Social work education in Cyprus: prospects and challenges in developing an indigenous character

ABSTRACT

The evolution of the social work education and welfare system in Cyprus is inextricably linked to the country’s recent turbulent history. Social Work in the Republic of Cyprus, although shaped by the country’s turbulent political past and present, is also influenced by Western theory as in many other countries in the Asian and African continent [Gray, M., & Fook, J. (2004). The quest for a universal social work: Some issues and implications, Social Work Education, 23(5), 625–644; Rankopo, M. J., & Hwedie, K. O. (2011). Globalization and culturally relevant social work: African perspectives on indigenization. International Social Work, 54(1), 137–147; Yip, K. S. (2007). Tensions and dilemmas of social work education in China. International Social Work, 50(1), 93–105]. In contrast with social welfare which has a long history (since late nineteenth century), social work education is still at an early stage of development in Cyprus. A non-surprising situation given that social work practice and education, in its early stages, is essentially a modernist Western invention which has a history of silencing marginal voices and importing, into diverse cultural contexts across the world, Western thinking primarily from the UK and the USA (Gray & Fook, 2004). However, if an indigenous social work character is to be developed in Cyprus, and a more distinctive identity with regard to the social work academic curricula is to be demonstrated, then Payne’s [(2001). Knowledge bases and knowledge biases in social work. Journal of Social Work, 1(2), 133–136] views on social work knowledge need further exploration.

Περίληψη

Το συγκεκριμένο άρθρο παρουσιάζει την ανάπτυξη της εκπαίδευσης στην κοινωνική εργασία στη Κύπρο. Γίνεται μια ιστορική αναδρομή της κοινωνικής πρόνοιας στη Κύπρο και πως αυτή επηρεάστηκε αλλά και επηρέασε την εκπαίδευση της κοινωνικής εργασίας στη τριτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση. Ειδικότερα γίνεται αναϕορά στη προσπάθεια δημιουργίας μιας γηγενούς ταυτότητας στη κοινωνική εργασία η οποία ξεκινάει από το 1974 εως σήμερα όπου συνεπικουρείται έντονα από την ανάπτυξη των πρώτων προγραμμάτων κοινωνικής εργασίας στη Κύπρο από το 2001. Το άρθρο αναϕέρει ότι η γηγενής κοινωνική εργασία στη Κύπρο στοχεύει στο να δημιουργήσει μια δική της ταυτότητα μέσα από την ανάπτυξη πανεπιστημιακών προγραμμάτων που να εκπαιδεύουν κοινωνικούς λειτουργούς με αρχές και αξίες της κοινωνικής εργασίας των δυτικών κοινωνιών αλλά και με στοιχεία που αποτελούν προϊόν της τοπικής έρευνας, της συνεργασίας με τοπικούς ϕορείς και την ανάπτυξη παρεμβάσεων που να λαμβάνουν υπόψιν τους τις τοπικές ανάγκες.

KEYWORDS:

• International social work
• professions
• practice/theory/methods
• social work education

Λέξεις κλειδιά:

• γηγεγονοποίηση κοινωνικής εργασίας
• κοινωνική πρόνοια
• εκπαίδευση στη κοινωνική εργασία

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Christos Panayiotopoulos is Associate Professor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health in Social Work and co-ordinator of the PhD in Social Work. He graduated from Manchester University, the School of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences. He has been teaching at University level since 2000. His main research interests lie on mental health policy and research and school interventions for children and parents through an interdisciplinary approach. He has published in international peer reviewed journals in the area of mental health and education and has written book chapters related to his research interests. He is a reviewer in international journals in mental health, social psychiatry and social work.

Dr Stefanos Spaneas is Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Nicosia and co-ordinator of Social Work Bachelors and Masters Programmes. He has worked in several areas in the management and delivery of social and welfare services, social justice, social inclusion, equality, research and policy development. He has participated in and also coordinated several research programmes funded by national and EU funds, for children, families and adults, as well as minorities. Currently, he is involved in projects related to migration, education, social inclusion, social entrepreneurship, special needs and gender equality. He has also published in journal papers and book chapters and presented in national, European and international conferences on related issues.

Professor Michael Kerfoot, Honorary Professor of Mental Health Studies, who has died aged 67, specialised in the prevention of suicide and self-harm among young people. He was professor of child and adolescent policy and research at the University of Manchester from 1996 until his retirement in 2008. A skilled practitioner, he was sought out as an expert adviser by local and national government. He published a number of papers on self-harm and suicide preventions and wrote books and chapters on child and adolescent mental health. His growing international reputation led to extensive involvement overseas, particularly in Ukraine, where he led a pioneering research project working with grassroots organisations providing support to street children. He was also a regular presenter of research papers at international conferences.

Notes

1 http://www.hqaa.gr/en/about.php