Education in the Sphere of Social Work in Poland - a Historical Sketch

Abstract

Social aid started being institutionalized as early as the 12th century. It was then that in Faculties of Theology of European universities the science of alms was introduced. The American Mary Ellen Richmond (1861-1928) is considered to be the initiator of education in the sphere of professional social work. The first attempts to educate social workers in Poland were made as early as the beginning of the 20th century – it was the first school of social work, the so-called Kursy Społeczne (Social Courses), whose co-organizer was Blessed Rev. Jerzy Matulewicz. In the period between the two world wars Prof. Helena Radlińska was an initiator and organizer of a system of educating social workers. The first schools educating social workers were established in 1966. A further development of educating social workers at the university level should be associated with opening Zaoczne Studium Pracowników Służb Socjalnych (Extramural Department of Social Work) at the University of Warsaw in 1977. Social work as the first degree university studies was introduced only in the 2006/2007 academic year. At the Catholic University of Lublin such a field of study has existed since the 2010/2011 academic year.