International Social Work Practice Research Articles

Teaching sustainable development goals and social development: a case study teaching method

ABSTRACT The social development perspective and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are central to international social work practice. SDGs and the social development perspective represent an intersection of multiple disciplinary paradigms. Thus, teaching SDGs and social development requires socialwork educators to use pedagogical approaches that provide a comprehensive understanding of real-life scenarios. Using case studies as a method of teaching has shown to improve student learning outcomes in sustainability education. Case studies offer students real-life scenarios to analyze and evaluate complex issues, and it equips students with the opportunity to explore and synthesize contextual factors and the interrelationships between SDGs. This article presents various case study formats in the classroom including written narratives, films, and guest speakers. We will discuss different types of case-study teaching strategies that can be used to improve learning outcomes in teaching SDGs and social development. This will include sustainability puzzles, iceberg, illustrative, and dialogue cases. The authors contextualize Case study teaching within a constructivist pedagogy that promotes critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving. Finally, we will discuss the potential implications of teaching SDGs and social development using case-studies on social work education.

Creating SPACE

Escalating conflicts, climate change, rising inequality, a global pandemic: Complex emergencies are leading to a reconfiguration of the world as we know it. Rapid flow of information allows increased visibility and understanding of the impact of these crises on the most vulnerable. Yet at the same time, marginalized communities are rendered invisible, and their fundamental human rights are being erased. In such contexts, providing a framework that engages communities and ensures that they are at the core of any capacity building endeavor is an important professional mandate for international social work and social development. This paper introduces the Strengths and Participation to Accomplish Capacity and Empowerment (SPACE) conceptual framework for capacity building and community engagement in international social work practice. This conceptual framework builds on both the strengths perspective and empowerment theories, and promotes a rights-based approach for international social work and social development. SPACE was first used to design and implement a training-of-trainers program in two communities in Guatemala. The training’s effectiveness in building capacity was evidenced by the impactful networks strengthened or developed as a result of the training in developing COVID-related responses. Further applications of this framework can improve international social work practice and advance rights-based approaches to sustainable development.

Challenges of International Social Work Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learnt from A Bilateral Collaborative Study

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on people’s lives around the world, has also affected international social work practice and research on social issues. This article explores how international social work research can draw lessons from bilateral research collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, an international collaborative research project was commenced to examine the practical experiences of social workers in Sri Lanka, with the overall purpose of contributing to development of socio-culturally relevant social work training. Trial semi-structured interviews were conducted using remote tools with five social workers in government or private organisations. The narratives of the interviewees were qualitatively analysed to identify their personal backgrounds of social work education and practice, their experiences of working during the pandemic and their perspectives and values as social workers. Lessons learnt were discussed focussing on the objectives and perspectives of the study, the preliminary arrangements for the research, the methods and considerations. In a context where it is important for social work researchers to promote international studies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides an example of a feasible international cooperative study.

Environmental Justice in the Case of the Chagos Marine Protected Area: Implications for International Social Work

Between the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the British government forcibly removed about 15,000 Chagossians from the Chagos Archipelago. Current legislation based on the declaration of the Chagos-Marine Protected Area (MPA) plays a crucial role in preventing the Chagossians from returning to their homeland. In this particular case study, the article aims to analyze discourses related to the establishment of the Chagos-MPA using an environmental justice framework, to consider the implications for international social work practice. Materials from court rulings, official government reports, and academic/journalist publications on the MPA, as well as from seven semi-structured interviews with key informants from three Chagossian communities based in Mauritius, Seychelles, and the United Kingdom were analyzed using ATLAS-ti 8.4 software. The main findings of the deductive critical discourse analysis are discussed concerning substantive, distributive, and procedural environmental justice for the Chagossian community (This term is used for referring different Chagossian communities from Mauritius, Seychelles, and the United Kingdom as a single homogenous group). This article calls for international social work interventions through transnational alliances between international organizations in challenging the socio-political forces that are having deleterious impacts upon the marginalized and disenfranchised populations and their biophysical environment.

Anti-imperialist Practice and Field Placements. A “Researcher/educator/practitioner” Model for International Social Work Practice

ABSTRACTIn this article, we argue for a model to develop a framework that includes international social work (ISW) as a specialization within the generalist social work curricula at the undergraduate level. The paradigm we call the researcher/educator/practitioner triad was used in the development of a framework for ISW training and field placements at the School of Social Work, Université of Montréal. It suggests starting with what we know best: our research, our teaching, and our practice. Drawing on our experience in action research with Palestinian women in refugee camps in Lebanon, and our practice, we discuss how our own experiences as researcher, educator and practitioner – and the lessons drawn from these experiences – are foundational to our model. Developed here are the three practice pillars that guide the development of an ISW program: 1) an anti-imperialist practice framework, 2) a committed and anti-oppressive practice perspective, and 3) a critical approach to practice.

Australian students going to the Pacific Islands: International social work placements and learning across Oceania

INTRODUCTION: This paper explores various issues pertinent to international social work practice, including its definition, how Western epistemologies affect international placements, barriers to effective placements and student motivations for undertaking practicum away from home. METHOD: Reviewed literature will be coupled with Australian student-participants’ evaluations of their experience in completing social work placements in Fiji and Samoa. FINDINGS: A new model of approaching Pacific social work across Oceania emerges from the study. Entitled Tanoa Ni Veiqaravi(Serving Bowl of Serving Others), this culturally nuanced framework integrates both Western and Pacific social work perspectives to support professional practice, policy development and research across the region.CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for the improvement of international field practice are offered.

Preparing international social work students to engage with unequal power relations

Global processes with their political, economic, social, and environmental implications have led to growing awareness of the need to train social workers for transnational/international practice. In this article, we propose a model to prepare students for the complexity of international social work practice in an arena characterized by unequal relations between the parties taking part on international social work training. Helms’ White and People of Color Racial Identity Model will serve to conceptualize the process that students go through in relation to themselves, the Other and sociopolitical realities while learning and training in international social work.

Migrating Qualifications: The Ethics of Recognition

As a contribution to theorising the field of international social work practice, this article explores the Australian approach to recognition of overseas qualifications for social workers. Recognition of qualifications across borders both enables and is constitutive of internationalised social work practice. Migration of social workers has previously been discussed with reference to portability of values, skills and knowledge across cultural contexts, and the ethical implications of social workers migrating from countries which need their services. Questions of professional recognition through skilled migration have received less scholarly attention, compounded by a lack of empirical data documenting trends and analysing international implications. In this article, information gathered from the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) provides a preliminary picture of recent migration of social workers to Australia. Critical analysis of the assumptions underlying the qualifications assessment process supports the conclusion that the current approach rests on an understanding of social work that risks excluding migrant social workers who ostensibly do not conform to the model of social work practice on which the assessment process is based, potentially excluding valuable contributions to internationalising practice through transnational migration.

An exploratory comparative study of perspectives on non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors among social work students in the United States, Greece, Cyprus, and Jordan: Implications for social work practice and education

There has been a call for cross-cultural research in the understanding of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of ethnicity and culture on the understanding of NSSI among social work students in the United States, Greece/Cyprus, and Jordan. A convenience sample of 438 social work students was used. Participants completed a 60-item questionnaire. Results revealed statistically significant differences in students’ knowledge and cultural beliefs about NSSI by country. This study makes a novel contribution to the exploration of cultural aspects of NSSI and has implications for international social work practice and education.

Political violence and mental health: Effects of neoliberalism and the role of international social work practice

Healing from political violence is not solely an individual project, but a communal process involving reclaiming collective action, trust, and efficacy. This article uses a case study from two Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank to examine how two trends central to neoliberalism, individualism, and the medicalization of inherently social and political problems, discount larger forces that affect risk and resilience, thereby undermining mental health recovery from political violence. Implications for international social work include utilizing ecosocial frameworks for research and practice, engaging in advocacy, and establishing agendas for mental health practice that emphasize individual and collective self-determination.

The power of sweet words: Local forms of intervention with war-affected women in rural Sierra Leone

During Sierra Leone’s civil war, women and girls experienced numerous forms of gender-based violence and gross human rights violations, which had profound implications both during and following the conflict. In the war’s aftermath, Sierra Leonean social workers provided crucial forms of support to war-affected women and girls. Drawing on in-depth interviews, this article explores local forms of social work assistance provided to women in the post-conflict period. The article examines the assistance provided, the techniques and approaches of local practitioners, and the perceived impact of the interventions. In examining these post-war interventions, we highlight the unique local approaches to practice, and their implications for international social work practice and research.

Sattareh Farman Farmaian

In 1958, a social revolution was started by Sattareh Farman Farmaian, who established the social work profession in Iran. Sattareh's far-reaching work had tremendous effects on the people of her country, even after she was forced into exile during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Sattareh was the founder and director of the Tehran School of Social Work, as well as the founder and executive director of both the Family Planning Association and Community Welfare Centers of Iran. This article includes excerpts from an interview with her that focus on her life work and lessons for contemporary international social work practice.

The Research Poem in International Social Work: Innovations in Qualitative Methodology

In this article, the authors explore the use of the research poem, a powerful method of qualitative research, in an international social work context. Using ethnographic poems as data, the authors demonstrate a method for creating research poems. They discuss potential strengths and limitations of this approach and explore implications for social research and international social work practice.