Oncological social work as the support for the family faced with the disease

The purpose of the article is to consider a unit and family experience in confrontation with an oncology disease, showing a high degree of complexity and psych-social functioning marked with a disease. The knowledge on physical, social, emotional, existential-spiritual consequences of the disease is the basis for the ability to assess, to which degree the disturbances affect the well-being of the family and his family. However it is one of the prerequisites which encourages for deepening theoretical bases for the actions for undertaking practical consid-erations with reference to the shape of the aid offer which should be available within the support system for the patients and their families in oncological disease within social work. Among the activities concerning executing care of the patients, being recommended in the oncological tasks of the social workers is the need to accompany the units and the family faced with the disease in obtaining the possibility to function in social roles as most as possible: marital/partner, family, in professional roles. These oncological social workers undertake effective interventions allowing for overcoming the consequences of the crisis caused by the disease and strengthening the resources in the interpersonal relations and the environment of the patient. The professional work oriented to strengthening the families of the oncologically sick persons consti-tutes a special area which may extend the professional identity of the social worker with the activity in the field which is somehow a statutory obligation of the social work, but its use in practice is not a common phenomenon.