The Complexity of the Social Worker Profession. Theoretical and Practical Aspects

The social worker profession acquires nowadays an increasingly higher importance, as society is more and more aware of its duties towards its disadvantaged members and as it finds ways and resources to provide them with the necessary support. If the definition of the social worker’s duties enjoyed the researchers’ attention and there is a well-defined set of ideas, in terms of practical activity and everyday problems encountered by the social worker there is still a number of aspects which can be discovered and addressed. The aim of the present study is to find out and analyze some of the social workers’ opinions with regard to specific problems they have to face during their current activity. The interview responses, in conjunction with the jobs features and duties, allow us to draw some interesting conclusions, especially in terms of moral conflicts and ethical dilemmas within the social worker activity.

Keywords: social worker, professional role, ethics, dilemmas