El nacimiento del Trabajo Social Ibérico

The aim of this article is to perform a comparative historical analysis to examine the development and maturity of social work and social services in Spain and Portugal. For this purpose, the political/administrative and institutional/academic milestones are defined for each country from birth to consolidation. The research covers ideological and formative elements. The data are compared by means of comparative tables, facilitating the identification of similarities and differences between the two cases. The conclusion is that the types of Iberian social work are defined more by what they have in common than by what separates them. Its basic identifying elements are delayed access to Keynesian policies, a limiting experience of dictatorship and the achievement of parliamentary democracy by means of peaceful transitions.