Social work, a helping profession, is in a state of crisis. This crisis revolves around issues and problems pertaining to its meaning, character and the role it plays in society. The purpose of this paper is to shed some light on the assumptions, characteristics and functions of social work. Based on documentary analysis and the authors' experiential knowledge, it explores the significant theoretical and practical aspects of social work in Africa. The first part provides a conceptual, methodological and contextual overview of social work. The second part examines the major issues and problems facing a young profession in a developing region. The concluding part underlines the radical ideas running through the paper.
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