ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the social work profession and the development of its mission. It explores different ways of thinking about social work practice, types of client groupings and processes, professional tensions within social work, the way the profession has dealt with theory, and contemporary practice commitments. The chapter also describes the collective focus of the profession on societal challenges. Social work practice is defined in the following ways: by type of practice or range of practice settings; as a set of activities; as a set of roles; as a set of competencies and practice behaviors; by types of client grouping; by practice frameworks; as a licensed profession; by purpose, and by the tensions experienced in the profession. Self-knowledge is also a critical component of effective social work practice. The chapter also introduced five explicit theoretical perspectives that guide social workers to empower and liberate people who have lived their lives at society's margins.
