In this fourth edition of a social work standard, Leon Ginsberg and Julie Miller-Cribbs offer an updated version of the text that has introduced thousands of social work students to the defining policies and procedures of the profession. Concise yet comprehensive, the volume surveys the span of social welfare history, explains the elements of social welfare policy education, and describes the impact of executive, legislative, and judicial initiatives on the delivery of social services. With this edition, the authors cover all the required content areas for the social welfare policy and service sequence as specified in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education's Commission on Accreditation.