ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the history of social work and its emergence as a profession during the height of the Welfare State. The ethics and values of social work in the United Kingdom have been defined by its changing relationship with the state. Separating the purchase from the provision of services and introducing cost considerations at the individual level during professional assessments of need severed social work from the collective, universal, comprehensive, and equal principles of the Welfare State. Since devolution, Wales has moved away from the market model of human services and the principle of cooperation rather than competition is embedded in Welsh Assembly policies and legislation. The United Kingdom, like many countries in contemporary times, is facing increasing economic inequalities, entrenched institutional racism, and public hostility to immigrants and asylum seekers fanned by media and political propaganda. The fragmentation and de-professionalization of social work in the United Kingdom ensure this is unlikely to happen.
