is social work a profession - ucalgary.ca.doc

Is Social Work a Profession? A 21st Century Answer to a 20th CenturyQuestion: Futurist paper presented to the 100th anniversary of theCanadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Presented by a former student of the authorJuly 6, 2026 in Ottawa, Canada R. Ramsay – 1988 (Unpublished Paper) I am honored to be your keynote speaker on the occasion of CASWs centennial celebrations. First, let me put to rest any concerns about my intentions.? All of you, I presume, are well aware of Abraham Flexners now infamous speech delivered to a national conference of social workers in the United States slightly more than a century ago. His 20th Century answer to a similar question was a clear, No. My answer, not to keep you in any suspense, is a clear, Yes. I come, as an insider, to praise and congratulate, not to condemn or question the status of our profession. My presentation will attempt to trace the events and developments of social work, both before and after Flexners answer that brought us to this very positive conclusion as we enter the second quarter of the 21st Century. In its first 60 years, CASW and others like it world-round, had negative critics in abundance. In fact, negativism, fragmentation and an embarrassing lack of unity characterized the profession. I need only to remind you that in 1986, membership in CASW numbered slightly less than 10,000, which represented approximately one-third of the estimated 30,000 practicing social workers in Canada. Forty years later, our profession is able to boast remarkable success. We are effective and, we are united! The fact that I am speaking to an association that is now 100,000 strong, representing over 80% of Canadas practicing social workers, is certainly proof of that. We can now boast a real critical disturbance effect, meaning that our national and provincial presence across this vast country is now large enough to permit and sustain a pattern-like web of mostly non-linear influence. I am here, also, to applaud th