Summary

The presentation aims to critically examine how Epistemic Violence manifests in Social Work education and how it can be transformed. Coloniality, as the central outcome of coloniality is a central feature in almost all aspects of modern life and relations and thereby impacts everyone directly and indirectly (Quijano, 2000). Our societies, which are based on this coloniality, are full of contradictions: on the one hand democracy is sought but on the other hand defiance against established ideas and systems are violently resisted (Paine, 2019) We want to outline and problematize the ways in which Epistemic Violence manifests itself in German academia, in particular through ideas, concepts and standards such as excellence, competition and fairness. We illustrate and critically unpack the structures which execute these ideas and thereby uncover the various forms of coloniality. We then consider some ideas for change that are based on alternative formulations of excellence, cooperation and justice to imagine our utopia. We attempt to confront these colonial continuities in their contemporary forms and attempt to expose, resist, and imagine transformative structures. We argue that these confrontations, resistances, and imaginations are part of the decolonization process. We also present some ideas to counter coloniality and enable access for other ways of knowing, being and thinking.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Coloniality, Decolonization, Epistemic Violence, Inclusion, Diversity, Access 

Summary

Despite the United Nations’ declaration that adequate housing is an inalienable right, colonial legacies continue to shape the approaches to land distribution and the conditions under which people live in Jamaica. The experience of colonisation produced institutions that maintain the unequal distribution of resources including access to land and adequate housing in Jamaica. The cultural, social, and economic practices during the colonial era, continue to impact the interaction among different groups of people and avenues available for meeting their basic needs. Socially and economically vulnerable groups experience insecure land tenure and are alienated from adequate housing options which contributes to the establishment and growth of squatter settlements. People living in these settlements are often stigmatised and experience discrimination which alienates them from the wider society and available resources, exposing them to multiple hazards and trapping them in a cycle of poverty.\ The existing literature on insecure land tenure and inadequate housing in Jamaica focuses on economic forces in the marketplace and the challenges associated with informal settlement without adequately addressing the historical, social, and political forces contributing to the vulnerabilities of the insecurely housed. This presentation will explore the issue of adequate housing for Jamaicans in the context of climate change and map pathways for inclusive action for addressing inadequate housing in Jamaica and mitigating the associated climate risks.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Climate Change, Environmental Social Work, Social Inclusion, Political Inclusion, Inadequate housing, Squatter Settlements, Resilience, \ Adaptation, Social Capital, Political Capital

Summary

For most of my personal and professional career, initially as a social work practitioner and the last 30+ years as a lecturer, “…homelessness has been something of a taboo in social work education, training and, as a result, practice” (Skelton, 2007; 2017). There has been a scarcity of meaningful attention in Northern Ireland afforded to this human rights issue, as evidenced historically by its apparent absence in social work academia. In response, I set about challenging and correcting this, seeking and securing the involvement of those in the housing, homelessness and social services; as well as involving those who were or had been homeless. Not only was this a unique educational and training experience, it was – by design - deeply respectful of the diversity people with ‘lived experience’ brought to ensuring the authenticity of what became known as the Annual Homelessness Awareness Panel Event, starting in 2006 and, in its various guises, still going! My presentation will outline what I did to establish this initiative, the ways I secured the substantive involvement of people who have / continue to have experience of being homeless, highlight the obstacles faced and how these were overcome, and how this work eventually contributed to policy and practice changes for social work at various, significant levels.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Homelessness, service user involvement, taboo, education, training, practice, obstacles, policy.

Summary

The reflections here registred form the study made in the reaserch project scope, named: “Pandemic repercussion on childhood and teenage years: nacional and international midia coverage” and has the goal to examine the difficulties and developments involving the attention to children and teenagers in the pandemic and post pandemic context. The analysis is based on three sources of information: first, the\  mídia coverage in the nacional (Brasil) digital environment in 2020, which has as reference the articles about Covid-19 pandemic and the relation with children, teenagers and their families, emphasizing the race, class and gender aspect. Considering the Technical notes UNICEF has released in 2020 and 2021, it has pointed matters such as the life of children and teenagers during and after the pandemic. And, as third source of information, there’s two documents made by the Brazilian Nacional Council of Children and Teenagers Rights (CONANDA), which are: “CONANDA’s recomendations to full protection of children and teenagers during the covid-19 pandemic” (2020) and the guiding text for the 12ª Nacional Conference of Children and Teenagers Rights (2022), in which both registered nacional data about the children and teenagers human rights violation in the brazilian pandemic and post pandemic context. In general, it is possible to highlight that the social isolation experienced by children, teenagers and their families has provoked major impacts on two diferente fields: the educational and health care. In the educational field, it goes to aspects of access to knowledge, as well as changes in the social life and the process of coliving in the school space. In the health matter, the mental health and the challenges in facing tradicional childhood diseases, that reappear by means of low indexes of vaccination during and after the covid-19 pandemic.\ \ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Covid-19, children, teenagers, pandemic, post pandemic, Brazil.

Summary

In most liberal welfare states, child protection legislation acknowledges the responsibilities of the State as a duty-bearer to uphold specific rights when meeting the care and protection needs of children and young people removed from their families and placed in out-of-home care (OOHC).  Despite this, the extant literature suggests that young people’s rights are not always realised nor are their needs always met by the statutory authority. Young people who leave their OOHC placement (foster, kinship or residential care) to stay in other, unapproved locations such as staying with friends or living on the streets, may face additional barriers to having their rights and needs met. This is because young people who ‘self-place’ in other, unapproved locations experience increased vulnerability including homelessness, exploitation and criminalisation. They are often disconnected from support and face barriers to accessing education, income support, and health care. In this paper we report on a subset of data from a qualitative study conducted in Queensland (Australia), that explored service responses to young people in OOHC who leave approved placements to stay elsewhere. We draw on data from interviews conducted with 17 practitioners from a specialist non-government support service. We present our findings about practitioner perspectives on the needs and rights of young people; and how the advocacy and direct practice of a specialist non-government service can overcome barriers and gaps in support provided by the statutory authority. We discuss the implications of these findings for inter-agency policy and practice between non-government and statutory authorities for upholding the rights and meeting the needs of young people who ‘self-place’ away from approved placements. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

young people, child protection, out-of-home care, rights and advocacy, service responses

Summary

The aim of the presentation is to investigate what educational goals, values and challenges can be identified in the institutional and foster care of the child protection system in Hungary. How professionals, children and young adults think about these values? It also examines whether differences can be discerned between the different types of institutions and foster care networks or whether there is a common set of educational values and goals in the Hungarian child protection system. Qualitative research findings show that, regardless of the background of the provider, structural problems, gaps in provision and services, and capacity problems significantly limit the professional toolbox with which educational work can be effective and diverse. This shortcoming is also felt by the youth, even though they are able to articulate the values that are most important to them and that define their personal values, as conveyed by the child protection system and the professionals working in it.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

child protection services, educational values and goals, challenges, professionals’ and young people’s perceptions\ 

Summary

Objective: Peer ​Support Service​​ has been defined as the process of giving and receiving nonprofessional, nonclinical assistance from individuals with similar conditions or circumstances, and providing supportive and reciprocal relationships to drug users in early recovery or addiction treatment. Prior research has focused how ​​peer support workers provide essential services, but the pros and cons to become a peer and precautions has not been formulated and fully explored.\ Method: This qualitative study explored the experience ​ as peer support workers​ of recovery support services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 peer support workers (11 male and 2 female). Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and ​​​​patterns inductively from the experiences of peer support workers.\ Result:​​Themes of the experiences of peer support workers had included three challenges: 1) powerlessness and frustration of establishing the ''Recovery Model'', 2) crisis of semi-professional, craving and lower self-efficacy, 3) skepticism from other professional ​​providers and people who use peer support service. To face the crisis of relapse, participants had been able to overcome the crisis with being supported by senior peers and regular supervision by ​​professional service provider (eg. social worker or counselor). ​​Patterns of peer support workers had included three findings: 1) the relapse crisis in the period of Peer Support Service for male and female peer support workers, had showed different coping and past trauma issues, 2) gender sensitivity is important when matching senior peers, 3) one-on-one regular supervision by ​professional ​​providers is more appropriate.\ Conclusion: Peer Support Service for workers have decrease stigma, bring hope and maintain recovery, meanwhile, they face ''side effect'' of providing Peer Support Service. This study highlighted senior peers support and regular supervision play key roles to monitor and emphasize widespread empirical research and practical perspective of the Peer Support Service of training and supervision are needed.

Keywords (separate with commas)

peer support , drug user, supervision, semi-professional

Summary

The goal of green social work is to help meet the needs of people holistically and sustainably without exploiting humankind, the physical environment, and flora and fauna. This article is a literature review that describes the issue of water pollution caused by mining activities in Ghana as a human right, social and environmental justice issue. It further explores the historical roots of the problem and its impact on minority groups. The adoption of a participatory framework, water conservation methods, the creation of artificial wetlands and the use of biosurfactants have been identified as sustainable solutions to the problem. Green social work which also involves partnership between key stakeholders of an issue and the adoption of green mining technology is economically and environmentally just as these will keep the already existing mining jobs for the people of Ghana, create new jobs, promote economic growth in the country and subsequently contribute to the attainment of the goals 6 (clean water and sanitation), \ 3 (good health and wellbeing) and16 (peace, justice and strong institution) of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Keywords (separate with commas)

Water pollution, Artisanal Mining, Social Justice, Green Social Work, Participatory Framework

Summary

As a social work practitioner and educator I am interested in the synergies garnered in multiple spaces, through drawing on an \ intersectional feminist social work lens. \ This lens provides a fluid space for understanding emerging identities. Working in both social work education and in perinatal mental health social work practice, I have an opportunity to support students and new parents in exploring their identities and how these are built around heteronormative, cis gendered understandings. \ I will explore the way in which I draw on intersectional feminist social work theory to inform both my teaching pedagogy and mental health social work practice and how this frame creates an intentional space of fluidity, necessary for learning, transitioning and \ growing.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

intersectional feminism, perinatal mental health, motherhood, parenting, LGBTIQ, emerging social workers, women.\ 

Summary

Social work is closely intertwined with formal and informal policy processes, and social workers are, in line with the global definition of social work as well as national codes of ethics, urged to act as policy actors on diverse levels. One possible way to do so is to hold elected political office. This quantitative cross-sectional study explores the intention of 92 Swiss social workers to hold elected political office and uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to identify factors that influence their intention. The findings show that social workers rate their intention to hold elected political office as moderate. Their intention is strongly influenced by the TPB’s core factors – attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control – as well as by age and caregiving obligations. Based on the study’s findings this paper suggests possible strategies to further strengthen the policy role of social workers by specifically addressing social work education.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Social work, policy engagement, policy practice, holding elected political office

Summary

In the field of child and youth care research, our understanding of the living conditions of young people in care is limited. Specifically, previous research has overlooked the fact that many young people in residential care may have multiple residences, in addition to their placement. To fill this gap, the objective of this research is to examine the living arrangements and evaluations of (multiple) residences by young individuals in residential care.\\\\ Therefore, the following research questions were addressed: (1) What specific living arrangements do young people in residential care have? (2) How do they evaluate their place(s) of residence in terms of emotional, physical and activity dimensions? (3) How do the various residential settings differ in the perspective of the young people? Drawing on a quantitative research design, young people living in residential care settings in Switzerland were invited to participate in an online survey. The final sample consisted of 563 young people from 90 different organizations and 15 cantons. \\\\ The results show that only 17 percent of respondents live exclusively in a residential care facility. 45 percent live in one additional place, and another 38 percent live in two or more additional places (e.g., with parents or friends). While the ratings of their places of residence varied significantly by location, residential care facilities were rated lowest on all three emotional, physical, and activity dimensions. The study's results show that many young people, particularly those living in residential care, do feel attached to multiple places of residence. Therefore, in order to better identify and address the different types of disadvantages faced by young people in residential care, the findings can provide suggestions for improving residential care services as a specific place of residence. Our conclusion will discuss further implications for both research and practice in the field of out-of-home care.

Keywords (separate with commas)

young people, social work residential care, out-of-home placements, personal life, living arrangements, places of residence, place attachment

Summary

There is an urgent need to increase social inclusion of postsecondary faculty with disabilities through structurally-based accessibility. In this paper, two disabled social work faculty from a Canadian university conclude that their social exclusion is inevitable under systemic neoliberalist priorities of individualism, efficiency, and productivity. We engage in a systems analysis of how educational institutions, namely universities, engage in practices and processes of social exclusion of disabled faculty through neoliberalist ideologies, institutional policies and practices. Using an auto-ethnographic case study method, guided by an intersectional and disability justice theoretical framing, the authors challenge the ahistorical and non-relational tendencies of neoliberalism in its many forms. Using lived experience as data, the authors elucidate strategies to promote social inclusion aimed at universities and the institution of social work. We advocate for change at the structural level for the social work profession through related regulatory bodies and associations (OASW, OCSWSSW, and CASWE). Neoliberalist priorities underlying government funding for universities institutions are inherently ableist and hence antithetical to social inclusion for persons with disabilities.Disability, social work, faculty

Keywords (separate with commas)

Disability, Social Work, Faculty, Social Inclusion

Summary

An emerging Queer Liberation Theory (QLT) provides a framework to awaken a long-dormant Queer liberation movement. With insights gained from the structural focus of the north American movement of the 1960s and 1970s, QLT recognizes and celebrates diverse sexual orientations and gender identities/expression, including essentialist identities such as gay, lesbian, and trans. By bringing together members of the Queer community with those of intersectional social movements at a two-day symposium, our goal was to: (1) Expand QLT as a means for the Queer movement to progress beyond identity formation and return to its liberationist roots, and, (2) Gain insight as to QLT’s potential as a practical framework to build solidarity and reawaken the dormant Canadian Queer movement.Three QLT tenets were evaluated: anti-assimilationism, solidarity across social movements, and the political economy of queerness. The word “Queer” signals a more progressive, critical, sex-positive, anti-assimilationist, liberationist perspective, compared to the assimilationist perspective that strives to conform through respectability, acceptance, prestige, and monetary success, on capitalism’s terms. The second tenet, solidarity across movements, is an attempt to transcend the divisiveness of single-issue politics without sacrificing intersectionality. The political economy of queerness refers to a class analysis of structural inequalities. As intended, the symposium provided the opportunity to gather community insight to inform QLT through discussion. Discussions about the theory revealed five potential priorities for the continued development of the theory and for the movement. (1) Accessibility considerations, (2) Decolonizing community and activism, (3) Explicit analysis of power and structures, (4) Crediting and centring marginalized voices, concepts, and history, and (5) Practical applications and creating a platform for future generations. The implications of our preliminary findings will be shared regarding QLTs applicability as a framework for social workers and community activists seeking to encourage solidarity and mobilization.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Queer, Queer Liberation Theory, Social Movements

Summary

The Austrian enforcement of measures reserves the right to house mentally ill lawbreakers indefinitely in special institutions in order to be able to guarantee public safety. People with psychiatric illnesses are socially disadvantaged, but if a criminal offense is added to this, the stigmatization is further increased. In addition, the number of institutionalized persons with citizenship other than Austrian has been steadily increasing for years. Therefore, qualitative methods were used to explore whether and how the migration category influences the care, treatment and accommodation of clients in the Austrian prison system.The results of this exploratory survey using qualitative problem-centered interviews were then presented in focus groups and discussed with experts in the field of forensic social work. Based on these findings, concrete recommendations for measures were worked out, that should be implemented to be able to react adequately to the challenges that arise due to the category racialization - for the affected inmates but also for the social workers in the system.It is central to design the execution of measures in such a way that it meets the requirements of human rights. It must be ensured that racialized inmates have the same chances of release, rehabilitation and social participation.In the course of the paper presentation, the central findings of the study in relation to the question of human rights-compliant accommodation and care of racialized criminals with mental illnesses will be presented and discussed.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Austrian enforcement of measures, racialized inmates, critical migration research, qualitative research

Summary

Social work moves on contexts and operational methods steeped in empathy, so it can be called an empathic profession. In light of this, the social work profession can and must strike the right balance between governing empathy or being overwhelmed by it, risking becoming alternately too close-connected or, conversely, too fardisconnected. Findings: For social service students, learning to be able to "govern" empathy in professional practice represents a skill, a competency, that is indispensable to learn and acquire. Based on this problematic issue, through this research, we propose a reflection on professional practice in terms of applying models of professionalism. The underlying hypothesis of this research is: how can empathic subjectivity be combined with the professional competence of the social worker? Applications: To answer this research question, we involved, through an action-research, third-year (internship) students of the Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Messina, who observed and interviewed some social workers in their work context in postpandemic period. It was thus possible to highlight possible professional ideal types. From the results obtained, it was possible to detect three recurrent professional models of competence, based on empathy: close/connected; neutral/balanced; distant/disconnected.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Social work, Social work education, Social work practice, Qualitative Research, Skills teaching

Summary

This summary presents the work of social workers from the Santa Catarina Public Prosecutor's Office in the institutional programme called Juntos pelo SUAS - Sistema Único de Assistência Social\  (Together for the\  Unified Social Assistance System). The Federal Constitution of 1988 established the primacy of the State in the Brazilian Social Protection system aimed at the population in situations of socio-economic/cultural vulnerability. In this context, Social Assistance as a public policy and social right is part of the Social Security tripod. The Unified Social Assistance System, anchored in current regulations, is established from the perspective of political-administrative decentralisation, municipalisation, popular participation and co-funding between the spheres of government and civil society, requiring the Public Prosecutor's Office to ensure effective respect for established rights (art. 31, law 8.742/93). In this sense, "Juntos pelo SUAS" (Together for the Unified Social Assistance System), set out in the General Action Plan (2020-2021) of the Santa Catarina Public Prosecutor's Office, aims to provide the prosecutors' offices with a diagnosis of the social assistance policy in the municipalities that make up the districts, with suggestions aimed at resolving issues and strengthening social control actions and fostering intersectoral coordination actions, seeking to establish flows and protocols. In order to draw up the diagnosis, information is sought from public databases, together with a technical analysis carried out by social workers and trainees studying Social Work.\  As such, the theoretical-methodological perspective of Social Work is based on technical advice through the evaluation of public policies, which is a response to an institutional demand that is, at the same time, a demand from the SUAS user population to guarantee access to rights. Juntos pelo SUAS" (Together for SUAS) is, therefore, another important articulation tool between SUAS and the Justice System.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Social Service, Public Prosecutor's Office, Social Assistance Policy, Together for SUAS Programme, Justice System and Public Policies, Resolutive Action