This essay adopts oral history as the main methodology and focuses on the life of a senior social worker Miss Yun-Chang Li. Through connecting her narrative with the contemporary social change, we are be able to draw a brief picture of modern Taiwan history in transition as well as to comprehend the social work development from late 1960s to early 1970s in Taiwan. In other words, Miss Li’s early experience in social work will help us to appreciate the establishment of a profession model for social work in the vision of the time and to demonstrate the development of social work in Taiwan.
This study discusses her experience in the caseworks for strangers in urban areas, including the tasks for their predicament assistance, job training and counseling. Furthermore, she has been working for transnational caseworks and the community building in aboriginal areas. In late 70s, Miss Li transferred to the field of medical affairs and had participated in the process of striving for the legislation for social workers. This is another subject on which this essay focuses. Miss Li has been devoted herself to social work and showed great passion, creativity and vitality which lead to productive practice in this field. What is the next stage of social work development in a society facing complicated and fast variation? This research has been trying to discuss the profession identity for social work through depicting a local profession model and therefore to illustrate the possibilities of this profession in the future.
