Social work is a profession devoted to helping people realize their potential and aspirations.
Social workers provide counseling and services to clients and work to improve social conditions. The profession was born at the turn of the century to meet the needs of the poor, of neglected children, and of exploited workers. Social workers led the fight for child labor laws, humane working conditions, voting rights for women, and other progressive measures. The field is based on knowledge drawn from the social sciences and its own research and practice. It has a code of ethics, practice standards, and a nationwide system of accredited education programs to meld the desire to help others with the skill and knowledge needed to provide that help.