CHECK IT OUT! APASWE No. 12 (2015-2017)

IT OUT! APASWE - No.12 (2015-2017)

Joint Amplification of the Global Definition on Social Work Profession in Asia and Pacific

Fentiny Nugroho, PhD
President of APASWE

The ‘Global Definition of the Social Work Profession’ was approved by the general assemblies of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW) and International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) in July 2014, which were held during the IASSW/IFSW/ICSW1 Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education, and Social Development (9–12 July 2014, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre). The final sentence of the Global Definition declared that ‘(T)he above definition may be amplified at national and/or regional levels’.2

In response to this, Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work Education (APASWE) initiated a one-day workshop on the amplified definition of social work on July 14, 2014 at the Australian College of Applied Psychology (ACAP), Melbourne campus.

• 1 International Council of Social Welfare
• 2 http://www.iassw-aiets.org/global-definition-of-social-work-review-of-the-global-definition/

Participants discussed what we needed in regard to the Asia-Pacific Regional definition.It was proposed that ideas such as spirituality, religion, and faith should be included in the amplified definition for the Asia-Pacific Region.

APASWE discussed an amplified definition with the working group of the International Federation of Social Workers Asia-Pacific (IFAP) likewise. The “Draft Amplification of Joint Global Definition for Asia Pacific Region” was proposed during the 23rd Asian and Pacific Association for Social Work Education Conference which was held in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 22, 2015 at the Dusit Hotel, Bangkok. This draft was jointly adopted by APASWE and IFAP to distribute all members of organizations for public comment from November 2015 to February, 2016.

The President of APASWE invited all members to a special General Body Meeting which has been held during the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development 2016 (SWSD2016), Seoul, Korea. One of the main items on that agenda was to approve the proposed amplification to the definition of social work in Asia and the Pacific. The ‘Amplification for the Asia Pacific Region of the Global Definition of the Social Work Profession’ was approved unanimously on June 28 2016.

We are delighted to inform all members of APSAWE of the approval of the Amplification for the Asia Pacific Region of the Global Definition of the Social Work Profession.

On behalf of all APASWE members, APASWE Executive Board Members deeply appreciate APASWE Amplification Working Committee which was chaired by Dr. Mark Henrickson, and especially its coordinator, Dr. Barbara Staniforth’s sincere contribution for the past two years.

Joint Amplification of the Global Definition for Asia Pacific Region
Approved by the General Body Meeting of APASWE on June 28 2016, Seoul,Korea.

The Asia Pacific region represents many different communities and peoples. The region has been shaped by its migrations and indigenous and colonising histories. It contains some of the richest and some of the most economically deprived nations. It is a region where East meets West, and South meets North with differing religious, philosophic and political perspectives. It is a region that has been severely impacted by climate change, overuse of finite resources, natural, and human-made disasters, yet the strength and resilience of its peoples have been demonstrated over and over again. Professional social work in the Asia Pacific Region has an emphasis on:

• Realising the care and compassion of our Profession in ensuring that all people are provided with adequate social protection so that their needs are met and human rights and dignity safeguarded;
• Recognising the importance of faith, spirituality and/or religion in people’s lives and holding respect for varying belief systems;
• The celebration of diversity and peaceful negotiation of Conflict
• Affirming the region’s indigenous and local knowledges and practices alongside critical and research-based practice/practice-based research approaches to social work practice and,
• Encouraging innovative, sustainable social work and social development practices in the preservation our environment.