I first came into contact with social work and social workers as an ‘outsider’ in the early 1990s; since then, I have worked extensively with social workers, social work educators and researchers. In this book, I will present and explore ideas about how, since that time, social workers have explained their practice in the UK and in other countries, especially in Europe, and how they, employers and the state organise and develop their professional education. I will suggest how I think these various activities influence the ways in which they see and act in the world.

I wanted to start this chapter by quoting some of the key informants who were prepared to give me their views about what they think ‘social work’ is, or claims to be, and why they think that society needs, or does not need, social workers. According to the opening account told to me as part of an interview with a social worker with many years of experience, who has also been involved with social workers’ education, social change (including the difficulties encountered along the way) is particularly relevant to social work. The social and political contexts in which social work as an occupation is embedded are thus very likely to be key to any argument that stresses a need for social work and social workers. As we will see, 1989/1990 was a watershed for social work, especially across Europe, for all sorts of reasons, which was a key deciding factor in my choice of time period.