History of Social Welfare and Social Work

Introduction

The history of the Social Workprofession is intertwined with the history of social welfare. It grew and matured in response to significant social trends, events, and needs as they
occurred over time. What social workers could do in the past and what they can do now are governed by social welfare policies and programs. Europe, especially England, provided
the primary model for the development of current social welfare strategies in North America and other countries, while the United States of America in turn influenced many
countries in the creation of social welfare policies and programs and with it, the development of social work in various countries.

The following is a broad time-line that highlights some of the major events in social welfare and social work:

Time Social Welfare The Social Work Profession

Europe United States
1300 Feudalistic societies in Europe – Wealthy landed gentry
oversaw the labor of landless serfs who made a living by
working their overseer’s lands. In return, serfs received
general protection and care during sickness and old age.
Other sources of aid included medieval hospitals that
provided refuge and care for the elderly, the
impoverished, orphans, and people with serious illnesses
and disabilities, as well as charitable help from the church
(1300s).
- Grounded in Judeo-Christian thought, a common
theme was that those who were better off should
provide help to those who were poor. The church
played a primary role in redistributing resources from
the rich to the poor. It emphasized “good deeds, love
of one’s enemies, and entry into heaven through mercy
and charity”.
1348, Europe was devastated by Black Death which
destroyed almost a third of the English population,
causing a serious labor shortage. As people migrated in
search of competitive wages, political leaders passed
legislation to regain social control.
- 1349 “The Statute of Laborers” was issued by King
Edward III as the first law for the poor in England which
 restricted the unemployed from moving about and
established maximum wages allowable. The intent was
to make people stay put and take whatever work was
available there instead of seeking better options.

1500 - Martin Luther in Germany in 1520 appealed to the

nobility to forbid begging and instead to organize a
“common chest” in all parishes to receive donations for
the needy from citizens.
- Able-bodied people were forbidden from begging
(1531), with violations punishable by bloody public
whippings while naked. The legislation also provided
for designated government figures to help people
unable to work or referred as the “impotent poor” by
assigning them legitimate areas where they could beg.
- Henry VIII passed the statute of 1536, which was the
first plan of public relief under the government of
England. It ruled that paupers should be registered in
their parishes only after they had resided in the country
for three years. The “impotent poor” were to be
maintained by the parish through church collections.
Able-bodied beggars were forced to work and idle
children were separated from their parents and
assigned to master training.

1600 - Elizabethan Poor Law (1601), considered the first piece

of legislation establishing coherent and consistent
public support for needy people through local taxes. It
also was the first to establish categories of eligible
recipients by identifying the following three: 1.)
Dependent children without relatives capable of
supporting them were placed in service under
whatever citizen placed the lowest bid for public
reimbursement to provide the child’s care. Boys served
as apprentices, theoretically being thought a trade,
until their 24th birthday, and girls were to provide
 domestic help until they were either 21 or married; 2.)
The impotent poor included those who were physically
or mentally unable to work. They were given either
“indoor relief” – placed inside institutions providing
food and shelter called almshouses or poorhouses; or
“outdoor relief” – offered the opportunity to live
outside of the institution but receive material help in
the form of food, clothing, and fuel; 3.) The able-bodied
poor were provided any substandard employment
available and forced to work or suffer jail or other
punishment, even death. Some people were forced
into workhouses, special facilities in which poor people
were forced to work and live.
- 1662Law of Settlement,established a notable new
principle of social welfare service provision, the
residency requirement. Potential aid recipients were
required to establish that they have dwelled in some
location for some designated time before they could
receive assistance or benefits from the political body
governing that location. And people who had moved
and needed help were required to return to their
former parish to receive help.

1700 - 1795Establishment of Speenhamland System, (because - Beginning of moral treatment movement in mental
it was developed in Speenhamland, England) reflected health (1700s) - Moral treatment was a product of
a new approach to the problems of working with poor the Enlightenment of the late eighteenth century.
people. Bread had became so expensive that many Before then people with psychiatric conditions,
poor people could not afford it. Speenhamland referred to as the insane, were usually treated in
government leaders responded by initiating the policy inhumane and brutal ways. In France, England, and
of supplementing the income of all poor people so that the United States, people who cared for the insane
everyone would have what was deemed the minimum began to advocate for more kindly treatment.
income necessary for survival.
Unfortunately, the result was an unexpected flop for - First treaty between federal government and Native
two reasons: 1.) Wages fell; and 2.) Unemployment American Delaware tribe (1778)
soared because people didn’t have to work.
1800 - Poor Law Reforms (1834), as time passed, people
began to resent the Speenhamland system for two
reasons: 1.) It cost a fortune to support everyone, and
2.) People felt it created a dependent population of
people who would never get out of poverty.
The Poor Law Reforms significantly reduced all outdoor
relief and brought back workhouses as the only place
where able-bodied people could receive benefits.
Three important ideological trends resulted from these
reforms: 1.) Public attitudes toward the poor became
hostile and resentful; 2.) The public came to blame the
poor for their poverty; and 3.) The concept of being less
eligible.
- Through the 19th century, the gap between the rich and
the poor widened, and periods of economic crisis and
unemployment resulted in the mushrooming of
various private charitable agencies engaged in the
giving of material assistance to the needy.
- In order to overcome the chaos and lack of
coordination between the many charitable church
groups and private agencies, the Society for Organizing
Charitable Relief and Repressing Mendicancy was
founded in London in 1869, and shortly, renamed the
Charity Organization Society (COS). The COS believes
that the individual was responsible for his poverty, that
the acceptance of relief destroyed self-respect and led
to dependency, and that the pauper must be asked to
exert all effort to support himself. The COS was against
the extension of public poor relief and encouraged,
instead, the growth of private charities and the
initiative of volunteers for giving individual aid to
families in distress.
- Social Research – The social philosophy and practice of
poor relief in England was also greatly influenced by
studies done on the conditions of the working classes.
One of the significant research was initiated by Charles
- Early poor laws in the American colonies closely
resembled, and in some cases were identical to,
those in England.
- The colonists maintained a strong sense of
individualism and commitment to personal freedom;
however, they also expressed concern for the well-
being of others and respect for a sense of
community.
- The colonists viewed the poor as a natural part of
the social order and the community. In many ways,
this reflected an institutional view of social welfare –
its simply society’s ongoing responsibility to provide
its citizens with needed benefits and resources.
- Services often reflected a mix of public and private
collaboration, a “typically causal administration
system”. Local government units assumed
responsibility of administering aid but often called
upon local churches for help.
- Early residency requirements for assistance were
established. Communities tended to provide aid for
their own residents, shunning strangers.
Communities also made decisions about who was
worthy to receive benefits and who was not.
- By the 1820s and 1830s, ideas were changing, and
people were beginning to view poverty as a ‘social
problem” and “a potential source of crime, social
unrest, and long term dependence”.
- Establishment of Bureau of Indian Affairs (1824)
- Indian Removal Act (1830), resulted in thousands of
American Indians being removed from their own
lands and relocated to distant ‘reservations” that
were generally smaller than their homelands and
had clearly defined boundaries. Many negative
sanctions and restrictions were imposed on
American Indians living on reservations. They were
often denied use of their language and participation
- Charity Organization Societies (COS) and
private agencies joined together to 1.)
provide direct services to individuals and
families – in this respect they were
forerunners of social casework and of
family counseling approaches; and 2.)
plan and coordinate the efforts of
private agencies to meet the pressing
social problems of cities – in this respect
they were precursors of community
organization and social planning
approaches.
Concurrent with the COS movement was
the establishment of settlement houses
in the late 1800s. Settlement houses
used change techniques that are now
referred to as social groupwork, social
action, and community organization.
- It appears that the first paid social
workers were executive secretaries of
charity organization societies in the late
1800s. At that time COS received some
contracts from the cities in which they
were located to administer relief funds.
They then hired people as executive
secretaries to organize and train the
“friendly visitors” and to establish
bookkeeping procedures to show
accountability for the funds received.
-Social work education actually began in
1898when the New York Charity
Organization Society offered a summer
training course for charity workers.
 Booth (1886), wealthy businessman who hired people
to conduct a research into the real conditions of
thousands of employed workers’ families. The study
showed that one-third of the London population was
living on or below the poverty line. The findings of the
study disproved the previous theory that poverty was
always the fault of the individual. The research also
showed that the deterrent provisions of the poor laws
did not solve the problems of the poor, and that
destitution was often caused by insufficient wages,
environment, inadequate housing and unhealthy
working equipment.
1900
in religious ceremonies.
- Dorothea Dix advocates for people with mental
illness (1840s), reflected an attempt to address
issues of American Indians.
Civil War (1861 – 1865), had a huge impact on the
social structure of the United States. It affirmed
federal responsibility over states’ rights and laid the
groundwork for the United States to become a welfare
state.
- Establishment of Freedmen’s Bureau (1865), the first
federal welfare agency established a precedent for
federal participation in social welfare during
emergency periods. It was placed under the
auspices of the War Department; this emphasized
the temporary, crisis-related (postwar) purpose.
- Etta Wheeler initiates child protective services (1874)
- Oriental Exclusion Act (1880)
- Growth of settlement houses and charity
organization societies (1880s)
- Federal attempts at assimilation for Native
Americans (1870s)
- The years from 1900 to 1930 were characterized by a - To some extent, social work’s roots can
progressive movement although settlement houses be traced to the settlement house and
and charity organization societies continued to charity organization movements.
th
characterize the early 20 century.
In 1917, Mary Richmond published Social
- Beginning of mental hygiene movement in mental Diagnosis, a text that presented for the first
health (1990s) time a theory and methodology for social
- Establishment of National Association for the work. The book focused on how the
Advancement of Colored people NAACP worker should intervene with individuals.
- First White House Conference on Dependent The process is still used today and involves
Children (1909) study (collecting information), diagnosis
- Establishment of National Urban League (stating what is wrong), prognosis (stating
- First major wave of Mexican immigration in response
to the Mexican Revolution of 1910 (1910)
- States begin to establish mothers’ pensions (1911)
- Jones Act granting U.S citizenship to all people born
in Puerto Rico from then on (1917)
- Stock market crash initiates the Great Depression
(1929)
- Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA)
- Establishment of Civilian Works Administration
(CSW)
- Establishment of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
(1933)
- Establishment of Public Works Administration (PWA)
- Establishment of Works Progress Administration
(WPA)
- Social Security Act of 1935(1935)
- U.S enters World War II
- Japanese American internment in response to
bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941)
- Permanent relocation centers for Japanese American
internment (1942)
- Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (G.I. Bill)
(1944)
- World War II ends(1945)
- Amendments to Social Security Act adding Aid to
Disabled (1950)
- Beginning of deinstitutionalization movement in
mental health (Early 1950s)
- Brown v. Board of Education ending school
segregation (1954)
- Public Welfare Amendments of 1962 (1962)
- Initiation of War on Poverty and Great Society (Early
1960s)
- Formation of National Farm Workers Association
(NFWA) led by Cesar Chavez (1962)
- Community Mental Health Centers Act (1963)
the prospect of improvement), and
treatment planning (stating what should be
done to help clients improve). This text was
important because it formulated a common
body of knowledge for casework.
At the end of World War I social work
begin to be recognized as a distinct
profession.
- Formation of American Association of
Medical Social Workers (1918)
- Formation of Association of Training
Schools for Professional Social Work
(later becoming the American
Association of Schools of Social Work
(AASSW)
Formation of National Association of
School Social Workers (1919)
- Formation of American Association of
Social Workers (1920)
- Formation of American Association of
Psychiatric Social Workers (1926)
- AASSW development of educational
requirements for its membership that
quickly evolved into accreditation
standards for MSW Programs (1927)
The Great Depression opened up doors for
social workers in the public sector (1929)
- The depression of the 1930s and the
enactment of the Social Security Act in
1935 brought about an extensive
expansion of public social services and
job opportunities for social workers.
Formation of American Association of
Group Workers (1936) and other groups:
- Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
- Food Stamp Act of 1964
- Civil Rights Act of 1964
(1964)
- Older Americans Act of 1965 (1965)
- Amendments of Social Security Act (1967)
- American Indian movement protests at Alcantaraz
(1969)
- American Indian movement protests at Wounded
Knee
- Establishment of Supplementary Security Income
(1971)
- Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (1974)
- Passage of Title XX of Social Security Act
- Passage of Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (1978)
- Passage of Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare
Act (1980)
- Passage of Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- Passage of Developmental Disabilities Assistance and
Bill Rights Act of 1990 (1990)
- Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act
of 1996 (including Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families [TANF]) (1996)
- Formation of National Association of
Schools of Social Administration (NASSA)
(1942)
- Recognition of NASSA as official
accrediting body for baccalaureate
programs (1943)
- Formation of National Council Formation
of National Council on Social Worker
Education (NCSWE) to coordinate
AASSW and NASSA activities (1946)
- Formation of Association for Study of
Community organization (1946)
- Formation of Social Worker Research
Group (1949)
- Formation of Council on Social Work
Accreditation (CSWE) reflecting the
merger of AASSWW and NASSA (1952)
- Writing of first CSWE curriculum Policy
Statement and Accreditation Standards
(1952)
- Formation of National Association of
Social Workers (NASW) (1955). The
purpose of this association is to improve
social conditions in society and promote
high quality and effectiveness in social
work practice.
- Formation of National Association of
Puerto Rican Hispanic Social Workers
(1955)
- Publication of Profession’s primary
journal Social Work (1956)
- NASW approval of Code of Ethics (1960)
- War on Poverty that focused attention
on social change versus individual
pathology (1960s)
- CSWE development of criteria for
 accrediting BSW programs (1962)
- Formation of National Association of
Black Social Workers (NABSW) (1968)
- Formation of National Association of
Puerto Rican Social Service Workers
(NAPRSSW) (1968)
- Formation of Association of American
Indian Social Workers (now called
National Indian Social Workers
Association) (1969)
- Formation of Asian American Social
Workers organization (1969)
- CSWE accreditation of BSW programs
(1974)
- NASW establishes Political Action for
Candidate Election (PACE) (1976)
- Formation of Group for Advancement of
Doctoral Education in social work (GADE)
(1977)
- Incorporation of American Association of
State of Social Work Boards (AASSWB) to
synchronize state licensing procedures
(1979)
- Formation of Association for
Advancement of Social Work Groups
(AASWG) (1982)
- CSWE declares common generalist
practice foundation for both BSW and
MSW programs (1984)
- NASW initiates Center for Social Policy
and Practice to disseminate information
about social welfare policy (1987)
- Formation of Academy of Certified
Baccalaureate Social Workers (ACBSW)
(1991)
NASW approval of revisions of Code of
 Ethics (1996)
- U.S social workers commemorate over
100 years of social work

 The development of social welfare and social work can be traced to the changes that were happening in the particular society of powerful countries with implications in its
international relationship to different countries.

 Social Work as a profession is of relatively recent origin. Formalized training in social work was first offered at universities only in the early 1900s, and individuals were first
hired as social workers around 1900.

 Social Work is a recognized profession in Great Britain, Canada, the United States, India, and numerous other countries. There is a growing recognition that people in all
nations are interdependent. The cries and problems experienced by one county often affect other countries. There is a trend in colleges and universities in many countries to
“internationalize” the curriculum. Students need to have an understanding and appreciation of the diversity that exists internationally. People of all countries are
experiencing many of the social problems such as poverty, mental illness, crime, divorce, family violence, AIDS/HIV, etc. Some of these problems can be resolved only in
coordinated international efforts. Social Workers in the future will increasingly need and international perspective in analyzing and combating social problems(Zastrow,
1996: 61-62).

References:

Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2003). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare Critical Thinking Perspectives. United States of America: Thomson Learning, Inc.

Lee-Mendoza, T. (2002). Social Welfare and Social Work. Philippines: Megabooks Company.

Zastrow, C. (1996). Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare (6th edition). United States of America: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.