THE PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY SOCIAL WORKERS IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE (A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED SOCIAL WELFARE CENTRES)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Although social work practice in Nigerian is gradually growing group, the rate of development acceptance of any reformation is very slow, social work is still growing in Nigeria. For years now, social work practice department in this country, had laid make emphasis on the correction of juvenile delinquents and vagrants, and sometimes organizers of youth clubs/association and sports, in fact this is part of their work but the function of social welfare department is to help the poor and the needy in their bit to survivor, it is also to help problems that brought about by environment of social change.

The welfare are therefore, meant toward those who cannot meet up with the challenges (new social changes), there are several services offered in the state and these include conciliation rehabilitation and general welfare, these includes married couples with marital problems, victims of mental and physical distress or handicapped etc. others includes services for children  is of service to children with social workers, investigation are carried out by social workers with the aim of helping the court to determine the type of treatments to be made. The social welfare agency also are responsible for looking after abandoned babies and making proper arrangement to find foster parents for them or placing them in children’s home services to family in distress is another and these involves family case work practice. The social workers tries to discourage family disintegration and endeavour when ever possible i.e. to affect matrimonial reconciliation, this involves many persuasion and many difficulties are often encountered, service for the handicapped, disable person and baggers and these also mainly rehabilitate the unfortunate people.

At present there are five rehabilitation centres in Kaduna state the centres and were they are situated are Kakuri, Barnawa, Sabon Tasha and Magajin Gari, within Kaduna metropolis, to the low recognition or piece meal given to social welfare services department in this country social workers can not provide these above mentioned services. Effectively thus most of our social policy and planning fails.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This research work is from observation and interaction with the staffs at the agency (social welfare magin gari Kaduna state) during my SIWES attachment and it became evidence that in the agency, work is slow, cases that suppose to be brought to social welfare are been taken to the police, also  there is need for workshops and seminars.

1.3     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is restricted to finding out the problems encountered by social workers in social work practice. The study limits the collection  of data to selected social welfare centre magajin gari and social welfare office magajin gari and also the social welfare office sabon tasha Kaduna state. The findings of this study was gotten from observation and interaction with staffs of the agency during my industrial training fund (I.T.F) attachment social development encompasses, child welfare, rehabilitation etc. but it will only focus on the problems encountered by social workers in social work practice.

1.4     AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The general objectives of this study is to identify the problems encountered by social workers in social work practice in magajin gari, local government social welfare office Kaduna and social welfare office Sabon Tasha Kaduna state. The specific objectives includes;

1.  To find out the range of service rendered by the agency.

2.  To identify the problems with which the staffs of the agency had to contend.

3.  To determine how client were informed about the agency and the type of problems the brought to the agency and whether the got the help or not.

4.  To know what strategies one could adopt to enhance the services

1.5     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.  What are the range of services rendered by the social welfare agencies

2.  What are the problems encountered by the staffs in the social welfare agency (magajin gari and sabon tasha)

3.  What are the problems been brought by client to the social welfare agency? And are these problem properly solve?

1.6     SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

The pattern of social welfare work in Nigeria has witnessed many changes in the last decade. The inexperience men previously see social welfare agency as rendering family services alone such as children maintenance allowance. Child dispate and maltreatment or handling wives by their respective husbands. But due to rapid public awareness, many stored appreciating the scope of the services rendered by the agency. These include among others, child care, hospital services, probation, family welfare, youth and prison welfare services respectively. This project will enable the authority concerned and the populace to understand and appreciate the importance and problems encountered by the social welfare agencies in this country. The social workers will benefit from these study in the source that it will help and make them know were they are lacking behind.