Remaking Social Work for the New Global Era

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxx

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2. Tracing the Contours of the New Era

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. New Era for Social Work in the Global Future

      • Ngoh Tiong Tan

      Pages 3-15

   3. Social Work and Social Development Challenges to the COVID-19 Pandemic

      • Leila Patel

      Pages 17-28

   4. Remaking Social Work by Applying an Anti-oppressive Lens

      • Elena Allegri, Barbara Rosina, Mara Sanfelici

      Pages 29-44

3. Sustainable Approaches to Social Intervention

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 45-45

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   2. Partnerships as Citizens’ Rights

      • Heloisa Helena Mesquita Maciel, Ilda Lopes Rodrigues da Silva

      Pages 47-57

   3. Vulnerability and Resilience of Refugee Women and Children

      • Hadijah Mwenyango, George Palattiyil

      Pages 59-76

   4. Critical Green Social Work as Futuristic Social Work Practice

      • Carolyn Noble

      Pages 77-88

4. Capacities of Social Work Education, Service and Research

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 89-89

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   2. Partnership in Social Work Education Along the New Silk Road: Towards a Transformative Cultural Inclusion Model

      • Angelina Yuen-Tsang, Benjamin H. B. Ku, Gulmira Abdiraiymova, In Young Han, Mona Khoury-Kassabri, Lan Nguyen et al.

      Pages 91-113

   3. Globalisation and the Future of Social Work Practice and Education

      • Viktor Virág, You Jin Chung, Ngoh Tiong Tan, Mariko Kimura, Boon Kheng Seng

      Pages 115-128

   4. Reflective Ethical Decision-Making Process for Advancing Social Work

      • Monika Čajko Eibicht, Walter Lorenz

      Pages 129-141

   5. Knowledge Creation in Social Work During the Time of COVID-19

      • Justin Francis Leon V. Nicolas

      Pages 143-159

5. Looking Forward: Global Challenges

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 161-161

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   2. Making Societies Social Again After the Crisis

      • Walter Lorenz

      Pages 163-179

   3. Equipping Social Workers for a New Global Era

      • P. K. Shajahan

      Pages 181-197

6. Back Matter

   Pages 199-200

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Future social work practice requires a holistic framework to deal effectively with the great social and economic disruptions of this unprecedented time. Innovation and creativity are indispensable to empowering social workers and social service organizations to make an impact on the lives of people and societies in today's world. This book provides a range of innovative practices of social work drawing from alternate theories and with a global orientation. It is forward-looking with a focus on social resilience, social inclusion and recovery. Using a strengths perspective, discussions in the chapters provide useful insights in restructuring social life and social services at the individual as well as community and societal levels for meeting the challenges of a new global era.


The chapters draw on the experiences of the authors in their academic and practice engagements and focus on a variety of arenas of social work education and practice to enrich the understanding of the present and future of the field. Authors discuss theoretical and conceptual models to review social work education and practice of engaging in a fast-changing global era and complex contexts. Topics explored include:

• New Era for Social Work in the Global Future
• Remaking Social Work by Applying an Anti-oppressive Lens
• Vulnerability and Resilience of Refugee Women and Children
• Critical Green Social Work as Futuristic Social Work Practice
• Globalisation and the Future of Social Work Practice and Education
• Equipping Social Workers for a New Global Era

Remaking Social Work for the New Global Era is an essential resource to inform practice, enrich teaching, and direct future research for social work academics, researchers, educators, students, and field supervisors, as well as social care, social work and social service practitioners in both clinical and policy settings. The book also wouldbe of interest to mental health and community professionals in various practice contexts across the globe. 

• the future of social work practice and education
• innovative social work practice
• global orientation and the strengths perspective
• holistic theoretical framework
• empowering social workers and social service organizations
• social resilience
• social inclusion and social integration
• restructuring social life at all levels
• social care and welfare
• mental health and community health professionals
• international social work education
• social work collaborations
• social interventions
• capacities of social work education, service, and research
• disruptions as opportunities for change & creative intervention
• social life recovery and restructuring
• individual, community and societal levels
• social services workers
• clinical social work settings
• social policy settings

• S R Nathan School of Human Development, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

  Ngoh Tiong Tan

• Centre for Community Organisation and Development Practice School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India

  P.K. Shajahan

Ngoh Tiong Tan, PhD, is professor and former Dean of Singapore University of Social Sciences.  He is Treasurer, Co-chair of the Publications Committee and Main Representative to United Nations Bangkok for International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), President of ConneXions International, and Chair of Global Institute of Social Work. He served on the International Consortium for Social Development and National Council of Social Services Boards. He is past Co-chair of Commonwealth Organization for Social Workers, Past President of Singapore Association of Social Workers, past Vice-President of International Federation of Social Workers. Dr. Tan was a consultant to a UNICEF Project in Thailand, Principal Investigator for research and consultancy projects. He has taught social work models, family practice, conflict resolution and mediation, disaster management, research and evaluation courses at the University.  He has authored and edited a number of books and scholarly articles and was consultant editor and reviewer for international journals.

P.K. Shajahan, PhD, is a professor of Social Work and Dean, Academic Affairs at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai, India. He was formerly the Dean, Social Protection, Dean Students' Affairs, Chairperson, Centre for Community Organisation and Development Practice and Chairperson of South Asia Centre for Studies in Conflicts Peace and Human Security at TISS. He is currently the Vice-President of International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) and represents ICSW at the Task Force on Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development 2020 - 2030. As a Member of the Board of Directors, International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), he chairs the Publication Committee of IASSW. He, along with colleagues from Europe, the Americas and Africa, founded two global academic alliances – Critical Edge Alliance (CEA) and Solidarity Economy Reciprocity and Social Innovation (SERESI). His research, publications and areas of expertise include Participatory Development, Social Enterprises and Social Innovation, Diversity and Social Cohesion, Community and Civic Engagement, School Education and Accountability, Social Protection and Social Policies, International Social Work, and Youth Development. He has been a visiting faculty at University of Chicago (USA), Gavle University (Sweden), Tampere University (Finland) and Roskilde University (Denmark).

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