Post Pandemic Welfare And Social Work

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a critical juncture in the development of the welfare state affirming its importance for its citizens’ economic, health and wellbeing, and safety, especially for its most vulnerable populations. It demonstrated that the crisis preparedness that is crucial for an effective protection of its citizens, the ultimate purpose of the welfare state, unquestionably exceeds the narrow horizon of a corporatised welfare industry with its singular focus on the maximisation of profit for the elites and cost containment for the government. Social workers need to engage with the contradictions and tensions that spring from underfunded welfare services and engage in the political struggle over a well-resourced welfare state. Contributors to this book take on this challenge. By tracing the various contradictions of the pandemic, the contributors reflect on new ways of thinking about welfare by exploring what to keep, what to challenge and what to change. By highlighting important challenges for a social justice-focused response as well as exploring the many challenges exposed by the pandemic facing social work for the coming decades, contributors critically outline pathways in social work that might contribute to the shaping of a less cruel and more capable welfare state. Using case-studies from Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia, Italy, Slovenia, Estonia, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Canada, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, China and the United States, the book features 19 chapters by leading experts. This book will be of interest to all social work scholars, students and practitioners, as well as those working in social policy and health more broadly.

This book explores a key phenomenon that has been accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis, namely, the crossroads at which social welfare professionals find themselves. This is a crossroads where, on the one hand, there is an accelerated digitalization process and a reorganization of social programs, while on the other hand, we are confronted by the basic challenge of designing social policies and their methods of evaluation, that is, the generation of robust data that will allow better evaluation of social projects and programs. Rigorously analyzing the crossroads at which social welfare programs find themselves and the new demands for the education of professionals involved in social welfare programs, several key issues can be discerned; • the theoretical debate surrounding the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the process of redefining globalization in which we are immersed. • the challenges to be met by welfare programs, and the good practices that are being implemented. • the key issue of how to generate more robust data in the field of social services and social protection. • how to increase the competencies of professionals through education in schools of social work. Providing 15 newly written chapters drawn from both the global north and the global south, it offers a set of recommendations to address the challenges of inequality and social inclusion in the coming years. It will be of interest to all academics, students and practitioners working in the fields of social work, social welfare and social development.

This book focusses on social work in the time of COVID-19. Social workers, their clients, and the organisations they represent have been affected by the pandemic in multiple ways. The pandemic and various efforts to curb the viral outbreak, such as face masks and lockdowns, have forced social workers to adapt to a ‘new normal’, launch new practices, mobilise social support and networks remotely, and above all, defend the most vulnerable populations. This requires an understanding of how social work and its clients are prepared for, capable to respond to, and further, to recover from a societal crisis and human disasters, like a coronavirus pandemic. Divided into three parts, it provides a wealth of knowledge related to social work in different local and cultural contexts during the period of the global pandemic. With experienced social work researchers across a diversity of settings, contexts, and research traditions, the book is reflective of the ‘glocal’ response of social work. Offering new perspectives on challenges social workers have faced in dealing with the pandemic, it makes critical and timely insights into the innovations and adaptations in social work responses, with a strong empirical basis. It will be of interest to all social work scholars, students, and practitioners.

This book identifies specific changes to bring U.S. social policy in accord with the Information Age of the 21st century, in contrast to the policy infrastructure of industrial America. Welfare State 3.0: Social Policy after the Pandemic acknowledges the existing social infrastructure, considers viable options, and provides supporting data to suggest social policy reform by four strategies: consolidating programs, harmonizing applications, expanding equity, and conducting experiments. The book favors discreet, poignant proposals of social programs. In 12 chapters, the text provides an analysis that honors past accomplishments, recognizes the influence of established stakeholders, and concedes program inadequacies, while plotting specific opportunities for policy improvement. In contrast to liberalism’s tendency toward idealism, the book adopts a realpolitik appreciation for social policy. Written by one of the most respected academics of U.S. social policy, this book will be required reading for all undergraduate and postgraduate students of social policy, social work, sociology, and U.S. politics more broadly.

The ?social safety net? created in Canada after World War II faced serious challenges from the early 1980s onwards. Neoliberal economic policies pursued by successive federal and provincial governments left many groups of people ? especially those in precarious work, women, racialized minorities, older individuals and Indigenous communities ? highly vulnerable and seriously under-protected. Social justice and full equality can come about only if systemic barriers such as these are acknowledged and completely eliminated. About This Edition This edition focuses on the transformative social policies and universal programs that are needed to promote personal and social well-being and ensure full equality of opportunity for all. Social workers at home and abroad are committed to building inclusive communities, promoting participatory democracy, fighting racism, and actively addressing the problems of economic sustainability, and climate change. The social work profession provides an excellent opportunity to join with health care professionals and others to bring about the fundamental changes necessary to ensure full inclusion, equity and social justice, and a safer and prosperous future.

As the world grapples with the complex impacts of COVID-19, this book provides an urgent critical exploration of how Social Work can and should respond to this global crisis. The book considers the ecological, epidemiological, ideological and political conditions which gave rise to the pandemic, before examining the ways that social work has responded in different nations across the Global North and Global South. This series of nation studies examine good practices and suggest new ways to renew and regenerate social work moving on from COVID-19. Contributors also reflect on the key themes that have emerged, including a rise in domestic violence and the ways that the pandemic has disproportionately affected those in working class and minority communities, exacerbating existing inequalities.

This handbook highlights innovative and affect-driven feminist dialogues that inspire social work practice, education, and research across the globe. The editors have gathered the many (at times silenced) feminist voices and their allies together in this book which reflects current and contested feminist landscapes through 52 chapters from leading feminist social work scholars from the many branches and movements of feminist thought and practice. The breadth and width of this collection encompasses work from diverse socio-political contexts across the globe including Central and South America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. The book is divided into six parts as follows: • Decoloniality, Indigeneity and Radical Theorising • Feminist Social Work in Fields of Practice • Academy and Feminist Research • The Politics of Care • Allyship, Profeminisms and Queer Perspectives • Social Movements, Engaging with the Environment and the More-than-Human The above sections present the diverse feminisms that have influenced social work which provides a range of engaging, informative and thought-provoking chapters. These chapters highlight that feminists still face the battle of working towards ending gender-based violence, discrimination, exploitation and oppression, and therefore it is urgent that we feature the many contemporary examples of activism, resistance, best practice and opportunities to emphasise the different ways feminisms remain central to social work knowledge and practice. It will be of interest to all scholars and students of social work and related disciplinary areas including the social and human sciences, global and social politics and policy, human rights, environmental and sustainability programmes, citizenship and women’s studies.

In the complex landscape of educational philosophy and policy, a difficult challenge arises — the entwined issues of racism and other demographic differences, and evolving education policies. Traditional historical accounts fall short of addressing the broader historical patterns that underscore these challenges, particularly their colonial legacy. The need for a fresh perspective becomes evident, one that transcends chronology and delves into the intricate dynamics shaping contemporary educational thought. History and Educational Philosophy for Social Justice and Human Rights emerges as a groundbreaking solution to this conundrum. Through a broad developmental and historical lens, the book provides a fresh perspective on the role of differences as the core, content, and subject of education. It advocates for cultural resistance and a permanent political struggle by political-cultural minorities and social movements, while also challenging public institutions, especially schools, to actively embrace and utilize differences in their foundational work. By engaging with the tensions and struggles around differences, the book contends that institutions can transform, becoming agents of positive change, and contributing to the foundation of an inclusive and participatory democracy. This book invites scholars and educators to not only understand the challenges but to actively participate in shaping a future where differences are not merely acknowledged but celebrated within the realms of education and society at large.