Critical Practice for Challenging Times: Social Workers' Engagement with Community Developmentt

The contribution that social workers make to communities is integral to the principles and values of the profession but is often ‘hidden’ and unacknowledged. The proposed paper will present the findings of primary... [ view full abstract ]

The contribution that social workers make to communities is integral to the principles and values of the profession but is often ‘hidden’ and unacknowledged. The proposed paper will present the findings of primary research that was undertaken to specifically explore social workers’ engagement with community development approaches in a range of social work settings. Community development involves collective action in accordance with social justice goals and that seeks sustainable solutions to the issues facing communities. We present the findings of 15 qualitative interviews with practitioners in statutory, voluntary and community contexts in the Republic of Ireland.
Critical themes that are explored in the paper include social workers’ affiliations and engagement in networking, their perspectives on activism, and the challenges of engaging in critical practice. The interviews were conducted during a time of crisis for social work in Ireland (Forde and Lynch, 2013) and internationally, as states grapple with economic, social and ecological crises and the expectations placed on social workers grow. A systematic review of the social work literature carried out by the researchers has revealed considerable debate about the potential for a critical and challenging social work practice that can contest and change the dominant neo-liberal, professional and managerial discourses that have been pre-eminent for over forty years.
Additionally, the paper will illustrate how the integration of research and teaching has impacted significantly and positively on our teaching practice and fostered an approach that treats students as active participants rather than passive learners, and the development of students' knowledge of the links, both theoretical and practical, between community development and social work.

References

Forde, C. and Lynch, D. (2013) ‘Critical Practice for Challenging Times: Social Workers' Engagement with Community Work’, British Journal of Social Work, doi:10.1093/bjsw/bct091.