The many areas of Social Work have seen developments that increasingly foster the use of peer work. Institutions recruit persons who are usually trained according to a relevant training concept from their target and user group to work with citizens in their role as service users. 

This study is based on existing research outcomes. On the one hand, peer work is celebrated for its enriching and supportive qualities – as a missing link for quality assurance – and for putting support services into the field. On the other hand, peer workers or peer consultants are perceived as competitors on the labor market as they apparently have two benefits for the institutions: They are cheaper when it comes to training and salary costs, and they are able to offer help and consultation at eye level as they are closer to the people.

This study aims to explore current developments in Social Work. The objective is to strengthen the discourse on professionalization and to promote sound methods to achieve diversity, empowerment, user involvement, and participation. At a structural level, the study seeks to strengthen cooperation forms between Social Work and peer work in a first step and develop perspectives for further development.