Introduction

The aim of this chapter is to discuss how the development and professionalisation of social work can be regulated by the state through jurisdiction and standardisation. We do this by focusing on the situation in Poland after the political transformation that started in 1989, assuming such demarcation seems justified if we observe the exceptionally unfavourable circumstances for social work existing in Poland in the years 1945-89. In describing the most important factors that influenced the formation of social work as an academic discipline and a field of practice from the beginning of the 1990s, we do not neglect or diminish the existing traditions and achievements of the earlier generations of pedagogues, charity organisation activists and academics who from the late 1920s were engaged in the development of social work in Poland. However, development in Poland since 1990 has undoubtedly brought an unprecedented growth in the number of universities offering curricula in social work – not like before as a specialisation within pedagogical sciences (social pedagogy) or sociology, but as a separate programme. The introduction of diplomas in social work (Bachelor of Social Work, and Master's programmes) was a milestone in turning social work into a ‘mature profession’, but it was not the only factor shaping the public image and professional practice of the growing number of qualified social workers. The second, even more important, factor was legislation, especially in the field of social welfare; first of all the Social Assistance Act (1990) and a number of laws and administrative regulations of social security introduced in subsequent years. The main thesis in this chapter is that the development of professional social work was influenced mainly by the state (government) policies, with limited support from the representatives of social work partners (non-governmental organisations, or NGOs), practitioners and academics. The ‘modernisation’ of social services delivery was undertaken in the years 2007-13, within the Operational Programme of Human Capital Development (POKL). This effort, co-financed by the European Social Fund, was focused mainly on the ‘standardisation’ of social work as a way to raise the efficiency of social services in fighting social exclusion. As we show, there was a counter-effect to standardisation, which tends to lead to diminished autonomy of professional social workers’ community.