The History of Gatekeeping
Linda S. Moore and David A. Jenkins
Gatekeeping is not new to social work education; it was a component of social work's earliest venture into preparing workers for effective practice (Moore and Urwin 1990, 1991). Since the late 1800s the profession has attempted to provide relevant education to adequately train professional social workers. It also has emphasized guarding the gate to the profession to ensure that there is evidence that students have internalized instructional material before they graduate and begin to practice.
In this chapter, we will trace the background and history of gatekeeping in social work education in order to emphasize that the charge to guard the gate of the social work profession has a long and valuable history. This history provides a rationale for gatekeeping at the undergraduate level and also indicates strategies that can be used in the process.
According to Trattner (1989), neither volunteer service nor good intentions alone could dispel the complex problems emerging in the 1800s. The need for trained workers to confront the social problems brought about by industrialization, urbanization, and immigration was apparent. These workers needed knowledge about the problems they were tackling and specific skills to address them effectively.
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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Gatekeeping in Bsw Programs.
Contributors: Patty Gibbs - Editor, Eleanor H. Blakely - Editor.
Publisher: Columbia University Press.
Place of publication: New York.
Publication year: 2000.
Page number: 45.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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