Social work has its roots in the attempts of society at large to deal with the problem of poverty and inequality. Social work is intricately linked with the idea of charity work; but must be understood in broader terms. The concept of charity goes back to ancient times, and the practice of providing for the poor has roots in all major world religion. Even before the rise of modern European states, the church was providing social services. 

2. INTRODUCTION
Social work has its roots in the attempts
of society at large to deal with the problem of
poverty and inequality. Social work is intricately
linked with the idea of charity work; but must
be understood in broader terms. The concept of
charity goes back to ancient times, and the
practice of providing for the poor has roots in all
major world religion. Even before the rise of
modern European states, the church was
providing social services.

3. ROLE OF CHURCH
In Europe, in the early Christian era, the folk
tradition sustained and the faithful measured it a
religious obligation to care for those members of the
group who could not care for them.
The church, especially the monasteries, became the
centers for distributing food, medical aid and shelter.
Alms were composed in the parish and distributed
through the parish priest and other clergymen who
knew the individuals and their situation.

4. WELFARE BECOME STATE RESPONSIBILITY
In England flanked by 1350 and 1530, a series of laws
were enacted, recognized as the “Statutes of
Laborers”,‖ intended to force the poor to work.
The decreasing power of the church and the rising
tendency to shift responsibility to governmental
authorities gave rise in England to a series of events
which culminated in the well-known Elizabethan Poor
Law of 1601.

5. THE ELIZABETHAN POOR LAW
The Poor Law of 1601 was a codification of the
preceding poor relief legislation. The statute
represented the final form of poor law legislation
in England after three generations of political,
religious, and economic changes that required
government action. The law distinguished three
classes of the poor.
1. The able-bodied poor
2. The impotent poor
3. Dependent children

6. POWER OF THE ELIZABETHAN POOR LAW
It was mainly influential in the development of public
welfare and social work.
The principle of the state‘s responsibility for relief is
universally adopted and has never been seriously
questioned.
A principle stipulated differential treatment of
individuals just as to categories: the deserving as
against the undeserving poor, children, the aged, and
the sick.

7. THE POOR LAW REVISIONS( 1834)
In 1834 a Parliamentary Commission presented a
report which aimed to revise the Elizabethan and
post- Elizabethan Poor Laws. Upon the basis of the
committee‘s report legislation was enacted
enunciating the following principles:
o Doctrine of least eligibility,
o Re-establishment of the workhouse test,
o Centralization of control.

8. THE BEVERIDGE REPORT
In 1942, Sir William Beveridge, chairman of the Inter-
Departmental Committee on Social Insurance and Allied Services,
presented the Committee‘s Report to the government. The
report accentuated four major principles:
1. Every citizen to be sheltered.
2. The major risks of loss of earning power ,sickness,
unemployment, accident, old age, widowhood, maternity, to be
incorporated in a single insurance.
3. A flat rate of contribution to be paid regardless of the
contributor‘s income .
4. A flat rate of benefit to be paid, also without regard to income,
as a right to all who qualify.

9. FORMATION OF CHARITY
ORGANIZATION SOCIETIES
The formation of charity organization society was an
important milestone in the development of charity
programmes. London Charity Organization Society was
the first such organization formed in the year 1869. They
undertook the following strategies to help the needy
effectively.
a) stopped giving doles.
b) co-ordinated the distribution of relief.
c) verified each application carefully.
d) conducted interviews to assess the genuineness of
the applicants.
e) formulated plans for the treatments

10. Settlement House Movement
Cannon Samuel Augustus Barnet founded University
Settlement House which was named as Toynbee Hall. Its
objectives were:
i. Educational and cultural
development of the poor.
ii. Imparting information to the
poor for their improvement.
iii. Developing consciousness
towards health problems and the need for enacting
legislation.

11. A.D 1900 onwards
In the year 1899 Social work training was
started and introduced. At first two years
training programme in social work with theory
and practice was started.

12. WELFARE SCHEMES
YEAR LAWS PURPOSE
1905 Poor law commission Pensions for aged and
unemployed
1906 Meals law Providing free meals
1907 Education act Free medical examination of
school children
1911 National insurance act Compulsory health insurance to
the workers who belong to the
lower income groups
1925 Old age contributory act Old age pension
1941 Beverridge commission Social insurance , children’s
allowance
1944 Disabled person act Employ the disabled person