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ABSTRACT
This article describes and analyzes the process of designing and implementing a new social work curriculum in Chile, considering the many social-justice challenges and rapid changes that the country has experienced in recent years. At the center of this new curriculum, an innovative, pedagogical strategy called ‘Research and Development Nuclei’ seeks to address the 17 United Nations’ goals for sustainable development. This process involved social work students, faculty, agencies, and service users who worked collectively to generate a more inclusive and effective way to transform social problems in Chile and, potentially, other parts of Latin America. This article summarizes part of the history of the social work profession in Chile; describes some of the current characteristics of the social context, currently flagged by overlapped inequalities and high levels of mistrust toward institutions. In this context, we provide some examples of how the ‘Research and Development Nuclei’, our flagship innovation, are working to address some of the Global Goals as well as some shortcomings from the traditional way social work has been taught in the country. Finally, we discuss some limitations and challenges of this new model in order to consolidate its innovative character in social work education in Chile.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Guillermo Sanhueza
Guillermo Sanhueza is Doctor in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan. He currently works as Associate Professor of Social Work at Loyola University Chicago. His research and teaching areas are related to social reintegration, prison conditions, the role of prison officials in prison life, and the processes of returning to the community after confinement. He currently leads an international research and development project (Fondef IDeA # id21i10255) called “Integrated Management Prototype for Effective Social Reintegration”.
Teresa Matus Sepúlveda
Teresa Matus Sepúlveda is a Full Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Chile. She has a doctorate in Sociology from IUPERJ and a doctorate in Social Work from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Her line of research has to do with generating Social Innovation Prototypes, where two transversal axes stand out: putting innovation at the service of the public, generating contributions to knowledge about complex social processes. She has done so from a transdisciplinary approach, with the participation not only of academics from other faculties and universities, but also from the professional and managerial teams involved in programmatic lines. Since 2018, she coordinates the Nucleus of Effective Innovations in Public Policy. She has recently been elected as Dean for the College of Social Sciences at the University of Chile.
Jenny Moreno
Jenny Moreno is assistant professor of social work at the University of Concepcion. Her areas of expertise are disaster management & the role of social work during emergencies, community resilience, and the organization of spontaneous, volunteer work. She obtained her PhD from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.