Abstract: Social work education is a professional force that can participate in targeted poverty alleviation in rural areas. The participation of social work education force in targeted poverty alleviation in rural areas is influenced by two forces:the forces of embedding and de-embedding. The forces that promote embedding include the state policies of social work participation in poverty alleviation, the requirements of social work projects, and the requirements of the social work profession itself; forces that hinder the embedding of social work in targeted poverty alleviation mainly include the limitations brought by the entry path, the compromise between estimation and planning, the confusion and reflection about the profession in the process of service, and the balance among various factors in the closing of the projects. The two forces of embedding and de-embedding interact in the process of social work participation in targeted poverty alleviation. From the current perspective,the development of social work in China is also a process of construction under the influence of multiple forces of embedding and de-embedding, which is a reflection of the localization of social work development.

Key words: embedding, de-embedding, social work education force, targeted poverty alleviation in rural areas, social work services