The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-11-27
By DR.. HAROLD TASCHER

Students in the Social Work Labor
social case work. After studying
types of individual and collective so
cial situations they are anxious tt
have direct contact with them. The
motive is definitely not one of curl
osity. 1t seems that they want tt
be worked with in order to achieve
some improvement. Young people are
naturally idealistic, hopeful, and have
a yearning for the positive. Students
training for social work have these
traits plus the desire to learn just
how to achieve satisfactory results
with people in need of professional
social service. The mysteries of So
cial case work are real for students.
/ guess the intense feelings of people
out of work, poor, sick, physically
handicapped, feebleminded, mentally
i'll, domestically burdened, thwarted
by frequent failures, vocationally mis-
placed, etc., call forth human sym
pathy plus the drive to do the best
possible job with and for them.
Social Work Follows No Easy Road
Social case work is an intensely
human field of professional endeavor.
1t calls forth the best in workers and
it certainly should do the same for
people needing social service. This
may be why students are absorbed by
social oocp mork IF ia also very
probably why workers in the field
must fight every inch of the way to
interpret it to people generally and
to achieve the respect it deserves.
People treasure their privacy much.
Human feelings are often tragic. The
"art of helping people out of trouble"
is the big job of the social case
worker.
Montana Needs Social Workers
The Social Work Laboratory has al
ways recognized the Importance of
training in social case work. Students |
following the curriculum in social |
work have found it easy to find en-
ployment in Montana and elsewhere. |
The chief employer has been the De-
partment of Public Welfare. Since
1887, this state agency has carried
the heavy responsibility of administer
ing the public assistance program
People in need of public assistance
have the right to secure its services.
The agency has the responsibility of
considering the needs of these people.
Naturally, this involves the personal
inquiry about very personal facts.
People doing this work have to per-
form these tasks skillfully and hui
manly and to render whatever aids
possible to secure their complete re-
establishment as self-sufficient indi-
and families. Other agencies
needing people trained in social work ,
have been the National Youth Admin
istration, the Work Projects Admins
tration, and the State Employment
Service. Some graduates have been
placed in the schools, in private
agencies and several have gone to
other states, particularly to Washing /
ton, for employment. Since our entry i
into World War II, there has been 4
great turnover in personnel in these 6
agencies. There has been a great de- t
nand for people having had admins +
rative experience in social work S
Montana agencies have been forced to e
give up many of their best people, 4
hus creating local shortage of work C
IFS. At present, the situation is seri t
JUS. The need for social workers is S
tremendous. What the situation will p
)e after the war remains to be SEEN |.
rhe prospect is clear. The need will n
'e even greater. This is no hope. 1t S