Integrating the Global Agenda for Social Work Practice and Education

The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development, often called The ‘Global Agenda’, is described as a ‘flagship’ for social work, designed to enhance the visibility of the professions, and a common platform for the three global partners (IFSW, IASSW and ICSW 2020). It responds to the increased complexity of the ‘social’ world, particularly for vulnerable people and communities. It is designed to re-align the global social work professional community, together with social development professionals in finding creative, multi-faceted, pragmatic solutions to highly complex problems, both at individual and social levels. Tassé (2014, 283) states The Global Agenda recognises the ‘profoundly unjust, unfair and above all unsustainable social, economic and political system of the contemporary world’.

The Global Agenda is a product of collaboration between the IFSW, IASSW and ICSW (Jones and Truell 2012). The first Global Agenda ran from 2010 to 2020, focussing on four pillars—promoting social and economic equalities; promoting the dignity and worth of peoples; promoting environmental and community sustainability; and strengthening recognition of the importance of human relationships. The current Global Agenda (2020–2030) builds on the success of the previous Global Agenda in uniting social work educators, social workers, and social development practitioners across the globe (Campanini 2020). The consultation and development of its themes was 'interrupted' by the Covid 19 pandemic, an unprecedented global crisis which placed health and social care at the forefront of government agendas (Turner 2021). It has reinforced the importance of social work as a global profession, and the critical importance of social work collaboration to benefit all citizens.

The Global Agenda reflects the critical importance of social work in actively working with people, communities and social movements to develop, transform and to support thriving communities and societies, for people and the environment (IFSW, IASSW and ICSW 2020). This is seen as including the development of new social agreements as the implicit agreement between governments and the populations they serve, that facilitate universal rights, opportunities, freedom and sustainable well-being for all people nationally and globally. Social work and social development have a pivotal role in creating and advancing new spaces in creating, supporting, and in advancing new platforms and spaces for all people. The first theme, Ubuntu: Strengthening Social Solidarity and Global Connectedness, highlights collectivism and the importance of community culture and values. Its contribution to shaping social work practice and research as a view of the world shapes, thinking about the position of individuals, family, community, country, society, the environment, and spirituality (Chigangaidze et al. 2022; Mugumbate et al. 2023). The second theme—Co Building a New Eco-Social World Leaving No One Behind—moves forward and builds on Ubuntu to promote collective action to facilitate universal rights, opportunities, freedom, and sustainable well-being for all people nationally and globally, particularly between governments and citizens.

It reflects social work’s commitment to universal social protection, taking universal actions on ecological integrity, economic reform, international solidarity, employment, and work and State social protection. This is articulated in the ‘The People’s Charter for an Eco-Social World’ intended to be ‘a living document and reference point that will grow as the world’s populations share their solutions to our joint challenges, so all people can live with confidence, security, and peace in a sustainable world’ (Ioakimidis and Maglajlic 2022, 3073). Theme 3, ‘Respecting Diversity through Joint Social Action’ builds on the Peoples Charter for an Eco Social World and ‘recognises that change happens locally through our diverse leaderful communities’ (IFSW undated). The theme for 2024—Buen Vivir (‘living well’): Shared future for transformative change—calls for a synergy between local, and global expertise in taking action, and providing new ways to respond to the (global) crisis. The concept of Buen Vivir is founded on co-designing and co-building policies, practices and actions embedded in inclusion, intergenerational respect, and mutual understanding. Further it offers opportunities for co-creating conditions for peace, balanced development, upholding human rights, and sustainable development (Gerlach 2019; Godden 2021).

The Global Agenda recognises the professional and organisational value of sharing strategy and a common purpose (Jones and Truell 2012). It is a set of goals to strengthen social work’s profile globally and to enable social workers to make a stronger contribution to policy development (Jones and Truell 2012). It recognises the need to link social work education, practice and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into a single programme, while committing to promote wider partnerships, such as collaborations with the Social Work and Health Inequalities Network, and the Commonwealth Organisation for Social Work, as well as with service user organisations. Thus, The Global Agenda was designed to articulate a new and crucial vision for engagement, which can mobilise social workers, their representative organisations, and their partners in a new global context. It is a shared commitment to address poverty, inequality of opportunities and access to resources (Palattiyil et al. 2019).

The impact of past, present, and future global challenges has highlighted new realities for social work. These include the global economic crisis and recession, globalisation of economic systems, along with inequality within, and between nations, extensive human migratory movements, displaced people, the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, climate change, natural catastrophes and new forms of conflict and war, compel social work practitioners, educators, and social development professionals to find new ways of responding. The UN (United Nations Refugee Agency 2023, 7) has highlighted the impact of ‘poverty, inequality, hunger and rising unemployment; an uneven and uncertain global economic outlook; the escalating climate emergency; and conflicts… In every case, the poorest and most vulnerable people and communities are hit hardest.’

Further, it has shown time and again that economic policies considered in isolation from their social outcomes, can have dire consequences for poverty, employment, nutrition, health and education and social justice which, in turn, adversely affect long-term SDGs. The impact of colonialism and the predominance of white western cultural and epistemology bias of knowledge and practices is being challenged by social work practitioners and educators, to create dominant knowledge perspectives and practice models (Tusasiirwe 2023). This represents a real opportunity for re-positioning of the global social work profession, to ‘disrupt’ views of knowledge and practice particularly through the connectedness of the global and the local together.

The Global Agenda, developed in response to the increased global complexity in which we all live and work (Jones, Yuen, and Rollet 2008) is aimed at strengthening the profile and visibility of social work, creating new partnerships, boosting social workers’ confidence and enabling them to make a stronger contribution to policy and practice developments, and in facilitating and supporting change. The adoption of a new Global Definition of Social Work in July 2014, the updated Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles (2019) and the updates the Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training (2021) seeks to reinforce and reflect recent developments in global social work (Ioakimidis and Sookraj 2021). The philosophy underpinning The Global Agenda, takes account of the political and philosophical challenges and discourses and attempts to synthesise these different perspectives, illustrating the inclusiveness and maturation of social work. It supports an increase in partnerships between global and regional organisations, thereby helping to strengthen the diverse practice settings around the world and to create a dynamic interaction between global and regional strategies.

The link between the local and the global is a reality for social work in relation to the nature of social problems and in facilitating social change to the lived experiences of people that reflect and synthesis alternative way of ‘knowing’. Strengthening this ambition means turning the postcolonial lens on social work to use this knowledge to educate and to work in true partnership with indigenous knowledge holders and communities, to co-create new knowledge (Dittfeld 2020; Moss, Rowen, and Lee 2022). It involves working alongside communities to dismantle structures that create inequality and the destruction of the ‘helping’ practices of social work under the control of communities themselves (Fortier and Wong Hon-Sing 2019).

Creating a mutual desire for collective social work action is necessary if we are to support human rights and achieve social justice. The Global Agenda can act as a visible commitment of social work as a relevant, critical and change profession in ‘doing’ social work. Collaborative critical inquiry and reflective praxis will facilitate local and global connection and adaptation of perspectives to support change and innovative and practical action. There is a suggestion that social work has failed, for example, in making a significant contribution to addressing contemporary challenges like climate change and race and gender inequality (Maylea 2020). This is heavily contested and social work needs to tilt towards a more socially progressive direction, with a ‘collective commitment to socialist ethics and values, rooted in interdependence, mutual caring and solidarity’ (Garrett 2021, 1145).

Raniga and Zelnick (2014) conclude that The Global Agenda can act as a guiding principle for social work which connects local practice to global concerns, serving as a teaching tool. Firstly, to reflect analytically on the relevance of The Global Agenda for practice; secondly, to provide an opportunity to enhance students’ policy analysis skills, and thirdly, to generate opportunities for academics to research and network while strengthening their commitment to the training of future social workers as policy advocates and for research. Thus, social work education and practice, should be driven by critical reflection that helps social workers to question and analyse the different forces (such as poverty, injustice, discrimination and oppression) in society (Sheedy 2013; McInnes 2021), allowing the realisation of The Global Agenda into practice.

Social work is a complex, contingent process, rather than a functional activity (Barretti 2004). Further it is acknowledged that social work remains initiated and delivered locally ‘in terms of the raw stuff of inter-actions, plans, interventions and ethics’ (Webb 2003, 191). Social work education must value diversity in social work and in social work education whilst promoting its shared purpose. The Global Agenda can act as a guiding principle for social work education, which connects local practice to global concern with a commitment to action (Lombard 2015). Critical pedagogy provides a theoretical framework, underpinned by a commitment to critical reflective practice.

The Challenges for Social Work and Social Work Education

The global pandemic has had devastating individual, interpersonal and societal impacts, with social work playing a crucial role. It highlighted the ethical and practice-related challenges faced by social workers throughout the Covid-19 pandemic (Banks et al. 2020; Ashcroft et al. 2022; Harrikari et al. 2023). Social work education and practice had to adapt and make multiple changes, demonstrating the profession’s ability to be innovative and flexible. Allen, Gonzalez, and Sauer (2021) highlight the need to better understand the multiple roles of social work in a pandemic response and across other global disasters, including climate change. Moving forward requires ‘social work leaders and educators … to consider how we build upon the positive changes in the profession, while addressing the multiple challenges we have experienced’ (Allen, Gonzalez, and Sauer 2021, 6). The resurgence of populist, right-wing ideologies, as greater social control and strong support for native citizens combined with the demand for a reduction of welfare entitlements for non-natives, poses particular challenges for the fundamental principles of social work (Ife 2018; Noble and Ottmann 2018, 2020). This has been particularly directed at certain groups, for example, migrants.

Moreover, the impact of violence, conflict and war, have continued to forcibly displace people, with considerable threats to international peace and stability. Climate change has a considerable impact on peoples’ livelihoods, and a human crisis with many becoming ‘climate refugees’, forced to flee their homes as climate change has made it impossible to stay (United Nations Refugee Agency, undated). These global challenges have had a particular impact on low and middle impact countries (Clement et al. 2021; World Economic Forum 2023). Narratives about displaced people capitalize on racial and class fears, culturally ignorant stereotypes, and, ultimately, redirects the discussion away from the root of the problem. However, social work is central in highlighting those multiple intersecting forces, for example, political, social, economic and environmental, impact peoples’ lives.

Advancing The Global Agenda requires critical partnerships in addressing these global issues. Central to this are alliances with individuals, groups and communities. Shokane and Masoga (2023) recognise the importance of striking a balance between nomothetic (general) characteristics of knowledge and the importance of idiographic/indigenous perspectives, in understanding individuals in their unique contexts. Education for social work must address the knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours to address the complexity of human and global diversity for challenging inequality and exploitation and to promote equity and social justice. This has to be situated to reflect the importance of local and indigenous development of social work and address the value of global standards. As Levy, Okoye, and Ingram (2022, 4314) state: ‘A more inclusive approach is called for, one that creates space for the re-balancing and contextualising of different perspectives to support future social workers to be mobile, global minded and prepared for working with the complexities and richness of diverse social lives.’

The significant role for social workers to meet contemporary challenges requires critical thinkers; new challenges require social workers to explore new spaces. Lynch, Lathouras, and Forde (2021) identify core principles underpinning their (community development) pedagogy in advancing the conversations—being critical (in connecting theory, analysis and reflection); relational (building purposeful relationships with individual, groups and communities for social change); and connected (between the local and global). The Global Agenda seeks to further human rights and social justice in a global world, as a foundation for social work knowledge, practice and education. In meeting the challenges there has been a call for a new global social contract based on ‘solidarity, social cohesion and the need to work together’ (IFSW 2021, Online).

The Papers in This Special Issue

The International Commission of the Futures of Education (2021, 12) state: The ongoing cycle of knowledge creation that occurs through contest, dialogue and debate is what helps to coordinate action, produce scientific truths, and foment innovation. It is one of humanity’s most valuable, inexhaustible resources, and a key aspect of education. The papers in this special edition seek, in part to address this ambition. They highlight the need to do more than just survive in social work education and practice, we need to thrive, and collaboration is a tool to allow this. The papers in this special issue highlight and reflect on the importance of The Global Agenda and international collaborations in tackling human rights and social justice issues. Jones in his paper ‘The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development: A Conflicted Global Concept?’ sets the scene for this Special Edition by reflecting on the impact of The Global Agenda process and focusing on its relevance for social work practitioners and educators in the UK.

In their paper ‘Integrating the Global Agenda of Social Work and Social Development in the Republic of Cyprus,’ Pentaris, Christodoulou, Erotocritou, Parlalis, Hadjiharalambous and Hanna highlight the integration of The Global Agenda into the Cypriot context. The paper explores the challenges and barriers that social work in Cyprus faces in promoting the wellbeing and growth of communities, families, and individuals. With consideration to the many and rich initiatives toward increasing social solidarity, collaboration and community engagement, this paper makes suggestions to overcome the challenges that prevent social work from fully committing to the Global Agenda.

McBride, Graham, Mugyisha and McInnes in their paper ‘Practitioner Perspectives on Child Feeding in Uganda: Community Engagement through the Global Agenda’ discuss their collaborative research study which arose in response to the UN SDGs 2 and 3, which have amongst their targets an aim to eradicate preventable deaths in children under five years old. The research is founded on the aims of strengthening the social work profession through linkages between global challenges and local responses. It was essential to understand the views and experiences of social work and social development practitioners involved with child feeding practices. Through reflexive thematic analysis, they explored the views and experiences of practitioners working with the Uganda Red Cross Society. Three themes were developed from analysis of the data: Lifestyle Choices and Restrictions; Limited Resources and Facilities; and Knowledge and Education. A reflection on the challenges encountered and advancing international social work through engagement with The Global Agenda are therefore presented.

Acar, Çakar, Acar and Çiftçi in their paper ‘Contemporary Challenges Facing Social Work in Turkey: Would Global Agenda Be Relevant?’ focus on the effects of neoliberal policies on social work education and practice in Turkey and discuss the relevance and operationalisation of The Global Agenda in Turkish context. The thematic analysis of the qualitative data from focus group interviews held with social work academics and representatives of Turkish Association of Social Workers (TASW) reveal that the role of the profession has significantly been narrowed down; together with the degrading in the quality of social work education, professional values have considerably eroded and thus resulted in further deepening of the identity crisis of the social work profession in Turkey. The research findings also indicate relatively limited knowledge and recognition of The Global Agenda in Turkey. However, the GA is identified as potentially useful in dealing with local professional challenges. In this regard, the effective operationalisation of this in Turkey would be possible, with commitments of both social work educators through the curriculum, and engagement of professionals.

Childs, Mohamed, Pike, Muchiri, Bell, Dibo and Ndabarushimana present ‘Learning from Ikibiri and Ubuntu to Decolonise Social Work Research in Higher Education’ in which they explore the foundation of a joint research project between social work colleagues at Hope Africa University in Burundi, and Oxford Brookes University in the UK. They consider the destructive impact of colonialism on indigenous social work practices in Burundi setting out an argument for decolonisation of the social work curriculum both in Burundi and the UK. Drawing on the work of Mbembe and the traditional concepts of Ikibiri and Ubuntu, the paper sets out a framework for cross-cultural collaboration not dominated by western colonial ideas and works towards The Global Agenda. Potential barriers, and solutions to collaborative working are identified and discussed.

The Global Agenda identifies work on social integration and cohesion as important areas for social work contribution (Healy and Link 2012). Considering that the commitments for action to actualise The Global Agenda have clear timelines, social work academics and practitioners alike, must engage in concerted efforts to persuade social work educators to hasten the process of curriculum change. For The Global Agenda to be actualised, existing curricula must be revised to provide students with extensive exposure to changing global realities (Palattiyil et al. 2019). Implementing The Global Agenda means social work education must mainstream globally relevant concepts and link them to local realities (Healy and Wairire 2014). The profession clearly needs a more rapid response to changing conditions, to make a difference locally and as a global partner.

Conclusion

The themes articulated in The Global Agenda should be central to social work education, and further work needs to be undertaken to flesh them out with related contemporary practice skills. Recommendations to approach this would be to bring The Global Agenda into the classroom and ensure that all students are encouraged to critically engage with The Global Agenda. Educators globally need to familiarise themselves with these principles, especially those in areas close to their teaching and research specialties, and to assign sections for student learning, reading and reflecetion.

As a human rights profession driven by a commitment to social justice and empowerment of people (Palattiyil, Sidhva, and Chakrabarti 2016), social work cannot justifiably claim to be relevant in contributing to a better future, if there is no tangible evidence that social work attempts to engage in international concerns with local implications. This requires innovation in social service delivery and education while centering on core values, skills, and competencies. Social work must bridge micro and macro practice in a more focused way, by integrating ‘local’ practice with global understanding. Social work practice, education and research must support empowering practices and policy, through a recognition of plurality of histories, knowledge, epistemic traditions, experiences, legacies, and ongoing experiences. As a political, social, and cultural imperative, further new ways of ‘knowing’ theory and practice, need to emerge, which are co constructed with people, groups and communities and reflect local and indigenous practice.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

George Palattiyil

Dr George Palattiyil is Senior Lecturer and Head of Social Work, University of Edinburgh, and Senior Research Associate, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Passionate about international social work, he researches forced migration, refugees, human rights, HIV/AIDS and older people, and coedited ‘Social Work in a Global Context–Issues and Challenges’ (Routledge, 2016). Email: [email protected]

Alison McInnes

Dr Alison McInnes is an Associate Professor in Social Work at Northumbria University and Programme Manager for Childhood and Early Years Studies and the Guidance and Counselling degree programmes at Kaplan, Singapore. She is Co-Chair of JUCSWEC International Committee and has worked extensively in Europe, the US and Tajikistan.

Janet Walker

Janet Walker is Visiting Professor (International Social Work) at the University of Lincoln. Janet has substantial experience of developing teaching and learning internationally, currently engaged in projects in Malawi and DRC. She is a Council Director and Chair of the International Committee of the British Association of Social Workers.