David N. Jones

Global standards for social work education and training

The process of developing global standards for social work education and training is as important as the product, the actual standards that have been developed. In undertaking such an initiative it was also vital that minority opinions were considered and reflected in the development of the document. Thus, Appendix A describes fully the processes that were involved in developing the standards, and it documents the minority views that were expressed. Given the centrality of the process–product dialectic, and the fact that the principles underscoring the standards emerged, to a large extent, out of the processes, it is vital that the standards are read in conjunction with Appendices A and B. Appendix B provides the concluding comments and discusses the kinds of caution that must be exercised in the use of the document. Having duly considered all the concerns expressed in Appendices A and B, and having considered the need to take into account context specific realities, and the ambiguities surrounding social work education and practice, this document details nine sets of standards in respect of: the school’s core purpose or mission statement; programme objectives and outcomes; programme curricula including fieldwork; core curricula; professional staff; student social workers; structure, administration, governance and resources; cultural diversity; and social work values and ethics. As a point of departure, the international definition of social work is accepted, and the core purposes and functions of social work are summarised.

Global standards for the education and training of the social work profession

This is the final document adopted at the IASSW and IFSW General Assemblies in Adelaide, Australia, 2004. However, as the use, implementation and review of the Global Standards is to remain a dynamic process, please send your comments or recommendations to Vishanthie Sewpaul.

The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development: A place to link together and be effective in a globalized world

The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development (The Agenda) is designed by IFSW, IASSW and ICSW to strengthen the profile of social work and to enable social workers to make a stronger contribution to policy development. The Agenda themes and commitments are presented and links with the core global statements are made explicit. The practical, conceptual and ethical challenges inherent in crafting global statements are discussed, including the need to respect regional diversity. The article concludes with a challenge to social workers to help shape the Agenda process and the future strategies of the global bodies.

Promoting community and environmental sustainability

This special issue of International Social Work is focused on ‘Promoting Community and Environmental Sustainability’. It is published to coincide with the 2018 Joint World Conference on Social Work and Social Development being held in Dublin, Ireland in July 2018 and with the publication of the third report of the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development process, both of which share the same theme. The papers have been selected from among those already published online and so must not be read as specially commissioned for a specific purpose. However this approach does enable the journal to stand back from The Agenda process, reflect on the issues which are raised, and take a broad perspective. ‘Promoting community and environmental sustainability’ is the third pillar of The Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development, which emerged from the consultation at the world conference in Hong Kong in 2010. Developing community sustainability has long been at the centre of social work thinking and practice but the focus on the physical environment seemed new and timely when it was proposed in 2010. It certainly put social work at the cutting edge of the exploration of the relationship between people and communities and their physical environment before the launch of the consultation on the SDGs. Whilst ideas are rarely ‘new’ – concepts and theories usually evolve from what went before – social work can justifiably claim to have been among the first in the 21st century to make public statements explicitly linking human wellbeing and community sustainability to developments in the physical environment. However this link between wellbeing and the physical environment was already evident in the work of many social work pioneers of the 19th century, such as Octavia Hill (Wohl, 1971) and Jane Addams (1902; 1930), both of whom were active in protecting and improving the physical environment, seeing this as intrinsic to improving the circumstances and wellbeing of the mass of people living in poverty. So by exploring these themes, we are also rediscovering our roots – and the reality that social work has to take a holistic approach if we wish to understand and support people to respond to their difficulties. The four pillars of the Global Agenda are intrinsically linked. Originally focused on ‘environmental sustainability’, the conceptualisation of this third pillar evolved as the three global partners explored what it meant in terms not only of daily practice but also global policy and advocacy – and how it linked to the other three pillars. The first report on ‘promoting social and economic equalities’ highlighted the risks inherent in the growing economic inequalities in the world and explored how social workers helped people to challenge inequality and improve their own situation (IASSW, ICSW and IFSW, 2014). The second report on ‘promoting the dignity and worth of peoples’ explored how social workers can help people to shape environments in which they ‘can live without fear, give expression to their identity and personality as they wish whilst showing respect to others, care for their family and community members, practise their beliefs and religions, participate in and shape their communities through social as well as political engagement and have access to the resources needed for a dignified and secure life’ (IASSW, ICSW and IFSW, 2016). The fourth pillar – ‘strengthening 770562 ISW0010.1177/0020872818770562International Social WorkEditorial editorial2018