social work

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun Organized work intended to advance the social conditions of a community, and especially of the disadvantaged, by providing psychological counseling, guidance, and assistance, especially in the form of social services.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Any of several professions concerned with providing social services to those members of the community that need it.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun any of various services designed to aid the poor and aged and to increase the welfare of children