Abstract:
Mary Ellen Richmond is one of the most important founders of the principle of socail work practice. Despite the fact that she has only received high school education,she was always maintained a passionate devotion to public affairs and civic consciousness. She has worked in the Charity Organization Society and Russell Sage Foundation. She has a lifetime of effort to contribute to the promotion of social work specialization and social justice. In the history of specialization and professionalization of social work, “Social Diagnosis” and “What is Social Casework” are the most important two books she had finished.Review the background and the method for established of social work professional approach, which have a important implication for social work development of China. The first one is that social work should response to social needs, determine the professional status of social work in social welfare field the second one is that social work should deeply rooted in practice, to build China’s social work theories based on the materials and profiles that have existed.  

Key words:  Richmond, Social, Work  charity