La formación profesional del Trabajo Social en Puerto Rico ante el contexto actual: Desafíos y posibilidades

Abstract

The socio-economic and political context that currently pervades our Puerto Rican society impacts the lives of all of us as citizens and human beings. An economic crisis that seems to have no resolution, precarious living conditions, human rights violations, among other realities that unfortunately characterize the reality we live in. All this has, as a backdrop, a neoliberal context that has been increasingly exacerbating the reality of people’s lives. As a profession and collective, social work has a commitment to the defense of fundamental rights and the denunciation of everything that implies their violation. However, both the profession and the collective are not exempt from being impacted by this neoliberal reality that threatens us. This reality, sometimes disguised, presents challenges to our professional work and to the achievement of the ethical-political project that we are trying to build in Puerto Rico. Inevitably, as a chain effect, the social work education and training processes are also crossed by that context. Recognizing this picture, the following article aims to encourage reflection on educational and professional training in social work. Subsequently, set out some of the challenges that the current context represents for higher education and professional formation. Finally, in the face of the discussion and analysis of these challenges, propose actions or alternatives that make it possible to sustain a professional formation that transcends the challenges we face in different areas of social work.