ABSTRACT
To achieve that goal this chapter explains what is meant by the term professional culture. Promoting social justice, enhancing human well-being, and helping to meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty, are examples of the normative elements of the professional culture of social work. The chapter discusses how a professional culture of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) in social work might be established by acting at each of these three levels. The use of both types of evidence in building a professional culture of social work EBP must begin with an acknowledgment of the strengths and limitations of each. If we are to create a professional culture of social work that both values EBP and outlines the normative and pragmatic steps for conducting EBP, it begins with a search for common ground to highlight both knowledge and experiences that are understood and shared.
