Searching for a Social Work Language of Human Rights : Perspectives of Social Workers in an Integrated Mental Health Service

Human rights are described as central to the social work profession. However, whilst principles of human rights are generally accepted as fundamental to social work, their application in specific practice settings is far more complex and the perspectives of social workers themselves are largely absent in the literature. This research explored the perspectives of nine social workers in integrated mental health teams in a National Health Service (NHS) Trust in the north of England. Participants took part in semi-structured face-to-face interviews investigating the role of social workers in enacting rights-based social work in integrated mental health services, the issues they face and aspects of good practice. Participants identified rights-based approaches as inherent in their practice but lacked an adequate language to describe this work and confidence in using specific legislation. All described a lack of available training (post-qualification) and support, and the impact of a lack of both time and resources, in enacting rights-based work. The research suggests a need for further training in human rights, increased support for social workers in enacting rights-based work, and for a language of human rights to be more effectively embedded in organisations

Social work education, training and standards in the Asia-Pacific region

This article discusses the joint project between the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) to establish guidelines for the training and standard setting that elucidates what social work represents on a global level. While it is impossible to address all the issues that might be significant in such a large scope, attention is given to the challenges establishing global standards might encounter in a region as diverse as the Asia-Pacific

Book Review Department : SOCIAL REALITIES AND THE SOCIAL WORK RESPONSE: THE ROLE OF SCHOOLS OF SOCIAL WORK, Proceedings of the XVIIIth International Congress of Schools of Social Work. New York : Inter national Association of Schools of Social Work, 1977

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67864/2/10.1177_002087287802100109.pd

REVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEFINITION OF SOCIAL WORK

Since the adoption of the international definition by the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) in 2001 there have been criticisms. The main criticisms centered on the definition representing a Western bias with its emphasis on individual rights and social change, to the exclusion of collective rights and the societal imperatives for continuity, stability and social cohesion. The current definition reads as

International Social Work, Globalization and the Challenge of a Unipolar World

This summer, two international social work organizations - the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) and the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) - will again host their regular biannual conferences. IFSW will meet in Munich, Germany in July while IASSW will meet in Santiago, Chile in August. These meetings will bring social workers from many different countries together to share ideas and experiences, and to discuss issues of common interest. Social workers have been meeting under the auspices of these two organizations for more than seventy years and today both organizations play a vital role in promoting cooperation among social workers around the world

TAKING A STRATEGIC VIEW

This special issue of Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk appears on the eve of the 34th Congress ofthe International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) to be held in Durban, SouthAfrica next month. As the main theme of the Congress is Transcending Global-Local Divides:Challenges for Social Work Education and Practice, this issue is intended to expose our readersto strategic thinking about social welfare issues with articles by some of the conferees as well asprominent researchers and practitioners in South Africa. The special issue introduces researchers’responses to challenges for social work during a period of socio-economic transformatio

Beyond the dichotomies of cultural and political relativism: arguing the case for a social justice based 'global social work' definition

The Social Work World Congress in Melbourne in 2014 will discuss a new internationally agreed definition of social work. The present definition, passed by the International Federation of Social Work in 2000 and the International Association of Schools of Social Work in 2001, is being reviewed because of its strong commitment to social justice. In this article I argue that this commitment is vital and that, furthermore, it has enabled practitioners to act in ways that are ethical and supportive of marginalised and oppressed groups in the face of assault from political parties, media and the state. The debate over a new international definition of social work reveals the conflictual and contested nature of social work – as a practice that is necessarily 'political' within oppressive and class-divided societies. A failure to acknowledge this has, in the past, led some social work organisations and practitioners to act in ways that are oppressive and supportive of existing power relations at the expense of poor and marginalised people. The debate about the international definition of social work, therefore, is vital for our understanding of the nature and role of social work in the present world

An Examination of Professional Development Activities Available to Teachers in the Mid-America Region of the Association of Christian Schools International

The spotlight in education in recent years has been focused on the areas of professional development activities for teachers and the development of professional learning communities. However, the majority of research has omitted the Christian school community which requires its own body of research examining the unique conditions in which both private school students and educators learn and work. While the need for student achievement remains constant in both public and private schools, the social, philosophical, political, financial, and emotional contexts are quite dissimilar. The purpose of this study is to examine the availability and utilization of professional development activities in select schools in the Mid-America Region of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) that support the development of professional learning communities (PLC). By identifying effective and affordable professional development for Christian schools, this study provides usable information that can minimize teacher isolation and encourage the professional development necessary for continued teacher growth and quality as well as student achievement. The findings also support the need for teachers to become less isolated and confident in their craft through engagement in appropriate professional activities. As teacher quality and student achievement increase, this may also positively affect the future of the Christian school community, strengthening enrollment and stability

Transcending disciplinary, professional and national borders in social work education

The following contribution addresses the questions: Is social work education prepared to promote the goals of the ‘Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development – Commitment to Action’ presented to the United Nations in Geneva in 2012 by the three international associations (International Association of Schools of Social Work [IASSW], International Federation of Social Workers [IFSW] and International Council on Social Welfare [ICSW])? What changes in education and practice are needed, when social work and social policy are focused on a transnational frame? The starting hypothesis is that the influences of globalisation and world society on social problems cannot be ignored anymore. What does this mean for the organisation of the disciplinary knowledge, the professional mandate and its ethical base in human rights, social justice and democracy? Are they ‘globalisable’? And, as a consequence, how could we overcome the deep dividing line between micro and macro practice? How this could be done is illustrated with two examples: first, the development of social care-chains for the problem of deportation of migrants or asylum-seekers; and second, world-poverty, which requires influencing social cause chains