One of the important parts of social work practice is implementing the principles of social work practice which is one of the basic understandings in all social welfare activities. In-depth understanding of these principles will provide provisions for personal and professional maturation of social workers whose main task is to help people to be able to carry out their social functions. For this reason, it is necessary to review the application of the principles of social work practice which aims to optimize the rehabilitation and services provided in social institution. The research design used in this study is a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. The location of this research is the Regional Technical Implementation Unit of Balai Pungai Sejahtera Binjai which carries out rehabilitation activities for homeless people and beggars caught in raids. Data collection techniques through literature studies, field observations, in depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results showed that the application of the principles of social work practice was considered unable to optimize the rehabilitation carried out at the Regional Technical Implementation Unit of Balai Pungai Sejahtera Binjai. This is indicated by the existence of several obstacles in the application of the principles of social work practice in social services. In addition, it is still found that inmates who have left the social institution still carry out old activities such as begging and vagrancy.

Keywords: principles of social welfare, social services, beggars