SIG EVENTS
OVERVIEW
FULL DAY SIG EVENTS |
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CHILDREN'S RIGHTS IN PRACTICE: PARTICIPATION, PROTECTION & INCLUSION |
CRITICAL REALISM AND SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH |
EUROPEAN NETWORK FOR GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK |
HISTORY & RESEARCH SIG |
RESEARCH ON SOCIAL WORK AND POLICY ENGAGEMENT |
SOCIAL WORK WITH ADOLESCENTS: A WORKSHOP EXPLORING RISK, POWER, SURVEILLANCE AND RIGHTS |
SUBSTANCE USE AND SOCIAL WORK |
TRANSNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK (TRANSOW) |
WORKFORCE RESEARCH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP (SOCIAL WORK) |
HALF DAY SIG EVENTS | Morning |
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COLLABORATIVE SIG EVENT: MORE-THAN-HUMAN ETHICS FOR SOCIAL WORK |
DECOLONIALITY IN SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION |
SIG SWIFT – SOCIAL WORK IN FILM AND TV-SERIES |
SOCIAL WORK: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS |
SOCIAL WORK AND THE MORE-THAN-HUMAN SIG |
SOLIDARITIES AND SOCIAL WORK |
HALF DAY SIG EVENTS | Afternoon |
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MENTAL HEALTH SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP |
PHD STUDENTS AND EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS SIG |
POST-SOVIET POST-SOCIALIST |
REIMAGINING SOCIAL WORK ETHICS |
RESEARCHING EMOTIONS (REMOSIG) |
SIG SERVICE USER INVOLVEMENT (SUI) |
SIG SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE RESEARCH |
SOCIAL WORK, CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE (SWCCJ) |
SIG EVENTS' PROGRAMME
Lead convenor: Dr. Paul McCafferty
Protecting the Democratic Rights of Children
Abstract
Professionals around the globe are grappling with the challenge of fulfilling their obligations to uphold children's rights as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). In practice, addressing children's rights encompasses not only child participation (as articulated in Article 12 of the UNCRC) but also extends to other critical areas, including the definition of a child (Article 1), the best interests of the child (Article 3), care (Article 7), protection (Articles 19, 33, 34), education (Article 28), play (Article 31), and recovery (Article 39). The everyday work of social and child welfare professionals, as well as those involved in child protection, is fraught with challenges as they strive to implement these legal obligations.
As a newly established Special Interest Group (SIG), our goal is to bring to light, discuss, and explore these challenges to advance practical, research, and theoretical developments in the field. This year, with the conference theme "Embracing Democracy in Social Work Practice and Research," our focus is on interpreting and applying the democratically mandated rights of children, emphasizing that democracy cannot function effectively unless children's rights are protected. Our group, which includes researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and PhD students, aims to respond with agility and flexibility to the ongoing challenges of participation, protection, and inclusion within a democratic context where children's rights are often at risk. Consequently, our SIG is committed to a forward-looking approach, with particular attention this year on identifying both current and emerging threats to children's rights within democracies and strategizing our response to these challenges.
During the pre-conference event, we will concentrate on identifying and critically examining future research, practice, and policy priorities. A particular focus will be on discussing "How can we ensure that the principles of democracy are meaningfully applied to protect and promote children's rights in both policy and practice, particularly in areas where these rights are most at risk?" This will enable us to shape the research, practice, and policy agenda for the coming year, setting realistic goals for collaborative research topics and identifying potential funding sources. Additionally, we will discuss and agree on possible papers for publication, share practical responses to the challenges of upholding children's rights within a democratic framework, and explore ways to influence policy developments across Europe.
The overarching aim of our SIG in Munich is to create a platform that unites international scholars, policymakers, research students, managers, and practitioners who are concerned with children's rights in practice across various organizations, both public and non-governmental, to critically examine the concept of children's rights within a democratic context.
Preliminary Agenda
Time | Theme | Format |
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9.30 - 10.15 | Introduction |
Presentation & outline of the pre-conference activities. Plus, verbal introductions from each member. Lead: Paul McCafferty |
10.15 – 11.00 |
Democracy and children’s rights. SWOT Analysis.
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Small group discussion. Present feedback on flipchart for discussion. Lead: Esther Mercardo Garcia |
11.00 – 11.20 | Break | |
11.20 – 12.00 |
Research & Theory.
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PowerPoint & Q&A Lead: Inger Sofie Dahlø Husby |
12.00 – 13.00 | Lunch | |
13.00 – 14.00 |
Democracy and children’s rights. Vision Mapping
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Small group discussion. Lead: Wendy Eerdekens |
14.00 – 14.45 |
Writing groups
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Round Table Discussion Lead: Paul McCafferty |
14.45 – 15.00 | SIG Committee business | Lead: Paul McCafferty |
15.15 | Finish | Lead: Esther Mercardo Garcia |
Challenges including, but not limited to, environmental degradation and new technologies such as AI, generate a need to reconsider what it means to be human. The broad concerns around this question will increasingly affect those who receive and provide social work and care services, through both the impacts of environmental change and the uses and harms of technologies. More-than-human and posthuman thought seeks to respond to the prospect of living in a world where human life is not central, and perhaps never was. This thought challenges mainstream social work ethics and calls for new ways of thinking and formulating ethical questions. Please join us for a half-day session exploring different aspects of these challenges for social work.
A scoping review of more-than-human ethical issues in social work
Tina E. Wilson and Jenn McDermitt
Care ethics beyond the human: A case study of ethical dilemmas and decision-making challenges in post-anthropocentric social work
Eleni Papouli
Land is life – Narrations from the Indigenous Peoples of the Cordilleras, Philippines
Jason Leung and Melinda Madew
The ethics of power in new material social work: Towards an aesthetics of biopower
Mark Hardy
This workshop is co-organized by two Special Interest Groups, the Social Work and the More-than-human SIG and the Social Work Ethics Research Group, in conjunction with the Ethics and Social Welfare journal. The papers presented at this collaborative event will form part of a special issue of the journal to be published later this year.
Making Visible the Invisible: Critical Realism and Social Work Research
Following the previous SIG events of critical realism and social work research from the last decade of ESWRA conferences (2013-2024), we wish to continue discussing the potential of critical realism to strengthen social work research and practice. The SIG is a “free space” for exchanges among social work researchers on the philosophy of science, theory and methods in general, and critical realism in particular. Welcoming those new and familiar with critical realism, our full-day gatherings combine introductory sessions with topical deepening, presentations from attendees and group discussions.
In Munich, our focus is on ‘making visible the invisible’. This theme will be approached from different angles. First, critical realism shifts the focus from empirical events to the – often unobservable – mechanisms that cause them. As such, we collectively discuss how those generative forces can be discovered, conceptualised, and included as an inherent part of the social work research agenda. Second, critical realism foresees an emancipatory role for the social sciences, similar to how the academic discipline of social work subscribes to social justice, human rights and the liberation of people. In that regard, ‘making visible the invisible’ also includes and amplifies the voices of those often excluded from the public, political and scientific debate. We, therefore, open the floor for conversation of participatory, democratic and action-oriented approaches to social work research.
Call for Abstracts
If you wish to present your research and/or initiate a particular discussion, you are welcome to submit an abstract (max. 300 words) or idea to Monica Kjørstad ([email protected]) by 15.1.25. We look forward to receiving your proposal.
Convenors
Monica Kjørstad, Oslo Metropolitan University. [email protected]
Didier Boost, University of Antwerpen. [email protected]
Anu-Riina Svenlin, University of Jyväskylä. [email protected]
Program
(minor changes can be made)
09:30 - 10:00 | Welcome and introduction |
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10:00 - 10:45 | Keynote 1: “Being on hold – citizenship and temporality for refugees in an introductory program in Norway. An intersectional analysis through a critical realist lens”. Ariana Guilherme Fernandes and Monica Kjørstad |
11:00 – 12:00 | Presentations/discussions |
12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch break |
13:00 – 13:45 | Keynote 2: “Social Work and Democracy: Insights from Realist Evaluation” Anna Rockhill |
14:00 - 15:00 | Presentations/discussions |
15:00 – 15:30 | Summing up and the way forward |
The SIG event aims to bring together researchers currently engaged with decoloniality in social work research, education, or practice. We will exchange knowledge and skills on social work research that takes a decolonial perspective. Anybody currently interested or engaged in this is invited to join the SIG event at the conference.
The primary objective is to bring together social workers researchers, trainers and practitioners interested in taking a decolonial perspective in social work research. Together we want to foster a critical examination of unequal power structures within social work research, education, and practice, with a focus on acknowledging and addressing the power structures and oppressions of coloniality. This SIG event will focus on exchanging experiences in research, education, and practice that take a decolonial perspective.
Call for Abstracts
Do you have interesting insights or questions that you want to share during the SIG event? Please submit your abstract or idea for a workshop or interactive session (max 300 words). We look forward to receiving your proposals.
Please submit your abstract to: [email protected] before the 15th of February 2025.
Convenors
Mayaka, Bernard, Viviane Menezes de Amorim, Aniek Santema, James Kutu
Program
09:30 - 09:50 | Check in and introduction |
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09:50 - 11:10 | Interactive session: engaging with decoloniality |
11:10 - 11:30 | Presentations and discussions: from members and conveners |
11:30 - 12:00 | Ways forward with the SIG |
12:00 | Closing |
Co-convenors: Tove Harnett and Sarah Lonbay
09:00 – 9:20 | Welcome and introductions |
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9:20 – 10:10 |
Presentations from SIG members
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10:10 – 10:30 | Break |
10:30 – 11:40 | Social Work Education and Gerontological Social Work: Discussion |
11:40 – 12:00 | Visibility of GSW at ECSWR 2025 Tove Harnett, Lund University, Sweden and Sarah Lonbay, University of Sunderland, UK. |
12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch break |
13:00 – 13:50 |
Presentations from SIG members
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13:50 - 14:10 | Break |
14:10 - 15:30 | Updates on SIG activity, plans for the future, and supporting PhD and ECR network members. Tove Harnett, Sarah Lonbay, Catrin Noone |
Time | Topic | Presenter |
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9.30 - 9.45 | Embracing the Good, The Bad and the Ugly of Social Work- Introduction & Welcome | Susanne Maurer & Darren Hill |
9.45 - 10.00 | Revisionist Histories: Social Work’s Erasure of Its Past Transgressions | Yoosun Park |
10.00 - 10.15 | Social Work History and German Colonial History | Hannah Ferraia |
10.15 - 10.30 | Rethinking Memory in Social Work: Colonial Entanglements and the Challenge of Inclusive Social Work Historiography | Fallon Tiffany Cabral, Rutlina Gonçalves-Schenck, Maex Kühnert, Dayana Lau (Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin) |
10.30 - 10.45 | How to Discuss decolonizing Social Work in Switzerland? | Barbara Waldis, Kris Clarke |
10.45 - 11.00 | Questions/Comfort Break | |
11.00 - 11.15 | Living with a sensory impairment under socialism: remembering and narrating | Darja Zaviršek |
11.15 - 11.30 | Denied Origins of Italian Social Work under the Fascist Regime: The Controversial Figure of Paolina Tarugi | Dellavalle Marilena, Carlotta Mozzone |
11.30 - 11.45 | Policewomen as Social Workers in Early 20th Century Finland | Jenni Simola |
11.45 - 12.00 | Questions/Response | |
12.00 - 13.00 | Lunch | |
13.00 - 13.15 | Gendered nationalism, migrant (m)othering, and eugenics of multicultural family services in South Korea | Eunjung Lee |
13.15 - 13.30 | Making sense of the life of Judia Jackson Harris | Jane McPherson |
13.30 - 13.45 | Contradictions and ambiguities: UK social work with unmarried mothers and their children in the twentieth century | Vivienne Cree & Bob MacKenzie |
13.45 - 14.00 | Hiding ‘In Dark Corners’: The story of Peter Righton, The Paedophile Information Exchange & Social Work in the UK. | Dr Darren Hill |
14.00 - 14.15 | Questions/Response | |
14.15 - 14.30 | Closing Remarks | Darren Hill & Susanne Maurer |
We are look forward to seeing you at the Mental Health Special Interest Group held within the ECSWR 2025 14th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE FOR SOCIAL WORK RESEARCH 12-14 March 2025 Katholische Stiftungshochschule München / GERMANY
Our Mental Health Special Interest Group meeting is held on Wednesday 12th March 2025 13:00 – 15:30 local time, Room TBC.
Provisional Outline
13:00 - 13:05 | Kev Stone & Sarah Vicary - Introduction and welcome University of Warwick and Open University (UK) |
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13:05 - 13:25 | Paper 1 |
13:25 - 13:45 | Paper 2 |
13:45 - 14:05 | Paper 3 |
14:05 - 14:25 | Paper 4 |
14:25 - 14:35 | Break |
14:35 - 14:55 | Paper 5 |
14:55 - 15:00 | Sarah Vicary & Kev Stone – UPDATE Social Work in Mental Health Settings Book UPDATE |
15:00 - 15:10 | Development of the Mental Health SIG |
15:10 - 15:30 | Annual General Meeting |
Convenors
Prof. Dr Kevin Stone [email protected]
Prof. Dr Sarah Vicary [email protected]
13:00 – 13:10 | Introduction Welcome by SIG Convenors and a brief overview of the session objectives. |
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13:10 – 13:30 | Speed Dating Participants engage in short, timed conversations to introduce themselves and their research interests, fostering quick connections and networking. |
13:30 – 14:10 | Networking & Collaboration Workshop Interactive session with breakout groups discussing strategies for collaboration, networking opportunities, and utilizing social media platforms effectively. |
14:10 – 15:10 | World PhD Research Café A roundtable-style session where participants share insights and challenges from their research. |
15:10 – 15:30 | Conclusion Reflection on the day’s activities, key takeaways, and closing remarks by the convenors. |
We in the Post-Soviet Post-Socialist SiG do not have a programme to publish, but we plan to use our half day meeting at the Conference to get to know each other a little better, to welcome new members and renew friendships with previous participants and to reflect on how we can work together in the challenging but still hopeful times in which we find ourselves going in to 2025.
Wednesday 12 March, 2025
13.00 - 15.30
Pre-conference SIG Workshop, European Conference for Social Work Research, Munich
Social Work Ethics Research Group (SWERG)
The aim of this workshop is to provide a forum for participants to share their current research in the field of social work ethics, stimulate new ideas and make links with others with similar interests. In particular, this year we will consider what messages we take from our own research, and research reported in the literature, about the state of social work ethics, both as a topic and as a practice.
In recent years SWERG workshops have focussed on ethical challenges in times of turbulence and fast-paced change: during the Covid-19 pandemic; in co-building a new eco-social world; and in the context of the digital revolution in social work. This year, we are also co-hosting an additional SIG workshop on Wednesday 12 March morning (9.30-12.00) in partnership with the More-than-Human SIG on the theme of 'More-than-human Ethics for Social Work'.
All these topics have raised questions about: do we need to rethink social work values and ethics in challenging times - in the context of pandemic conditions, the global ecological crisis, the digital revolution and the prospect of a post-anthropocene era? Is it enough to keep adding new clauses to codes of ethics and new modules to the teaching curriculum, or do we need to reconfigure and extend existing values and virtues or create new ones designed for new times and to re-embrace a democratic and participatory social work practice? What does it mean to rethink or invent social work values? Is it possible, desirable or necessary? What further research is called for?
Provisional programme
13.00 | Introductions: Sharing interests, passions and the work of SWERG to date. |
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13.20 | A series of short provocations from members linked to the topic of reimagining social work ethics. PLEASE CONTACT THE ORGANISERS IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO OFFER A CONTRIBUTION. |
13.50 | World Café Dialogue groups exploring different questions/themes |
15.15 | Conclusions and next steps - What issues came up, new ideas for further research and collaborations, future activities of the group. |
15.30 | Close |
For further information about SWERG, please contact: Sarah Banks, [email protected] or Ana Sobocan, [email protected]
This workshop is organised in conjunction with the journal Ethics and Social Welfare, https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/resw20 We anticipate that a report/article will be published in the journal based on the workshop contributions.
From 08:30 | Registration |
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09:00 - 09:30 | Coffee break |
9:30 – 10:45 |
Session #1.
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10:50 – 12:00 |
Session #2.
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12:00 - 12:45 | Lunch break |
12:45 - 14:10 |
Session #3.
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14:15 – 15:30 |
Session #4.
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Wednesday 12 March, 2025
13.00 - 15.30
Inaugural In-Person Researching Emotions Special Interest Group (REMOSIG)
Our Researching Emotions SIG has had 3 online meetings since it started in January 2024. We welcome you to our inaugural in-person meeting at ESWRA 2025 in Munich. The programme for this SIG will provide opportunities for anyone interested in researching emotions and developing research-based knowledge on the topic of emotions in social work to get together, share your experiences and explore opportunities for research and collaborative activities. We will share themes from our previous online meetings & network of over 40 members.
The structure for the Munich 2025 SIG will include the following, coordinated by Dr Louise O’Connor (Royal Holloway, University of London) & Dr Sara Carder (St Thomas University, New Brunswick):
Welcome & Update on REMOSIG Network |
Café style roundtable discussions: your interests & research |
Short Talk - Guest Speaker tbc |
Interactive Activity: Where Next with Emotions in Social Work? |
Plans & Developing Connections |
We welcome anyone interested in the topic of emotions to come along to this SIG meeting. You can also formally join our network by emailing us with your details and interests in this area: [email protected] or [email protected] to join our membership list.
Social Work, Crime and Criminal Justice (SWCCJ) – Challenges and opportunites of criminal justice social work & social work education across countries.
SIG convenors and SIG event chairs: Caroline Bald, University of Essex, UK and María Inés Martínez Herrero, UNED, Spain
Background
The Munich ECSWR 2025 will mark the second anniversary of the SWCCJ SIG. During this year SIG numbers have continued to grow, and we continue to get to know each other and our lines of work through collaboration in research publications. In this short but promising and exciting journey some themes affecting social work research in the criminal justice field are starting to emerge as important for SIG members in the discussions. One of these is that of the challenges of criminal justice & social work education across countries. Hence, we would like to address this topic in the SIG event by reflecting on themes such as the different ways social workers learn about practice in the field, involvement of experts by experience in this training and the possibilities for people with criminal records to access social work education.
To deepen into the topic, Caroline Bald and Inés Martínez will present their ongoing research on criminal justice & social work education, focusing in particular in access to social work education of people with criminal records, inviting SIG members to join some collaborative international research on the topic. In addition, drawing on the successful and enriching experience of last year (when we had a presentation by a social worker working in the field in Lithuania), we will include again a presentation by a SIG member from the conference host country. Prof. Christian Ghanem will share his research as well as introduce the context of criminal justice social work in Germany.
These presentations will be followed by an open discussion time focusing on comparative practice and research on the presentations’ topics. As last year, the event will conclude with a discussion of collaborative research, research dissemination and publication opportunities which will be followed up in a SIG online meeting before the summer and actioned during the year.
Programme:
13:00 - 13:30 | Introduction to the SIG event and SIG members’ introductions & research updates. |
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13:30 - 13:50 | "We are open the door is just heavy: mapping Criminal records in social work education" Presentation by Dr Caroline Bald (University of Essex) and Dr Inés Martínez (UNED) |
13:50 - 14:20 | "Social Work in the German Criminal Justice System – Current Challenges and Perspectives" Presentation by Prof. Christian Ghanem (Technische Hochschule Nuremberg) |
14:20 - 14:30 | Short break |
14:30 - 14:50 | Q&A, and group discussion on challenges and opportunities for social work research and education on the presentation topics. |
14:50 - 15:30 | Discussion and planning for SIG members’ collaborative research and publication opportunities. |
ECSWR 2025 München 12th March
Room: 13.E05
Introduction
- Popular culture such as films and TV-series has great power in our everyday lives and an impact on the official view of professional practitioners such as social workers (van Wormer & Juby, 2015, Vik & Tønseth, 2019). Social workers are assigned a social mandate and operates in the tension field between help and control. Research shows that social workers often are being portrayed stereotypically in films and TV-series (Freeman & Valentine, 2004). This reproduces prejudices and a reduction in trust and respect of social work amongst people.
- Trust is a major component of a democratic system. We face declining trust in societal institutions today, involving the professional staff. Lack of trust is a threat both for a democratic system as well as for social workers depending on a “social license to operate”. It may also have an impact on the motivation of future students to choose a social work education
- This SIG addresses the above-mentioned concerns regarding the role and recognition of Social Work and social workers, both within a democratic system as well as within the profession and those in need of help.
- In this SIG-meeting, we will gather researchers, professionals and interested parties on the topic in a broad sense, to identify, discuss, broaden our perspectives and investigate the possibilities of joint future projects.
- We welcome abstracts related to the topic until February 28th, 2025. Please send your contribution to [email protected].
Program for the half-day SIG-event:
09:30 | Introduction on the background of the SIG |
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09:45 | Presentation of the participants, getting to know each other |
10:15 | Selected moviecuts |
10:45 | Presentation of ongoing projects, ideas, contributions from participants |
11:15 | Presentation of the Scrapper-study |
11:30 | Planning ahead – what are the possibilities? |
12:00 | Goodbye for now! |
ECSWR 2025 München 12th March
Convenors: Martine Ganzevles and Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås
Democratic knowledge production in social work research
The general aim of the Social Work Practice Research SIG is to strengthen possibilities for knowledge-based social work practice throughout Europe, and to respond to the contemporary emphasis on evidence-based practice with collaborative, research-led and innovative means. In line with the goals of ESWRA, we offer an opportunity to promote cross-national practice-based research projects as well as scholarly debates and knowledge exchange among the various research interested stakeholders related to social work practice. Our group considers itself as an open forum for the diverging approaches and different partners in social work and related research.
In the pre-conference for the SIG in Social work practice research we would like to elaborate on the main conference’s theme – embracing democracy in social work practice and research. How do we approach the concept “democracy” and how does this impact on our research and practice? Social work should reflect the values of democracy, but what role can the research on social work reflect these values?
The first half of the day (9.30-12) will be a joint meeting with the SIG Social Work Practice Research. There we will discuss the concept of democratization and how it is understood and utilized in different research and practice contexts. The joint meeting will be facilitated by the World Café method. We work with what the participants bring into the dialogue from their own experiences.
Program
09:30 - 09:45 | Welcome by the Conveners of the Service User Involvement SIG and Social Work Practice research SIG, Check in. |
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09:45 - 10:15 | Introduction to the theme: Democratic knowledge production in social work research |
10:15 - 11:30 | World cafe - elaborating over the concept of democratization and how it is understood and utilized in different research and practice contexts. |
11:30 - 12:00 | Summing up – take home messages |
SIG Service User Involvement
Kristel Driessens: [email protected]
Sidsel Natland: [email protected]
SIG Social Work Practice Research
Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås: [email protected]
Martine Ganzevles: [email protected]
A critical view on democratisation of knowledge production
In the second part of the day (1300 – 1530), we will take a critical view on democratisation of knowledge production. We will use the dilemma café introduced by Sarah Banks (Centre for Social Justice and Community Action, Durham University) to elaborate over the theme.
A dilemmas café involves people coming together to discuss several dilemmas experienced by participants. A dilemma is a choice between alternative courses of action, when it is not clear which is the right one to choose. Aims are to raise participants’ awareness of ethical challenges in democratisation of social work practice-based research; encourage collaborative dialogue, including critical listening and questioning; stimulate learning through hearing about different ways of seeing and understanding issues; explore a variety of recommendations for action1.
After the café we will take a meta-perspective, evaluating the Dilemma-cafes capacity for elaborating on such critical questions.
Program
13:00 - 13:15 | Check in and introduction Roles, perspectives and tensions in collaboratives |
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13:15 – 14:30 | Dilemmacafe |
14:40 - 15:00 | Evaluating the Dilemma-cafes capacity for elaborating on such critical questions. |
15:00 - 15:30 | Talking about the SIG: Evaluating aims, discussing convenorship and organizing committee |
Organizing commitee:
Elke Plovie - University of Applied Sciences UC Leuven-Limburg (Belgium)
Sui Ting Kong - Department of Sociology, Durham University (UK)
Simone Boogaarts – HAN University of Applied Sciences (the Netherlands)
Vera Taube - Faculty of Social Work, University of Applied Science Würzburg (Germany)
Convenors:
Catrine Torbjørnsen Halås – Department of Social Science, Nord University (Norway)
Martine Ganzevles – HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (the Netherlands)
ECSWR 2025 München 12th March
Convenors: Michel Tirions, Didier Reynaert, Ingo Stamm, Erik Jansen
The programme for the SIG ‘Social Work: Social Justice and Human Rights’ will consist of 2 parts:
- In part 1, we discuss a ‘current topic’ in the field of social work and human rights
- In part 2, we have an exchange of ideas about the work of the SIG
Part 1: Social work and human rights: a community-based perspective
Human rights are considered as a foundation for social work. This is recognized in the global definition of social work. Consequently, social work is often regarded as a ‘human rights profession’ (Mapp et al., 2019; Healy, 2008). However, much of the debate on social work and human rights remains at the level of a human rights regime that focus on institutionalised translation of human rights in legal frameworks or formal institutions. There is an important account in social work literature for the international human rights regime of declarations, conventions, monitoring processes, etc. from a rather technocratic perspective (Ife, 2012). While these ‘top-down’ approaches can be of major relevance for social work in supporting the realisation of human rights, much less is known about the way social work deals with human rights from a community-based perspective. In contrast to top-down approaches, a community-based perspective starts from daily life experiences of people with injustice that take place in local contexts. Such a community-based perspective on human rights in social work is characterized by its focus on bringing people together with common interests, highlighting participation and democratic decision-making, facilitating learning processes amongst community members building upon members’ knowledge and bringing about change and social justice in communities (Lundy, 2011). A community-based perspective acknowledges the collective character of human rights in social work, as human rights are collectively constructed, collectively understood and collectively experienced (Ife & Fiske, 2006).
During this SIG, we aim to further entangle a community-based perspective on human rights in social work. More in particular, we want to discuss different ideas of community-based approaches and how these can contribute to achieving a better understanding of the way human rights in social work are constructed. Based on 3 presentations, we will explore this issue:
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Understanding human rights through the life worlds of communities
(Charlotte Kemmeren, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences)In the minor program ‘Community organizing and human rights’ at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, international students practice with the first steps of community organizing from a human rights perspective. They are introduced to community based social work with underrepresented and vulnerable communities in Amsterdam, such as undocumented migrants, or around urgent themes such as neighborhood cohesion, poverty and green sustainability. During this presentation, we will focus on how to create a constructive attitude towards the meaning of human rights for communities in the context of social work education.
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Understanding the role of the social worker in a human rights perspective from below
(Elke Plovie, UCLL University of Applied Sciences)In our research on informal actors in social work practices, we noticed an interesting dynamic of citizens organizing themselves based on a common interest or shared story of violation of human rights. Citizens experience situations of injustice in their own life or are confronted with violations in the daily life of people they know. We identified two different approaches in their way of guaranteeing human rights. In a first approach, citizens develop collective solutions for a collective problem. In the second approach, citizens turn private matters into public issues. We see how citizen initiatives contribute to a process of politicization in different ways. This will be critically discussed during the presentation.
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Social work and Human rights: a Lifeworld Orientation
(Didier Reynaert, HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and Arts)How social workers ‘act’ when construction human rights from below still remains a black box. To date, social work scholarship insufficiently succeed to gain ‘praxis-knowledge’ showing how social workers ‘act’ when using the framework of human rights. An action-based approach to social work and human rights starts from daily life experiences of people with injustice. In this presentation, we aim to give empirical insight in how social workers construct human rights from a lifeworld orientation. Based on our empirical data, we will discuss both opportunities as well as pitfalls of a lifeworld orientation on human rights in social work.
Part 2: future activities and organisation of the SIG
The second part of the SIG event will provide opportunities to shape the SIG's future. We aim to engage all participants in discussions about potential future themes and topics for the SIG. These may include community work and human rights, decolonization and human rights, responses of social work to right-wing movements in Europe, and more. Additionally, we wish to explore future modes of communication and collaboration, such as regular online SIG meetings with presentations, online seminars, book projects, etc.
To maintain the SIG's productivity and accomplish collective activities, we also invite participants to consider becoming co-coordinators of the SIG. Only with a dedicated group of coordinators can the SIG remain active and gain more visibility. Those interested can contact the current co-coordinators beforehand. The process for appointing co-coordinators will be discussed directly at the SIG event.
Social work’s dominant ethical codes draw on human rights (based on a conception of humans as ends in themselves) and social justice (with a focus on distribution of goods amongst humans). This premise was adopted as it challenged exploitative human hierarchies and created the basis for establishing the welfare structures through which contemporary social work developed. Post- or more-than-human thought that decentres humanity demands consideration of non-human beings. This proposition calls for a revolutionary shift that generates soul-searching ethical dilemmas for professional social work. While more-than-human thought seeks to elevate marginal positions and locate human life in the context of all life, some scholars argue that affording agency to non-human actors risks overlooking, or excusing problematic human behaviour. This debate presents questions for social work. Is it possible to seek justice for those marginalised, if we cannot leverage their rights as humans over all else? What harms do we contribute to in the name of human wellbeing? What is the human, or agential human freedom, in highly curated, mediated, dependent, and contingent worlds? How might more-than-human thought reconfigure our major guiding ethical anchors of rights, justice, and virtue?
Please join us for a session exploring these questions, followed by our annual SIG members and friends meeting.
Re-thinking food security with critical posthumanism
Raewyn Tudor
Ontologies of Land/Body Simultaneity: Navigating occupation, settlement, development and the implications for critical praxis on homelessness
Gessie Stearns
The ethology of more-than-human communities
Heather Lynch
Over the last several years, the development of our SIG has enabled us to coalesce around a range of shared interests and concerns related to how adolescents experience interacting with social workers, and the role that practitioners (both social work and other related professionals) play in assessing, protecting, monitoring, and emancipating young people at risk of harm. In this session, we will work together to map our understanding in relation to the following:
- how each of our political, geographic, and cultural contexts influences how adolescent risk-taking is understood
- how adolescents are surveilled -by police and/or other professionals working alongside or on behalf of the criminal justice system
- how the protection (or transgression) of rights is afforded to different groups of young people
- how our research does, or could contribute to these related issues
We welcome anyone who is interested in research on social work with adolescents to join us for this session and to contribute, regardless of how these issues do (or do not) intersect with their research. We will also spend some time considering the plan for our SIG over the next year, including virtual meetings, planning for any shared publications, workshops, etc.
Another area of shared interest across the group is in youth participation, including the methods and processes by which we meaningfully and ethically engage adolescents in both decision-making and influencing the services that impact their lives.
With this shared interest in participation in mind, we have organised a visit for our SIG attendees to the Haus der Kunst museum in the afternoon to meet with Pia Linden, the museum’s Head of Engagement/Participation who is leading on the development of their new Youth Advisory Committee. Through this initiative, young people are being offered support and mentorship intended to enable them to contribute to the planning of a major summer exhibition. This visit will enable our SIG group to explore participatory approaches outside of our usual disciplinary boundaries and understand something about youth engagement in Munich, where the conference is located.
If you have questions about either the morning SIG workshop or the organised visit in the afternoon, please do contact Kristi ([email protected]) or Carlene ([email protected]).
1. Aims of the SIG
The SIG wants to establish an international network of researchers working on solidarity research in Social Work to promote and facilitate theoretical, methodological, empirical, and international comparative solidarity research.
2. Objectives of the SIG
The SIG wants (a) to initiate and establish international conferences, public forums, and lectures on solidarity research; (b) to offer new possibilities to publish interdisciplinary and innovative findings of solidarity research; and (c) to develop and strengthen solidarity research with researchers in areas of crisis, conflict and war.
3. Scope of the SIG: e.g. field of interest; research focus; inclusivity strategies; likely development of the SIG.
Solidarity is the cohesive force that binds modern democratic societies. Welfare states and practices of solidarity are founded on political participation, social justice, and cultural self-determination, but solidarity’s development and preservation are neither inevitable nor linear. Current political, ecological, economic, cultural, and social crises and conflicts pose threats to democracy and are undermining established forms and key aspects of solidarity. These crises and conflicts erode fundamental aspects of solidarity such as protection and recognition. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how and what new forms of solidarity are emerging to meet the threats, address the concomitant social problems, and drive social change and innovation. The Solidarity Research Network (SDN) seeks
- to map solidarities by identifying their norms, practices and actors in key areas of social work, especially in family, community, work, nation, and nature;
- to examine continuities and transformations of solidarity in different political and socio-geographical contexts by understanding what triggers or weakens solidarities in Social Work;
- to provide evidence of the potential and the limits of solidarity for addressing societal problems at individual, community, society, and global levels for social work.
4. SIG Convenors
- Prof. Dr. Nuzha Allassad Alhuzail, Sapir Academic College, School of Social Work, Israel, [email protected]
- Prof. Dr. Roland Becker-Lenz, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Social Work, [email protected]
- Pat Cox, Affiliate member MIDEX Research Centre, University of Central Lancashire, UK, [email protected]
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Geisen, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Social Work, [email protected]
5. List of the initial SIG members
- Prof. Dr. Kay Biesel, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Social Work, [email protected]
- Prof. Oksana Boyko, Chair of the Department School of Social Work at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine, [email protected]
- Prof. Nadiia Kabachenko, Department School of Social Work at National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine, [email protected]
- Prof. Sui-Ting Kong, Associate Professor in Social Work, Durham University, Department of Sociology, [email protected]
- Prof. Dr. Christian Reutlinger, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, School of Social Work, [email protected]
SIG “Solidarity Research and Social Work”
Time: Wednesday, 12 March 2025, 9:30-12h
Place: Catholic University of Applied Sciences Munich, Germany
Program:
8:30 | arriving and registration |
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9:00 - 9:30 | Coffee |
9:30 - 11:00 | Welcome and Introduction (M: Thomas Geisen) |
10:00 - 12:00 |
Conceptional Perspectives of Solidarity and Social Work I (M: Kay Biesel)
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12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch break (provided) |
13:00 – 14:30 |
Perspectives of Solidarity and Social Work II (M: Pat Cox)
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14:30 – 15:15 |
Solidarity Research and Social Work – SIG perspectives (M: Thomas Geisen)
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15:30 - 16:00 | Coffee break |
informal part: joining for dinner
Full day meeting of the Special Interest Group “Substance Use and Social Work” on Wednesday, March 12, 2025
SIG Convenors: Sari Lindeman & Ines Arendt
The SIG “Substance Use and Social Work” was founded in 2018. Since then, we have been able to publish a book (“Long-term Recovery from Substance Use: International Social Care Perspectives”, Editors: Sarah Galvani, Alastair Roy & Amanda Clayson) and engage in different international research activities.
During our annual full-day SIG event in the framework of the ECSWR conference, we will meet face-to-face and take time to discuss, exchange, and reflect on current topics regarding substance use and addiction in our different contexts, fields, and countries. The SIG is a self-organised group, and we are always open to new participants.
The aims of the group are simply to bring together like-minded people from the European and International social work community to share ideas and develop links from which we can further develop our research on this topic and its application to social work practice and education.
The SIG’s focus is on social work, social care, and substance use issues. While health discourse tends to dominate research around substance use, this special interest group recognises how substance use can often stem from and lead to social harms. Identifying and addressing these harms are part of the everyday practice of many social work and social care professionals.
On Wednesday, March 12, 2025, we will meet in a full day event in München.
Preliminary timetable (to be finalised):
9:30 - 12:00 | Part I: Welcoming, group introduction and short input (presentations of work/ research from the group) |
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12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch break |
13:00 - 15:30 | Part II: Working together: Data analyses and time for discussion (world café or similar) |
There will also be coffee breaks and time for networking during the event.
12 March 2025
9:30 am - 3:30 pm
Katholische Stiftungshochschule Munich (KSH)/Germany
Room: 13.209
Context:
Pre-Conference 14th European Conference for Social Work Research (ECSWR)
Organising Organisation:
European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA)
Organizers:
Prof. Dr. Claudia Olivier Mensah, International University of Applied Sciences (IU), Mainz/Germany
Prof. Dr. Cornelia Schweppe, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz/Germany
More about SIG TRANSOW: https://www.eswra.org/sig_page_single.php?i=15
Contact SIG TRANSOW: Claudia Olivier Mensah claudia.olivier [email protected]
From 08:30 | Registration |
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9:00 - 9:30 | Coffee Break |
9:30 - 10:00 |
WelcomeIntroduction of the SIG TRANSOW and the Participants of the event |
10:00 - 10:15 |
Inputs of an IASSW Board MemberProf. Dr. Sabine Bährer Kohler, International University of Applied Sciences (IU), Karlsruhe/Germany |
10:15 - 10:45 |
Transnational Social Work in Pratice and ResearchProf. Dr. Claudia Olivier Mensah, International University of Applied Sciences (IU), Mainz/Germany |
10:45 - 11:15 |
Racism and Discrimination in GermanyProf. Dr. Astride Velho, Katholische Stiftungshochschule Munich (KSH)/Germany |
11:15 - 11.45 |
Femicide in ArgentinaProf. Dr. Matilde Heredia, International University of Applied Sciences (IU) Buenos Aires /Argentina |
11:45 - 12:00 | Open Discussion and Exchange |
12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch Break |
1:00 - 1:30 |
The Relationship b etween Transnational and Green Social Work Two Complementary Approaches?Prof. Dr. Okka Zimmermann , International University of Applied Sciences (IU ), Braunschweig /Germany |
1:30 - 2:00 |
Transnational Family Dynamics in EuropeAsoc. Prof. Mieke Schrooten , University of Antwerp/Belgium |
2:00 - 2:30 |
Social Work as Police Work in Sweden, Switzerland and IrelandAsoc. Prof. Dr. Lisa Marie Borrelli , University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES SO) Valais Wallis Switzerland |
2:30 - 3:30 | Final Discussion and Ways Ahead |
3:30 - 4:00 | Coffee Break |
Special interest group (SIG) „Transnational Social Work“ (TRANSOW) in the context of the European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA)
If this research area is of interest to you, email [email protected] to join the Transnational Social Work Special Interest Group TRANSOW. SIGs enable networking, coordinate activities and discussion around particular research issues.
ECSWR 2025 München 12th March
Convenors: Kristel Driessens & Sidsel Natland
User Involvement and Democracy in Social Work
Introduction
In the pre-conference for this year’s SIG in Service User Involvement we would like to elaborate on the main conference’s theme – embracing democracy in social work practice and research. How do we approach the concept “democracy” and how does this impact on our research and practice? Social work should reflect the values of democracy, but what role can the research on social work take in this?
We live in a society marked by the democratization of sciences (Mattei 2023, Nowotny et al. 2001, Stenger 1999, Tonkens et al. 2013), and concepts as citizen science, user involvement, collaboration, co-production, participation, citizens as co-producers and public engagement mark a shift when it comes to the production and the utilization of knowledge. It is no longer self-evident that the academic researcher is the “expert” and the social workers and service users the passive recipients of knowledge. These approaches are promising in regard to secure research that aligns with democratic values and social work’s principles of social justice and human rights.
However, as social work is practiced in diverse local, organizational and political contexts, it is important to investigate the service users’ position. E.g. New Public Management is under critic for lacking democracy, and social work has been criticized for being disempowering, self-centred, paternalistic and unaccountable (Tonkens et al. 2013). What barriers are there and how are they solved? How can social work leadership be executed in democratic ways? Regarding research; What do we mean with the concept of democracy and how is it utilized in the research process? What experiences do we have with participation, involvement and collaboration in our research? Do we succeed in involving service users in the production of knowledge in a way that recognizes their experiental knowledge? How do we plan and carry out the research process in a way that secure their participation? What barriers and drivers are there for democratic knowledge production?
These and many other questions may emerge, and by this we invite you to share your research findings or theoretical/conceptual ideas about these topics in our SIG event.
Program and call for papers
The first half of the day (9.30-12) will be a joint meeting with the SIG in Social Work Practice Research. There we will discuss the concept of democratic knowledge production in social work research and how it is understood and utilized in different research contexts. The joint meeting will be facilitated by the World Café method. We work with what you bring into the dialogue from your own practice and research experiences.
In the afternoon (13-15.30) we will continue with paper presentations and discussions in our separate SIG, focusing on democratic values and how we approach and emphasize them in our research when users are involved. This part of the SIG depends on your contribution. If you are interested in presenting a paper, please send an abstract (deadline February 15th (details below)).
Pre-liminary program
09.30 – 09.45 | Welcome: Conveners of the User Involvement SIG and Social Work Practice research SIG. Short presentation of participants |
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09.45 – 10.15 | Introduction of the theme: “Democratic knowledge production in social work research” |
10:15 - 11:30 | World Café: Elaborating over the concept of democratization and how it is understood and utilized in different research and practice contexts. |
11:30 - 12:00 | Summing up: Summaries from each group and take home messages |
12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch Break |
13:00 - 15:30 | Separate meeting: Individual paper presentations and any other business regarding our SIG. Detailed program will come later. |
Deadline for submitting abstract: February 15th 2025
Abstract length: 250-300 words
Send it to both of us: [email protected], [email protected]
We look forward to meeting with you in München!
Best wishes, Kristel Driessens (Be) and Sidsel Natland (N)
ECSWR 2025 München 12th March
Examining the intersectionality of workforce preparation, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities through the prism of social justice and the democratic rights of citizens to access safe and effective services from a sustainable social work workforce.
Program
9.00 - 9.15 | Meeting of the Social Work Workforce Special Interest Group – social in person meeting of the workforce SIG with coffee. |
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Theme: Working conditions, well-being, staffing and turnover | |
9.15 – 9.35 | Child welfare work in the Nordic countries: How do their working conditions compare? Pia Tham, University of Gävle, Sweden, Steinunn Hrafnsdottir, University of Iceland, Gunn-Astrid Baugerud, Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, Cecilie Kolonda Moesby Jensen, University College Absalon, Denmark, Maija Mänttäri van der Kuip, University of Jyväskylä, Finland. |
9.35 - 9.55 | The conceptualisation and practice of social workers’ self-care as a form of workplace democracy. Sarah Rose, Edinburgh Napier University and Pearse McCusker, University of Edinburgh. |
9.55 - 10.15 | Safe and Effective Staffing in Social Work: Retention and Turnover – Workforce Supply and Service Demands Analysis - Conceptual Framework, Definition and Principles supporting a safer and effective workforce. Paula Mc Fadden and Justin MacLochlainn, Ulster University, Northern Ireland. |
10.15 - 10.35 | How do newly graduated social workers value skills training with Avatars? Åsa Vidman and Pia Tham, University of Gävle. |
10:35 - 11:05 | Coffee Break |
Theme: Highlighting Social Work Challenges, Practice Issues and Research | |
11.05 – 11.25 | Reclaiming the democratic profession in the United States: Social Workers involvement in Resistance. Jessica Toft, PhD. University of Minnesota School of Social Work, US. |
11.25 – 11.45 | The impact of austerity on the democratic rights of parents with learning disabilities and the consequences for social workers. Mary Baginsky, Kings College London |
11.45 – 12.05 | Understanding how child and family social workers stay in the profession – an interpretive phenomenological analysis. Lindsay Giddings, Open University, UK |
12.05 – 12.25 | Pursuing Justice and Equity: Workforce Health in Child Protection. Austin Griffiths, PhD, Western Kentucky University, US. |
12.25 - 13:30 | Lunch Break |
Theme: Resilience, reducing stress and burnout | |
13.30 – 13.50 | IFSW global working conditions study: Global social worker working conditions and wellbeing research from survey ending May 2024. Jermaine Ravalier, Buckinghamshire New University, Paula McFadden, Ulster University, David Jones, IFSW, Rory Truell, IFSW. |
13.50 – 14.10 | How has the move towards ‘agile’ and ‘remote’ working arrangements impacted upon friendships in children and families social work, and relatedly, the practitioners’ propensity to remain in the role? Ciaran Murphy, Edgehill University, UK. |
14.10 – 14.30 | "Should I stay, or should I go?" Romanian social workers' dilemmas when work-life balance is unstable: Results from the IFSW Global Working Conditions Survey from Romania. Florin Lazar, University of Bucharest & National College of Social Workers in Romania, Mihai-Bogdan Iovu, Babes-Bolyai University and National College of Social Workers in Romania, Elena-Loreni Baciu West University of Timisoara and National College of Social Workers, Romania and Mihaela Zanoschi, National College of Social Workers in Romania. |
14.30 – 14.50 | From South Africa to (Northern) England: When international Social Worker recruitment and retention ‘works’. Simon Cauvain, Nottingham Trent University, UK. |
14.50 – 15.10 | Legislative Advocacy to Support the Child Welfare Workforce in the United States. Hon, Judge Mica Pence, Western Kentucky, USA. |
15.10 | Close |
Contact details and affiliation:
Paula McFadden, Ulster University, Northern Ireland [email protected]
Pia Tham, Uppsala University, Sweden [email protected]
Maija Mänttäri-van der Kuip, University of Jyväskylä, Finland [email protected]