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Pattern Of Specialization Of The Anglo-american Social Work And Its Implications For China

Posted on:2010-04-28Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:D H ChaiFull Text:PDF
GTID:1117360302957730Subject:Sociology
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
This research aims to explore the implication of the experience of social work professionalization in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA) to China based on the transnational study on the models of social work professionaliztion in the UK and USA. This research is composed of two parts. The first part is a theoretical study and the second is an empirical research. In the first part, this research constructs the theoretical interpretative framework and the index systems of social work professionlization through the literature review and concept analysis, so as to build the analytical framework and measurement tools for the comparable research on the model of social work professionalization and its causes in the UK and USA.So, the first part firstly constructs a new theoretical interpretative framework of social work professionalization, namely the trait-process approach of social work professionalization through improving and integrating the trait-element approach of profession and the process theory of professionalization based on the literature review. According to the new framework, the professionalization of social work is such a dynamic process to improve the scientism, altruism and essentialism of social work profession so as to maintain and promote authority and autonomy of social work profession, and finally to provide better service for the human beings and the society. And then this part builds the index systems of scientism, altruism, essentialism, authority and autonomy for the elements of social work professionalization based on the literature review and concept analysis.In the second part, this research compares the development of social work professionalization and the causes that shape the different models of social work professionalization in the UK and USA following the analytical framework and index systems constructed in the first part. This comparable study finds that the UK has formed the administration-led social work professionalization model, while the USA has formed the profession-led social work professionalization model after more than one hundred years of development despite of the similar origins and social welfare systems in the two countries.The basic traits of the UK model are as follows:a. The government plays the main role in professionalizing social work;b. Social work seeks its legitimacy from the government;c. Social work is taken as a technology for social service;d. The professional level of social work is not so high;e. The motivation and power to professionalize social work is not so strong that social work can be developed as a profession with high professional level and status.In contrast, the USA model takes on the following main characters:a. The professional associations and the professionals play the leading role in professionalizing social work;b. Social work confirms the legitimacy of its own existence through professionalizing itself;c. Social work is taken as a social science with a focus on practice and a profession with high level technologies;d. The professional level of social work is high;e. Social work has better foundation to promote the sustainable development of social work professionalization.It is the economical, cultural, social and political factors as well as the development of social work profession itself that jointly contribute to the shape of the different social work professionalization models in the UK and USA. The experience of social work professionalization in the UK and USA shows that:a. The professionalization of social work is the product when the economy develops to a certain stage, but not the natural or inevitable outcome of the economic development;b. The government and the professional association are the two main persons in charge of the professionalization of social work, but the motivation and power of the two persons to professionalize the social work are different due to their different role and function;c. The professionalization of social work depends on the social welfare policies and public finance, but social work profession can decline its dependence on the social welfare system and public finance with the enhancement of social work's professional standards and the broadening of its working areas.The experience of social work professionalization in the UK and USA told us that there are both advantages and disadvantages for the model of China government strongly involving and constructing the social work in China. The main advantage is that the social work can rapidly develop, while the main disadvantage is that it may damage the professionalism and hinder the development of social work profession with the strong construction and involvement of the China government. So, the social work profession itself should positively response to the policy supports from the government and build strong cooperation model between the government and the social work profession. It is more reasonable to construct the co-existence model of practical orientation and academic orientation of social work education and build a multi-level model of social work service, permitting the co-existence of general social workers and senior social workers, general social work service and advanced social work service. The professional associations and professionals would have to play a more positive role in professionalizing social work in China.
Keywords/Search Tags:Professional social work, Social work profession, Professionalization, Model of social work professionalization, Index systems
PDF Full Text Request
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