Historical aspects of the formation of professional training of social sphere specialists (international experience)

The article considers historical aspects of the development of professional training of social sphere specialists in the international context. It is emphasized that in the conditions of war in Ukraine and challenges associated with integration into the European educational space, the need for highly qualified social workers is growing. The historical experience of professional training of social workers in different countries of the world, in particular in the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France, is theoretically studied and generalized as an important condition for improving the national education system and adapting international experience to Ukrainian realities. The scientific research emphasizes the importance of developing theoretical and practical foundations of social work, in particular through the work of such prominent figures as L. Addams and M. Richmond, who laid the foundations of an individual approach in social assistance. However, the first stages of training social workers through the mentoring system had significant shortcomings, in particular, inconsistency with new social conditions and lack of connection with social reforms. This contributed to the transition to more formalized and structured training programs. The conclusions and prospects for further research reflect the importance of further development of the training system of social workers in the context of modern needs of society and the requirements of European standards.