International Social Work Practice

Case Studies from a Global Context

Joanna Bettmann, Gloria Jacques, Caren Frost, Joanna E. Bettmann, Gloria Jacques, Caren J. Frost

• Editorial: Routledge
• Año: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781135125967
• Edición: 1
• Categoría: Medizin
• Categoría: Gesundheitsversorgung

International Social Work Practice compares and contrasts divergent social work approaches in countries around the world, providing students with a unique perspective on social work as it is actually practised. Using case studies from frontline practitioners from across the globe, this innovative new textbook stimulates critical thinking about international social work practice issues.

Providing a review of both country-specific social work practices and universal social work issues, the text looks at a variety of core social work topics, framed here in terms of CSWE competencies. Set within a theoretical framework presented in the introductory chapter, the subjects covered include:

• child welfare
• intimate partner violence
• family conflict and communication
• elder care
• substance abuse
• trauma.

Each chapter presents several case studies exploring range of issues within the broader topic and each case study is commented on by two narratives from social work academics and practitioners from different countries, providing different cultural perspectives.

Taking a practical hands-on approach, this text includes a dedicated section for classroom use, with discussion questions, classroom exercises and additional cases for your own analysis. It will be particularly useful to BSW and MSW students taking courses in international social work, practice, social welfare and human behaviour.

1

Introduction – International Practice Issues

By Isaac Karikari and Joanna E. Bettmann

At the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) General Meeting in Montreal, Canada in 2000, the IFSW attempted to define social work. They asserted:

The social work profession promotes social change, problem-solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance wellbeing. Utilizing theories of human behavior and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work (IFSW, 2000).

This definition conveys the essential elements of social work in regard to its values, knowledge base, and modes of practice. However, some IFSW individuals and member associations expressed doubts regarding the accurate conveyance of the many variations and facets of social work (Hare, 2004). The above definition, however, significantly reflects the basic tenets of social work: the intrinsic worth of human beings which is the “central organizing and unifying concept of social work universally,” and the attempt of social workers to intervene as humans interact with their environment (Hare, 2004, p. 409).

Scholars differ on what constitutes international social work, and offer various definitions for this term. Early definitions included the concepts of social work practice across nations, work with international organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), and international conferences on social work (Healy & Thomas, 2007; Xu, 2006). Cross-cultural understanding, comparison, and application of international perspectives to local practice, as well as participation in policy and practice activities featured in these definitions too (Xu, 2006). Others assert that international social work refers to social work activities which are unlimited by national and cultural borders (Healy & Thomas, 2007). Still others state that international social work encompasses the policies and programs of international agencies doing social work (Healy & Thomas, 2007).

Many conclude that international social work generally includes practice that takes place in countries other than the home country of the social worker. Such practices include work with International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) and international bodies such as the United Nations. This also includes the sharing and transfer of knowledge and ideas, especially from countries where social work is well established to those where it is less established (Hugman, Moosa-Mitha & Moyo, 2010; Xu, 2007).

The concept of international social work connotes work with populations or groups residing in a country other than their country of origin. Such groups include refugees and migrants (Hugman, Moosa-Mitha & Moyo, 2010). Another prominent feature of international social work practice is its consideration and analysis of how globalization affects human welfare (Hugman, Moosa-Mitha & Moyo, 2010). International social work may integrate global and local realities, out of which comes the term “glocal” (Hugman, Moosa-Mitha & Moyo, 2010, p. 631).

Our Book

Our book presents social work as practiced globally. Each chapter covers a different population common to social work practice: vulnerable children, abused women, substance-addicted adults, etc. Each chapter presents three fairly generic social work cases that might occur anywhere in the world. Then social work practitioners from two different countries present how they would each respond to the issues raised in the case study.

Therefore, the book details what social work practice in different international contexts looks like. The book illustrates how social work practice is both global and at the same time local, how social workers’ interventions are both similar and different in varied country contexts. Such issues are important for all social work practitioners globally to consider. This book provides an international focus on social work with a concrete practice-based approach. The authors of the case studies and case analyses are practitioners in the social work field from countries in various regions throughout the world. These front-line practitioners have authored a contemporary book that compares and contrasts social work practices in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Central America, South America, and the United States. It illustrates that although the purpose of social work is its practice, such practice is distinct in each country.

Before considering the specific topics presented in each chapter, we will review some of the roots and trends in worldwide social work practice.

Historical Development of Social Work

The exact time and place the social work profession began is difficult to ascertain (McPhail, 2004). Some trace the professional evolution of social work in the West to the second half of the nineteenth century when individuals, churches, and philanthropic and benevolent institutions engaged in activities aimed at bettering the conditions of the poor (Hugman, 1996; Kohs, 1966). Many believe the twentieth century marked the beginning and development of the profession. Social work first began as an activity by individuals who, in their own private capacities, offered aid and relief to the poor. Other groups and agencies engaged in these relief efforts, instituting interventions to help combat social problems such as poverty (Abrams & Curran, 2004; Dyeson, 2004; Healy, 2008; Jennissen & Lundy, 2005).

During the Victorian era in England, Samuel Barnett established the first settlement in 1884 at Toynbee Hall. The settlements were buildings where mostly poor and underprivileged people received assistance to alleviate the conditions of their poverty. The establishment of other settlements such as Women’s University Settlement at Southwark, Oxford House in Bethnal Green, and Mansfield House in Canning Town, all in England, followed later (Herrick, 2005; Webb, 2007). These settlements served many purposes, such as being a means of promoting the social integration of the poor and the rich. Later on, social reformers like Jane Adams, Lillian Wald, and Robert Woods replicated the concept of settlement houses in the United States, working primarily with impoverished populations (Herrick, 2005).

In Canada too, settlement houses were a feature of the earliest development of social work. Some of the settlement houses in Canada were Women’s University Settlement at McGill University, Montreal in 1891, and University Settlement at the University of Toronto in 1910. These houses were affiliated with universities, affording students opportunities to work with the poor as part of their education (Jennissen & Lundy, 2005). Religious beliefs and practices were fundamental to the development of social welfare services in ancient and early European societies such as Italy’s Rome and Victorian-era England (Kohs, 1966). In very much the same way, the motivation for the establishment of some of these settlements in Europe was religious (Webb, 2007). Similarly, in Canada, Christian ideals inspired the provision of social services and the models of practice adopted in the settlement houses (Graham, 2005; Jennissen & Lundy, 2005).

These early developments represented humanitarian efforts that preceded the formal profession of social work. Before the development of the profession (of social work), societies took responsibility for the welfare needs of their members. In ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Rome, some texts, scripts, and precepts underscored the need for practices that ensured the well-being of the populace. They included references to segments of the population such as the widowed and the orphaned (Kohs, 1966). Such societies developed systems and structures for the provision of the primary needs of their people (Austin, 1983; Garvin & Tropman, 1998).

In England, the Poor Laws, the Poor Law Reform of 1834, and the Royal Commission of 1909 attempted to regulate welfare services. For example, the English Poor Law of 1601 made the government responsible for the welfare of the poor. Prior to this, religious authorities mainly took responsibility for the care of the poor (Garvin & Tropman, 1998). The Poor Law Reform of 1834 resulted in the stigmatization of the poor. This law brought an end to existing systems for providing relief under which the poor could receive aid without having to be in institutional or residential settings (Garvin & Tropman, 1998, p. 7). The 1834 reform resulted in the creation of workhouses, places where those lacking a means of support and livelihood received aid, and the categorization of the poor into the deserving poor and the undeserving poor. At this time, citizens were blamed for their poverty; being poor and receiving public assistance was considered an admission of one’s failure. Further, being poor became synonymous with a low moral status and earned one a bad reputation (Garvin & Tropman, 1998).

In both England and the US, the emergence of the profession of social work is tied to the events and developments of this period. The efforts of the Charity Organization Society movement and an increase in the use of scientific methods by the settlement houses towards equipping people with skills were notable landmarks as they represented concerted efforts in dealing with social problems (Garvin & Tropman, 1998; Kohs, 1966).

Gender Roles within the Social Work Profession

In the early stages of the profession’s development, women performed most social work activities (Austin, 1983). However, the popularly presented view of social work as a female-dominated profession, with its co-founders being Jane Addams and Mary Richmond, is inaccurate (McPhail, 2004). Such presentations fail to take into account the complexities surrounding the development of the profession. Women were prominent in the founding of the profession, but they did not do it alone (McPhail, 2004).

For instance, in Canada the combined efforts of both men and women were critical to the profession’s development. The women mainly engaged in primary practice and the provision of services while the men played roles in policy development relevant to social work and social welfare (Jennissen & Lundy, 2005). In the history of Canadian social work, men often made their way into the social work field through other fields of study and academic disciplines such as economics and political science (Jennissen & Lundy, 2005). Such men generally secured positions in academic institutions, government agencies, and consultancies, and thus influenced practice through policy development (Jennissen & Lundy, 2005). These men often occupied managerial and leadership positions (McPhail, 2004).

Professionalization of Social Work

While social work practice has its roots in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, its professionalization happened later. It is worth noting that social work’s professional status has, at times, been the subject of contention (Weiss, Spiro, Sherer & Korin-Langer, 2004). The basis for this contention included factors such as the lack of a theoretical and knowledge base for practice and exclusivity in performing social services. Over time, this has changed as social work developed theoretical foundations for practice. Nevertheless, the level of professionalization varies from country to country (Weiss, Spiro, Sherer & Korin-Langer, 2004).

One prominent incident in social work’s early beginnings was when American Abraham Flexner in 1915 raised questions about the professional status of social work. Flexner, a prominent person in US medical education, stated at the National Conference on Charities and Correction that social work did not fully meet all the requirements needed to be classified as a profession. He compared social work to established professions such as medicine, law, and painting. As the assistant secretary to the General Education Board, his opinions commanded influence (Austin, 1983).

Developing modules for training people as social workers played an important role in establishing social work as a profession. In the 1890s, US leaders such as Anna Dawes and Mary Richmond raised the idea of the establishment of schools for people whose work was offering aid to the poor. This idea led to the creation of social work schools in Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and St. Louis at the beginning of the twentieth century (Stuart, 2005). In 1897, Mary Richmond, then the director of the Baltimore Charity Organization, called for an organized form of training (Austin, 1983). Subsequently, Edward Devine of the New York Charity Organization Society started a summer training program in 1898 for social work practitioners. Mary Richmond served as an instructor in Devine’s training program. This training program was actually a precursor to year-long social work training programs (Austin, 1983). Under the auspices of foundations such as the Rockefeller philanthropies, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Commonwealth Fund, the schools encouraged a scientific conceptualization of social problems (Stuart, 2005).

Another important landmark in the professionalization of US social work was the creation of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Formed in 1955 by a merger of seven US professional social work bodies, NASW formed another strong group which advocated for the professionalization and formal education of social workers. Despite these developments, research in social work education still remained a prominent issue because it was essential to establishing a strong knowledge base and keeping practitioners abreast of current trends. Doctorates in social work thus became increasingly popular in the US.

The first university social work class took place at New York’s Columbia University in 1898. In 1919, the Association of Training Schools of Professional Social Work was founded (Dyeson, 2004). The American Association of Schools of Social Work (ASSW), founded in 1921, initially made professional education the minimum requirement for social workers and subsequently made graduate education the requirement. In the South and Midwest US, educators formed the National Association of Schools of Social Administration (NASSA) which promoted undergraduate education (Stuart, 2005). These two associations, the ASSW and NASSA, merged to become the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) in 1952 (Stuart, 2005). CSWE aimed to set standards for the standardization and professionalization of social work education, a mission which it continues today.

The US Great Depression also had some effects on the social work profession’s historical development. The Great Depression was a socio-economic crisis that had a debilitating effect on various sectors of the economy and social life, placing a great strain on the production of goods and services. Beginning in 1929, it lasted through the 1930s (Crafts & Fearon, 2010; Graham, Hazarika & Narasimhan, 2011). During the Great Depression, welfare activities that used to be provided by charities and philanthropic organizations became government-regulated services. The US government then began to enact policies and develop structures to streamline welfare services and activities. One example of this is the US Social Security Act of 1935 which, in addition to offering federal assistance, regulated state programs regarding the provision of social services (Stuart, 2005). Under the Social S...

Índice

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Biographic Information of Authors
• 1. Introduction – International Practice Issues
• 2. Child Welfare
• 3. Couples Communication
• 4. Intimate Partner Violence
• 5. Family Conflict
• 6. Elder Care/Elder Populations
• 7. Changes in Caregivers
• 8. Adolescents
• 9. Substance Abuse
• 10. Concluding Remarks
• Index