Editorial: ERIS web Journal 1/2012

Social Work and Diversity

Diversity is a contextual framework in social work theory and practice that is challenging for the further development of the social work profession. Dealing with issues like gender, ethnicity and social class social work has to identify problems for the clients raised by diversity. At the same time it has to implement the positive aspects of diversity into social work theories and methods.

For the current issue six articles has been choosen.

• Doris Boehler and Matthew Randall are highlighting the importance of diversity training in social work education. They are providing a comprehensive overview about theory, methodology and practice of these trainings and demonstrating the content of a training by providing an example exercise of a diversity training.
• Mart Busche, Elli Scambor and Olaf Stuve are presenting results of a research project funded by the European Union. The „IGIV – Implementation Guideline for an Intersectional Peer Violence Preventive Work“ was focused on the need of an intersectional perspective in social work education in five European countries. The goal has been to deepen the knowledge in order to develop appropriate methods, tools and recommendations for an intersectional approach in peer violence education.
• Brian Littlechild examines issues of culture in English social work with a focus on the treatment of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), migrant and minority faith groups within the child protection and youth justice system. He concludes that it is necessary to put more emphasis in training, education and supervision on the structural and personal effects of possible unfair stereotypes towards BME and he highlights the personal responsibility for social workers due the commitment to ethical values of social work.
• Ute Straub outlines the context in which „Family Group Conferences“ have been developed and their implementation. It describes their special quality and shows how they are translated into practice in various European countries.
• Barbara Thiessen intends to open the discussion on family models and their embedded gender and class constructions. She asks i.e. if there are discrepancies between the understanding of the notion family of the families themselves to what they think social workers expect of their family life?
  
  

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