What do social workers say about social policy and reforms in Europe and the BRICS?

This contribution focusses on features of contemporary professional debates and reactions to social policy and reforms in five European countries (Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom) and in the five so-called... [ view full abstract ]

This contribution focusses on features of contemporary professional debates and reactions to social policy and reforms in five European countries (Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal, United Kingdom) and in the five so-called BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. The "Civil Engagement in Social Work: Developing Global Models" project, funded by the European IRSES - Marie Curie program (contract n. 318938), is aimed at exploring the relationship between social work and civil society, through the perspective of social policy structures and reform processes.
The objective of the research presented is to identify the presence, the debates and the reactions of the social workers to social policy as they appear in different national arenas, for instance professional bodies, associations and journals/newsletters specialised on social work. A questionnaire submitted to project experts from the ten countries guided both the data collection, as well as the qualitative review on literature and grey literature (internet, official documents, etc.).
Initial findings highlight the diversity of the countries and of their degree of social work development as a professional community. There appears to be a link between formal structure of the profession and the degree of the debate undertaken in this occupational group. Some of the so-called BRICS countries, key developing and newly industrialised economies, have only recently started to define a specific role of social workers in the implementation of social policies. In contrast the other five countries have a stronger tradition in social work, of which four are from Southern Europe and the Mediterranean (Portugal, Spain, Italy and Turkey), while only the UK represents a different European history and development.