Social Welfare & Social Work Historical Events

By Dixie Lucas
  • 1348

    Black Death

    Feudal system begins to break down
  • 1349

    Statute of Laborers

  • 1500

    Commercial Revolution

    Accelerated breakdown of feudal system

  • Elizabethan Poor Law

  • First Colonial Poor Law

    Plymouth colony enacts first colonial poor law, based on English poor law

  • Settlement Act

    Idea migrates to colonies

  • Speenhamland Act

  • New Poor Law

  • Period: to

    Freedman's Bureau

  • First Charity Organization Society

  • First Charity Organization Society in U.S

  • Settlement House

  • First Settlement House in U.S

  • Hull House

  • First formal social work education program

    Summer training by COS. Evolves into New York School of philosophy.
  • Period: to

    School social work services begin independently in New York, Boston, Hartford, & Chicago

  • Rochester, NY becomes the 1st school system to finance school social work services

  • Flexner's Report

    Concluded that social work is not a full profession

  • First organization of social workers

    National Social Workers Exchange

  • AASSW Formed

    American Association of Schools of Social Work

  • Commonwealth Fund of New York

    Increases the visibility of school social workers by providing financial support for a program to prevent juvenile delinquency that includes the hiring of 30 school social workers in 20 rural & urban communities

  • American Association of Social Workers Formed

  • Milford Conference

    Determines social is a single profession

  • Great Depression

    Stock market leads to Great Depression.
    International Council on Social Welfare founded in Paris.

  • New Program Launched

    FDR

  • Social Security Act signed

  • National Association of Schools of Social Administration established

  • U.S Office of Education recommends that a professional school social work certificate be a master's degree in social work

  • Council on Social Work Education forms

    Merging seven separate social work organizations
    Accepts MSW only

  • NASW by-laws provide for the establishment by the U.S Office of Education

  • International Federation of Social Workers established

    Membership consists of national social work organizations

  • Greenwood Article

    Declares social work a full profession

  • Specialist position in school social work is established by U,S Office of Education

  • President Lyndon Johnson launches war on poverty

  • Work Incentive Program established

  • "Social Change and School Social Work" national workshop

    Held at the University of Pennsylvania & results in the publication of the book "The School in the Community"

  • NASW admits baccalaureate social workers as members

  • NASW Council in Social Work in Schools meets for the 1st time

  • Supplementary Security Income program established

    SSI established under the Social Security Act for the aged, blind, & disabled.
    CSWE begins accreditation of baccalaureate social work education programs.

  • Earned Income Tax Credit established

    Established under President Ford

  • Costin's school-community-pupil relations model of a school social work practice is published

  • 1st Standards for school social work services are developed

    These standards emphasize prevention as an important theme

  • WIN Program eliminated

    Under Reagan administration

  • NASW National School Social Work Conference

    "Educational Excellence in Transitional Times"
    Held in New Orleans & results in the publication of "Achieving Educational Excellence for Children At Risk"

  • Family Support Act

    Parents receiving aid for dependent children under Social Security Act must work when child is 3 years old

  • School Social Work credentialing exam

    Developed by NASW, the Educational Testing Service, and Allen-Meares is administered for the first time

  • NASW launches school social work as its 1st practice section

  • School Social Work Association of America is formed

  • Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Act

    Signed into law by Bill Clinton
    Eliminates entitlement of poor children & parents to aid under the Social Security Act
    Establishes Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program

  • Push for "faith-based" Programs

    Push by President George W. Bush to privatize formerly public assistance programs.

  • Medicare Part D

    Provides limited assistance to older adults in purchasing prescription drugs.
    Prohibits government from negotiating drug prices
    Signed into law by President George W. Bush

  • Affordable Health Care Act

    Provides access to affordable health insurance to the majority of Americans beginning in 2014, including those with pre-existing conditions.
    Signed by President Obama