Abstract: The development of localized social work is urgently needed for solving practical problems of the Chinese society. Currently, the institutional construction of Chinese social work is confronted with a series of challenges such as the difference and opposition between practical forms and implementation approaches, the gap and separation between social understanding and public recognition, and the conflict and isolation between service ideas and management objectives. The fundamental idea for localizing Chinese social work is to speed up the specialization, professionalization and institutionalization of social work, promote the transition from domination by government alone to domination by multiple participants and the change from government taking all responsibilities to government purchasing service, form  the institutional system, working procedure, service experience and practical method with local characteristics, enlarge the coverage of social work gradually, realize indepth combination between professional ideas and Chinese culture, and enhance the internal force that push the development of social work.

Key words: social work, institutionalization, professionalization, specialization