ABSTRACT
This chapter examines social work practice in an international context, building on the literature review in the previous chapter. This chapter, however, takes a more nuanced look at how social work practice has had to mould around the contours of societal upheaval and conflict. This is particularly relevant, for example, given the current refugee crisis and challenges so many people are facing in seeking asylum in their quest for safety. Specific examples will, therefore, be provided to show how social workers have had to respond in meeting the needs of clients when political conflict characterises the nature of their employment backdrop and challenges social workers in the discharge of their primary functions. The focus on practice in this early chapter will also be interwoven with the role of social work education and the approach taken to preparing social work students to address the types of challenges they face after they complete their social work studies. This latter focus will, therefore, build on work already undertaken around developing an international social work curriculum on political conflict (Duffy et al., 2013). Specific examples will also be provided from different countries to highlight ways in which educators are trying to address challenging and ‘troublesome’ pedagogy to sensitise social work students to these issues by way of preparing them for practice. Work undertaken in Northern Ireland will be evidenced by way of exemplifying some of these initiatives (Coulter et al., 2013; Campbell et al., 2013). This chapter will then conclude by focusing on both the opportunities and challenges that social workers are presented with in practice but also highlighting the intricacies of the relationship between these and social work education.
