The members of the IFSW- Latin America and the Caribbean Region, gathered in the municipality of Carolina, Puerto Rico on October 28th 2015, within the framework of the VI Regional Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean. In that meeting there was a discussion about the business group Excellentia – created by a Peruvian organisation that refers to itself as “WORLD SOCIAL WORK COUNCIL” which apparently organises events called WORLD SOCIAL WORK SUMMITS” which are totally misleading and inaccurate.
WE STATE THAT:
Our total rejection for this organisation and all its related events which are performed with a lack professional and academic legitimacy at both, regional and international levels. Also, we refuse the Transnational Commercialisation Social Work in all its forms and by any organisation or group that does not respect the existing professional and academic organisations of Social Work at the international and regional levels.
La decisión colectiva de las organizaciones presentes es la NO participación de nuestras organizaciones nacionales, regionales e internacionales del autodenominado “Consejo Mundial de Trabajo Social” ni de los eventos que organice el Grupo Excellentia como por ejemplo las denominadas “Cumbres Mundiales”, aconsejando a los trabajadores sociales miembros de nuestras organizaciones a no participar de los mismos, por entender que es una Organización Empresarial que busca confundir, engañar y lucrar con nuestra profesión y por considerar que va en contra de los principios Éticos del Trabajo Social.
The reached agreement by the different organisations present in the VI Regional Meeting of Latin America and the Caribbean is the non-participation of our national, regional and international organisations of the self-declared “WORLD SOCIAL WORK COUNCIL” or any of the events organised by the business group Excellentia, as for example, the so-called “WORLD SUMMITS”.
Therefore, we do advise the social workers members of our organisations to not participate in these events as we want our members to understand that Excellentia is a business organisation that seeks to confuse, deceive and profiting from our profession. This is an attitude that we cannot tolerate as it goes against the very basic ethical principles of Social Work.
The recognition as the only professional organisations, associations and professionals is the one collectively created within the framework of the historical process of organisation of the professional field, by the representatives of the various Associations, Councils, Schools and National Federations that are represented in the following international organisations: International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW), International Association of Schools of Social Work (AIETS), the International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) and in the following regional organisations: IFSW Latin America and the Caribbean Region, the Committee of Professional Organisations of the Social Work in Latin America and the Caribbean (COLACATS) and the Latin American Association of Teaching and Research in Social Work (ALAEITS).
We adhere in all its terms to the pronouncements already prepared among other by ALAEITS in Mazatlán, Mexico on 1st October 2015; and all the documents edited by the colleagues and organisations of Social work that share a similar perspective.
• Argentinian Federation of Professional Associations of Social Services (FAAPSS)
• Association of Social Assistants of Uruguay (ADASU)
• Federal Council of Social Services (CFESS), Brasil
• Chartered Institute of Social Workers of Chile
• Cuban Society of Health and Social Work (SOCUTRAS)
• Mexican Association of Social Workers A .C. – ATSMAC
• Dominican Association of Social Work Professionals (ADOTRASOP)
• Chartered Institue of Social Workers of Costa Rica
• Chartered Institue of Social Workers of Puerto Rico
• Colombian Federation of Social Workers
• Grenada Association of Professional Social Workers (GAPSW)
• Haitian Association of Social Workers (AHATRAS)
• Association of Social Workers of Panama
Supporting this statement:
• Ms. Jenny Linares Vera, Temporary President of the National Executive Council and the y el Chartered Institute of Social Workers of Peru (Region of Lima)