Social Work in the ICT Age: How to Ensure Ethical and Competent Practice in the 21 st Century and Beyond By J. Kerkula Foeday December 21, 2011 Abstract Where will technology take social work in the 21st Century and beyond? In other words, what does technology portend for social work practice in the future? Can social workers effectively function in a technology-free environment? This paper attempts to discuss these and other relevant questions. Specifically, the paper tries to enumerate and discuss what the literature contains regarding standards and principles social workers can observe, uphold, and apply as they adapt and deploy technologies in social work. Technology, indisputably, has impacted social work both in the way it is being taught and the way it is being practiced (NASW & ASWB, 2005; McCarty & Clancy, 2002; Parker-Oliver & Demiris, 2006; Ayala, 2009; Kreuger & Stretch, 2000). In this paper, I’ve tried to highlight the impact technologies have had and continue to have on social work education and practice over the years as well as concerns about the use of digital and Web-based technologies on the future of the social work profession.