Policy Press
Eight In search of better opportunities: transnational social workers in the UK navigating the maze of global and social mobility
Abstract
Social workers are increasingly becoming global professionals, both in utilising their professional qualifications as a means to achieve international mobility, and in the expectation of gaining an internationally transferable set of skills. However, there is a continued dilemma in defining such professional international identity due to contradictory processes of ‘indigenisation’, or the extent to which social work practice fits local contexts; ‘universalism’, finding commonalities across divergent contexts; and ‘imperialism’ where western world-views are privileged over local and Indigenous cultural perspectives (Gray, 2005). Many regard social work to be especially context-sensitive in that a good understanding of language and cultural clues is an essential element in the ability of workers to perform their work effectively. In that sense, while global professional mobility facilitates transnational social work (Hanna and Lyons, 2014), social work is not yet a global ‘common project’ and clear differences remain at the level of training, qualifications and practice (Weiss-Gal and Welbourne, 2008; Hussein, 2011, 2014).
Abstract
Social workers are increasingly becoming global professionals, both in utilising their professional qualifications as a means to achieve international mobility, and in the expectation of gaining an internationally transferable set of skills. However, there is a continued dilemma in defining such professional international identity due to contradictory processes of ‘indigenisation’, or the extent to which social work practice fits local contexts; ‘universalism’, finding commonalities across divergent contexts; and ‘imperialism’ where western world-views are privileged over local and Indigenous cultural perspectives (Gray, 2005). Many regard social work to be especially context-sensitive in that a good understanding of language and cultural clues is an essential element in the ability of workers to perform their work effectively. In that sense, while global professional mobility facilitates transnational social work (Hanna and Lyons, 2014), social work is not yet a global ‘common project’ and clear differences remain at the level of training, qualifications and practice (Weiss-Gal and Welbourne, 2008; Hussein, 2011, 2014).
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements v
- List of tables and figures vi
- List of abbreviations vii
- Notes on contributors viii
- Transnational social work: opportunities and challenges of a global profession 1
-
Setting the transnational context
- Opportunities and challenges of a global profession: an international perspective 19
- New Public Management, migrant professionals and labour mobility: possibilities for social justice social work? 35
-
Practitioner perspectives
- A complicated welcome: social workers navigate policy, organisational contexts and sociocultural dynamics following migration to Canada1 55
- The experience of transnational social workers in England: some findings from research 73
- Transnational social workers in Australia: naivety in the transnational professional space 89
- Transnational social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand 107
-
Employer/stakeholder views
- In search of better opportunities: transnational social workers in the UK navigating the maze of global and social mobility 125
- Transnational social workers and the Australian labour market 139
- Pōwhiri: a safe space of cultural encounter to assist transnational social workers in the profession in Aotearoa New Zealand 155
- Consistency and change: internationally educated social workers compare interpretations and approaches in Canada and their countries of origin 171
-
Policy challenges, professional responses
- Readiness and regulation: perspectives of Canadian stakeholders on the labour mobility of internationally educated social workers 189
- Will she be right, mate? Standards and diversity in Australian social work 205
- Recognising transnational social workers in Australia 223
- Social work mobility in Europe: a case study from Ireland 241
- Conclusion 261
- Index 269
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- Acknowledgements v
- List of tables and figures vi
- List of abbreviations vii
- Notes on contributors viii
- Transnational social work: opportunities and challenges of a global profession 1
-
Setting the transnational context
- Opportunities and challenges of a global profession: an international perspective 19
- New Public Management, migrant professionals and labour mobility: possibilities for social justice social work? 35
-
Practitioner perspectives
- A complicated welcome: social workers navigate policy, organisational contexts and sociocultural dynamics following migration to Canada1 55
- The experience of transnational social workers in England: some findings from research 73
- Transnational social workers in Australia: naivety in the transnational professional space 89
- Transnational social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand 107
-
Employer/stakeholder views
- In search of better opportunities: transnational social workers in the UK navigating the maze of global and social mobility 125
- Transnational social workers and the Australian labour market 139
- Pōwhiri: a safe space of cultural encounter to assist transnational social workers in the profession in Aotearoa New Zealand 155
- Consistency and change: internationally educated social workers compare interpretations and approaches in Canada and their countries of origin 171
-
Policy challenges, professional responses
- Readiness and regulation: perspectives of Canadian stakeholders on the labour mobility of internationally educated social workers 189
- Will she be right, mate? Standards and diversity in Australian social work 205
- Recognising transnational social workers in Australia 223
- Social work mobility in Europe: a case study from Ireland 241
- Conclusion 261
- Index 269
