One Hundred Years of Social Work: A History of the Profession in English Canada, 1900â2000

One Hundred Years of Social Work is the first comprehensive history of social work as a profession in English Canada. Organized chronologically, it provides a critical and compelling look at the internal struggles and debates in the social work profession over the course of a century and investigates the responses of social workers to several important events. A central theme in the book is the long-standing struggle of the professional association (the Canadian Association of Social Workers) and individual social workers to reconcile advancement of professional status with the promotion social action. The book chronicles the early history of the secularization and professionalization of social work and examines social workers roles during both world wars, the Depression, and in the era of postwar reconstruction. It includes sections on civil defence, the Cold War, unionization, social work education, regulation of the profession, and other key developments up to the end of the twentieth century. Drawing on extensive archival research as well as personal interviews and secondary literature, the authors provide strong academic evidence of a profession that has endured many important changes and continues to advocate for a just society and a responsive social welfare state. One Hundred Years of Social Work will be of interest to social workers, social work students and educators, social historians, professional associations and anyone interested in understanding the complex nature of people and institutions.

Table of Contents:
Table of Contents for One Hundred Years of Social Work: A History of the Profession in English Canada, 1900â2000 by Therese Jennissen and Colleen Lundy Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations of Organizations and Terms Chapter One: Responding to Industrial Capitalism and Setting the Stage for Professional Social Work, 1880â1924 Child Welfare Poverty The Role of Religion Planting the Seeds of Social Work The Settelement Movement Charity Organization Societies (COS) Social Work in World War I Postwar Social Unrest and Labour Conflict Conclusion Notes Chapter Two: Pursuing Professional Status, 1924â29 The American Influence The Formative Years in Canadian Social Work Education Formation of a Canadian Social Work Association The Impact of Pursuing Professional Status Conclusion Notes Chapter Three: Face to Face with Poverty: Social Work in the Depression, 1930â9 Social Workers Respond to Unemployment and Poverty The Relief Crisis Social Workers Come under Attack Housing Conditions Stretcher Bearers or Political Activists Left-Leaning Social Workers Social Casework Challenged Developments in the CASW Conclusion Notes Chapter Four: Social Work in the War Years, 1939â45: Expansion and Consolidation Contributing to the War Effort The Continuation of Peacetime Social Work Shortage of Qualified Social Workers Growth and Consolidation in the CASW Conclusion Notes Chapter Five: Postwar Reconstruction and Civil Defence, 1940â60 Social Work and Postwar Reconstruction The Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations (Rowell-Sirois), 1937â40 Unemployment Insurance Act, 1940 Report on Social Security for Canada (Marsh Report), 1943 Advisory Committee on Health Insurance (the Heagerty Committee), 1942â43 The Committee on Housing and Community Planning (the Curtis Committee), 1944 The Family Allowances Act, 1944 The Dominion-Provincial Conference on Reconstruction, 1945 Keeping an Eye on Child Welfare Social Work and Civil Defence in Times of Peace Conclusion Notes Chapter Six: Social Work in the Cold War Era, 1940â60: Radicalism and Repression The Daycare Movement The Peace Movement The Canadian Peace Congress Social Workers for Peace The Case of Mary Jennison: A Victim of Anti-Communist Witch Hunts The RCMP âRed Listâ Conclusion Notes Chapter Seven: A Conservative Era in Social Work: The 1950s Formalizing a Code of Ethics Welfare Planning as Social Action Abolition of the Death Penalty The Doukhobor Situation Revisiting the Social Action Mandate, 1956â58 Conclusion Notes Chapter Eight: The Struggle for Workplace Improvements and Standards: The Role of Unions and Professional Associations Social Work and Unions: An Uneasy Alliance Social Workers, Staff Associations, and Unions Vulnerability of Social Workers: A Case Example Social Workers in High Demand and Short Supply Inadequate Training Salaries and Conditions of Work Social Workers Prepare to Strike Conclusion Notes Chapter Nine: Provincial Autonomy and Reorganization in the CASW, 1950â65 The âManpowerâ Crisis in Social Work Restructuring of Role and Function Provincial Autonomy The Move to Provincial Associations: British Columbia Developments in Quebec New Directions for the CASW Conclusion Notes Chapter Ten: Advancing Social Work Education, 1950â70 US Influence on Social Work Education Organizing Social Work Education in Canada The National Committee of Canadian Schools of Social Work (NCCSSW) Canadian Committee on Social Work Education (CCSWE) Canadian Council on Education and Personnel for the Social Services (CCEPSS) Social Worker Shortage and Social Welfare Workers Meeting the Challenges in Social Work Education The Unwelcoming University Conclusion Notes Chapter Eleven: Legal Regulation of Social Work: The Last Stage in Professionalization The Process of Professionalization Legal Regulation: A Troubled Relationship with the State A Patchwork of Regulatory Legislation Convincing Government and Social Work The Impact of Professionalization Conclusion Notes Chapter Twelve: Staying the Course: Choosing Professional Status over Progressive Politics Selective Responses to Government Initiatives Initiatives by Provincial Associations The CASW Critiques Its Own Responses to Government Silence on the Status of Women Housing and Urban Renewal The Absence of the CASW in Social Workersâ Political Struggles Going It Alone: Bridget Moranâs Battle with British Columbiaâs Social Credit Government Accountability and Ethics in Social Work Practice: The Warrendale Affair Exercising the Left Wing: Social Workers Promoting Social Change Conclusion Notes Chapter Thirteen: Social Work in a Declining Welfare State, 1974â2000 Cutbacks to the Welfare State and Changes in the Profession, 1974â89 Malaise in the Profession Social Work Practitioners Shift to the Left Persecution of a Left-Leaning Social Work Professor A Wholesale Attack on the Welfare State, 1989â2000 Responses from the Social Work Community Social Work Demonstrates Its Relevance Conclusion Notes Chapter Fourteen: One Hundred Years of Social Work: Looking Back and Moving Foward into the Twenty-First Century A Time of Transition Social Work Entering the Twenty-First Century: An Uncertain Time External Challenges Challenges Internal to the Profession The Ongoing Struggle to Address Our Inherent Contradictions Losing Ground in the Workplace and in Society Fragmentation of Social Work Bodies Social Work Theory and the Question of Theoretical Robustness Losing Our Historical Roots in the Peace Movement Moving Foward Fighting for Control over Our Work Returning to Our Legacy of Resistance Reinvigorating Our Theory Base Promoting Social and Economic Justice, Not Charity Note Appendix A: CASW Branches, 1927â58 Appendix B: CASW Presidents, 1926â2001 References Index

About the Author :
Therese Jennissen teaches in the area of social policy and social welfare/social work history at Carleton University. She has published work on the gender dimensions of occupational health and safety in the workplace, workers compensation in Canada, and women and social policy. With Colleen Lundy, she has published on the impact of economic transformations on women in Cuba and Russia. Colleen Lundy is a social work professor at Carleton University. Her book Social Work and Social Justice: A Structural Approach to Practice makes an important contribution to the understanding of social work from a social justice/human rights perspective. She is the editor of Canadian Social Work and the Canadian North America representative on the International Federation of Social Workers Human Rights Commission.

Review :
`` One Hundred Years of Social Work is the only text that attempts to deal exclusively with the historical development of the profession. It is clearly written and represents a significant contribution to social work literature in this country.... It provides an excellent history of the CASW and it sets social work within the context of broader political and economic events that influenced and affected the development of the Canadian welfare state. Jennissen and Lundy have created a useful resource for social workers including university faculty members, students, practitioners, regulators, professional associations, and agency managers.'' -- Glen Schmidt, University of Northern British Columbia -- Labour/Le Travail, 69, Spring 2012 ``In One Hundred Years of Social Work , the authors provide a nuanced narrative, informed by a combination of feminist theory, critical theory, and political economy. They have mined all the secondary literature and done extensive archival work as well as many interviews with living key players. This is a book of very sound scholarship.... Because the book is thoroughly documented, it will serve for many years to come as the standard book in the social work field to trace and analyze the history of social workers in the twentieth century. But the writing is jargon-free and the book should serve equally well as an important work for anyone studying the evolution of social policy in Canada or the evolution of professions in the country.'' -- Alvin Finkel, author of [http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Catalog/finkel.shtml Social Policy and Practice in Canada: A History (WLU Press, 2006)] ``This book is essential reading for anyone interested in Canadian social policy. Through meticulous research the authors provide the first comprehensive history of social work professionalization in Canada. In telling this story they shed critical light on the ambiguous role the profession has played during both the formation and unravelling of Canada's welfare state. Centred principally on the activities of the Canadian Association of Social Workers this well-written history skilfully explores the tension between social activism and professional recognition within an occupation located at the crossroads of social justice.'' -- James Struthers, Canadian Studies Department, Trent University