Historical Background of Medical Social Workers

a) Global Definition of Social Work Profession

“Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities, and indigenous knowledge, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance well-being. The above definition may be amplified at national and/or regional levels.”

b) Global Background of Medical social work:

  • The first professional medical social workers in England were called hospital almoners, and were based in medical institutions. The Royal Free Hospital, London hired Mary Stewart as the first almoner in 1895.
  •  Her role was to assess people requesting treatment at the hospital to ensure that they were considered "deserving enough" of the free treatment. The role soon developed to cover the provision of other social programs, and by 1905 other hospitals had created similar roles. By this time, the Hospital Almoners Council had been formed to oversee the new profession.
  • The first professional medical social workers to be hired in the United States were Garnet Pelton (6 months) and Ida Cannon (40 years), in 1905 at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
  • Dr. Richard Clarke Cabot was a key advocate in the creation of the role, as he believed there to be a link between tuberculosis and sanitary conditions. Both Pelton and Cannon had trained as nurses before taking up the role. After graduating from Simmons College in 1907, Cabot was in charge of the outpatient ward of the hospital, and together with the newly created medical social workers, they redefined the way in which health and wellbeing was managed.
    The economic, social, family and psychological conditions that underpinned many of the conditions that patients presented with were recognized for the first time. Medical Social workers would work in a complementary relationship with doctors, the former concentrating on physiological health, and the latter on social health. In addition to this, he saw that social work could improve medicine by providing a critical perspective on it while working alongside it in an Organisational setting.
  • This approach soon spread through other American hospitals, and in 1911, there were 44 Medical social work departments in 14 different cities. Two years later, the number of social work departments had grown to 200. After 1905, most Medical social workers were trained as nurses.
  • The American Association of Hospital Social Workers was set up in 1918 to increase the links between formal education and hospital practice. In 1929 there were ten university courses in medical social work. Around this time, psychiatry and psychology began to compete with social work as the complementary discourse to medicine in hospitals.
  • Social work practice adapted to this by aligning itself more closely with psychoanalytic ideas, and became less concerned with living conditions and social health. While this detracted from the social concerns, it added a more scientific basis to dealing with patients, and challenging behaviors were more likely to be seen as a mental dysfunction than poor moral character. The increase of social spending after World War Two saw another rise in the number of social workers.

c) Background of Social work and Medical social work in Kenya.

  • There was a UN women‟s seminar in Addis Ababa- Ethiopia in 1960 and the Israel representative spoke on the need and value of basic educational and vocational training for girls.
  • Kenya‟s representatives at that meeting became interested and followed up the conference by examining Kenya‟s needs and invited Israel‟s Dr.Dvora Eilon to survey the field more thoroughly.
  • 1961, May: - Dr. Miriam Hoffert- Horani – a social worker by profession and director of the project was asked to implement the recommendations for training in domestic sciences and community development.
  • The need for social welfare personnel was then a priority, especially in rural areas.
  • The school could not compete with any other because none existed.
  • Kenya ministry of labour and social services agreed with the priority and an outline defining the purpose of the school and functions of social worker in Kenya was drawn.
  • Later planning for a school to train rural workers was embarked on despite the resistance of some British officials.
  • 1962:- Training school for rural social workers was established in Kenya prior to independence

d) Purpose of Kenya–Israel school of social work.

  • To train persons familiar with their home areas in solving individual, group, and community problems in order to improve their social and economic well-being.