Social Casework is a major method of professional social work concerned with helping individuals address psychosocial difficulties through a purposeful professional relationship and systematic intervention. In India, however, helping individuals and families has a much longer history than the emergence of professional social work education. Traditional Indian society developed diverse indigenous systems of care and support through family and kinship networks, community relationships, seva (service), dāna (charitable giving), religious institutions, guidance by elders and gurus, and community-based mediation. This article examines these indigenous helping traditions in relation to the historical emergence and professionalisation of Social Casework in India. Using a historical-conceptual approach and secondary literature, the article analyses the continuities and differences between traditional helping practices and professional casework. It argues that indigenous practices should not be retrospectively identified as professional Social Casework, as they generally lacked systematic assessment, professional training, ethical standards, documentation, and structured intervention. Nevertheless, they provided culturally embedded mechanisms of emotional, social and material support that constitute an important context for understanding the subsequent development and adaptation of professional Social Casework in India. The article concludes that historically informed and critically selective engagement with indigenous traditions can contribute to culturally responsive Social Casework while maintaining contemporary professional values and ethical standards.
Indigenous Helping Traditions, Social Casework; Social Work in India; Seva, Dāna; Family Support, Community Support, Professionalisation, Indian Social Work.
Dr. Navinkumar M. Rohit. From Indigenous Helping Traditions to Professional Social Casework in India: A Historical Analysis. Indian Journal of Modern Research and Reviews. 2026; 4(6):288-294
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