The Practice Of International Social Work

The people in the world that we live in are extremely diverse, in terms of the nationalities, religions, gender classifications and physical abilities. Social workers must have a clear understanding of the consequences of diversity and difference and the mechanisms of oppression and discrimination as they relate to human development. The range of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds that social workers will practice in is huge. Because of this, social workers must have an understanding of the values and attitudes of a multitude of different cultures as well as an understanding of their own attitudes and

According to (Dulmus & Sowers, 2012, p.106), the history of social work is one of an old religiously grounded ethos of offering, aid and comfort. This shows that social work has been around for quite a long time, helping the unfortunate and it has developed more throughout these past centuries. The profession was largely shaped by Westerns idea and events. (Chenoweth &McAuliffe, 2015, p.32). The ideas and events included could have been war, poverty and other social reforms. That is when social welfare was needed to give aid and help solve these issues. Social work largely expanded in England in the 16th during the Elizabethan poor laws and later on in America between 17 and 18th century (Dulmus & Sowers, p.6). This essay is going to focus on how social work has evolved or changed for the better from the 1960s till present.

When working in a field of expertise the experts in that area need to know what defines that field. Social work, with its roots over a hundred years old, started out simply offering assistance to others, has grown and changed, and is currently reconnecting with its roots (Bisman, 2004). Bisman (2004) emphasizes the importance of being an advocate of justice and keeping the field focused on the “social” part of social work. This push to keep social work focused on the needs of others defines social work today. Social work focuses on providing aide to the needy and increasing awareness of those that are oppressed.

Contemporary social work within society has been defined by the LASSW (International Association of Social of Social Work) and IFSW (International Federation of Social Workers) as being "a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to

In 1889 Jane Adams along with Ellen Gates Starr, as the pioneer or "Mother" of social work opened the doors to Chicago's Hull House, which provided social services that included: child care; education in history, music, and mathematics; a library, employment assistance; as well as many others to immigrant communities in the city (NASW 60th Anniversary Interactive Timeline, 2016). Today, the philanthropic work of two women has become the field of social work, with thousands of professional social workers continuing the work they started. Like everything else, the field of social work has evolved over the years to to become a diverse and expanding field. According to the text “Social Work Values and Ethics” by Fredrick G. Reamer (2013), “at its infancy in the late

Gray, M., & Fook, J. (2004). The quest for a universal social work: Some issues and implications. Social Work Education, 23(5), 625-644.

Beyond undermining the importance of Indigenous world-views, this also justified a normative environment that further marginalised culturally diverse populations. It is against this background that cultural relativists would argue that, in its attempt to extend universalism, social work is a form of cultural imperialism, dependent on the disqualification of competing ‘false’ knowledges by the hegemonic assertion of Western social work knowledge as universal ‘truth’.

In retrospect, the authors speak on the importance of social workers and how they very needed. “The depression and the world war drew the profession back momentarily to social concerns and provided a social context for the emergence of social group work and community organization as social work specializations” (Specht &

Social workers have many different practices and approaches to draw on for work with individuals, families, communities and society as a whole. These approaches and techniques can be varied depending on the distinctive

As discussed by Williams & Bell (2015), the evolving identity of social work has been continually unclear among the general public and social workers themselves. Theoretically social work practice is thought to have abandoned its original ideals of community focus and collective betterment shifting its concentration to individualistic approaches. Since its inception, beginning with settlement houses and charity organizations in the 19th century, social work practice has endeavored for recognition as a profession in its own right not as a supplement to other professions in a secondary manner such as assisting doctors or lawyers etc.

The role of social workers in international scene has become more significant as their competencies become just as in demand. The proliferation of local social problems has spread internationally while globalization continuously changes every aspect of human life. For this reason, North America social workers must be alarmed if their current expertise matches with the demand of international concerns.

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) is a national association of educational programs and individuals that confirms and improves the quality of social work education to become a professional job. CSWE puts in a countless amount of effort to strive for this mission by setting up a bachelor's and master’s degree programs in social work. On the other hand, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership organization of professional social workers in the world, with approximately 132,000 members. To be more specific, NASW has a determination to intensify the maturity and developmental process of its members. The main goal is to retain professional standards and to create fair social policies. NASW progresses

“The unique contribution of the social work practice is the duality of the professions person and environment mandate: social workers must help society work better for the people and help people function better within society.” (Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner, 2016, p. 3).

Social Work is a discipline that can be a very rewarding experience for both the worker and the client. The practice involves working with individuals, families, or groups who are struggling to cope with life`s challenges. The social worker must combine his or her personal qualities, creative abilities, and social concerns with the professional knowledge in order to help client’s social functioning or prevent social problems from developing (Bradford W. Sheafor, 2008, p. 34). Social work practice seeks to promote human well-being, while addressing the processes by which individuals and groups are marginalized or diminished in their capacity to participate as citizens (Ian O'Connor, 2006, p. 1).

There have been implications on social work practice a result of globalisation. Due to a greater availability of rapid transport it has become easier to cross borders. This brings new social problems for the profession such as human trafficking and migration of asylum seekers and refugees from war torn countries, creating a greater demand on services. The Commonwealth of Australia report (2007) indicates that since civil war broke out in Sudan in 1956, nearly two million people have been displaced and two hundred thousand people have died.