2023 Volume 64 Issue 2 Pages 41-55
The number of local governments employing professional social workers, even in small municipalities, has recently increased. This study aims to clarify the actual situation of professional social workers as local government employees in terms of recruitment, assignment, job roles, and human resource development. A multiple-choice questionnaire was mailed to 33 local governments in Kanagawa Prefecture to collect data for case analysis. Twenty-five municipalities completed the questionnaire (75.8% response rate). Recruitment and assignment of professional social workers was confirmed in 16 locations. The results show that it is becoming more common to recruit and deploy professional social workers as local government employees; their job roles are particularly recognized in the field of public assistance. The results of this discussion also suggest that it takes a considerable amount of time for local governments to gain a deeper understanding of the mezzo- and macro-level features of social work practice, and the improvement of the organizational understanding of expertise is an issue.
