In general, people confuse social work with charity work, which is quite a misconception. Charity work is just one sector of the field. The main objective of solidarity work is to help people who are in a desperate situation to achieve a decent standard of living and the protection of their rights. Social work has its roots in ancient civilizations and world religions. Poverty alleviation, healthcare, sustainable development, legal aid, domestic violence, stress management, education, addiction, child abuse, and homelessness are just a few sectors of this growing common profession. .

Social work can involve something as simple as helping an invalid cross the street, to providing psychological help to someone who has been abused. Social care industries are not limited to just helping the poor; Well-to-do people also turn to welfare when they find themselves trapped in circumstances from which they cannot extricate themselves. An addict or her family can seek social help to get out of addiction. A patient with an incurable disease may need counselling.

Some types of social work do not require any formal education in the field, including classroom or online education. For example, an educated woman with free time may decide to teach poor children. A doctor or a nurse may decide to treat poor patients in their spare time, just to give a few examples.

Governments in developed countries have departments that do social work. However, in underdeveloped countries it is mainly non-governmental organizations and individuals responsible for these functions. There are a number of national and international social organizations. Rarely does a human being who can help someone in need avoid doing so and that is the crux of social work. Part of the social care is carried out in the field where specialists in specific sectors work with the people of the area. Other social workers work from offices, writing papers to generate aid for social work; conduct research and promote social work at various levels of governments.

Skilled social workers are employed by governments and by social aid organizations. Some people have started their own welfare organizations and have volunteers helping them. A good example of a social worker is Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus from Bangladesh, who has done wonderful work in alleviating poverty. He started by helping people in a village and later established a bank that focuses on helping poor women.