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Social work education: state of the art
Author(s) -
Cox D.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 0907-2055
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.1995.tb00115.x
Subject(s) - social change , social work , sociology , state (computer science) , work (physics) , social philosophy , social reality , social welfare , public relations , context (archaeology) , social pedagogy , welfare state , social position , welfare , social relation , social science , political science , politics , law , mechanical engineering , paleontology , algorithm , computer science , biology , engineering
In assessing the appropriateness of contemporary social work education to its context, the article assumes that social work practice and education must relate to its social reality. The article argues that, since the 1970s, that reality has changed in relation to the role of the welfare state, perceptions of economic growth and the independence of the state. As a result, the roles of civil society, the community and welfare personnel have changed, with implications for social work. At the same time, the earlier tendency of social work to avoid the major social issues of the day is no longer appropriate, and the article outlines five major issues needing to be addressed by social work. In conclusion, the article presents four options that social work education should, as a total profession, address, if the profession is to play the roles demanded of it by its contemporary social reality.