PROFESSIONALISM, POSTMODERN ETHICS AND THE GLOBAL STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION AND TRAINING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/46-3-156Abstract
The Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training (hereafter referred to as “thedocument”) that was adopted by the General Assemblies of the International Association ofSchools of Social Work (IASSW) and the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)in October 2004 was born out of several small and big compromises. As Chair of the GlobalStandards Committee, I remain ambivalent about some of the processes and the product. Aspointed out previously (Williams & Sewpaul, 2004), despite the best attempts at consultationand ensuring representation of different voices, they remained flawed, especially when workingon a document that is supposed to cover worldwide processes and representation. On beingasked to Chair the Global Standards Committee my reaction was that it was a preposterous andover-ambitious goal, with my biggest fear being that it would reinforce a Western hegemonyand reproduce Western professional imperialism in social work education and practice. I wasinformed that because I understood the sensitivities and complexities of such an endeavour, Iwould be suited to lead the process.Downloads
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