The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development started in 2010 when 3000 social work representatives and social development professionals came together to set the priorities for the profession until 2020. This significantly successful period of the Global Agenda has been an essential voice in proactively setting and fulfilling the Sustainable Developmental Goals, working towards more peaceful and just societies and strengthening the voice of the social work profession.
Now, the social work profession needs to examine new themes and processes to expand the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development for the years 2020 to 2030. From IFSW, we are launching a consultation process, where your input is essential to build a robust and inclusive Global Agenda that meets the real needs of all people. The consultation period will end in July 2020.
Please make your contributions to the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development 2020 – 2030 by filling in the comments box at the bottom of this page.
To see the reports of the Global Agenda from 2010 to 2018 please visit the IFSW Bookstore where you can download the reports for free. Below is a video message from the IFSW President Silvana Martinez and Secretary-General Rory Truell providing some examples of the success of the Global Agenda and inviting all people interested in the development of social work to participate in the consultation process. The video is subtitled in both Spanish and English.
Comments Section
Please leave any comments on your proposed Global Agenda themes for 2020 to 2030 and any suggestions for how to integrate the themes across the decade which also allows the Global Agenda process to effectively respond to any unforeseen social issues that may arise.
I am a social work student at Dalhousie University, Halifax. It is my pleasure to be part of a profession all over the world that advocate for social justice for the marginalized and oppressed in society and delivering care services to the social needs and well-being of people.
Amid all these, I am writing this with the most profound regret and a heavy heart to express my feeling about the continuous incidents that have taken over the helping profession and would be nice to address it in this world conference.
On October 25, 2019, a caseworker was stabbed by her 18 years old client in one of the Not for Profit agencies in Calgary, Alberta, that care for youth mental health illness. I have, in the past three years, heard about how workers lose their lives at work, trying to make ends meet as well as care for those that are in need.
I will be appreciative of this conference to address these occurrences in the helping profession, with high priority towards tightening the safety of workers, especially those in the front-line positions and a high-risk environment.
I am a student studying at Dalhousie University in the Bachelor of Social Work program. I am also a mother to two children through adoption, both of which have several disabilities including fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, autism, dwarfism, global developmental delay, anxiety disorder, and long histories of trauma. I believe that we are in a state of crisis when it comes to issues of ableism still entrenched in social work practices and services and that impact (dis)Abled individuals on a local and global level. Social workers must analyze the ways in which ableism is produced and practiced in society, the impact it has on their client’s daily lives, and how it complicates disability policy formation and implementation. They must critically analyze whether the policies they implement and practice from and the services they offer, meet the needs of their (dis)Abled clients, or further oppress them due to destructive and deeply embedded ableist habits. They must see the global ramifications of ableism and disableism, where so many children from less developed countries are placed in orphanages, or adult mental institutions because their disability deemed them as less valuable, or their families who loved them did not have the resources needed to meet their needs. Inclusion of (dis)Abled persons can be claimed, while ableism continues to enshrine itself in political discourse and social work practice, as evident in policy statements that link ‘ill’ and ‘treatment’ to (dis)Abled persons. Consider the countless instances of inspirational porn used in media, but also as a platform for fundraising in social services. Consider and figure out how to stop a global history and current-day reality of institutionalization, sterilization, segregation, criminalization and brutalization of (dis)Abled persons. Non-disabled social workers should be introspective about their non-disabled values and privileges, question social and political systems, and disability policy that appropriates a ‘tragic’ sense of disability. Consider how valuable themes concerned with ableism, disableism, and disabilities are in deconstructing attitudes on disability as an ‘anomaly to normalcy’. Consider the positive impact these themes could have on influencing services, supports, family, and culture(s), to better meet the needs of (dis)Abled persons, while at the same time ensuring their equal rights and freedoms in a seemingly non-disabled world.
I am a Social Work student currently working in the field as a Case Manager. A couple of areas of priority I would like to see addressed are the following:
1. Cultural Humility – Challenge our profession to go beyond the concept of Cultural Competency. As migration crises grow throughout the world, as Social Workers we must learn to challenge the systems that continue to oppress and that are designed by colonizers and oppressors.
2. Affordable Housing – A common theme in all areas of the world, gentrification and high housing costs are impacting our most vulnerable. How can social workers challenge our policy makers to develop culturally relevant affordable Housing Strategies. Policy makers need to listen to front line workers and maintain that front line lens in the development of policy and programming.
3. Mental health of practitioners and front line workers – To have a sustainable career in the field of Social Work, institutions must be more accommodating to the health needs of their own staff. This must begin early in our Social Work education. This could include financial support, self care integrated into curriculum, awareness of boundaries, additional mental health days etc. Our profession is constantly at risk for burn out – we must critically reflect on what is required and needed to sustain a career in social work.
I am a social work student and I have experiences working in the (dis)ability community with a focus on autism spectrum disorder. I believe it is important that the Global Agenda for Social Work consider themes rooted in interactions with neurodiverse and non-verbal communities. Those who are non-verbal are often omitted from conversations regarding appropriate, effective social work practices and tactics, which comprises additional barriers for this population. Contrary to common stereotypes, those who are neurodiverse and non-verbal can and do move through life independently, without constant support, and when they require a social worker it is important that the social work profession be competent to recognize and understand non-verbal behaviours and cues to truly meet a client where they are. It is important to foster and respect client wishes to proceed without added supports such as a translator, which might make clients feel that professionals do not understand their communication tactics.
I am a social work student in New Brunswick, Canada and greatly appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the IFSW’s consultations on setting the Global Social Work Agenda for 2020-2030. Given the profession’s commitment to promoting social justice, I believe that responding to the climate crisis should be one of the agenda’s themes.
It is difficult to deny the effects of human-made climate change. We are experiencing unprecedented global temperature increases, warming ocean temperatures, shrinking ice mass and decreased snow cover, rising sea levels, and more extreme weather events (NASA, 2019). It is also true that the negative consequences of these shifts are disproportionately affecting disadvantaged groups in our global community, resulting in even greater inequality both within and across countries (Islam & Winkel, 2017). For example, tasks that are considered ‘women’s work’ across many societies (e.g., gathering food, water, heating and cooking fuel) are becoming more difficult due to climate change’s effects; yet, women are constrained from contributing to climate change solutions by restricted land rights, and lack of access to financial resources and political decision-making. In Canada, Indigenous peoples are raising the alarm about climate change’s effects on the land they have inhabited since time immemorial, citing its impacts on wildfires, altered caribou migration patterns, and dwindling populations of other species (Kane, 2019). While Indigenous populations contribute the least to greenhouse gas globally, they are disproportionately impacted by climate change and constrained in their ability to respond by legal and institutional barriers (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Indigenous Peoples, n.d.).
There are important roles for social workers to play in responding to these issues as educators, advocates, community organizers, and researchers. The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare provides an excellent framework for social work involvement that includes: “mitigation (limiting actual environmental change), adaption (building coping capacity and resilience in advance of environmental change), and treatment (alleviating health, mental health, and other well-being impacts during or after an environment change crisis or event)” (Jackson, 2017). There is much work for us to do. I look forward to IFSW’s discussions on how we can contribute.
References
Islam, S. N., & Winkel, J. (2017). Climate change and social inequality. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2017/wp152_2017.pdf
IUCN. (2015). Gender and climate change: Strengthening climate action by promoting gender equality. Retrieved from https://www.iucn.org/sites/dev/files/import/downloads/gender_and_climate_change_issues_brief_cop21__04122015.pdf
Jackson, K. (2017). Climate change and public health: How social workers can advocate for environmental justice. Social Work Today, 17(6), 10-14.
Kane, L. (2019, March 14). Indigenous guardians raise the alarm on impact of climate change in Canada. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-indigenous-guardians-raise-the-alarm-on-impact-of-climate-change-in/
NASA. (2019). Global climate change: Vital signs of the planet. Retrieved from https://climate.nasa.gov/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Indigenous Peoples. (n.d.). Climate change. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/climate-change.html
I am a 3rd year Social Work Student at Dalhousie University via Distance Education. I have a few decades of work experience. Indigenous self-governance is an important aspect of reconciliation. I suggest a targeted effort to discern how self-governance functions in a colonial context with a specific focus in demonstrating how political theories can support this. Firstly however I would like to see Indigenous First Nations bring forward their own definitions of self-governance with a balance of participation from Indigenous people around the world. Can we clarify what self-governance is so that political argumentation can be brought forward to support it in a contextualized and contemporary context? I would like to see how spiritual beliefs and practices would be incorporated into this definition. Perhaps from this allyship could also be clarified.
Hi there! I am currently in the final year of completing my BSW degree and hope to move on to a MSW soon after. I also work with disadvantaged youth in a large urban city within Ontario, Canada. These youth are between 15-18 mostly, and struggle with homelessness, housing instabaility, mental health struggles, addictions, trauma and other barriers when it comes to living life. Amongst social workers and social services, I have noticed a trend. Social workers, and the profession are not seen as “anything much.” Replaceable even. We are often the first to go when it comes to budget cuts. We do so much for our clients, and yet it often goes unnoticed, unrecongiaed, and seemingly – unheard within broader society. I’m not saying we should have our faces plastered on magazines, or being given awards. I am, however, worried that without a change in how society views social workers and the roles they play within soceity as a whole – this current trend of disregard will continue. It is my hope social workers can find a way to make our voices heard.