In the Britain and the United States，the path of social work development is from occupation to profession，however，the path of social work development in mainland China is mainly from profession to occupation，these two development paths root in different welfare traditions and historical background.For the path of social work development in Britain and the United States，in the process of development path from occupation to profession，the recognition of social work is relatively high，and has stronger professional authority and higher independence.For the path of social work development in mainland China，in the process of development path from profession to occupation，the independence of social work is not strong，the recognition of social work is low and the professional level of social work is weak.Drawing on the path of social work development between Britain and the United States，the development of social work in mainland China is currently being realized professionally and occupationally，and requires government，social workers and universities to cooperate with each other to promote social work development.