Defining International Social Work for the Purpose of Strengthening Curricula in Social Work Graduate Schools

Abstract

This paper examines some of the challenges the social work profession faces in expanding the field at the international level. Defining what we mean by international social work is a fundamental issue to provide greater recognition for the field in order to recruit new students and expand the presence of social workers in international organizations. One of the main avenues for pursuing these goals is to strengthen the international social work curricula at universities. The paper looks to social work values in defining the field’s strengths in international work and uses this as a base to provide suggestions for deepening international social work curricula.