In 2001 the International Federation of Social Workers developed a definition of social work that could be applied world wide and described social work as being a profession that promotes social change, encourages problem-solving in humans and promotes wellbeing. Socail work uses theories of human behaviour and social systems as well as principles of social justice (IFSW, 2001 as cited in Wilson, Ruch, Lymbery and Cooper, 2011, pg 62)
The terms social work and social welfare will frequently be blended and confused however social welfare has extensive meaning and includes domains such as social work, public welfare, and other related programs and activities (Farley, Smith and Boyle, 2000). Social work and social welfare are based on three main hypotheses, firstly that the person is important, secondly that the person has personal, family, and community problems resulting from interactions with others, and thirdly that something can be done to ease these problems and improve the