Abstract
The importance of education as a change agent cannot be underestimated. It is through our social work educational programmes that we develop future leaders who will carry forth the mandates embodied in the Global Agenda and in the various declarations set forth by the United Nations and our own policy and standards documents. Social work education is a vital player in these efforts.
International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), through our regional associations and in collaboration with our current and new partners, will provide leadership for strong professional preparation to promote social justice and human rights.
As all you know, in 2004, the general assemblies of the IASSW and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) approved the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training. This document served as an aspirational guide, promoting excellence in social work education. As President of IASSW, I made the commitment to update this document due to the numerous and significant changes that occurred and influenced social work education and practice.
In 2014, the Global Definition of Social Work was updated through a joint initiative of the IASSW and IFSW, introducing important new elements. In 2018, the two organizations also approved a new Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles.
In 2015, world leaders at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda includes a set of 17 ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. These priorities must be included in the preparation of our students. Other aspects of the changing social work landscape critical for inclusion comprise decolonizing approaches and the indigenization process, which encompass recognition of local and indigenous knowledge in education and practice; the development of information technologies (IT) and the expansion of social work courses online; and the use of media in the social work practice, underlined by the pandemic, all areas that need to be considered and theorized.
At the first meeting I had as President of IASSW with the IFSW President and General Secretary, I proposed to activate a joint task force to commence the process of revising and updating the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training to reflect the contemporary realities of social work education and practice. After resolution of some issues, we finally agreed to form a task force led by Dixon Sookraj (IASSW) and Vassilios Ioakimidis (IFSW). As a result of a long and inclusive process of consultation and exploration of epistemological, political, ethical and cultural dilemmas, the work of the task force was completed and approved by the two organizations at their general assemblies in July 2020. The final document was launched on the IASSW website in November 2020 and is published in this issue of International Social Work (Ioakimidis and Sookraj, 2021).
The title of the document has retained both the terms ‘global’ and ‘standards’, as they are applicable to all schools of social work on a global level and represent a pointer towards something distinctive and ideal. Moreover, the differences of educational experience and policy framework different in parts of the world are recognized by an articulation between compulsory (those that all schools must adhere to) as foundational elements of social work education, and aspirational (those standards that schools should aspire to include when and where possible).
At the heart of the document is a strong orientation towards principles of social justice, human rights and decolonization, and the need for bridging the gap between education, research and practice.
IASSW is assuming an important role in implementing the Global Standards through different initiatives. As agreed with IFSW, we have created a website space where the document has been publicized. We have disseminated the text to all members through different media and invited members to engage in discussion aimed at examining critically the standards and the implications for education and training in their respective schools or countries. Specifically, they are requested to explore potential barriers, challenges and opportunities for implementing the standards within their own curricula. In February 2021, workshops will be organized during the International Social Work Education and Social Development online conference, a substitution for the Rimini event cancelled due to the pandemic.
In addition, IASSW has advanced important initiatives related to educational development.
The first, IASSW Programme Consultation, is aimed at promoting the development, expansion and excellence of social work education, in accordance with its mission and based on peer consultation, in the spirit of partnership with due attention to cultural, linguistic and other differences. This aspect is a fundamental ethical base for any consultation, as IASSW does not substitute for any national accreditation or licencing body. IASSW does not have the authority to validate any programme.
The IASSW role is of support and guidance to the schools in developing or revising social work curricula and educational programmes, following the Global Standards for the Education and Training of the Social Work Profession, the Definition of Social Work, the Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles and in the spirit of the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development: Commitment to Action.
Another important initiative is to support the creation of regional or sub-regional resource centres to develop and implement a regional strategy to provide high-quality capacity building programmes, lead region-relevant research projects and offer learning opportunities for academic staff and students in the social work arena. These centres become an important hub to support social work schools in implementing the Global Standards.
At the moment, IASSW has funded three resource centres:
In March 2016, the first IASSW RRC was launched in the China Social Work Research Centre, a collaboration between Peking and Hong Kong Polytechnic Universities;
In March 2017, the second IASSW RRC, the Social Work Regional Resource Centre of Oceania, was launched in New Zealand, as a result of a collaboration between Massey University (lead), Whitireia New Zealand, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Western Sydney University and the University of the South Pacific; and
In August 2019, the third IASSW RRC, the Nordic Baltic Regional Resource Centre, was launched. It represents a new and exciting network of university-based schools of social work and educators across Nordic and Baltic countries such as Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greenland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden.
A new call has been circulated, and we hope that new areas of the world will be involved.
I would like to conclude my report highlighting the Eileen Younghusband Memorial Lecture at the kick-off of the International Social Work Education and Social Development online conference held on 15 January 2021. Angelina Yuen-Tsang was selected as the Eileen Younghusband Lecturer for her commitment in the international dimension of social work education, recognized by her significant contribution to the development of social work education in China and Asia for over 40 years (Yuen-Tsang, 2021).
In this lecture, Prof. Yuen-Tsang discussed the centrality of hope to social work education and practice and the transformative power that it brings, consistent with professional standards, academic scholarship, and state-of-the-art practice skills while fostering an orientation of hope for the future good.
Reflecting on her 40-plus-year trajectory of hope and transformation in co-constructing social work education in China and on its implications on partnership relationships in international social work, she highlights the path to follow in implementing the Global Standards. The sharing of common hope and vision, genuine trust and respect for diversity, the use of dialogical approach and participatory action research processes, and the practice of humility by all parties involved are pivotal to the future development of international social work.
I invite you all to participate in the IASSW and International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) joint online conference on Human Relationship: Keys to Remaking Social Work for the Future from 16–18 March and 14–17 April 2021. You will find all the information on the IASSW website https://www.iassw-aiets.org/iswed2021/
I hope to meet you there!