Wasch mich, aber mach mich nicht nass?

Whether the profession of social work should be tied to state authorization is a controversial issue in social work in Germany. This article uses a perspective of theory of professions to show that, on the one hand, the debate points to deficits in the assurance of professional standards, which are also a result of inadequate professional self-regulation. On the other hand, it is related to the assignment of welfare state tasks to social work and the resulting interest of the state in monitoring those involved in their implementation. It is argued that the mere reliance on individual competencies and self-commitments of social workers through university education is not a convincing alternative to either state or professional regulation of professional standards.