Taiwan's Medical Social Work Development and the Impact of Social Work Regulation

Purpose: This study explored medical social work development and the impact of social work regulation in Taiwan. Method: From the perspective of historical institutionalism, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 9 senior medical social workers, the review of 49 articles on social work professionalization in Taiwan, and the content analysis of 42 historical files. Results: The findings indicate four critical junctures, namely the postwar-1982 period for charitable relief for the poor and American-style social work, the 1983-1996 period for establishment of the Taiwan Medical Social Work Association and promotion of the Social Worker Act, the 1997-2008 period for implementation of the social work certification and license, and the 2009-present period for approval of specialist social worker institutions. Discussion: The development of medical social work in Taiwan, the characteristics of social work regulation, and the next step in the development of social work professionalization were discussed.