Human Service History

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Many times throughout history the call for society to band together to help their neighbors in need has been put into action. Neighbor helping neighbor was the first form of unorganized human service work. In today’s society the need for profession resources for those in need is in profound. The outcry for financial, medical, food, shelter, emotional and, physical assistance reaches every corner of the country. The evolution of the human service industry is important for the security and enrichment of the lives of the families in need. There are many roles, responsibilities, and divisions of human service professionals, but the common goal of all divisions is to help “people meet their basic physical and emotional needs that for whatever…show more content…
The system that was created in the United States was evolved from a system called feudalism that was created in England during the Middle Ages (insert textbook citation (Martin, 2007). Feudalism was a form a legalized slavery but was thought of as a way to manage the poor. The way feudalism worked was that the rich landowners would supply housing and food for the poor people who farmed the land. This system was harsh and the landowners had complete control over the workers, they could sell them at any point. The next form of human service was provided by faith-based charities and churches. Charity was reinforced by the church as a noble deed that was expected to be carried out by those more fortunate. This type of disorganized charity was the way of the world until the Charity Organization Societies (COS) was formed by Rev. S. Humphreys Gurteen around 1870 (Martin, 2007). Rev. Gurteen realized that the system was corrupt and inefficient in developing a self-sufficient society. He started the COS with two main goals in mind; eliminate duplicate giving and determine the reason for the poverty. The COS was the first of its kind that was founded on cooperation of different agencies to deliver the much needed services to the communities. The COS is also credited with the initial creation of the caseworker and case plan…show more content…
In the human service field it is important to follow the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. The codes of ethics are set up to ensure the human service worker does not judge or rule her cases based on emotion or personal bias. People who join the Human Service field are here because they care and want the help people in need. When the codes of ethics are not followed clients could be treated unfairly or with priority because of the emotional involvement of their worker. Codes of ethics are put into place out of a need to ensure fairness to all persons

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