The new (or indeed not so new) generations of social work professionals may find it unfathomable or may simply be unaware of how the pioneers in this profession managed to build a scientific publication that has survived for 58 years. Accordingly, under the guidance of Dr Glòria Rubiol it would be highly recommended to immerse oneself in this brief summary where in a clear, educational manner she details the journey that the very first Catalan social workers needed to undertake in order to set up and firmly establish a tool for scientific dissemination and communication for the erstwhile unheard-of discipline called social work.

In merely four pages the author identifies the key figures who took part in this journey. From the initial cyclostyled newsletter with stapled sheets – written in Spanish and bound by prior censorship as imposed by the regime – to the issue you are reading right now in print or in digital format. It is also noteworthy that the author traces this background alongside the changes that unfolded since the formation of the Association of Social Workers of Barcelona and up to the incorporation of the other local associations, leading to the establishment of the present-day Official Association of Social Work of Catalonia.