The Netherlands has been developing and implementing major welfare state reforms. The commonly used term in The Netherlands to refer to these reforms is “participatory society”, but its impact and outcome is quite similar to those of the big society agenda. According to Winsemius and Steyaert (2015), this agenda is characterized by the transfer of responsibility for social and health services to local communities, the reform of public services in favour of voluntary organizations, and the promotion of a more active involvement of citizens.

The transition leads also to a reappraisal of the role of social work. One of the conclusions is that the complexity and unpredictability of social problems in society require reflective social professionals supported by a solid knowledge base. A body of knowledge that contributes (a) to the sustainable improvement of the quality of social work, and (b) to a strong profile and position of social work and social work education.