Social work emerged in the late 19th and 20th century as the result of changing conditions. It was a part in response to the many challenges that faced families and individuals from the result of industrialization, the rise of immigration, the rapid growth of urban cities, and the changing political and economic landscape in the Post Civil War era. These forces created situations in which families were living in unsafe and overcrowded tenements where they lack sanitation and safe water, where there was a high level of poverty, hunger, and health issues, and where there was almost no formal connections to education systems or social supports. In addition, jobs were very unsafe and had little regulation. Children and adults from poor families often worked very long hours and hard labor jobs with almost no protections. In fact, prior to the Civil War, there was very little organized social services to respond to the growing needs facing individuals and families. So social work as a practice emerged as individuals and organizations tried to address the issues. And they emerged as a way to provide support to families and help to develop solutions for change. In the US, the emergence of the field of social work is often linked to the work of two types of organizations, the charity organization societies and the settlement house movements, both which emerged in the US in the mid to late 1800s and were adapted from efforts that were happening in Europe and elsewhere. There are two individuals that are often most attached to the foundations of US social work. They are Mary Richmond and Jane Addams. Mary Richmond helped to lead the beginnings of the friendly visiting efforts by the charity organization societies in the US. The basic goals of these organizations were to provide charitable giving activities to help the poor. The friendly visitors were often wealthier individuals who would meet with poor families, provide individual relief aid, and help them cope with some of their individual needs. And this model of practice is often seen as the precursor for social work case work and for social work clinical practice. Jane Addams is widely referred to as the mother of social work and this is a picture of Jane Addams in this slide. And she is attributed with founding the settlement house movement among other women. The settlement house movement involved mostly women who would move into the community and work alongside and accompany people in the community to identify issues, organize programs, and work to address change. Often, the settlement houses fought for changing conditions in the community and working to address root causes of issues, such as education, sanitation, poor housing, and labor conditions. A hallmark of this work was working with the community rather than working for the community, so really working alongside individuals. The settlement house movement continues today and is often been seen as the basis for community organizing, group work, and policy and advocacy practices within social work. For her efforts in the settlement house movement and her continued efforts around peace and fighting for people's rights, Jane Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. The early field of social work was built from the friendly visitor and settlement house models and was shaped by the growing efforts of individuals to address issues of child welfare, mental health, poverty relief, community conditions, civil rights, and basic supports for families, among other issues. Social workers were brought in to fight against unsafe labor conditions, which led to social work's involvement in the development of labor protections, education for children, and support for women and families. Social work also grow in response to the mental health needs of returning soldiers from World War I and World War II. By the early 1900s, there was a growth of schools of social work aimed at providing training for the emerging profession. The New School of Philanthropy was a partnership of the charity organization society in Columbia University and later became the Columbia School of Social Work. And in Chicago, building from the settlement house movement, one settlement house, Chicago Commons, created the Chicago School of Civics and Philanthropy in 1908, which later became the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. By the 1920s, there were 17 training schools for social work in the US. The University of Michigan School of Social Work began first as a social work curriculum in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts in 1921. Graduate work began in 1935 and the first MSW degrees were awarded in 1936 through the Institute for Public and Social Administration. Between 1936 and 1951, 346 MSW degrees were granted. And in 1951, the School of Social Work was established as a permanent home for social work education at the University of Michigan. Throughout the last 100 years, there have been many policies and historical events that have greatly influenced social work as a field. While there are too many to talk about, some of the key issues that have shaped social work include in the 1930s, the creation of Social Security and other anti-poverty programs, which are often seen as the base for the US social welfare system that social workers have been fighting to keep and expand over time. In the 1940s and 1950s, there was a move to deinstitutionalize mental health and create a network of community mental health programs to provide local services and supports to individuals and families. In the 1960s and the 1970s, there were movements focused on organizing for social justice and expanding the rights for all. And this gave support to social workers' long commitment to organizing and challenging power, increasing access in rights for all people. In the 1980s and the 1990s, changes to welfare policy meant social workers had to fight even harder for a social welfare safety net. And that they work to provide programs and services to support the complex issues connected to poverty. Throughout history, many have viewed social work as a radical profession. The idea that social workers have historically been on the frontlines of trying to address issues and challenge injustices brought about by policies and historical events. Drawing from our values and ethics that you learned about in earlier sections, as a field, we have often tried to step forward when others have not. And while this has not always happened and some have questioned whether we've lost our radical nature, it's important to remember the past so that we can continue to shape our efforts moving forward. So using this as a lens, we can start to see the many ways that social work has stepped forward. And while there are too many to talk about, I wanted to just share a few. Social workers helped to create the Children's Bureau, which fought for the rights and protections of children and mothers and was an early effort to provide social welfare support at the national level. Frances Perkins, a social worker, was Secretary of Labor in the 1930s and was the first female presidential cabinet member. Her efforts contributed to the passing of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which greatly impacted labor practices moving forward. Social workers were crucial to the development of New Deal policies and the creation of the landmark Social Security Act, which provided guaranteed income support for senior citizens, for disabled individuals, and for widows with children. In 1916, the first woman elected to the House of Representatives, Jeannette Rankin was a social worker. She and many others fought for the expansion of political rights, voting rights for women, African Americans, and the expansion of rights for all people. Social worker Dorothy Height was a key organizer of Dr. King's 1963 I Have a Dream speech. And many social workers have led organizing efforts since then to fight for racial equality, racial equity, and social change in neighborhoods, communities, and through US policies. Building from the roots of the settlement house movement, there have been many ways that social workers have promoted the idea that people should organize around their own issues and that social work should engage and empower communities to work for change. Social work research has also helped to inform policies in ways that have made a difference in the lives of individuals, families, and communities. So now let's listen to Dr. Sandra Danziger give an example about the way her research has contributed to welfare reform policies.
