Abstract
Social work is a professional approach to ameliorating social problems. It is generally understood as a helping profession that utilizes professionally qualified personnel who use its knowledge base to help people tackle their social problems (Mupedziswa, 2005). Nevertheless, in developing countries, social work is a relatively young profession which was influenced by colonialism in its formation. The type of social work practiced in these countries largely mirrors the one that is being practiced in Britain, France and Portugal among others. Utilizing the continent of Africa as a case study, this article argues that social work practice in Africa tends to be curative or remedial in nature and is not adequately addressing people’s problems. It therefore proposes a paradigm shift from remedial to a social development paradigm if it is to make an impact in the 21st century.
Highlights
Social work is a profession which seeks to help and empower vulnerable groups in society such as women, persons with disabilities, children and the elderly as well as people living with HIV/AIDS
The nest section highlights the need for the adoption of the social development paradigm by social workers in Africa to tackle the above-named problems
Social work is a relatively young profession in Africa, it has over the years developed into a viable profession
Summary
Social work is a profession which seeks to help and empower vulnerable groups in society such as women, persons with disabilities, children and the elderly as well as people living with HIV/AIDS. The basic argument advanced by the article is that the curative or remedial approach which is currently used in many African countries is not adequately addressing the needs of the majority of the population which resides largely in rural areas of the continent. It advocates for the adoption of the social development paradigm. It first highlights the genesis of the profession of social work in Africa.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call