COMMENT: What is Social Work?

Source: Social Work (1939-1970), Vol. 27, No. 4 (October 1970), p. 2

Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/43761120
Accessed: 09-07-2018 00:16 UTC

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide
range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and
facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://about.jstor.org/terms

Oxford University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access
to Social Work (1939-1970)

This content downloaded from 202.165.192.100 on Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:16:28 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms
 COMMENT

What is Social Work?

THIS issue of SOCIAL WORK is the last of a the dangers inherent in professional monopolies
Journal which, bearing different titles, has and con-
the need to protect clients from the arrogance
tinued for a hundred years. At a time when whichsocial
is often the result of the accumulation
work in Britain is undergoing major changes, it
of power.
is appropriate that a long line should be broken
Any enlarged social work profession that de-
and a completely new start made. We welcome, velops is likely to contain within it considerable
therefore, the establishment of the BRITISH conflict about the basic aims of social work
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK which will publish intervention stemming in large measure from
its first issue early in 1971.
divergent values. In the past, social work educa-
tion and practice has been based upon assum-
Social work in the seventies will face many
ing the existence of a common set of values to
challenges, the most crucial one being about
which all social workers give at least nominal
the nature and purpose of social work itself. The
conception about what social work includes has allegiance. These values were expressed as
become radically enlarged so that claims are respect, acceptance and non-judgement of the
client and his right to self-determination and
made that it encompasses not only work with
confidentiality, values seen as stemming from
individuals, families, groups and neighbourhood
communities, but also residential care, social ' Western democratic principles.' These ' demo-
cratic principles' are themselves being questioned
planning, community political action and the
management of social service bureaucracies.
as is the significance of value statements which
Clearly, these are very different activities, calling
centre on the individual and avoid questions
on a wide range of knowledge and skill andabout re- the function of social work within society,
its relationship to the distribution of economic
quiring, possibly, very different personal qualities
and political power and its potential as a means
of those carrying them out. People who reject
of social change. The fact that there is unlikely
such wide-ranging claims for social work do so
to be consensus within social work about these
from a number of standpoints. Inside the pro-
wider value questions, may itself act as some
fession, some see social work primarily in terms
protection for the client and allow diverse
of the established social work methods, with
casework and groupwork occupying a central activities to be undertaken within the same pro-
fession. Whether such internal conflict and
position. The wider claims are seen as dis-
diversity is sufficient to ensure that the social
ruptive to professional identity and the result of
a failure to consider the needs of the individualwork profession is responsive to the very rapid
client in an eagerness either to embrace a social, cultural and economic changes that afe
likely to take place, remains to be seen. If such
fashionable ideology or to capture positions of
responsiveness is not forthcoming, then we can
power and influence in the existing social order.
assume that new professions will arise to meet
Outside the profession, especially in the fields
needs in new ways or that clients will increas-
of med, cine and education, such claims for
ingly organise themselves to by-pass the social
social work are seen quite simply as a predictable
work profession altogether.
outcome of professional empire building.
If central issues concerning the purpose and
Whilst none of these attacks on a wider concep- scope of social work are to be discussed at more
tion of social work are without some foundation, than a speculative level, then a great deal of
they rest more on interpretation of motives than study and analysis will be necessary. We can
on examination of the advantages and disad- expect that the new BRITISH JOURNAL OF
vantages to the clientele of the predominance SOCIAL WORK will play an important part in
of a single profession in a large sector of the encouraging and publishing the results of such
social services. It is not necessary to have a con- work.
spiratorial view of professions to acknowledge EDITOR

This content downloaded from 202.165.192.100 on Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:16:28 UTC
All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms