In reality, the field's growth has been aided by a recent emphasis on a fusion of the public and private spheres, wherin federal money with fewer strings attached will go directy to private organizations to use as they see fit. It's an approach both Al Gore and George W. Bush have championed, and it's lending clout to a field that will grow by more than 200,000 jobs over the next decade.
Social workers can go anywhere and be well prepared to do just about anything.