Kerala Plus Two Social Work (DHSE) study guide
Kerala Plus Two Social Work (DHSE) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Social Work is one of the optional subjects offered at the Higher Secondary (Plus Two) level under the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE), Kerala, and is usually taken by students in the commerce/humanities stream who are considering a career in social welfare, counselling, community development or further study in social work. The course introduces the profession rather than training you as a practitioner: you learn where social work came from, the values and ethics that govern it, the core methods (casework, group work, community organisation and social action), human development across the lifespan, and the social problems that matter in Kerala and India. The Kerala Plus Two Social Work (DHSE) study guide has 9 sections and about 2,595 words.
01Introduction to Social Work: History, Philosophy, Values, Ethics and Goals
The origin, philosophy, value base, ethical code and goals of professional social work, plus the Kerala reform tradition that shaped local welfare practice. Social work is a practice-based profession promoting social change, empowerment and the liberation of people (IFSW definition).
339 words, about 2 min02Basic Concepts and Methods of Social Work
Social casework - one-to-one, systematic helping to improve person-in-situation functioning. Mary Richmond's Social Diagnosis (1917) is the founding text.
342 words, about 2 min03Social Work with Individuals, Groups and Communities
Intake and referral → study (facts, feelings, environment) → assessment/diagnosis → intervention plan → implementation → termination → evaluation and follow-up. Core skills: active listening, empathy, open and closed questioning, reflecting feelings, silence, partialisation, confrontation, referral.
278 words, about 1 min04Human Growth and Development across the Life Span
Infancy and early childhood (0–6), middle childhood (6–12), adolescence (12–19), adulthood, and old age. Development is multidimensional (physical, cognitive, emotional, social, moral), multidirectional, and shaped by heredity and environment.
243 words, about 1 min05Social Problems and Social Issues in Kerala and India
The "Kerala model" pairs high literacy, low infant mortality and near-universal immunisation with slow industrial growth and high unemployment. Key issues: an ageing population (Kerala has the largest share of persons aged 60+ among Indian states, about 12.6 per cent in Census 2011); Gulf migration and remittances with return-migration stress; high suicide and alcohol-related harm; youth drug use; Adivasi land alienation (Attappady); fisherfolk debt and coastal erosion; solid-waste management; the 2018 floods and recurrent human–wildlife conflict; dowry, domestic violence and rising cybercrime.
277 words, about 1 min06Social Welfare Administration and Social Policy
Gulick's POSDCoRB - planning, organising, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, budgeting - is the standard framework. Principles: division of work, unity of command, delegation, span of control, accountability, social audit.
274 words, about 1 min07Social Work Research, Statistics and Fieldwork
Problem formulation → literature review → objectives and hypotheses → variables → research design (descriptive, exploratory, experimental, case study) → sampling → tools → data collection → analysis → report. Probability: simple random, systematic, stratified, cluster.
268 words, about 1 min08Fields of Social Work Practice
Health/medical social work - descended from the hospital "almoner"; roles: psychosocial assessment, discharge planning, counselling in dialysis, oncology and TB, insurance linkage. Mental health - psychiatric social work: case history, family psychoeducation, rehabilitation, home visits; District Mental Health Programme, Kerala's mental health policy, tele-consultation.
249 words, about 1 min09Social Work with Vulnerable Groups
Vulnerability is produced by unequal power, not by personal deficiency. Children, women, older persons, persons with disabilities and marginalised communities face higher exposure to harm and lower access to remedy.
325 words, about 2 min