Should We Listen to Each Other? The Hazards of Cross-National Social Work? Dr. Siobhan E. Laird University of Sheffield

Introduction My own background Social worker in Northern Ireland Social work lecturer in Ghana Questioning of international social work

International Social Work? Does globalisation affect people similarly? Are social problems cross-national? Can we draw on good practice from abroad? Can we prepare students to work abroad? Can we prepare students to work locally with people affected by global problems? Can we internationalise the curriculum? Is social work an international profession?

Does globalisation affect people similarly?

Globalisation for Developing Countries Structural Adjustment Privatisation Liberalisation of markets Introduction of cost sharing for services Contraction of public sector De-industrialisation and export zones Charges for education and health care

Globalisation for Emergent Democracies Privatisation, de-regulation and economic dislocation Unemployment High inflation Loss of welfare safety-net Shift into the informal economy

Globalisation for Britain’s Minorities Globalisation of Communication Cheap travel Instantaneous communication Transnational families International communities Mass movement of people

Are Social Problems Cross-national? CountryChild malnutrition Pop. living below $2 a day Pop. no access to clean water Ghana25%78%27% Nigeria36%91%38% Zambia28%88%36%

Are Social Problems Cross-national? Country Child malnutrition Pop. living below $4 a day Rural pop. Russian Federation 13%53%27% Romania8%23%45% Albania32%----57%

Can we draw on good practice from abroad? Social Problems in Sub-Saharan Africa Absolute poverty High adult illiteracy Lack of employable skills Absence of services Rural-urban migration Impoverished public sector

Can we draw on good practice from abroad? Mass communication techniques Community mobilisation Group work with mixed ability Simultaneous levels of intervention Fundraising Project management Capacity building for grass-roots organisations

Can we draw on good practice from abroad?

Can we prepare students to work abroad? Africa Development studies Kinship systems Community organisation The moral economy Survival strategies Gender in development

Can we prepare students to work abroad? Emergent Democracies Livelihood systems of families Working children Exchange networks Rural-urban migration

Can we prepare students to work abroad?

Can we prepare students to work locally with people affected by global problems? United Kingdom The unemployed Economic migrants from the European Union Many people from ethnic communities Asylum seekers

Can we prepare students to work locally with people affected by global problems? To prepare students we must train them in:- Socio-economic intervention not only psycho-social approaches Cultural awareness not only anti-racist practice Working with communities not only with individuals and families Therapeutic work not only assessment, care planning and protection

Can we internationalise the curriculum? Values and ethics Knowledge base Theory Methods Skills

Is social work an international profession?

Conclusion: An Honest Dialogue Admission of our own constraints in training and practice in the United Kingdom Reflection on the narrowing of our own profession in the United Kingdom Recognition of what has been lost from our repertoire of methods in the United Kingdom Identification of the gaps in our own knowledge, theory and skills Embrace the challenge of new conceptions