Social workers are pioneers, also when it comes to the development of methods. For example, the methods of case and care management, psychosocial crisis intervention, phone counselling support, supervision, and validation were largely developed, evaluated, and made available to practitioners by social workers. As they proved to be appropriate and effective in practical work, these methods were, in turn, adopted by neighbouring professions. Sometimes, they were also implemented by charitable organisations in the pre-professional field in cooperation with laypersons. A broader use of these methods has the potential to improve the care situation and support psychosocial clients.

However, some of these methods were “monopolised” by well-organised groups representing the interest of certain professions and their economic stakeholders over longer periods of time. The effects range from defining professional actions and limiting the use of certain methods to a profession in professional laws for healthcare professions recognised by the state and making the right to carry out certain professional actions exclusive to those who hold a trade licence.

This is problematic as it entails delegitimising Social Workers even though they hold a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Despite several years of studying specialised content, Social Workers are not entitled to use these methods because other professional groups or trade licences have secured exclusive rights to apply them. As a result, Social Workers are excluded from inventions that come from their own profession.

A substantial aspect of this problem is due to the lack of a Social Workers Act. Other professional groups, in particular in healthcare, have laws that govern their profession and its most important components, thereby granting them the exclusive right to carry out parts of their tasks and actions. For example, occupational therapy, music therapy, clinical psychology or psychotherapy, healthcare and nursing all have the necessary framework conditions, which include the registration of a healthcare profession. Comparable regulations to use exclusively Social Workers for certain positions are only in place for very few fields of actions of Social Work, such as the justice system, the association Neustart, which is active in resocialisation support for offenders, victim support and prevention, or in the field of youth work carried out by public authorities. A federal act describing the field of action of Social Work or regulating tasks, education, professional obligations, obligations to confidentiality, methods, certification and recertification, withdrawal of a professional licence, and claim processes for clients would provide clarity and legitimize Social Workers in the same way as other professions. Social Workers would not need fight for being treated on an equal footing first – as they successfully do in practice –resulting in substantial efforts and room for conflict.

The project explores the state of professional laws and Social Workers Acts within Europe and describes selected international practices. Social affairs and healthcare representatives of the Austrian Parliament, the Austrian Federal Council and the Austrian Provinces and, for example, the political parties’ responsible expert representatives are informed of the issue and asked for their perspectives in interviews. Social Workers who are/were active in politics are involved in the project as experts. The project compares existing drafts and comparable international acts and develops at least two drafts for a Social Workers Act for Austria, which is discussed with stakeholders and presented with an accompanying SWOT analysis. In the end, these concepts are forwarded to the competent political representatives in the Austrian federal provinces and the Austrian parliament.