки (особенно несовершеннолетнего)
parole	[pǝ'rǝul]	честное слово, обещание
dwelling	['dwelŋ]	жилище, дом, проживание
assist	[ǝ'sst]	помогать, содействовать
medicine	['medsn]	лекарство
prevention	[pr'venʃǝn]
fulfill	[ful'fl]	выполнять, исполнять, осуществлять

There are five major fields of social work: (1) family and child welfare, (2) health, (3) mental health, (4) corrections, and (5) schools.

Family and child welfare includes services to families during an emergency, such as the absence of one or both parents from the home. Other critical situations requiring family service include unemployment of the principal wage earner and the illness of one or more members of a family.

Social workers in this field also help families adjust to long-term changes in home life. For example, a counselor may provide guidance to children whose parents are separated or divorced.

Child welfare programs provide such services as adoption, day care, foster child care, and care for handicapped children. Child welfare workers also help physically or emotionally abused children.

Health. Medical social workers help patients and their families in clinics, hospitals, and other health care facilities. These workers assist doctors by providing information about the social and economic background of patients. For example, such problems as inadequate housing and lack of money for medicine may cause or aggravate illness. Social workers also offer counseling to patients who have been discharged to help them return to everyday life.

Many medical social workers specialize in a particular type of area. These areas include maternal and child care, the care of dying patients, and counseling victims suffering from certain diseases, such as cancer or kidney failure.

Social work in mental health includes aid to people suffering from mental and emotional stress. Social workers in this field also provide many of the same kinds of services offered by medical social workers. Some receive special training in psychotherapy, the treatment of mental or emotional disorders by psychological methods.

Corrections includes programs concerned with the prevention of crime and the rehabilitation of criminals. Social workers in the field of corrections also counsel people who are on probation or parole. Workers in this field give priority to preventive services, such as tutoring and recreation.

Schools. Social work is part of the program in schools at all levels, from nursery school to university-level education. It includes services to students in special schools for the emotionally disturbed and the handicapped. Social workers in schools provide vocational counseling and help with personal problems. They also assist students who have learning difficulties and help them to fulfil their maximum potential.

Other fields of social work offer assistance in a wide variety of situations. Many social workers help elderly people obtain such services as financial assistance and medical care, which enable them to live as independently as possible. Social workers in clinics and community treatment centers provide counseling to alcoholics and drug abusers.

Some social workers aid people in public housing projects and help find dwellings for families made homeless by urban crises. Social workers employed by companies and trade unions provide a variety of work-related services, including health counseling and preretirement and retirement planning.