A History of the Roles and Responsibilities of Social Workers

Tracing the origin of work with the 'impotent poor' under the Poor Laws, to social workers' current responsibilities towards vulnerable people, this book introduces the reader to the way in which the identification of particular social problems at the end of the nineteenth century led to the emergence of a wide range of separate occupational groups and voluntary workers, which were sometimes, but increasingly, referred to as social workers. Using an extended single chronological historical narrative and analysis, which draws heavily on original archival sources and contemporary literature, it addresses the changes which took place as part of the welfare state and the identification of common roles and responsibilities by social workers, which led to the formation of the British Association of Social Workers in 1970. The expansion of roles and responsibilities in social services departments and voluntary societies is analysed, and their significance for the development of social work is evaluated. By highlighting the changes and continuities in these roles and responsibilities, this book will be of interest to all academics, students, and practitioners working within social work, who wish to know more about the origins of their discipline and the current state of the profession today.

Mike Burt is Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of Chester where, until 2009, he was Acting Head of Social Work.

Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction: Focus and structure; 1. History and social work; 2. Social problems in the Tudor and Early Modern periods; 3. Relieving officers and charitable societies, 1834-1890; 4. Developing specialised roles and responsibilities, 1890-1914; 5. Expanding the roles and responsibilities of social workers, 1914-1939; 6. Social work during the Second World War and the introduction of the Welfare State, 1950-1963; 7. Reviewing social work roles and responsibilities in the Welfare State, 1950-1963; 8. Exploring social work roles, 1963-1974; 9. Consolidating the responsibilities of social workers in social services departments, 1974-1989; 10. Managing social workers, 1989-1997; 11. Reviewing the roles and responsibilities of social workers; Bibliography; Index