Broadening Horizons

While the remit of social work professionals is, in general, locality-based, social work has a long tradition of concern about international issues. Broadening Horizons provides an engaging and original contribution to the debate on how to tackle social work problems on a global scale. Filling both a theoretical and a practice gap in the literature, the book discusses the experiences of academics, practitioners and students involved in international exchanges in social work. It draws on a major EU-Canadian exchange project as well as separate projects in countries including South Africa, the USA, China and Australia. The contributors highlight the opportunities and barriers that shaped their experience and give guidance on how to deal with both the practicalities and aspirations of living and working across borders. This book will thus be invaluable both to readers interested in the meaning and realities of international social work and to those hoping to embark on an exchange programme themselves.

Lena Dominelli is President of the International Association of Schools of Social Work and Director of the Centre for International Social and Community Development, The University of Southampton, UK. Wanda Thomas Bernard is Director of the Maritime School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Canada.

Contents: Introduction, Lena Dominelli and Wanda Thomas Bernard; Internationalising social work: introducing issues of relevance, Lena Dominelli. Being An International Student: Opportunities and Lessons Learnt: Learning about my professional self through an international placement, Michelle Hammond; Learning what I didn't know about myself as a person, Anne LeBlanc; Not so familiar: the case of 'H', Melanie Myles; Supporting families through multi-level interventions, Helena Albertson; Context matters: child abuse in a deprived community, Bethany J. Savoy; Away from home: reflections from working with asylum seekers in the Netherlands, Renee Meuse; Learning about child welfare in Nova Scotia, Andy Markland; Impressions from an English exchange student in Canada, Phil Beck; Reflecting on a practice placement in India, Christine Bennett. Supporting Students on International Exchanges - Views From Practice: Tutoring overseas and home students, Kish Bhatti-Sinclair; Preparing and supporting students for international exchanges: the challenges of linking theory and practice, Sheila Sammon, Walene Whitaker and Constance Barlow; Managing overseas placements for students, Anne Davies and Sally Cosstick; Network collaboration within Swedish child welfare, Sven Hessle; Diversity in the Multiversity: an opportunity for co-operation among research, education and practice providers, Greger Helin and Nicoline Isacson; Developing a child welfare curriculum across borders, Julia Waldman with David Colombi. Broadening Horizons - Creating Learning Opportunities Across Borders: Visioning international student exchanges, Lena Dominelli; Dialogue with the field, Joan Gilroy; 'What am I doing here, really?' students' and teachers' reflections on international placements, Carolyn Noble; Exploring partnership: student evaluations of international exchanges in London and Durban, Sue Lawrence, Donna Dustin, Madhubala Kasiram and Rubeena Partab; Reframing epistemologies and practice through international exchanges: global and local discourses in the development of critical consciousness, Vishanthie Sewpaul; The cultivation of global citizenship through international student exchanges: the Hong Kong experience, Cecilia L.W. Chan and Ernest W.T. Chui; Conclusions, Lena Dominelli and Wanda Thomas Bernard; Bibliography; Author index; Subject index