If you are outside the UK and wish to send us an article, pictures or videos about social work in your country please email us by clicking here. We encourage contributions in the following languages: English, French, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Hindu/Tamil and Italian. Please also send a very brief abstract in English.

International Articles

In this section we aim to provide space for discussion around international social work, welfare and social justice.

SWAN at IASSW Conference 2010 in Hong Kong In September 2008, a group of social work academics and practitioners met up as part of the 3rd SWAN annual conference in Liverpool. This meeting included delegates from Greece, Spain, India, South Africa, Colombia, Japan, Canada and the United States.

The delegates discussed the condition of social work in their countries and highlighted the impact of neo-liberalism at an international level. More importantly, they agreed to facilitate a debate about the existing “resources of hope” and the promotion of social work practice engaged with social justice.

The main aspects of this debate include:
* The impact of neoliberalism, marketisation and managerialism on social work and social pedagogy
* The links between social work and social movements
*The importance and significance of local social work traditions
Occupation of Wisconsin Capitol Building, February 2011 * Alternative interpretations and practices of social work across the globe and how this affects our understandings of “international social work”
* Encouragement of an inclusive debate about the future direction of social work, involving social work academics, practitioners, students, service users and representative organisations (both professional and trade union).

We would like to continue this discussion on these webpages and encourage comments, articles, news, pictures and videos about the state of social work in your country. Please contact us by following the instructions at the top of this page.

Contributions are welcome in the following and other languages: English, French, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Hindu/Tamil and Italian. It would be useful if contributions are accompanied by a very brief abstract in English.

Critical and Radical Social Work journal

Critical and Radical Social Work is an exciting new journal that will promote debate and scholarship around a range of engaged social work themes. The journal publishes papers which seek to analyse and respond to issues, such as the impact of global neo-liberalism on social welfare; austerity and social work; social work and social movements; social work, inequality and oppression, and understanding and responding to global social problems (such as war, disasters and climate change).

Solidarity with Greece - Against the Athena Plan

SWAN supporters will be well aware of the decimation of Greek welfare and public services at large through the austerity policies demanded by the Troika. We have learnt from colleagues and comrades in SWAN Greece of new steps taken by the Greek Government against public education which have lead to the abolition of the Social Work Department in TEI of Patras. Please sign the petition at the link below:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/οχι-στο-κλεισιμο-του-τμηματοσ.html

Critical and Radical Social Work: An international journal

A new publication, Critical and Radical Social Work: An international journal, is being launched by Policy Press Journals in early 2013.

The journal is edited by Social Work Action Network (SWAN) steering committee members, Michael Lavalette, Associate Professor of Social Work, Liverpool Hope University and Iain Ferguson, Professor of Social Work and Social Policy, University of the West of Scotland. It will have two editions per year, usually each March and September.