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A social worker practicing in the United States usually requires a Master's degree ( MSW) or a Bachelor's degree ( BSW ) in Social Work to receive a license in most states. In some areas, however, a social worker may be able to receive a license with a Bachelor's degree in any discipline.

At the time of massive immigrant influx, and consequent social and economic upheaval, the church was the only organized force with a mandate to provide services to the needy. Religious organizations, consequently stepped into the void, creating work forces and legal guidelines (such as the Elizabethan Poor Laws , in England). In some countries, Social Work has emerged as a recognized non-secular and professional endeavor to serve these needs. Governmental support for non-secular and non-political fulfilment of certain societal needs has promoted the field of social work. In many countries religious organizations continue to be prevalent in addressing these needs of society.

Typical social work may involve:

• Administering government welfare programs
• Food bank programs
• Needle exchanges, and drug addictionDrug addiction or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. This phenomenon has occurred to some degree throughout recorded history (see " opium"), though modern agricultural practi
• Support for homelessHomelessness is a situation in which a person does not have a permanent place of residence. This is distinguished from nomadic cultures where that condition is considered normal. There are a number of causes of homelessness. In areas with high unemploymen people, in the form of homeless shelterHomeless shelters are places for people to stay temporarily when they otherwise would have to sleep on the street, similar to emergency shelters. The main difference is that a homeless shelter is usually open to anyone, regardless of why they don't have as, medicalSee drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that treat patients. This article is about medical practice. Medicine is a branch of health science concerned with restoring and maintaining health and wellness. Broadly, it is the practical science o support, counseling
• FamilyThis article is about the domestic group. For other uses, see Family (disambiguation). Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1997 A family is a domestic group of people, or a number of domestic groups linked through descent (demonstrated or stipulated) from a comm crisis intervention
• Child abuseChild abuse is physical or psychological mistreatment of a child by its parents, guardians, or other adults. Types and causes The simplest example of child abuse is neglect where the guardians fail to perform those tasks necessary to the well-being of the
• AdoptionAdoption is the legal act of permanently placing a child with a parent or parents other than the birth parents. Adoption usually results in the severing of the parental responsibilities and rights of the biological parents and the placing of those responss
• Battered women's shelters
• Helping the poor organize for better conditions - both economically (food banks, buying club s) and politically - voting blocks during election campaigns, running candidates, organizing demonstrations
• Providing assistance to work through government red tape, including other social work agencies
• Tenants' rights
• Workers' compensation for on-the-job injuries (there are usually additional social workers whose jobs focus specifically on dealing with the beaucracy of workers' compensation problems)
• Refugee assistance ( refugee camps, relocation, political asylum help)
• AIDS awareness
• Birth control and family planning
• Program evaluation to determine if various programs are providing services as they should, or how a program may be improved.
• Administration and coordination of services for disabled infants, children, and adults

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest organization of professional social workers in the United States.

Certain types of social workers are more likely to suffer criticism than most other workers because they often work in scenarios which are highly emotionally charged. Examples include:

• taking a child away from parents who are regarded as unfit (this is even more controversial when it involves religious beliefs)
• failure to remove children from parents who subsequently hurt or kill them
• organizing demonstrations that turn into riots
• supporting activities that are highly controversial - abortion, needle exchanges