Mary Richmond's Career At The Charity Organization Society (COS)

The framework of a professional social worker is to improve the overall well-being of society. Whereby making the population of the less fortunate the primary focus. Professionals in this field of work must embellish distinguishing characteristics in order to embrace the problems and challenges that affect those in the neighborhood, community and the world. The need for social change and the original welfare system was in demand for reform. Because of the Civil War, poverty in the United States grew to historical numbers. Even the most irreprehensible hard-working households fall into pauperism and needed the charity of the community.

One notably recognized in the world of social work, as an originally professional social worker was Mary Richmond. She started her career at the Charity Organization Society (COS). The COS established a scientific path in the use of observation and fact-finding, keeping records and oversight of applicants for charity. Her ability to form communities, create practices for casework and her competence to teach and communicate effectively on many subjects regarding social issues and concerns was key to her notoriety. Her primary goal was the focus of care provided to the individual within the system regarding their particular circumstances.

Richmond image of the professional social worker was one that was educated and worked towards development and reform from the current situation of the social and economic situation. Richmond was not oblivious to the previous discrepancies of the system, such as strict behavioral control used by others. She however stood on the foundation and beliefs that, though the techniques may differ, direct practice in social work was also a "form" of nurturing, discipline, teaching, and character development (Gordon, 1995; Richmond, 1922) and, hence, needed to be grounded in workings of other’s