In recent years, social workers have felt under increasing attack from the media and from a management style which has eroded their autonomy. Confidence in the profession's skill and knowledge has been generally undermined. This text shows how social workders can use scientific methods to help them withstand their critics by developing a more open and accountable way of working. It refutes the view that social work relies mainly on personal skills of empathy and intuition, and demonstrates how the standard methods of science can help the profession develop a more explicit and reliable set of knowledge and skills, with the intention of providing a more effective service.