The article Social assistance in times of pandemic is part of a collection of 25 texts written over the years by Professor Norberto Alayón, one of the leading intellectuals in the field of Latin American social work. The text presented was originally published in the book entitled Recapitulating: my contributions to Social Work (2022), under the Editorial Fundación La Hendija. It is reproduced with the permission of both the author and the publisher. Through this writing, Alayón, starting from the Argentine context, but with direct implications for the rest of the countries of our Latin America, reflects on the importance of recognizing assistance as a right, particularly given the effects that neoliberal capitalism has on the generation of poverty and inequality. In this way, the author raises the responsibility of the State in the repair of social problems, united with the search for a more dignified and humane society.

The population with functional diversity in Puerto Rico needs distinct attention, follow-up care, and specialized services. The twice-exceptional group is part of the functional diversity population, which are gifted people with functional diversity. Following this theme throughout the article, definitions will be utilized, public policies, newspapers, perspectives, recommendations, statistics, and human rights that are related to the functionally diverse population in Puerto Rico. This group is continuously growing on the island, their rights are not being upheld and the education services to this population is deteriorating. It is important to recognize the challenges this group experiences day by day and to find ways to offer them a good quality of life. In the discussion, there’s going to be a multicultural approach, anti-oppressive, and critique on behalf of the social workers in defense of this population.

This conference is part of the keynote presentations of the Annual Symposium of the College of Social Work Professionals of Puerto Rico. It aspires to approximate the different local, regional, and international views of clinical social work. For this, some milestones in the genesis and development of the clinical dimension will be reviewed. The aspiration is to locate the social, political, and economic context in which this specialized practice is exercised. The contextual analysis aims to critique clinical social work centered on the medical model as one that psychologizes the social question “cuestión social” and commodifies mental health outside of a rights approach. Anti-oppressive and counter-hegemonic methods and therapeutic approaches are proposed to develop professional work. Finally, the need to discuss this practice and create agreements that differentiate it from other mental health disciplines and provide it with a political-ethical identity is highlighted.

The objective of the article is to systematize the functions and skills that the social worker must possess for professional intervention from alternative means, and to illustrate the main processes implemented for the socioeconomic assessment of applicants to upper secondary education of the High School Academic Unit with Community Interaction of a University in the Southeast of the country, as a result of the epidemiological situation due to Covid-19, which leads to adjustments in the intervention considering the guidelines issued by international and governmental bodies. Therefore, this document is based on the methodological proposal of Castañeda (2014) that consists of: a) rescuing the context of the experience a); b) theoretical referents; c) methodological decisions; d) development of the analysis process for the purpose of systematization and e) reflections, learning and conclusions of the process. Among the results obtained from the systematization, it was found that the professional commitment of social workers, methodological rigor and their ethical principles is required, considering that these must be present in every intervention. The relevant functions during the project were planning, management, research and organization. To carry out these actions, it requires alignment with those sanitary measures, institutional regulations, characteristics of its users and, finally, the competencies of its professionals, which, in turn, requires constant updating and training.

Have been recognized the need to make social work professionals aware of including the analysis of environmental issues in their practice. Formal education is one way to achieve this. This article presents the design of the Social Work and Environmental Issues undergraduate course as an alternative to cultivate this awareness. The deep ecology perspective, social-environmental issue, and the transformative learning approach are described as the conceptual framework of the course. The application of this framework will be discussed based on the content, teaching techniques and assessment designed for the undergraduate course.

In this article, the problem concerning disability and the labor dimension will be analyzed, starting from the premise of shortcomings in terms of labor inclusion. For this, the current legislation and the theory regarding this problem as old as current will be taken into account. Unfortunately, the laws and public policies deployed by the State do not seem to reach if it is this same State that does not comply with its own regulations. The State puts people with disabilities at such a crossroads that it not only seems to violate their rights but also the very importance of the personal, professional and work development of people with disabilities. This recognition is essential to understand that people with disabilities have the right to marry, to own property, to work and not for this reason to stop being disabled, and they can fend for themselves to the best of their ability.

The article discusses the phenomenon of school exclusion from the conceptual perspective of coloniality. It analyzes the historical background of western education from its origins in Athens to the period in which both, the Spanish colonial regime and the United States government imposes their educational systems in Puerto Rico. Also, it critically analyzes the conceptual contrasts between school dropout and educational exclusion. Finally, it reflects on the contribution of decolonial perspective to social work.

When speaking of mental health, we cannot separate the human being from his or her community environment. It is important to recognize the history of the person receiving mental health services, in order to offer effective treatment. This article offers different definitions of the concept of mental health, as well as a description of the community mental health model and its historical development. In addition, we will contrast the medical or intervention model and the community approach to mental health.

This essay has as some of its references the critical social theory and the human rights framework, with a particular interest in health and mental health. In this paper, I will expose the framework of human rights and the right to health from international organizations, recognizing that there are various critics and debates about its conception. In addition, I will analyze the role of the neoliberal global agenda in human rights, including health and mental health, and its impact on the pathology and dehumanization of mental health. Finally, as a professional of social work and social researcher, I intend to share some reflections on the ethical-political role of the Academy in the defense of this human right.

This paper aims to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of colombian Social Work in the formulation and implementation of public policies for peacebuilcing from an interdisciplinary perespective. In the first instance, a brief conceptualization is made on the armed conflicto in Colombia, the peace agreement with FARC and the scope of the larrer. Subsequently, a brief conceptualization on interdiscplinarity, social policy and peace building is carried out. Finally, an analysis of the constributions from social Social Work and local participation to the implementation of the peace agreement is made.