Routledge Social Work in a Global Context: Issues and Challenges (Routledge Advances in Social Work)

Social Work in a Global Context engages with, and critically explores, key issues that inform social work practice around the world. Social work can take many forms, and is differently understood in different parts of the world. However, at base, it can be seen as a profession which strives to advance the causes of the vulnerable and marginalised with the aim of promoting social justice, equality, and human rights. This text provides examples of social work in a wide range of countries, informing our understanding of what social work is. It looks at how practice changes or stays the same, and at the impact of policy, as experienced by service users as well as by practitioners working in challenging circumstances. It also meaningfully reflects on the strengths and challenges that are enabled by diversity.Divided into four parts, this wide-ranging text discusses: - what social work means in four different countries -some examples of the impact social and political context can have on social work practice - how social workers see and work with the vulnerable - the future for social work, from disaster work to involving service users.Social Work in a Global Context is the first truly international book for all those interested in comparative and cross-cultural understandings of social work. Review The editors of this useful text on social work in an international context have brought together not only informative descriptive material from a number of countries and social work specialisms but also insightful analysis and reflections. These illustrate both the differences and the similarities in the practices and concepts of social work. The book makes a valuable contribution to the growing literature on local practice in a global environment.David N Jones, Past President, IFSWThis is a book not afraid to plunge into the dangerously overwhelming depth and breadth of the global agenda for social work. Its editors are right to have confidence in the empowering impact of their international compendium – the exhilaration of the boldly global sweep of some chapters alongside the fascination of the intricate national detailing of others. Every chapter reinforces that social work’s historic failings, its contemporary challenges and its future possibilities have to be understood in a global context. This is a rich addition to the library of a self-reflexive global social work.John Pinkerton, Professor of Child & Family Social Work, Queen’s University BelfastSocial Work in a Global Context: Issues and Challenges offers diverse perspectives on social work in a globalized context. Chapters span countries where social work has recently emerged and those with a long-established professional tradition, adding to the richness of the discussion. These carefully chosen examples demonstrate the central premise of the volume―that social work is both a global profession and one that is heavily influenced by local context. Readers will gain a sophisticated understanding of the complex impacts of global forces on social work. The volume is a most welcome addition to the professional literature.Lynne M. Healy, Ph.D., Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, University of Connecticut School of Social Work, West Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A. About the Author George Palattiyil, PhD is a Lecturer in Social Work at the School of Social and Political Science, and Deputy Director of Edinburgh India Institute at the University of Edinburgh. He is a qualified social worker and began his academic career in India. He later pursued a PhD in social work at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. His main research and teaching interests are in the area of individuals and families affected by HIV and AIDS, human rights, refugees and asylum seekers, older people and international social work and social development, along with a growing interest in the area of cross border reproductive services. Dina Sidhva, PhDis an Honorary