Social work education: state of the art

In assessing the appropriateness of contemporary social work education to its context, the article assumes that social work practice and education must relate to its social reality. The article argues that, since the 1970s, that reality has changed in relation to the role of the welfare state, perceptions of economic growth and the independence of the state. As a result, the roles of civil society, the community and welfare personnel have changed, with implications for social work. At the same time, the earlier tendency of social work to avoid the major social issues of the day is no longer appropriate, and the article outlines five major issues needing to be addressed by social work. In conclusion, the article presents four options that social work education should, as a total profession, address, if the profession is to play the roles demanded of it by its contemporary social reality.     

论公民社会与社会工作——公民社会视角下的中国社会工作

回顾改革开放以来的几十年,中国正在由一个高度政治化的社会向一个多元化的公民社会演变,政府职能开始转变,民间社会从政治权力中逐渐分离出来,并显示了巨大的能量。大政府、小社会的政治格局正在发生变化,社会工作在这一背景下也在悄悄的改变。本文就是具体论述在这一转变之后,社会工作和公民社会间的关系。首先对公民社会中的社会工作进行宏观考察,分析公民社会下社会工作、国家权力和公民三者之间的关系。公民社会与社会工作之间存在互动的关系。两者之间相互影响,相互作用。社会工作对公民社会的作用有:社会工作为公民提供帮助,救助公民于危难之时;社会工作帮助公民解困;社会工作帮助公民更好地发展。公民社会对社会工作的作用:公民社会监督社会工作组织;公民社会监督和保护社会工作者;公民社会在经济上支持社会工作。     

社会工作与民政工作之辨析

在计划经济条件下,民政工作对社会的稳定发挥着重要的作用。随着社会不断的发展,民政工作急需改革,规范民政工作、加强社会工作成为当务之急。就民政工作与社会工作的关系而言,二者既有联系,又有区别,不同的地方比相同的地方更多。因此,既不能简单地把两者等同起来,也不能绝对地将二者分离。在现阶段,民政部门仍然是政府部门中承担主要社会工作的管理部门和服务部门,民政工作主要以社会救助和政权建设为主,而社会工作则主要以社会扶助和社会服务为主。     

过渡治理情境下的中国社会服务困境:基于Z市社会工作服务的研究

社会工作近十年来在创新社会治理的推动下发展迅速。本文将重点关注于社会服务组织的服务供给过程及其导致的社会服务困境。通过对治理情境的拓展分析,引入过渡治理情境概念,分析我国社会服务供给。在此情境下,本文以Z市家庭综合服务中心为例,围绕自由裁量权这一概念讨论社会服务组织的服务供给策略及其所导致的服务困境。在过渡治理情境中,消极的自由裁量权与社会工作的半专业化发展结合在一起,社会服务组织选择了“活动化”和“指标化”的服务供给,令社会服务处于创新和碎片化之间,而导致社会服务陷入困境。社会服务困境根源的解决在于建立合作的治理情境、强化本土化社工专业力量以及充分发挥第三方的社会服务供给效力。     

The sub-structure and subjectivity construction of social work development in China

ABSTRACT

Under the structural changes during the reform and opening-up, social work education has been re-established for 30-year in China with the efforts from different actors. It develops rapidly, and even the effects may be unbalanced. As the re-established subject and career, social work education and practice are sub-structures in nature. Their developments are affected strongly by the economic-social transformation and political system. The process is a sub-structural development. The re-establishment of social work is a process of multi-subjects construction: It is led by government policies while the government and academic groups collaborate for it. The groups of social work educators and practitioners facilitate the process. The overseas academic groups support and cooperate for it. These actors facilitate the development of social work education and profession. The social work develops the path with its characteristics. It is compatible with reform and development. The reflection on professional development is also be required.     

Personal reflections on 30 years of social work development in China

ABSTRACT

China has developed modern social work over the past 30 years, introducing new theories and models of good practice that have been drawn from diverse parts of globe. It has also made extensive contributions to disaster interventions based on its engagement in numerous calamities that have affected the population in China, including the devastating Wenchuan earthquake of 2008. More recently, its dynamic leaders have supported the development of social work in other Asian countries. I have been privileged to have developed a long-standing relationship with China, its culture and its history for many decades, even before I became a social worker. My social work colleagues have honoured me by strengthening this interest by providing many opportunities to walk alongside them. This article considers my personal reflections on a profession’s development through momentous world events, and China rightly deserves to celebrate its 30 years of growth and development.     

The impact of social transformation on the non-government welfare sector and the social work profession

This article examines changes to non-government social welfare, their impact on service delivery and on the social work profession. To redress the legacy of the past and the consequent inequalities in social welfare, in the first decade of democracy the government allocated the bulk of its welfare resources to transforming the social security system at the expense of social service delivery. As a result, South Africa has a costly social security budget with social services on the brink of collapse, leaving social workers and other social service professionals with low morale in the face of the huge challenge of providing welfare services with scarce resources, especially in the non-government sector. Nevertheless, social work remains an important role player in social development. From its marginalised position in the first decade of democracy, in the second decade it is repositioning itself as a recognised contributor to reconstruction and development in South Africa.     

Revitalization of social work in China: the significance of human agency in institutional transformation and structural change

Drastic economic and social transition, emerging social problems, and emphasis of the Chinese government on social harmony as a national policy have created ample opportunities for the development of social work as a profession in the Chinese mainland1 1. In this paper, China refers to the Chinese mainland. in recent years. Besides the phenomenal expansion of social work education, the Chinese government announced a series of national policy initiatives in 2006 to professionalize social work and to assess the professional standard of social welfare personnel. But these achievements would never be possible without the commitment, perseverance and active engagement of the social work community during the past two decades to foster the development of social work in China. In this paper, the authors will present the four stages of development which the social work profession has undergone in China, and will discuss the role of human agency in facilitating institutional transformation and structural change in the process. The active agency of members of the social work community, including educators, Civil Affairs officials, and front‐line practitioners to resist the domination of environmental constraints and to co‐construct a social work profession which is appropriate to the Chinese context will be presented.

近年来, 急剧的经济及社会转型、日益涌现的社会问题及中国政府将建立和谐社会作为国策, 使社会工作在中国成为一个专业获得了空前的机遇。 除了社会工作教育的惊人发展外, 中国政府于2006年宣布一系列创新的国家政策, 推动社会工作专业化以及对社会福利服务人员的职业水平进行专业评估。 然而, 如果没有社会工作社群在过去二十多年来的支持、坚持不懈及积极的参与, 努力地在中国发展社会工作, 这些成就将永远不可能实现。 在本文中, 作者将描述社会工作专业在中国的四个发展阶段, 以及讨论能动性在推动制度转型和结构变迁方面扮演的角色。 作者讨论了社会工作社群的不同成员的积极的能动性, 包括教育工作者, 民政部官员及一线工作者, 如何应对环境制约的支配影响及建构一个适合华人社会为背景的社会工作专业。     

论公民社会与社会工作——公民社会视角下的中国社会工作

回顾改革开放以来的几十年,中国正在由一个高度政治化的社会向一个多元化的公民社会演变,政府职能开始转变,民间社会从政治权力中逐渐分离出来,并显示了巨大的能量。大政府、小社会的政治格局正在发生变化,社会工作在这一背景下也在悄悄的改变。本文就是具体论述在这一转变之后,社会工作和公民社会间的关系。首先对公民社会中的社会工作进行宏观考察,分析公民社会下社会工作、国家权力和公民三者之间的关系。公民社会与社会工作之间存在互动的关系。两者之间相互影响,相互作用。社会工作对公民社会的作用有:社会工作为公民提供帮助,救助公民于危难之时;社会工作帮助公民解困;社会工作帮助公民更好地发展。公民社会对社会工作的作用:公民社会监督社会工作组织;公民社会监督和保护社会工作者;公民社会在经济上支持社会工作。     

Social work in Hong Kong – Western practice in a Chinese context

This article narrates the development of social work practice in Hong Kong during the last more than half a century. As in other British colonies, social work was first known as a profession in Hong Kong when Western international relief organizations established offices here after the end of World War II. While social work has always been seen as a Western introduction, both overseas and locally trained social workers in Hong Kong are conscious that they are practicing in a society with a strong tradition of Chinese culture and there is also a different view towards the concept of welfare. Other than examining how social workers in Hong Kong have adapted Western developed theories to the solution of local problems in a Chinese society, this article concludes with a discussion of the influence that social workers and social work educators in Hong Kong have made on the development of social work in mainland China.

本文叙述了半个多世纪前社会工作在香港的发展。 如同在其它英国殖民地一样， 当第二次世界大战结束后西方国际援助组织在香港成立办事处， 社会工作在香港才首度被视为一个专业。 社会工作通常被看作为由西方引进的产物， 在本地或海外受训的香港社会工作者均意识到他们在社区从事社会工作时， 有着强烈的中国文化传统， 同时对福利概念有着不同的观点。 除了研究香港社会工作者如何适用西方的成熟理论， 以解决在中国社会发生的本土问题外， 本文还讨论了香港社会工作者及社会工作教育工作者如何影响中国内地社会工作的发展。     

Deep Ecology's contributions to social work: A ten‐year retrospective

Besthorn FH. Deep Ecology's contributions to social work: A ten‐year retrospective In the last decade, a new generation of social workers have made great strides incorporating environmental awareness into their theoretical formulations and practice modalities. This is a welcome development for a profession often conspicuously absent in the emerging international consensus that Earth's capacity to support life is in deep trouble. Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, a few intrepid North American social workers began to raise the alarm concerning the scope and extent of environmental decline. Several social work scholars implored the profession to play a more active role in raising ecological awareness and take a seat at policy and practice forums debating environmental issues. Deep Ecology, founded by the late Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess, offers a comprehensive philosophical framework upon which social work might draw in the development of its conceptual orientations. This article examines the current manifestations of Deep Ecology as a philosophy and socio‐political movement. It briefly assesses the evolution of social work's nascent interest in the natural environmental, examines historical precursors influencing Deep Ecology, reviews several key concepts of Deep Ecology, discusses ongoing applications of deep ecological ideas to several disciplines and suggests how deep ecological ideas might help inform social work's understanding of social justice.     

社会管理的范围、价值与地位

虽然社会管理的任务已经从＂加强和改进＂上升到＂加强和创新＂,但是社会管理研究的基础性工作仍然是要认真探索社会管理的领域对象、核心价值和战略地位。弄清楚这一问题乃是发展社会管理理论和实践的基本前提。现代社会管理的领域是由民生社会、民间社会和公共事务社会所构成的,是一个处在发育中的人们生活的特定领域;当前社会管理的对象主要是民生社会、公民社会和公共事务社会中存在的问题、行为和利益。现代社会管理虽然与维持人类生活共同体的稳定和秩序密切相关,但是社会管理的核心价值取向应当是通过协调社会利益、规范社会行为、解决社会问题,以实现社会的公平和正义。在中国特殊的国情条件下,社会建设和社会管理已成为新的工作重心,已成为与经济建设同样重要的第一要务。     

Building state capacity for welfare governance: The pathway and development of child welfare system and social work in China

ABSTRACT

China’s dramatic socioeconomic transformation after the reform and opening up, coincided with changes in state-family relationship, has resulted in a large number of children at risk of care. In the past three decades, child welfare has been highly concerned by the government and society, and the child welfare system has substantially developed in the direction of establishing a moderately universal system. In this process, the development of child welfare and social work has shown a mutually reinforcing trend. This includes the professionalisation of child welfare services, the professional training of child welfare workers and the advancement of child welfare policies. The governance of child welfare is an essential component of national social governance. Its future development should be oriented towards a developmental and holistic approach of governance, and social work as an important institutional actor plays a critical role in promoting good governance of child welfare and beyond.     

The post-1994 transformation of social work in South Africa

This article examines the transformation of social work in South Africa in response to the transition to a developmental welfare approach. Always moulding and shaping itself in response to its social context, social work in South Africa, as elsewhere, is a reflection of the broader political landscape. In South Africa the social work profession has struggled to assert its independence and become self-regulating. It is unique in the Western world in that since 1978 it has been regulated by a legislatively constituted statutory council. While the profession has tried to transform itself in the new democracy, outside pressures have found it wanting and deeply divided. Thus, despite progress in other areas social workers have not yet been successful in forming a strong, united professional association and this severely limits its ability to lobby politicians and advocate on behalf of clients. It seems, however, that the tide is turning and social workers are gaining recognition but, once again, the challenge remains deciding on the extent to which the profession cooperates with the government's agenda for change. Social work educators took the lead in setting education standards in response to higher education policy and are also playing a part in devising practice standards through their involvement in the social work board which falls under the umbrella of the Council for Social Service Professions. However, education and practice are somewhat out of step and professional unity remains a pressing issue on social work's transformation agenda.     

Defining the profession? Exploring an international definition of social work in the China context

Global social work defies concise definition. In this article, the key terms of the definition of social work formulated by the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) are critically analysed. It is argued that this definition cannot claim to be 'universal' given the assumptions on which it is built and the rapidly changing global society in which social work is undertaken. This is demonstrated in the form of an analysis of social welfare provision and its implications for contemporary social work in China to assess whether the IFSW definition is applicable in this context. The conclusion is that the emerging aims and practice of social work in China are likely to be quite different from those in the West, and that the IFSW definition of social work has value as a point of reference rather than as a definitive definition or a statement of intent. Failure to recognise the limitations of a global definition risks ignoring the lived experience of social workers in China and those they work with.     

The Role of Family in Career Choices among Social Workers in China

Abstract

High turnover rate affects social work workforce development in China. Few empirical studies have been conducted to explore the factors that have influences on turnover intention among Chinese social workers. This study used data from China General Survey on Professional Social Workers to examine the influence of job satisfaction and family attitude on social workers’ career choices. The findings reveal that both job satisfaction and family’ attitude toward the profession have significant effects on social workers’ turnover intention. Family’s support or disapproval of the social work profession has moderate effect on the negative correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intention. The findings could be explained by the familyism culture of Chinese society and unique challenges of professional development experienced by social workers in China. Future studies should consider the influence of family to develop a more comprehensive research framework. Management in social service agencies should help family of social workers to learn and embrace the profession to gain their support of choosing social work as career.     

After the Handover in 1997

This paper analyzes the development of social welfare, social work education, and the social work profession against the background of Hong Kong's socio-economic and political development before and after the historic 1997 transfer of sovereignty. The change from a British colonial regime to China's Special Administrative Region has not changed Hong Kong's welfare regime, which provides the context in which the social work profession and education developed. The welfare sector has been increasingly subject to managerialist control by the government. Marketization in higher education in general has resulted in the proliferation of social work education programs. On the other hand, social work education has ventured new directions of development to face up with the challenges of increasing globalization.     

Historical development and characteristics of social work in today's China

Social work education has experienced three stages since its introduction to China in the 1920s: introduction, abolishment and reinstatement. Theoretically, there are four types of social work in China: official–educational, official–practical, voluntary–educational and voluntary–practical. In practice, all four types of social work have not necessarily been embodied in each developmental stage, and the order of their historical development is not the same as the order of their logical development; i.e. some types are lacking in some of the stages. Each type of social work has its own characteristics, which are integrated into each development stage. Today, Chinese social work faces two major interrelated tasks: the professionalisation and the institutionalisation of social work. The former refers to the development of standardisation in Chinese social work; the latter has to do with the development of the social welfare institution in general and the development of institutional welfare in particular. In general, the dramatic development in Chinese social work largely depends on the accomplishment of the two tasks.     

From Charity to Citizenship NPOs in Taiwan

This paper examines the historical formation of non-profit organizations (NPOs) in Taiwan. The charity discourse has been dominated among NPOs due to the Confucian and Buddhist traditions in the early twentieth century and reinforced by Western Christian charity organizations during the U.S. aid in the Cold War period. During the Nationalist government period, NPO was a means of social control for the so-called strongman authoritarian state. The political democratization since the mid 1980s has initiated a process of rapid expansion for the NPO sector as a sign for the emerging civil society. NPOs aimed at administrative advocacy and legislative lobby mark the birth of an autonomous civil society. These NPOs adopt citizenship discourse in their formation of group identity. Cases are presented and discussed to illustrate the particularity of each stage. As NPOs become significant players in public domain, the tension and struggle between civil society and state apparatus increase. The privatization strategy of social services by the state may have the effect of re-colonizing civil society.     

Unsettling the 'social' in social work: responses to asylum seeking children in Ireland

The ‘social’ context in which social work is located is becoming increasingly unsettled by emerging patterns of mobility. Mobility is constrained for many social work service users who are trapped within disadvantaged areas, while for others it has become a forced necessity to cross national boundaries and inhabit uncertain status in their nations of destination. This article explores the responses of the social work profession to children seeking asylum in the Republic of Ireland. These children's complex needs, produced by the conditions of mobility they have encountered and by the conditions of arrival/settlement in Ireland, force social work practice to be orientated beyond the boundaries of the national welfare state. In order to explore the varied responses of the social work profession in the Republic of Ireland to asylum seeking children, three different groups of children are considered: children seeking asylum who have been separated from their parents; children who are seeking asylum with their parent(s)/family; and young Irish citizens whose asylum seeking parents are in danger of being deported. It argues that the provision of appropriate services for these children requires the development of post‐national forms of social work practice.