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The professionalisation of social work: a cross‐national exploration
Author(s) -
WeissGal Idit,
Welbourne Penelope
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of social welfare
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1468-2397
pISSN - 1369-6866
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2397.2008.00574.x
Subject(s) - remuneration , prestige , work (physics) , autonomy , monopoly , social work , public relations , professional development , political science , power (physics) , sociology , public administration , pedagogy , law , economics , engineering , mechanical engineering , philosophy , linguistics , physics , quantum mechanics , market economy
This article compares the professional features of social work in ten countries. It is based on detailed descriptions of the professional features of social work in Chile, Germany, Hungary, India, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. Social work in these countries is discussed in terms of eight features, chosen as marks of a profession on the basis of the ‘attributes’ and ‘power’ approaches to professionalisation: public recognition, monopoly over types of work, professional autonomy, the knowledge base, the professional education, the professional organisations, the existence of codified ethical standards and, lastly, the prestige and remuneration of social work.