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Financial Social Work

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Handbook of Consumer Finance Research

Abstract

Beginning in the Progressive Era, social workers collaborated with home economists to improve financial wellbeing in US cities swelling with poor rural migrants and immigrants. Today, in the wake of the Recession, there is a resurgence of interest in financial social work (FSW) in an era where finances increasingly shape human wellbeing. With a focus on low-income and financially vulnerable communities, social workers provide financial guidance and education, and access to sound financial supports, services, and wealth building opportunities. Social science theory and key social work principles—including person-in-environment and the strengths perspective—guide FSW practice. Social workers use direct practice, organizational development, community organizing, policy advocacy, and research to help households achieve income sufficiency, financial capability, and asset building. Looking to the future, schools of social work are launching FSW curricula aimed at tackling growing economic challenges affecting financially vulnerable households and communities.

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Acknowledgements

We extend sincere appreciation to Wells Fargo Advisors, Arthur Vining Davis, and Woodside Foundation for their support. We would like to acknowledge many people who have contributed, directly or indirectly, to this chapter. Thanks to Cynthia Sanders, Paul Stuart, Michael Sherraden, and an anonymous reviewer for helpful insights and suggestions for this chapter. We are also grateful to many friends and social work colleagues who, over the years, have contributed to our thinking about financial social work, especially Mimi Abramovitz, Deborah Adams, David Ansong, Jeroo Billamoria, Christine Callahan, Gina Chowa, Peter Coser, Sally Hageman, Jin Huang, Lissa Johnson, David Lander, Don Linhorst, Vernon Loke, Gena McClendon, Emily McGinnis, Robin McKinney, Sudha Nair, Michael Rochelle, Edward Scanlon, Meg Schnabel, Jasmine Thomas, Meg Woodside, Eric Zegel, members of the Financial Social Work Scholar Network, and our students at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Maryland-Baltimore, and Saint Louis University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Margaret S. Sherraden Ph.D., M.A.

  2. Washington University in St. Louis, One University Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, USA

    Margaret S. Sherraden Ph.D., M.A.

  3. School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 525 W. Redwood St., Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA

    Jodi Jacobson Frey Ph.D., L.C.S.W.

  4. School of Social Work, Saint Louis University, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Blvd., St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

    Julie Birkenmaier Ph.D., L.C.S.W.

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  1. Margaret S. Sherraden Ph.D., M.A.
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  2. Jodi Jacobson Frey Ph.D., L.C.S.W.
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  3. Julie Birkenmaier Ph.D., L.C.S.W.
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Correspondence to Margaret S. Sherraden Ph.D., M.A. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Univ of Rhode Island, Transition Center, Department of Human Development and Family Studies,, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA

    Jing Jian Xiao

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Sherraden, M.S., Frey, J.J., Birkenmaier, J. (2016). Financial Social Work. In: Xiao, J. (eds) Handbook of Consumer Finance Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28887-1_10

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