Influencing social policy in a time of devolution: Upholding social work'sgreat tradition

Throughout the decades of the 20th century, advocates and scholars have pro claimed social work's commitment to influencing social policy. Following a brief history of these calls to action, this essay focuses on-social work a t the crossroads at the dawn of the 21 st century, a time in which responsi bility for social welfare has shifted from federal government to state legi slative bodies across the country. Implications of this move toward a new f ederalism include-the need to re-examine professional identity in light of a decentralized state policy emphasis, to rethink education's role in socia lizing the next generation of social workers, to redesign programs and orga nizations to position themselves to respond to policy change at the state l evel, and to reintegrate practice so that the "social" is fully manifested in social work. The uniqueness of the social work profession rests in a pro fessional calling that disallows one-dimensional or comfortable thinking. T his call to embrace ambiguity and to connect the often-invisible struggles of individuals with the move public actions of decision makers in powerful positions is the essence of social work.