Bedarf und Mangel – Qualifikation und Fachlichkeit

The introduction to the special issue “Needs and Shortages” takes the finding of a discrepancy between the required and available professional staff with relevant qualifications in the fields of social work as the starting point for a search for clues. Firstly, we discuss how the increasing need for professionally qualified staff can be reflected and which social constructions of need underlie the diagnosed shortage. Secondly, we look at the status and causes of the shortage of professional social workers. Thirdly, the question of how the need can be met is explored exemplary.