This article makes a review of the notion of competence, its conception, classification, links with other notions following works by M. Davies (2000), V. Kučinskas, R. Kučinskienė (2000), R. Adamonienė and others (2001), L. C. Johnson (2003), V. Ivanauskienė, L. Varžinskienė (2003, 2004), B. Švedaitė (2004), R. Laužackas (2005), B. Miniotienė, I. Žindžiuvienė (2006), M. Andrašiūnienė (2007), L. Jovaiša (2007), V. Vaicekauskienė (2007), E. Martišauskienė (2008), D. Vyšniauskienė, R. Minkutė (2008). It also highlights the integral parts of social worker’s competences.

The article reveals the attitude of social workers employed in local selfgovernment to their acquired competences. The focus of the article is to identify what skills and knowledge relevant for working in the sphere of social work in local self-government have been developed and acquired by social workers, what competences have not been acquired as well as to reveal differences in gained competences according to the respondents’ age, territorial distribution of their workplace place and working experience.