Steering Currents for the Future of Social Work

Abstract

In considering the future of the social work profession, three influences must clearly be considered: increasing cultural diversity, expanding technological development, and managed care. Although the profession of social work has responded successfully to many challenges in the years since its inception, it has faced perhaps no greater challenges than these. As the diversity of the population of the United States increases, social workers must respond with flexibility and openness. As the already burgeoning field of electronic technology continues to enhance information storage and processing, communication, and perhaps even therapeutic processes, social workers must be willing to learn, adapt, and implement.