ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the relationship between theory and practice and try to establish why the links between the two are so important and why they are so often neglected. Theory and practice in social work are often construed as separate entities as if there is only a vague and somewhat dubious relationship between the two. A theory is a set of propositions which seek to explain a particular field of study. There are many people in social work who deny the usefulness or validity of social work theory. Politics can be regarded as a form of theoryless practice requiring no theoretical basis. Practice is a set of activities performed on behalf of a social work agency. Eclecticism means that a social worker has to choose between atheoretical practice or a range of paradigms which, taken at face value, are largely incompatible.
