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This paper examines the developments in German social work theory from the 1970s to the 1990s. It starts with an analysis of socio‐economic relations which have given rise to a division of society as well as a consumerist approach of “service orientation” for the social services which presents a challenge both for social work theory and professional practice. Against this background, major themes in the development of social work theory are identified. The authors observe a trend towards a greater recognition of the individual and her or his life‐world. Although presented in the ideological context of neoliberalism, they argue that the core of the consumerist approach of ”service orientation“– the privileging of the consumer – provides a basis for a paradigm shift in social work theory which will be an adequate response to “reflexive modernization” of society if taken out of the consumerist context and reformulated for the public services. In the final section of the paper the authors present an outline of a theory of ldquo;social work as service” as a professional mode of action in the public sector of social service provision. It starts from a conceptual analysis of the service relation, examines the structural elements of the service context and discusses the necessary societal conditions. It is the thesis of the paper that the dialectical relationship of professional and service user represented in the conceptualization of social work as service will be the foundation for a new professionalism.

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