Educating for Social Work

Abstract

Social work education has seen dramatic growth and change since its inception over 100 years ago. It is important to recall the challenges and successes of the past as many of them are reflected in current issues. Meeting the current and future challenges in the profession will require collaboration among all the stakeholders in social work. In order to give context to the discussion of issues, the authors outline the history of social work education and especially the initiation of and changes within the accreditation process. This chapter describes social work education at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels, including the needs and purposes at each level. Emerging issues in social work education are discussed, including recruitment of students and faculty, the need for understanding between educational levels and membership associations, funding constraints for social work programs, and the growing call from the public for greater accountability from accreditation and programs. Keywords: social work education; Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); curriculum; accreditation; Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)