Social Work Education In Europe

This contributed volume provides an in-depth overview of current social and socio-political transformations in Europe and their effects on social work and its educational structures. It elucidates these transformations and structures at the individual level of ten different countries and goes on to elaborate a European perspective in this field. Readers gain insight into the variety in social work and its educational structures in Europe and, at the same time, readers receive starting points for the exchange of ideas, collaboration and further development in the individual countries and in Europe. The introduction outlines the current developments and challenges facing social work education in Europe, contextualizing the topics to be covered in the volume. Each chapter offers an individual country profile of social work, including an analysis of typical examples of different traditions of educational models for social work that, collectively, provide insight into an overall "European model of education for social work". The countries selected represent all parts of Europe: Finland Latvia Germany United Kingdom The Netherlands France Italy Croatia Romania Cyprus European Social Work Education: Traditions and Transformations is an essential resource – an up‐to‐date and differentiated inventory of social work education in Europe from a horizontal and vertical perspective – which describes fields of work and approaches that prepare students to practice social work, examines the degree of academization of the discipline and investigates its structures and conditions. Social workers and social work educators, researchers and practitioners will find this an engaging and useful text.

Global social work: crossing borders, blurring boundaries is a collection of ideas, debates and reflections on key issues concerning social work as a global profession, such as its theory, its curricula, its practice, its professional identity; its concern with human rights and social activism, and its future directions. Apart from emphasising the complexities of working and talking about social work across borders and cultures, the volume focuses on the curricula of social work programs from as many regions as possible to showcase what is being taught in various cultural, sociopolitical and regional contexts. Exploring the similarities and differences in social work education across many countries of the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, the book provides a reference point for moving the current social work discourse towards understanding the local and global context in its broader significance.

During recent decades a strong interest has grown in actively involving service users in social work education, research and policy development. Drawing on a major European Social Fund project, this book presents an overview of inspiring collaborative models that have proven their efficacy and sustainability. Contributions from service users, lecturers and researchers from across Europe provide detailed case studies of good practice, exploring the value framework behind the model and considering their added value from a user, teacher and student perspective. The book concludes with a series of reflective chapters, considering key issues and ethical dilemmas.

Walter Lorenz believes that social work has a vital role to play in promoting effective European integration. Social work can do much to help the development of a civil society that integrates cultural diversity and personal identity - above all, by confronting racism at all levels and by taking part in the transformation of welfare structures towards user-controlled services. Lorenz gives a descriptive view of the current state of social work in Europe, looking at the historical and conceptual origins of social work in different countries and showing how these account for differences in practice. He draws on the rich diversity of European social work traditions to inform readers about the variety of approaches across Europe, and to consider how social work will respond to the challenge of the 'New Europe'.

Über zwanzig AutorInnen aus elf Ländern stellen in dem englischsprachigen Band Beiträge zu Biografien von Pionierinnen der Sozialen Arbeit und zu ihrem Einfluss auf die Entwicklung von Organisationen und Strukturen der Wohlfahrtspflege vor.

How does social work keep its balance between the requirements of its clients and its role as agency of state and society? In the historical analyses from various countries international experts show, how social work has succeeded in keeping those conflicting demands at bay. The contributions look at the historical situations in Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, the Republic of Ireland, Russia, the former Soviet Union, Switzerland, and former Yugoslavia.

The publication takes account of the fundamental developments transforming social work in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century. A European standard of social work has already emerged, but models for future European social work are absent. Therefore the compendium gives an overview of the current transformation process for the first time, discusses the visible and invisible changes and maps out where social work is positioned in the emerging post-welfare states.