The Society of Mental Welfare Officers (SMWO) was a professional body for
social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
s (then called Mental Welfare Officers) in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. It was established in 1954 by the amalgamation of the National Association of Authorised Officers and the Mental Health Workers' Association.
In 1970 the society merged with six other social workers' organisations to form the
British Association of Social Workers
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is the largest professional association of registered social workers in the United Kingdom. The association has a members' code of ethics that outlines best social work practice and works to support ...
, having been a member of the
Standing Conference of Organisations of Social Workers since 1962.
References
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