The nation's social workers are celebrating their centennial this year.

Local social workers will hold a banquet tonight in honor of the 100th anniversary of the profession, a profession that has helped people solve problems, said Shelby Kneer and Ken Green, local social workers.

A century of work for social reform has led to the minimum-wage and child-labor laws, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the 40-hour work week, unemployment insurance, disability pay and humane treatment for people with mental illnesses.

Social work developed in the mid-19th century in response to social injustices, said Kneer and Green. Mary Richmond, who established settlement houses in inner-city Chicago, is credited with the beginning of the movement.

"She also started the concept of centralizing services," Green said. "Much of what she did was a forerunner of services like the United Way that we have today."

Today, social workers are the largest providers of mental-health services. They also respond to societal changes like welfare reform, managed health care and an aging population.

Professional social workers practice in many settings, including agencies, schools, hospitals, corporations, prisons and in private practice. In Missouri social workers are licensed.

"We see a greater need for social workers," Kneer said. "And social workers are so diversified in what they do."

Social workers are linked by a twofold job description, Green said.

"We recognize that everyone is part of a social group," he said. "We want to give every person the opportunity to function in a social group and also the capability to be part of that group."

Social workers split their time between helping the individual and advocating changes in the culture.

"We walk a fine line as advocate for the person and advocate for change," Kneer said. "But social workers are very persistent, and we continue to move ahead."

Social work got its start in 1898, when the first classes in social work were offered.