When social conditions are perceived as either harmful to people or a threat to the community or the society as a whole, social policies may be formulated and social services created to help those in need or to address the threatening problem. Essentially, a social policy is a set of principles, usually expressed in law and governmental regulation, that guides the assignment of specific benefits and opportunities or the formal regulation of behavior. Social policies and services tend to develop around major problems. Thus, we have policy clusters related to areas such as health care, mental illness, crime, child welfare, education, disabilities, old age, poverty, unemployment, and so forth. Social workers must be familiar with the policies that most strongly influence the services through which they work and their effect on the clients served by those services.

Social services reflect existing social policies, and the policies, in turn, reflect the values, beliefs, and judgments of those who establish policies. For example, beliefs regarding the worth of the individual, the responsibilities people have for each other, and the role of communities and governments to address human problems determine what, if any, social policies and services are developed.

Social services consist of three major elements: organizational structure, benefits or services, and providers. Social services must be delivered through some form of organization or agency. No matter what service or benefit is provided, there must be an organizational and administrative structure that determines who is eligible, how it will be provided, who will provide it, and what costs are acceptable. The benefits and services provided can take the form of social provisions, social services, and/or social action. The social worker must understand the services offered by his or her own agency and be familiar with those provided by the agencies to which clients might be referred.

Social services require providers, people who are indirect contact with the client, or the consumers of the services and benefits. Providers may be volunteers, but most often they are paid professionals. Social work is only one of the professions that deliver services and benefits. Teachers, psychologists, physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, and others provide a wide array of social services. Each has its own focus but there are areas of overlap. Understanding the competencies of each profession, as well as the dynamics of teamwork and interprofessional cooperation, are important aspects of the social worker's knowledge base.