Had Social Work Become a Profession? Values and a Code of Practice
Abstract
In the 1950s social workers primarily thought of themselves as almoners or probation or child care officers or PSWs, or whatever it might be, rather than as social workers. By the late 1960s this had changed but social work was still largely equated with casework; group work was its handmaiden, or else allied to education; while many vocal community workers were anxious to get both social work and professionalism out of their hair. The drives to achieve a unified profession culminated in the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), and professional status become synonymous with a recognised training.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Social Work Education and Practice
Legal Education and Practice Innovations
Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 139–149
- Publication date
- 9 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter