Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of social work and consideration of the dominant factors in the formation of public perception, sources of available and reliable information about social work as a profession. The article also discusses some of the barriers and difficulties inherent in the stereotypical thinking that has been formed about social work as a profession in Kazakhstan. The article presents the results of a quantitative study conducted by the Center for Sociological Research and Social Engineering of the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in October 2018 among students in the specialty "social work". The aim of the study is to assess the professional competencies necessary for social workers, as well as the analysis of the image, statements and stereotypes that are common among future social work professionals; identifying the main motives for choosing a profession as the determining factors for students in choosing social work as a profession. One of the research questions concerns the consideration of social work as a professional project in national and global contexts. The authors conclude that social workers should take a leading position in promoting their profession based on the fact that it is characterized by integration, which requires constant study, professional development, preservation of knowledge and practical skills. Social work as a professional project should declare its functions and roles in the state political arena, since it is this that provides an opportunity to prevent social injustice and create an adequate social policy aimed at resolving issues of socially vulnerable groups of the population. Keywords: social work, profession, professional project, perception, social workers, students.