Ph.D. (Social Work) / This study constitutes a reaction to the need for measurement tools in social work in this new era of accountability. The basic objective of the study is to introduce and describe a specific research processes for the development of measurement tools for the social work profession. A second objective of the study is to introduce this process with the development and validation of a scale that can measure social functioning. The research process involved in scale development is firstly described in detail and four main phases are identified, namely the pre-development phase, development phase, validation phase and utilization phase. Each of these phases consists of main moments and research steps that are specifically adapted for use in the social work profession. For the purpose of this study, the pre-development phase mainly consists of a literature review on social functioning. The literature review produced a theoretical framework from which social functioning can be analysed. The framework makes it clear that social functioning is a theory of polarity. It further implicates a three dimensional approach where achievement, satisfaction and expectation are seen as assessment areas that can be operationalised to measure social functioning and frustration, stress and helplessness as assessment areas that can be nonoperational to measure social dis functioning. The pre-development phase concludes with a literature review on the six identified operational assessment areas in order to formulate a operational definition of each area.