This book is designed for all those teaching or undertaking training for social work and on university and polytechnic courses in social services. Writing for the uninitiated, the author traces the historical development of social work from the charitable work of Victorian ladies to the present. He explains the growth of state social work serivces as part of the welfare state, and throws light on the political problems faced by social workers everday and discusses the moral, social and political issues that haunt these workers in their attempts to resolve them.