Social Work

Social work is the term used to refer to support and guidance offered by the government or local administrative bodies to people within at community. This support can come in many forms, from drug counselling to monitoring children who may be at risk of abuse to extra-curricular educational projects. Social work can also be undertaken by charities, although this is often done in conjunction with other public bodies such as councils or educational authorities.

One of the largest proponents of social work throughout history has been the Christian church, which was one of the first organisations to set up a network for the raising and distribution of resources to those in need. The first time the idea of social work was put in to statute by a state was the Poor Law in 16th Century England, introduced to deal with what was perceived to be the increasing risk to society of vagrants and the unemployed. The onset of the industrial revolution kicked these ideas in to overdrive as social activists became appalled at the conditions being suffered by émigrés from the countryside.

The post war period ushered in a new era for social work in the UK as the government felt put upon to construct a modern, generous welfare system following the suffering endured over the Second World War. This provided nationalised health care and all manner of additional initiatives to improve the quality of people’s lives, and cemented the belief that some responsibility for the social care of the nation should rest with the state.