Global connectedness and sustainability in social work education and practice

1. Globalconnectedness and sustainability in social workeducation and practice Anna Metteri, anna.metteri@uta.fi Sinikka Forsman, sinikka.forsman@uta.fi University of Tampere, School of Social Sciences and Humanities

2. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Content • Introduction: global and local • Globalcollaborationthrough IASSW and IFSW • Preliminarythoughts of sustainability in social work

3. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Whyareglobalconnectionsimportant for social workeducation and practice? Whatdoyouthink?

4. Connecting the global to the local(Healy 2004) • How global economy influences local social problems? • Including colonial history • How local policies are being influenced by international policies and decisions? • Contextualisation of social work theories and methods • Creating solidarity across borders • Critical reflection on power relations across borders • Adressing majority – minority issues • From cultural sensitivity to solidarity

5. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 International Association of Schools of Social work, IASSW International Federation of Social Workers IFSW • Purpose and activities of the IASSW, see the home pagewww.iassw-aiets.org • Regionalassociationse.g. Association of Schools of Social Work in Africa, ASSWA • Subregionalassociationse.g. Nordic Association of Schools of Social Work • IFSW, regional and national associations • Shareddocuments: Social work definition, Ethicalprinciples, Globalstandards for social workeducation, Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development (otherpartners: ICSW and ICSD)

6. Social Dialogue • Freeonline magazine of social work, on IASSW home page • Articles on contemporary social issues • Social workerprofiles • News • Theme of the nextissue: Social workwithoutborders

7. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Global definition of the social work profession, and what it means in practice in different contexts • Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that • promotes social change and development, social cohesion, • and the empowermentand liberation of people. • Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. .

8. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Global definition of the social work profession • Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledges, • social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing

9. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Ethicalprinciples in social work • Ethical awareness is a fundamental part of the professional practice of social workers. • Their ability and commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of the quality of the service offered to those who use social work services.  • Some ethical challenges and problems facing social workers are specific to particular countries; others are common.

10. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Human rights, dignity and social Justice • Principles of human rights, dignityand social justice are crucial values in social work. • Various UN declarations and conventions on human rights are relevant to social work. • Universal Declaration of Human Rights • The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights • The International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights • The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women • The Convention on the Rights of the Child • Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (ILO convention 169)

11. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Globallyorientedfuturesocialworkers • Social workprofessionalsneed the skills to respond to ever-ingreasingglobal social and environmentalchallenges (e.g. migration, wars and conflicts, environmental and naturaldisasters) • Social workersservevulnerable and oppressedpopulations

12. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 What is sustainability in social work?? Sustainable social workcontributes • to creatingvital and safecommunities, societies and environments for futuregenerations • to strenghteningparticipation of people in decisionmaking • to fosterdignity and respect for allpeoples (Global Agenda theme for 2014-2016)

13. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Ethicallysustainable social work • Ethically sustainable social work • means self-reflection, shared reflection and dialogue in communication. • accepts that all human beings make mistakes. • Ethically sustainable organization is transparent an open (not perfect). • Why ethical reflection is needed: • The loyalty of social workers is often in the middle of conflicting interests. • Social workers function both as helpers and controllers. • The conflicts between the duty of social workers to protect the interests of the people with whom they work and societal demands for efficiency and utility. • The resources in society are limited.

14. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Necessary social workskills in todaysworld • Social workersworkfrom ’person in environment’ –perspective, and theyneed to combineindividual and community/systemlevelapproach • Social workersneed to understand the interdependencebetweenpeople and theirsociocultural, economic, and physicalenvironments • Social workeducationshould help students to identitfyrootcauses of social problems, ratherthan to ’blame the victim’ • Social workeducationshould help students to see social inequality andpoverty as underlyingcauses of social problems and ecologicaldegradation

15. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Necessary social workskills … • Social workersshouldrecognizestrengths in diverse and oppressedgroups and harnesstheirpotential for action and empowerment • Social workeducationshould help students to developeability to demonstrateself-awareness of personalbias: e.g. racial, religiousorsocioeconomicprejudices and stereotypes

16. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Think of the threemostimportantchallengesfrom the perspective of sustainable social work in your country?

17. Metteri & Forsman 17.8.2015 Thankyou for your attention!