Bettmann JE,Jacques G and Frost CJ (eds),International social work practice: Case studies from a global context.

Reviewed by: Karen Lyons, London Metropolitan University, England

This book takes a novel and practical approach to introducing material about ‘international social work’ or rather about social work as it is practiced (or not in some cases) in different countries around the world. In this sense, it might better be described as a book about comparative social work. However, it presents some useful material (with a clear practice focus) of interest to anyone exploring, or engaged in, international social work (Healy, 2012).

The book consists of 10 chapters, including an introduction and conclusion, biographical information about the nearly 90 contributors and an index. The main chapters consist of a brief introduction and three case studies, each followed by information from two other countries about the incidence/prevalence of the type of case, policy context and social work response, exercises and references. The case studies, by authors from the US (13) and Botswana (11), are on topics corresponding to the competencies defined by the American Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) namely: child welfare; couples communication; intimate partner violence; family conflict; elder care; changes in caregivers (alternative care for children); adolescents; and substance abuse.

While the case studies themselves suggest that there are differences in what is deemed to be a problematic situation (all here are defined as being at the individual or family level), the responses indicate even wider variations in the national cultures within which social workers operate and the societal norms and values, as well as legal and policy contexts, which frame their practice. This is starkly illustrated in case studies which present issues related to domestic violence and to adolescent sexuality. For example, social workers may struggle to support abused women in patriarchal societies where, as in India, ‘women are taught to… keep silent about any kind of violence’ (p. 84) or in Mexico, where, according to the author’s anecdotal account, there is little recognition of the problem. The choice of authors from Mongolia to respond to a case study in this chapter also tended to illustrate lack of development in a fledgling social work service, rather than inviting the authors to comment on a different type of case which could have illustrated efforts being made, for example, in the field of school social work (Huxtable, Sottie, & Ulziitungalag, 2012).

In the chapter on adolescents, a (U.S. authored) case study on ‘A gay adolescent coming out’ poses problems for respondents from Ghana, since ‘Until 2006, many Ghanaians assumed that homosexuality did not exist…’ and ‘same gender sexual relations…run counter to the socio-cultural beliefs and values’ of the country (p. 196) with the result that the social worker sees the problem as one of adolescent confusion and considers her/his main focus as ‘to prevent Lydia embracing homosexuality’ (p. 199).

This case highlights the tensions around efforts at a global level to provide an international definition of social work (mentioned in the introductory chapter); and to promote an internationally agreed statement about ethics; and global standards for social work education (Hall, 2012). There was a place for discussion of both in this text. However, the editors do refer to other significant factors in the development of social work, such as the role of gender and the influence of colonialism.

In conclusion, although the aims of the book are to ‘educate social work practitioners around the world and address… questions about ‘similarities and differences in social work as practised in different countries’ (p. 10), this book is aimed primarily at students undertaking their social work qualifying programmes in the USA. The range of countries (49) from which examples are drawn is commendable (although the logic for the selection of case studies from Botswana or the choice of countries overall is not clearly stated) but the cases certainly raise some important questions, not least about cultural differences and the tensions between international social work ethics and local values.