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tor's degree. They then may hope for
a position as an official in the state
or municipal welfare departments. A
distinction is made between an offi-
cial and an employee: an official
enjoys life tenure in his position
while employees do not. The state
certificate can be withdrawn if the
social worker at any time shows that
he lacks the qualities which are ne-
cessary prerequisites for social work
or if he acts in opposition to state
regulations.
To improve the status of the pro-
fession in general, a German Asso-
ciation  of  Social  Workers  was
founded in 1916, and at about the
same time a Catholic and a Protestant
association of social workers were
organized. These associations were
dissolved in 1933. In 1945 a new orga-
nization of social workers was formed
in Berlin and the Soviet Zone as one
of the 18 affiliated groups of a labor
union, Freier Deutscher Gewerk-
schaftsbund, F. G. 14. Verband der
oeffentlichen Betriebe und Verwaltun-
gen. Fachgruppe der Sozialpaedago-
gen. In 1946, the Catholic Social
Workers Association also was reorga-
nized in the British and American
Zones and now has a membership
of nearly 3,000.
Today the schools are sponsored by
the land or municipal public welfare
bureaus or by one of the two princi-
pal religious groups-the Catholics,
numbering approximately 25,000,000
and the Protestants, numbering about
38,000,000. A few schools are inter-
confessional. Those under religious
auspices are opposed to the taking
over of their work by the state. The
private schools are more flexible and
are able to experiment in the develop-
ment of new programs. The land and
city schools are more or less under
the influence of the dominant party.
CONSIDERING social work in Ger-
_ many as a whole, MG officials
believe that problems could be seen
in more perspective by social wor-
kers if they could reestablish rela-
tions with international organizations.
Then, once again, they could be in
touch with the progress achieved in
the field of social welfare in other
countries. To that end, it is the re-
commendation of a recent study that
a carefully selected group of social
workers be sent as delegates to attend
the Fourth International Conference
of Social Work to be held in the
United States in April or May 1948.
Members of MG's Welfare Branch
are also interested in planning for
scholarships and fellowships to be
obtained from US schools for a
period of one year for a limited
number of German social workers.
In Germany itself, assistance is
planned in the restoration of school
buildings, in building up liberaries,
and in providing needed equipment
and supplies. Exchange of knowledge
within Germany will continue as the
policy of Military Government with
special encouragement to the holding
of conferences in special fields such
as professional training schools, child
welfare, youth, and women's organi-
zations. Through such conferences the
general level of training of schools
of social work may be raised and
professional personnel developed to
undertake a modern program.
Lecture on Social Work problems at the
school in Berlin.   (photo by PRO, OMGUS)