Social work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or perceived social injustices and violations of their human rights. Research is often focused on areas such as human development, social policy, public administration, psychotherapy, program evaluation, and international and community development. Social workers are organized into local, national, continental and international professional bodies. Social work, an interdisciplinary field, includes theories from economics, education, sociology, medicine, philosophy, politics, and psychology. In many jurisdictions, clinical social workers are licensed mental health professionals.

History[link]

The concept of charity goes back to ancient times, and the practice of providing for the poor has roots in many major ancient civilizations and world religions.

Social work has its roots in the social and economic upheaval wrought by the Industrial Revolution, in particular the struggle of society to deal with poverty and its resultant problems. Because dealing with poverty was the main focus of early social work, it is intricately linked with the idea of charity work, but it must now be understood in much broader terms. For instance it is not uncommon for modern social workers to find themselves dealing with the consequences arising from many other 'social problems' such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination based on age or on physical or mental ability. Modern social workers can be found helping to deal with the consequences of these and many other social maladies in all areas of the human services and in many other fields besides.

Whereas social work started on a more scientific footing aimed at controlling and reforming individuals (at one stage supporting the notion that poverty was a disease), it has in more recent times adopted a more critical and holistic approach to understanding and intervening in social problems. This has led, for example, to the reconceptualisation of poverty as more a problem of the haves versus the have-nots rather than its former status as a disease, illness, or moral defect in need of treatment. This also points to another historical development in the evolution of social work: once a profession engaged more in social control, it has become one more directed at social empowerment. That is not to say that modern social workers do not engage in social control (consider for example statutory child protection workers), and many if not most social workers would likely agree that this is an ongoing tension and debate.

Contemporary professional development[link]

Social Work education begins in a systematised manner in higher educational institutes (universities, colleges etc.), but is also an ongoing process that occurs though research and in the workplace.

The International Federation of Social Workers states, of social work today, that

"social work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence-based knowledge derived from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its context. It recognizes the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, and the capacity of people both to be affected by and to alter the multiple influences upon them including bio-psychosocial factors. The social work profession draws on theories of human development, social theory and social systems to analyse complex situations and to facilitate individual, organizational, social and cultural changes."^[1]

Qualifications[link]

Professional social workers are generally considered those who hold a degree. Often these practitioners must also obtain a license or be professionally registered.

The education of social workers begins with a Bachelor's degree (BA, BSc, BSSW, BSW, etc.) or diploma in Social Work. Some countries offer Postgraduate degrees in Social Work like Master's (such as MSW, MA, MSc, MRes, MPhil etc.) or PhD (doctoral studies). More and more graduates of social work continue to post-doctoral studies. It has been argued that social work education is supposed to be a lifelong process.

In a number of countries and jurisdictions, registration or licensure of people working as social workers is required and there are mandated qualifications.^[2] In other places, a professional association sets academic and black requirements for admission to membership. The success of these professional bodies' efforts is demonstrated in the fact that these same requirements are recognized by employers as necessary for employment.^[3]

Professional associations[link]

There are a number of associations for social workers, which exist to provide ethical guidance and other forms of support for their members and social work in general. These associations/organizations are distinguished in international, continental or semi-continental, national and regional. The main international ones are the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW). In the United States the main one is the National Association of Social Workers.

Trade unions representing social workers[link]

In the United Kingdom just over 50% number of social workers are employed by local authorities and many of these are represented by the public sector union UNISON. Smaller numbers are members of Unite the union and the GMB (trade union). The British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE) has been a section of the Community (trade union) since 2008. In 2011 the British Association of Social Workers launched a trade union arm for the second time (it first tried this in 1976) called the Social Workers' Union but this body is not recognised by the TUC or by any employers.

Role of the professional[link]

The main tasks of professional social workers can include a number of services such as case management (linking service users with agencies and programs that will meet their psychosocial needs - mainly common in US and UK), counseling & psychotherapy, human services management, social welfare policy analysis, policy and practice development, community organizing, international, social and community development, hospital and aged care, advocacy, teaching (in schools of social work), and social and political research.

See also[link]

• Clinical social work
• Adoption
• Child welfare
• Child sexual abuse
• Community Development
• Discourse analysis
• Foster care
• Human Rights
• Politics
• Poverty
• Psychotherapy
• Social change
• Social development
• Social justice
• Social movement
• Social planning
• Social research
• Social theory
• Social welfare
• Sociology
• International Development

References[link]

Further reading[link]

v t e Social work and related concepts Primary concepts Social work · Qualifications for professional social work · Role of the professional social worker · Social work knowledge building Education Bachelor of Social Work (BA, BSc or BSW) degree · Socionom · Master of Social Work degree (MA, MSc or MSW) · Doctor of Social Work degree (Ph.D or DSW) · International Association of Schools of Social Work · Council on Social Work Education · Schools of social work Social workers American social workers · British social workers · Canadian social work academics · Unclassified social workers Professional associations International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) · National Association of Social Workers · British Association of Social Workers · Australian Association of Social Workers · Professional Social Workers' Association Types of social work Medical social work · Social work with groups · Social planning · School social worker · Barefoot social work · Forensic social work · Caseworker · Child protection · Social work in the military Other terms of interest Community practice · Community organizing · Settlement movement · Charity Organization Society · Jane Addams · Social justice · Child savers These articles are supported by the Social Work WikiProject

Edolphus Towns
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 10th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Charles Schumer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 11th district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	James H. Scheuer
Succeeded by	Major Owens
Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Henry Waxman
Succeeded by	Darrell Issa
Personal details
Born	Edolphus Towns, Jr. (1934-07-21) July 21, 1934 (age 77) Chadbourn, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Gwen Forbes
Children	Darryl Towns Deidra Towns
Residence	Brooklyn, New York City, New York
Alma mater	North Carolina A&T State University, Adelphi University
Occupation	social worker
Religion	Baptist
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1956-1958

Edolphus Towns, Jr. (born July 21, 1934) is the U.S. Representative for New York's 10th congressional district, serving since 1983, and the former Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Brooklyn and includes the communities of Fort Greene, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Cypress Hills, East New York and Canarsie.

On April 16, 2012, Towns announced he will be retiring at the end of his 15th term.^[1]

Early life, education, and early career[link]

Congressman Edolphus Towns

Towns was born in Chadbourn, North Carolina, the son of Versie (née Brown) and Edolphus Towns.^[2] He earned his bachelor's degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a master's degree in social work from Adelphi University.

Towns worked as an administrator at Beth Israel Medical Center, a professor at New York's Medgar Evers College and Fordham University and a public school teacher, teaching orientation and mobility to blind students. He is also a veteran of the United States Army and an ordained Baptist minister. In 1970, he ran for New York Assembly District 38, and was defeated in the Democratic primary by John Mullally 75%-25%.^[3] In 1972, he ran in District 40 and was defeated in the Democratic primary by Edward Griffith, who won the primary with a plurality of 37%.^[4]

U.S. House of Representatives[link]

Elections[link]

After redistricting, Towns ran for the open seat in the Brooklyn based New York's 11th congressional district. Towns won the primary with a plurality of 48%.^[5] He won the general election with 84% of the vote.^[6] He has never won a general election campaign with less than 85% of the vote.^[7] He has won the Democratic primary with at least 60% of the vote in all but three times (1998, 2000, and 2006).

From 1996-1998, Towns got into a rivalry with Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Clarence Norman. In addition, he has received criticism for endorsing Republican Rudy Guiliani for Mayor of New York City in 1997. He got a primary challenge from Barry D. Ford, a 35-year-old lawyer with the firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton and Harvard University alumni.^[8] He also faced a challenge from political activist Ken Diamondstone. Towns won the primary with 55% of the vote.^[9] In 2000, Ford ran for a rematch against Towns and lost 57%-43%.^[10]

In 2006, Towns faced Democratic primary challenges from Charles Barron, a member of the New York City Council, and Roger Green, a former member of the New York State Assembly. Barron was a staunch ally of Al Sharpton. Green was convicted of stealing $3,000 in taxpayer dollars.^[11] Towns defeated Barron and Green 47%-37%-15%.^[12] This was Towns' worst primary performance of his career.

Kevin Powell, a hip hop activist, writer, and former cast member on the MTV Reality TV show The Real World, opted out of challenging Towns for the 2006 Democratic nomination^[13] challenging him in 2008 instead. Powell criticized Towns for supporting Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primaries. Towns defeated Powell 69%-31%.^[14][15]

Tenure[link]

Official 109th Congressional photo

Towns also serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee^[when?] and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. On January 7, 2009, Towns' proposed legislation to require information on Presidential donors kicked off the new session of the 111th Congress.^[16]

Towns' past accomplishments include, co-sponsoring or enacting several pieces of federal legislation, including the Student Right To Know Act, which mandated the reporting of the rate of graduation among student athletes, creating the Telecommunications Development Fund, which provides capital for minority business initiatives, and the development of a federal program for poison control centers.^[17]

In the past, Towns has been targeted by various Democratic Party constituencies, including factions led by his political rival Al Sharpton, and national and local labor unions, who resent his support for passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which passed the House of Representatives by a razor-thin margin. In addition, he has been heavily criticized for taking money from telecom PACs and opposing net neutrality.

He has put particular emphasis on arguing in behalf of underserved Brooklyn communities, and has won recognition from several organizations for his efforts. The National Audubon Society has honored him for his efforts in fighting to secure federal funds for the restoration of Prospect Park. Towns fought to have Environmental Protection Agency testing in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, including neighborhoods outside of the borough of Manhattan.

Edolphus Towns meets with his with Gwen Towns and Shirley Chisholm

Towns delayed the investigation into Countrywide Financial's VIP loan program when he was the House oversight panel's chairman by refusing to issue a subpoena for Bank of America records. After The Wall Street Journal reported that public loan documents indicated Towns had received two mortgages from the VIP program, he issued the subpoena and his office denied wrongdoing.^[18]

In December 2010 Towns announced that he would not seek the position of Ranking Minority Member of the Oversight Committee in the next Congress, even though his seniority and service as Chair would typically result in him filling this post. Reportedly, Towns withdrew because of a lack of support from Nancy Pelosi, who feared that he would not be a sufficiently aggressive leader of Democrats in an anticipated struggle with incoming committee chair Republican Darrell Issa.^[19] Reportedly, the White House also wanted Towns to be replaced.^[20]

Towns' successor will be Elijah Cummings, who defeated Carolyn Maloney in a vote of the House Democratic Caucus. Currently Cummings is the 3rd ranking Democrat on the committee behind Towns and Maloney.^[21]

In November 2000, Towns was severely criticized by India for requesting that the White House "declare India a terrorist state" because of "the pattern of Indian terrorism against its minorities." Towns published a "list of attacks on Christians" to bolster his views. The White House dismissed the allegation, saying there is "no credible evidence" of any government involvement in the massacre.^[22]

In 1992, Towns was named in the House banking scandal, having written 408 checks on an overdrawn bank account.

On April 16, 2012, Towns announced his retirement. His district had been renumbered as the 8th District in redistricting and become significantly whiter (though it still has a large black majority).^[1] He had been somewhat invisible on the campaign trail. He'd skipped out on several local Democratic club meetings, and his campaign Website hadn't been updated since 2011.^[23]

Committee assignments[link]

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
  • Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Health
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management (Ranking Member)

Caucus memberships[link]

• Congressional Black Caucus
• House Democratic Caucus
• Congressional COPD Caucus
• International Conservation Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus

Controversy[link]

Congressman Towns currently leases a Mercury Milan Hybrid at a cost of $1,285 per month. This is one of the highest costs of a tax payer financed cars leased in congress. When the two-year lease is completed the cost will exceed $30,000 as opposed to the $28,180 MSRP cost if it was bought new. Towns' personally financed leased Infiniti costs him $600 per month.^[24]

Personal life[link]

Towns is married to the former Gwendolyn Forbes and they reside in the Cypress Hills section of Brooklyn. They have two children, Darryl Towns (who had served in the New York State Assembly but vacated his seat to become commissioner and chief executive of New York State Homes and Community Renewal agency when appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo) and Deidra, who ran in special election to replace her brother, on a self-created ticket, Community First; five grandchildren; and serve as surrogate parents to their nephews Jason and Jereme.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Edolphus Towns

• U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns official U.S. House site
• Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns official campaign site
• Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Profile at SourceWatch

v t e Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus Diggs • Stokes • Rangel • Burke • Mitchell • Collins • Fauntroy • Dixon • Leland • Dymally • Dellums • Towns • Mfume • Payne • Waters • Clyburn • Johnson • Cummings • Watt • Kilpatrick • Lee • Cleaver