ABSTRACT
From the viewpoint of social policy and social work, the early phase of the first modernity could be defined as the period from the end of the nineteenth century to the end of the Second World War. Theories, concepts and mandates of social work can be connected with different historical sources and needs. It is necessary to take into consideration the prehistory of social work ideas and the early activities of the avant-gardists when beginning to describe and analyse social work as a modern discipline and practice. During the war, refugee work had also come onto the agenda and had to be organised internationally. Social work experts were recruited into international organisations to help refugees. In 1980, Carel Bailey Germain and Alex Gitterman published the well-known book, The Life Model of Social Work Practice, in which they explained the theoretical background of the model and introduced its practical applications.
