The Profession’s Role in Meeting its Historical Mission to Serve Vulnerable Populations

• Main Authors: Dorcas Davis Bowles, June Gary Hopps
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Indiana University School of Social Work 2014-04-01
• Series: Advances in Social Work
• Subjects: Professional mission, CSWE standards, civil rights era, poverty, race, injustice, social work theories, women, people of color, sexual orientation and gender expression
• Online Access: https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/view/16677
• ISSN: 1527-8565; 2331-4125

This article provides an historical account of how the profession of social work met or failed to meet its mission in the provision of services to those who were poor, oppressed, and vulnerable to societal injustices from the mid-twentieth century, including the turbulent Civil Rights Era, to the early twenty-first century. The profession’s growth and expansion and the challenge of mediating resistance to change are highlighted based on eyewitness accounts.