ABSTRACT
The common national experience of the Second World War gave popular support for a comprehensive welfare state with a commitment to social rights, under a social democratic government. Criticisms of the welfare state – not least for its reliance on the male wage earner and with mothers married and at home – were valid, but compared to the disorganized, inequitable health and welfare policy before the war, these reforms – family allowance, founding the NHS and a new guarantee of social security – marked an important step toward a fairer society. Wartime experiences required a sharp learning curve from psychiatric social workers who, having worked in the unruffled environment of child guidance clinics were suddenly thrust into night-time bomb shelters as they struggled to meet people’s practical needs. Mass evacuation of children focused attention on child behaviour and parenting styles. From this experience emerged a circle of psychoanalysts who brought a deeper understanding of children’s behaviour to social work and laid down benchmarks for future social work practice. Significant organizational change also happened. New children’s departments were formed after a highly critical report on the immediate post-war condition of children in public care, generic social work training was instituted and the Seebohm and Kilbrandon reports in England and Wales and Scotland respectively refitted social work and social services to serve family and community.
