The social worker must understand the functions that a profession performs in modern society and the benefits, as well as the responsibilities, that accrue from this professional status. When society grants professions the authority to provide the specific services that fall within their domain, in essence, a monopoly is given to that profession to determine the qualifications of its members (e.g. educational and experiential prerequisites for membership). In return, the profession is charged with monitoring and policing its members to protect the public against abuses of that monopoly.